slugtranslation-hypmic

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

do you have magnet links

Yeah, I got you, homie

#not a translation #asks #misc asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hello! I just saw the announcement that we'll soon be getting new CDs for all divisions, including Chuohku, and I'm super hyped! But I'm kind of confused, will there be new songs? It lists that there'll be three solo songs and 1 drama track per CD, and the drama tracks will be new, but will the songs also be new? Or old ones?

Sorry, again, I've been under a rock... Let's go look at the official Twitter and see if we can figure out what's up.

According to the official website:

待望のヒプマイ連続リリースとなる本CDには各ディビジョンメンバー3人それぞれのソロ楽曲と、各ディビジョンにフォーカスした新作のドラマトラックの合計4トラックを収録、CDの初回製造分はスペシャルデジパック仕様です。

(Bolding mine) "1 solo song per each team member"

It doesn't explicitly state that they'll be new solos, but that seems like a safe assumption. It would be odd, from a sales perspective, to release a series of albums with no new music content and this level of marketing.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey Slug! Have you listened to the new song snippet Cross Dimensions? It's such a chill song, I love the chorus!! T^T And also the music break where the girls were smiling prettily and just vibing and the boys were fooling around xD

I've been living under a rock the past couple of weeks, so I wasn't aware of a new song. Thanks for letting me know about it! This is indeed nice and chill. I've never looked into Momoiro Clover Z before, but maybe I'll check out some more of their stuff.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

i don't know if this is right to ask or not, but—

where can i access and view the translations for hypmic's drama tracks? like, full lengths translations of it? does someone have a website or something? cause I've been seeing screenshots of the DT TLs and I'm wondering where that could be from

thanks in advance!

Individuals may post their translation to their social medias and such, but the most complete resource is probably the Hypnosis Mic fan wiki.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey slug! This can really be a question for anyone but I was wondering how popular hypmic has gotten over the years, specifically in japan? I know in the states it does vary but it has definitely gotten more fans. Do you think it’s well known or almost on the same level as anime that are “mainstream” (if someone were to mention it one could know what they were talking about but not necessarily be into it) for japan?

I don't live in Japan or keep up with anime outside of what floats across my radar at work, so I'm not a good person to ask. From what I can tell, it seems relatively mainstream, especially if you have any interest whatsoever in josei-muke franchises. There are tons of examples of businesses or non-Hypmic entertainers referencing Hypmic outside of collabs, so it definitely appears to be a Thing People Know. I hear from some friends in Japan that its popularity is waning over time, but that may also be a natural consequence of going through a relatively slow period between DRBs. I feel like I recall people saying the same thing before the second DRB.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hi! Could I perhaps ask what personal pronouns the ladies of Chuohku and Kannabi Yotsutsuji use? If that's no trouble of course, thanks!

Yotsutsuji uses boku. All the Chuuouku ladies use watashi.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hello, different anon~! Pls Don’t assume I am the last one, I am just a Honobono oshi who reads & analyzes the original japanese text 24/7, and therefore, overtime— have become Hifumi oshi! So sorry if I come off disrespectful, as I am not good at formalities. (；ω；)

Slug i admire you as a translator but i feel youre becoming way more biased over time. The way you talk about Hifumi is unprofessional, and you change so much in your work. it’s a glaring issue. It became clear during Positive Is My Life, as you have done nothing but directly change the lyrics to his song— change the meaning of his words, and change everything down to his opinions of Honobono. YOU have translated Hifumi actively saying he is against the idea of forgiving Honobono and just wants to understand her, but now you’re pushing a weird idea of him forgiving her that is nowhere near intended? He didn’t say he wants to be her friend, he said that he IS her friend. That is directly what he said. in the nicest way possible, I feel like you’re missing alot of social cues when it comes to Hifumi. Hifumi being effeminate(Read; Effeminate. Not Feminine, as not being masculine doesn’t make you feminine. The definition of effeminate is “having characteristics and ways of behaving traditionally associated with women and regarded as inappropriate for a man”.) is a key part of him as a character. I understand you resonate with him as a cisgender man, but he has literally taken upon himself a more traditionally feminine role IN the Side F.P & M Bonus Drama Track 1 . He actively took upon himself in the Doppo & Hifumi Karaoke duet the role of “Woman/Wife”. I think you actively putting your bias into him is a big issue that needs to be fixed. It’s completely okay if you don’t personally like that he is effeminate, but you are not an official writer. You are a manga only translator. One of the key parts of HypMic is the way things are said, and it feels as if you are actively weaponizing the fact you are a trusted translator and Manga-Onlyer to push an agenda about Hifumi. Your personal interpretation of Hifumi is not relevant, as he is not your character and this is not your manga nor your series. Hifumi expresses very non traditionally masculine ideals with the way he talks/dresses himself/carries himself— as a key part of him and Doppo as characters is not fitting the societal norm, especially with their relationship. Nothing about Hifumi is traditional. If you try to change Hifumi’s effeminate behavior, you strip Hifumi of his personality, and I fear that’s whats happening. This is for the sake of the amount of people I have seen make complaints as I understand it can be stressful, as you are a busy person— but please. Do better, and try to take less creative liberties. You are not an official translator, nor an official writer, nor an official anything, so you have to understand you cannot speak on these characters as your own. Everything you see for them are just personal interpretations and headcanons coming from someone who has not consumed all possible content. It doesn’t make sense to be translating something like a song, as you aren’t equipped for that, and not even in a rude way. You’re good at manga translation, and that’s okay. You just need to think inside the box a bit more, as for HypMic— you barely even know what’s inside said box.

Not to mention, bringing up misogyny for his line about wanting to do the Princess Playstyle in games (not exclusive to japan, fyi. people do it in the states all the time.) was gross to me, as a woman myself. That was nowhere near anyway it could be intended by any sane individual, especially if you’ve actually perceived the lyrics in Japanese— so to say that, while not even being a woman is… Gross. It comes off bad, and the only personally who really saw it that way was you, since everyone else I’ve seen talk about that line when properly translated by Takumi (I think that was the translators name? my apologies. I am better at formal spanish.) just perceived it as cute, which was the goal of the line, and you can tell. Again, apologies if I can’t articulate well, as I’m more used to speaking formally in spanish than english.

Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment! I'm sorry to have upset you, and I'll keep this in mind moving forward.

#not a translation #asks #misc asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey, Slug! Not to be rude, but I noticed some things in your Positive Is My Life translation that I don't think really line up with Hifumi as a character, so I wanted to give my own POV on it. Sorry if this comes off as mean, I'm just very passionate about this.

For starters, I don't agree that the "princess" stuff was meant to refer to his clients. This song is very explicitly performed for the Block Party, and he's not in host mode here. It's not in character for him to be trying to flirt with his clients/women if he's not in host mode, and there are also no clients present. In my opinion, based off of canon, I think the "enchant" playstyle is meant to refer to his host mode, while the "princess" play style is meant to refer to him out of host mode. In host mode, he's shown to be enchanting, handsome, and, well, host-like. Meanwhile, out of host mode, he's meant to be much more cute, bubbly, effeminate, and generally much like the common idea of a princess, or a man who is princess-like.

Second, I can't see how the last verse would be referring to Honobono at all. This isn't really how he talks about her, and especially with the events of the drama track attached to this song, this wouldnt make sense. He has never once expressed the desire to become friends with her, and his playful tone here isn't reminiscent of how he behaves when talking about her at all.

I respect you deeply as a translator, and you've inspired me to want to try to take up translating myself, but if I'm being honest I feel like you might've taken too many creative liberties with this one. Because of this, a lot of this translation is just... kind of inaccurate, in my opinion. No offense of course, and thank you kindly for it and your work in general, these are just my personal thoughts. Thank you for your time.

Hey! Thanks for reaching out, and I appreciate the feedback. You don't come across as mean, but all the same, I'd like to explain my decisions in further detail. It sounds like you may be missing some context.

I agree that Hifumi isn't in host mode throughout the song, but there are definitely elements that hearken back to the flirtatious attitudes he takes in host mode. 笑顔の魔法に釣られてきた (dictionary-definition literal: you are lured in by the spell of a smile) is one such example. This notion of being "lured in" is common in Japanese romance and is indeed reminiscent of the things Hifumi says to his clients. Here, since it's being used in the context of friendship, I thought English "lured in" suggested a sense of manipulation that's not emphasized as strongly in Japanese 釣られてきた. Since the smile is being used like a video game spell, I wrote it as "I cast SMILE. It’s super effective!" and moved the notion "the smile draws you closer and makes you one of us" into the next line. I would consider all of those decisions to be perfectly valid--and even commonplace--in translation.

We also see more of the host-esque language in the lines 魅せプ決めて騒ごうよ！TO NIGHT! and 姫プ決めて守られたい夜も… As mentioned above, 魅せ ("enchanting") is a staple of Japanese romantic conventions--the idea of someone being so hot/charming/skilled/whatever that the other party goes against their "rational" judgement and lets their emotion take the wheel. 魅せプ is indeed a regular video game term, and it refers to when someone is so damn good at the game that you can't take your eyes off of them. However, with the "tonight" element as well, it suggests the romantic connotation of 魅せる. Hearkening to "night" is another staple feature of Japanese romantic imagery and one Hifumi uses quite frequently.

We see that night (夜) image appear again in the 姫プ line, along with 守られたい (dictionary-definition literal: on nights when [agent] pays like a princess and wants to be protected). The notion of protection once again creates a strong romantic image, especially coupled with "night" and "princess." 姫プis, once again, a normal video game term. However, it's not a positive term. To play "like a princess" is to sit there and let your teammates do all the work. To me, this doesn't make sense to ascribe to Hifumi, as it suddenly switches the agent from the listener/friend in the rest of the song to Hifumi himself. It also doesn't align with the image we've seen of Hifumi in the rest of the song (doing everything for friends, as opposed to selfishly demanding others do work for him). I could see an argument for this being him referring to himself on nights when he wants to let his guard down and let others take care of him, but that again requires a grammatical subject switching that isn't substantiated by the rest of the song. Passive voice doesn't automatically make the speaker the agent, as you can see in 笑顔の魔法に釣られてきた: [the agent] is lured in by the spell of a smile. It doesn't make sense for Hifumi to be drawn in by a smile, so the reader automatically assumes it's the "you" in the rest of the song performing the action.

Finally, I don't think the 姫プ person is Hifumi because the line is strongly feminine-coded. Outside of the word "princess"/姫, the entire notion of sitting back, "selfishly letting others do the work," and "being protected" is associated with women in Japanese romantic conventions. I'm not saying I agree with this idea--I don't whatsoever--but I can also recognize that this line sounds romantically charged, as it plays into a bunch of romantic tropes, and therefore would be a little odd if Hifumi is taking on the female role. (I don't see Hifumi's bubbly persona as supposed to be inherently feminine in Japanese, fwiw.) This is also why I hesitated to write the romantic tone in English; it's founded on misogynistic ideas that tend to stand out as offputting to English readers. Since it's not supposed to be offputting, I thought it would do the translation a disservice to introduce that tone and instead steered around it. I would again consider this to be a completely valid and commonplace translation choice, but I also see the drawbacks. It's clear now that my word choice wasn't as transparent as I would have liked it to be.

As for the final verse, this one does appear to have a different audience than the rest. Previous audiences (the listener, friends) are キミ, a word that, in this instance, denotes a kind of emotional closeness. It must be someone that Hifumi feels comfortable with. In the last verse, Hifumi says お前がラスボス. The お前 is not as close, which suggests both that this is someone Hifumi is not as familiar with and also is perhaps an adversary. The " お前がラスボス" phrase is commonly used in action/adventure stories and thus gives this line a dramatic tone as well, which also makes me think it's supposed to be an adversary. This may partially be him pretending to be more HRGGH MANLY ADVENTURER for the fun of it (evidenced as well in なろうぜ on the following line), which I can see as the biggest argument for this not being Honobono. However, if it's not her, then I don't see why the writers would specify 誰も傷付けず (no one has to be hurt) or include this verse at all. Especially given his line in the second Block Party drama track (仄々…僕は君の友人だ。今までも…これからも… "Honobono, I was once your friend...and I still am!"), I would argue that he explicitly and canonically has expressed his will to be her friend.

Finally, I agree that the overall playful tone of the song doesn't match the serious tone in which he normally addresses her, but to me, this can easily be explained by a difference in mediums. The drama tracks allow for topics to be explored much more seriously than this overtly bouncy and upbeat song.

Again, thank you for messaging me, and I hope this clears up some of my thought process!

#not a translation #asks #misc asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hi Slug!

Could you translate positive my life, please? 🥺🥺

Hello Slug. I hope this finds you well but may I ask if you may be able to translate Hifumis solo, “ポジティブ my life” from the Block Party album? Thank you very much.

Sure thing! Under a cut for length.

The playful tone is crucial to the source, so a similar goofiness is present in the translation. With that said, I'm not adding anything extra for silliness. Some light fluffing on vague lines to convey (what I'm understanding as) the meaning. No attention paid to line length, rhyme, or rhythm.

Heya, friendos! (Hey there, Hifumi!) Hm? Gosh, you seem like a bunch of gloomy Guses today. Wait, I have an idea! Let's play a game! I'm logging in to Buddy Quest and speedrunning character creation so we can get to the open world and goof off! (Heck yeah!) We gotta turn all those frowns upside down. So what're we gonna do? Set off on an adventure to make new friends! I may not be able to claim the hero's sword. I may not have it in me to smile all the time. But my friendships and the good vibes we make together are the best equipment I could ever ask for. Yeah, yeah, yeah! There's no one like my party! We're friends! (Friends!) And even if we lose at the end of the day, we still all have each other. I cast SMILE. It's super effective! Next thing you know, you're one of us--YOU have joined the party! A full, amazing party! (We! Are! Hoods!) If you're a top player? Sweet! Let's live it up tonight! Yeepers, that was a close one. Almost ran out of HP! (Positive! Up! My life!) Or if you're more of a novice? No sweat. We'll carry you! Either way, let's "positive up" my life! (And yours!) [1] All righty! We're kilin' it. Keep it up, gang! Next up: lemme run you through how I "positive up" my life. Step 1: Take a cool selfie, upload it to the character creator, and let the game handle the rest. See? Looks just like me. (Sure does!) Step 2: Forget the haters. If the vibes are rancid, I don't wanna hear it! (Yeah, yeah!) Step 3: We all have tough days sometimes. But you gotta try to smile anyway. Because you're braved and you're loved, y'know? Once you realize how much your friends care for you, I know you'll get back up and keep fighting that good fight! (Get 'em, Hifumin!) Step 4: Sometimes, you just can't get past that next level. But don't you ever give up. Hit that CONTINUE button, you hear? (Positive! Up! My Life!) Because we still all have each other and the good vibes we make together in our full, amazing party! (We! Are! Hoods!) Ah ha! So you're the final boss. [2] Say, you know what? You wanna be friends? (Positive! Up! My life!) We can still beat the game together, and no one has to get hurt this way. So what do you say? "Positive up" my life? (And yours?)

[1] There's a slight joke/nuance here that I'm a bit stumped as to how to convey naturally in English. The terms he uses to describe different playing styles (魅せプ) (lit. enchanting play style) and (姫プ) (lit. princess play style) are evocative of his host role as someone who "enchants" clients often referred to as princesses. This suggests he's speaking to a woman, which ties into the final verse of the song that uses the same format. [2] Not the same "you" he's singing to in the song. The difference in tone suggests it's Honobono.

#asks #hypmic asks #hypmic translations

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hey Slug! Your thoughts on the new Chuohku song? :D

This is WINK, right?

The visuals are incredible! It's a nice, chill song and a fun variation on the theme for these characters. Also provides a great humanizing touch! It's fun to see their more personal sides when they're not busy girlbossing and gatekeeping and whatever else is on their Chuuouku agenda.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hello! I just wanted to ask where I could find or buy the manga raws for online viewing.

Any major seller of Japanese e-books (Amazon, Bookwalker, Kobo, etc.) should sell both the magazines and collected volumes.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

You moving Sougyaran BAM to the top of the queue completely on a whim was such a Kuko Moment™

lol I try to sift "shorter" (as if I didn't just write a couple thousand words for one ask) asks out of the queue when I'm too stressed or tired to focus on more important things. (It's the latter today zzz) Whittling down the backlog reduces the perceived pressure of undone tasks haha

#not a translation #asks #personal asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

And part 2!

Kuukou is the one main cast member who is undeniably a devout Buddhist. We see him following acetic practices, reciting sutras, quoting (often fake) Buddhist texts, and praying to the Buddha. Hmm...praying? Don't some forms of Buddhism discourage treating the Buddha as a deity? And the kind of harsh, acetic training he endures isn't universally practiced, right? Plus, he talks about reaching paradise or multiple forms of Buddhist hell...not to mention Buddhist deities/mythological or religious figures like Yama and the nagas. Which some forms of Buddhism reject altogether! Again, there are many different types of Buddhism in Japan, and Kuukou appears to practice...all of them. I doubt this decision was made to reflect a particular aspect of Kuukou's character so much as to avoid any stickiness in regard to real life controversial topics. (Hypmic is pretty keen to avoid IRL political issues, hence its aversion to pursing LGBT topics, avoidance of most serious discussions of gender, and jokey portrayal of Dice's homelessness and gambling addiction.) A syncretic mix of Buddhism prevents accusations of favoritism or misrepresentation. Plus, it also allows Buddhist readers of all types to identify with the character!

But you asked about Christianity and Jakurai in particular. Does Christianity exist in Hypmic and Japanese media in particular? There certainly is a non-insignificant number of Christians in Japan, but it's generally considered a minority religion. The Christian God, Jesus, and other major parts of the religion are common knowledge via Western domination of international culture and thought, but Christianity is often assumed to be a "Western" and therefore "foreign" religion by non-Christian writers. Hypmic characters would be aware of Christianity but are unlikely to follow it.

They might, however, consider it a cool aesthetic. Enter Juushi! In the vkei world and other youth subcultures, Christian symbols abound. One of vkei's main inspirations is the British gothic aesthetic, and Western religious or mythological icons. Juushi drops a ton of Western ideas and images (Cerberus, Arcadia, random French, Shakespeare references--just off the top of my head) in his speech and raps, and I wouldn't be surprised if Christian icons start showing up at some point too. There's nothing reverent about it; it just slaps. Iyogi, Juushi's middle school bully, wears a chain of crosses but is almost certainly not Christian. He just thinks they're metal as hell.

Therefore, Jakurai isn't Christian either. He's definitely "godlike" but not in the Christian sense of the term. In Japanese, it's common to refer to someone very good as "kami" or "god." This technically refers to the Shinto kami, but I don't think it's any more connected to religion in casual speech than someone saying "oh my god" in English. Shinto kami are also not the same as the Abrahamic God. While there are powerful, creator kami, most kami are simply viewed as otherworldly or slightly more powerful than humans. You might think of existence as a spectrum of talent or ability, with humans at one end and kami as the next stage onward in the spectrum. If Jakurai is compared to a "kami," it doesn't mean he thinks of himself as a creator, judge, or ruler of life. Nor is he completely almighty, as would be suggested by associating him with the God of Abrahamic religions. Instead, Jakurai is so very good at what he does that he's transcended humanity. This, in turn, makes him difficult to approach or empathize with on a human level--which is Hitoya's core struggle with him. (There's a bit at the end of their DRB match where Hitoya says "You seem so human now" and I struggled w/ that in the summary. Because that's what this refers to--you don't seem so removed. You seem like you're on my level. You normally do everything so well I never see evidence of your struggling, but now I can see that you're just like me, and I can empathize with you.) Incidentally, the shining light around Jakurai is indeed a motif of the divine, but it isn't the light of heaven. That is, it's not inherently benevolent. Light is a common motif in Japanese works for being very, very talented--again, like the Shinto kami. If you ever see works where translators keep being like, "This character is shining!" that's what they mean. This character is very, very good at whatever they're doing. If you see works where translators keep being like, "This character is dazzling!" then that's the exact same thing, but they just found a more natural way to phrase it. Ha ha ha.

Hi Slug!! I'm curious about some of the religious imagery in hypmic! Kuko is obvious and I think Doppo has talked about not believing in gods before but what's up with Jakurai? Is he meant to actually be Christian or is it just an aesthetic thing?

This ended up being so long Tumblr wouldn't let me put it all in one post. Hoo boy. Under a cut for length.

Usual disclaimer that I don't live in Japan, so I'm not talking about IRL Japan so much as Japanese media. Media isn't perfectly synonymous with real life and, of course, it's foolish to draw conclusions from the general (media and culture) and apply them to the specific (individual persons). With that being said, media is indicative of real life values and cultural concerns--for example, the American high school experience is a lot less interesting than in movies, but these movies reflect a romanticization of teenagehood so widespread in the US and areas with heavy US cultural influence that filmmakers take it for granted in their audiences--so I can talk about what assumptions inform the portrayal of religion in Hypmic.

As in a lot of Japanese media, religion is present but not explicitly mentioned outside of Kuukou. It's what I would call culturally religious as opposed to actively religious. Similar to how many works in the Anglosphere are steeped with Christian ideas and phrases even if the authors/works themselves aren't Christian (the Christian concept of sin, using "God" or variations as an interjection, etc.), many works written in Japanese are influenced by Shinto and Buddhist ideas. Some people in Japan are active worshipers of Shinto, Buddhism, or both, but many more have a somewhat relaxed approach. It's not uncommon for people to have a belief in a higher power, but the nature of this higher power isn't terribly well-defined. Many people will attend religious ceremonies for holidays or funerals but rarely pray to a higher power outside of moments of great stress. That is, being culturally religious. Traditions are fun and comforting, especially if they involve dressing up in fancy clothes, eating yummy food, and seeing friends and family. Even if you're not especially devout, it doesn't hurt to pray for a bit of luck before a big test, that your child will grow up healthy and strong, or that your recently departed ancestor will be at peace. For those in predominately Christian areas, you probably see plenty of this in your community--people who maybe go to church occasionally for companionship or holiday celebrations but aren't active worshipers. Or, perhaps, people who pray like, "Hey, if anyone's listening, can you lend me a hand?" Maybe you're even one of these people yourself. We can generally assume that most of the cast falls into this camp. Doppo and Hifumi go to a festival with a religious element--charms and rituals to bring good luck by appealing to Shinto deities--but I doubt either of them have a firm belief that these particular deities exist. They may think that there's some higher power...or not. But what's the harm in a good luck charm, right? And more importantly, it's fun to play games, eat, drink, and horse around with friends! But wait, does that mean these two are only Shinto or...Shinto-ish? Probably not. There's an expression that most Japanese people are "born Shinto, but die Buddhist." Shinto rituals tend to focus on matters of the living (although Shintoism has its own distinct funerary rites, sometimes combined with Buddhist rites), while non-devout Buddhists usually participate in Buddhist ceremonies only when loved ones die. We see Juushi and Hitoya with loved ones buried in Buddhist cemeteries, but it's safe to assume both observe Shinto holidays and customs in some fashion. We also see in the very beginning of TDD that Nemu and Samatoki have what appears to be a butsudan--a Buddhist altar--in their home dedicated to their deceased parents. "But wait," some might say, "I thought spirit worship isn't a part of Buddhism." That's true for some forms of Buddhism, but not all! Buddhism is enormously varied, and some of the (many, many!) forms of Buddhism practiced in Japan accept aspects of Shintoism. There's plenty of mixing, just as we see within individuals themselves. Again, the Hypmic characters may not fully believe that spirits exist. (Well, outside of Ramuda...) But it's a comforting thought that one's deceased family members are around in some form and can be a positive influence on one's life.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Hi Slug!! I'm curious about some of the religious imagery in hypmic! Kuko is obvious and I think Doppo has talked about not believing in gods before but what's up with Jakurai? Is he meant to actually be Christian or is it just an aesthetic thing?

This ended up being so long Tumblr wouldn't let me put it all in one post. Hoo boy. Under a cut for length.

Usual disclaimer that I don't live in Japan, so I'm not talking about IRL Japan so much as Japanese media. Media isn't perfectly synonymous with real life and, of course, it's foolish to draw conclusions from the general (media and culture) and apply them to the specific (individual persons). With that being said, media is indicative of real life values and cultural concerns--for example, the American high school experience is a lot less interesting than in movies, but these movies reflect a romanticization of teenagehood so widespread in the US and areas with heavy US cultural influence that filmmakers take it for granted in their audiences--so I can talk about what assumptions inform the portrayal of religion in Hypmic.

As in a lot of Japanese media, religion is present but not explicitly mentioned outside of Kuukou. It's what I would call culturally religious as opposed to actively religious. Similar to how many works in the Anglosphere are steeped with Christian ideas and phrases even if the authors/works themselves aren't Christian (the Christian concept of sin, using "God" or variations as an interjection, etc.), many works written in Japanese are influenced by Shinto and Buddhist ideas. Some people in Japan are active worshipers of Shinto, Buddhism, or both, but many more have a somewhat relaxed approach. It's not uncommon for people to have a belief in a higher power, but the nature of this higher power isn't terribly well-defined. Many people will attend religious ceremonies for holidays or funerals but rarely pray to a higher power outside of moments of great stress. That is, being culturally religious. Traditions are fun and comforting, especially if they involve dressing up in fancy clothes, eating yummy food, and seeing friends and family. Even if you're not especially devout, it doesn't hurt to pray for a bit of luck before a big test, that your child will grow up healthy and strong, or that your recently departed ancestor will be at peace. For those in predominately Christian areas, you probably see plenty of this in your community--people who maybe go to church occasionally for companionship or holiday celebrations but aren't active worshipers. Or, perhaps, people who pray like, "Hey, if anyone's listening, can you lend me a hand?" Maybe you're even one of these people yourself. We can generally assume that most of the cast falls into this camp. Doppo and Hifumi go to a festival with a religious element--charms and rituals to bring good luck by appealing to Shinto deities--but I doubt either of them have a firm belief that these particular deities exist. They may think that there's some higher power...or not. But what's the harm in a good luck charm, right? And more importantly, it's fun to play games, eat, drink, and horse around with friends! But wait, does that mean these two are only Shinto or...Shinto-ish? Probably not. There's an expression that most Japanese people are "born Shinto, but die Buddhist." Shinto rituals tend to focus on matters of the living (although Shintoism has its own distinct funerary rites, sometimes combined with Buddhist rites), while non-devout Buddhists usually participate in Buddhist ceremonies only when loved ones die. We see Juushi and Hitoya with loved ones buried in Buddhist cemeteries, but it's safe to assume both observe Shinto holidays and customs in some fashion. We also see in the very beginning of TDD that Nemu and Samatoki have what appears to be a butsudan--a Buddhist altar--in their home dedicated to their deceased parents. "But wait," some might say, "I thought spirit worship isn't a part of Buddhism." That's true for some forms of Buddhism, but not all! Buddhism is enormously varied, and some of the (many, many!) forms of Buddhism practiced in Japan accept aspects of Shintoism. There's plenty of mixing, just as we see within individuals themselves. Again, the Hypmic characters may not fully believe that spirits exist. (Well, outside of Ramuda...) But it's a comforting thought that one's deceased family members are around in some form and can be a positive influence on one's life.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Slug, have you had a chance to listen to the new rhyme anima+ album yet? I’m interested to hear your thoughts on it, even though a fair amount of people think it’s not as good as the first season songs. Personally, I can forgive any and all sacrifices in quality just because the dotsuhon/mtc song might be the single greatest song ever created (and no, I’m not just saying that because they sing the line “Go shawty! Go shawty!”. Although I’m not, not saying that…). As always, dotsuhon never misses.

I finally finished watching it with a friend a couple weeks ago, and I liked most of the songs. Let me do a quick relisten and run down the list...

Also, the "Go shawty! Go shawty!" got to me too haha. Literally dropped everything I was doing to Google "shawty 意味 [definition]" in the hopes of getting some clarity on what they meant. (I was not successful. Presumably, this is another "wow, cool English word!" moment.)

Rise From Dead feels very anime-ish to me, so it's not something I would listen to on its own. But idk, it's fun and bouncy.

Bring it on is fine. BBs continue to be solid rappers. Doesn't do a ton for me in audio only.

Shinogi (Pay Respect) is a fun blend of genres that I normally like, but it's slower than I would like. Feels like the whole is worth less than its parts.

SANITY's instrumentals slap. Solid rhythm. Feels like it'd be good for a workout playlist but probably not something I'd listen to on its own.

New World's instrumentals are where it's at. I would listen to this one on its own. Dancing at my desk as I type this.

Dive in's rapping and instrumentals seem oddly disjointed with one another. (<- knows jack shit about music) Not sure if I'm a fan of this one.

An Idol has a really fun rhythm, and I like the singing. I feel like this will grow on me easily.

We go with the flow is bopping. Ichirou and Kuukou's VAs kill it as always. This would make very good workout music. Dancing at the desk again.

PUMP IT UP bring more of the dance music. And the infamous "Go, shawty! Go, shawty!" ??? out of 10. I think I could enjoy it if I pretend I don't speak English. There's a song I'm enjoying atm where the rapper keeps dropping the word "pussy" in places "pussy" should not be, and I can vibe w/ it so long as I assume I am a newborn babe and all language is indecipherable to me. Same deal here, I feel.

FIGHTER'S ROAD... Oh, this episode was an art form. I like Horsefumi's and Gentarou's sections. Without the absolutely batshit visuals, though, I don't think this is something I would voluntarily seek out.

BATTLE ANIMA+ 01 is blatantly a battle song, and I don't usually listen to them on their own. That being said, I like the rhythm and most of the rapping. The autotuned sections are cool.

BATTLE ANIMA+ 02 falls into the same camp as the previous one. A bit slower, so less up my alley, but I still like the rhythm and autotuned bits.

BATTLE ANIMA +03 sounds like RPG music. I can vibe with it. Would be good for workout playlists.

RELIEVE is...it sure is a song. That sounds like a bad thing, but it's just... I have no opinion about this whatsoever. This is music that exists. Zero idea if I like it or not.

Next Stage is FUN! It's long enough and repetitive enough that I wouldn't listen to it on its own, but it would be a much-loved addition to a workout playlist. I really, really like this one.

Yeah, I can see why some fans might be disappointed. Most of them don't strike me as stellar without their visuals, but it also takes me a while to warm up to (get Stockholm Syndromed into, maybe?) Hypmic songs in general. I'll probably be a big fan once I hear more of them.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

Do you think there's any chance they'll ever make an English version of Hypmic ARB? :')

I don't know a lot about licensing mobile games and the English mobile games market outside of hearsay, and who knows how accurate that is. What little I do know (not directly tied to ARB--please don't take this as, "Omg, this is evidence that ARB English is coming!" because it isn't) is stuff I can't talk about publicly.

At the moment, I'm not very optimistic. Games in a similar genre don't seem to be performing well in English, and ARB seems kind of niche in that it's all side story. Most idol games have a (sometimes) serious main story and then a billion AU shenanigans, right? ARB is all shenanigans meant to appeal to those who are fans of the main story, all presented in other mediums that aren't available in English. Licensing songs and lyrics is also a very difficult process, and since Hypmic has so many external artists working with a variety of record companies, I have no doubt that makes things exponentially harder.

Also, the swearing in songs may make ratings difficult to navigate. Presumably, censored versions could be used, but that might involve even weirder licensing shenanigans.

But who knows? Stranger things have happened.

#not a translation #asks #hypmic asks

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

re. previous anon about second guidebook tracks, there weren't any. only songs were included on the cd and they were hypnotic summer, wink, and kizuna+

Ah, then that would explain why there's no translation. Thanks for confirming!

#not a translation #asks #misc asks