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Translation: Rurouni Kenshin -Kinema-ban- 4

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 01:54:34 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!!! THANKS!!!

Quote:

This is a ROUGH DRAFT. Feel free to use it, but keep in mind that this may be edited later on.

[0]
Top note: Color page in celebration of
5.8 million volumes sold
and the opening of the live action "Rurouni Kenshin" movie!

RUROUNI KENSHIN
- KINEMA BAN -

Splash: Speak with your sword---
For you are also
a man who survived a bloodthirsty era...

Watsuki Nobuhiro

Bottom note: - The much awaited new comics "Rurouni Kenshin - Tokuhitsu-ban" Volume 1 on sale!!
Featuring not only the "Kinema-ban" published in Jump SQ, but also the Act 0 published in WS Jump!!
- Novel "Rurouni Kenshin - Ginmaku Soushi-hen -" on sale!!

[1]
Kaoru: There it is.

Kenshin: So, that's the wholesale store called
Akabekkou...

Act 4 - "The whereabouts of Justice (end)"

Kenshin: Oro?

Kaoru: The former wholesale store.
Now, it's "Akabeko", a gyunabe-ya.
They said they changed their business because after the Meiji Restoration, lots of new stores sprouted up dealing with imported goods.

Yahiko: The taste of the modern civilization!

Sano: You will treat us for a meal, right?!
Will pay ya back when I'm rich!

Kaoru: Yeah, yeah. That's why I brought everyone here, right?
And will you ever get rich?

Side note: An unexpected place to meet once again an old enemy...

[2]
Saitou: So, you were able to come here, using only your memories and the small hints you had.

Kenshin: !

Saitou: It looks like your intuition is sharp as ever.

Kenshin: So it was you indeed,
Saitou.

Saitou: Hey, we meet again after ten years. Don't make such a face.

Yahiko: Better than YOUR face!

Kaoru: Kenshin, who is he?

Kenshin: Don't worry, he is an old friend.
We have to talk a bit.
Please go ahead and eat first.

[3]
Kaoru: ...

Kenshin: Didn't imagine you had become a police officer.

Saitou: The Shinsengumi was assembled in order to keep the law and order in the streets of Kyoto.
So, things haven't changed much since then.

Kenshin: So...
what do you want?
Don't you say you came here just to entertain a talk.

[4]
Saitou: I had spread my net around Takeda Kanryuu as part of a investigation I'm doing.
And my net got you.
"Rurouni"? What a surprise.
I had thought you would be living the new era along with the ones you protected.

Flashback: "My justice is about protecting."
"I will protect people and I will live in a new era, along with the ones I protected."

Saitou: Why "Rurouni"?
I don't have a "shingan" or a "mind's eye",
but let me take a guess.
So, the new era has come. Who are you going to choose to live with?
The former comrades you fought along with?
No. Among them, you were and will always be Hitokiri Battousai.

[5]
Saitou: Will you go back to your homeland?
No. If I'm not mistaken, you are an abandoned orphan.

Kenshin: I have no home and no family.
My master of the swords arts is alive, but we parted ways in disagreement.
No need for you to tell everything.
I prefer to tell it myself.
A new era, full of peace and joy.
To bring such an era to everyone and live among them.
Such was my ideal when I took up in arms in the Bakumatsu.
(thinking) I killed countless people and lost the person dearest to me... but still...
I kept wielding my sword.
My arms were stained with blood. My feet were drenched in blood.
But when I realized...

[6]
Kenshin: I was unable to live among all those people
who now were living in peace and joy...
I had no place to go.
No place to stay.
Hence, a Rurouni...

Saitou: That's why
I said you were naive.
Wandering around with a fake smile
won't make you escape from the pool of blood you created.

[7]
Sano: You won't eat, damsel?

Kaoru: I will. Leave a bit of food, please.

Sano: Sorry, no more left.
Can I order the fifth serving?

Kaoru: Jeez!
I will pay for three!
More than that, you pay!

Sano: You worried about Kenshin?

Kaoru: ... yes.
Like me, he is a swordsman trying to live in the Meiji Era, so...

[8]
Sano: Like you?
The guys who survived Bakumatsu
are entirely different beings.
You ever heard of Sekihoutai?

Kaoru: Huh?
Yeah...
A famous false army who committed many crimes during the chaos of the Meiji Restoration and got punished for it, right?

Sano: ... whoops.
Sorry, can't blame you, damsel.
Once upon a time, I was in that false army.
I was a page for the captain.

[9]
Sano: He was strong and cool.
I still respect him from the bottom of my heart.
But he had something that made him so different from me.
Later on, I heard that, before the Restoration, he was involved in many sabotage missions
and even murdered people...
That policeman
and the black hat guy who showed up yesterday.

Kaoru: Wha!

Sano: You noticed that they are really, really different from other people Kanryuu gathered, right?
Killers and non-killers are entirely different beings.
You may not like what I'm going to say, but if you keep poking your nose into his affairs...

Saitou: Understand that your place is not here, but in the pool of blood.
If you keep wielding a ridiculous sword like a sakabatou, you can be sure that...

[10]
Sano & Saitou: you will regret it dearly.

Yahiko: ... uh...
I feel like I'm left out in the cold...
Oh well!
Bring me more food!

Girl: Y, yes!
Yes, sir!

Yahiko & Girl: !

[11]
Girl: ... don't tell me you are...
Yahiko-chan...?

Yahiko: Tsubame...?
You are...
Tsubame, from the Sanjou family...!

Men: The first man was defeated.
I've heard he was a fighter with a highly destructive punch,
but it seems he was no match for Battousai.
So, now it's our turn!!
Number 2 to 5! Let's go!!

[12]
Jin-e: UFUFU

Men: !?

Jin-e: Will Battousai return to his golden days by fighting these?
No. To begin with, these scumbags are no match for him.

Men: What?!
Now, wait.
You are number 6?
If you are good, wanna join us?
Your share will be 1/5, but---

[13]
Men: !!!
DAMN, YOU!!!

Jin-e: Battousai may defeat them, but will never kill them.
What a pity.
I will kill them.

[14]
U
FU
FU

[15]
Jin-e: Numbers and power
May be reason for him to fight, but not to kill.
What he needs is an anger, a hate deep enough to make him lose his senses.
What he needs is something to awaken these feelings in him.
A SACRIFICE!

Side note: Violence, a cancer who refuses to die --- a disease that threatens the modern civilization...

Rurouni Kenshin - Kinema-ban - will continue in the November issue

=============================

Translator's ramblings (may contain slight spoilers?):

- "Tokuhitsu-ban" means literally "specially written version". This is the title of the comics (tankoubon) featuring the Kinema-ban. Should have two or three volumes.

- The novel "Rurouni Kenshin - Ginmaku Soushi-hen -" was written by Kurosaki Kaoru, Watsuki's wife. It may be considered as an alternative plot to the live action movie.

- "Gyunabe-ya" means literally "house of the gyunabe". "Gyunabe" ("beef pan") is a Japanese dish known as "sukiyaki" nowadays.

- The "shingan" or "mind's eye" stuff is a reference to Uonuma Usui, a Juppongatana member who was defeated by Saitou in the original manga.

Translation: Drifters 33

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 04:47:21 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Bronze Dragon: ... Hah!
So, you are the Black King and its minions.
"Lead the humans to extinction"? What a bravado!
The winged dragons are our subjects, yet you dare to use them as your pets.
Quite insolent indeed!

Drifters

Chapter 33 - Baby Yetu

Kohta Hirano

[2]
Black King: I am the Black King.
If you intend to join our alliance,
stand in line.

Bronze Dragon: I am a Bronze Dragon.
Watch your mouth!
Who do you think you are?

Black King: It doesn't matter who I am.
It doesn't matter what you are.
You and a starving goblin child
are equals to my eyes.

[3]
Bronze Dragon: LOOK AT ME, RAGGED FOOL!!
DO YOU WANT YOUR BODY TO BECOME AS TATTERED AS YOUR CLOTHES?!

[4]
Bronze Dragon: ......!!
Stop...!!

[5]
Black King: Do you want to come with us?
Or do you want to die with them?
No longer are you allowed to be a bystander, Bronze Dragon.
Answer me, Bronze Dragon.

[6]
Bronze Dragon: No!!
Stop!!
STOP!!
I give in!!
I will...!!
I will join your alliance!!

Black King: You are most welcome, Bronze Dragon.
Now you have ceased to be a most fearsome being to become a most pitiful being.
Thus, you have the right to join us.

[7]
Hijikata: What an impressive power.

Rasputin: It's been a long time since I've last seen you open your mouth,
Hijikata.
The "power" of our King is Life.
His healing powers are just one possible display of His power.
However, life in excess becomes cancer and leads to death.

[8]
Black King: No need to prostrate to me.
Please give me room to use my powers.

Monsters: PGYAH
PGYAH
PGYAH

[9]
Rasputin: He can multiply any form of Life as much as He desires.
Be it simple cells...
... or even food.

[10]
Hijikata: For the King's enemies,
when thinking of Him as a military commander,
His powers must be the worst of the nightmares.
He can instantly heal all the injured.
Even those mortally wounded can go back to the front lines in a blink of an eye.
He can infinitely multiply food and wood.
Logistics? Supply management? All these become meaningless.
Then, why promote farming?
Why not simply multiply food?

Black King: The answer is trivial.
It is because
I am not an immortal God.

[11]
Rasputin: My Lord.

Black King: Rasputin, is it ready?

Rasputin: That was my metier from the very beginning.
I kept it simple.
I think simple is the best to them.
The symbol is an eye.
I mixed the best concepts I saw in many cultures,
from Zoroastrianism to Varuna, Egypt and the Celts.
And let me present these.
I based myself on the Latin alphabet. No, I simply took it to our advantage.
Though I believe it will take a while for them to understand this alphabet.

[12]
Hijikata: But
what do You intend to do with this?

Black King: We are an alliance formed by many different races.
We have kobolds, goblins and many others who will join our ranks.
We must give them a common ground.
First, a common alphabet.
Then a common religion for them to follow.
Primitive farming. Common alphabet. Unified religion.
They were once called as monsters.
But they are the ones who will succeed the humans
and build a civilization on this earth.

[13]
[A woman is lying on bed.]

Side note: What will Nobunaga and the Drifters do in order to face the threat of the Black King army...!?

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 33 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale November 30th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) "Baby Yetu", the title of this chapter, is probably a reference to "Baba Yetu", the theme song of Civilization IV. It means "Our Father" in the Swahili language. I don't know if this typo was made on purpose or not.

Translation: Drifters 32

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:19:14 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Toyohisa: Open the castle!!
This is the last warning!!
Decide!!

Side note: The liberation of the dwarves!! For the war after the meal!!

Drifters

Kohta Hirano

Chapter 32 - Omen

Soldiers: W... what are we going to do?
The hell I know!
What now?
Those freaking dwarves will attack as soon as they finish the meal!!
If they dig up their tunnels, we're history!!
They will kill us all!!
Drifters!!
You will spare us, right?!
If we surrender, you will let us go, right?!

[2]
Toyohisa: Such is the custom of the battlefield.
We want no heads of those who surrender!!

[The humans surrender their weapons.]

Toyohisa: Good.
A decent attitude.

[3]
Toyohisa: Very well, where is your commander?

Commander: I am the commander.
We have surrendered the castle. You will let us go, right?

Toyohisa: Sure, but I beg you to wait for a moment.
We will prepare right now a proper place for you
to commit the ritual disembowelment.
I will be the kaishaku, in order to behead you with minimal pain.

Commander: W... what?!
Ritual... disembowelment...!?
What do you...

Toyohisa: The castle has fallen.
So, it's obvious that the commander will commit the disembowelment.
To take full responsibility is the duty and the honor given only to the fine commanders.

[4]
Commander: T... to hell with that!!
Stop with the nonsense!!
Why should I commit disembowelment?!
I will never to that!!

Toyohisa: Good.
So, you are not worthy of committing disembowelment.
You are not worthy of being a commander!!

[5]
Toyohisa: Your only worth is..
... to leave your head here!!

[6]
Soldiers: Aah!!
Aah!
Ah!
Aah!

Toyohisa: Well,
let's continue
our meal.

[7]
Toyohisa: No need to go after them.

Yoichi: !!
Oh.
So, you did notice?

Toyohisa: Told them we'd spare them.
And we keep our word.

Yoichi: Sorry, old habits die hard, it seems...
After all, that was the job they had me to do every time, and...

Toyohisa: You won't do any jobs to anybody. Not anymore.
This is our war, not anyone else's.

[8]
Elves: Yoichi, sir.
Should we hunt them down?

Yoichi: No need.
Not now, at least.
Come on, let's eat.

[9]
Mills: We will gather at the old manor
all the soil we collected from the villages...
No, if each village could do the extraction...
And then, we have this number of horses, so the amount of wheat we need will be...
*sigh*
Why am I doing all this?

Elf: We have trouble, virgin human!!
Trouble!! Trouble!!

Mills: D, don't call me a virgin!!
Yeah, I know I'm a virgin!!
But don't call me a virgin, you idiot!!

[10]
Elf: A weird carriage is approaching!!

Mills: A weird...
carriage...?

[11]
Mills: It's... Count Saint Germi...

Elf: That nobleman from Orte?!

Mills: All elvish males must hide NOW!!

Elf: What!?

Mills: The females don't have to hide.

Elf: What!?

[12]
Elves: Stop!!
W..
Who...
Who are you?!

Count: What a bleak place.

Aides: So terrible!
It's not what we expected!
We were expecting more glitter-glitter thingies!
A holy spring in the middle of a sacred forest, lit by the soft rays of the sun!
And in the spring, several naked elvish kiddies washing themselves and having fun with elementals and such!!

Count: Shut up.

[13]
Mills: Count Saint Germi...
Why have you come in person to a place like this...?

Count: And who are you?
A Drifter?

Mills: (your face is too close!)
No, I'm not.
I'm Mills, former tax collector of the elvish colonies.
Now a captive being overloaded with work by the elves.

Count: Oh.
Your face stinks like a virgin.
I have come to meet the Drifters.
They are here, right?
Bring them to me.
Bring the Drifters.

Aides: Yes! Yes! Bring them in!
And there are too few elven males!
You must be hiding them! Bring them in! Bring them in!

Mills: Uh...
Well, sorry but...
They are not here right now.

[14]
Count: What do you mean, they are not here?!
Where are they?! Tell me!!
Or else, I'll eat you up!!

Mills: Sorry! Sorry!!
Th, they said they would free the dwarves!!
And they took all the male elves!!
Th, they were saying they would produce what?
F, firearms, something like that!!

Count: Wha...

[15]
Count: F... f... firearms...?!
They will make the dwarves produce... firearms...?!
B, b, but... what about gunpowder...?
What about gunpowder?!

Mills: We already have gunpowder.
(I have no idea what gunpowder is,
but yes, we do have it!)
We are producing it a lot right now.

Count: It's over...
This Orte country...
is over...

[16]
Count: What kind of Drifters came here this time?!
That toothbrush mustache guy was quite insane,
but things are getting worse right now!!
Hey, Murasaki!!
What the hell is going on?!
Things will be a mess here!!

Aides: Princess, what happened?
What's that Mura-something stuff?

Count: I'm just speaking to myself!!
Leave me alone!!
Anyway, I will wait till they are back!
Treat us well!
Treat us very well, understand?!

[17]
[At night, some guys are doing recon]

[18]
Man: Can't get any closer.
They are flying lots of aerial guards full with magical items.
Don't use any items nor magic, or else they'll catch you.

Tattoed guy: Now this is a tough job.
I only accepted this because it was offered by you Octobrists.
If a job like this were offered by our usual guild of explorers, I would have never accepted it. This is suicide.

Man: Sorry, Doug.

Doug: Those binoculars are quite handy, eh?
Is it one of those "relics" you Octobrists are said to keep?

Man: Look.

Doug: !!

[19]
Doug: A Bronze Dragon!!
Impossible...!!
She's one of the six Great Dragons!!
Will she join the forces of the Black King?!

[20]
Doug: Did he stop marching south to befriend the Bronze Dragon?

Man: No, I don't think so!!
Look at the south border of the North Wall!!
Probably, that's the reason why he stopped his march.

Doug: !!
W... what's that...?!
M... my eyes are playing a trick on me?!
Is that... a farm...?!
The monsters have started to farm...?!
The beginning of a monster civilization...!!
They have begun a primitive agriculture...!!
What is that Black King doing...
at the North Wall...!?

[21]
Man: The Great Master is right. He's unlike any other "Offscouring" we saw before.
He's not wishing for the destruction of this world.
He intends to become the Messiah of the monsters.

Side note: The "Human extinction" is the goal of the Black King... the "Conquest of the Country" is the goal of Nobunaga... when are they going to clash?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 32 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale October 30th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) "Kaishaku" is the person responsible for beheading the man who commits the seppuku/harakiri. Usually he was a very proficient man with a sword, so that he would be able to kill swiftly, quickly ending the pain and suffering of the victim.

2) Doug seems to be a werewolf or at leat a demihuman. May be a pun with "Dog". "Doug" is a tentative way of spelling his name, let's see how HiraKo will write his name.

Translation: Rurouni Kenshin -Kinema-ban- 3

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 13:38:45 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!!! THANKS!!!

Quote:

This is a DRAFT. Feel free to use it, but keep in mind that this may be edited later on.

[1]
Policeman: Feh...
Idiot.
Why are you rotting here?

[Rurouni Kenshin - Kinema-ban -]

[in the habaki of the policeman's sword: Aku Soku Zan]

Side note: The ever sharp fang of the Miburo draws nigh!!

[2]
RUROUNI KENSHIN - KINEMA-BAN

WATSUKI NOBUHIRO

Act 3 - "The whereabouts of Justice (beginning)"

Right text: SHINSENGUMI
CAPTAIN OF THE 3RD UNIT
SAITOU HAJIME

Splash: The echoes of the screams of fallen lives are forgotten
And the bloodstained Kyoto falls into silence----

Left text: ISHIN SHISHI
FROM CHOUSHUU
HITOKIRI BATTOUSAI

[3]
Battousai: So, that is
"Gatotsu".

Saitou: Oh?

Battousai: The ruthless one-handed thrust delivered only by the Captain of the 3rd Unit of the Shinsengumi.
It is said that its speed is faster than arrows,
its accuracy allows to split bullets
and its power crushes cannonballs.

Saitou: Not bad.
Then, you should know that, at this distance---
--- you cannot escape from this technique!!

[4]
Battousai: Should I?

[Battousai throws a body to Saitou]

Battousai: OOOH!!

Saitou: !!

Splash: GATOTSU!!

Saitou: USELESS!!

[5]
[Saitou pierces everything.]

[6]
Saitou: Tsc.

[Saitou smokes a cigarette]

Saitou: Ffffff

[7]
[Battousai appears and cuts Saitou's cigarette.]

Saitou: !
Tsc.

[8]
[Battousai slashes Saitou's cigarette again.]

Saitou: You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?!

Battousai: You kidding?! I'm seriously trying to kill you!!

Saitou: This imported stuff is only sold by that wholesale store, the Akabekkou from Edo!!
[T.N.: Edo is the old name for Tokyo.]

Battousai: Then let me kill you, so that you won't have to buy that stuff anymore!

[9]
HITEN MITSURUGI RYU ---

RYUU-SHOU-SEN!!

Saitou: That hurts!

Battousai: !!

[10]
Saitou & Battousai: Huff
Huff
Huff

Saitou: Damn.
You are quite strong.

Battousai: "Aku Soku Zan".

[11]
Saitou: !

Battousai: I saw the engraving on the habaki of your sword.
Is it the Shinsengumi's motto?

Saitou: Oh, this?
I praise you for being able to read this during the fight.
"AKU SOKU ZAN".
Evil. Immediately. Slain.
This is the sole justice I believe.
I and you are standing on different grounds, but this justice is something we have in commom.
And that's why we are now here crossing our swords.

Battousai: Wrong.

Saitou: What?

Battousai: My justice is not about slaying.

[12]
Battousai: My justice is about protecting.
I will protect people
And I will live in a new era, along with the ones I protected.

Saitou: How naive.
I would love to see your pitiable face in such era,
but I don't think it'll be possible.

Battousai: Yes.
After all...

Both: ... you will die here and now.

[13]
Battousai: THE FASTEST BATTOUJUTSU FROM
HITEN MITSURUGI RYU

TEN-SHOU-RYUU-SEN!!!

Saitou: THE STRONG TECHNIQUE FROM
THE CAPTAIN OF THE 3RD UNIT OF THE SHINSENGUMI

GATOTSU ZERO-SHIKI!!!

[14]
Saitou: ----...
Feh.
Destroying an already broken door
is far from a good start to resume our issues.
The fight comes later.
Now, the most important is to correctly evaluate
the two idiots who escaped from death.

[15]
Sano: Right!
Let's fix this!

Yahiko: Stupid strength!

Kaoru: Strong stupid!

Kenshin: Miss Kaoru.

Kaoru: Yes?

Kenshin: Do you happen to know about a store called
"Akabekkou" in Edo - no, in Tokyo...?
(thinking)The faint presence I felt last night...
And...
This cigarette...

Kaoru: ... Ken
shin?

Side note: The "Hitokiri" side comes up again!?

Rurouni Kenshin - Kinema-ban - will continue in the October issue

=============================

Translator's ramblings (may contain slight spoilers?):

- I'm REALLY SORRY for the delay. Personal issues prevented me from doing anything in the last months. And I'll make the translation simpler (without the descriptions) to enable faster releases.

- "Gatotsu" means literally "Fang thrust". It is the same technique used by Saitou in the original manga, as is the "Zero-shiki" or "Zero Stance".

- "Ryuu-shou-sen" is written as "Flash of the Rising Dragon". In the original manga, it's written as "Flash of the Soaring Dragon".

- "Ten-shou-ryuu-sen" is the way used in the Kinema-ban to read the famous Kenshin technique, "Amakakeru-Ryuu-no-Hirameki".

- As for the "Akabekkou", I will explain it in the next chapter or so.

Translation: Drifters 31

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 04:56:02 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: [Drifters]

[Murasaki reads a newspaper, as usual.]

Murasaki: Yes. That's what you are.
That's why you are there.
Your differences make you singularities in that world.

[Toyohisa walks into the citadel.]

Side note: Warrior Toyohisa -- a man who only walks forward!!!

Murasaki: Stir it, Drifters.
The world has no such thing as "the way it should be".
Stir and make the world go round, Drifters.

[2]
Elves: Toyo, sir, let us free the dwarves.

Toyohisa: Huh?

Elves: They are strong warriors.
That's what the elves hear since childhood.
The elves do hate the dwarves.
Every night, our fathers tell us about them, with a voice full of fear and despise.
But that shows also an envy for the things that the elves don't have.
Their strength, their toughness, the sharpness of their axes.
They must be here, kept as captives.
It was unthinkable for the elves to fight side by side with dwarves.
Until now!!

Toyohisa: That's my idea from the start.
Let's free them.

[3]
Elves: The dwarves are crude, violent,
dirty, barbaric, with a nasty beard.
They like to drink a lot and to eat a lot.
They stink and they are dangerous.
With their huge arms, they can crumble boulders and strike their steel.
With their huge legs, they stand strong on the ground.
With their huge axes, they split their enemies in half.
And then, they go drinking again, laughing and singing.

[4]
DRIFTERS

Chapter 30 - Gohan wa Okazu [T.N.: a K-On! song. Literally, "the meal (rice) is the side dish".]

[In a Nazi-like camp, Toyohisa meets the dwarves. All of them are weak. Several of them are lying on shelves used as beds.]

Kohta Hirano

Side note: Comics volume 1 and 2 reprinted and on sale!!!

[Toyohisa is shocked.]

[5]
Elves: Every building is the same.
This is indeed a concentration camp.
The dwarves kept fighting even after us elves surrendered.
We were lucky to be made into slaves in the farms.
The dwarves must have been exploited as slaves in the mines and factories.

Old dwarf: ... we were wondering what was that fuss outside.
Your doing, elves?
What an irony.
To think that you, among all beings, would come to rescue us...
Not us.
We were also rescued.
By the Drifters.

[6]
Old dwarf: Doesn't matter.

Wooden plaque: Only labor leads us to liberation

Old dwarf: Free us.
We have had enough.
Please free us.

[his hands are shaking.]

Old dwarf: I beg you.
I beg you. Even if you are elves, I beg you.
Free us!! We can fight too!!

Toyohisa: Of course.
So, you are the dwarves!?
What a beard!!
And you are really small!!
And thin!!

Old dwarf: So, you are...

[7]
Old dwarf: So, you are one of those "Drifters"...

Toyohisa: I have no idea!!
They call me that, but that's none of my concern!!
[grinning] An army marches on its stomach!!
Let's eat!! Let's eat!!

[smoke starts rising in the citadel.]

[8]
[in the outskirts, Nobunaga is talking to the comm sphere.]

Nobunaga: Hey, Olminipples, what's up?
Has the fort fallen?!
Hey, Oh-my-nipples!!!

Olmine (slightly angry at Nobunaga): Well, to tell you the truth...
Toyohisa seems to have freed the elves, but...
the dwarves were starving and very emaciated,
so Toyo started saying that they would eat first...

Nobunaga: Don't tell me they ARE eating now...
The fort castle hasn't fallen yet...

[large numbers of elves and dwarves are eating, the steam of their food rising one after another.]

Olmine: They plundered the food depots, gathered all food they had and could put their hands on.
And now they are cooking it all.

[9]
[Nobunaga faints.]

Nobunaga: And all this, BEFORE THE ENEMY'S EYES.
THEY ARE EATING
BEFORE THE ENEMY'S EYES.

Olmine: Oh, no! The horses!! The horses!!
They are killing and cooking all the horses!! From carriage horses to war horses!!!

Nobunaga: STOP THEM!!!
[thinking] Oh my...
he is really an idiot...

[10]
[A child elf brings a basket to Hannibal.]

Child elf: Grandpa, here's more raspberries.

Hannibal (chewing): Yes, this is great.
As a reward, I will give you Galia.

[Nobunaga recovers from his shock.]

Nobunaga (talking to Olmine): Tell them to make soup.

Olmine: What?

Nobunaga: Tell them to use lots of water and make a soup.
If they eat too hearty a meal, they will have an indigestion and die.
One day, that monkey [T.N.: Toyotomi Hideyoshi] did a terrible thing with food.
And he said that you would die if you eat too much when you are starving.

Olmine: What? Monkey? What?

Nobunaga: We can't have those dwarves dying.
Enough, tell them to chew a lot before swallowing, at the very least.

[a tear runs down Nobunaga's face.]

[11]
Nobunaga: RANMARU!!! BRING ME YUZUKE TOO!!! [T.N.: "yuzuke" is a simple dish, where you pour hot water over cooked rice to eat.]
YES, I KNOW!! I KNOW HE'S NOT HERE!!
I KNOW THAT, YOU FOOL!!!
YE GAWDS, I WANT TO EAT RICE!!!!

[the mountain echoes "rice... rice... rice..."]

Child elf: What's a "rice"?

Hannibal: What's a "yuzuke"?

[12]
[In the castle.]

Human soldiers: The attacks... stopped?
What's that smoke...?
What the hell are they doing!?

[Suddenly, two people appear below them. They are Toyohisa and Yoichi.]

Toyohisa and Yoichi: HELLO!!

[Toyohisa is munching on a large piece of meat.]

[13]
Toyohisa: The dwarves are free now.
And they are eating as we speak.
If you don't flee right now, they will kill you all after their meal.
If you flee, we won't go after you.
Leave your weapons here and run.
But make up your mind quickly.

[Toyohisa spits. The human soldiers are speechless.]

[14]
Toyohisa: The dwarves are now worried about filling their bellies with food.
But their meal won't take long.
After that, it will be your turn.
They will eat you alive, be sure of that.

Yoichi (thinking): He's good.
This man is not an idiot.
Every talent, every capacity of his is honed for the battle.

Toyohisa: Will you surrender the castle or will you die?
Decide quickly!!

Side note: Toyohisa leads his "army" to another battlefield!!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 31 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale August 30th).

Translation: Drifters 30

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:36:26 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: DRIFTERS Chapter 30 - Raison d'être [T.N.: "Sonzai Shoumei", in Japanese. Probably a reference to the One OK Rock song.]

[Columns of smoke rise among the debris.]

Side note: Kohta Hirano

Toyohisa: The enemy lines are collapsing!!
This is our chance!! Our golden chance!!
Let's go!!

Elves: OO
O
OO
O
OO

[2]
Orte men: The Armored Corps were annihilated...!!
Impossible...!! What was that...
The gate!! Close the gate!!

Nobunaga: Who else could have thought such use for the "Stone Wall"?
Impressive, Toyohisa. Most impressive and dirty.
To use a magic meant for protection as an offensive weapon.
He is indeed a man who was born solely to destroy his enemies.
But now that they have closed the gate, I have to think of a workaround to...
Hm?

[Hannibal appears, chewing on raspberries. The elves around him are sweatdropping.]

Nobunaga: Tell me, Grandpa, how are those raspberries?

Hannibal (grinning): Good!

[3]
Nobunaga (thinking): Why did he come with us?
What am I supposed to do with a decrepit barbarian from the West?

Hannibal: Hey, kid.

[Nobunaga is startled at hearing a firm and strong voice coming from Hannibal.]

Nobunaga: !!

[With his hands, Hannibal makes some gestures.]

[4]
Nobunaga: ?

[Suddenly, Nobunaga's eyes grow wide, as he realizes Hannibal's intentions.]

Nobunaga: A messenger!! I need a messenger!!
I need to relay a message to Olmine!!

[Nobunaga looks at Hannibal, in a mix of surprise and awe.]

Nobunaga: Grandpa...
you...

[But Hannibal seems to have gone back to his decrepit state.]

Hannibal: Raspberry! More raspberry!

Elf: We have no more raspberries, grandpa...

Hannibal: Without raspberries, Carthage will be doomed!

[5]
[Nobunaga holds a small ball.]

Nobunaga: All I have to do is to speak at this thing?
What is this ball?

Elf: Miss Olmine said it would be useful to talk to her.

Nobunaga: Hey, Olminipples!!
Hey!!
Do you hear me, Ol'titso'mine!!

[Olmine's voice is heard from the ball.]

Olmine: SHUT UP!!
Call me by my name, you stupid!!

Nobunaga: We don't have time for this!!
You still have those "Stone Wall" papers, right!?
Do as I say!!
With your papers and Yoichi's bow, we can make it!!

[Chains are pulled.]

[6]
Voice: The gate is closing!!

Orte's men: That was close.
The soldiers left outside the castle walls are scattered now.
And we have only a handful of soldiers left here!!
What was that explosion!?

[Several arrows hit the castle wall, with Olmine's paper cards attached to them.]

[7]
[Stone walls rise from the wall, creating a staircase. Olmine and Yoichi are surprised.]

[8]
Elf: A staircase on the castle wall...!!
Mister Nobu, sir!! This is amazing!!
Mister Nobu, sir!!

[Nobunaga is amazed at the comm ball.]

Nobunaga (thinking): Yeah, the "Stone wall" is amazing.
But this ball is WAY more amazing!!
With this, we don't need messengers.
More than that, we can have instant communication.
Don't those mages realize it?
Can't they realize how powerful is this thing?
Probably, it is a difference in the way of thinking.
No, I'm sure they don't even imagine.
They only see this as a useful ball to quickly report
their research and findings.
They can't imagine that
"this allows instant and clear communication between forces distant from each other."
The same thing happens to the "Stone wall".
Olmine used it only to protect herself.
But Toyohisa used it as a catapult, and now it has become a weapon to invade forts and castles.

[9]
Nobunaga (thinking): So, in the end, the Drifters are
bringers of new technology and
new knowledge.
Then, what are the Offscourings?
What are the "Ends"?

[The Black Lord appears in the background.]

Nobunaga (thinking): Why are we in this world?
What are they trying us to do here?

[10]
Toyohisa (grinning): WONDERFUL!!
MOST WONDERFUL!!

[Toyohisa and the elves run on the stone staircase.]

[11]
[They climb the staircase and jump to the other side of the wall, invading the castle citadel.]

[12]
Toyohisa: THIS CITADEL
IS OURS!!

Side note: This is the war to free the dwarves --- the Drifters run!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 30 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale July 30th).

Translation: Rurouni Kenshin -Kinema-ban- 2

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 06:06:58 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!!! THANKS!!!

Quote:

This is a DRAFT. Feel free to use it, but keep in mind that this may be edited later on.

[1]
Rurouni Kenshin
- Kinema-ban -

[Kanryuu's men are drawing some wooden pins to decide who will fight Kenshin first.]

Men: Five.
Twelve.

Kanryuu (smoking and thinking): Are they afraid to share the reward?
Or is it just that foolish pride seen among swordsmen and gangsters alike?
The best would be if they attacked all at once!

Men: Fourteen.
Eight.

Dreadlock guy: Eighteen.
Hey, I'll be the last one!?

Masked guy: Thirteen.
The number itself is nice, but...

Police officer: ... feh.

Gambit-looking guy (breaking the pin): Ufufu.

[2]
Rooster head: GREAT!!
I AM THE FIRST!!!

Kanryuu: All right! Then go!
(thinking) I must wipe him out first! Then I can do whatever I want to!
(aloud) Kill!
Kill Hitokiri Battousai!!

[At the Kamiya dojo, breakfast is ready.]

Voice: Let's eat now.

[3]
Splash: OBLIVIOUS TO THE MANEUVERS OF EVIL MEN
KENSHIN AND HIS FRIENDS ENJOY THE FLEETING MOMENTS OF PEACE----

RUROUNI KENSHIN - KINEMA-BAN

WATSUKI NOBUHIRO

[At the Kamiya dojo, Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko sip the soup.]

Side note: "Rurouni Kenshin" live action movie on theaters August 25th!!

Act 2 - "Fighter"

[4]
[The three throw up.]

Kaoru (wiping her mouth): How strange!
I'm sure I prepared everything according to what Kenshin taught me...

Yahiko (shocked): What!?
So, YOU prepared the breakfast!?
Riceballs are the only thing you can cook! It's too reckless of you to try anything else!

Kenshin: COUGH! COUGH!

Kaoru: Why!? I want to be able to cook like everyone else!!

Yahiko: THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!

[5]
Yahiko: You give me the pukes with this romantic bullshit!

Kaoru: Shut up, you naughty little kid!

Kenshin: Calm down, calm down.
Kaoru-dono's delicacies are really unique.
They are not bad at all.

Kaoru (shocked): Delicacies!?

Yahiko (displeased): They ARE bad!

Kenshin: Anyway, allow this lowly self to prepare another...

[Kenshin prepares another breakfast.]

The three: Well, then.
Let's eat.

Yahiko: Hey, this is great! I want more!

Text: One week has passed...
And the "Rurouni" Himura Kenshin is still
Staying at this dojo.

Kaoru (surprised): Yeah, this is really good...

[6]
[The moment when Kenshin takes Kanryuu down is shown in the background]

Text: But he is actually the legendary Hitokiri,
the strongest swordman during Bakumatsu,
Himura Battousai

It is hard to believe,
but what he showed that day
left us with no doubts...

Kenshin (handing a rice bowl to Yahiko): Eat a lot, so that you can grow big.

Yahiko: What are you talking about? You are pretty small, Kenshin.
(Right?)

Kenshin (smiling): Oro.

Kaoru (thinking): How long does he intend to stay here?
I guess I can manage food for three for a while...

Kenshin: And Kaoru-dono.

Kaoru (startled): SIR, YES SIR!

[7]
[A person is walking.]

Kenshin: Are you supposed to have visitors this morning?

Kaoru: ?
Not that I know of...

Kenshin: Oh.
Right.

[Somebody knocks on the dojo's door.]

[8]
[The door is destroyed.]

The three: !?

[Rooster head enters.]

Rooster head: Sorry for breaking in
during your breakfast.

[9]
Kaoru: Who are you!?

Kenshin: This is Takeda Kanryuu's doing.
Times may change, but deeds of evil people don't.

Kaoru: !
(thinking): He decided to stay because he foresaw this...?!

Yahiko (chewing his food): HAVE YOU COME
TO KILL US?!

Rooster head (laughing): Don't make me laugh! I have no business with women and children.
But I have business with the strongest man of Bakumatsu.

[At his mansion, Kanryuu is lying, knocked down.]

[begin flashback]
Kanryuu: All right! Then go!
Kill! Kill Hitokiri Battousai!!

Rooster head: Stop that.
I'm not an assassin, y'know?

[Rooster head flicks his forehead with a finger.]

Kanryuu: Pgyah!
[end flashback]

Kanryuu: Shit!!
What the hell is he thinking!?!

[10]
Rooster head: My name is Sagara Sanosuke!
I am known as the "Aku ichimonji"!! [T.N.: Literally, "The character for evil"]
My life and death are always in the hands of Fortune!
I am a fighter who bets his life in a good brawl!
Hitokiri Battousai.
I have come here to fight you
to see who is the strongest here.

[11]
Sano: So...
HERE I GO!!

[Sano strikes first. Kenshin parries his punch.]

[12]
Sano: This is just for starters!!
LET'S GO!!!!

[Sano attacks and Kenshin evades.]

[13]
Sano: HAH!
RAH!!
URRAH!!!!

[Sano launches several attacks, but Kenshin manages to dodge them all.]

[14]
[Sano grins, while Kenshin keeps a serious face.
Kenshin knocks on Sano's chest with his left hand, while he prepares his right hand to launch his attack.]

Sano: !!!

[Kenshin's punch connects.]

Yahiko: He got him!!

[15]
Kaoru: No.
Not yet.
He's not that soft an opponent.

Sano: Are you mocking me?
Do you think that a swordsman's punch will have any effect on me?
Why don't you...
... draw your sword?

Kenshin: You came here under Kanryuu's orders, yet you mean no harm to Kaoru-dono or to Yahiko.
Nor do you want to do anything to the dojo.
Therefore,
there is no reason to fight you.

Sano (scratching his head): So, you don't want to buy my fight?
Geez, what am I going to do?

Yahiko (pointing to Sano): Hey, look! He's quite stupid!

Kaoru: Psst!

[16]
Sano: Well, but it seems that
you do defend yourself from my attacks.
Then watch this out
and get more serious, will you?

Kaoru: Be careful, Kenshin!
He's holding something in his hand!
A weapon, perhaps a bomb!

Sano: Wrong!!
This is my secret technique!!

[17]
[Sano attacks, but Kenshin dodges. Sano hits the wall of the dojo, destroying it.]

FUTAE NO KIWAMI!!!![T.N.: literally, the "Double Extreme" or the "Ultimate form of the double"]

[18]
[Kaoru and Yahiko are shocked.]

Sano: This is what I learned from a fallen monk in Shimosuwa long time ago.
The ultimate technique of destruction called
Futae no Kiwami.

Kenshin: A more refined version of a double strike...

The first strike neutralizes the resistance of the target
So that the second strike will hit with its full power, reducing the target to dust.
You are able to accomplish this by using two different joints of your hand for your punch...

[19]
[Sano is surprised.]

Sano: ....
You are the first guy to have figured out the mechanics of my technique.
You are really the legendary Hitokiri.
The strongest man among the Ishin Shishi.
Hey.
Please.
Buy my fight.

(Kaoru and Yahiko are surprised.)

Kenshin: Do you enjoy fighting
that much?

Sano: Yeah.
Either you are strong or you are weak.
Either you win or you lose.
The fighting world is simple and easy to understand.

[20]
Sano: But this new Meiji Era that you Ishin Shishi built is just too complex.
You were against the Westerners, but now you want us to learn from them.
What you do now is exactly the opposite of what you used to say. You are just too complex, strange and bizarre.
And I don't like it.

Kenshin: So, those are the feelings
that made you carry the character for Evil on your back?

Sano: Perhaps...
This is another thing that became exactly the opposite in the Meiji Era.
But it's not something to talk about.
And I don't want to talk about it to an Ishin Shishi like you anyway.

[Sano joins his hands, begging.]

Sano: But please, buy my fight!!

[21]
Sano: How about this!?
If you win, I will grant you one wish!
If I lose, I will grant you one wish!
How about this!?

Yahiko (pointing to Sano): Hey, now I'm sure! He's REALLY stupid!

Kaoru: Psst!

Kenshin (thinking): Fighter Sagara Sanosuke...
This man is rough and crude, but not despicable.
Just that---

Sano: You can't get more than this!!

Kenshin: ... very well, then.
If you will be satisfied,
then for this time only, this lowly self will use his sword.

Sano: !
Yeah!
Thanks a bunch, man!!

[22]
Kenshin: But when this lowly self draws his sword, he becomes an entirely different person.
So, expect no mercy.

Kaoru&Yahiko: KEN
SHIN!!

Sano: Right!!
Now you're talking business!!
So!!
I call you for a fair fight!!

[23]
Sano: NOW!!!

[Both Sano and Kenshin launch their attacks.]

Sano (thinking): The Futae no Kiwami destroys just anything!! It reduced the target to dust the moment it connects!!
(aloud) Hitokiri Battousai!!
Your sword is mine!!

FUTAE NO
KIWAMI

[24]
[Suddenly, a scabbard blocks Sano's fist.]

HITEN MITSURUGI RYU

SOU-RYUU-SEN!![T.N.: Flash of the Simultaneous Dragon]

[25]
[Kenshin knocks Sanosuke down.]

Kenshin: OOOH!!!

Yahiko: Kenshin wins!

Kaoru (thinking): He used the blade and the scabbard at the same time to neutralize Futae no Kiwami!

[Kenshin looks at Sano, who is lying on the ground.]

Kenshin: Sanosuke Saga---

[26]
Voice: WILL YOU
LET HIM BE?

[Suddenly, a man is standing on the roof, behind Kenshin.]

Man: WON'T YOU KILL HIM?
HIMURA BATTOUSAI!

Kenshin: You are---

[27]
[The man looks into Kenshin's eyes.]

Man: ... I see.
So, you don't kill anymore...
Then, besides a reason to fight,
you need a reason to kill.
UFUFU.

[The man disappears'.]

The three: !!

Yahiko (afraid): What the heck was that...

Kaoru: Kenshin, was it...

[28]
[Kenshin remembers the Bakumatsu and the Shinsengumi man who got his hands pierced by his blade]

Kenshin (thinking): That man...

[Kaoru shivers.]

[Night falls. Sano is eating A LOT.]

Sano: MUNCH MUNCH
CHOMP CHOMP
CRUNCH CRUNCH
GLUG GLUG

Sano: Phew! After this food, I'm sure tomorrow my right hand will be brand new!

Kaoru: Meanwhile, he is eating with the very right hand he injured...

[29]
[After dinner, Sano sits beside Kenshin.]

Sano: Well, then.
I'll keep my promise.
Tell me your wish.
If you want me to stop being a fighter, I will.
If you want me to tell the story about this character, I will.

Kenshin: Don't worry about it.
(thinking): This man is rough and crude, but not despicable. Just that--- he forgot how to use his strength...
(aloud): This lowly self has no intention of bother you with inconvenient requests.
But perhaps you may grant one wish.

[Kaoru and Yahiko are eavesdropping everything.]

Sano: Sure!
What is it?

[30]
Kenshin: This lowly self wishes you
to employ your strength not in petty fights,
but to stop the tears and bloodshed of other people.

[Sano is surprised.]

Kenshin (smiling): You are strong.
Most certainly you will be able to do that.

Sano (scratching his head): ... oh my, now this is some wish, eh?
Right!
I got it!

[31]
Sano: To begin with, I'll help you to protect this dojo!!

[Kaoru and Yahiko open the fusuma, the Japanese door]

Kaoru: WAIT A SECOND!

Yahiko: DO YOU INTEND TO STAY HERE TOO!?

Sano: Of course! With three meals a day!

Kaoru: I have no way to get food for three men!

Yahiko: If you stay here, we won't need any Kanryuu to destroy this dojo!

Kenshin: Ororo.

[A policeman stands outside the dojo.]

Police officer: ... feh.
IDIOTS...

[His sword is drawn. In the "habaki", it's engraved the words "Aku Soku Zan", "Evil Immediately Slain"]

Splash: A NEW FRIEND AND...
A NEW ENEMY?!

Right note: There will be no chapters in the next issue.
But the prologue of the new novel "Rurouni Kenshin" will be featured!
Rurouni Kenshin - Kinema-ban - will continue in the September issue

=============================

Translator's ramblings (may contain slight spoilers?):

- the "-dono" used by Kenshin is a trait of his.

- Sou-Ryuu-sen is yet another technique already present in the original manga. Again, its spelling is different from the original.

- Futae no Kiwami is, so far, the only technique with the same spelling as in the original work. The English dub of Futae no Kiwami (during the fight with Shishio) became kind of a internet meme in Japan several years ago.

Translation: Drifters 29

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:26:35 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
[Huge explosions shake the fortress.]

Orte men: Wha...
What the!?
What the hell is this!?

[2]
[An elf throws a bag full of explosives. More explosions follow.]

Orte men: Aaah!!
Aah!!
Aah!!

[3]
Top note: Comics volumes 1 and 2 on sale!!

Splash: WE ARE THE OCTOBRISTS
WE ARE THOSE WHO SEARCH, GATHER
AND KEEP WATCH OVER THE DRIFTERS---

DRIFTERS

Chapter 29 - Honki Bomber [T.N.: A song by Berryz Kobo and ending theme for the Inazuma Eleven anime.]

Kohta Hirano

[4]
[Amidst the smoke, a man can be seen.]

Orte men: !!?

Toyohisa: CHARGE!!
TAKE UP THE BATTLE CRY!!
OUR ENEMY IS AFRAID!!
DOUBLE OUR ELAN, TRIPLE OUR STRENGTH!!

[5]
[Toyohisa grins. The elves answer to his call.]

Elves: A...ah...
O
OOH
AAAAH
OOOOOH
OOOO
OO
OOOO
OO
OOOOOO

[The elven warcry fills the Orte men with fear.]

Orte men: ah..
W... wha...
uh...

Nobunaga: The main effect of gunpowder is not the flames that burn the bodies, nor is the fragments that tear up tissues!!
IT IS THE LIGHT AND THE SOUND, THE SHOCK AND FEAR, THE UTTER TERROR!!
Cannons, fire arrows, arquebuses, all firearms have the same purpose!!
Arquebuses were first produced in Tanegashima, Satsuma, land of the Shimazu. Small wonder he knows just too well how to use them.

[6]
[Toyohisa leads a huge army of elves.]

Toyohisa: CHARGE!!

Orte men: AAH
AA
AA
A

[7]
[In an observation post, the Orte men get restless.]

Orte men: What the hell is going on?!
Is it the elves?!
Is it the rebels!?
Shit!!

[The Orte men point their crossbows.]

Orte men: Fucking demihumans!!

[Yoichi makes aim at them.]

[8]
[Yoichi shoots. His arrow hits the observation post, with explosives attached to its shaft.]

Orte men: !
Wha...
What is this!?

[The explosives go off, destroying the post.]

[9]
[Yoichi is surprised for a moment, then grins.]

Yoichi: Wow.
This is nice!

Elves (sweating and shaking in fear): We...
We had no means to know...
We had no idea that he was making us produce such terrible dust on our way here...

Nobunaga: Mix it with great care~
Take care, or else everybody will die~

Yoichi (smiling): Don't worry, you elves are very skillful.
Let's give them a shower of arrows!

[10]
[Nobunaga stands atop of a hill, looking at the large columns of smoke rising.]

Nobunaga: The explosive fire arrows aren't bad.
I thought we could use them as ordinary fire arrows,
but they are some fearsome weapons in the hands of Yoichi and them elves.
Anyway... I didn't expect them to burn this much...
To think that we could have gotten all those goods stored by Orte to us!
What a pity, what a pity!

[Billows of smoke rise from the fort.]

[11]
Nobunaga: SHOUT!! SHOUT!!
INSTILL MORE FEAR ON THEM!!
DON'T GIVE THEM TIME TO RECOVER THEIR MORALE!!
TRAMPLE ON THEM!!

Orte men: Ah!
Aah!!

Elves: Everything is exploding!!
Fire is all over the place!!
Run!! We are surrounded!!
Let us flee!! Or else we will be annihilated!!

Orte men: W... what...
What's going...

[Another explosion hits Orte's forces.]

Orte men: Ah!
Hey, this is bad!
Let's run away!

Toyohisa: ENTER THE CITADEL!!
TAKE THE CASTLE!!

[12]
[The drawbridge of the castle is lowered. A heavily armored unit from Orte's forces march forward.]

[13]
Orte SS: This is the largest armory of Orte!!
And this is the land guarded by us, the Armored Defense Corps of the Orte Imperial Party!!
No rebels will meddle in our business and stay alive!!

[14]
[Toyohisa stares at them for a moment.]

Toyohisa: Large armors, large swords, large spears!
No arrows, no bows!
And no horses!!
Retreat!!

[The elves start running away.]

Orte SS: Running away?!
You won't leave this place alive!!

[15]
[The Orte SS march forward. Some paper cards are left on the ground, unnoticed by the Orte SS.]

[16]
[Suddenly, walls of stone rise where the paper cards were left.]

Orte SS: !!

[17]
[Elsewhere, some Octobrists are in a carriage.]

Shem: I wonder if...
Olmine is doing fine.

Seimei: I'm sure she is.
Those guys from the castle in ruins
are certainly able to use Olmine's powers to their advantage.
Olmine of the "Stone Coffins".
Her ability of building "Wall Stones" is unmatched.
Actually, I must say she is the most talented one among you.
Especially when it comes to breasts.

Shem (grinning): Hey, you sound like a lewd pops.
Now you are more like what you really are, you 83 year-old grandpa.

[18]
[The "Wall Stones" surround Orte SS]

[19]
Toyohisa: THROW THEM IN!!

Orte SS: !!

[Several packs and arrows full with explosives are thrown.]

[20]
[Massive explosions hit the Orte SS.]

Side note: The war to free the dwarves is reaching its climax!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 29 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale June 30th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) The Tanegashima stuff is real. The earliest matchlock guns in Japan were produced in Tanegashima and called as Tanegashima.

2) Everyone noticed the "SS" in the Armored Defense Corps' armors? By the way, the Nazi SS stands for Schutzstaffel, which may be translated as... Defense Corps.

3) "Wall Stone" is how HiraKo named Olmine's magic. I kept it as is.

Translation: Rurouni Kenshin -Kinema-ban- 1

Thu, 10 May 2012 01:32:38 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!!! THANKS!!!

Quote:

This is a DRAFT. Feel free to use it, but keep in mind that this may be edited later on.

[Cover image]
Top note: Color page + 47 pages!!

Splash 1: NEW SERIALIZATION

Splash 2: The beginning of
a new legend!!

Act 1 - "The beginning of the romantic tale"

RUROUNI KENSHIN -KINEMA-BAN-

WATSUKI NOBUHIRO

Bottom note: Live action movie "Rurouni Kenshin"
in theaters August 25th!
Check the latest info on Kenshin in the next page!!

[1]
Box: "Bakumatsu" - the last years of the Tokugawa Shogunate
In the fifteen years from the arrivals of the Black Ships to the Meiji Restoration---
"Sonnou", "Sabaku", "Joui", "Kaikoku"
Ambitions and ideals were mingled in a vicious swirl.

[in the back, a man identified as Hitokiri Battousai is running, his sword drawn.]

Box: Tokugawa Shogunate and Ishin Shishi
All those who wielded a sword stood for one of these two factions, clashing in a bloody conflict
And in Kyoto, the vortex of this unholy war, there was a Ishin Shishi.
"Hitokiri Battousai".
That was his name.

[2 and 3]
Shinsengumi: Battousai!!
Prepare to die!!

[Three Shinsengumi members attack Battousai.]

HITEN MITSURUGI RYU

RYUU-KAN-SEN!![T.N.: "Flash of the Dragon Ring"]

[In a blink of an eye, the members are slain.]

Shinsengumi: He's strong!
Too strong!!
!

[Something hits the Shinsengumi member]

[4]
Man: BAT
TOU
SAIIII!!

[The man pierces the Shinsengumi member and lunges forward to strike Battousai.]

Battousai: O
O
OO!!

[5]
[Battousai also pierces the Shinsengumi member with his sword. The blade pierces the man's both hands.]

Man: !!?

[Battousai stands back after hitting his oponent.]

Man: Ufufu

[6]
[The man grins at his own wounds.]

Man: This feeling...
I like this!

Shinsengumi man: Stand back, Udou.
I will deal with this guy.

[In his sword, it's engraved "Aku Soku Zan".]

CAPTAIN OF THE 3RD UNIT OF THE SHINSENGUMI

SAITOU HAJIME-----

[7]
SFX in balloon: SHPLAF

[Battousai looks at his feet. He has just stepped on a blood pool.]

Saitou: What happened? Are you worried about the blood pool?
If you want to, we can fight in another place.

Battousai: ... no.
This place is fine.

FOR NOW---
THIS PLACE IS FINE----

[In the background, the cross shaped scar bleeds.]

[8]
Box: And...
the days of turmoil were over
and this tale begins
in the 11th year of the Meiji Era (1878)---

[9]
[a man in traditional Japanese clothing, with long hair, a cross shaped scar on his face and wearing a scarf around his neck walks on the street.]

Man: It is the first time that
this lowly self
comes to Tokyo.
It is now very different from the Edo that----

[A kid jumps and kicks him]

Kid: FOUND YOU!!!

Man: ORO?

Kid: Don't walk around wearing a sword!
You will get arrested!

[The kid pulls the man by grabbing his scarf.]

Man: ?
?

Kid: If something happens to you, I will be in trouble!

Man: Things are a bit unclear,
but are you in trouble?
If so,
allow this lowly self to be of use.

[10]
[A large mansion is shown.]

Announcement: Promoted by the brilliant merchant Sir Takeda Kanryuu,
These are the afternoon matches of this edition of Sword Arts Performance Show!!
For today's final bout, we have in the West side,
the legendary Hitokiri!!

[The crowd cheers.]

Announcement: HIMURA BATTOUSAI!!

Man (taken aback): Oro?

Announcement: A true devil who killed many to create a new era with his blood drenched sword!!

Kid: Hurry up and go!

Man: But this lowly self...

Announcement: The strongest swordsman is here!! Among us!! NOW!!

[11]
[The kid kicks him.]

Kid: You know it, right?
This is a show and you are a fake.
You were hired for this, right? So do your job now!

Man: Ororo...

Announcement: And in the East side---
The sole woman of this show!!
The comely swordswoman---
KAMIYA KAORU!!

[Kaoru is shown. Kaoru and the man face each other in the ring, while the crowd cheers.]

[12]
Crowd: Die!!
Kill him!!

Man: Ororo.
It seems you are quite popular.

Crowd: Strip!
Strip!
Strip!

Kaoru (embarrassed): Gee, thanks.
[poising for combat] If you call yourself Battousai, then surely you are skillful, right?
But
it doesn't matter who Takeda Kanryu pits against me.
I won't lose.
I will protect the dojo!

Judge: One-game match!
Begin!!

[Kaoru lunges forward.]

Kaoru: YAH!!!

[13]
[Kaoru simply whacks him on the head.]

Kaoru and Man: !?

[The man is knocked down.]

Man: O
ro...

Kaoru: Sorry!
Are you all right?!
No, I mean---
Why don't you fight?
Why don't you draw your sword?

Man (smiling): This lowly self has no reason to fight.
And this lowly self would prefer never to draw his sword.

[Kaoru is surprised.]

Man (to the judge): Judge, this match is settled.

Judge: Indeed.

[14]
Crowd (enraged): WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?
A HITOKIRI WHO DOESN'T DRAW HIS SWORD!?
WHAT KIND OF BAD JOKE IS THIS!?
THIS IS A SCAM!!
I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!
I WANT MY BETS BACK!!

[The crowd jeers.]

Man (looking at Kaoru): So this was
a gambling show.

[Kaoru casts down her eyes.]

Crowd: ARE THESE THE WAYS OF THE ALMIGHTY SAMURAIS!?

[A well-dressed, rich man appears in the balcony of the mansion.]

Rich man (clapping his hands): Please!
Please, calm down.

Everyone: !

[15]
Rich man (smoking a cigar): I understand your anger.
As an apology, I will return your money with a 50% extra.
I, Takeda Kanryuu, am a brilliant merchant.
Unlike those samurais, money is not a problem for me.

Crowd (cheering): You rock!!
That's the way!!

Kanryuu: By the way,
THIS is the real one.

Large man: I! AM!
HITOKIRI BATTOUSAI!!

Man: Oro~~~

Kid: ... uh-oh.
Wrong person...

[16]
Kanryuu: But...
I didn't expect you to find beforehand a weakling to earn an easy victory before the crowd.
That was a good plan, miss Kaoru.

Kaoru: WHA---!!

Kanryuu: I like the way you do business.

"Battousai" (laughing): Are you that afraid of me!?

Man: Sorry to interrupt.
But this lowly self would like to say that he got here by accident.
He saw all this hustle and bustle and thought it was a festival of some sort.
So, this lowly self just dropped by to see what was going on.

[The kid is surprised.]

Man: So, this lowly self
humbly apologises for all the trouble.

Kanryuu: ... you thought you could get a free meal here?
Shameless beggar.
Oh well.
A victory is a victory.
One more left to fulfull the promise.
I wish you good luck, miss Kaoru.

[17]
[Night fall. They are at Kaoru's dojo.]

Man: "Kamiya Kasshin ryu"?

Kaoru: It is a sword school created by my late father.
But now, I, the assistant instructor, am the only person practicing it.

Man: Oro?

Kaoru: It was a small school from the very beginning.
And then came the Restoration, the Anti-sword Act, the Westernization and all.

[Kaoru gets some medicine for the man's head.]

Man: Hence the gambling, then.

Kaoru (slapping the man's head): Sorry.
It's not like that.
It's over.

[The man lies on the floor, writhing in pain.]

Kaoru: I'm not taking part in that to make a living.

[18]
Kaoru: I'm doing all this to protect this dojo.
To protect the Kamiya Kasshin ryu.

[mini flashback]
Kanryuu: "Nice to meet you. I'm a brilliant merchant who is about to start business in this neighborhood."
"My name is Takeda Kanryuu."
"This dojo is built on a leased land, right?"
"I have bought the rights for this land."
"So, from now on, either you will have to pay twice the rent you used to pay,"
"or you buy the rights from me in one lump."
[end of flashback]

Man: He wants this dojo?
This small building, which is almost falling apart,
located in a suburb no one wants to live in?

Kaoru (strongly rubbing the man's head): Oh?
It seems that your head is still swollen.
Here's some more medicine.

[The man lies on the floor, writhing in pain.]

Kaoru: I can't pay twice the rent nor buy the rights now.
So, he said---

[mini flashback]
Kanryuu: "Then, how about this?"
"If you win ten times in a row in the Swords Arts Performance Show I'm hosting,"
"I will recognize your proficiency and will hand you the rights for the land."
[end of flashback]

[19]
Kaoru: Only after I stood on the ring did I realize that it was a gambling show.
He would get his profit regardless of my victory or defeat.
He really got me.
But I need just one more victory!
If I win tomorrow's bout...!

Kid: Get real.
You are the main grabber for his show.
He won't let you have the victory and will make you start from zero again.
You are very useful to him, he won't let you go.

Kaoru: Oh, that boy?
He's a menial of Kanryuu.

Kid: Not a menial! I work as a watch for him.
Name's Myoujin Yahiko!

[The left half of Yahiko's face is swollen.]

Man: The left side of your face used to be fairer, didn't it?

Yahiko: It's all your fault!
Why does a weakling like you walk around wearing a sword!?

Kaoru (sighing): It seems that he was beaten up for his failures.

[20]
Kaoru: Let me apply my traditional medicine on you too.
Come here.

Yahiko: Get off! I don't need that!

Kaoru: Yes, you need. Grab him.

Man (smiling): Yes, ma'am.

Yahiko: Hey, stop!!

[Kaoru applies the medicine on Yahiko. Yahiko is silent.]

Kaoru: Better not to work for a man like him.
You deserve a better future.

Yahiko: Shut up.
You don't know anything about me.

Kaoru: You're right.
I don't know.
After all,
I don't go around asking about your past.

[21]
Kaoru: Everyone has one or two things about their past they don’t want to talk about.
The most important thing is how to live the present in order to make a brighter future come true.
You are a kid of this new era called Meiji.

[Kaoru applies a plaster on Yahiko's face.]

Kaoru: So, it's all the more true in your case,
right?

[Yahiko goes away in a fit of embarrassment.]

Yahiko: That's none of your business!
You should care about yourself, not about me!
I'm off to sleep!

Kaoru: Don't forget to go to the lavatory first!
Or else, once again the blanket will get---

Yahiko: SHUT UP!!

[Yahiko shuts the door violently.]

[22]
Man: That boy isn't a watch.

Kaoru: You're right.
He will be beaten up
whenever I try to do anything suspicious to Kanryuu.
That is his role.
In a way, he is a hostage.
But...
today, you protected him, didn't you?

Man: Oro?

Kaoru: And you stood up for me too.
Thank you.

[23]
[Kaoru's voice echoes on the man's head, as he leaves]

Kaoru's voice: You don't seem to be a bad person.

[The next day, Kaoru and Yahiko are at Kanryuu's mansion.]

Servant: You will take part in the night matches today.
Please wait in the appropriate room till the time comes.

Kaoru: Night matches?

Yahiko (surprised): Night matches!

Kanryuu: Any problem?

Kaoru: No.
Just that I didn't know there were night matches...

Kanryuu: Well then---

[24]
[Yahiko remembers Kaoru's kindness. He grabs Kaoru's wooden sword.]

Yahiko: Don't go!
Don't take part in the night matches!!
I don't know how the matches are,
but I've heard no one got back alive from them!!

[Kanryuu glares.]

Kaoru: Don't worry.
It doesn't matter how the matches are.
I won't lose.
[leaving the room] Thanks for worrying.

[25]
[The door closes. Kanryuu hits Yahiko on the head.]

Kanryuu: What do you think you're doing, brat?
This kid is really useless.
Get rid of him.

[elsewhere in the city, "Battousai" is leaving a restaurant.]

Restaurant staff: Please, pay the bill!

"Battousai": What?! You demand money from the famous Hitokiri Battousai!?
Is this how you thank the person who brought peace for you to live---
---in---

[26]
[The man stands in front of "Battousai".]

Man: We need to talk.

"Battousai": No, we don't!!

["Battousai" starts drawing his sword.]

"Battousai": A fake Battousai who can't even draw his sword is not worthy of my---

[The man blocks "Battousai"'s movements with the hilt of his sword.]

Man: "Who can't draw his sword"?
Or who doesn't want to draw his sword?

[27]
Man (glaring in a menacing fashion): Enough of this.
Let's just say that, when this lowly self draws his sword,
he becomes an entirely different person.

[The man turns his sword, inflicting massive pain to "Battousai".]

"Battousai": GAH!!

Man: Takeda Kanryuu.
He calls himself a brilliant merchant, wearing modern Western clothes and even building a large Western mansion.
Yet he supports those Sword Arts Shows for the samurai and the swordsmen who were unable to swim with the tide.
Furthermore,
he pays too much attention to an old, small dojo located in the outskirts of the town.
It doesn't make sense.
So, who is that man
and what is he planning?

[Night falls.]

[28]
[A beaten up Yahiko is leaning against the wall.]

Man: Are you in trouble?

Yahiko (a tear showing up in his eye): ... Yeah.

Man: If so,
allow this lowly self to be of use.

[29]
[In the mansion, Kaoru and three other swordsmen are standing in a large hall. There are several stone slabs full of holes.]

Announcement: Promoted by the brilliant merchant Sir Takeda Kanryuu,
These are the night matches of this edition of Sword Arts Performance Show!!

Swordsmen: Where the heck are we?!
Where is the crowd?!

[The door opens.]

Kanryuu: This is the basement of the mansion.
There will be no crowd to watch this.
The rule is simple: only one will survive.
The match will be all of you against me---

[30]
TAKEDA KANRYUU with
GATLING GUN!!

[mini flashback]
"Battousai": "Takeda Kanryuu is a man who earned his fortune in the Boshin and Seinan Wars."
"A merchant of death!!"
"First of all, he built that large mansion as his headquarters and he wants to seize all dojos in the neighborhood to use them as warehouses for his weapons."
"The logic behind it is that no one would think that those old-fashioned dojos would hold modern fireweapons."
[end of mini flashback]

[31]
"Battousai": "So, his priority is the dojos."

[The swordsmen start running towards Kanryuu.]

Swordsmen: So, from the beginning you didn't want us to win!!
We will kill you before you kill us!!

"Battousai": "The Sword Arts show is just an extra."
"In other words---"

Kanryuu: LEEET'S
PLAY!!

[He starts shooting the Gatling Gun.]

"Battousai": "It's for Takeda Kanryuu's personal 'entertainment'."

[32]
[Two of the swordsmen are taken down. Kaoru takes cover behind one of the stone slabs, while Kanryuu shoots relentlessly.]

Kanryuu: Hey, hey, what happened!?
Where are your strength and skills now!?
Samurai?! Swordsmen!?
From the very beginning, I hated all of your kind!!
You samurai never had any money!!
Yet you were always playing the arrogant!!

Swordsman: Gah!

Kanryuu: To hell with the samurai superiority!!
And a toast to the equality between classes!!

[33]
Kaoru: KANRYUU!!!

Kanryuu: CALL ME SIR KANRYUU!!
YOU BITCH!! !! !!

[The bullets destroy the stone slab Kaoru was using for cover. She is wounded. Kanryuu sighs and grins.]

Kanryuu: During the day, a clown for a gambling show.
And during the night, a wimp unable to protect yourself, let alone defeat your opponent.

[Kaoru is panting heavily.]

Kanryuu: Despicable.
Pitiable.

[34]
Kanryuu: How long did you train, how much effort did you put in honing your skills?

Swordsmen: Ugh...
Ack...

Kanryuu: I'm sure it was far from negligible.
HOWEVER! If you have money, you can put your hands in a superior power, like this!!
Instantly!!
Without any effort!!!
MONEY!!!!
This is
the ultimate proof of power!!
Even Hitokiri Battousai, the strongest swordsman,
wouldn't be able to stand against this!!

Kaoru: Tsk!
Is that all you want to---

[35]
[Suddenly, the man appears and puts his hand on Kaoru's arm.]

Man: Is that all you want to say?

Kaoru: !

Man: Yahiko made a plea.
Allow this lowly self to be of use.

Kaoru (surprised): I couldn't feel his presence...
When did he arrive....

Kanryuu: So, it's you,
the fake
of the fake of Hitokiri Battousai.

[36]
Kanryuu: I can't afford to spend one single bullet of my Gatling Gun with you.
Get out! Nobody asked you to come here.

Man: Wrong.
Indeed, in this new era of Meiji, this lowly self should never be called to act.
However,
everything changes if anyone tries to taint this peaceful era with blood.
Takeda Kanryuu.
You are stepping on a pool of blood.

Kanryuu: I TOLD YOU!!
CALL ME "SIR", YOU IDIOT!!
I WILL MAKE BOTH OF YOU
DISAPPEAR FROM MY SIGHT NOW!!

[37]
[Kanryuu shoots. The man and Kaoru do seem to disappear.]

Kanryuu: WHA---
They did disappear---

HITEN
MITSURUGI RYU---

[38 and 39]
RYUU-TSUI-SEN!!![T.N.: "Flash of the Descending Dragon"]

Kanryuu: From above!!!!

[The man had held Kaoru and jumped really high. He releases Kaoru and strikes with all his strength, splitting the Gatling Gun in half and knocking Kanryuu down.]

[40]
Box: This tale begins
in Tokyo, 11th year of the Meiji Era (1878) ---

Man: The sword school of Hitokiri Battousai
is called "Hiten Mitsurugi ryu", an old school based on a godlike speed.
And without this reverse blade,
it is slaughter
with deadly swiftness...

Kanryuu: Impossible...
You telling me that...

Yahiko: No way...
So, the fake of the fake...
was the real one!!

Kaoru: The real...
Hitokiri---

[41]
Man: Never again will this lowly self slaughter anyone.
Never again will this lowly self pour pools of blood.
Such is the oath made upon this sword.
Now, this lowly self is just a wandering "Rurouni".
His name is Himura Kenshin.

Box: With a former Hitokiri meeting a young girl devoted to the sword arts----

[42]
Box: And---

Kanryuu: That brat!! That girl!! That idiot!!!
I will never forgive them!!!

Man1 (smoking a cigarette): Didn't expect you to be out of jail so soon.
Another proof of your dear money's power?

Man2 (grinning): And the man stronger than your money is
Hitokiri Battousai, right?

Kanryuu: SHUT UP!!
That's why I spent all my money with you guys from the underground!!!

[43]
KILL!!

[Several men appear in the background.]

KILL HITOKIRI BATTOUSAI!!!!

Box: Likewise, the fateful meeting with the blood pools...

Jin-e: Ufufu

Box: ...was about to happen once again----...

Left note: The deep-seated grudges from the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate are awaiting...!?

Bottom left note: Rurouni Kenshin - Kinema-ban --- continued on the July issue

Bottom right note: Calligraphy of the names - Amemiya Keita

=============================

Translator's ramblings (may contain slight spoilers):

- OMG! OMG! Never thought I'd translate again a new chapter of Rurouni Kenshin after... more than 10 years! *_*

- This Kinema-ban is kind of a "remake", a release that theoretically will be synched with the live action movie. Let's see how the story unfolds from now on.

- The names of the characters are in Japanese order, i.e., family name first, then first name.

- I used one or two passages from maigo-chan's translations as a homage to her great work.

- For those who have never read Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X, "oro" is Kenshin's trademark line. It's closer to an interjection, rather than to a word with a precise meaning.

- I have left many Japanese words "as is". So, here's a very brief explanation for each of them:

1) "Sonnou" 尊王 means literally "Worship the Emperor". It was an ideology and a political view that involved returning the political power back to the hands of the Japanese Emperor.

2) "Sabaku" 佐幕 means "Supporter of the (Tokugawa) Shogunate".

3) "Joui" 攘夷 is xenophobia. There were fears that the Western powers wanted to reduce Japan to a colony (and they weren't wrong, for that matter...), and therefore many people acted to repel the "barbarians from the West".

4) "Kaikoku" 開国 means "Opening of the Country", that is, opening of diplomatic and trade relationships between Japan and other countries, especially Western countries. Let's remember that Japan was closed to foreign influence during the Tokugawa Shogunate and only few ports accepted foreign ships.

5) "Ishin Shishi" 維新志士 means literally "Men who strived for the (Meiji) Restoration" and were the opponents for the Tokugawa Shogunate supporters. Some translate it as "Patriots", but I don't like this translation - it seems that the Shogunate supporters were not patriots, which obviously was not the case.

6) "Hitokiri" 人斬り means "manslayer". Any Kenshin fan will tell you that Hitokiri Battousai was based on a real hitokiri, called Kawakami Gensai.

7) Ryuu-kan-sen and Ryuu-tsui-sen were techniques already present in the original manga. However, their spelling is different from the original. Now they are written as 龍環閃 (Flash of the Dragon Ring) and 龍墜閃 (Flash of the Descending Dragon), whereas in the original manga they are written as 龍巻閃 (Flash of the Coiling Dragon) and 龍槌閃 (Flash of the Dragon Hammer).

8) "Aku Soku Zan" is Saitou Hajime's motto in Rurouni Kenshin and means "Evil Immediately Slain". This motto is engraved on the habaki of his sword.

9) Sword Arts Performance Show is how I translated "Gekiken Kougyou" 撃剣興行. This was a real movement devised by Sakakibara Kenkichi, the representative of the Jiki Shinkage ryu school, in order to: a) present the Japanese martial arts to a larger number of people; b) provide a job for the samurais and the swordsmen who couldn't find work after the Meiji Restoration and c) find a way to preserve the Japanese traditional martial arts for the future generations.

10) In this chapter, Kanryuu and the crowd use the word "shizoku" 士族. Roughly speaking, this was how the samurais were known after the Meiji Restoration, so I left as "samurai".

11) Anti-sword Act is "Haitourei" 廃刀令, the law that forbade people from wearing swords, following "Dattourei" 脱刀令, the law that allowed samurai to walk without swords. The Westernization is how I translated "Bunmei Kaika" 文明開化. It was a time when following the Western tastes were "in" and keeping with the traditional Japanese ways were "out".

12) Boshin and Seinan Wars were real historical wars. The Boshin War was the battle that ended the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Seinan War was the last war fought by the samurai (again, roughly speaking).

13) For those who are not familiar with the original manga, "Rurouni" is a word coined by Watsuki, meaning something along the lines of "wanderer", "vagabond". So, you won't find it in any dictionary!

14) In the last page, the Kenshin fans will recognize several characters: Sagara Sanosuke, Saitou Hajime, Inui Banjin and Gein. Will Gein be portrayed as a handsome person this time? Let's wait and see.

15) Amemiya Keita is a famous character designer/producer in Japan. Tokusatsu fans should know his name from Kamen Rider ZO, Kamen Rider Black RX, Zyuranger, Liveman, Metalder, Jiban and so many other series. Game fans should recognize him as character designer of Onimusha 2. He was the person who drew the calligraphies, which were used in the "Kanzenban" edition and in this chapter as well. Probably the next chapters will feature more calligraphies of his.

- Random comment: after Takeda Kanryuu with Gatling Gun, will we get to see Takeda Kanryuu with lasers...? :P

- This translation is dedicated to all Ruroken fans, especially to those who were active in the late 90's/early 2000's. And to Tatsuko, who would have loved to see Ruroken once again in manga.

Translation: Drifters 28

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:14:09 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
DRIFTERS

Side note: Drifters... going to a new battlefield!!

[Toyohisa walks past the elves.]

Elves: W...
where are you going?!

Toyohisa: I'm off for a short stroll
to free the dwarves.

[2]
[The elves get restless.]

Oda: W, wait!!
Hey Otoyo! Wait! Wait a sec!!
Please! Please stop!! Please stop, you want to ruin all the plans!?

Yoichi (utterly amused): Pff!
Ahahahaha!!

[Toyo goes, oblivous to what they say to him.]

Elves: H, hey! Mister Toyo is really going!!
W, w, what are we going to do!?
How the heck should I know!?
He is really going!!

[3]
Oda (angry): That idiot!!
He ruined everything!!
That fool!! Idiot!! Moron!!

Elf: What now, Shara?
He is really going.

Shara: I and the guys from my village are all going with him.
He saved our lives.
And think about the previous war with the Orte Empire.
If the elves or the dwarves, or both, had thrown away this mutual belligerence,
if we had joined our forces and fought together,
perhaps neither us nor them would have fallen prey to Orte and reduced as slaves.
I...
I don't want to make
the same mistake made by our previous generations.

[The elves are taken aback.]

[4]
Upper note: Comics volume 2 on sale!

Side note: Goodbye, Anderson...
Hellsing OVA volume 9 on sale!

Splash: Count Saint Germi, the most powerful nobleman of the Orte Empire----
Age unknown and a life of pride and arrogance (heart)

DRIFTERS
Chapter 27 - Dynamite Explosion [T.N.: The opening song for Macross Dynamite 7.]

Kohta Hirano

[5]
[Toyohisa walks. In a cart, Abe no Seimei and the Wild Bunch Gang look at him.]

Abe: Are you really going?

[Toyohisa grins.]

Abe: You are just like an unstoppable arrow, aren't you?
What is your purpose?
Do you want to change the world, just like Lord Nobunaga?

[Toyohisa's grin gets wider.]

[6]
Toyohisa: I want my glory, I want the heads of my enemies.
The sole thing that ever exists in the heads of a Satsuma warrior
is to move forward!!

[Abe is disconcerted.]

Toyohisa (grinning): You comin' with me?

Sundance Kid: Hah!
This guy's got some balls!!

[Abe smiles.]

Abe: We must go back to our HQ.
We have to find Scipio.
And we need to find out more about other Drifters and Ends.

[7]
Toyohisa (disappointed): Oh, is that so?
That must be tough, eh?

Abe: Please take Olmine with you.
I have handed some magical artifacts to her.
I'm sure she will be useful to you.

[Oda, Olmine and Yoichi come running. Yoichi is carrying Hannibal on his back.]

Oda: Wait! Wait! Wait!!!
Otoyo, wait!!!!

Oda (huffing): Are you an idiot or what?

Toyohisa: No need to bring with me those who don't want to come.
They won't be of any use.

Hannibal (to Yoichi): Grandma, is supper ready?

Yoichi: (I'm not your grandma!)
Hey grandpa, you have just eaten.

[Sundance Kid grins.]

[8]
Kid (to Oda): Hey, pops.

Oda: What?

[Kid throws him a gun.]

Kid (grinning): You like guns, right? Keep that one.
We'll leave the Gatling Gun too, without bullets it ain't worth shit.
You said you'd produce guns n' bullets, right? That'd be fuckin' awesome.
So, spare us some if you do, will you?

Butch Cassidy: All right, samurais, we're leaving.
Stay safe!

[9]
[Toyohisa turns his head. An army of elves are approacing to go with him.]

Elf: Send the news to each and every village!!
We must gather our warriors!!

Oda (grinning): Good, good.
Olminipples, get "that thing" ready.

Toyohisa: Good.
Good warriors.

[10]
[Elsewhere, a rather kitsch carriage is running.]

Farmers: Oh!
It's the carriage of our lord!
Have a safe trip!!

[11]
Aide 1: Princess, it's elves! It's elves! Tee-hee!

Count Saint-Germi: Why are you both coming with me?

Aide 1: The next target of "Drifters" must be Gadolka
to free the Dwarves, right, princess?

Aide 2: But that's the largest weapon facility of Orte and it won't be easy to get hold of it.

Count: W-h-o k-n-o-w-s?
Who knows what the Drifters can do?
Either way, if Gadolka falls, this country will really be over.

[12]
Box: The den of the Dwarves
Mines of Gadolka

[13]
[The mines of Gadolka are revealed as a medieval fort, with lots of fire and activity going on.]

[14]
[Plenty of barracks, men and supplies in the mines. Lots of soldiers guarding the place.]

Box: Orte Imperial Army
Military Facility of Gadolka

[15]
Soldier 1: These weapons are also going to the western battlefield?

Soldier 2: Yeah.
They said the sea transportation unit was destroyed.
And we are in dire need of weapons and armors.
The orders are to increase production. We need more, much more.
We must make them dwarves to produce more.

Soldier 1: B, but...
They are already under a really heavy workload.
If we increase the workload further, they will die.
Already several dwarves have died from work overload!

[16]
[A large explosion is heard at the mines.]

[17]
Soldiers: W... what happened!?
What is going on!?
Was that a cave-in?!

[18]
[The elves are taken aback.]

Oda: The soil from the restrooms.
The sulphur brought by Olminipples.
And charcoal.
Mix these three and lo and behold!
We have BLACK POWDER.

Side note: "Gunpowder", something that didn't exist previously in this world... the genius of Nobunaga emerges!!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 28 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale April 28th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) Oda Nobunaga is calling Toyohisa "Otoyo". The "O" in front of "Toyo(hisa)" is a way to show some politeness and even deference in the Japanese language. As "Toyo" would be a bit too informal, Nobunaga put an "O" to keep it slightly polite. But in Nobunaga's case, it also works as a humorous way to call Toyohisa, creating a comical atmosphere for the nickname.

2) I couldn't find the reference for "Gadoruka", the mines where the Dwarves are working as slaves. It might be "Gadulka", the traditional Bulgarian musical instrument, or perhaps a reference to Go-Gadol-ba, known to the fans as "Gadol-kakka" or "Lord Gadol", a character from the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Kuuga.

3) So, now we will see how the Drifters will free the Dwarves. And most probably Nobunaga will meet Count Saint-Germi and finally will have everything needed to produce firearms in large scale.

4) Not clear whether they took Hannibal with them to the battlefield. Looking forward to the day Hannibal and Scipio will actually act as master strategists for the Drifters!

Translation: Drifters 27

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:31:16 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Seimei: What... what are you going to do now?
You have freed the elves, started gunpowder production... what are you thinking of?
What are your plans?

Oda: Next step will be freeing those "dwarves".
We will roam the world freeing every race under Orte's submission.
And we will find allies in the countries warring Orte
to eat up "Orte" from within.
We will begin large scale production of gunpowder and arms
and with massive conscription we will wipe Orte out.
We will build a multiracial federation
where each race will have autonomy.
But we will have all military power in our hands, with Toyohisa as our commander.
And thus, we will see the birth of a new class, the class called "Bushi", "Warriors".

Side note: Now he knows about "cartridges" and "Gatling guns"... Nobunaga rises!!

[2]
Top note: Comics "Drifters" volumes 1 and 2 on sale!!
Comics "Hellsing" all 10 volumes on sale!!
OVA "Hellsing" volume 9 on sale February 15th!!

Splash: No Drifter shall be left alive...
Track them, hunt them, find them and kill them----

Kohta Hirano
Chapter 27 - Guardian Angel [T.N.: Not sure about the reference. May refer to the Matsuda Seiko's Album, to a June Reactor's song or, more probably, a song from Super Robot Wars J.]

DRIFTERS

[3]
Oda: This is the only way we can win.
The only way to have enough military power in our hands.
We have no other way to defeat those "Ends".
We must create a military framework ourselves in order to have military power.

Abe: But what will be its outcome but gross usurpation of power!?
"Autonomy"?! Don't make me laugh!!
Don't mock me,
lord Oda Nobunaga!!

Oda (speaking in fluent Elvish): Even so,
better than being under Orte's rule.
Better than being annihilated by them "Ends".
Way, way better.

[4]
Abe (thinking): So, he actually knew Elvish.
What a cunning guy!

Oda (grinning): And see, I am a very capable man.
So, in the end, you will have a wonderful world!
We won't hold any prejudice against elves and dwarves,
we won't impose heavy taxes, so trade and farming will thrive and soldiers will be happy.
I'm speaking seriously here about building a wonderful world, you see?

(behind Oda is written "Tenka Fubu", "Spread the militarism over the whole land")

Abe: But why?
Why make Toyohisa as your commander?
Why won't YOU become a supreme king?

Oda: It seems...
I am not good enough to become one.

[5]
Oda: I thought all men could be manipulated by interest and fear.
But I guess I was wrong.
That's why I was defeated. That's why 50 years of my life turned into nothing.
See, when I got surrounded by traitors in my previous world,
the first person I thought of as their leader was my very son.
But it turns out that Nobutada, my son, had been loyal to me till the very end.
How can a wicked man like me become a king?
But that Toyohisa guy
ignores gains and losses and knows no fear nor intimidation.
A man worthy of becoming a king.
But he's an idiot, so he needs an aide. ME.

[6]
[elsewhere, in the woods, Toyohisa finds Hannibal.]

Toyohisa: Old man.
Are you really senile?

Hannibal: Carthage will be destroyed!!
Carthage will be destroyed if we don't do something!!
Hey!! Magon!! Magon!! [T.N.: Magon, or Mago Barca, was Hannibal's younger brother.]
I have come up with a great idea!
What do you think of crossing the Alps and attacking Rome?

[7]
Toyohisa: I have no such name.
My name is Shimazu Toyohisa.

Hannibal: Huh? So, is it you, Hasdrubal? [T.N.: another younger brother of Hannibal]
What are you doing here?
What happened to Cartago Nova? [T.N.: now Cartagena.]

[Toyohisa walks towards Hannibal]

[8]
[Toyohisa walks past Hannibal, draws his sword and turns to him.]

[9]
[Toyohisa lunges forward]

Toyohisa: CHES---
O
O
O
O
O [T.N.: "Chesto" was a traditional warcry of Satsuma warriors.]

[10]
[In a split second, Hannibal nonchalantly places a wig in front of Toyohisa, stopping him.]

Hannibal: What? Is Rome attacking us again?
But I am the only one capable of saving Carthage.
Is it Marcellus? [T.N.: Marcus Claudis Marcellus, Roman military leader in the Second Punic War.]
Or is it Varro? [T.N.: Gaius Terentius Varro, commander of the Roman forces in the Battle of Cannae in the Second Punic War.]
Well, doesn't matter, I will crush them all!

[11]
Toyohisa: Good! So you are senile indeed!
But your eyes aren't dead yet!
Old man,
what did you do before you got senile?

Hannibal: By the way, Hamilcar, [T.N.: Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal's father.]
is supper ready?

Toyohisa: It seems you took part in a good war!

Olmine: W... what was that cry just now?
The enemy is approaching?!

Toyohisa: Olmine, take good care of this old man.
This man
has the same eyes of my uncle Ishinsai! [T.N.: another name for Shimazu Yoshihiro, Toyohisa's uncle.]

[12]
[Night falls. Toyohisa goes to speak to the elves.]

Toyohisa: The time has come.
We will free the "dwarves" now.

[The elves are taken aback.]

Elves: Wha...
Eh...?
Huh...?

[13]
Elves: Y... you got to be kidding!!
He's right!! Why should we free the dwarves!?
Yes!! Why should we!?
We have no reason to help them!!
That's right!!
Why he's talking about Dwarves...?
Those filthy bastards...

Elf: Lord Toyo. You don't know about the feud between elves and dwarves.
Since the beginning of the world, dwarves are our enemies.
We will never mingle with them and they will never come close to us.
When our country was destroyed by the Orte Empire,
they didn't move a finger to help us elves.
Why would you expect us to save them now...?

[14]
[The elves start speaking loudly]

Toyohisa (grinning): Those who don't want to come with me may stay here.
But I will go.
And only true warriors are allowed to come with me.

Side note: Leaving the village --- saving people --- taking over the country ---?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 27 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale February 29th).

Translation: Drifters 26

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:58:38 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

Quote:

A belated Happy New Year to everyone!

[1]
Kanno: Who the fuck are you!?
If you are a fucking American, I'll kick your sorry ass!!!!

Kohta Hirano
DRIFTERS

Chapter 26 - Changed Edge [T.N.: Probably the song "Changed Edge" by the Japanese duo Confusion.]

Scipio (thinking): So, this is that guy who was riding that weird flying thing
in that battle in the "North Wall" or something.
(Now, this barbarian does have a violent temper and a brute face...)
Wait, does that mean that
he is also a "Drifter"?
I can't understand a word he's saying.
What race is he?
His face is just too flat!
This is the problem with those petty barbarians.
I can't believe they can't speak the universal language,
the great language of Rome called Latin...
He must be from the farthest corners of the world.
Poor thing.
But at least, he should know the name of our great empire.

[2]
Scipio (extending his hand): Rome!!

Kanno: "Rome"?

(behind Kanno:
Rome -> Italy ->

The merry countries of Axis
The tripartite alliance)

[Kanno and Scipio shake hands.]

Scipio (moved): Oh, I see, so you do understand.
I am so proud of my empire.
The great empire of Rome!!

[3]
[Suddenly, Kanno realizes something]

(behind Kanno:
1944 Italy makes peace with the Allied Forces
The Badoglio government declares war against Germany)

Kanno (kicking Scipio in the face): You are a freakin' enemy!!

Werewolves: Hey, the "God of the Skies" is going mad again...
That God is just too scary...
He is just too insane for my liking.

[Kanno and Scipio start a fight.]

Kanno: You are an enemy, fucking pasta freak!
Apologise to Germany now, you scum!

Scipio: You barbarian!!
Speak Latin or die!!

[4]
[At the castle, Oda is analysing something on the ground. He picks up the cartridges used by the Wild Bunch Gang.]

Oda: So...
What is this?

Cassidy: It's the "case" of a "cartridge".

[5]
Oda: "Case"? "Cartridge"?

Kid: Hey pops, you never heard of it?
Oh, sorry, forgot that you are from another era.
You pack the bullet, gunpowder and the primer into the case.
That makes the "cartridge" that goes into the firearm.
And when the hammer strikes the butt of the cartridge,
the primer goes "boom!" and there you have your shoot.

[Kid shoots several times to the air. Oda shivers in excitement.]

[6]
Oda: S... so...
what about that thing that killed that big guy?
It's a weapon that shoots
one bullet after another, right?

Cassidy: It's called "Gatling Gun".
Turn the hand crank and you can fire as much as you want.
Though we have ran out of bullets, so it's pretty much useless now.

[Oda shivers.]

Kid: Huh?
What's up, pops?

[7]
Oda: You know, I'm feeling quite like an idiot.
If you have these weapons, you won't need to do what I did.
More than that, the battlefield itself will change.
Large batallions clustered together will be killed in the blink of an eye.

Cassidy: ?

Kid: ?

Oda: No need for rows of riflemen. They should be dispersed in strategic points.
Horsemen? Spearmen? What for!?
I, I, I want these sooo badly!
I want these no matter what it takes!!

Abe: Highly unlikely to have them, I'm afraid.

[8]
Abe: I did examine as well
the guns, cases and the Gatling.
But couldn't figure out how they are made.
I showed them to many blacksmiths.
The metallurgy in this world is not advanced enough to produce them.
No wonder, since all these come from
a future way too distant.
To begin with, I don't know what this "gunpowder" is made of.
Kid and Cassidy are experts in shooting,
but they don't know how to make the things they shoot.

Oda: No need to worry about gunpowder.
We are making it right now.

[9]
Kid: No kidding!
Hahahah!

Abe: You are really "queer".
I've seen many Drifters with many different weapons.
But your actions may change this world in its entirety.

Cassidy: So, now we need only the primer.

Oda: And what's that "primer" stuff?

Kid: The thing that goes in the butt of the cartridge. Hit it, blow it.

Abe: I believe that the "primer" is not gunpowder,
but rather a concoction of something else.
We are trying to figure it out too, but...

Oda: Hey, aren't you a scholar?
(Do something!)

Abe: My field of specialization is the divination and magic arts.
This is more fitting to an alchemist or an herbalist.

[Elsewhere, Count Saint Germi sneezes.]

Aide 1: Oh, dear Saint Germi.

Aide 2: My princess caught a cold? Oh my, that's terrible!

[10]
[At the elf village, a carriage arrives.]

Elves: Stop! Stop!
Who are you!?

Man: Oh, hello.
Are the Drifters here?
I'm an Octobrist.

Elves: Hey, he's a guy from Octo-something!

Shem: Is Olmine here? She's a girl with glasses and big tits.

Elves: Oh, yes!
She is!

Abe: Are you really able to produce gunpowder?

Oda: Sure. All we need now is sulphur.
I had ordered Olminipples to get it for me.

[11]
Shem: Great master.
I brought the "sulphur" you are talking about.

Abe: Shem!! What happened?!

Shem: Olmine asked HQ to bring sulphur here.
But this stinks very bad... why would you want this?

Oda: Oh, so she did get it for me.
Good job, Olminipples.
As a reward, I'll fondle your breasts later on.
And now...
we have everything we need.
Now we go for the "dwarves"!!

[12]
[Still in the battlefield...]

Yoichi: Huff
Huff
Huff
Huff
Huff
Huff
...
That was really close.
I was almost killed...

Voice: Too weak!

Yoichi: !!

Voice: Too weak!!
You have become a good for nothing, Yoichi.

Yoichi: T... this voice is...!!

[13]
Yoichi(gritting his teeth): Yoshitsune...
... sir...

Yoshitsune's voice: Since when are you fighting one on one?
You fool.
What, do you pretend you are a real, honorable warrior?
Remember what you did in that battle
Hahahah! Don't make me laugh.

Yoichi: So, you were also sent here!?
Where are you!?

[14]
Yoichi: I won't...!!
I won't...!!
I won't obey your orders anymore!!

Yoshitsune's voice: Hah, suit yourself, Yoichi.
See you later.
Yes, please don't obey me.
That would be more fun.

[Yoichi trembles.]

[15]
Abe: They may be dangerous.
That man called Nobunaga.
Perhaps we'll need to keep an eye on him.
Because he may bring too many changes to this world.
Drifters are human beings.
And thus, they act according to their beliefs and goals.
Unlike those "Ends" who simply want to destroy the world, the Drifters don't share a common goal.
Therefore, a Drifter's course of actions may be unpredictable!!

[16]
Abe: That "man", who built the Orte Empire.
Probably, he was a Drifter.
There can be no doubts that
in the beginning, he did everything to save the human race.
He built a country to restore pride to the people who were suffering from hunger and despair.
But what was the result? An endless war.
You cannot predict what a Drifter will do.
Is this also...
something that you have already considered, "Murasaki"?

Side note: Nobunaga's strategies start to move like a massive wave --- the world is going to change!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 26 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale January 30th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) Yoichi calls Yoshitsune as "Yoshitsune... sama". I translated it as "Yoshitsune... sir", but if you want, you can use "sama" as well.

2) Likewise, Aide 1 calls Saint Germi as "Saint Germi-tama". If you want to keep this, no problem.

3) And talking about Count Saint Germi, it seems that he's indeed Count Saint Germain. Have NO idea why HiraKo calls him as "Saint Germi", instead of "Saint Germain". For those who didn't understand the sneeze passage, Count Saint Germain was (is?) reputed as being an alchemy specialist. And the Japanese say that you sneeze whenever someone talks about you.

4) "Divination and magic arts" was the way I translated "onmyoji and fujushi". "Onmyoji" is the master of Onmyojutsu/Onmyodo, explained before (I think!). "Fuju" means literally "Charm", so "Fujushi" would mean literally "Master of Charms". I preferred to go for something more generic than to go too literal.

5) And who is "Murasaki", after all? It would be bizarre if he was actually "Murasaki Shikibu", the female writer of the Genji Tales in the 11th century...

Translation: Drifters 25

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:01:00 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

Quote:

This is still a draft version. Feel free to use it (and give due credits, please!), but be aware that it may be edited afterwards.

[1]
Upper note: Comics volumes 1&2 on sale!!

Nobunaga: "Abe no Haruakira"...?
So, you are Abe no Seimei...!!

Seimei: You are kind enough to politely call me as "Seimei".
But I'm not that great a person to be worthy of such deference.

Side note: The Devil Lord of the 6th Heaven and the Onmyoji meet in an alien country located in an alien world-----!!!

Drifters
Kohta Hirano
Chapter 24: Fushigi CALL ME [T.N.: The OP song for the anime Seijuushi (Star Musketeer) Bismarck, known as Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs in the US. Sung by MIO (now MIQ).]

[Toyohisa shows up.]

Toyohisa: Good.
It seems that you took care of everything here.
Many faces I've never seen before.
Who are you all?

[2]
Nobunaga: Hey, you know who he is?
Seimei, man! Abe no Seimei himself!
Isn't it great or what?

Toyohisa: Who?

Nobunaga: ........
no kidding?

Toyohisa: Don't have the faintest idea.

Seimei: I was an "Onmyoji" in Kyoto.[T.N.: "Onmyoji" was a kind of a magician in ancient Japan.]

Toyohisa: Oh, a metropolitan resident of Kyoto, eh?
And does everyone in Kyoto wear such WEIRD OUTFITS?

Seimei: Uh, not actually, I got these in this world...

Toyohisa: "Onmyoji" means "Onmyo temple", right?
So, why DON'T YOU SHAVE YOUR HEAD as any other monk?

Seimei (at a loss for words):....

[3]
Nobunaga: Sorry, Haruaki, sorry, Haruaki!
He's NOT on the bright side, y'know!

Seimei (depressed): .......

Olmine: Great master, please don't get depressed!
You can expect things way worse from them, so better be prepared!

Nobunaga: So, you were also sent here like us, huh?
After meeting that queer man at that queer corridor.

Seimei: Yes.
One day, all of a sudden, I was there.
And that man opened a door,
and I was sent here, to this world,
as a Drifter.
So I understood the role that was cast upon me.
I wasn't meant to live in Kyoto, contemplating the stars and finding pleasure with my magical creations.
I was meant to live here to defeat the Offscourings, which I also call as "Ends".

[4]
Nobunaga: Oh, you're talking about that huge man and that fire woman.
You call them "Ends", eh?
We had some tough time with them.

Nobunaga (to Toyohisa): Did you took care of that woman?

Toyohisa: Yes.
I threw her into the well and gave her a headbutt.

Olmine (surprised): Y... you didn't kill her?!

Seimei (taken aback): T...
That's not good!!

[They run to the well.]

Nobunaga (peering into the well): ....
No sign of her.

Toyohisa: So, she ran away?
A tough woman indeed.

Seimei: That's not the point!!

[5]
Seimei: WHY?!
WHY HAVEN'T YOU KILLED HER?!
SHE'S ONE OF THOSE "ENDS"!!!
WE MUST KILL THEM ALL!!

Toyohisa: Killing a woman brings no honor at all.
Instead, it brings only shame.

Seimei: THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!!
MEN OR WOMEN, WE MUST KILL EVERY OFFSCOURING!!

Toyohisa: I don't care about what you must or what you mustn't.
I never kill a woman.
This is MY rule and I WILL abide by it.

[6]
Toyohisa: We are not pawns of that man in the corridor.
We are human beings.
Therefore, I will do what I think I must do.

[In the corridor, an article appears on the newspaper Murasaki is reading.]

Right box: We are human beings
Top box: Shimazu Toyohisa
Bottom box: We are not pawns

[7]
[Murasaki smiles at the article.]

Seimei: I see, so this is how a "samurai" thinks.
We had none of their likes in the Heian Era.
Minions who follow their own, strange code called the Path of the Warrior.
That is their strength.
And perhaps that's the reason why they were called here.
But all Offscourings shall be killed. We must kill them before it's too late!
No matter if they are women or children! No matter how tragic their past is!!

[8]
Olmine: Great master.
That old man in the carriage.
Who would be
that man...?

[Covered by a sheet, an old man is endlessly mumbling to himself.]

Old man: ...
...
...
...
...
...

[9]
Seimei: His name is Hannibal Barca.
He's a Drifter too.
He spends most of the time in stupor now.
His mental state got really worse these last few days.
Maybe an advanced stage of senility.

Olmine: What?!

Seimei: There was another Drifter with us.
He was Scipio Africanus.
It seems that they were rivals in the original world.
When they were together, Hannibal was reasonably lucid.

[10]
Seimei: While we were heading here,
we were attacked several times by the minions of the Black Lord.
Thanks to Kid and Cassidy, we were able to open a way through.
But---
--- Scipio fell off the carriage.
Under heavy attack, we couldn't go back nor search for him.
Our HQ is looking for him now.
But we have no idea where he did go.
We can only hope he hasn't fallen prey to the Black Lord...

[11]
Seimei: After Scipio went missing, Hannibal got like that.
Before, he only had night enuresis, but now he's gotten incredibly senile.
We can only wonder what happened between them in the original world,
but surely Scipio was a very important source of willpower to Hannibal.

[Hannibal keeps on mumbling.]

[12]
[Elsewhere, Scipio is completely lost in the woods.]

Scipio: Huff
Huff
Huff
Huff
Huff
I want to go back Rome!!
I want a thermae right now!!

[13]
Scipio: After I got stranded in the middle of nowhere,
no matter how far I walk,
I only get further lost!
I thought I saw a track and I followed it hoping to find a house!
But was there any house? OF COURSE NOT!
Yes, I know they call me "Africanus"!
But that DOESN'T MEAN I actually LIKE Africa!!
I saved Rome! I don't deserve to be in...
!!

[14]
[Scipio finds a plane.]

Scipio: W...
WHAT IS THIS!?

[Suddenly, several spears are pointed to him.]

Scipio: !!

[15]
[Several werewolves(?) stare menacingly at him]

Scipio: What the hell?! A dog?! A man?!
What the hell are you?!
Wait! Wait! Wait!
Stop! Hey, stop!!

[Drums are heard.]

Scipio: !!

[16]
[Kanno Naoshi appears, sitting on a makeshift chair, carried by two werewolves. Below Kanno, it's written in Japanese, from top to down: "One man, one fireball", "Live seven times to serve the country", "At the sea" and "Vigor".]

Kanno: WHAT
THE FUCK!?
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, SUCKER!?
KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF MY PLANE, FRIGGIN' ASSHOLE!!

Kanno: A WHITE BARBARIAN!!
YANKS AND LIMEYS ARE ALL SONS OF BITCHES!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 25 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale November 30th).

==============

Translator's ramblings:

1) In page 1, when talking about polite ways of calling someone, Seimei actually uses the word "hiki". Hiki was a tradition seen in several Eastern cultures, notably China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam, among others, to avoid calling a person by his/her real name. However, "Hiki" is often used to refer to the practice seen of omitting parts of the person's written name. In Nobunaga's case, this practice of using on'yomi, the Chinese reading of the person's name to show deference and also to avoid calling him/her by his/her real name, is usually called Yuusoku-yomi.

2) And at last, we see the use of "Ends" instead of Offscourings. Seimei's lines are the first ones to feature "Ends" in Drifters, so I followed suit. HiraKo writes as "Offscourings" and makes it read as "Ends", but in other places, he just writes as "Offscourings". However, translating it as "Ends" makes the line feel a bit awkward sometimes, so in this chapter I only translated as "Ends" where HiraKo put as such. Perhaps I'll have to mix the usage of these two in the next chapters. We'll have to wait and see.

3) So, now we have the confirmation that those two from the Wild Bunch Gang are actually Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid.

4) The "One man, one fireball", "Live seven times to serve the country", "At the sea" and "Vigor" stuff are all related to the kamikaze stereotype. However, "Live seven times to serve the country" comes actually from the Kusunoki Masashige saga (Dainanko), and "At the sea" ("Umi yukaba") is part of a poem of the Otomo clan, composed several centuries before the desperate kamikaze attacks in WWII.

5) Kanno Naoshi is a really bad stereotype for the kamikaze pilots and thus he works as a comic relief. The line "Yanks and Limeys are all sons of bitches!!" is an attempt to translate "Kichiku Beiei" and adapt it for Kanno's character. Actually, "Kichiku Beiei" was a word coined in the last stages of WWII in order to keep up the morale of Japanese troops and people. It means literally something like "Americans and British are demons that can be slain without any guilt". I am well aware that both "Yank" and "Limey" have derogatory meanings, but that's the way I found to convey, albeit in an improper fashion, the meaning of the original word while keeping Kanno's way of speech. And I do apologise if someone got offended at it.

Translation: Drifters 24

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 05:58:37 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
[Jeanne plunges down into the water.]

Jeanne: W...
Water...!?
The water I had longed for so long...
The water I had wished for so long...

[Drifters]

Chapter 24: Kick it out [T.N.: A song by Boom Boom Satellites, used in a Glico chewing gum CM.]

[Jeanne revives her last moments.]

[2]
[Jeanne is bound by chains to a wood post, burning furiously.]

[3]
Man: The witch!
May the flames purify you!!
Behold!
The witch is burning!!

Man 2: Hah! The witch of Orleans!
Show us more!!
I bet your pu**y is really hot right now!!
Ha ha ha ha!!

Jeanne (thinking): A witch...?
Me...?
But I fought for my people...
I fought for my country...
I fought for God...

[Time seems to freeze, as a portal opens up.]

[4]
[E.a.s.y. appears from the portal. Jeanne extends her arm towards her.]

Easy (grinning): Come to me.
You, who have been cast away.

[5]
[In a splash, Toyohisa raises Jeanne from the water. Jeanne is surprised, as is Toyohisa.]

Toyohisa: What the hell!?
You are a woman!!

[6]
Toyohisa (angry): Why a woman is wearing armor and taking part in battle!?
There is no honor in slaying a woman!!
Go away!!
Go back to your home and live as an ordinary woman!!

Jeanne (angry): .... what...
what do you know...
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT US!?
WE HAVE FOUGHT TO SAVE THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE!!
WE HAVE FOUGHT IN THE NAME OF CHRIST OUR LORD!!
IN THE NAME OF OUR FAITH!! AND STILL...!!

[7]
[Toyohisa drives a headbutt onto Jeanne's head.]

Toyohisa: OF COURSE I KNOW NOTHING!!
How the hell am I supposed to know about "France"?!
I have never heard about that country!!

[8]
Toyohisa: And what's that "Christ" talk?!
What a waste of time!!
You Western barbarians talk too much nonsense!!
I must make haste now.
I must get his head.
The head of that spearman.
How can I meet my father in the nether worlds
if I'm incapable of getting one single head!?

[9]
[Elsewhere, Yoichi is still fighting Gilles. He shoots a lot of arrows, but to no avail.]

Yoichi: Why!?
Why doesn't he die!?

[Yoichi shoots again and pierces Gilles's eyes.]

[10]
Yoichi: Good.
Now I got...
him...

[Gilles stands in front of him and launches a move with his chains.]

[11]
[Gilles binds Yoichi.]

Nobunaga: NO!!
DAMMIT!!
FIRE!!
FIRE!!
DON'T LET YOICHI DIE!!

[12]
[Several arrows hit Gilles, but he doesn't seem to notice.]

Yoichi (being strangled by chains): Gah...
Ack...
Nguh...

Elves: H... he is immortal...!?
He is a monster...!!

Nobunaga: Nay!!
There are no immortal monsters in this world!!
Every single being can be crushed!! Can be killed!!
FIRE!! FIRE!!

[13]
[Suddenly, a carriage arrives. It's Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid.]

Kid: W... what the fuck is this!?

Cassidy: The hell that I know!!

Nobunaga (surprised): W...
What the...!?

[14]
[A man from the carriage stands up.]

Man: Do you hate this world!?
"Offscouring"!!
You wandering hatred,
scoured off by the whole Creation!!

Cassidy: This is the last load!!
We'll shove our grit up your ass, porcupine!!

[15]
[Cassidy lands a shower of bullets onto Gilles.]

[16]
Gilles: La pucelle Jeanne hadn't gone to hell.[N.T.: "pucelle" is "maid" in French. He's obviously talking about the Maid of Orleans.]
She was right here.
But no longer is she a pucelle.
Thus, I will wait in l'enfer.[N.T.: "l'enfer" means "hell" in French.]
Bon voyage.

[The body of Gilles crumbles down.]

[17]
Man (thinking): As I thought...!!
His body became salt...!!

Nobunaga: What is this?
What does this mean...?

Yoichi (panting heavily): Huff--
Huff--
Huff--
Huff--

Olmine (running towards that man): Great master!!

Man: Magician Olmine, you did a good job.

Olmine: T---
Thank you, sir!!

Nobunaga: Who the hell are you?
Who the hell are you all?

[18]
Man: I am...
a man who hates "Offscourings".
I am Olmine's master.
And I am the leader of the "Octobrist" magickal organization.
I am a man who supports you "Drifters".
I am a man whose duty is to destroy them.
To destroy the "Offscourings" who shouldn't exist in this world.

Nobunaga: So, you are also a "Drifter"...
Your name?

Man: I am Abe.
Abe no Haruakira. [T.N.: HiraKo uses "Haruakira", though the most common pronunciation seen - though not necessarily the correct one - is "Seimei". Abe no Seimei (921-1005) was one of the most famous magicians in Japan.]

Side note: An "Onmyoji", ancient Japanese magician with a vast knowledge, comes from centuries past ---

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 24 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale October 30th).

================

Translator's ramblings:
- So, this seems to be the end of Jeanne's fight and the beginning of the Drifters' coalition...? Will we get to see Hannibal and Scipio arguing with Nobunaga? Most probably Nobunaga will use Butch and Kid's gun as a model to replicate it for their purposes.
- In the Japanese version, Easy makes a reference to the word "Offscouring" when talking to Jeanne. However, using "You, who have been scoured off" seemed to have a slightly different nuance from the original text, so I opted for a different translation. Let's remember that HiraKo writes "Offscouring" and gives the English reading "Ends" to it. But so far, I haven't seen any actual reference to "Ends" in the manga itself - on the contrary - so I'm keeping with "Offscouring" for now.
- Actually, "nether world" is a bit of a Western concept. Perhaps "other world" would be more faithful to the Japanese, but as we seem to have other dimensions where Easy and Murasaki live, for instance, I decided to leave as "nether world" to avoid any misunderstandings.
- HiraKo presented two guys from the Wild Bunch Gang, but haven't told us their names yet. I'm going with Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid so far, but perhaps he may prove me otherwise later. Let us wait and see.
- The "Onmyoji" were magicians, but not quite like Merlin, Gandalf or Simon The Sorcerer (wha? XD). They studied Eastern occultism, but also had a very deep understanding of Astronomy, Astrology, Geography, Medicine and other Natural Sciences.

Translation: Drifters 23

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:40:50 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
[A huge fire burns the forest.]

Jeanne: Where are you hiding?
Don't be shy and show up!!
Drifter!!
Or else, or else,
everything will burn down!
The forest, the castle, everything!!

Side note: Comics volume 2 on sale September 30th!!

[2]
Upper note: Comics volume 2 on sale September 30th!!

Kohta Hirano

Splash: An angel from God
or a harbinger of madness----
Jeanne d'Arc, a hellfire woman

Chapter 23: Touch and go!! [T.N.: ending theme of the Blue Seed anime, sung by Hayashibara Megumi.]

Drifters

[3]
Toyohisa: That...
would be bad.

[Toyohisa appears from behind Jeanne.]

Toyohisa: That is our castle.
Though it may be in ruins,
that is our castle.

Jeanne (grins as she turns to Toyohisa): So, there you are!

Toyohisa (smiles): Indeed.
Here I am.

[4]
[Jeanne throws a number of knives. As they hit the ground, a wall of fire surrounds Toyohisa.]

[5]
[With a snap, Jeanne creates a huge wall of fire, blocking any escape routes that Toyohisa might have created.]

Jeanne: And now,
no longer will you flee from me!

Toyohisa: Indeed.
No longer will I flee from you.

[6]
[Jeanne notices Olmine behind Toyohisa.]

Jeanne: !!
You don't learn, do you!?

[Olmine builds a stone wall behind Toyohisa.]

[7]
Jeanne: He cut off his retreat route...!! Fool!!
Have you gone mad!?

Toyohisa (grinning): Indeed.
There is no single warrior from Satsuma who hasn't gone mad.

[8]
[Toyohisa lays down his weapons and holds his sword with his teeth.]

Toyohisa: Fuhll. ("Well.")
Phow, phwohr phohd pheeth phife! ("Now, your head is mine!")

[9]
Jeanne: What is this man!?
What is this man!?!?
I don't get it!!
He cut off his own escape route, yet!!
What is this man!?
Who is this man!?
I don't get it!!
I can't get it!!
Is he willing to die!?

[10]
Toyohisa: NOW!!
OLMINE!!

Olmine: I JUST WANT TO SAY!!
THIS IS SHEER MADNESS!!

[Toyohisa poises himself against the stone wall, as Olmine slams the last magical paper onto it.]

[11]
[The second stone wall sends Toyohisa flying forward.]

Toyohisa: OOOOH!!

Jeanne: WHAT...
THE...

[12]
[Toyohisa flies through the curtain of flames.]

[13]
[Jeanne is utterly surprised.]

Jeanne: What?!
What!?!?
WHAT?!
WHAT!?!?

[Toyohisa lands a kick on her.]

[14]
Olmine: That "stone wall" is a defensive spell...
Yet, he didn't use it to defend himself...
But to launch him forward for his charge...
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!
My great master told me that
the "samurai" of "Nihon" during the "Sengoku" Era
were all insane in greater or lesser degree.
But this man Toyohisa...
[T.N.: In the background, a number of Sengoku lords' names can be seen, like Matsudaira, Kuchiki, Kobayakawa and Fukushima, among others.]
It looks like his limbs, his head, his body
are there to be sacrificed,
to throw his life away
in order to have the "honor" of getting his enemies' head!!
But that...
that is exactly like...
LIKE AN OFFSCOURING!!

[15]
Toyohisa: I was waiting for you to stand before "that",
what there is in any castle!

Jeanne: !!
A...
A well!!

[They land on the well, crashing its cover.]

[16]
[They fall into the well.]

Jeanne: ...w...
wa...
water...
That what I longed so much...
Water...
Water...

Side note: Jeanne knows her defeat.....!? Will Toyohisa have her "head"?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 23 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale August 30th).

Translation: Drifters 22

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:11:24 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: Comics volume 1 on sale! [Hellsing] OVA on sale July 27th!

Chapter 22: Tatakai no collateral [T.N.: Literally, "The collateral of the fight", a track from the Noein anime soundtrack.]

[A wall rises, blocking the fire.]

Jeanne: WHAT...
THE...!?

Kohta Hirano
Drifters

[2]
[Toyohisa flees, carrying Olmine along.]

Toyohisa: Hey!
So you can use sorcery too!

Olmine: Uh...

[Toyohisa slides, dragging Olmine, who bumps her face onto the ground]

Olmine: Ugh!
Ouch!
Yikes!

Olmine: Uh... actually... the only thing I can do...
is to build that stone wall...
A... and...
I can only build two more walls...
My great master could do way better, but....
I... I am still a rookie... so...
I'm sorry.

[3]
Toyohisa (smiling): What are you talking about? You saved my life.
(he kneels) Thank you.

Olmine (embarrassed): S... stop it, please!
Look around! Fire is burning and you have an enemy to fight!
You shouldn't have time for this!

Toyohisa (smiling): Indeed!
But one should always show his gratitude on the spot.
Otherwise, it's most certain that he will forget how to say thanks.

[4]
Toyohisa: The enemy uses a powerful technique.
But probably has no experience in the battlefield.
A greenhorn.

Olmine: H... how...
How do you know...?

Toyohisa: My intuition.
But look.
It seems that the enemy is indulging in a display of power
as if wanting to show its might to someone else.
"Behold the power I have earned!"
"Look at me! Awe at me!"
Typical of a greenhorn.
Someone who has never stepped a foot into the battlefield before.

[5]
Toyohisa (smiling): And thus...
easy to kill.

Olmine (thinking): Damn these "samurai" from "Nippon"![T.N.: Actually, the original sentence uses the word "bushi". I put as "samurai" because this is how the West came to knew them.]
This is what makes you so fearsome!
Death and gratitude shown through the same damn smile!

Toyohisa: You said you can build two more walls?

Olmine: Uh... yeah... right.

Toyohisa: Then, build them when I tell you so.
After that...
flee to the woods.

[6]
[Nearby, Gilles de Rais slashes several trees in a single sweep of his spear.]

Elves: A...
A monster...

That huge knight is a monster for sure.
But that Yoichi doesn't fall behind...

[7]
[Gilles and Yoichi resume their fierce battle.]

[8]
[Gilles and Yoichi launch their attacks.]

[9]
Elf: ...!
He... he is laughing...!

[Yoichi is laughing.]

Voice: Good, good.
That's good.

[10]
[A huge (Sauron's) eye appears in the battlefield. Yoshitsune watches everything through it.]

Yoshitsune: Fighting is fun, isn't it
Yoichi?
People are born to show their best skills.
And your best skill is the skill of killing.
No time for shooting fans! [T.N.: a reference to the most famous deed of Nasu no Yoichi.]

[11]
[Gilles launch an attack. Yoichi steps onto his spear.]

[12]
[Yoichi shoots several arrows.]

Yoshitsune: Oh my, Gilles de Rais is quite tough.
Perhaps the time for laughs is over?

[Yoichi steps down from the spear.]

[13]
Yoichi (thinking): I have shot him many times.
I have pierced many vital spots of his.
Then why?
Why is he still alive!?

[Gilles is standing in front of him.]

[14]
Gilles: My voyage hasn't met its end yet.
Thus, I haven't met my end yet.

Yoichi: Is that so?
You just look like...

Yoshitsune: Hahaha! Looks like Benkei![T.N.: Musashibou Benkei, famous ally of Yoshitsune.]
That brings back some good memories!

[Elsewhere, a lot of horseriders enters the woods to fight the elves.]

[15]
Nobunaga: Hello everyone, and welcome to today's class,
"How to slay them horseriders 101".
I am the Devil Lord of the 6th Heaven and hope you have a good time.
So, fighting against horseriders is something terrifying,
but it's not terrifying at all.
What do I mean by that?
Well, it is terrifying if they lunge against us or surround us.
But in a thick forest like this
and without foot soldiers, then it's not terrifying at all.
They are galloping at a good speed all right,
but they are severely hindered by the trees.

[16]
[A trap shows up before the horseriders.]

Nobunaga: So, it doesn't need much
to make the horseriders stop in their tracks.
And entering the forest without good numbers and backup is suicide.
This is a bitter lesson I learned back in Ise.
Now, fire.

[The elves shoot their arrows.]

[17]
Nobunaga: We have the high ground and victory is ours.
This concludes today's class. Hope you liked it!!

[All horseriders are taken down by arrows.]

Elves: They were slain in a blink of an eye...
Amazing...

[Nobunaga turns his thumb down.]

[18]
Nobunaga: This reminds me of Nagashino.
Powerful horseriders being killed by puny soldiers with guns.
Probably, the evolution of firearms
will bring the era of knights and samurai to an end.
And that's exactly why
we must produce a lot of firearms here, no matter what.

[19]
[Fire consumes the battlefield.]

[20]
[Fire reaches the castle in ruins.]

Nobunaga: And now, the problem is those two monsters.
Oh my, the castle will burn down.

Jeanne: WHERE ARE YOU!?
WHERE DID YOU GO!?

Side note: Jeanne d'Arc and Gilles de Rais --- what can be done against the spearheads of the Offscourings...!?

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 22 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale July 30th).

Translation: Drifters 21

Mon, 02 May 2011 20:38:31 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
[Sounds of horses galloping can be heard]

Elves: !!
What is that?
What is that sound?

[An elf is immediately pierced by a spearlike weapon]

Side note: The first lines of the Black Lord's army approach --- the clash is imminent!!

[2]
Drifters

Chapter 21 - Chaos Diver [T.N.: a song by the Japanese rock band, The Back Horn.]

Splash: Jeanne d'Arc...
Until this world
is burned down to ashes----

[3]
Kohta Hirano

Comics volume 1 on sale!!
[Hellsing] volumes 1-10 on sale!!

[4]
Jeanne (grinning): There they are! There they are!
I can feel their stench!
The stench of Drifters!!

Elves: Ah...
Ah...

[Jeanne sets everything on fire]

[5]
Jeanne: Come to me, my dear Drifters!!
Let me burn you to ashes!!
HAHAHAHAHA!!

[The fire spreads]

Voice: You use a fancy trick.
Is it sorcery?

[6]
Toyohisa: Do all of you use those kinds of
cute little tricks?

Jeanne: And there he is!!

[7]
[The elves are running desperately for a safe haven]

Nobunaga: Shara, gather the men.
Don't forget the bows.
Make sure women and children are safe in the woods.

Shara: Yes, sir!

Nobunaga: I will crush them horseriders.

Yoichi: You sure you can handle this?

Nobunaga: You have no means to know,
but were there a contest of cavalry crushing,
I would be the best in the whole universe.[T.N. A slight reference to the famous battle of Nagashino, where Nobunaga defeated the cavalry of the Takeda clan, thought to be invincible.]

Yoichi: In this case, I leave them to you.
Looks like I have an appointment
with that gentleman.

[8]
[Gilles de Rais, a man in chains and gauntlets and wielding a spear, just stares]

Jeanne (grinning): Gilles de Rais, kill that shemale!!
I will burn this Drifter to cinders!!

[9]
Gilles de Rais: Jeanne.
"Bon voyage".

[Gilles poises himself and launches his attack]

[10]
[A whole stone wall is sliced apart]

Yoichi: Didn't expect you to slice the stone wall of this castle.
What a strength!
You look like Musashibou! [T.N.: Musashibou Benkei, a warrior monk who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Famous by his sheer strength.]

[11]
Jeanne: DRIFTERS!!
The puny obstacle for the world annihilation plans laid by the Black Lord!!
All Drifters will be roasted to death!!

Toyohisa: So, you are one of those guys...
How did that woman in glasses call you?
Was it "Offscourings"? Or was it "TRASH" ?
She said you were a bunch of crazy idiots.
But tell me.
Are you a woman?
Or are you actually a man?

[Jeanne bursts in a fit of rage]

[12]
[Jeanne attacks mercilessly with her flames]

[13]
[Toyohisa evades]

Jeanne: You are nimble, singe jaune! [T.N.: "yellow monkey", in French.]
But you've got nowhere to run now!
What are you going to do?!

[14]
Jeanne: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO!?
DRIFTER!!
YOU ARE THE TRASH HERE!!

[Suddenly, two walls rise behind Toyohisa and block the flames]

[15]
[Olmine jumps from behind Toyohisa and throws a piece of paper, which touches the ground and makes a wall rise in front of them]

[16]
[The wall protects them from Jeanne's flames]

Jeanne: WHAT...
THE...!!

Olmine: I'm from the Octobrist Organization...!!
And our duty is...
to protect the Drifters!!

Side note: They can make fun of her breasts, but they can't make fun of her magic!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 21 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale My 30th).

================

Translator's ramblings:
- Is it just me, or there is some resemblance with Fate/Stay Night in this chapter? :P Jeanne being Ilya, Gilles being Berserker and Yoichi being... well, Archer? :P
- And Olmine's magic reminds me of Fullmetal Alchemist/Hagaren... :P
- Anyway, now the battle begins. Let's see how the fights will unfold. How will Toyohisa fight against Jeanne? How will Yoichi handle Gilles? And how will Nobunaga handle the cavalry without firearms? Stay tuned!

Translation: Drifters 20

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 01:14:24 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: [Drifters] Kohta Hirano

Side note: The elven people rose after reading Nobunaga's manifesto... what will be the next step!?

[Olmine and the elves are surprised at Nobunaga's actions.]

Elves: What on earth are they doing?
What are they doing with the bathroom soil?
Have no idea.

[Nobunaga grins in satisfaction.]

Nobunaga: Take care.
Or else you'll be blown up.
Hey, Shara, go to the guys from the other villages.
Tell them to bring all the soil they can get from bathrooms, stables, pigpens and alike.

Shara: Why do you want so much shit?

Chapter 20 - Searchlight [T.N.: not clear what song this is. Probably, "Searchlight" from King-show, or Kinniku Shoujo-tai.]

[2]
Shara: Nobu, sir.

Nobunaga: So, how was it?

Shara (carrying a firearm - an arquebus?): I asked the blacksmiths of every village.
All of them said that this is a too complex equipment to copy.

Nobunaga: I see.
Now I realize how amazing the Sakai and Kunitomo guys were. [T.N.: Sakai and Kunitomo, along with Negoro and Saiga, were major places and groups known for manufacturing firearms.]
And who can manufacture this?

Shara: ... probably dwarves.
Their blacksmiths are the only decent thing they have.

Nobunaga: "Dwarves"?
I see.

[3]
Yoichi: Hullo, I am the archery instructor for you elves!
I am Nasu no Suketaka Yoichi!
I will put all of you through the wringer!
You'll be so exausted that you won't be able even to laugh or cry!
Whenever you speak something, say "Genji, hooray!".

Elves: "Genzi"...?
W... what's that?

Yoichi: I don't want an accuracy of 100%, I demand 1000%!
This is the goal!
So, be prepared for the training!

Elves: Impossible, "Genji hooray!".
That man is normally a comic relief, but when he gets angry,
he is hauntingly fearsome and beautiful.
It's a pity that he's a "short ears".

[4]
Yoichi: What are you talking about?
I am the youngest of my eleven brothers from the Nasu family.
And I am the ugliest of them all.
The beauty of my brothers was flabbergasting.
(You'd be dead if you looked at them)
Each step they took, flowers blossomed on the ground, the sea stood still and gold petals fell from the sky.
That's what true beauty is about.

Elves: Impossible, "Genji hooray!".

[Elsewhere, Toyohisa is showing his sword skills.]

Toyohisa: YA
A
A
A
AH!

[5]
[Toyohisa slashes a tree in half.]

[6]
Toyohisa: This is Satsuma's swordfight.
Think of nothing else but putting everything into the first strike.

Elves: Uh... uhm...
If the first strike doesn't connect...
or if the enemy evades, what should we do?

Toyohisa: Die gracefully.
You'll be the first ones to walk the path of death.
And this is quite an honor.

[7]
[Night falls. At the castle ruins, the drifters are talking.]

Toyohisa: It's useless to teach my sword skills to the elves.
They have no aptitude for it.

Nobunaga: Hmm...

Yoichi: On the other hand, they are amazing with a bow.
Their shooting skills seem to be innate.

Nobunaga: The blacksmiths of the villages said that...
....!!

Yoichi: ... what is this awful feeling?

Olmine: What?

[8]
Toyohisa: What's coming?
This feeling...
No, not soldiers from Orte.
Something else
is coming.
This is the same "smell" of Sekigahara.
The nauseating smell of a disgusting war.

[9]
[The moon is surrounded by something that looks like an eye]

Box: SEARCH THEM.
FIND THEM.

[10]
[A small legion of knighs are riding the plains at full speed.]

Jeanne: Allons, Gilles de Rais!!
I can feel the smell!!
The smell of Drifters!!

[11]
Black Lord: KILL.
KILL THE DRIFTERS.
STRANGLE THE TREE AND MAKE IT DRY
BEFORE THE FIG IS RIPE.

[12]
[Jeanne d'Arc and her minions are galloping at lightspeed.]

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 20 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale March 30th).

================

Translator's ramblings:

- So, now we have Lord of the Rings, or so it seems. Kinda like the Eye of Sauron guiding the Nazgûl - I mean, Jeanne d'Arc and her men - to the Fellowship of the Drifters.
- I had thought the Offscourings minions were just like Drifters - that is, a bunch of different guys from different place and time. But as Gilles de Rais made an appearance in this chapter, it seems that they are somewhat more organized. Will Hijikata's troop feature Okita Souji as well?
- My current take is that the Drifters are chosen among those whose death is only presumed, while the Offscourings are chosen among those who died in a very negative psychological condition - frustration, anger, suffering and so on. Who knows?

Translation: Drifters 19

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:42:07 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

Quote:

This is still a draft version. Feel free to use it (and give due credits, please!), but be aware that it may be edited afterwards.

[1]
Upper note: Comics volume 1 on sale!

Side note: Hirano's previous work, "Hellsing" also on sale!

DRIFTERS

Chapter 19 - Dive for you [T.N.: song from Appleseed the movie.]

Splash: Yoichi, the finest archer
From the Genpei Wars,
engages in battle in an alien world...!

Kohta Hirano

[2]
Box: Orte Empire
Capital "Verlina"
The House of Lords
War meeting

Man: The war is getting worse as we speak.
The eastern front is now at a total stalemate.
We are in dire lack of soldiers.
After all, we have been fighting for 40 years.
Even the soldiers who should patrol the safer territories are now in the front line.
We lack resources, every kind of them.
Taxes and confiscations can only do that much.
Shouldn't we think about an armistice...?

Man 2: IMPOSSIBLE!

[3]
Man 3: The "Father" dreamt of an eternal empire.

Man 2: That is the goal of our nation.
We can't stop right now.

Man: But...

Voice: MY, MY! I'M SOOO LATE! I'M SOOO SORRY, MY DEARS!!

[A man (looking and acting like a gay) shows up at the door.]

Gay man: Sorry for making you wait, honey!
Long time no see!

Man: C...
Count Saint Germi...

Count Saint Germi (CSG): Woo, I got really, really late!
I had a handful and a mouthful of stuff to deal with before I came here.

[4]
Soldier 1: What's with those fudge packers?

Soldier 2: Shut up!
Don't let them hear that, or else!
He's Count Saint Germi.

Soldier 1: What?
S... so, that's...

Soldier 2: He is a powerful nobleman who owns 1/4 of the empire.
When the Father built this country, he was the first nobleman to offer full support to him.

Box: It's said that Orte would have never existed without Count Saint Germi's betrayal.
Since then, nobody can speak anything against him.
He lives as he pleases, without taking part in the war.

Soldier 1: He offered full support to the Father... 50 years ago?

Soldier 2: Yeah.

Soldier 1: Wait a sec...
how old is that ass pirate?

[5]
CSG: As a gift to make up for my tardiness, I brought some good news.
I bet you'll all get surprised.
Remember the cargo ship fleet
that was supposed to send supplies to the frontline in the west?
Hey, don't we have anything to write?
Give me something to write! Quick!

CSG's Aide 1 (man): Princess, please use my lipstick!

CSG's Aide 2 (man): No, please use mine!

CSG: Quiet, you two!
And give it to me!

[CSG draws on a map]

CSG: Remember that I warned you many times about this route?
Remember that I told you it was sheer folly to choose it?
So, the entire fleet has been seized and is being sunken as we speak.

Man: W...
WHAT...!?

[6]
[At the sea, the fleet is on fire]

Soldiers: It is foundering!!
Damn! Another ship sunken!!
There they come!!
Freaking "traders"!!
Freaking Gu Binnen Trade Federation bastards!!

[7]
[A giant bird approaches the vessels, carrying several explosives. The rider is from the Trade Federation.]

Rider: A timely delivery by Gryphon Seal from Shylock Trading Co.,
Gu Binnen!!
Thanks for waiting, sirs!!

[8]
[Lots of explosives fall onto the ships.]

Captain: My dear Orte gentlemen, do you like the taste of Gu Binnen's specialty, the dripping oil and fat from our fish 'n beasts!?
Eat as much as you want, idiots!!
Take them as our gift to your moustache Father!!
TORA! TORA!
TORA!!!

Man: Captain, what's that "Tora tora" stuff?!

Captain: Huh?

[9]
Captain: It was the Admiral who told me this!!
To shout this when our surprise attack was successful!!

Men: Hahaha! TORA! TORA! TORA!
TORA! TORA! TORA! TORAAAA!!

Box: Gu Binnen Trade Guild Federation, Shylock Trade Co. Fleet

[The Gu Binnen men leave; the ships are utterly destroyed.]

[10]
CSG: That's what happens when you wage wars in every corner.
At the very least, you shouldn't have declared war against the Trade Federation in the east.
Hohoho, what a foolish mistake.
And now, you have unrests in the occupied territories.
I've heard about rebellions breaking out in the elvish territories.
Oh, elves? Hey, aren't they cute?

Man: That's a minor issue!!
It's nothing but a petty unrest by powerless farmers!!
The current situation in the west is way more...

CSG: As I thought.
They don't understand a thing.

[11]
CSG: Orte was a country who expanded by invading and annexing the neighboring countries.
This elvish unrest won't be limited to the elvish territories.
All occupied territories may face similar insurrections!
And in no time,
all occupied territories will be boiling in turmoil.

Figure (from right to left): Country of Orte
Regions in upheaval
West front of war

CSG: And if the upheaval spreads, it will naturally spread to the west, where most of the Orte army is deployed.
That means, Orte will be cut off from its own army.
Oh, my.
This country
is over.

[12]
CSG: Ahaha.
Ufufu. Ohoho.
Woo, I just remembered I have some affairs I have to see to.
Goodbye, everyone!
Good luck on your war!
And now, please excuse me.

Aide 1: What happened, princess?

CSG: I'm going back! I can't stay here any longer!
Oh, take that candlestick!
And that painting too!
You must contact the elvish forces as soon as possible!
Wait, if I'm not mistaken there are Drifters with them.
Wait, I'm going myself to talk to them!

Aide 1: Elves?!
I want to go too!
Please, take me with you!

CSG: QUIET!!

[13]
[In the Ancient Forest of Elves, near the castle in ruins, an elven batallion walks.]

Voice: Stop!!

[14]
Shara (elf): Hey, if you aren't the guys from Fizona village!!
So, you did come!!

Elf: Hey, so it's you, Shara.
After reading that letter,
we wouldn't be elves if we did nothing.

Elves: Don't you think you'll be the only heroes around!
Hey, Shara, you finally did it!
Hahaha, hey!
I've heard that your dad was killed.
He was a great guy, we can't let this go unpunished.
Yeah, this is kind of a revenge for me.
What's up!
People from other villages are coming one after another as well.
We can win this war.

Elf: And what about the Drifters who started all this?
What can you tell me about them?

Shara: That's sort of a tough question...
Well...
They're some queer folks.

[15]
Elf: Those Drifters may have saved us,
but they aren't elves.
They are humans, "short ears", right?
Are they trustworthy?

Shara: Yes, they are!!
At least,
I trust them!!

[In another place, Nobunaga can barely hold his anger.]

[16]
Toyohisa: You still angry?

Yoichi: Don't you think it's time to cheer up?
You are a grown up, don't act like a child.
To begin with, you are a former Udaijin, right? [T.N.: Udaijin (lit., "Minister of the Right") was a government position in ancient Japan.]

Toyohisa: To begin with, why are you so angry?

Oda: OF COURSE I'M ANGRY!!
WHY DID YOU CREATE A COUNCIL SYSTEM HAVING THE ELVISH ELDERS AS COUNCILLORS?!
AND WHY DID YOU LEAVE THE POWER IN THE HANDS OF THAT DAMN COUNCIL!?
YOU COULD BE KING!! YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE POWER IN YOUR HANDS!!

Toyohisa: ... I'm not good at strategies.
I don't know how to read the minds of people.
Nobu, you have the ability to read into the mind of anyone you want.
But you don't know how to read the thoughts they have in their hearts.

[17]
Toyohisa: Certainly, the "elves" will follow us for now.
We can be kings, emperors, anything we want.
But, someday, you can be sure
that they will draw their weapons against us.
They will do so while we're asleep in some temple.
And when we wake up, we will be surrounded by fire and arrows.
Do you want to go through
another Honnouji? [T.N.: The temple Oda Nobunaga died after being betrayed.]
I don't.

[18]
[Oda is taken aback.]

Oda: I can't read the hearts of people... right.
Your words were something I didn't want to hear.
But I don't want another Honnouji!!
I've had enough of betrayals.

Yoichi: How many treasons did you face?

Oda: (grumble: UUUUUUU)
(beside the grumble: I will never forgive...)
Well, let's see...
My younger brother Nobukatsu x2 & Katsuie & Hayashi, Asai, Matsunaga x2, Araki, Hatano, Bessho, Mitsuhide and...
[T.N.: Oda Nobukatsu (Nobuyuki), Shibata Katsuie, Hayashi Hidesada, Asai Nagamasa, Matsunaga Hisahide, Araki Murashige, Hatano Hideharu, Bessho Nagaharu and Akechi Mitsuhide. By the way, this is indeed just a small subset of warriors who betrayed Oda Nobunaga.]

Toyohisa: That's way too much!
(How are you still alive!?)

Oda: But I will do what I have planned!!
I will make you king!!

Side note: In this turbulent era, will Drifters' power rule this country.....!?

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 19 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale February 28th).

================

Translator's note:

1) The "Gu Binnen" - perhaps from "Gumbinnen" or even from "Great Britain" - stuff comes actually from a character HiraKo imagined for a RPG - which seemingly never came into existence.

The character was a certain "Bunzelmachine Shylock the 8th" ("Banzerumashin Shairokku") , the head clerk of Shylock Bank and Shylock Trading Co., as well as member of the Council of Gu Binnen Sea Trade Guild Federation and Admiral of its 1st Fleet.

HiraKo wrote a rather cool speech for him in the character profile, which was up at his site some time ago (now unavailable). The speech itself can still be found in the net.

2) I'm sure most people already know, but "Tora! Tora! Tora!" was the famous telegraphic communication confirming that the Pearl Harbor attack had been a success. It was sent by Fuchida Mitsuo, Colonel of Japanese Imperial Navy and captain of the squadron who carried out the attack. This message got quite popular thanks to the 1970's movie, "Tora! Tora! Tora!", one of the few movies to offer a historically accurate view on both sides (USA and Japan) in the Pearl Harbor attack.

3) HiraKo apparently changed the name of the Count - it was Count St. Jarmes in the previous chapter and now it's Count St. Germi. And the count is not using the -nya stuff anymore - unless we're talking about two different people with very similar names. We'll have to wait and see.

Translation: Drifters 18

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:38:04 +0000

Quote:

[A happy new 2011 to everyone!]

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
[at the governor's fortress]

Nobunaga (grinning): Get each and every document and map in this fortress.
Do not miss a single scribble.
We are going to take everything with us.

Olmine (entering the room): I... I can't believe...
I can't believe you have really taken this fortress...

Nobunaga: Well, if it isn't you, my dear Olminipples.

Olmine: I give up telling you to stop with your bad wordplays about my name...

Nobunaga: Hey, the moment you give up is the moment the war is over, you know. [T.N.: this is a reference to a famous line from Slam Dunk.]

[Nobunaga knocks on a painting]

Nobunaga: By the way, who's this guy?
This has got to be some huge painting.

Side note: Kohta Hirano - "Drifters"

[2]
Olmine: He... he is the "Vater", the "Father" of this Orte country.
He is the man who built the Orte Empire.
It is said that he appeared suddenly some 60 years ago.
Some say he was a Drifter; others say he was an Offscouring.
But nobody knows for sure.
One day, he appeared in a beer hall and incited people to take up arms.
His exalted speeches and clever manipulation of the masses led to a civil unrest and he led the march to the capital.
According to the records,
it looked like "he had great experience on this".

[The painting is shown. The person bears a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler.]

Olmine: But after establishing the Orte Empire, he suddenly committed suicide.
Nobody knows why he killed himself.
Perhaps he was a Drifter...? Do you happen to know this guy?

Nobunaga: Of course NOT.
What's with this ridiculous mustache?

[3]
[Suddenly, elves enter the room.]

Elf: Nobunaga, sir!!

Nobunaga: What happened?

Elf: Toyo is dragging the enemy soldiers to the fortress yard.
He's talking about something like "nadegiri" and "nekiri".

Nobunaga: HUH?!
W...
What did you say!?

[4]
[Nobunaga walks quickly to the yard.]

Nobunaga (thinking): Dammit!!
Come on, Toyo, how naïve can you be?
Just look at the male elves! It is obvious that the female elves must be quite attractive!

Elf: And what's "nekiri"?

Nobunaga: "Kill them all".

Elf: WHAT?!

Nobunaga (thinking): And those soldiers were kidnapping them in a regular basis.
It should be obvious that they were going to rape the female elves.
You should've known it long before we stepped into this castle.
You want to kill everyone? No, don't do that.
From the very beginning, that is MY JOB!!
You must live as naïve and pure as you are.
Leave the devious and shady business with me, the Devil Lord of the 6th Heaven.
And don't worry, I'm quite used to this.

[5]
Soldiers: H... help...
P... please...
please spare our lives...!!

DRIFTERS
Kohta Hirano

Chapter 18 - Men of Destiny [T.N.: song from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083.]

Side note: Comics volume 1 on sale!!

[6]
[The female elves are rescued. Toyohisa grits his teeth.]

[7]
Soldiers: Hey, do you realize what you are doing!?
If the Central Government hears about this,
you will all be dead!!

Elf: Toyohisa, sir!!
Give us the order to shoot, now!!
Please, let us kill them!!

Toyohisa: Right, ki--

[Toyohisa is hit in his head with a blow from behind.]

[8]
[Toyohisa falls down, unconscious.]

Nobunaga: Phew.

[The soldiers and the elves look appalled.]

Nobunaga (grinning): Kill them.

[9]
Nobunaga: Kill them all.
After bringing so much shame on the women for so long,
don't you dare think that we will spare your lives just because you surrendered.
You wanted so badly to kill all elves,
so why do you find it weird that the elves want so badly to kill you?
DIE.
Die and become our gunpowder.

Governor (in utter terror): Ah...!!!

[10]
Elves: Prepare to fire!!

Soldier: A... aah!
S... stop!!!
Please stop!!!

Elves: SHUT UP!!
You never showed any mercy to us!!
How dare you beg for mercy now!?

Man: I... I was just sent here!!
I have done nothing wrong!!!

Nobunaga: FIRE!!!

[11]
[Lots of arrows fly.]

Soldiers: Ah!
A...
A...

[The arrows pierce the soldiers.]
[Toyohisa wakes up.]

Toyohisa: Uh...

Nobunaga: Already awake?
I thought I had hit you hard enough.
You men from Satsuma are really tough.

[12]
Nobunaga (grinning): I took care of the soldiers.
Isn't it a beautiful sight to behold?
You are just too young to give such orders.
Let ME do this job.
And don't worry about me.
My hands are already just too bloodstained!!
Ise and Nagashima! Mount Hiei and the Enryakuji temple! Asai and Asakura! [T.N.: all those were real wars fought by Nobunaga.]
I have countless---

[Toyohisa hits him.]

[13]
Toyohisa: AND SO WHAT!?
I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR STUFF!!
AND I COULDN'T CARE LESS
ABOUT ALL THAT!!

[Nobunaga looks surprised.]

[14]
Yoichi (suddenly appearing behind Olmine): I'm ho~me!
What, are they fighting? Oh, my.

Olmine: !!

Toyohisa: It's not a fight.

Nobunaga: Indeed.

Yoichi (smiling): Yes.
It's not a fight.

Nobunaga: It's been a long time
since I was last scolded with a punch.
I guess my father was the last to do that.
Oh, wait, Hirate gramps also did.[T.N.: Hirate Masahide, aide to Nobunaga in his childhood.]
And now, look at me. I've become older than my father...

[15]
[In the yard, all soldiers are dead, except for a man.]

Man: I've done nothing!!
Nothing!!
I haven't even slept with any women!!
I swear!!

Yoichi (to the elves): Hey, there's still one standing.

Elf: Even now, he keeps saying that he did nothing at all.
If we kill him, we will be as despicable as those damn soldiers.

Yoichi (smiling): Yes, I guess you're right.

Nobunaga: Poor thing. Olminipples, let the guy fondle your breasts to console him.

Olmine: Elves, please shoot this idiot.

Toyohisa: Let us behead the corpses and give them a decent burial.
No matter how damnable, their souls still become a Buddha after they die.
But we will use their bodies to produce gunpowder.

[16]
Box (Olmine speaking): The rumors on those Drifters
started spreading like fire to the nearby villages.
"The Drifters saved an elven village"
"And took the fortress of the local governor"
As the captive elven women were returned to their villages,
the doubtful rumors became an exhilarating truth.
But the women also carried a "gift"
carefully prepared by Nobunaga.
It was a "manifesto".
True to the style of Nobunaga,
the message grasped the hearts of the readers and inflamed their souls.

[17]
Box: "You want"
"a country?"
"Then I will give you one!"
"Join our forces!!"
"Do nothing and and a new governor will come."
"What will you do then?"
"Will you consent to offer your women once again?"
"Will you let your women be defiled again in shame and dishonor?"

[18]
Box: And Nobunaga also sent another file with excerpts of the documents he found in the fortress,
showing how the Orte Empire was on the brink of collapse.
A cunning man is he indeed!
And the elves started one unrest after another.
The occupied elven territories were now escaping the control from the Orte forces.

[19]
[A light goes on. A room is lit. Easy looks at the room.]

[20]
[Easy sits on a sofa and starts playing music.]

Box: Opera "Il Trovatore"
Act three: Di quella pira
[T.N.: a famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi.]

[Easy turns on her netbook/notebook. She reads a news about a Black King (Lord) onslaught.]

[21]
[Easy grins in satisfaction.
But soon she gets surprised and angry when she sees the news about some drifters rescuing elves.]

[22]
Easy: WHAT?!
Freaking hell!!
That damn Murasaki!!
To hell with them!!
To hell with them!!
To hell with those Drifters!!

[T.N.: Easy's door is closed. A sign can be seen on the door, suggesting that "Easy" is actually an acronym.]

[23]
[In another place, a castle is shown.]

Box: Orte Empire
Capital
Verlina

[24]
Palace of Count Saint Jarmes

Count (speaking with a catlike accent): To the east, a hopeless war. To the west, a hopeless war.
And to the north, an unknown army.
To make things even better, there is an elvish unrest under way.
I guess this country is at its end...

Side note: From the conquest of a "village" to the "Conquest of the Country"... who are the people involved in all this...!?

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 18 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale January 29th).

====================

Translator's ramblings:
- So, HiraKo translated as "Blacklord", rather than "Black King". I'm not sure whether I should follow suit and translate as "Blacklord". What do you think?
- And talking about different translations, HiraKo's English translation for "Offscourings" is "Ends", according to the extra pages in volume 1. However, I will wait a bit longer to see if HiraKo will actually use this in the manga itself.
- It seems that Orte is an equivalent for the Nazi Germany, with "Hitler" and his Beer Hall Putsch. "Verlina" comes obviously from "Berlin". Wonder if "Orte" comes from "Deutsch" then.
- Those who have read Hellsing may remember that HiraKo also used a classical music piece in Hellsing - the Jägerchor (Hunters' Chorus) from Der Freischütz, by Weber. Perhaps the "Il Trovatore" piece may be a hint for something we are not aware of. Who knows if Murasaki and Easy are actually brothers fighting for the same woman? :D (yeah, right...)
- And for those who don't know what a "catlike accent" is or for those who want to use it, just append a "-nya" at the end of each line...

Translation: Drifters 17

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:55:21 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: Comics volume 1 on sale!!

DRIFTERS

Chapter 17 - Bring love back [T.N.: "Ai wo torimodose", opening song for Hokuto no Ken or Fist of the North Star anime.]

Splash: Claim back your family
Claim back your country
Claim back your real self!!

Kohta Hirano

[2]
Side note: The "Conquest of the country" - Nobunaga and his allies start to move...

[at the governor's fortress]

Governor: Where are the soldiers!?
Why haven't they returned yet?!
Why haven't they given any news?!
Looks like that elvish flee was actually
a decoy for something else we didn't foresee!!

Aide: But was it wise to dispatch most of our soldiers
to that elvish village?

Governor: The war scenario for Orte is getting grimmer as we speak.
Now, in all occupied territories, there is no single day without reports of plunders carried out by our army,
and rebellions can burst forth in any moment, not only in elvish territories, but in all demihuman lands!!
This war can drag on forever if we only dispatch small troops to subdue each unrest.
We must send out a large contingent to crush the seeds of insurrection.
Perhaps it is better to crush one or two villages as an example and a warning
before the whole occupied territories rise up.

[3]
Governor: And, if needed,
we must hang some of their women
we hold as captives!

[a soldier enters the room]

Soldier: Governor, the soldiers!!
The soldiers are back!!

Governor: T... that's good news!!
So, they are back!!

[4]
Soldiers: Open the gate!!
Open the gate!!

Soldier (Oda): We are the peacekeeping troops for the elvish territories!
We are stopping by to report to the Governor!!
Open the gate!!

[The gate opens]

Oda [grinning]: All right, everyone smile!!
Smile and enter as quickly as possible!!
But don't run!! Walk as if nothing has happened!!

[5]
Governor: Report to me, soldier.
So, was it an unrest, as expected?!

[Oda and the elves reveal themselves to the governor.]

Governor: !!

Oda: Yes.
Indeed.

Governor: Drifters...!!
Elves...!!

Oda: This place is now ours.

[6]
[The elves step forward.]

Governor: Wh...
Ah...
No...

[Toyohisa removes his armor]

Toyohisa: This is too hot!!
This is too cumbersome!!

[7]
Toyohisa [grabbing the governor]: Where are you holding the women!?
Tell me!!

Governor: I... it's...
in the tower!!
They are in the tower!!

Toyohisa: Good. Let's go.

Governor: A... and what about the soldiers!?
Where are my soldiers!?
What happened to them!?

Oda [grinning]: Well...
I'm sorry to say this, but...

[8]
Oda: Most of them are dead.
And those few who survived are being chased by Yoichi and his elves.
But don't worry.
Eventually, you will join them.
All of you will be properly mixed with shit and soil
and will be really useful as gunpowder.

[at the forest at the outskirts of the elven village]

Soldiers: Damn! We are completely scattered!!
Huff!
Huff!
Huff!
Ah!
Huff!
[Some soldiers step onto something]
!!?

Soldier: !!

[9]
[Some soldiers fall into a hole full of sharp stakes]

Soldiers: Ah...
Uh..
Ah...
GAAAAAH!!
AAAAAGH!!

Soldier: Freaking hell!!
Another trap!?

Soldier2: The stakes are slathered with shit again...
Damn those fucking---

Footstep: Thump

[10]
[Several arrows pierce another soldier]

Soldiers: Gaaah!!
Run!!
Fuck!!

[Yoichi and several elves are watching the soldiers atop the trees]

[11]
[At the governor's fortress, several men are running in a corridor]

Guard: W...
What!?

[Toyohisa beheads him in a blink of an eye]

[12]
Guard: Aah!!
I...
I surrender!!
I surrender!!

Elf: Damn you...!!

[Toyohisa stops him.]

Elf: !!
B... but!!
Why...

Toyohisa: He has given up his weapon.
You mustn't kill him.
It is a shame to kill someone who has already surrendered!!

[13]
Elf: But...
I thought...
we...

Toyohisa: IT IS A SHAME!!

Elf: Uh...
I...

Toyohisa: We must save the women first.
Let's go.

Elves: Let's go.
Yeah.

[14]
[Toyohisa kicks the door open.]

Men: !!
What!?
What the hell!?

Elves: !!

[15]
[The place is a room of debauchery. Several men are raping the elven women. Some of the women are chained to a wall.]

[16]
Toyohisa: No! No! NO! I was wrong!!
The vermins of this castle aren't worth shit!!
We shall slash them into pieces!!
We shall hack them down till they become dust!!
No soldier in this castle is to remain alive!!

Side note: The warrior Toyohisa --- does not forgive the immoral men of this foreign world...

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 17 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale November 30th).

Translation: Drifters 16

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:20:08 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
(Nobunaga and the elves are behind the barricade. The elves prepare to fire their arrows.)

Nobunaga: Prepare to fire!!
Very well!!
Let's greet them with a refreshing shower!!!

(they shoot their arrows.)

Side note: Kohta Hirano "Drifters" Chapter 16 - Sucker

[2]
Nobunaga: This "Orte"-something
is a country in war, right?
So, those men sent here must be lower ranked, less seasoned soldiers from a locally stationed garrison.
Their morale and their combat skills should be lower as well.
I doubt that they will fight to death.
And I doubt we have to fight them all.
If we kill some 30 or 40 men of theirs,
for sure their lines will crumble
into masses of fugitives.
Hah hah hah!!

[3]
(Fire and arrows strike the soldiers.)

Nobunaga: They won't get any recognition if they slay some petty serfs.
And for them, it will be a dishonor to be killed by them elves.
Poor things.
On the other hand,
it is enough for us to hit them in any part of their bodies.
Isn't this an easy war to be fought or what?

[4]
(Elves dip the arrowheads into something and then shoot.)

Soldiers: Gwoh!
Argh!
Gah!

Commander: What are you doing!?
Get back to your positions!!
If we go for an all-out attack,
that makeshift barricade will be down in a second!!

[5]
Soldiers: Agh!!
Gah!!

Soldier: It's... it's shit!!!
The arrowheads are full of shit!!

Commander: What!?
Bring water to wash the wounds!!
Or else you'll die with tetanus!!

Soldier: Sir...!!
We have no water!!
The well is full of their shit as well!!
And we have spent virtually all the water we brought!!

Commander: !!
So, from the very beginning...
this was the reason why
they threw shit into the well...!!
This whole village was a trap!!
A trap!!
They didn't abandon the village to flee!!

[6]
Nobunaga: Get ready!!
Fire!!

(arrows fly towards the soldiers)

Soldier: N... no way!!
Hey!!
L...
Let's get out of here!!

Commander: D... don't panic!!
We outnumber them by far!!
If we surround them, we can...

[7]
Toyohisa: OOOOOOH!!!

(Toyohisa is grinning amidst the fire.)

[8]
Nobunaga: What a voice.
Sounds like a shrieking monkey.
It doesn't seem like a human voice.

Toyohisa: The head of the commander is mine.
Give me this honor,
will you?

(Toyohisa lunges forward.)

[9]
Soldiers: No way!!
Help!!
My goodness!!

(They open way to Toyohisa.)

Commander: W...
What!?
What the...

[10]
(Toyohisa jumps.)

Soldiers: Aah...

(Toyohisa strikes.)

[11]
(Toyohisa behads the commander.)

Toyohisa: He's mine!!

[12]
Soldier: Aah!
R... run!!
Help!!!

Nobunaga: This Toyohisa guy...
The timing of his attack and the timing of him beheading the commander were simply perfect
to crush the morale of the enemy.
He's really a man born for the battlefield...

(only fire, arrows and corpses remain at the village.)

Elves: W... we...
we won!!
We won!!
Yes, we won!!
We won!!
Hooray!!

Toyohisa: No, not yet!!

[13]
Toyohisa: Not yet!!
I said we would go right to the castle of the local governor and kill him, right!?

Nobunaga: Oh, really? And do you have any idea of how to do that?

Toyohisa: Of course NOT.

Nobunaga: Oh.
It figures.

Toyohisa: If we are to strike, then we have to strike till the bitter end.
Strike and strike and strike, till we crush our enemy and reduce it to nothing.
That's what I learned from my father, my uncle, my other uncle, my another uncle, my grandfather and my great-grandfather.

Nobunaga: What a nasty family!
(Your clan is really insane!)

Toyohisa: WHAT!?

Nobunaga: Hey, calm down, calm down.
I have a plan.
And besides,
the soldiers who fled should be seeing hell right now.

[14]
(in another part of the village, Yoichi and some elves look at a path.)

Elf: It is ready.

Yoichi: Yes.
He is akin to that man.
This... this...
This goes against the Way of the Warrior.
Isn't this a bit too unfair?

[15]
Man (Yoshitsune): "Unfair"?
"Way of the Warrior"?
What's the meaning of "unfair"?
Do you think there is fairness or codes of honor in the battlefield?
Yoichi, you are just too naive.
The Taira clan, the Minamoto clan, even my stupid brother at Kamakura [T.N.: Minamoto no Yoritomo]
are nothing but naive bums.
Just shut your mouth and do what I tell you to do.

[16]
Yoichi: Forget him!
Forget a man like him!!
Forget a monster like him!!

Elf: Are you alright?

Yoichi: Yes, yes, I am.
It's nothing~!

[17]
Nobunaga: Very well.
Everyone donning your armors!?

(Nobunaga and the elves are using the armors from the dead soldiers.)

[18]
Box: Orte Empire, Administrative District of the Occupied Elven Territories
Local Governor Fortress - the "Tower of Preliminary Inspection"

Side text: The Nobunaga party advances towards the "conquest of the country"... what will they face?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 16 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale October 30th).

Translation: Drifters 15

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:13:58 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
(at the village of elves, some soldiers are chatting.)
Soldier: Man, I'm thirsty.

Soldier2: Live with it.
The well is poisoned.
Those fucking long ears
threw shit into it.

Soldier 3: Hell,
why don't we just kill them all and----

(a shadow sneaks up behind him.)

[2]
Kohta Hirano

Splash: TO CLAIM
WHAT HAS BEEN LOST---
AND---

TO CLAIM LIVES!

Huge additional printing confirmed for comics volume 1!!
DRIFTERS

Chapter 15 - Monky Magic [T.N.: Actually, "Monkey Magic", another title of a song.]

[3]
Soldier (waking up): What?
What's up?

(an arrow pierces his throat. There is a shower of arrows.)

Soldiers: AGH!
GAH!
Wha...!?

Soldiers: GAAAAAH!!
AAAAARGH!!

Soldier: What's going on!!?
It's coming from the east part of the village!!

(the soldiers dash.)

Soldiers: Is it an attack of those long ears!?
Have no idea!!

[4]
(They freeze at the sight of Toyohisa holding a human head.)

Soldiers: D....
Drifters...!!

Toyohisa: Good.
Time to flee!!

[5]
(Toyohisa stars running.)

Soldiers: !!

Soldier: D...
Don't let them escape!!
After them!!

Commander: So, there was a drifter behind all this, as expected.
Get him, no matter what!!

(the soldiers start running.)

[6]
(at the outskirts of the village, Nobunaga is gathered with several elves.)

Nobunaga: Good.
It has begun.
Everyone ready?

(the elves look at the map showing the battle tactics.)

Top part of the map: Big Fishing Party of the Elven Village

Right circle of the map: Toyo [T.N.: Toyohisa]
Text below left circle: Bait (for fools)

Left circle of the map: Nobu [T.N.: Nobunaga]
Text below left circle: Oda Nobunaga, master of ambushes

[7]
Nobunaga: Speed.
Speed is everything.
Move exactly as I told you.

(The elves brace themselves.)

Nobunaga: Hey, don't worry.
The worst thing that can happen is your death.

[8]
(The elves start dashing. Nobunaga is on a carriage with a lot of wood planks.)

Nobunaga: Run!!
Feh, to think that I used to command a huge army of 200 thousand men.
And now, look what I've become.
Heh heh heh heh.
I must admit that this world is really a lot of fun.
And I'm lovin' it.[T.N.: Feel free to change this obvious reference, if you want to XD]

[9]
(in another part of the village, Toyohisa beheads another soldier and run away.)

Soldiers: After him!!
Don't let him escape!!

Commander: Why are you taking so long!?
Our target is just one single man!!
Surround him and bring him to me!!

[10]
(Toyohisa grins.)

Soldiers: He's laughing!!
What the hell?!
Who the fuck is he!?

(Elves and Nobunaga's carriage enter the village.)

[11]
Soldier: W...
What...

(an arrow pierces his throat.)

Nobunaga: Where's the guide?!

Elf: There it is!!
It's that cart!!
We are in front of my house!!

Nobunaga: Stop right beside it!!
Free the horse!!
Let's go!!

[12]
Nobunaga: Hurry up!!
Come on, hurry up!!
You will die!! Everyone will die if you don't hurry up!!
Hurry up!!
Hurry up!!
Hurry up!!
Hurry up!! [T.N.: somehow, this scene reminds me of Alucard, in Hellsing.]

(The elves build a kind of a barricade.)

[13]
Nobunaga: Shoot the fire arrows!!
This is your farewell to this village!!
Steel your resolve!!
This is your farewell to this village that bound you!!
And this is your farewell to the life you had as serfs!!
FIRE!!

(several fire arrows are shot.)

[14]
(The buildings are quickly on fire.)

Soldiers: !!

Commander: What!? What's going on!?

(Toyohisa grins.)

[15]
(The whole village is engulfed in flames. Nobunaga grins.)

[16]
Nobunaga: The soldiers of my country Owari were really weak. [T.N.: Owari is now Aichi Prefecture.]
And that gave me a lot of headaches.
So, I had to think all the time
about ways to cover this weakness up.
But who'd think I would use a strategy from that monkey Hideyoshi? [T.N.: Toyotomi Hideyoshi.]
Hah hah hah!
Lo and behold, this is my Sunomata castle! [T.N.: Sunomata castle was a castle that Hideyoshi built up in just a few hours.]

Side note: The knowledge mastered by the war experts from the Sengoku Era --- in a time for enjoyment in another world ----

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 15 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale August 30th).

Translation: Drifters 14

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:30:37 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Upper note: Octobrist Organization's gofer... I mean, Olmine!

Side note: Comics volume 1 on sale July 7th! (details on Shonen Gahosha's HP!)

DRIFTERS

Chapter 14 - Ready Steady Go [T.N.: There is a number of songs with this name. Most probably, in this case it's a reference to the L'Arc-en-ciel song used in the Fullmetal Alchemist anime.]

Kohta Hirano

[2]
Toyohisa: We have 20 swords and armors from the soldiers we killed.
Also, we have two horses, but they can't ride them.
So, we will use the animals for the strategy I came up with.
The armors are fine.
The problem is that only one or two of them knows how to wield a sword.

Oda: Talking about it, they were really motivated to making bows.
So, now Yoichi is helping them to make bows and arrows.
And they are making bows and arrows like there was no tomorrow.
It seems like they were experts in this.
Though I wish for some spears.
A long range weapon like a spear reduces the fear in battle.
Even a peasant can kill a warrior with a long spear.
Heh heh heh.

[3]
Toyohisa: Obviously you have no means to know, but
Akechi Mitsuhide was killed by poor farmers while fleeing in Fushimi.

Oda: You kidding!
Hah! That kumquat-head saw it coming!
Long live the poor farmers of Fushimi! I exempt them from taxes for the next one million years!

Toyohisa (grinning): Either way, Nobunaga.
You seem to have lots of fun while plotting nasty stuff.

Oda (grinning): The battle itself is only the consequence of what you did before.
I believe that wars are actually waged, fought and won before the battle.
Although nobody except that monkey Hideyoshi understood this truth. [T.N.: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, aide of Nobunaga and ruler of Japan after Nobunaga.]

[4]
(The elves are surprised to find the soldier's armors and weapons inside a house.)

Elves: We didn't know why the corpses of the dead soldiers disappeared overnight.
So, it was you who gathered them!!

Yoichi: Choose any gear you want.
I hope you don't mind the blood.
(O chosen ones, washeth them with thy own hands)

[5]
Yoichi: I guess it's better not to tell them what we did with the bodies of those soldiers.
Toyohisa beheaded the bodies, and buried the heads in a common tomb, which is fine.
The problem is what Nobu is doing with the remaining parts of the body.

(Olmine, Oda and Toyohisa are walking in a hill.)

Olmine: What a terrible stench!

Oda: We gave a proper burial to their heads.
So, we will use their bodies to our purposes.

Toyohisa: A "saltpeter mound", eh? [T.N.: See end of the translation for a lengthy note on this. Beware of possible spoilers!]

Oda: I mixed soil, grass, excrements and the corpses of those soldiers.
I presume it will take some two years till we can get the first crystals.

[6]
Oda: This is something I learned from my enemies.
By the way, we have to forbid those elven villagers from entering this mountain.
Or else, they may get sick from diseases unknown to us.

Olmine (almost throwing up): Ulp.

Toyohisa: What are you going to do with the earth we digged from the bathrooms?

Oda: It's easy to get charcoal. But so far, we have no sulfur.
So, we will leave it as is for the moment.

Olmine: This is just too much!!
I can't believe you could do this to the bodies of those soldiers!

Oda: What are you talking about?
Bury them as is and the same thing will happen. Maggots will eat them till they become dust once again.
We are just speeding the process. We can't let precious resources go to waste.

[7]
Toyohisa: We washed and cleaned their heads.
We gave them proper burial as human beings.
So, if you want to pray, pray to those heads.
If you believe that shit and piss are dirty,
remember that me and you are also bags of flesh, full of shit and piss inside.
Do you think that the soul dwells in shit filled flesh
instead of decently cleaned and buried heads?
That would be nonsense.

Olmine: Now I see... the main difference between me and them
is not knowledge, technology or culture.
But it is the views on life and death.

[8]
Oda: Hey, Olminboobs.

Olmine: Are you so senile to mistake only the last part of my name?
It's so disgusting that I can't even get mad at you.

Oda: I want that yellow, stinky stuff you can get near volcanoes.
It's something we call "sulfur".
Can you get it for us?
That stuff that smells like powdered fart.

Olmine: What? Sulfur?
Yes, I think it's possible to get it.
But what are you going to do with it?

Oda: It doesn't matter. Just bring it to us, will ya?
Ask your I-don't-know-the-name organization.
(Octotits?)

Olmine: What?
(Octobrist!)
Uh... I don't think we can do this for free.
How much are you willing to pay us?

Oda: SHUT UP!!
I will pay you after conquering some 5 or 6 countries!
Just shut up and bring the damn sulfur as soon as possible, dammit!!

Olmine: WHAAT!?

[9]
Olmine: Earth from bathrooms? Corpses? Sulfur?
What are they planning to do!?
Somebody please give me a clue!!

(elsewhere, the elves are practicing archery.)

Elves: That was great!
Did you see that? Almost bullseye!
Right, now it's my turn!!

[10]
Yoichi: Amazing.
They are getting good just too fast.

Shara: Hahaha.
We were originally archery experts.
But for a long time, we were forbidden to make bows and to touch them.
But everyone enjoyed archery when we were kids, before the war.

Yoichi: Right, I can't lose!!

Shara: !!

[11]
(Yoichi shoots and hits bullseye. He grins to the elves.)

Elves: (Oooh)

[12]
(Yoichi shoots and shoots, hitting exactly the same place.)

Elves: ALL RIGHT, WE GOT IT!
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DID TO YOU, BUT WE ARE REALLY SORRY!
WE UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU ARE THE NUMBER ONE! YOU ARE THE BEST!
NOW, PLEASE STOP! YOU ARE DESTROYING ALL ARROWS!!

[13]
(It's dusk. The Drifters and the elves are gathered.)

Toyohisa: Very well.
Now, we will attack the village.
Kill every single one of them.
We won't just take our village back.
We will go right to the castle of the local governor---
--- AND WE WILL KILL HIM.

Oda (surprised): W...
WHAT?!

[14]
Toyohisa: Those two told me the reason
why there are no young women in this village.

Shara: ...
We elves can only have children once a year.
And when the time arrives, all young women are taken to the local governor.

Oda: Oh, I see now.
So, they are really trying, aren't they?
To wipe you from this world.

Toyohisa: Recover your women and your children to be a man once again.
They reduced you to slaves in this world.
Now, it's your turn to reduce them to slaves--- in hell!

[15]
Toyohisa: If there's something like right and wrong in this world,
then right is what you are going to do now.
Even if you die, you can face your ancestors and say, full of pride:
that you died fighting the fight.
That you died protecting your loved ones.
Recover your women. Recover your children.
Recover your country.
Recover your honor to be once again the mighty men you were!

[16]
Oda: This man is indeed a military commander from the very beginning.
He has the necessary power for a general fighting a war.
The power to move people towards battlefield.
THE POWER CALLED "INSANITY".

[17]
(It's night. Soldiers are doing the patrol at the village.)

Soldier (spitting): Ptoo!
Where are those fucking long ears?

Soldier 2: Have no idea.
They say we are going to search the nearby villages for them tomorrow.

[18]
Soldier (laughing): Hahahah, we are going to crush those villages as well
if we find them long ears hiding there?

Soldier 2: Probably.

(A sound is heard. An arrow pierces one soldier.)

(Articles start to appear on a newspaper.)

Side text: The samurai who fought in the Warring States Era will start the conquest of the country in an unknown universe!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 14 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale July 30th).

===========================

(WARNING: Some possible spoilers ahead?)

Extensive Translator's Note: About saltpeter (硝石,"Shouseki") production in feudal Japan

Probably not a few people have already figured out what Toyohisa, Oda and Yoichi are up to: production of gunpowder.

Gunpowder is essentially a mixture made from three products: nitrate, charcoal and sulfur, having a standard proportion of 75% nitrate, 15% charcoal and 10% sulfur.

Among them, nitrate - obtained from saltpeter - is the most critical component, since it supplies oxygen for the exothermic chemical reaction (combustion) to take place.

And how was saltpeter (potassium nitrate) obtained in Japan? Besides importation, there were three major ways to produce it.

1) Gathering the black soil from under old houses, mixing it with water to get calcium nitrate, which in turn was heated and mixed with ash, obtaining potassium nitrate, which was concentrated and filtered to obtain its crystals. This is the oldest method known in Japan, introduced together with firearms (16th century), and largely used in most places till the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. The problem was (is) the low efficiency of this process.

For those who are into chemistry, the (very) simplified chemical equations are as follows:

1) 2NH3+3O2 => 2H2O+2HNO2 -> aerobic microorganisms transform ammonia into nitrous acid

2) 2HNO2+O2 => 2HNO3 -> nitrous acid is oxidized into nitric acid

3) 2HNO3+CaO => Ca(NO3)2+H2O -> nitric acid reacts with calcium from the soil and becomes calcium nitrate

4) Ca(NO3)2+K2CO3 => 2KNO3+CaCO3 -> calcium nitrate reacts with vegetable cinders (potash) and becomes potassium nitrate

2) Gathering several grains and herbs, like tobacco, sagebrush, buckwheat a.s.o., which are rich in nitrates, mixing it with insect excrement and water in a specially designed hole. After a few years, under the right conditions, it was possible to have a steady production of saltpeter. This was the method used in mount Gokayama, now Toyama Prefecture, since 16th century, and the most famous method used in feudal Japan.

3) The third and the last one is the method used in Drifters so far. Called "saltpeter mound method", a mound was built, with soil, water, grains/herbs, and excrements (urine and feces) from humans and animals, among other stuff. After a few years, you would have saltpeter on the surface of the mound.

However, there seems to be a small inconsistency in the Drifters manga. It seems that this method was indeed very popular in Satsuma (homeland of Toyohisa), but it was introduced in Japan only in the 19th century, some centuries after Toyohisa's era. So, how could he know about this method (not to mention Oda Nobunaga)?

For those who can read Japanese, here is a good academic article that describes Japanese saltpeter production techniques in further detail:

http://dspace.lib.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2297/7422/1/AA11430153-33-itagaki.pdf

As for the other materials for gunpowder production, charcoal was something that could easily be obtained, and sulfur could come from volcanic areas. As Japan had (has) plenty of volcanic areas, it wasn't really that great a problem.

Translation: Drifters 13

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:35:21 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS!! THANKS!!

[1]
Toyohisa: Are you going to crawl like vermins and die in shameful regret
or are you going to reach out for the sky and die for your dreams?
Which one do you prefer!?
Choose!!

Side note: Comics volume 1 on sale June 30th!!!

Elves: D...
do you think that we aren't ashamed...?!
Do you think we don't want our country back!?
Do you think we want to live as slaves!?

[2]
Side note: Plenty of additional stuff in the comics volume!!!

Toyohisa: Good.
Then,
we will commence the Conquest of the country. [T.N.: "Kunitori" in Japanese, a word often associated to Oda Nobunaga.]

DRIFTERS
Kohta Hirano

Chapter 13 - STAND UP TO THE VICTORY [T.N.: this is the name of a Victory Gundam (V Gundam) song.]

Oda: My, my.
He's got a good face.
Somehow...
he reminds me of...
!!

Toyohisa: Hey.

[3]
Toyohisa: Why you made me as commander?
You should be the one doing this, shouldn't you, Nobunaga?

Oda: Feh... hahahahaha!
I prefer being the eminence grise !
Hahahaha!

(Toyohisa looks sternly at Oda)

Toyohisa: I am not your son Nobutada.

(Oda is surprised.)

Toyohisa: Your son died at Azuchi!
He was killed by Mitsuhide!
I am Shimazu Toyohisa!
I am not Oda Nobutada!!

[4]
Oda: I...
I know that, you fool!
What are you talking about, you idiot?!
You have no resemblance to him, stupid fool!!
Stop talking nonsense, idiot.
Feh.

(Oda turns his back)

Oda: You fool.

Toyohisa: I said one word too much.

[5]
Toyohisa: If my father was alive,
I guess he would be more or less at his age...

(Oda turns and grins.)

Toyohisa: !!

Oda: I am not your father!
Iehisa is long dead!
I am Oda Nobunaga! Where the hell is "Satsuma"?

(Toyohisa gets pissed off.)

[6]
(The two start a fight)

Toyohisa: WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU MORON!?

Oda: WHAT, YOU WANT A FIGHT!?

Toyohisa: TAKE THIS!!

Elves: W, what 's going on!? Why did they start fighting!?
Aaaah!
Gaaah!
Stop them! Stop them!

Yoichi (smiling blissfully): Oh, my, this brings back some fond memories...
of the fights with my brothers...

[7]
Yoichi: After all, there was 11 of us...

Yoichi's brothers: The ten of us will all support the Taira clan!
Yoichi, you going to the Minamoto side? Great! Let's fight! Let's fight!

Box: Nasu clan

Yoichi: That was so great...
I wish I could fight them again...

(Yoichi lands a flying kick on Oda)

Yoichi: Take this!!

Oda: What the hell are you doing!?

Yoichi: Ahahahah!

Oda: You freaking archer!!!

(General brawl erupts.)

Voice: PLEASE STOP!!!

[8]
Elf: While we are here fighting for nothing, the army of the lord may as well be coming this way!!
We don't have time to lose!!

Toyohisa: And you are...?

Elf: I am Shara, son of the village elder killed by them.
Thanks for taking care of my brothers.

Toyohisa (to the brothers): Oh, so he's your elder brother.

Brothers: Yes!
Yes!

Oda: The army "may" be coming this way?
It's "damn obvious" that it's coming here.

[9]
Oda: The troop you slaughtered must be a patrolling troop.
And as it didn't go back to its base quarters, they are going to gather more soldiers.

Yoichi: Four days to do that, perhaps?
No, they are good at it. Three days, tops.

Toyohisa: We, the Shimazu, need only one day.

Oda: Your damn clan is a bunch of freaks, that's why!
(You damn belligerent freaks!)
So, that means that the day after tomorrow---
--- is the day this village is burnt to the ground.

[10]
Shara: Please!
Please help us!!
We... we beg you!!
We have never taken up arms to fight.
We were still kids 40 years ago, when our country was destroyed.
And our fathers and brothers who fought that war were all killed.
We don't even know how to fight.
Please help us!
Please, we beg you!

Oda: ?

Yoichi: ?

Toyohisa: ?

Oda: Didn't you just say something weird now, son?

Shara: Eh?

[11]
Oda: How old are you?

Shara: Me?
I'm 106 years old.

(Oda and Yoichi are utterly shocked.)

Oda: Hey, no kidding, all right?
Were you in Japan, you would have been killed for lying.

Shara: But I'm telling you the truth.

Toyohisa (to the elven kids): Hey, how old are you?

Brothers: 39!
36!

(Toyohisa, Oda and Yoichi are utterly shocked.)

[12]
Oda (furiously grabbing Olmine's breasts): WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, HOOTINE!?

Olmine: It's OLMINE!!
(You pervert old man!!)
I bet you don't want to learn my name!!
And take your hand off my breasts!!!
Elves have a long lifespan.
They live 5 to 6 times longer than humans.
(Those Japanese are all crazy...)
On the other hand, their growth is slower as well.

Toyohisa(looking at the young elves, shocked): They are older than me...

Elven brothers: Are you all right?
Are you all right?

Olmine: This region was originally part of the elven country.
But "Orte", the eastern kingdom of humans,
destroyed the elven country and annexed their land.

[13]
Olmine: There were also many countries from many races like dwarves and hobbits in this area.
But they were all destroyed and the survivors were forced to become poor farmers or miners.
The "Orte" kingdom now calls itself as "Empire"
and adopts a policy of conquest and dominion based on human superiority.

Oda: This "Orte" something,
is it still expanding its frontiers?

Olmine: They are fighting at all borders.
Though these fights are causing massive casualties but no winner so far.

Oda: It's obvious.
Conquering a land is like playing with fire.
You only have two options:
either you burn everything to the ground---
--- or you give them everything, just like pampering a princess.

Olmine: If Orte was as strong as it was 40 years ago, it could have been a major force against the Black King.
But now...

[14]
Oda: They do things by halves. That's why they get so much hatred.
And they've been doing this for damn forty years.
It's just like setting fire at dry woods.
Everywhere is filled up with the smoke of hatred.
No wonder those idiots from yesterday were overdoing it.
If they don't "show their authority", they will lose control.
And that's why they are coming here again. They will come here for sure, to kill everyone.
So, what are you going to do now, Toyohisa?
What are you going to do, commander?
Show us the war strategies of the Shimazu!

Toyohisa: ... we will welcome them soldiers.
We will welcome them into this village.

[15]
(a large human army is marching towards the elven village.)

[16]
Soldiers: Aram's patrolling troop was annihilated, or so they say.
It's impossible!
Those long ears [T.N.: elves] don't have the guts to fight!
Rumors say that they were killed by drifters.
Drifters!?
Hey, but there were just two or three drifters, right?!
Can't believe the drifters are that strong!
Stop talking! The village is near!!
Watch out for any signs of threat!!
They might be strong.
But there are 200 of us here.
Isn't it a bit too much just to crush a puny village of them long ears?
What do you think?

[17]
Soldier: Captain, the scout has returned.

Captain: Good.
How's the village?
Are they taking up arms?

Scout: Sir...
there's nobody in the village.
Not a single soul!

Captain: WHAT?!

[18]
(The soldiers enter the village.)

Soldiers: Nobody here, sir!
Nobody here either!!
It's empty!!

Captain: What does this mean?

[19]
Soldier: Captain, please look at this.

Captain: A well...? And what's this smell?

Soldier: It's the smell of shit, sir.
Those damn long ears have thrown shit into the well.
And there's another weird thing.
They seem to have digged the entrance and the bathrooms of every house.

Captain: What's that?
Is it a superstition by those damn long ears?
I don't understand!!
Where have they gone!?
What's going on here!?

[20]
(Toyohisa and others are atop of trees.)

Toyohisa: Tonight we strike.
Tonight we kill all of them.
And their heads will be ours.

Side text: Three drifters -- it's time to show the tactics of the warring states of Japan!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 13 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale June 30th).

Translation: Drifters 12

Sat, 01 May 2010 07:43:06 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS! THANKS!

[1]
Olmine: We call as "Drifters"
every "person" who was sent here from other worlds, like you.
Likewise, we call as "Offscourings"
every "evil being who forsake their humanity" and was sent here from other worlds.

Side note: Volume 1 on sale June 30th!

DRIFTERS
KOHTA HIRANO

Chapter 12 - Active Heart

Olmine: The goal of our Octobrist Organization is to locate, watch
and gather the Drifters to fight against the Offscourings.
Uh... and could you untie me, please?

Toyohisa: Of course NOT.
I can't understand a thing of what you are saying.

Oda: Hah hah hah!
My dear Olmine,
you are getting it totally wrong.

[2]
Oda: FOR I AM THE DEVIL LORD OF THE 6TH HEAVEN!
You think I am a good man? Then you are WRONG!
I AM PURE EVIL!!

Toyohisa: You still doing such ludicrous performance?
Don't you feel ashamed?

Oda: Of course NOT.

Toyohisa: You really got some galls.
I forgot that you liked flashy stuff since you were a kid.

Olmine: No, I don't think you are Offscourings.

Yoichi: Why?

Olmine: Those who come here as offscourings
can't be called as "human beings" anymore.
They never make such jokes like you.

[3]
Olmine: They nourish only an utter hate towards this world.
I don't know what happened to them in your world.
But surely they hate everything in this world.
And hate drives them to destroy everything they see.
There are only two things that Offscouring do when they come here:
Devastation and carnage.
They gathered in the north, subjugated the monsters that lived there
and started marching south.
If we let them be, they will reduce this world to nothing.
That's why we ask you, Drifters, to help us!!

[4]
Oda: And how many soldiers have you got?

Olmine: Eh?

Oda: I know nothing about monsters,
but now I know that they have a large army.
Just how many soldiers have you got to fight them?

Olmine: Uh... well...
our organization is a society of magicians, so...

Oda: So, no soldiers at all?

Olmine: Our goals is to gather all Drifters, and...
well, our plan is to appeal to the kings and lords of each country to provide armed forces,
and the Drifters would lead them against...

Oda: Fool! Fool! Fool!
This may be a different world, but some things are just the same.
Every country here has a lord, who has command over his army, which in turn is a proof of his power.
Nobody is idiot enough to hand his army to an unknown bunch of guys, you fool!

[5]
Oda: It doesn't matter how strong or powerful those so called "Offscourings" are.
The lords will never surrender their armies to you.
They will cling to their military power till their last man is killed and
their last stronghold falls to the hands of them "Army to Destroy the World".
That's what a "lord" is!
Why do you think the Mohists disappeared after the Warring States Period?! [T.N.: Mohists, the followers of Mozi's teachings, had a rather famous resistance group during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) and Warring States Period (475BC-221BC) in mainland China.]
You may come up with whatever theory you like, but facts are facts.

Toyohisa: So... this is...
Oda Nobunaga.
It's really hard to tell if he is an oaf or a shrewd man.

[6]
Olmine: Th-- then, what should we do!?
Without the help of you Drifters, we can never defeat them!
What should we do!?

Oda: What?
Isn't it obvious?
We Drifters have to take over a country!!

[7]
Oda: We will start by taking over this country, having Toyohisa as our head.

Toyohisa: !!

Oda (to Olmine): Lend us a hand.
Join us in this plan to destroy this country, so that you can bring happiness and peace to your world.

Toyohisa: Wait a moment! I am the head of this!?
Who said that?!

Yoichi: What? You sat in the middle of us after that battle, you forgot?

Toyohisa: And so what?!

Yoichi: Oh, forget it.

Nobunaga: Couldn't you be a tad brighter, son?

[8]
Olmine: Great Master, things are a mess here!
Those guys are completely crazy!
But I must admit that
their ideas are appealing.
It's said that the Offscourings have already raised arms a few times in the past.
And every time they did that, this world was brought to the brink of extinction.
But this time, the Offscourings are way more powerful.
The world will be reduced to dust if we don't take bold actions.
Nothing will remain here---
--- and the Black King will have won.

[9]
[at the Black King's "HQ"]

Man: Black Majesty.
The North Wall of Carneades
has completely fallen.

Black King: What about our losses,
Rasputin? [T.N.: Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Григорий Ефимович Распутин) was a famous Russian mystic who had much influence in the Russian government of Tsar Nicholas II and led to the fall of the Romanovs.]

[10]
Rasputin: Goblin Batallions suffered 274 casualties and Kobold Advance Guards, 345.
Also, 4 Aerial Dragon Knights taken down.
The casualties were less than expected among the soldiers, but those 4 Knights were a significant damage for us.

Black King: Gather the injured.

Rasputin: Will you do "that"?

Black King: Of course.
Goblins, Kobolds, Dragons,
everyone is our brethren.
I will save everyone I can.

Rasputin: Black Majesty,
you are most kind.

[11]
[Lots of monsters are lying, injured. The Black King lays his hand on the injury of one of them.]

[12]
[The wound is healed. All monsters scream in gratitude.]

Black King: It is all right.
You fought very well.
Bring the next one to me.

[13]
Black King: Rasputin.
Spread the news that the North Wall has fallen.
Those who fears humans and those who don't believe that the reign of humans is about to end
will certainly join us upon hearing that news.
I tried to save humans.
But I was denied.
Therefore, I have to save those who are not humans
and annihilate all humans.

Rasputin: Black Majesty,
you are most fearsome.

[14]
Black King: Hunt down the Drifters who fled.
Hunt them down.
Hunt them down.
Find where those magicians sent those Drifters.
Find where those magicians are leading those Drifters.
They are not to be gathered.
The Drifters are the only enemies that can hinder us.
Find them, no matter what it takes.
Find them AND KILL THEM.

[15]
[The Offscourings grin]

Yoshitsune: Now, what am I going to do?
Hah hah!
I guess I'll go to the fancier side.

[16]
Black King: I am the indomitable one.
I am the unstoppable tragedy that covers the land in pain and death.
The journey to annihilate mankind will not be halted.
Not a single human being will be left alive.
It will be an end, destroying every human being that lives,
and it will be a beginning, saving every non human being that lives.
COME TO ME, MY BRETHREN.

[17]
[at the elven village, the elves are engaged in a fierce discussion]

Elf 1: What are we going to do?

Elf 2: It's just too late for regrets!
We killed the commander sent by the lord of this land!
There is no going back!

Elf 3: But that's because those Drifters...!!

Elf 4: Do you think the lord will accept such excuse!?

Elf 5: Not to mention that more than half of the wheat fields have burned down.
We won't be able to pay the taxes to the lord.
Even if he forgives us, be sure that they will take all our harvest!
And we will starve to death!!

[18]
Elf 6: The time for our upheaval is now!
As we talk here, a large army is coming to this village!
If we don't do something,
either we are killed by them or we will starve to death!

Elves: That's right! We've had enough!
We have to overthrow the lord of this land!

Elf 7: Don't say nonsense!
We don't stand a chance against him!

Yoichi (entering and speaking in VERY bad elvish): Yuh, yooh doo. [T.N.: "Yes, you do." Notice that Yoichi's speech pattern is set to show that he's not proficient in elvish.]

Elves: !!
!!

[19]
Yoichi: Deah eesh chin-suh. [T.N.: "There is chance"]
Yooh reabold, goot. [T.N.: "You revolt, good"]
Hee-ah Nobunobu, You itchy. Toyotoyo, owl shthrong. [T.N.: "Here Nobunobu, Yoichi. Toyotoyo, all strong." ]

Toyohisa: (What's that?)
Hey.

Oda: (Looks like a real barbarian)
They aren't understanding a word.

Toyohisa (to Olmine): Hey! Wait a sec! You!
How come you speak Japanese!?

Olmine: Oh, my, here he comes!
(Somebody help me!)
S, sir, we are a society of magicians, and...
And we have done a lot of research about you, and...
the Great Master has devised and drawn useful pieces of paper like this.
Stick this on you and you can effortless speak with them.
Our Great Master is really great, don't you think?

[20]
[Yoichi falls down in frustration]

Yoichi: All my efforts was worth nothing...

Oda: Hey, you! Dammit! Do you know how hard it was for Yoichi to learn their language!?

Olmine: How should I know that!?

Oda: Apologise! Apologise to Yoichi!

Olmine: W, why!?

Oda: Shut up and apologise! Don't you feel sorry for him!?

Olmine: Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Oda: And give me that piece of paper!

Olmine: Uh, wait a moment.
Far east, Country of the Rising Sun, people like Samurai.
I think this is the right one.
[Olmine sticks onto Yoichi's face, making him look like a Kyonshii (Jiang Shi, Chinese zombie)]
Right!

Yoichi: Hello.

Toyohisa: He looks like some weird zombie!!
Don't you have common sense!?

Olmine: All right, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!!

[21]
Oda (looking at the paper with a lot of arcane inscriptions): This looks like the papers used by the "onmyouji" magicians of Kyoto.
The "Octobrist Organization" and "Great Master"...
Who the hell are they?
[turning to Toyohisa]
Toyohisa, you tell them.
I will stay by your side. Tell them exactly as I say.
You are the best one to speak to them.
[turning to Olmine]
Hey, Hooterglasses.

Olmine: My name is OLMINE!!
I would love if you call me by my name!

Oda: Tell me about those pointy eared guys.
I can imagine what happened to them, so make it short.

Olmine: What? Explain to you right now?
My goodness.

[22]
Olmine: They are what we call as "Elves".
Decades ago, they were invaded by humans and were defeated in the war.
Since then, they are living as poor farmers for the humans.

Oda: Good.
Now tell me about the main traits of elves.

Olmine: Uh, well, they have a long lifespan.
And I've heard that originally they are a very proud people.

Oda (chuckling): Great. That's all I wanted to know.
Hah hah hah hah hah hah!

[23]
Oda (whispering to Toyohisa): Toyo, here's what you are going to say.
Just as you told me, you...
you say this, like this, and this...
and this.

Toyohisa: Wha...?
[he sweatdrops]
You are really a disgraceful man!!
No wonder you were betrayed!!

Oda: S, shut up!
Speak to them!

Toyohisa (to the elves): Hey guys.
Tell me one thing.
Wouldn't your ancestors be mortified
to see you reduced to this shameful state?

[24]
[the elves are speechless]

Toyohisa: Wouldn't your children be ashamed
to see you degraded to this pitiable state?
Tell me.
Don't you want your country back?

Side note: The Japanese samurai started to move --- and war is their creed---

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 12 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale May 29th).

Translation: Drifters 11

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:37:11 +0000

PLEASE GIVE DUE CREDITS! THANKS!

[1]
Octobrist: LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!

(A carriage leaves the fortress)

Side note: [DRIFTERS] KOHTA HIRANO

[2]
(Several soldiers of the Black King go after them. However, they are shot down.)

Soldier: !?

[3]
Wild Bunch gang man: Do them! Do them!
Do them, Kid!

Kid: Shit! Fuck!
I'm running out of bullets!!
[T.N.: I haven't figured out for sure what members Hirano is using. I presume they are Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, but so far Hirano has given no hint about who they are.]

[4]
(He keeps shooting from the carriage to open a way to escape.)

Hannibal: What's this? This is great!
Give me this and I will take Rome in one day!

Scipio: Shut up, old man!

Wild Bunch man: Hahahahaha!

Kid: !!

[5]
(a dragon appears in front of them.)

Wild Bunch man: !!

(the dragon opens her mouth to attack, but is taken down with heavy gunfire.)

[6]
Wild Bunch man: !!

Naoshi: Reporting! One "dragon" down!
Hah!
Engaging combat! Target is "dragon"!! Target is "dragon"!!
This is Kanno Naoshi speaking, Captain of "Shinsengumi", 301st Air Force Battalion!

[7]
Naoshi: I hate things that spit fires!
Fuck you, you son of a bitch!
I have no fuckin' idea about where I am!
But I'm taking you all down, you freaking scum!!

[8]
(Naoshi chases dragons)

Octobrist: A drifter!!
He was a drifter!!

[9]
Octobrist: Let us flee from this place!!
But I won't let you do as you please!
Not anymore, Black King!!
The mistakes shall be amended!
You are not meant to be here!

[10]
Goblins: Pgya! Pgyuah!
Pgyuah!
Pgyah! Pgyah!

Black King: It is already too late.
Their fate is already settled.

[11]
Black King: Chase them.
Seek them.
Find them.
Kill them.
All drifters shall be killed.
No drifter is to be left alive.
Thus is my order, inexorable tragedy being my power of rule.

[12]
South, way south from the North Wall of Carneades--
-- in a castle in ruins---

Girl: I can't get into contact with the Great Master.
W, what shall I do?
I really hope the North Wall hasn't fallen...
Meanwhile, those stupid three guys are making such a big mess.
What should I do now?

(Nobunaga and Yoichi suddenly appear before her.)

[13]
Toyohisa: No wonder I had that feeling that someone was watching us.
Who are you!!

Girl (trembling with terror): Uh...
Ah... eh...
SOMEBODY HELP ME!!
A "Kubi-oiteke" monster is trying to kill me!! [T.N.: "Kubi-oiteke" means literally "leave your neck(head)". It seems to be a monster (youkai) from Satsuma region, region of Toyohisa.]

Toyohisa: Who the hell is a monster!?
Hah.

Girl: Augh!

Yoichi: Is she a spy?

Nobunaga: She is just too clumsy to be a spy.
... but first and foremost of all.

[14]
Nobunaga: Hey, Toyohisa.

Toyohisa: What?

Nobunaga: She's speaking the Language of the Rising Sun. [T.N.: Japanese.]

Toyohisa: Oh!

Yoichi: (Indeed!)

Toyohisa: Hey, you!
Confess! Spit out everything you know!!

Girl: (Help me! Don't kill me!)
Noooo! Aaaah! Noooo!

Toyohisa: If you don't tell me everything, I will leave you in his hands.

Nobunaga: Hello, I am the Devil Lord of the 6th Heaven. [T.N.: here, he's speaking just like Son Goku, from Dragon Ball.]
I like arson and mass murder.
I make toasts with the skulls of the men I kill.
(I love taking over the country)
(I love dancing Atsumori) [T.N.: Nobunaga liked to perform a dance telling the story of Taira no Atsumori, a young warrior of old.]

Girl: AAAAAH!!!

[15]
Girl: I, I am Olmine!
A magician and a Octobrist!
The Great Master ordered me to watch you!
To watch you Drifters! Please help me!

Toyohisa: I didn't understand a thing!

Nobunaga: That fool is saying that he didn't understand!
Explain, so that the fool can understand as well!

Olmine: You got to be kidding!

Toyohisa: Who is the idiot!?
Do you want to lose your head?

Nobunaga: Oh, so you did listen, after all.
You are indeed that "kubi-oiteke" monster then.

Olmine: Uh... well...
In this world, we call "Drifters"---
--- men like you, who came from "the other" world.
And the job of the Octobrist organization---
--- is to keep an eye and gather those Drifters.

[16]
Olmine: And you came here to fight. [T.N.: in the background, the names of several Drifters can be seen.]
Fight against men called as "offscouring".

Toyohisa: To hell with that.
(I'm telling you, I didn't understand a thing)

Nobunaga: Nobody tells me what to do.
(Why should I do that?)

Yoichi: No way.
(Just too troublesome!)

Olmine: WHAAAAT!?

Side note: The many warriors who came from so many eras and countries... what will be the path chosen by fate?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 11 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale March 30th).

Translation: Drifters 10

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:05:46 +0000

[1]
(An old fighter aircraft descends.)

Octobrist: Which side?
Which side is he on?!

[2]
Pilot: What the fuck!?
Shit! Shit!
What the fuck ---
--- happened?!

DRIFTERS

Kohta Hirano

Chapter 10 - My boyfriend is a pilot
[T.N.: This is the name of a famous Macross song, sung by Lynn Minmay. In Macross F, Ranka Lee sings this song.]

Scribbles on the paper:　1945 0801
Kanno Naoshi
Destroyer
Lieutenant

[T.N.: Lieutenant Kanno Naoshi was a famous Japanese pilot during WWII. He was known as "Destroyer" by his fellow comrades and feared as "Yellow Fighter" by the Allies. He died on duty, yet his date of death is unclear, since he disappeared after an aerial fight. The Japanese Army established his death date as August 1st, 1945, hence 1945 0801.]

Side note: Hellsing (10 volumes) on sale!!!

[3]
(The engine of the plane is stopping.)

Kanno: Who told you to stop, dammit!?
C'mon, get this rolling, you son of a bitch!!

(Somehow he manages to reactivate the engine.)

Kanno: Yeeeeeah!!

(The aircraft flies over the Black King's forces.)

[4]
(Kanno looks at the Black King's hordes.)

Kanno: Hey! Hey! Hey! What the fuck is this?!
Are we in Uzumasa or what!?
[T.N.: Uzumasa is a district in Kyoto, famous for having many movie studios. Even today, you can go there and do a ~~cosplay~~ performance in traditional Japanese clothing!]

Kanno: Where the fuck are we?!
Fuck!!

(Kanno passes by the aerial knights.)

Knight: ....
...?
.....!?

[5]
Kanno: What are you looking at, sucker!?
Fuck you and your fucking dragons!!
Where the fuck am I, huh!?
What, you wanna fight me, asshole?!

Octobrists: !!

Shem (I think he was Shem, don't remember :p) : W... what do you think of him?!

Octobrist: I have no idea!!
Either way, we have to proceed with the escape of the Drifters...!!
.....
!!

(The gate is slashed.)

[6]
(Hijikata enters.)

[7]
(Hijikata slices and dices the soldiers guarding the castle.)

[8]
Soldiers: The north gate has been breached open!!
What?!
Send more soldiers there!!
B, but! It's already...

(Jeanne d'Arc enters.)

[9]
Jeanne: It's hot! It's hot!
My body is burning!
I want everybody to burn!

Soldiers: Ah...
No...
Help...

Jeanne: I want everybody to become cinders!
I want everybody to scatter as dust in the air, as ashes in the water!!

[10]
(Jeanne d'Arc burns everything.)

Jeanne: AHAHAHAHAHA!
Burn! Burn!
I want the whole world to burn and crumble down!!

[11]
(In another part of the Carneades wall, a blizzard takes on the soldiers.)

Soldiers (panting): Wha...
What!?
What on Earth...?!

[12]
Anastasia: Please sleep, everyone.

[13]
(The hordes of the Black King invade the citadel.)

Crowd: Run!
Aaah!
Aaaah!

[14]
(Dragons belch fire and start burning the whole fortress. Kanno is astonished at the scene.)

[15]
(The whole fortress is burning.)

Kanno: You... you son of a bitch!!
YOU DAMN FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!!

[16]
The Wild Bunch Gang guy 1: Isn't it time already? Isn't this getting a tad too dangerous?

The Wild Bunch Gang guy 2: Yeah, it's getting a tad too dangerous.
How about us leaving first?

Octobrist: This way! Quickly!
Please, board now!!

The Wild Bunch Gang guy 2: (Oh, there they come.)
So, the only luggage we have is those two grandpas.
(What the heck are you dressing?)

Scipio: Hello and nice to meet you, son.
(What are you saying, brat?)

Octobrist: This place won't hold any longer.
The "North Wall", the Kingdom of Karneades,
has fallen down to the hands of the Black King!!

[17]
Octobrist: Scipio!!
Hannibal!!
I understand that you have been thrown into this world all too sudden.
You may feel uneasy to fight in such a strange world. But please, help us.
How can we... what can we do to defeat that Black King?
To begin with, do we stand a chance against him?

Scipio: ... who knows?
(turning to Hannibal) Hey,
what do you think?

Hannibal (grinning): The chances aren't nil.

[18]
(the Octobrist grins.)

Octobrist: The chances aren't nil!!
And if they join us...
If we join them...
we still have hope!!
The samurai of the castle in ruins are our hope!!
LET US GET OUT OF HERE!!

Side note: The warriors from the main battle stages are gathering... what are their goals? What will their future be?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 10 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale February 27th).

Translation: Drifters 9

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:06:24 +0000

[1]
(A parrotlike being flies, screaming)

Parrot: The Imperial March!
The Imperial March!
It's the Imperial March
of the Black King!
The Imperial March! The Imperial March!
The time for the Imperial March has come!
The Imperial March!
The Imperial March!
[T.N.: In Japanese, it's written "Goshinsei". It means an expedition moved by the king for conquest. But as this explanation would be a little bit too much for the baloons, I adopted "Imperial March" as translation, despite the obvious reference to Star Wars. :P]

Side note: The huge war who began in a strange world... What would be its purpose----!?

[2]
(The parrot goes on screaming. Heavily armored people and monsters are in stand-by, listening.)

Parrot: Hearken to me, ye who have ears!
Behold, ye who have eyes!
Howl, ye who have mouth!
Spread the word!
The Imperial March!
The Imperial March!
The Imperial March!
'Tis the beginning of the journey to destroy the world!
Gather and join!
Gather and join!

[3]
(Parrot keeps screaming, men mounted on dragons listen)

Parrot: All might to the Black King!
All might to the Black King!

Octobrist: The "Black King"....
The Lord of the "Offscourings"...!
It is too late!
He has come!!

[4]
Splash: The March of the Black King!!!

DRIFTERS

Kohta Hirano

Chapter 9 - Burn my dread

Bottom note: Hellsing OVA volume 7 & YK comics Hellsing 10 volumes on sale!!

[5]
(The soldiers gathered at the Carneades wall are afraid)

Soldiers: Monsters!
Damn you, monsters!
Look at their sheer numbers...!
Go to your positions!!

Octobrist: How deep is the hate you nourish inside, Black King?
How deep is your hate against "Drifters", the world and everything?

[6]
(The Black King points forward.)

Soldiers: There they come!!
Their attack will commence!!
Archers! Get ready!!

Black King: Bring them death.

[7]
(A furious attack begins)

Soldiers: F...
Fire!!

(Arrows fly onto the monsters)

[8]
Black King: Hijikata.
[T.N.: Hijikata Toshizo, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi.]

[9]
(Hijikata presents himself)

[10]
Black King: Jeanne d'Arc.

(Jeanne d'Arc grins.)
[T.N.: Saint Joan of Arc (1412?-1431), the maid of Orleans, national heroine of France and a Catholic saint.]

[11]
Black King: Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova.

(Anastasia shows up.)
[T.N.: Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (Анастаси́я Никола́евна Рома́нова) (1901-1918), youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, the last sovereign of Imperial Russia.]

[12]
Black King: Go.

[13]
Man: So, it has finally begun.
Do you really intend to bring an end to the world?

Black King: You...
you are free to do whatever you please.

Man: Yeah.
I have always done what I wanted.
So, I will do the same here as well.

[14]
Black King: Kurou Hangan Yoshitsune. [T.N.: the famous Japanese warrior, Minamoto no Yoshitsune]
Which side you belong to?
Are you a "drifter" or an "offscouring"?

Yoshitsune: Who knows?
Perhaps I belong to the fancier one.

[15]
Soldiers: Fire! Fire!!
Fire at will!!
Don't let them get any closer!!
Fire more arrows!!

(A rain of arrows pours onto the monsters.)

Transmission: To all Flying Dragon Knights, this is Aerial Surveillance Knight.
Begin aerial support!
Deploy aerial combat forces!!

[16]
Soldiers: Shit!
They come one after another!
There is no end!
!!

(A dragon shows up and opens her mouth.)

[17]
(Dragons attack the soldiers at the wall with their breaths of fire)

[18]
Knight: Go!! Go!! Go!!
Descend!!
Begin Operation Drabourne!!

(Several knights begin rappelling from the dragons and get onto the wall.)

Transmission: Descend successful!! Losses minimal!!
Second rappelling group ready!!

Knights: Run!
Run!
Run!
Run!

[19]
(Arrows fly onto the ground monsters. Goblins check the map)

Goblin: Pgyah! Pgyuh!
Pgyuh!
Pgyuh! Pgyuh!
Pgyuh! Pgyeeh!

Transmission: Aerial Knights, this is Aerial Surveillance Knight Agnela 1.
There is a request for support from the 7th Goblin Batallion.
Coordinates are 42-7-12 73-42-8.

Octobrist: This is the end!
We can't hold on any longer!!
But no matter what it takes, the Drifters must be...
...!?
!!

(The Octobrist opens his eyes wide.)

[20]
(A window opens up in the air. An old fighter aircraft comes out from it.)

Side note: Men and women engulfed by the flow of History appear one after another... Drifters will be the cover for the next number!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 9 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale January 30th).

Translation: Drifters 8

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:40:24 +0000

[1]
Side note: This is the man who sent Shimazu Toyohisa, a warrior from the Sengoku Era, to another universe.... who will he send next...?!

(the man in the corridor is reading a newspaper)

Newspaper, left headline: Shimazu Toyohisa - Taking over an elven village!?

Newspaper, right headline: Oda Nobunaga / Nasu no Yoichi

(the man smokes as he reads. He hears a noise.)

Man: !

[2]
(The man looks at the corridor. Someone is approaching)

Someone: You still attempting those useless efforts...
... "Murasaki"? [T.N.: "Murasaki" means "Purple" in Japanese.]

[3]
Top note: "Hellsing" 10 volumes on sale!

Right splash: He is the one sending those drifters...

Left splash: what is the goal of the "man of the door"...!?

DRIFTERS

Kohta Hirano

Chapter 8 - Army of mine - Arms Rising at Dawn

Bottom note: Hellsing OVA VII on sale on Christmas!

[4]
(The person is a woman. She talks to the man, who is still reading the papers)

Woman: No matter how you try.
No matter how many drifters you send.
No matter how hard you try...
everything is futile.

Man: Go away,
"Easy".
The wrongdoings must be amended.

[5]
Man (now looking at the woman): Leave, "Easy".
I won't let you do as you please.
Pitiable woman.

(Easy is enraged)

[6]
Easy: You are the pitiable one here.
All right, do it if you can.

(The newspaper changes. A new headline appears.)

Headline: Black King begins the conquest of the South

(The man opens his eyes wide.)

Easy: It's impossible for your drifters...
... to defeat my offscourings.

[7]
(Scene change. A cristal ball appears, sending in a transmission.)

Voice: This is Shem! This is Shem! Grand master!
Those guys did indeed take over the village!
It is dangerous to leave them as is!!
I will take them at your place at once!!

Man (walking along a stone wall): No, forget it. Time is up.
Don't bring them here. And don't come here either.

Voice: Wha... t, then...

Man: Yes. It has begun.
It has begun!

[8]
(There is a large wall resembling the walls of a castle. Lots of men and weapons atop of it.)

Man: Can you see?

Ham: Aye, sir.
I can't see them, but I can feel them.
Most probably, as soon as possible they...

[9]
Box: Frontier fortress of North Carneades
The "North Wall of Carneades"
[T.N.: Carneades of Cyrene (214-129 BC) was a Greek philosopher, well known in Japan for his thought experiment called "Plank of Carneades".]

Map, lower right, next to the arrow: Nobunaga / Toyohisa / Yoichi

Local 1: Why the Octobrists are so afraid?
No matter how many monsters come from the north---
--- this wall has never been breached.

Locals: Centuries have passed since they were forced to flee to the lands beyond this wall.
This is the wall guarded by us, people of Carneades.
What can those monsters do? Hahaha.

[10]
Man (thinking): Those guys are useless.
This wall won't hold two days.

Man (Shouting): I will leave this place to your control for now!
I will go to Cafeto! [T.N.: This reference is unclear. It may refer to a coffe shop called "Cafeto" or even to a lesser known game called "Mermaid Prism", which features a "Cafeto Tower".]

Local: You will talk to those two old men?

Man: Exactly.
If they don't take the command here, this wall will be destroyed!!

Man (thinking): We have no chance of victory if we don't do something.
Our habilities as Drifters alone are insufficient to achieve victory!!

Local: Are you joking!?

[11]
Locals: Are you saying to submit ourselves to the command of those drifters!?
Do not say nonsense, magicians!

Ham: But we will be defeated if those two don't assume as commanders.

Locals: How dare you make so little of us!!
You are nothing but a society of magic! You know nothing!!
They are nothing but two mere drifters!
What can those filthy old wretches do!?

(The two old men are looking at the scene, understanding nothing.)

[12]
Old man 1: Hey, hey, why are you engaged in such a fierce discussion?

Man: Oh, actually...
I was talking them into handing the command of this place to you two.

Old man 1: WHAT?!
It's impossible! It's just too sudden.
(To begin with, why would we have to take up command here?)

Man: I know, I know.
But if you two don't take up the command here, everyone will die.

Old man 1: I can't understand a word of what they are saying.
But I do understand that they aren't saying good things about us.

Old man 2: Hey.

Old man 1: What!?

Old man 2 (trembling): I wanna pee.

Man: WHAT?!

[13]
Old man 1: You idiot!
Don't you dare pee here!
(You decrepit idiot!)

Old man 2: (W, what am I going to do?)
No, I think it's too late.
When you get old, you start peeing very frequently and...
Oh.

(Old man 2 pees and cries.)

Old man 1: (I am fed up with this Thunderbolt of Carthago...)

(The locals look in amazement, then start cracking up)

Locals: HAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAH!

[14]
Old man 2: H... hah...
Wish... I were younger... really...

(Old man 1 makes an angry face.)

Local: Hahaha! A poor old wretch indeed!
How could we hand the command over such decrepit scum?!
Hahahaha!

[15]
(In a fit of rage, Old man 1 grabs the local who said that.)

Local: !!
Wh...
what are you...

Old man 1: Listen here! You can gather millions of men, yet you will never be able to defeat him!
This man is...
This man is...!!
This man is Hannibal!!
Hannibal Barca, "Thunderbolt of Carthago"!!
Not even a million enemies were able to make Rome afraid!!
Yet, Rome trembled whenever she heard the name of Hannibal!!

[16]
Local: Wh...
What is he speaking...?

Old man 1: Shit!

Man: I ask you two to stop now.
I believe it's just too late now.

Old man 1: !

Man: Please prepare to escape.
In no time, this place will become hell.
The drifters must flee from here, no matter what it takes.
No matter how big the sacrifice is.

Hannibal: Scipio Africanus.

[17]
Hannibal: Thanks.

Scipio: W, well, this is the difference between winners and losers.
After all, I am a winner and you are a loser.

Hannibal: What did you say?! You bastard!!

Scipio: What, do you wanna fight, old idiot!?

(The crystal ball of the man catches an incoming transmission.)

Voice: Here is Shem... Her... is Shem...
Wh... hap... situ... repo...

Man: !!
A magical transmission block!!
Dammit! There they come!!

[18]
Ham: All communications lost with the four surveillance gadgets!!

Man: Shit!!

Voice 1: What's going on? Such a fuss...

Voice 2: Yeah, I wonder...

Voice 1: Happen to have a smoke?

Voice 2: You kiddin'? 'course not.

Voice 1: Don't lie to me. I know you're hiding those last two cigarettes.
It's all your fault that we're here, y'know?

Voice 2: Shut up. No way I'll hand those two to you.

Voice 1: Man...
Would kill for a smoke right now...

[19]
Man 2: No matter how far we go...
... we have no future.
The Wild Bunch Gang has only a present, not a future!
So, at least, wish we could smoke as much as we wanted...

Shout: THERE HE COMES!!
THE BLACK KING!!

(everyone looks tense.)

[20 and 21]
(a person in a white robe is followed by several men leading hordes of soldiers)

[22]
[T.N.: Topmost flag: "La Pucelle de Orleans", meaning "the maid of Orleans". The next flag: "Makoto", meaning "Fidelity", "Truthfulness".]

Side note: A huge army... will it eventually become the "enemy" of Toyohisa?

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 8 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale December 28th).