Howdy,
I got back from Japan, and discovered that the elves left behind a time capsule containing chapter 128 over at:
http://cafealpha.org/
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Thank you Ashinano!
Thank you Elves!
Interesting how I got a feeling of nostalga for a world that never has existed.
"The star the eye alights upon" - Where did this quote come from and what is the context?
- outsideking
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Howdy,
It's not a quote (that I know of), but a translation of the Japanese title "misen no hoshi". "misen" is gaze/glance/look. "hoshi" is star. Literally, it means "the star of my gaze."
Certain elves have bruised foreheads from banging their heads against the wall while translating this chapter, so you'll have to excuse any poetic license.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Thanks you dDave, from my new iMac, for continuing to grace my screen with YKK.
- Steven Robinson
Sunday, August 28, 2005
From this chapter, I get the impression that the white, people-like things are similar to the organic "street lights": created by nature to replace missing human objects and people...
Why Ayase wants to hang around them and his musings on "how far" (not where?) Hatsuseno has gone is eerie.
- Kerry
Sunday, August 28, 2005
As usual, with the release of new episode, I have to thank my beloved elves. THANKS elves!
- painsama
Sunday, August 28, 2005
For the title "shisen no hoshi", maybe "star of gaze" is more appropriate? Maybe Ashinano was refering the "eyes" as "stars of gaze", in which our eyes are like stars, capable of having a line of sight/gaze.
Or is it, since "shisen" also means "eyes", maybe it means the "star of eyes" instead? I mean the glitters in our eyes?
- painsama
Sunday, August 28, 2005
A very interesting chapter, in that it so explicitly acknowledges some of the puzzling things in YKK's world. Many thanks again to the elves!
- Smarasderagd
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Those watergod things really creep me out. I don't think I'd be able to spend a night next to one of them.
The importance of memory is a common theme in a lot of anime and manga. In "The Place Promised In Out Early Days," the story hinges around someone remembering a promise. That's also an important element of the "Oh My Goddess" OVAs. In "Hand Maid May," the real drama is the potential loss of May's memories. Characters with amnesia appear in countless anime and manga titles. So it's not surprising that it's an important element of YKK. It would appear that many of the artifacts we see from the street-light plants to the robots are there to preserve some aspect of human existance. Perhaps the Taapon is another way of perserving the memory of humanity.
- martialstax
Monday, August 29, 2005
Howdy,
Translation is an imprecise science at best, and a good rule of thumb is to try to mimic the original artist's style and feel. Ashinano-sensei is often oblique but he always strives for elegance.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Monday, August 29, 2005
As ever, we are indebted to the elves for the wonderful work they do in the night, leaving a gift the next morning! Thank you all!
This was indeed a very eerie chapter. Its so amusing to read YKK because of the way the characters behave and interact with or opposed to each other. Its neat the way the Ashinano performs a sort of dance with the order things are presented and the "here you go" way in which he does it... Here we have Alpha being surprised, but treating her situation as matter of factly as always. Curious as a child, yet mature to the point of resignation- The nature of things just are the way they are for her. She has little power to change them, and rather than fret or try to look deeper into the why's and wherefores, she simply moves forward doing her best.
As a counterpoint, Ayase seems to have come to find the "white things" as a fascinating part of life that certainly hold a mystery to be solved, yet he's not reverential or frightened by them as some of the people he meets on his travels seem to be. He's instead curious to the point that his meandering journeys seem to be gaining "purpose" as he looks for more anomolies and ponders over the evidence of an intelligence to these natural phenomenon.
As an aside, interestingly, none of these oddities have been vandalized... Its a sad commentary that I almost expect to see it and maybe that's just my "western" upbringing and expectations of my fellow man coming to the surface. But typically it is sadly human nature for some members of soceity to destroy what they don't understand and are frightened of. That Ayase hasn't yet come upon destruction of any of these "white things" is something that has struck me as fortunate but almost odd...
Anyway, another brilliant chapter of YKK thanks to the members of this board who endevor to keep our collective fascination going.
- Darin~
Monday, August 29, 2005
Howdy,
>The importance of memory is a common theme
I think you are right in that it's an important element in YKK. I also think that it's symbolic of the passing of the torch from human dominated society to something new: robot people; half organic/half artificial things; watergods, etc.. A lot of YKK concerns itself with the passing of things, the growth of things and the loss of things, and memory is an integral part of all that.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Monday, August 29, 2005
Howdy,
>That Ayase hasn't yet come upon destruction of any of these "white things" is something that has struck me as fortunate but almost odd...
Not so odd when you consider some other things - most people who approach the watergods seems to be very reverencial. They seem to have adopted a very Shinto-like worship attitude towards the watergods.
In addition, if the all watergods do have brainwaves, then it wouldn't just be vandalism, it would be at least equal to cruelty to animals if not assault/murder.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Monday, August 29, 2005
First, thank you all for the information on the translation of the title.
However, when I asked about the title of the chapter,
"The star the eye alights upon", I was actually trying to figure out how this phrase related to the content of the chapter.
I guess my question might be:
Whose eye is looking at what? - and why is it a star?
I count six "entities" that have eyes:
The WhiteThing
Alpha,
Ayase,
The guy who looks (to me) like Jimeny Cricket in Pinochio,
Ashinano,
The reader.
The chapter mentions that The White Thing is looking out to sea, not at a star. Alpha is also looking out to sea in the title page, and she has the same feeling as
The White Thing.
There are several things in the chapter that could pass for stars (the lighthouse, the street lights, etc.) but no one is specifically looking at them.
I was hoping that there would be a quote from Japanese liturature that might illuminate the reference.
Any ideas?
(please excuse spelling errors)
- outsideking
Monday, August 29, 2005
Please execuse any spelling/grammar errors
I think the title is more symbolic than being just "plain" eyes and stars. Eyeing could be understood as "looking forward to". Stars could mean sparks, street lights, future or some kind of hope. It might be too surreal, though. The watching of physical light sources could evoke thoughts and feels about future, hope, etc.
I cant explain how the sliding of of the cliff fits into this ideology, though I "know" it fits, somehow.
- tongHoAnh
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
First thank to the elves for another chapter, they seem to be working overtime... I hope they get paid accordingly....
I am amazed how the story visits again and again the same topics and how every time we got a new detail that fits perfectly in the story's flow... and open new ways to follow
I have to confess thar I fear any new chapter, fear for that suddenly Mr Hashinano's narrative stumbles and fall... but it seems we are in good hands.
It is interesting how most of Ayase's chapters, at least those concerning his journey, are framed between Alpha's musings... what iseems another Alpha's chapter at first, turns into something completely different, only to return to the starting point.
Moreover, this is the same structure of Director Alpha's chapters, which also begin and conclude with Alpha. Somehow this is hinting that the three characters share the same search, the exploration of the everchanching world... but also how different are their points of view... Alpha's awe before the world, Ayase's questioning, and Director Alpha's solitude and regret.
"... are we just seeing what we want to see?".... it seems the crucible of the story, same reality, different eyes, different sigths, different realisations...
- DavidF
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
A sincere hello to all
First time posting, long time reader (about 3 yrs, i think :)
Let me start off by thanking all for making this a wonderful site. Thank you all
In reply to this "I cant explain how the sliding of of the cliff fits into this ideology," unless I'm misstaken, I think it represents the unstoppable progression of time. It's a bit sad but notice where Alpha's home is. Does it foreshadow a time limit for Alpha and a decision to be made?
(Please excuse grammars and such)
- Umat
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Welcome, Umat!
I agree. It's like the chapter when Ojisan discussed the changing neighbourhood and the rising shoreline with Alpha - and then advises her on what to do when he dies. The water rises, people get old. It's like a very big clock.
And also - Alpha stands on the new cliff, looking out to sea, an echo of the white creature who also stands on the cliffs edge, and resembles her too. Alpha's in the middle, between us short-lived humans and these seemingly ageless new creatures that live in geologic time.
Elves, thank you for this chapter! It's almost a gift from Sensei to us fans and forum-speculators. Ayase sounds like one of us, making his guesses and connecting the dots.
- Terry
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
A few points...
In looking over the chapter, I think "hoshi" might be meant to be taken in a plural sense -- representing all the stars that draw all our gazes:
the dawning sun by which Alpha looks out on the sea,
that lighthouse-top that maked the water-god for Ayase,
the lammposts that delineate the shoreline in the water-god's panorama,
and the glowing plants that will eventually remain as an evolved homage to the remnants of our civilization that will have long-since decayed.
... and perhaps, the water-god as a beacon of hope for the reverent old man? But that may be stretching the metaphor a titch.... though it does give each character in the chapter a star and a gaze.
Now, that's just an interpretation of the sense of the title... the meaning will take some more work.
Some other questions, though:
It seems to me that Ayase has turned out to be following Hatsuseno-sensei. Is this the first time that we've heard Ayase mention that this is his goal? Or that he has a goal at all?! And has anyone else referred to Master as Hatsuseno-SENSEI before? As far as I recall, these are all firsts as of this chapter, which certainly seems to wrap the plot with a few interesting threads.
... or are we just seeing what we want to see?
- Speaker59
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Howdy,
This title is another case of Japanese grammer being ambiguous. Japanese does not have any plurals, so we don't know if it is "star" or "stars". They have dropped out the pronouns as well, so we don't know if it's "The star(s) that our/my/your/his/her/their eye(s) alight upon".
As far as Hatsuseno-sensei goes, he has been mentioned before, when Ayase firsts visits the watergod.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume3/89.html
I wouldn't personally describe Ayase as chasing after Hatsuseno-sensei, but rather as being inspired by him, and doing similar things as him.
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
If the organic streetlights are a reflection of mankind, the watergods are a reflection of the robot people? "Halfway between the organic and the artificial"?
Is the connection between the two symbolic or something more substantial?
- Wraith
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Whoa! Another one!
I was thinking the same thing, Wraith... and the other watergod made Ayase think of the Misago. In my imagination the fungus is mimicking those two creatures because their facial features have not changed, so the slow-growing fungus for some reason has settled on them.
Finally some more info on what Owner is up to... Ayase seems to know that Owner is off doing something far away. I get the feeling that Owner is searching for something. Perhaps it is related to the fungus since Ayase is reminded of him while in the presence of a watergod.
-k
- Kempis Curious
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
And yet another chapter slips under my radar. I absolutely loved this chapter. Wirh that said it's time for some insight from me. I love how the author (Can never spell his name right without it in front of me) is able to take two very similar events and give them two totally different meanings. Alpha looks at the changing coastline and sees an easier way to get down to the water. Ayase looks at the changing coastline and sees how much the world has changed. He sees how the lights are being replaced by strange naturally glowing lights.
It seems as though Ayase is drawn to these "gods" or "goddesses" (haven't really found out what gender they could be yet) and is following in the footsteps of Hasseno-sensei. Maybe he's on some sort of pilgrimage to visit the sights where these creatures have appeared. Or maybe like Hasseno-sensei Ayase is studying these creatures to see what they are. It isn't clear why he's journeying to them other than Hasseno tells him where they are.
There are several speculations as to what these creatures growing from the ground could be. They could be made of the same material as the lamppost trees and a natural occurance. They could simply be stone carvings left as a reminder of the people that once inhabited the land. They could also be the remains of the early attempts at the Alpha model robots. One thing I did notice was the fact that this latest creature was more developed and feminine compared to the last one Ayase visited. That's why it's hard to tell if these things are male, female, or simply without a defined gender. Whatever they are I get the feeling we'll be seeing more of them in future chapters.
- Christine K.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
In reply to the previous post:
I think Alpha's reaction (easier to get down to the sea and such) is just a mean of Ashinano to soften the feeling of loss. She probable has got the same saddy feel as Ayase or even more, imagining the new cliff might have recall her of her ruined cafe when the storm stroke.
Also, in the previous post, there's an idea of those ageless entities being an outcast product of Alpha line. Very interesting, I must say.
- tongHoAnh
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Howdy,
About the "watergod" - this word was introduced in chapter 21 as the name the Oumiya people gave their local "white person-like motionless thing". In Japanese, the word used was "mizu no kami", where "kami" does mean "god", but in Japanese it's genderless. The use of "god" in "watergod" is just due to the gender distinction in English. It's a translation artifact.
Note that in the recent chapter, Ayase just refers to it as "The white thing".
Best,
Dave
- dDave
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
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