Aoi Hitorigoto - 34. Position - by Katô Shigeaki
Apology to my flist about suddenly starting to make these kinds of posts in the past days, but I don't want to get another LJ for it, I want my translations HERE in my original LJ. And since I am studying Japanology, it's kinda obvious that maybe sooner or later I'd start posting stuff like translations and such. So you hast have to skip those posts or whatever, yea.
Aoi Hitorigoto - 34. Position
When I got to the the 3rd year of university, especially when in the second half I surprisingly did not meet with any friends
from there anymore. The reason is that there was the live-tour, and besides it also wasn't that necessary to go to
school, but the fact that not meeting my friends from university anymore is inversely proportional to going from student
life to becoming a member of society, is sad nonetheless.
However, January is the season of tests, and unusually I went to school everyday. That timing of going once every half a
year is the perfect chance to meet with friends. Although there was meeting we agreed on I went to the classroom,
looking forward to passing by each other on campus. Also, as expected I could sense the timing when I happened to see
a familiar face. It was a friend I met everyday in middle and high school to play with, who enhanced himself with a black
suit and gave off an aura like “on the move of finding a job”, which I wasn't used to at all. With a different implication than
the suit he wore at the coming of age ceremony a year ago, this combination was way more businesslike.
“Long time no see!! Job hunting?”
I felt awkward with friends that I just somehow didn't meet for a period of time, and simply tried to start the conversation
about his outward appearance as if to say I was really touched. On top of that, not knowing anything about job hunting, I
tried to show a sense of solidarity as if suffering together by shortening it to “Job hunting?” , in order to erase the feeling
of being left out.
“Ah, it's been a while. Yeah, there is a briefing session today.”
In such a recession, at times when news like a revocation of unofficial decisions were fluttering about, while
wholeheartedly cheering for a friend who was job hunting, I sometimes even had the cruel thought that I'm glad I have
nothing to do with it.
“Where are you trying to get in ?”
“A general entry form has been send out. Something like a trading company or a brokerage firm or so.”
Youuuuu in a trading company!? I mean, a guy like that who did stupid things..... What is an entry form? The friend
suddenly felt like and adult to me when talking about such things, and because I worked since I was young the senpai*
status I was giving off had already become a head wind. And in the end I said this.
“Well, once it's settled, let's go for a drink or something.”
Having said such a thing like an old man does it dawned on me that I myself might also have become an adult.
However, no matter what age I reach, I'll probably never think that I'm a perfect adult. From the time of middle school on,
a fundamental part probably won't change. For instance, buying up the whole volume of a manga one wants to read, or
playing a trick in the bath of a friend's house by emptying the hair conditioner without any regret and filling it up with body
soap in instead (← Tegoshi actually did that). I heard that even the famous Pablo Picasso has said something like
“Finally, I was able to paint a picture like a child” in the last years of his life. After all, the so-called adult doesn't exist and
with the number of years passing by we just become adult-like children. Man, sometimes I say things that are a little bit
sentimental.
Friends who didn't change at all with time became full fledged members of society soon after their student life, got
married and had children. It seems to be difficult for everyone, but maybe now really is the best time of the future. Even
though it's called the simultaneous slowdown of the world economy, and it's the worst situation for finding employment, I
could see the smiles of children from any time on their faces, living positively. While I thought that the facial expressions
did not match with the posh style of the suits, that they didn't take off the necklace or the earring either, and that they
might still be punk kids with a very halfway impression, I watched their backs passing by.
I wonder how high my degree as an adult is? I wonder how high is my degree as a child is? How should I put it..., I
wonder if my job hunting has ended? Is this here maybe a recession, too? I just hope there is no crash of the stock price.
_________________________________________________________
*someone who is superior to oneself, in terms of how much longer they've been doing something/working
Please note that English is not my native language. Although it doesn't feel like a foreign language to me, I'm aware that sometimes the phrasing might not be completely correct. So, I'm open for any corrections, regarding the Japanese-English translation or just the English in general.
And please don't take/re-post my translation without my permission, thanx.
It's not an all too deep essay, but I'm sharing his opinion about there being no adult, but rather adult like children. I like to think the same. And I had to smile about the last lines there.
:)
Aoi Hitorigoto - 34. Position
When I got to the the 3rd year of university, especially when in the second half I surprisingly did not meet with any friends
from there anymore. The reason is that there was the live-tour, and besides it also wasn't that necessary to go to
school, but the fact that not meeting my friends from university anymore is inversely proportional to going from student
life to becoming a member of society, is sad nonetheless.
However, January is the season of tests, and unusually I went to school everyday. That timing of going once every half a
year is the perfect chance to meet with friends. Although there was meeting we agreed on I went to the classroom,
looking forward to passing by each other on campus. Also, as expected I could sense the timing when I happened to see
a familiar face. It was a friend I met everyday in middle and high school to play with, who enhanced himself with a black
suit and gave off an aura like “on the move of finding a job”, which I wasn't used to at all. With a different implication than
the suit he wore at the coming of age ceremony a year ago, this combination was way more businesslike.
“Long time no see!! Job hunting?”
I felt awkward with friends that I just somehow didn't meet for a period of time, and simply tried to start the conversation
about his outward appearance as if to say I was really touched. On top of that, not knowing anything about job hunting, I
tried to show a sense of solidarity as if suffering together by shortening it to “Job hunting?” , in order to erase the feeling
of being left out.
“Ah, it's been a while. Yeah, there is a briefing session today.”
In such a recession, at times when news like a revocation of unofficial decisions were fluttering about, while
wholeheartedly cheering for a friend who was job hunting, I sometimes even had the cruel thought that I'm glad I have
nothing to do with it.
“Where are you trying to get in ?”
“A general entry form has been send out. Something like a trading company or a brokerage firm or so.”
Youuuuu in a trading company!? I mean, a guy like that who did stupid things..... What is an entry form? The friend
suddenly felt like and adult to me when talking about such things, and because I worked since I was young the senpai*
status I was giving off had already become a head wind. And in the end I said this.
“Well, once it's settled, let's go for a drink or something.”
Having said such a thing like an old man does it dawned on me that I myself might also have become an adult.
However, no matter what age I reach, I'll probably never think that I'm a perfect adult. From the time of middle school on,
a fundamental part probably won't change. For instance, buying up the whole volume of a manga one wants to read, or
playing a trick in the bath of a friend's house by emptying the hair conditioner without any regret and filling it up with body
soap in instead (← Tegoshi actually did that). I heard that even the famous Pablo Picasso has said something like
“Finally, I was able to paint a picture like a child” in the last years of his life. After all, the so-called adult doesn't exist and
with the number of years passing by we just become adult-like children. Man, sometimes I say things that are a little bit
sentimental.
Friends who didn't change at all with time became full fledged members of society soon after their student life, got
married and had children. It seems to be difficult for everyone, but maybe now really is the best time of the future. Even
though it's called the simultaneous slowdown of the world economy, and it's the worst situation for finding employment, I
could see the smiles of children from any time on their faces, living positively. While I thought that the facial expressions
did not match with the posh style of the suits, that they didn't take off the necklace or the earring either, and that they
might still be punk kids with a very halfway impression, I watched their backs passing by.
I wonder how high my degree as an adult is? I wonder how high is my degree as a child is? How should I put it..., I
wonder if my job hunting has ended? Is this here maybe a recession, too? I just hope there is no crash of the stock price.
_________________________________________________________
*someone who is superior to oneself, in terms of how much longer they've been doing something/working
Please note that English is not my native language. Although it doesn't feel like a foreign language to me, I'm aware that sometimes the phrasing might not be completely correct. So, I'm open for any corrections, regarding the Japanese-English translation or just the English in general.
And please don't take/re-post my translation without my permission, thanx.
It's not an all too deep essay, but I'm sharing his opinion about there being no adult, but rather adult like children. I like to think the same. And I had to smile about the last lines there.
:)