Making my own fandom, one step at a time
So for the past little while, I've been following this dramariffic Japanese Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi online doujinshi. It is called "The Little Mermaid." And it can be found at this website. (And yes, as the top illustration implies, it's Kyon/Koizumi.) My major triumph is that the author has v. messy handwriting which I would have found impossible to read even a year ago, but now find myself having less and less trouble with.
Now. The fact is, this is a pretty dubious comic. Everyone is at least occasionally badly out of character, in particular Kyon, since there is no real in-character way for Kyon to have sex with Koizumi. So why do I like it so much? Because it's pretty, for one - a plot that would be MINDBLOWINGLY BAD in fanfic can turn out suprisingly well in a visual medium. The other reason is that it fufills my deep need for terribly, soul-crushing angst balanced with moments of comfort and love. I am a very simple person to please in this respect.
I have decided that I need to do translations during the summer, because I don't want my Japanese to get rusty while I'm not taking it at school. And these two things connect in that for your reading pleasure, I will proceed to translate the entire Little Mermaid comic. Except for Part 2.
Here goes!
NINGYOHIME: THE LITTLE MERMAID
by Apollo502, trans. SaturnOolaa
PART 1
Page 1
/God
God
Don't cry/
Koizumi: -Hey. Sorry I'm late.
Page 2
Haruhi: ...Huh- hey, what!? Koizumi-kun, what's up with that scratch!?
Koizumi: Ah, this is, um...
At my "part time job."
Haruhi: Did your boss do this or something!? I won't forgive them! We'll get together and pay them back ten times! I'm gonna-
Koizumi: It's fine, Suzumiya-san.
Page 3
Koizumi: It's not a large injury, and that person is usually very bright and fun. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not something big enough for the Brigade to be worried about.
Haruhi: ... There's blood on your bandage. You'd better change the gauze. Mikuru-chan, let's go to the infirmary!
Mikuru: Y-yes...
Page 4
Kyon: A "Giant"?
Koizumi: Yes. I evaded a direct hit, but
I couldn't defend against the shrapnel.
...But it's not too bad.
Page 5
Kyon: The blood's... not stopping...
/Koizumi/
/Fights targets created by Haruhi's state of mind, one after another
He becomes a little ball of red light against the stupidly big blue Giants/
Page 6
/Inside that ash-coloured closed space./
Kyon: So then why are you just casually laughing like that?
You should say something to Haruhi.
Like, "this scratch is your fault."
Koizumi: I've already said that's inadvisable.
/Shut up.../
Page 7
Koizumi: The continued existance of the world is hanging in the balance.
/Don't laugh/
Koizumi: It's not as if I'm a girl.
/Don't laugh/
Koizumi: One lie doesn't make much difference.
/Don't fucking laugh!/
Page 8
...
Page 9
Haruhi: We're back!
And we've got the gauze!
Koizumi: I'm very grateful.
/God
God/
Page 10
Kyon: ...shit...
/Don't cry./
Now. The fact is, this is a pretty dubious comic. Everyone is at least occasionally badly out of character, in particular Kyon, since there is no real in-character way for Kyon to have sex with Koizumi. So why do I like it so much? Because it's pretty, for one - a plot that would be MINDBLOWINGLY BAD in fanfic can turn out suprisingly well in a visual medium. The other reason is that it fufills my deep need for terribly, soul-crushing angst balanced with moments of comfort and love. I am a very simple person to please in this respect.
I have decided that I need to do translations during the summer, because I don't want my Japanese to get rusty while I'm not taking it at school. And these two things connect in that for your reading pleasure, I will proceed to translate the entire Little Mermaid comic. Except for Part 2.
Here goes!
NINGYOHIME: THE LITTLE MERMAID
by Apollo502, trans. SaturnOolaa
PART 1
Page 1
/God
God
Don't cry/
Koizumi: -Hey. Sorry I'm late.
Page 2
Haruhi: ...Huh- hey, what!? Koizumi-kun, what's up with that scratch!?
Koizumi: Ah, this is, um...
At my "part time job."
Haruhi: Did your boss do this or something!? I won't forgive them! We'll get together and pay them back ten times! I'm gonna-
Koizumi: It's fine, Suzumiya-san.
Page 3
Koizumi: It's not a large injury, and that person is usually very bright and fun. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's not something big enough for the Brigade to be worried about.
Haruhi: ... There's blood on your bandage. You'd better change the gauze. Mikuru-chan, let's go to the infirmary!
Mikuru: Y-yes...
Page 4
Kyon: A "Giant"?
Koizumi: Yes. I evaded a direct hit, but
I couldn't defend against the shrapnel.
...But it's not too bad.
Page 5
Kyon: The blood's... not stopping...
/Koizumi/
/Fights targets created by Haruhi's state of mind, one after another
He becomes a little ball of red light against the stupidly big blue Giants/
Page 6
/Inside that ash-coloured closed space./
Kyon: So then why are you just casually laughing like that?
You should say something to Haruhi.
Like, "this scratch is your fault."
Koizumi: I've already said that's inadvisable.
/Shut up.../
Page 7
Koizumi: The continued existance of the world is hanging in the balance.
/Don't laugh/
Koizumi: It's not as if I'm a girl.
/Don't laugh/
Koizumi: One lie doesn't make much difference.
/Don't fucking laugh!/
Page 8
...
Page 9
Haruhi: We're back!
And we've got the gauze!
Koizumi: I'm very grateful.
/God
God/
Page 10
Kyon: ...shit...
/Don't cry./