Making of Eroica bit
Jun. 30th, 2005 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caithionOkay, I swear I meant to finish this whole chapter before posting any of it here, but this first section had me biting my lip so hard I had to post it. I can just see her pulling her hair out over all the fan letters and going, "Why do I have to rationalize this? It's my.damn.comic!"
Also, I'd like to note here, since I haven't done so before, that these are really rough translations. When I finish I'll go back over and make corrections, fix discrepancies, and make it more natural flowing English (oh, GOD, the run-on sentences!).
pg 23
Part I
The popular character's birth and growth
pg 24
Chapter 1 The major's build and uniform come from the creator's own experiences growing up
The initial conception had the earl and the major 12 heads high
"From Eroica With Love" started in the winter of 1976, and continues into the present day. Because I took time off to draw other serializations during that period, it hasn't been a whole 27 years, but it's still a long-lived work.
As for the comic, I drew from the beginning to the end of every month, and when I noticed that I had spent 20-some years doing only that, I didn't want to admit it. But recently there's been an increasing number of letters from readers saying things like, "My daughter is reading it now too", and no matter how much I dislike it the flow of months and years has become solid reality. My honest wish is to make the most out of the time left to give joy to the next generation of readers.
It's only natural progression that in that time when former high school students became parents of teenagers, the volumes and the years have piled up and changed, and that the accompanying characters also changed.
The earl, who made his showy entrance as a beautiful young man in a girls comic (complete with frilly blouse and jangling ornaments) now dresses in Uniqlo and GAP-like casual wear, and has gleefully gone from playing the part of the beautiful girl to that of a scary middle-aged woman. The major, who used to shout in his youth like an older guy--"idiot!", "shut up!", "unforgivable!"--is now turning more and more into the kind of middle-aged man who suits those words.
pg 25
And there are, occasionally, readers who will never forgive me for those changes. Maybe there are times when you fall into that as well, and an image gets fixed in your head. "I hate this major, she should go back to the style from volume X," you say. I'm sorry, but I can no longer draw at 12 heads high proportions. If I draw like that now it's a "monster."
There are also those who criticise me for "making the legs shorter." The legs may look shorter compared to older drawings, but the legs are half the length of the whole body, so I'm just keeping the balance. Whenever I draw a full-body image I always measure with a ruler to split up the head and body lengths, and draw at exactly 8 heads high. No matter how busy I am I'm not satisfied if I don't do this. This is because I see the beauty of comics in natural-looking, balanced human bodies. At any given time, pictures are drawn to reflect your feelings at that time. You might not like today something you drew yesterday, and in that case you'll redraw it. If you put a picture into cold storage ten years ago, even if you're curious about it now, all you'll be able to think is, "What the hell's this?!"
---
I'm open for suggestions on better ways to translate "obasan", "ossan", and "ojisan". All words with "aunt, uncle, middle-aged" connotations, though ossan is rougher sounding. I just can't think of good, one-word translations that keep the same feel.
Also, I'd like to note here, since I haven't done so before, that these are really rough translations. When I finish I'll go back over and make corrections, fix discrepancies, and make it more natural flowing English (oh, GOD, the run-on sentences!).
pg 23
Part I
The popular character's birth and growth
pg 24
Chapter 1 The major's build and uniform come from the creator's own experiences growing up
The initial conception had the earl and the major 12 heads high
"From Eroica With Love" started in the winter of 1976, and continues into the present day. Because I took time off to draw other serializations during that period, it hasn't been a whole 27 years, but it's still a long-lived work.
As for the comic, I drew from the beginning to the end of every month, and when I noticed that I had spent 20-some years doing only that, I didn't want to admit it. But recently there's been an increasing number of letters from readers saying things like, "My daughter is reading it now too", and no matter how much I dislike it the flow of months and years has become solid reality. My honest wish is to make the most out of the time left to give joy to the next generation of readers.
It's only natural progression that in that time when former high school students became parents of teenagers, the volumes and the years have piled up and changed, and that the accompanying characters also changed.
The earl, who made his showy entrance as a beautiful young man in a girls comic (complete with frilly blouse and jangling ornaments) now dresses in Uniqlo and GAP-like casual wear, and has gleefully gone from playing the part of the beautiful girl to that of a scary middle-aged woman. The major, who used to shout in his youth like an older guy--"idiot!", "shut up!", "unforgivable!"--is now turning more and more into the kind of middle-aged man who suits those words.
pg 25
And there are, occasionally, readers who will never forgive me for those changes. Maybe there are times when you fall into that as well, and an image gets fixed in your head. "I hate this major, she should go back to the style from volume X," you say. I'm sorry, but I can no longer draw at 12 heads high proportions. If I draw like that now it's a "monster."
There are also those who criticise me for "making the legs shorter." The legs may look shorter compared to older drawings, but the legs are half the length of the whole body, so I'm just keeping the balance. Whenever I draw a full-body image I always measure with a ruler to split up the head and body lengths, and draw at exactly 8 heads high. No matter how busy I am I'm not satisfied if I don't do this. This is because I see the beauty of comics in natural-looking, balanced human bodies. At any given time, pictures are drawn to reflect your feelings at that time. You might not like today something you drew yesterday, and in that case you'll redraw it. If you put a picture into cold storage ten years ago, even if you're curious about it now, all you'll be able to think is, "What the hell's this?!"
---
I'm open for suggestions on better ways to translate "obasan", "ossan", and "ojisan". All words with "aunt, uncle, middle-aged" connotations, though ossan is rougher sounding. I just can't think of good, one-word translations that keep the same feel.
