Real Read vol 001: Ruki Interview [2004] PART I
This interview was from REAL READ vol 001. They started translating the interview in 2007 at
…but have discontinued.
Here, Ruki talks about his childhood, adolescence, and how he got disowned by his parents.
And it seemed like nobody could find scans of the text.
Initially, I ordered the magazine on YesAsia so I can scan the text and find somebody to translate the Japanese (Because I can only read elementary-leveled Japanese); only for YesAsia to tell me a week later that the magazine is out of print. FINALLY, Chinese translations were found. Being a Chinese school dropout, I am not able to read any more than 30 Chinese characters. So I ask my mother to translate. Yes, my dear and kind mother (who bribed me to cleaning the house for her services and for some reason she found this interview to be entertaining…she laughed countless times while translating). And I'm glad she was able to finish translating and revising it with me before she left for her business trip. So thank you for your hard work, Mama Ling <3
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*I don't know how ACCURATE the Chinese translation is, but my mom translated the best she could since she said the Chinese was a little strange but she translated line by line with me next to her and I did my best to type it all out in cohesive English*
This interview will be posted in four parts because it is quite long (Around 13 pages typed out on Microsoft Word). The next part will be posted here next Sunday around the same time; it will be announced on gazette_media . Don't worry; I won't suddenly stop posting them since the whole thing is completed already.
Interview dedicated to syzygy_lestat because she, just like me, was really desperate to read this =3 And if it wasn't for her request post, I probably wouldn't have even thought to translate this.
Okay, I'll shut up now ;3
Enjoy!
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Please DO NOT REPOST without my permission!
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REAL READ 001: Ruki Interview
"…" = Quotes and thoughts
(…) = References
[…] = My notes
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Ruki-san, when you were little, were you a DISORDER kind of child?
R: When I was little, I was a POP kid but my father always yelled at me. If I did anything rebellious, my parents would have beaten me. I always thought that they were frightening.
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It's rare in this generation where strict fathers still exist.
R: Other than the impression of my parents being scary, there is nothing else. My father was strict. My mother was strict.
But were you a naughty kid?
R: At the time, I didn't think so but I was a noisy child. I had a brother who was older than me by nine years. I had all his hand-me-downs. Other kids' parents would buy them new bicycles or something like that but I can only use my brother's old stuff. It was unbearable. During that time, a Nintendo console was popular, but my parents would not get it for me.
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Why are they so strict?
R: I also ask myself the same question: "Why? Is it only me?" When I see my friends with their new things, I tell my parents "x-kun or y-kun has this or that." But I end up getting yelled at for asking such questions. So even now I hate that Nintendo console.
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With such a scary parents, no, family, shouldn't you have became a better child?
R: At home, I was a good kid. But outside of the home, that's where I'll be bad. If my parents found out that I was bad outside of home, they would still scold me.
Under your parents' strict rules, what was something that you really wanted to be for yourself?
R: Recently, I read over my elementary graduation memory book and even then I wrote that "I want to be a manga artist" and I really loved drawing.
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Then did you ever take any art lessons?
R: I had other courses such as calligraphy, math and swimming at a prep school. My parents wanted to raise a good kid.
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But in elementary school, a lot of children went to prep schools (tutoring schools)?
R: None of my friends or schoolmates had to go to those classes. So going to those classes after school is definitely annoying. By the time I get home, I still have a lot to do [homework] so I hated it. Then I started skipping. Of course by doing that I get punished. Especially during the summer vacation, everybody is outside having fun, but since I'm always rebellious, I was always grounded and had to stay at home.
By 'rebellious,' can you explain what you did?
R: I didn't go to those prep classes so my grades dropped. So I get grounded but I didn't even want to go to prep school so it kind of like I choose to stay at home. When my parents are at home, they kept me under strict surveillance. When I am supposed to be studying at home, I always had a manga in my drawer. When my parents would be around, I hide it. Since then, I used those tricks to get away from studying (laughs).
By what you are saying, prep school was a torturous place to be at?
R: Prep school was not normal because there were other bad kids. So not listening to what the teacher is saying is normal. I always just brought my manga with me to read there.
During the summer vacations, what did you do at home?
R: In the morning is when my parents are at work that is when I am most free. Before the afternoon, I watch a lot of anime and special summer TV programs. But before my parents return home, I must finish doing homework. My parents had the homework answers hidden so I had to look for them and copy the answers. Sometimes I tried to do the homework by myself without the answer key but usually almost everyday I copy answers directly off the answer sheets.
During that age, what was music to you?
R: My brother liked X Japan. But if I listened to them, my parents would yell at me. The reason is because the CD my brother had was from their indies era "VANISHING VISION"; the cover art was very erotic. Doesn't that excite a child's heart? Because of that I secretly sneak into my brother's room and listen to it. I was in the 4th grade at that time.
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So you listened to a lot of music because of your brother?
R: Because my brother liked metal so he would listen to Helloween (German band) and Guns N' Roses (American band). Horror movies were popular at that time and they would use that kind of heavy music for the movies so that's why he would listen to them.
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Ruki-san, did this influence your interest in horror now?
R: As of horror stuff, I was influenced during that age. The movie that made the biggest impact on me was "Child's Play." I used to sneak out to watch this at the middle of the night. I made the room was extremely dark and I had to listen through headphones.
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Is it because your parents were so strict that you find ways to be rebellious?
R: They tell me that I can't watch TV, so I'll watch in the middle of the night in the living room with headphones on. From that on, I was a night person. Since then I still love horror movies and hate that Nintendo console. Also because Terminator was popular then the guns and knives were popular also. So I would go to these military shops and buy gas guns and knives or war goggles (laughs).
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How did you get that money to buy such things?
R: Well…there are a lot of cases where after they find out, they would yell at me because I cannot directly tell them that I'm using the money to buy weapons. So I tell I need money to buy snacks. Up until now, I still have not told them about this; this is the first time I've talked publicly about this. Anyway, that knife was a huge one like Rambo's.
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Such dangerous things, why would employees at these shops sell this to elementary school children?
R: Yeah, that shop is very strange. The employee was an otaku who had a headband over his forehead. He, nonchalantly, sold these products to little kids like it's normal.
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Did you go to adult shops?
R: At that time, I wasn't exposed much to eroticism. But I liked dangerous things. Even when watching horror movies, I pick the most gory and violent ones. The girl I went with to buy the guns and knives grow up in a foreign country. She bought the Terminator model bb gun called Gatling gun. Then I used to play fake war games. When playing with that girl, whoever had her as an enemy sucked because I cannot escape the fast bullets; I used the RoboCop gun to defend myself.
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Did you like to play different things from your peers and classmates?
R: At that time, everybody played that Nintendo console but my friend and I liked Terminator, First Blood, Rambo and Robocop. We really were really interested in those movies. As of horror movies, Friday the 13th was not bad. My friend would like to watch snuff films so we always went together.
[Translator's Note: A snuff film is a movie of the actual death or murder of a person or people. WIKIPEDIA]
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From then on, you started liking this kind of entertainment?
R: Yes, and same for my friends. There are a lot of people who like the same.
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Were you an outstanding student?
R: Even though I think I was but there were anti-social students and scary students. There were a lot of people with character, so I didn't think I was outstanding.
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By the time you were in junior high school, did you hang out with difference people with different interests?
R: My impression of people in junior high school was half-hearted. Aren't there a lot junior high school students starting to get curious about sex? But my parents didn't even let me go to that stage of thinking of sex. When I entered junior high school, they became stricter than ever before.
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Just asking, when was your first love?
R: I'm not sure if this is considered first love. When I was a first year student in junior high school, a third year student confessed to me. To add to that, she was a yankee (gangster) and was the leader of her gang. Afterwards, I found out that she has a habit of inhaling paint thinner [Ruki means that she's a junkie]. A lot of people knew about this but I didn't…But I never had that kind of feelings for her.
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Doesn't it feel great for someone to confess to you?
R: I was pretty indifferent about it. I don't even know what kind of circumstances that we would be together. That girl would give me accessories for gifts.
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Did you ever date her?
R: No, we only walked home together. On the way home, we just talk a lot.
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In school, were there ever rumors of you and that girl?
R: In the beginning, I didn't tell people about this. After people found out, a female senpai warned me that the girl (who confessed) "is bad and that I shouldn't be around her." Before the girl (who confessed) already had a boyfriend, so she's dating two people at the same time. So the first boyfriend is closely watching her and he is a scary guy and since she's about to graduate, our relationship faded.
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Because you're like that, is that why you are interested in everything about a girl?
R: This is when I started thinking about sex. At first, I got excited when I picked a dirty magazine on the road. Then I found out that my brother had a locked drawer and I secretly found the key. Upon opening, I found S&M magazines. "Ara!" This is too extreme (laughs).
[Translator's Note: In the Chinese translation, the text was "Aiya!" so I believe the Japanese equivalent is "Ara"]
So your heart was beating like hell.
R: At that moment of looking at the magazine, I was stunned. And my heart was beating like crazy and I was excited. But I think everybody would have had the same reaction. I always go to my friend's house and ask his brother for this kind of magazines. And I have learned a lot.
Please DO NOT REPOST without my permission!
Here are the Chinese translations if anybody wants:
http://blog.yam.com/gotetsulike/article/25697110
http://blog.yam.com/gotetsulike/article/26222756
http://blog.yam.com/gotetsulike/article/26718596
Comments are <3
See you next week~