[Quote] Heero's non-essay from "Gundam W", Episode 18
My apologies to anyone (still) following this Livejournal for more "Frozen Teardrop" updates!!! I've unfortunately been completely consumed by the work side of things since August, and more recently I've been down with a nasty cold. Rest assured that I have every intent to continue with the translations though, albeit slowly.
Luckily for the rest of you, I'm not the only one sharing translations online. Translations for the other chapters so far can be found here:
Meanwhile, the prologue has been revised. (Look ma, no more missing words!) Some major changes to note: "Cathy" has been changed to "Kathy" to differentiate from Catherine Bloom. Also, her title has been changed from Officer to Lieutenant, and "Roshi Chang" has been changed to "Master Chang", both to be consistent with the North American release of Gundam W. See the prologue itself for further details.
Finally, I mentioned in the end notes for the prologue that the quote from Episode 18 was missing lines vs. the actual TV broadcast. This episode has always been a favourite of mine, especially that last scene where Heero pretends to read an essay, and it's probably one of the earliest things I properly translated. It was nice to dig up the old manuscript and clean it up for the prologue after all these years. Here's the full version, just for the heck of it.
-----
Heero: The planet that miraculously made it possible for living things to inhabit the Solar System, that is the planet Earth.
In the year AC195, with the development of The Colonies, it has become possible for humans to possess new lands, thanks to an abundance of natural resources and the technological abilities fostered over the years. However, to the very end, these lands are nothing but spaces that imitate the motherland Earth.
What meaning was there to building The Colonies? They say that the main objective was the development of technology to enrich mankind's life [on Earth]. But, did mankind not place impossible demands on these imitation spaces? The self-sustained way of life faces no natural threats, and is more stable than on Earth. The limitless growth makes it seem as if mankind has been promised a permanent existence. There was probably a time when people rejoiced that Space had allowed them to start over from scratch. But, it is difficult to believe that The Colonies, let alone mankind would be able to forget the Earth.
What did Colony development technologies bring about to the Earth? Military strength is the technology that Earth wants most. Destruction is a spirit that mankind is unable to abandon. Currently, The Colonies are in a position to take on a more militaristic nature. They are unable to forget the Earth.
The Earth's beauty is incredible. As animals that have gained great power, humans start to think about controlling even an entire planet. But on a planetary scale, the existence of living things is but a transient moment in time. It's all after the fact. In the end, nothing has changed when it comes to what humans are capable of thinking about. The time humans have spent in Space has been a waste. Before reality, ideals are but dreams.
A false living space. A false pacifism. [Space is nothing but a breeding ground for even more battles.]
[War] claims [many] lives. Humans have never forgotten the sadness of this fact, but they also never try to stop the fighting either. The blood and tears shed are nothing but ceremonial trappings. There are histories where points between the ages can only be talked about through wars. Faded and hypocritical expressions such as "to fight for peace": how many times have these infamous words been recited in the past.
The Colonies say they take up armaments for peace. They are no different from The Earth. They think they have been allowed to join the others. The additional bloodshed is perhaps meant to boost morale but-
Teacher: Thank you, that will do, Duo Maxwell. Let's not pursue that topic any further. It wouldn't be good to force your anxieties on your classmates. I think it was a bit inappropriate as your introduction as a new student.
Now, Duo, if you'll take a seat at the very back…
Heero: So then, why do humans fight? Maybe there's a sense of being to be found in fighting. When in battle, a person feel fulfilled. And it's also a fact that when in battle, a person doesn't appear corrupt-"
Disclaimer: Original Japanese text Copyright © 1995, Kawase Toshifumi, Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and TV Asahi. English translation Copyright © 2010, kaijyuu_m. The English translation isn't authorized by the copyright holders and should be considered unofficial. Please don't repost the translation anywhere else on the Internet because it's not even supposed to exist in the first place.
Luckily for the rest of you, I'm not the only one sharing translations online. Translations for the other chapters so far can be found here:
- http://corpus-yaoi.livejournal.com/21193.html (Chapter 1, Part 1)
- http://corpus-yaoi.livejournal.com/22596.html (Chapter 1, Part 2)
- http://kokoronomelody.livejournal.com/98367.html (Chapter 2, Part 1)
Meanwhile, the prologue has been revised. (Look ma, no more missing words!) Some major changes to note: "Cathy" has been changed to "Kathy" to differentiate from Catherine Bloom. Also, her title has been changed from Officer to Lieutenant, and "Roshi Chang" has been changed to "Master Chang", both to be consistent with the North American release of Gundam W. See the prologue itself for further details.
Finally, I mentioned in the end notes for the prologue that the quote from Episode 18 was missing lines vs. the actual TV broadcast. This episode has always been a favourite of mine, especially that last scene where Heero pretends to read an essay, and it's probably one of the earliest things I properly translated. It was nice to dig up the old manuscript and clean it up for the prologue after all these years. Here's the full version, just for the heck of it.
-----
Heero: The planet that miraculously made it possible for living things to inhabit the Solar System, that is the planet Earth.
In the year AC195, with the development of The Colonies, it has become possible for humans to possess new lands, thanks to an abundance of natural resources and the technological abilities fostered over the years. However, to the very end, these lands are nothing but spaces that imitate the motherland Earth.
What meaning was there to building The Colonies? They say that the main objective was the development of technology to enrich mankind's life [on Earth]. But, did mankind not place impossible demands on these imitation spaces? The self-sustained way of life faces no natural threats, and is more stable than on Earth. The limitless growth makes it seem as if mankind has been promised a permanent existence. There was probably a time when people rejoiced that Space had allowed them to start over from scratch. But, it is difficult to believe that The Colonies, let alone mankind would be able to forget the Earth.
What did Colony development technologies bring about to the Earth? Military strength is the technology that Earth wants most. Destruction is a spirit that mankind is unable to abandon. Currently, The Colonies are in a position to take on a more militaristic nature. They are unable to forget the Earth.
The Earth's beauty is incredible. As animals that have gained great power, humans start to think about controlling even an entire planet. But on a planetary scale, the existence of living things is but a transient moment in time. It's all after the fact. In the end, nothing has changed when it comes to what humans are capable of thinking about. The time humans have spent in Space has been a waste. Before reality, ideals are but dreams.
A false living space. A false pacifism. [Space is nothing but a breeding ground for even more battles.]
[War] claims [many] lives. Humans have never forgotten the sadness of this fact, but they also never try to stop the fighting either. The blood and tears shed are nothing but ceremonial trappings. There are histories where points between the ages can only be talked about through wars. Faded and hypocritical expressions such as "to fight for peace": how many times have these infamous words been recited in the past.
The Colonies say they take up armaments for peace. They are no different from The Earth. They think they have been allowed to join the others. The additional bloodshed is perhaps meant to boost morale but-
Teacher: Thank you, that will do, Duo Maxwell. Let's not pursue that topic any further. It wouldn't be good to force your anxieties on your classmates. I think it was a bit inappropriate as your introduction as a new student.
Now, Duo, if you'll take a seat at the very back…
Heero: So then, why do humans fight? Maybe there's a sense of being to be found in fighting. When in battle, a person feel fulfilled. And it's also a fact that when in battle, a person doesn't appear corrupt-"
Disclaimer: Original Japanese text Copyright © 1995, Kawase Toshifumi, Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and TV Asahi. English translation Copyright © 2010, kaijyuu_m. The English translation isn't authorized by the copyright holders and should be considered unofficial. Please don't repost the translation anywhere else on the Internet because it's not even supposed to exist in the first place.