Desire 1

Well he's finally done it: a translation that, for the most part, will probably destroy his reputation! Ladies and gentlemen, StrangerAtaru does...a seinen. (let alone a seinen that probably...)

Desire by Kenichi Kotani

Vol. 1: MANIA
File:1: IN THE SUBWAY
(Proofed by Zyrxil)

3-5.
(nothing to TL....literally, there is nothing to TL, just look at the colorful pics)

6.
Time: PM 11:30
Building: GROVE Futako Tamagawa
(TN: "Futako Tamagawa" is an area usually associated with the "Futako-Tamagawa" station on the Tokyo Den-en-toshi and Oimachi train lines, usually around the Tamagawa and Seta districts of the Setagaya Ward)
Man: I was successful in my competitive entrance exams and had entered a major firm from Tokyo U.
I am conservative with both love and work. A mistake would derail my life, or so I believed...
Man: It's been half a year since I got this Mac. In the middle of programming a dating sim of the ideal woman, I saw that if she was perfect, I should have made her my lover so I could avoid the pain of loneliness.

7.
Man: I've got work in the morning tomorrow. I'm going to bed.........

8.
SFX: CLICK

9.
Man: ......

10.
Man: The woman I created on my MAC is real......!?
Man: No...she looks like her.
Man: What a stupid thought.........
SFX: PI...

11.
Train: SUITENGUMAE
(TN: "Suitengumae" is a station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line in Chuuou)
(TN: Ootemachi is a district of Chiyoda in Tokyo, notable mostly as a financial and corportate center in the city)
Takashi: Takashi Fujii, age 27. Bachelor. No girlfriend.

12.
Takashi: Pardon......

13.
SFX: CLICK
Takashi: Ah...um...

14-17.
(TN: Yeah...obvious)

18.
Takashi: Haa......
Takashi: Haa
Takashi: Haa...

19.
Takashi: Haa
Takashi: Haa haa
Takashi: HAA......

20.
Takashi: ......
Takashi: Haa......

21.
TN: Not sure why she wrote it like such, but her name is actually "Rikako" if you go by proper Japanese)

22.
Caption: Ootemachi
Takashi: Ah...assistant director. Good morning.
AD: Morning.
AD: Fujii-kun......
Takashi: Yes...?
AD: I found who I'm looking for.
Takashi: .........

23.
AD: Meet me in front.
Takashi: In front......?
Takashi: !!
AD: Yes...about the matter of the Stanford student from America, they seem to have settled on you...
Takashi: Ye...yes!!
Takashi: .........

24.
Takashi: .........?
SFX: Click
SFX: Click
Takashi: Why isn't it appearing...is it broken?

25.
Takashi: I don't believe the data was erased......
Takashi: The corner of the 4th Floor. There's a light on.........

26.
Takashi: W...wait. What will I do if I meet that woman?
Takashi: Is it because she looks like the woman I made on my Mac?!
Takashi: It's a coincidence. Even if she looks like her, it's not really her.
Takashi: If there's a problem with getting involved in this, it's the chance that she's the student from Stanford...I feel like it's a dream.....
Takashi: .........

27.
Takashi: There's no name...But this is the room.

28.
Takashi: .........
Takashi: Not home...well then, I better go home.

29.
Takashi: ............
Takashi: I've gone mad...!! This is tresspassing!!

30.
(No dialogue)

31.
Takashi: Haa
Takashi: Haa
Takashi: Haa

32.
Takashi: Haa
Takashi: Haa
SFX: Bing bong
SFX: Bing Bo---ng
Takashi: Who...who is it?

33.
Man: This is Asauri News, how many months can I sign you up for?
Takashi: .....Actually I get Asauri but
Man: Ah...ok.
Takashi: Even with the light on, the curtain should be closed to indicate there was no one there.
Takashi: If the company finds out, won't they cancel the student? Why would this.....

34.
Takashi: My life has gotten off-track. I have already forgotten all my dreams.

35.
Sign: IT DEPARTMENT (Multimedia Section)
Voice: Good morning.
Takashi: ?
Takashi: .........

36.
Letter:
NEXT WEEK, FRIDAY
AZABU
"CLUB JP"
I'LL BE WAITING
PS: GIVE BACK MY PANTIES
RIKAKO

TN: OK...I guess this has a lot of explaining. Why is StrangerAtaru, a weirdo known for doing innocent (well for the most part) Jump shonen, doing in the realm of the over-18 realm? Change that: what is he doing in a series that essentially is about...well, subjects not in shonen at all! (yeah, I know it's about sex but I'm just trying to avoid the matter) Well to tell the truth, for starters I am the one who put this series up. The main reason...well, for one thing, the girls are nice looking. Secondly...well, the mangaka behind this series is associated with Jump...once upon a time. Kenichi Kotani really isn't a name you hear in the annals of WSJ, but he did have success there once upon a time, primarily in the period between 1979 and 1982 with a series called "Tennis Boy", probably one of the first semi-successful tennis based series in WSJ. I guess in a way I sort of wanted to see how a Jump mangaka could go from something so innocent to....well, this (well OK, he also did do a short-lived series in 1983 called "Scandoll" that probably started his obsession with beautiful women but as I said before: I know nothing about this guy). But the main reason I did this was actually...well one part personal curiosity and one part a dare. The curiosity part was mostly to see if I could do this sort of series, both one more mature in content instead of my usual shonen (mature in actually working with things I usually don't talk of in these parts) and just to generally say that I am trying to expand my horizons into seinen. The other part: a friend sort of saw I put this manga up and dared me to at least do chp. 1 and see how it goes. Well here it is...hope it meets to your liking.

As for the chapter itself...well, it does seem to have a base idea which doesn't quite hint at what's to come...well OK it does considering we have a girl giving a blowjob on a subway to this guy who thinks she's a video game girl come to life. We'll see where it goes from there...if I (or anyone else) does chp. 2. (dependant on several factors, we'll see)