Hell Teacher Nube 88

When someone has a strange behavioral problem, is the problem necessarily the act of a youkai? When a new transfer student arrives in Doumori, their problems may be supernaturally related...whether or not they want to believe in it!

#88: Amanojaku

27.
Hiroshi: Who is that?
Kyouko: A transfer student.

28.
Narrator: Amanojaku—a peevish gnome youkai who opposes everything: if a person says white, they say black; if they say right, they say left. As a youkai who nests within the hearts of humans, they become a person who is similarly contrary when possessed by this…
(TN: A few notes here:
-“Amanojaku” = “Heavenly Evil Demon”; it can also be read as “Ama-no-Jaku” or “Ama-no-Jyaku”
-Gnome, as written here, is in Japanese “Kooni”, which is “little demon”; I decided to go with gnome mostly due to the small but evil nature of the creature
-“Peevish” was originally the Japanese word of “Hinekuremono”, which is literally “crosspatch”, a word that usually about someone who is childishly contrary)
Narrator: And even here…there is one similarly peevish person…
Voice 1: He’s getting away!
Voice 2: Catch him!!
“Him”: Haa haa haa

29.
“Him”: S**t…someow they’re doing this! Am I possessed by a youkai!? My head isn’t strange—is it--!?
“Him”: Perhaps this was instigated by that 0-ability person Nueno. Really, I’ve come to transfer to this strange school…!
Nube: Who’s 0-ability!?
“Him”: Uwa!!
Nube: Let’s begin the exorcism. (Fufufu…)
“Him”: Stop it—Aren’t you the youkai!

30.
Nube: Amanojaku is possessing your heart. Now I will remove it.
SFX: Zu
“Him”: Hi…
Amanojaku: Gya—gya—
“Him”: !!

31.
Amanojaku: Gyaaa—gyaaa—
“Him’: Wh…what is it? That clumsy stuffed doll…
“Him”: Let go of it! You pervert teacher!
SFX: Baki
Kyouko: What’s with that attitude!
SFX: Dadada…
Hiroshi: Really, she doesn’t believe in it for the time being. That’s even because she’s female…
(TN: It’s really hard to work out the “even a female” part, but basically the whole first few pages makes us think that “she” was a “he”, thus I went along with it. But I guess she ran off because of Nube…well, touching her…there)
Hiroshi: But the exorcism was successful! Show me it!|
Nube: Huh? No.
Amanojaku: Gya—
Nube: I can’t, because it’s dangerous…I don’t have reason to show it…

32.
“Her”: S**t~~what was that trick he showed? It’s mass-bullying, conspired even with the teacher.
“Her”: How could it have come to this…
“Her”: Right…it was the day before yesterday…
Nube: Um—today she’s joining our class…Kobayashi Yuka-kun.
(TN: There is a peculiar thing that Nube does here: while he seems to acknowledge Yuka as female from the start, he refers to her with the suffix “kun”, which is usually done for males)
Voice 1: Yuka!? That’s a girl?
SFX: Hiso hiso
Voice 2: I only see her as a boy—
Voice 3: She’s like a Takarazuka actor.
(TN: A “Takarazuka/Takaradzuka actor” is a unique style of Japanese actor: taught at a certain school and usually an unmarried woman, these melodramic actresses usually are split into male and female “actors”. The “male” ones in particular are in particular notable for looking the role, crossdressing, cutting their hair and even speaking like a boy to act the role.)
Voice 4: It’s actually a transvestite.
Nube: Yuka-kun often transfers schools with the circumstances of her father’s job. Therefore, she had few friends even at her previous school. Everyone should come to get along with her quickly.
Yuka: Be~~
SFX: Suta suta suta
Nube: He…hey…

33.
Hiroshi: Hey, since we’re on morning-glory duty, properly give me a hand with it.
(TN: The “morning glory” here specifically refers to “Ipomoea Nil”, a special type of “Japanese Morning Glory” referred to in Japanese as “Asagao” usually cultivated as an ornamental plant)
Hiroshi: She put in her hand…
Caption: Hand-print
(TN: This is a funny joke in Japanese that somehow worked well in English: Hiroshi asks Yuka to “Teire suru”, which is “to assist” or “to help out”. However, Yuka literally treats it as “Te ire”, which is “put in a hand”. What made it work better in English is that “assisting” has the expression “Give Me a hand”, thus making it somehow work comedy-wise)
Noriko: Ah, Yuka-chan, throw that ball.
SFX: Bunbun po—i
Akira: Ah, that door has to be smashingly shut by the last person.
SFX: Sma—sh
(TN: This joke, unlike the last one, just doesn’t seem to translate well but somehow I made it work. Akira says in Japanese “Saigo no Hito Ga Chanto Shimete”, which is “the last person properly closes”. But Yuka only hears the “gachan” part of it, leading to the “smash”/”slam”. I ended “smashingly” here to make it sort of work…but somehow it just feels weird hearing it from him just to make the joke work)

34.
Hiroshi: She’s a bad person! She’s contrary, opposing everything…
Nube: U~~m.
Nube: This is perhaps the act of a youkai called Amanojaku.
Yuka: Amanojaku…?
Kyouko: Possessed by a youkai? That’s pitiful: give her an exorcism!
Yuka: Exorcism…?
SFX: Gata
Students: There he is, catch him!! You’re going to be exorcised by Nube!!
(TN: I know I went back and called her male again, but it’s mostly just consistency…and to make it feel like some don’t believe her to be female)

35.
Yuka: …And that’s the reason. (to herself) Really…I’ve come to a strange school…
SFX: Ja—ja—
Noriko: Ah, Yuka-chan.
Miki: She’s been exorcised and has become docile for a while. Let’s test her—OK?
Miki: Yuka-cha~~n! These are really heavy.
SFX: Niko niko
Noriko: Can you assist us?
Miki’s “Rock”: Pickling stone
(TN: A couple things:
-Again this is another weird pun due to the contrary nature of Yuka: Noriko asks her through the verb “tetsudau”, or “to help/assist”. Considering Yuka has heard “these are heavy” with Miki, I assumed that the joke would be that Yuka assumed they wanted to be “assisted in making it heavier”, thus continuing her weird contrary puns.
-A “pickling stone” (tsukemonoishi) is a special stone used to press down food for pickling)
Yuka: How stupid! What is this Amanojaku, that stuffed doll…my contrariness is by birth! I’ll show them.

36.
Katsuya: Oh! Is that Yuka?
Akira: Has she truly become docile?
Hiroshi: Let’s test it. He~~y, can’t you play some soccer~~?
Boys: !!
Yuka: I’m pretending—it’s a dragnet (Gyahahahaha…)
SFX: Zuruzuru…
Student: Those chickens are running off; catch them!
SFX: Koke—za—dododododo
Bag: Chicken feed

37.
Students: Kya—wa—koke—
Yuka: Ahahahaha: look—at their plight!
SFX: Pui
Kyouko: Hey, Nube, that girl hasn’t changed at all.
Nube: Ye…yeah, I should watch her state a bit more.

38.
SFX: Ki—n Ko—n Ka—n Ko—n
Student: It’s over, it’s over.
Student 1: Yo, let’s go home together—
Student 2: Hey—can’t you go home with me?
Yuka: ……
Yuka: Really…
Yuka: If my heart really became docile with this actual Amanojaku…I too could make friends…Even I…(Ahahahaha…)
(TN: This part was really tough to figure out: Yuka was mentioning about her heart becoming “docile”, but mentions about the real actuality of her possessing Amanojaku, which as we saw was contrary. I tried to make it work but I sort of hope someone can make it better)

39.
Yuka: No, no.
Yuka: If I’ve decided that that thing was a doll, then how is it Amanojaku? The kids think it was and are acting stupid.
SFX: Muka muka muka
Hiroshi: Hey, this Jizou? Nube asked Oshou of Doumori and it was made…
(TN: As I mentioned before, a “Jizou” statue (representing the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha) is represented in Japanese society as a small statue usually made child-like and seen as both a savior of children and seen in cemeteries (to protect those traveling to the underworld) or on the side of roads (to protect travelers))
Katsuya: This location is a demonic intersection with an accident occurring once a week.
(TN: “Demonic Intersection” is a literal translation of “Ma no Kousaten”, which also can translate into “dangerous crossing”)
Akira: It’s sudden that he’s put up this Jizou.
Hiroshi: So, if we remove this, will the accidents occur again?
Katsuya: Give up, don’t touch it.
Yuka: Hmph…that faking cheat…
SFX: Ta

40.
SFX: Gatsu
Hiroshi: Ah—
Yuka: Heh, du—mmy, that’s a downright lie!
Yuka: Hehehe…
SFX: Puaaa
Sign: Shining Example of a Man | Michinoku Solo Clan
Yuka: !!

41.
SFX: Goooo
Yuka: Teacher!!
Nube: Dummy! Why did you take down that Jizou!
Yuka: It was a good thing because I happened to pass by it…
SFX: Ka
Nube: Namu!
Yuka: !!

42.
Yuka: What is that; is that a doll too…
Nube: Dummy, is there such a bad-taste doll!!
SFX: Shaaa
Youkai: Gyagyagya
Nube: That died in a traffic accident, became a Jibakurei and drew in new people one after another…
Nube: Byakue Reibakuju!! Namu Daiji Daihi Kyuugu Kyuunan Koudai Reikan
SFX: Bari bari
Yuka: Th…this can’t be a trick. This teacher…this ghost…

43.
Yuka: It’s real!!
SFX: Zuba
SFX: Shuuu… | Pasa
Yuka: So…was that Amanojaku real too…?
Nube: Isn’t that reasonable? With what happened now…

44.
Nube: Whatever strange events occur in the class of Nueno Meisuke, the spiritualist teacher, they all for real.
Narrator: --The next day—
Hiroshi: Hey, we’ll all play dodgeball.
Katsuya: Yeah--! Let’s quickly get a place outside.
Kyouko: Hey, shouldn’t we invite Yuka-chan?
Katsuya: Let’s not anymore. She doesn’t want to be our friend--
Hiroshi: Right—right—

45.
Nube: That’s fine…if they think it was the act of a youkai, then everyone will get along with her with no ill feeling. Even so…
Nube: If I can get a bit more sewing talent, I could deceive them much faster. (It’s crude when I look at it in a bright place…)
Doll: Gya—gya—

46.
RETURN OF THE GREAT YOUKAI ENCYCLOPEDIA

#22: Amanojaku

There is a youkai who is contrary in personality and certainly opposes what people say. It’s to the point of saying “They are an Amanojaku” about a person who is contrary, after the terribly famous youkai. It is known as well for appearing as the villain in the legend of “Urikohime”.

Amanojaku’s contrary style is mastered and isn’t just for humans but said to be defiance even for gods. From this, there is a theory of “isn’t Amanojaku originally of the family of gods?” Among Japanese myths, there is a god called Ame-no-Sagume who tempted by Ame-no-Wakahiko and shot to death a pheasant that was a messenger of Amaterasu Oomikami but it is said “isn’t this a prototype of Amanojaku?” That god has a common quality together that was greatly with Amanojaku as Magatsubi-no-Kami who invited calamity and misfortune. Furthermore, the given name of Amanojaku has some difference by region; there are areas where it is called “Amanshaguma” or “Amanjaku”.

(TN: A few things:
1. “Urikohime” is a fairy tail that literally translates into “Melon Princess”: born in a melon to an elderly couple, the girl naively lets in Amanojaku one day, who kidnaps and hides her while taking her clothes or, in some versions, dresses in her skin after killing her. When the daughter warns her parents when they come home, they kill Amanojaku, with its blood becoming the red on the autumn leaves.
2. “Ame-no-Sagume”, which literally translates into “Heaven-Spying-Woman”, was a goddess who descended from heaven and was connected to the god “Ame-no-Wakahito” (Heaven-young-prince). After seeing a pheasant sent down by sun goddess Amaterasu (also known as Amaterasu Oomikami) perching on a cassia tree, she tempted Ame-no-Wakahito to kill it, with the arrow being eventually judged as him killing Earth deities and ultimately being used to kill the god. Thus it is this temptation by Ame-no-Sagume that lead to her being seen in the evil light, making her potentially an inspiration, if not transformed, into Amanojaku. (if it is her)
3. Magatsubi-no-Kami is a god of calamity as mentioned here and is of the family of Izanagi)

TN: This was a weird chapter that in a way sort of showed a bit of a variation considering what we had seen prior. The weirdness is that Yuka's contrary nature seemed for the most part to be convinced even by Nube that it was all the fault of Amanojaku...when in reality she was just contrary and Nube tried to trick her with a shoddy doll. Heck, it was even more impressive that they actually made Amanojaku appear like Amanojaku even when Yuka called it a doll...only to find out at the end that it was a badly made doll and Yuka was right. But weirdly enough, the idea of her not having a youkai but thinking she did was mostly just a weird psychological experiment: if you think you have a youkai, then you believe it and thus think you're cured of it when you never had it all along. I think the clever twist at the end made it for a more interesting chapter looking back than how simple it seemed...well not simple to translate with all the puns regarding the actions of Yuka's contrary nature, but simple in just the whole formula the series has. The game worked because of the switch that occurred: Yuka saw the doll and was forced to believe it may have been a youkai...while Nube tried to depict Amanojaku as a youkai when in actuality it was just a doll. Though...don't really look for too much of Yuka beyond this: sure she does appear in shots after this chapter but never really has any further relevance beyond this one intro chapter with her.