"Role language" is a specific language which evokes a speaker's character such as age, gender, occupation, rank, time, appearance, and personality. This is an imaginary expression based on the stereotype which is mainly used in a fiction, while in reality people usually do not use. This concept is advocated by Professor Satoshi Kinsui. In many cases, personal pronoun and end of sentence provide an indication of role language. For example, to describe that a speaker is an old man, "washi"("I") is used as a personal pronoun in place of "watashi," and "ja" is used at the end of a sentence in place of "da." "Watashi ga omae no chichioya da" means "I am your father." If you use a role language to suggest the speaker is an old man, it would be "Washi ga omae(or onushi) no chichioya ja." Washi, onushi and ja are role languages. In reality, very few old people use these words. "Gozaru" is originally a courteous expression of "iru" or "aru" ("be") used at the end of a sentence. It was used in 14c. to 19c. As a role language in a fiction, it basically suggests that the speaker is samurai or ninja, with a personal pronoun of "sessha" or "soregashi" as "I" and other old-fashioned speech. For example, "Sessha wa Hattori Hanzoh de gozaru," meaning "I am Hanzoh Hattori." We don't believe a real ninja actually used such a word which easily indicated he is a ninja. We can hear "gozaru" in some summer 2015 animes, e.g. Overlord, Kangoku Gakuen (Prison School), and Charlotte. Are you aware who uses this? It is Hamusuke (Hamsuke, the Virtuous King of the Forest) in Overlord, Gakuto in Prison School, and Ayumi Otosaka (Yu Otosaka's sister) in Charlotte. As you know, they are not samurai or ninja. Then what does their "gozaru" suggest? Hamusuke was born several hundred years ago and is known as the strongest beast. So, her "soregashi" and "gozaru" may suggest she is old and strong like a samurai or ancient soldier. Gakuto is a high school student who has a strong otaku interest in Three Kingdoms, a historical China story in AD 3c. Gakuto's language suggests that he devotes himself to the ancient world so much that he is using old-fashioned words. Of course, Chinese people did not use such Japanese. Ayumi usually doesn't use "gozaru." She only uses "gozaru" in an intimate talk with her brother Yu. She has a strong interest in star watching and pop idle. I suppose her usage of "gozaru" would suggest she devotes herself to something very much, or she is a kind of otaku, like Gakuto. Her "gozaru" reminds me Saori Bajeena in "Ore no imouto ga konna ni kawaii wake ga nai"("Oreimo"). Saori is a leader of an otaku group and uses "gozaru," but actually she is from a wealthy family and speaks formally when not with her otaku friends. Saori's "gozaru" is a part of her character buildings to be an otaku. So, recently, it seems "otaku gozaru" is sometimes used to suggest the speaker is a kind of otaku. Maybe there is not such an otaku who uses "gozaru" in a real world. (Apr 19, 2016, corrected a typo "otaku" to "gozaru")
"Hats off, gentlemen. A genius!" said Robert Schumann on Chopin's variation op. 2 when both were 21 years old. Is it effusive to use the same words on Tomoyo Kurosawa's play in the scene on a bridge of "Sound! Euphonium" episode 12? At any rate, this woman who is a 19-year-old university student is obviously a gifted voice actress. This scene is a climax before the final movement of the entire story. At the beginning of the story, Kumiko did not seem to be enthusiastic about the activity of the band, euphonium, and almost anything. Kurosawa's voice has been suppressed from the beginning to express this. In episode 8, Reina ignited Kumiko by declaring she wanted to get better to be special. In episode 12, Kumiko got pulled off a technically difficult part by Noboru Taki, which fired her up definitively. Then the scene of running on the bridge. Kumiko walked by a river recalling Noboru Taki's notice, picked up the pace, started running screaming inwardly "Umaku naritai (Want to get better)," and finally shouted out to the river. Chagrined inner voice ran, tears couldn't catch up. Kurosawa did an extremely good job here - every "Umaku naritai" had a unique expression, agogics was emotionally stunning, and all were controlled musically, like this:
In this anime, Kyoto Animation decided to go classic of storytelling - a Bildungsroman of adolescent children. There are no aliens, no time-travelers, and no espers. This is a realistic story of high school students. What makes this anime special is Kyoto Animation's mastery and aesthetic. I don't trust anyone who wasn't impressed by the camera works and the background when Kumiko turned the corner of the bridge. "Sound! Euphonium" episode 12 Street view of the Uji-bashi bridge And Tomoyo Kurosawa also shouted out "Umaku naritai" on the bridge.
Today (June 22nd, 2015) is the day when one of the Angels firstly attacked Tokyo-3, in the animation "Neon Genesis Evangelion" 1st episode. The voice actress Megumi Ogata who played Shinji Ikari posted a tweet to commemorate the date. In the anime, the city Tokyo-3 is located in Hakone, Kanagawa.In real life, a part of Hakone has been a no-go zone due to the volcanic action since May 6th, 2015. Do you think no one pilgrimages these days? Megumi Ogata did today. Yes, as you may remember, Shinji talked to himself repeatedly "I mustn't run away!" And, she said it was peaceful there today:-)
"Shokugeki no Soma" is an anime of moving camera. The camera is moving most of the time. Not only in cooking battle scenes, the camera pans and tilts also in a scene of conversation or monologue. As a result, this anime gives us a thrilling impression from the beginning to the end. In this respect, this anime contrasts with "Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu (The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan)." In "Nagato Yuki" 11th episode, the camera moves sparingly. It moves only in some scenes. A typical example is that it moves very slightly at the beginning of a cut and then stops for the rest of the scene. We know both are techniques of cost saving, but how effectively they are used! In "Shokugeki" 11th episode, the camera sometimes shakes in a tense cut like a handheld one for a very short time (less than a second), which is a very effective spice for the thrilling flow of the story. Shokugeki no Soma, 11th episode And I like the ending song "Spice" by Tokyo Karankoron
In "Oremonogatari," the heroine Yamato calls herself "uchi" in a flat accent, which makes many people feel a little strange. "Uchi" as a personal pronoun for females is originally a dialect in Kansai region. As a Kansai dialect, its accent is on "u." Yamato's accent of "uchi" is flat, and she speaks with standard Japanese intonation typically used in Tokyo area which is quite different from that of Kansai dialect. In Tokyo (and many other non-Kansai regions), women usually use "watashi," but recently some young women use "uchi" like Yamato, so it is contemporary and natural for girls (this anime is based on a manga for girls). There are different stories about the origin - TV, magazine, etc. Anyway, for adults, it is still strange. Personal pronouns for men are different. Generally speaking (except for dialects), boys use "boku," many teenagers use "ore," and adults use "watashi" formally but "boku" or "ore" informally. In "Oremonogatari," both Takeshi and Suna use "ore, " which implies they are basically ordinary male students. There are many personal pronouns in the Japanese language. Each pronoun implies the speaker's role in a society or human relations, and/or the speaker's decision of taking a certain role in a society or human relations. Fictions use personal pronouns as basic character descriptions. "Ore" implies masculinity, one's higher status or familiarity. "Boku" implies innocence or obedience. "Washi" is for old men. When men use "watashi," the situation is formal. In "Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu (The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan)," Kyon, an ordinary male student, uses "ore," while Koizumi uses "boku" as an obedient servant of Haruhi. In "Arusuran Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)," young Arslan uses "watashi" because he is always in a formal situation as a prince. In "Danjon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)," Beru-kun (Bell Cranel), an entry level adventurer, uses "boku." Now, do you know what does the goddess Hestia use to call herself? Oremonogatari, 9th episode (June 22, 2016, link updated)
One of the major topics in anime neighborhood this week is 8th episode of "Hibike! Yuufoniamu(Sound! Euphonium)." Some are deeply moved by beautiful night scenes, others talk passionately about adolescent relationship dynamics, mysterious Reina Kousaka, or cute Hazuki. What still strongly impressed on my mind is the contrast of colors in the last half - blue and orange. In the scenes where boys and girls need to voice their thoughts and feelings to friends, the background is in incredibly beautiful blue. As Japanese people do not usually express themselves explicitly due to a high-context culture, such communication is very special and sublime. Reina's white dress is seen like emerald green on a dusky mountain road, reflecting a deep blue night. Meanwhile, a scenery of festival is enfolded by warm orange color. The tone of voice is also impressive. Kumiko's voice is always in a low tone and in indecision, which makes her words natural as a high school student who feels unsure about her future. Reina's decisive words which are also only a student would use in a confident tone make a good contrast. And the ending scene. Instead of using the usual ending song, a brass duet played by Kumiko and Reina is used, with scenes of themselves as well as their friends at the festival. We understand what is happening and what is communicated among the girls in a blue or orange background with the brass sound, without any words. By the way, the music used in the ending scene is originally a song by Hanako Oku, a popular musician. She played the trumpet when she was a student. Another trivia is that Asuka's line "Yattaze, Katochan" is from a popular performance by Cha Katoh, a member of a comedian group "The Drifters," in the early 1970s. He aspired to be a trombone player when he was young. Sound! Euphonium 8th episode (June 22, 2016, link updated)
