| Translation Notes: |
Technique Names
If you've had a chance to see the fansubs above, you may have noticed that I didn't go with established translations for a majority of the techniques used by players. In order to make a fansub that has a smooth dialogue flow and is entirely my translation - not stealing the hard work of those who have gone before me - I decided to start from scratch as if I had never heard a translation for the terms before. Explanations follow.
Many thanks to ImiFumei and Sumeria for their help with talking out a lot of the more complicated terms.
Fuji Syuusuke's Techniques
The Triple Counters
- Higuma Otoshi/Kirin Otoshi (羆落とし - 麒麟落とし):
"Higuma" being literally a brown bear (Ursus arctos I'm told) and "kirin" being a mythological creature (I took the liberty of assuming he did not mean "giraffe"), that part's fairly straightforward. "Otoshi" is derived from the verb "otosu", meaning "to drop" or "to let fall". This particular form creates an object-like form out of the action. That is to say, this is the drop itself or the act of dropping, and the animal is the object involved in the drop. There are a pile of ways you can render this in English. I went with "Dropping the Bear" or "Dropping the Kirin" 1) because I liked the way it sounded and 2) in order to keep a phonetic similarity between these techniques and others that use the same kind of objectified action.
- Tsubame Gaeshi/Hou-Ou Gaeshi (つばめ返し - 鳳凰返し):
Speaking of which... these are formed just as above, only our animals are "tsubame" (a barn swallow, Hirundo rustica) and "hou-ou" (the mythical phoenix), and the action is "returning". "Gaeshi" in particular is returning in the sense of "payback". If you've received a gift, your "gaeshi" is another gift from you to the previous gift-giver. If you've been wronged, your "gaeshi" is revenge. If you only have a 2000-en note and the thing you're buying is 1500-en, your change is the "gaeshi" you're receiving. For the same reasons as listed above, I rendered these as "Returning the Swallow" and "Returning the Phoenix". Notably, Tsubame Gaeshi is also the name of a famous sword technique associated with Sasaki Kenjirou, an opponent of Miyamoto Musashi (The Book of Five Rings).
- Hakugei/Hakuryuu (白鯨 - 白龍):
Not much to say. White Whale, White Dragon. I'm assuming that the "White Whale" is a reference to Moby Dick, since the story bears precisely that title in Japan.
Fourth Counter - Kagerou Zutsumi (蜉蝣包み):
Similar to the Higuma Otoshi and the Tsubame Gaeshi, this is an animal-related objectified action. "Kagerou" indicates a mayfly, or an archaic term for a dragonfly ("hotaru" is more common). "Zutsumi" is derived from "tsutsumu", generally meaning "to wrap, conceal, or hide". While I was researching this, I found out that, whatever else it may be used for, "-zutsumi" is the suffix used when naming a style of wrapping an object with a carrying cloth. In order to match the above naming patterns, I went with "Binding the Mayfly".
Fifth (nee 'Final') Counter: HEKATONKEIRU no Monban (百腕巨人[ヘカトンケイル]の門番):
Formed of distinct nouns. The Hecatoncheires were the three hundred-armed giants of Greek legend: Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges. "Monban" means gatekeeper... 1 + 1 = 2. "Gatekeeper of the Hecatoncheires". And the gatekeeper who could keep them in was quite an effective one.
Sixth Counter: Hoshi Hanabi (星花火):
What was I thinking, not just using the word-for-word dictionary translation of "Star Fireworks"? Well. I didn't like the way that sounded in English, and it did not to me convey they full sense the Japanese carries of a rocket shooting up that explodes in a burst of stars - not just any firecracker, but something that looks like a star shower. I went with "Flare of Stars" because I like the sound and the impression it gave, while still letting me use a word that was in the same family of objects as "fireworks".
The Road to Fun Tennis
Muga no Kyouichi (無我の境地):
Literally, "The State of No-Self", indicating a concept wherein one loses the boundaries of identity and begins to become at one with the universe (or in this case, tennis). After a very long day of trying to find an evocative term for "No-Self" made using proper English grammar that sounded good in every context where I knew I'd have to use it, I went with "Self-Surrender", indicating a giving over of identity in favor of pursuing unity with your purpose (for example, tennis).
This is not based on Inui's explanation in the first OVA. I actually still have to go back and watch that again. For this and everything that follows, I was simply trying to give as close an impression to the Japanese name itself as I could.
Muga no Oku (無我の奥):
Literally, "The Interior of No-Self". Whenever anyone is talking about finding the "doors" (the characters are literally saying "tobira") various players can unlock, they use this term specifically to refer to where those doors are. In order to get across the concept that this is a state of being rather than a literal place, I've translated this usage as referring to the doors "within the mastery of Self-Surrender".
- Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami (百錬自得の極み):
"Kiwami" is a term repeated in all of these "doors" used to indicate an upper extremity of height. I generally see it used in a figurative sense in esoteric Buddhism or things that (like the entire Self-Surrender concept applied here) are inspired by esoteric Buddhism. Each one of these "kiwami" attained by tennis boys within the Self-Surrender state are the same sort of thing: a height of accomplishment defined by the 4-kanji qualification in the name. It seems that the word "kiwami" simultaneously implies a limit to the qualification, implies that the technique is attained through that qualification, and in a somewhat contradictory fashion implies that this qualification is not within your grasp until you have attained the "kiwami". It's a fun term. I have rendered it as "Achievement", choosing a figurative expression that more closely resembles usage over a literal translation as "height" or "peak".
Now, for the "Hyakuren Jitoku" part. Keeping with the esoteric connotations of this whole progression, the Achievements are all named using 4-kanji idiomatic compounds, yojijukugo (四字熟語). They are, essentially, a combination of four concepts to create an idea without the use of grammar. The ones that represent concrete things are the easiest. For example, 歴史小説 - rekishi-shousetsu. History (rekishi) + Novel (shousetsu) = Historical Novel. Equally common, however, are sets of kanji put together to hint at a concept figuratively rather than concretely define it. 海千山千 - Umi-sen Yama-sen - literally says "Ocean-thousand Mountain-thousand", but is using this imagery to imply that the person being discussed has the experience of crossing a thousand oceans and climbing a thousand mountains. They've lived a long time, they can take care of themselves, and they can get out of trouble reliably. These sorts of yojijukugo require more interpretation. Some, like this, are generally used as descriptive traits. Some are more statements in themselves. 富貴浮雲 - fuuki fuun - literally reads "wealth-esteem-floating-cloud", combining into an idiomatic concept that worldly riches and reputation will, like a cloud in the sky, float away on the breeze. There's a fairly large database online maintained by Kanji Haitani, and the second two Achivements of mastering Self-Surrender in Prince of Tennis are probably in it. Hyakuren Jitoku did not appear to be, but the other two are more common.
Now that we've laid out what we're looking at, I'll go through why I translated these the way I did. My basic process was to first puzzle out the concept being implied and then to consider how I would express that concept in two English words. Two, because each of these 4-character compounds can be analyzed into two smaller, linked concepts, and I wanted to try to bring across the feeling in the Japanese. Hyakuren Jitoku (百錬自得) is formed of the parts "hundred-train/polish" (meaning "well-practiced") and "self-gain". The implication I and my co-thinkers saw here is that, through your own labor, your skills have been honed to a fine degree. We also inferred that your efforts themselves are now so honed. That is to say, with regard to the setting, the player can now use their experience to channel the power inherent within Self-Surrender to apply it efficiently. Instead of burning out quickly without using the full strength of the state, the aura can be focused and used more effectively for longer. This is consistent with the further progress players make down the path. I chose to represent this with the term "Refined Effort".
The initial achievement of this level does not appear to be complete. Tezuka, and Ryoma at first, can only concentrate the Refined Effort aura in one place, and without the Tezuka Zone to bring the ball to him Ryoma finds this Achievement somewhat lacking. He then develops what one might call a perfected form of Refined Effort, moving it at will throughout his body. Fuji refers to this twice as "Tekizai Tekisha (適材適者)"-type Refined Effort. This literally reads "suitable-talent-suitable-person". Maybe it was just me, but Fuji was standing next to Tezuka when he said it, and I thought the good captain looked a bit miffed (T: 'My way works, too...'). I rendered this in Fuji's dialogue as "Refined Effort used by someone completely suited". It didn't seem to call for a particular standardized name, since Fuji was the only one who uses the term. That may have just been Fuji making commentary.
- Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami (才気煥発の極み):
Like every other "door", we're interpreting a 4-character compound (see above). Saiki Kanpatsu (才気煥発) literally reads "genius-spirit-shine-emission". It's in the dictionary (I'm using Jim Breen's) as "(adj-na,n,adj-no) quick-witted; a flash of brilliance; great wisdom". I wanted to keep the light imagery of the flash, but at the same time wanted to get across the concept that this was an extended status and not a passing, momentary chance. I went with "Brilliant Insight".
- Ten'i Muhou no Kiwami (天衣無縫の極み):
Like Saiki Kanpatsu, Ten'i Muhou is a common enough idiom to be in the dictionary. The parts literally read "heaven-clothing-no-stitching", and the accepted definition is "(adj-na,n) perfect beauty with no trace of artifice; flawless". This is stated figuratively through the idea of a heavenly robe put together without seams. With regard to the way it is used in the series, it represents the ultimate extent of the "No-self" concept. Throughout the entire progression, the player has been moving toward greater mastery of the connection between themselves and the game itself, sacrificing their egos to become a part of tennis. This final achievement represents the completion of that progression. Fuji calls it the ultimate evolution of Tekizai Tekisha Hyakuren Jitoku - Refined Effort applied by someone perfectly suited to the Self-Surrender connection to the game. The power of giving over yourself to tennis is no longer confined to something you can control; in fact, that would probably be an oxymoron. Instead, all boundaries that separate the player from the game have been removed, and he surpasses all limitations. I called this "Flawless Unity".
It's very interesting that Konomi-sensei chose something like this as his trump card. This concept is a bit like an anti-Ultimate attack. As Nanjirou informs the Seigaku regulars, this isn't something you can learn to do. Your only access to pure tennis is to remember what it was like to play before you cared about personal success - to remember how it felt to simply want to play the game because tennis was something you enjoyed doing. The entire path of Self-Surrender thus appears as a means to lead competitive tennis players back to a pure enjoyment of the sport. The fact that Seigaku gets the flag in the end is almost irrelevant. Everyone in the arena who was having fun at the tournament is portrayed as a winner. I haven't often read or seen sports stories that end with so vehement a message that it's not about whether you win or lose: it's about how much fun you have playing the game. How very sportsmanlike of you, Konomi-sensei...
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