Hell Teacher Nube 167

65 million years ago, a massive extinction wiped dinosaurs off the Earth. But just when you think they're all gone...something may still be alive underneath the strata of Doumori...

#167: A Miraculous Awakening

172.
Caption: Notice of the Next Volume (Vol. 20)…
Jikuu: There is no need to read this waste manga where that waste teacher is the main character!
Nube: What’s that~~you f**king dad---!!
(TN: Jikuu really shouldn’t be saying such things about his son…it’s his manga, so show him a bit of respect. Though as important as Jikuu is to Nube, there is a possibility that maybe, somewhere deep inside, the guy still loves Meisuke…I doubt it but…maybe next volume will change things…though I don’t think Jikuu and Nube will ever see eye-to-eye on anything so forget I said that)

173.
SFX: Dododododo Gagagagaga
Caption: 1956, France: Saint Dizier Railroad: Tunnel Construction
Worker: He~~y, everyone look!!
Worker 1: What is that!?
Worker 2: It was buried within the rock.
Worker 3: Seems like a fossil but…
Workers: !!
SFX: Piku piku…

174.
“Dinosaur”: Giee~~
Narrator: --It was, without confusion, a living pterosaur of the Jurassic period.

175.
Narrator: When it opened its wings and let out a sound seemingly in pain, it was said to die at that moment.
Narrator: This was a true incident of 40 years ago.
(TN: The incident regarding the discovery of the pteradon during construction of a rail tunnel between Saint-Dizier and Nancy in France is a recorded incident, but the timing of when the dinosaur was found is actually somewhat off. The discovery was made not in 1956 (which was 40 years prior to this chapter) but 1856, which is 140 years ago. However, it sort of is tough to make that adjustment to the chapter because of the more modern appearance of the workers at the start so, as it stands, we’ll just state that in the Nube universe, it only happened 40 years ago, not 140 years ago)
Narrator: 1997: Doumori Town—
Nube: Um—science for today will be the excavation of fossils. This Doumori New Town construction spot has strata of the late Cretaceous period and there are an abundance of fossils.

176.
Nube: Here, when you break the stone with a hammer like so, the fossils of plants and insects are here and there.
(TN: The “hammer” Nube mentions is a “kanadzuchi”, an “iron hammer”)
SFX: Kon kon
Kyouko: That’s simple work—
Miki: Ke—insects and plants? I’d be fine in doing this if dinosaur fossils appeared but…well, that would be impossible in the town of Doumori but. (I can’t do this--)
Shuichi: That’s not so.
Shuichi: Even in Japan, they have discovered many dinosaur fossils at the stratum called the Tedori Stratum which is in Fukui, Gifu and Ishikawa Prefectures; and even in Kanto, Tyrannosaurus and Diplodocus bones have emerged. If we discover a new species of dinosaur, we’ll be leaving our name to eternity as the discoverer like “Futabasuzukiryuu” (Futaba was the place, Suzuki was the discoverer)
(TN: We’ve got quite a bit here to get into regarding the dinosaur trivia mentioned here, so I might as well bullet-list them to get to each one at a time:
-The “Tedori Stratum”, also known as the “Tedori Group” (“Tedori Sougun”) is a layer of stratum that has been identified as containing material from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Therefore within this stratum is the potential for creatures that live in that period of Earth’s history, most importantly the dinosaurs of the era.
-While dinosaur fossils are rare in Japan, there have been discoveries of some, including those of the Tyrannosaurus family, found in the country. Even as recent as 2009, teeth of what appears to be a Tyrannosaur (or an early relative that evolved into a Tyrannosaur) was found in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, dated from 140 million years ago [the beginning of the Cretaceous period]
-“Futabasuzukiryuu” is the Japanese name of what was is known in English as “Futabasaurus”, a dinosaur seen as a genus of plesiosaur that was discovered by a man named Tadashi Suzuki in 1968. The place it was found is the “Futaba Group”, a Mesozoic geologic formation near the city of Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture.)
Captions:
Caption Near Japan Map: Tedori Stratum
Far Right Caption: Tyrannosaurus | Hadrosaurus
Bottom Caption: Diplodocus
Far Left Caption: Megalosaurus
Top Caption: Countless Fukuiryuu & Kagaryuu
(TN: “Fukuiryuu” is a short term for the dinosaurs that are found in Fukui, while Kagaryuu…I couldn’t really define it since I didn’t know if “Kaga” was referring to a place or a person. Fukui is notable for dinosaurs and even has a prefectural museum speaking of their discovery, most famously dinosaurs including the Fukuiraptor (a raptor of the early Cretaceous) and the Fukuisaurus. (a herbivorous dinosaur of the Iguanodontidae classification, making it related to Iguanadons))

177.
Miki: Alright---!! I’ll leave behind the name of the “Doumorimikiryuu”—
(TN: While I could just have made it the “Doumorisaurus” just like what we wrote earlier about the Futabasaurus, it intentionally was left in Japanese to keep it tied to “Futabasuzukiryuu”, where both the place and the name of the discoverer are made the name of the dinosaur…thus Miki wants to leave behind a dinosaur she found in Doumori)
Makoto: Waaa, it’s a chambered nautilus.
SFX: Doga doga
Miki: Worthless
Akira: Waa, this large ammonite is
SFX: Doga doga
Miki: It’s small, small.
(TN: A reminder back to when we learned about these invertebrate fossils back in vol. 13, chp. 109 (didn’t really expect both of them to return so easily here):
-Ammonite: a cephalopod mollusk close to modern octopus and squids, notable for their spiraled shells
-Chambered Nautilus: the best known Nautilus notable for its primitive eyes and protective countershading.)
Miki: Da—
SFX: Dogaa

178.
SFX: Goro

179.
SFX: Pachi
“Dinosaur”: Pyo~~rorororo~~
Miki: Waaaaaa~~
Nube: Th…that’s idiotic~~
“Dinosaur”: Pi—pi—
SFX: Yota yota
Miki: Hiee!!
SFX: Pata

180.
Nube: This is called Parasaurolophus, a compatriot of Lambeosaurus….it’s a dinosaur of the late Cretaceous…
(TN: Parasaurolophus: literally translated as “Nest-Cresting Lizard”, it is an orithoid dinosaur found in North America in Alberta (originally found at the Dinosaur Park Formation, named after the famous World Heritage site near Drumheller), New Mexico and Utah notable for its cranial crest on its head. It is part of the subfamily of Lambeosaurines of Hadrosaurids (duck-billed dinosaurs with the cranial crest that were less bulky than Saurophinaes, which did not have the hollow crest) . It was a herbivore but had teeth that chewed like a mammal, while its crest seems to have some function that is unknown but is generally considered to make noise or recognition of others.)
Nube: The question is why is it alive? There was the exact form of a dinosaur in the emergent rock…saying that would be come to make it that it was there for over a hundred million years within the rocks similar to a fossil.
Book: Dinosaurs
Nube: --Now that you mention it, there was before.
Nube: That story of the frog that was sleeping within rock for tens of thousands of years. If there was an occurrence of the Breathing Method of Immortality, it would knead ki within in a condition where it almost isn’t breathing, having it become close to immortal. That frog, even if by chance, had the Breathing Method of Immortality being performed in the state of hibernation, continuing to sleep for tens of thousands of years.
Caption: Refer to Manga Vol. 13, chp. 109
Miki: Ri…right: then this dinosaur did as such…

181.
Hiroshi: Amazing: then we have a real living dinosaur.
Nube: Yep.
Miki: I name it Mikichanbeautifulgreatryuu based off my name.
(TN: I know I should just call it “Miki-chan’s Beautiful Great Ryuu” or “Miki-chan Beautiful Great Dinosaur”, but I’m just sort of keeping the nomenclature of the “Futabasuzukiryuu” as before)
Kyouko: That name will bother the dinosaur.
SFX: Pachi
Dinosaur: Buoo~~boooo~~
Hiroshi: Wa
Nube: Parasaurolophus cry out with their horn as a pipe.
Caption: It becomes like a musical instrument
Kyouko: Don’t be scared. Here, leftover lunch.
Nube: It’s yummy.
Hiroshi: It won’t eat it.
SFX: Kun kun kun
Hiroshi: Waa, it’s eating it.
SFX: Gatsu gatsu

182.
Noriko: Cute—
Shuichi: Amazing: it’s a historical moment.
Kyouko: It’s surprisingly friendly.
Miki: U—h, with this, he’ll be sold to the TV channels and the advertising firms and we’ll make a large killing.
Noriko: You can’t do that.
Miki: Wh…what? I’m it’s discoverer. (In…in spite of you being Noro-chan)
Hiroshi: Making it into a show is unforgivable!
Kyouko: It should be raised by the class in secret! You good-for-nothing!
Kyouko: Hey, Nube, we should do that right?
Nube: Eh, ye…yes, seems so. Hahahaha…
Nube’s Blackboard:
TV Channel: 10,000 Yen
Agent:
Event

183.
Dinosaur: Pi—pu—po—
Hiroshi: Let’s play dodgeball—
Kyouko: Let’s do it, let’s do it.
Dinosaur: Pu—
Dinosaur: Po—po—
SFX: Zuru zuru zuru | Goto goto
Hiroshi: Amazin’—power…
Students: Wa—wa—

184.
Hiroshi: Let’s take it into town.
Kyouko: Will it be alright?
Old Woman: Well, that’s a cute baby.
Dinosaur: Booooo~~
Sign: Rooftop Amusement Park
Salesman: Well well, if you can get 10 balls into the mouth of the monster, you’ll receive a gift.

185.
Dinosaur: Buo—
SFX: Dododododo
Dinosaur: Pipipipii~~
Sign: Ramen: Free if you can eat 30 bowls
Wife: De…dear…
Restaurant Owner: That’s not human…
SFX: Zuru zuru zuru zuru
Dinosaur: Buoooo—

186.
Noriko: Let’s make a house for Para-chan.
Miki: What, it’s name is Mikichanbeautifulgreatryuu!
Hiroshi: In Japan, the grade school that’s raising a dinosaur is just ours.
Noriko: But it will be a problem if it becomes larger.
Kyouko: Does it become about 10m?
Miki: Du~~mmy, that will take 10 or 20 years.\
Para-chan: Pu—
Para-chan: Pu—Po—
Para-chan: Pu—Pupupu
SFX: Meki…mekimeki…
Para-chan: Guooo

187.
Para-chan: Baooooo
SFX: Pari—n Dogagaga
Hiroshi: Wh…what’s that?
Kyouko: Ah!
Nube: What’s the matter!?
Noriko: Para-chan has……Para-chan has……
Miki: Wrong: Mikichanbeautifulgreatryuu has
Nube: …Ultimately…it’s a time reaction……
Nube: It’s going towards town. Hurry!
SFX: Wa—kya—paooo—
Nube: !

188.
Para-chan: Booo…boooo

189.
Police: This cannot be helped: we’re shooting it to death. Position.
Noriko: !
Noriko: Stop—
Kyouko: That thing is a quiet herbivore.
Miki: Nube! What’s going on!? It’s suddenly becoming bigger.
Nube: I don’t know, but…
Nube: It’s been over a hundred million years…that physique that seemed to be preserved with its immortal sleep…is actually being engraved with years moment by moment. The power of time isn’t soft like that…now it’s reacting in a single stroke.
SFX: Pishi…pishi…
Noriko: Para-chan.
Kyouko: Para-chan.

190.
Kyouko: Para-chan!
SFX: Suri suri
Miki: Nube! Do something.
Nube: I…I can’t…there’s nothing I can do…
SFX: Gura…zun
Noriko: Para-chan
Kyouko: Para-chan!!
SFX: Peko peko

191.
SFX: Pirororororo…
SFX: Shuuu
Narrator: There stretched out a mere fossil, similar to those in a museum. Scientists denied it as an “unbelievable thing” that it would live and move. Just the children in Nube’s class had memory of this “tease of time”…..
(End of Vol. 19)

TN: I believe this is the appropriate song for this occasion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh4zvQfDhi0 (Yeah it's about the movie but the song was in my head when I translated this chapter...besides it's Weird Al at his best)

It's somewhat strange that a chapter like this would sort of go from being something going in a direction at one moment but goes in a different one the next. When the chapter starts with all the stuff with Miki trying to find her own dinosaur (and succeeding), you sort of imagine that it was going to end up being another chapter with her in the spotlight and somehow involving mostly her and the dinosaur. But somehow the chapter changed about the point that we start seeing Kyouko and Noro-chan take charge and balance it out...and that build up to the finale. Somehow as silly as some aspects were (the baby carriage scene where it was just being "used" like that by Miki), it all just built up to the whole ending where it literally aged 65 million years in mere moments, growing up, dying, decaying and becoming like it's fellow fossils. The final panel with just Kyouko and Noro-chan crying to Nube was rather poignant, even heart breaking...though thinking about it, there is a weird thought that somehow there is a bit of weirdness to it too. Considering that the frog who also "hibernated" in the same manner survived, why the heck wouldn't Para-chan? Is it because it was thrown out of time in a place it shouldn't have...or just that due to it's genetics and being way older than the frog, it just didn't have the means to survive long term? It's tough to say but...it was still a sad ending regardless.