I'm very confused by that "scorpion" line because the text is very blurry, but I really can't imagine what kanji other than 蠍 that could possibly be, yet I also have no idea what scorpions have to do with anything.
That being said, while I'm pretty confused in general, "waiting at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere while your friend talks nonsense" is probably one of the most relatable dreams I've ever seen in fiction.
I'm very confused by that "scorpion" line because the text is very blurry, but I really can't imagine what kanji other than 蠍 that could possibly be, yet I also have no idea what scorpions have to do with anything.
That being said, while I'm pretty confused in general, "waiting at a bus stop in the middle of nowhere while your friend talks nonsense" is probably one of the most relatable dreams I've ever seen in fiction.
Yes, it's "sasori". Scorpion, as in Scorpius (i.e Scorpio) the constellation. Antares (α Scorpii) in particular, which has a characteristic bright red color and is the brightest object in the constellation.
Two first two lines in panel 3 are also word-by-word quotes from Night on the Galactic Railroad (Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru, the 1927 novel by Miyazawa Kenji). The characters start discussing about a star ("fire") one of them sees before seguing into the parable of the Scorpion Fire (the same parable is also referenced in some other modern fiction like Mawaru Penguindrum).
Oh, I see. Thanks! Night on the Galactic Railroad is cited as a reference on the afterword page, but not actually explained further, and I didn't go digging to figure out which parts might be a reference to what since I have no familiarity with the work (beyond googling to see what it even was). Any other references in the text that I've missed/misinterpreted?
Also, do you know of a specific translation that could be quoted to make the reference more obvious, or will we have to do with my approximation? I did change "scorpion" to "Scorpio" for what it's worth. That actually crossed my mind originally, mostly since it was one of the very few words with "sasori" in it, but without further context I didn't think that was actually it.
Oh, I see. Thanks! Night on the Galactic Railroad is cited as a reference on the afterword page, but not actually explained further, and I didn't go digging to figure out which parts might be a reference to what since I have no familiarity with the work (beyond googling to see what it even was). Any other references in the text that I've missed/misinterpreted?
I'll check later. Kinda busy right now, sorry.
Levander said:
Also, do you know of a specific translation that could be quoted to make the reference more obvious, or will we have to do with my approximation? I did change "scorpion" to "Scorpio" for what it's worth. That actually crossed my mind originally, mostly since it was one of the very few words with "sasori" in it, but without further context I didn't think that was actually it.
I looked around and found a translation by Roger Pulvers. Still quite obscure though, at least to English speakers.
Oh, don't worry, you already helped a lot. If you do end up looking through and finding something, feel free to just change it yourself, though I'm obviously curious to hear about it. This is one of those doujins where the end result is just weird enough that I'm left wondering if I missed something critical.
...said by the characters as the 'galactic' train they're on arrives at a new station. (So, basically, the smell signifies a change in scenery.) Notably, Renko's version has been adapted a bit, as 苹果(りんご) is outdated and 「かしら」 fits her speech style better than the original 「だろう」.
Renko's line of the final panel of this page is also another quote:
Overall, I don't think the references are executed well in this comic. The quotes are pulled seemingly at random, utterly devoid of their original context. Even someone who knows the original story will go huh because the themes don't work here (the scorpion is about self sacrifice and ties in an astronomical reference to people who are paying attention, but here it's just random. The apples are also random because the characters should have noticed it if they're standing there, instead of the smell coming into range in the original story as the train travels to a new 'scene').
Basically the story takes lines from an already surreal 'dream' story, but turns the whole thing into an incoherent mess because they're now devoid of the context, rich setting, and multilayered themes that drive the dreamscape. There is no coherent flow, so to speak. It's sort of like pulling random Alice in Wonderland lines and chaining them together. IMHO, the whole thing just falls apart without the dreamscape transition scenes and back-and-forth character dialogue that drives the flow of the story.
The only part that works, I guess, is that the lines builds up a sense of dread for readers who are familiar with Ginga, as Renko is (mostly) quoting a character that has already died and is passing to the afterlife. The galactic train being a train to the afterlife is the main 'twist' of the original story (the Phantom Train in the FF series are also likely a reference to the Ginga galactic train). So, yeah, they work as a series of death flags.
Levander said:
Also, do you know of a specific translation that could be quoted to make the reference more obvious, or will we have to do with my approximation? I did change "scorpion" to "Scorpio" for what it's worth. That actually crossed my mind originally, mostly since it was one of the very few words with "sasori" in it, but without further context I didn't think that was actually it.
Come to think of it, you can make it explicit by 'expanding' the translation a bit to "Antares, the fiery heart of Scorpio" or something along these lines. It does diverge from the source Japanese, but this might be one of the cases where taking some liberties becomes necessary.
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Merry.Ehehe. Just like the usual Renko, isn't she?
It kind of smells like apples.
Maybe because I was just thinking about them.
Hmm?
Seems that it's just the two of us, huh?
Wonder where that fire's coming from?
What could be burning to make such a glowing red flame?
If this really is the usual, monsters should be showing up.Scorpio, maybe...?