Kudos from the past

2005-02-20

Kudos from the past

Published several years ago, but I just noticed it in the bookstore today (it was on prominent display because the author, FUKUI Harutoshi (福井晴敏) has been getting some press for film adaptations of other works): 『月に繭　地には果実』. The title means something like "a cocoon on the moon; on Earth, fruit".

(I don't fully understand either, but the story is about a technologically advanced lunar civilisation trying to return to Earth 2000 years after they abandoned it to pollution and barbarism. Presumably at some point someone will make a long speech about cocoons, fruit and celestial bodies, the context of which would enable a hypothetical reader to translate the title more meaningfully.)

Anyway, what caught my eye was not the title but the picture on the cover. If you go to Amazon for the close-up you'll see that it's a neat pastiche of traditional Japanese Where's-Wally-like battle-scene painting, where half the warriors have helmets and/or lasers. Nice! Be sure to check out all three volumes.

I checked inside and the cover was designed by a TAKAHASHI Masayuki (高橋雅之), but I don't know if he actually produced the artwork or not.

Popularity factor: 5

kouika:

Check out Akira YAMAGUCHI, in particular "Postmodern Silly Battle".

max:

Say, is that an extra "球" in the title or am I confused?

Matt:

D'oh! You're right, my mistake. Fixed now. Thanks!

And thanks Kouika -- I googled him but couldn't find any images big to be interesting, so I'll keep a look out for his book.

Anonymous:

'from Called "∀" Gundam'? How do you pronounce that?

(The "FOR ALL" character won't show up for me in my browser - inadequate font substitution - but that's what that is.)

-- Tim May

Matt:

In the context of Gundam (the mythos of which this story takes place in, although thousands of years later and not involving characters from any other Gundam series), you pronounce it "Turn A": 「ターンエー」.

Via my informant M, we learn that in the context of mathematics, you either pronounce it "for all" (possibly with an accent), or if you're reading the equation to a Japanese-speaking audience you interpret it as a word meaning roughly the same thing, like 「すべての」 (subete no). More information on this here: http://homepage2.nifty.com/PAF00305/math/writing.html

2005-02-20