Nagi No Koi
THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS AND IT'S INTENDED TO TALK ABOUT THEM. IF YOU HAVENT READ THE NOVEL WE ADVISE YOU TO LEAVE AND COME BACK ONCE YOU'RE DONE READING!!
The Idea of this entry is to give the team thoughts about the product, in two parts, the first one in a technical aspect intended for other aspiring translators or people interested in that side of translation! After that is spoiler talk, just the team general feelings about the product.
Translator Side
This proyect was very intresting, and probably one of the hardest projects so far, the original novel in japanese has a lot of difficult kanjis and a very complex story (specially on the Sahana Side).
When we initially contacted with Nutrients, they told us that they wanted to share the japanese culture with this novel. And that was the catalyst to create those little translation notes you see sprinkled all around the novel.
The idea of these is that you're able to understand terms and things used in japan, and whenever you finish the game, you might have just a little bit more knowledge of japanese culture (hopefully).
A bunch of cool things I haven't done before like gif editing and a bunch of video editing.
I put a lot of love into this project and I hope you'll enjoy it as well.
Thoughts Side
The first time I read this one, I chose Suirin's route, as each route starts with a short summary, it was easy to understand where the story was headed. Nevertheless, the story really pulled me in, I think everyone has felt lost at least once or twice, we don't necessarily have to lose our memories to feel that way.
So this chapter of the story made me reflect a lot on those moments, thinking about that one thing that made me move again. It even made me think about what made me start this journey of translation.... The characters in this chapter have very simple goals at the beginning of the story, to survive. But but with the inclusion of the protagonist the people slowly change as they realize the treasures they have and what they are capable of.
But, life isn't fair. What to do when your destiny is predetermined? What to do when it seems like there's no way out? Those are the questions our protagonist asks at the end of the chapter. The ending of this part is kind of depressing, but they never gave up. Neither Suirin, nor Kai, nor Shenhua. They always tried to fight against that destiny, sacrificing everything, even their own lives.
Sahana's chapter was much more complex, filled with politics, alliances, and other things that allow us to understand this world a little more. Here, the references to the real world are a bit more obvious, but these are things that ultimately shouldn't matter much. The initial relationship between Sahana and Masahide is strange, uncomfortable. Something that might be normal in an arranged marriage like the one they had. Here's the interesting thing, another situation that many people may experience. The feeling of being trapped in a path, unable to escape.
I feel like the novel one of the purposes of the novel is to guide people that are feeling these kinds of things. Sometimes we need to read about how we feel to move forward. Sometimes, we just need a good slap in the face, like Masahide... Anything that helps us understand that life isn't predetermined, that life is yours.
And ultimately, that's what Masahide learns, learns to think, to follow his feelings, to love, to live... Until misfortune strikes again.
The first time I saw that video, it took me by surprise, by the flow of things and without thinking about it too much, at that moment I thought Kai would end up being Haruyoshi. And then, the opening, I loved it, while translating, I would sometimes put it on loop on YouTube... I would appreciate it if you could go watch it and leave a comment for the circle on how you feel or if you liked the novel or not, they'll surely read them all (I can't believe it only has a thousand views...)
Here the world expands once more and we begin to realize that there won't be a happy ending for everyone. Some things get better, and maybe it's not the as bad of an ending as we imagined, but in a way, it might be even worse.
Not being able to be with someone you love, realizing that person loves someone else, for some people, it might be worse than death. It's something that might stay in your heart for the rest of your life.
The world will change in any case, for better or for worse, the feudalism they've been living under will stop, and this will change their lives... But our story ends here and I'm okay with that. What will happen at the end of the path you chose? That's up to you. To think, to discuss... And what about you? Are you Kai, Masahide? Are you stuck in a strange place in your life? Are you going to let yourself be carried away by it? Or are you going to fight against that destiny?