Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translation

letrista vigarista

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i suppose they called him mana-sama all the while... but it sounds funky in english (and in german too, i bet).

current = last?
they might also mean the european version, which isn't as old as the japanese...
 

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letrista vigarista wrote:
i suppose they called him mana-sama all the while... but it sounds funky in english (and in german too, i bet).
I *think* that in this case this is because in proper japanese usage when you're addressing someone you don't call them 'you', you call them by their name. So if I was talking to you I would say 'would letrista-san like some tea?' and not 'would you like some tea?'. Using a word for 'you' donates intimacy that an interviewer wouldn't assume.

And yeah... it sounds funky.
 

sailorKa

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God, Thanks for translating.
I'm pretty amazed by the amount of innacuracies on the Interviewer's part.
But the good and refreshing thing is, this are european magazines and Mana can't squeeze his way out of questions so easily.
I mean, Japanese fans know him. They also know that if they ask Gackt "say something all five members of MM like" and he says "Men" that he'll be joking. Or that if you ask Közi... whatever, he'll just answer "RED CHOCOLATE TRUCK!W00T! I'm a 50000 years old Dinasour BTW, didn't I tell you? =B"
What i mean to say is that he doesn't or can't evade these usual questions, by simply answering "Kyaaa~ *girlie japanese expressions* LOOK! *points somewhere and while you look he runs away laughing like a maniac*" Because he loves to tease.
Good thing he doesn't know some of his malice interviews have been translated already and that many of their fans know the typical Sense of Humour... Although... Now that I think about it, If more people had really read more interviews they would realize how Mana's feet are standing strongly on the ground!(can't remember the expression right now).
I'm happy he got so many Interviews... even if the Interviewer is just... -_- *stabs*
 

Wandering_Fox

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amasanin wrote:
letrista vigarista wrote:
i suppose they called him mana-sama all the while... but it sounds funky in english (and in german too, i bet).
I *think* that in this case this is because in proper japanese usage when you're addressing someone you don't call them 'you', you call them by their name. So if I was talking to you I would say 'would letrista-san like some tea?' and not 'would you like some tea?'. Using a word for 'you' donates intimacy that an interviewer wouldn't assume.

And yeah... it sounds funky.


Yep, that is correct =) (We just learned about that in detail in Japanese class) Things like -san and -sama are added for politeness. Just saying someone's name casually is reserved for when you know someone very well. Just saying "anata" (formal way of saying "you") or "kimi" (informal way of saying "you") is very casual and shows a very intimate relationship, like very close friends.
 

letrista vigarista

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when we got to that part in japanese class, we were told to use the name+san with anata... (but we keep things very informal...)

i think in this case the translator could've adapted the questions though. unless german is like japanese. does german use any different "degrees" of respect/intimacy? -- i don't know any german at ALL =P

(for eg: we use them here too... how people address you immediately let's you know how they feel about you! it can be awkward at times... english is easier hehe, "you" for everyone! :)
 

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My feeling is that the interview was translated from English into German and the translator was not very good, so he/she probably just translated what was there. How do I arrive at this conclusion? He/she translated "Besides, I like Goblin" as "Ausserdem mag ich Besides Goblin" --> "Besides, I like Besides Goblin", which leads me to believe that he/she didn't even bother to look up who Goblin are. I would be surprised if he/she had bothered to take a closer look at the different levels of politeness in Japanese or had been concerened with trying to keep the Japanese "flavour".
 

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

Geisha wrote:
What was the worst punishment that Mana experienced during his childhood?
I can't remember exactly. When I was a child I was locked into a small storage room because of some misdeed. I have been claustrophobic ever since.

Manaaaa... I know this pain... T_T
 

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Geisha wrote:
My feeling is that the interview was translated from English into German and the translator was not very good, so he/she probably just translated what was there. How do I arrive at this conclusion? He/she translated "Besides, I like Goblin" as "Ausserdem mag ich Besides Goblin" --> "Besides, I like Besides Goblin", which leads me to believe that he/she didn't even bother to look up who Goblin are. I would be surprised if he/she had bothered to take a closer look at the different levels of politeness in Japanese or had been concerened with trying to keep the Japanese "flavour".
I see... that makes more sense. And makes me sad :( because translating from a translation always distorts the original (especially if you're translating a translation of a translation of a translation... @_@).
 

LucifersBride

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And now... let us wait for part two *g*
 

Unmei-chan

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Waaahh. Thank you so much for translating this! It's amazing, reading that interview. Mana's so cute ^~^
 

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

Geisha wrote:
Astan No.20, April 2005

A wonderful compliment that Mana received from a woman?
You are as delicate as a woman and as reliable as a man.


Many people assume that Visual Kei musicians are homosexual because they wear women's clothing. What is the difference between European transvestites/gays and Visual Kei musicians who wear women's clothing?
It is very cheap to say that men who wear women's clothing are gay. I believe that there is no difference between man and woman. It is alright if men wear skirts and makeup. I want to tear down the boundaries between men and women.


The perfect woman?
A woman who is assertive, stands by her ideals and has a passion for beauty and elegance.

The perfect man?
A man who tackles his goals with passion, who has a strong faith and is ready to fight, come what may.

I remember getting quite annoyed when first reading these parts of the interview. It seems like Mana is wildly contradicting himself, doesn't it? On the one hand he's claiming there are no differences between men and women, and on the other hand he clearly states these differences and brings out specific positive aspects of them. I don't get it o_Ò
I have great respect for Mana, but to be honest, the last two answers make me shiver in disgust :?
 

Eresjkigal

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

spook wrote:
Geisha wrote:
Astan No.20, April 2005

A wonderful compliment that Mana received from a woman?
You are as delicate as a woman and as reliable as a man.


Many people assume that Visual Kei musicians are homosexual because they wear women's clothing. What is the difference between European transvestites/gays and Visual Kei musicians who wear women's clothing?
It is very cheap to say that men who wear women's clothing are gay. I believe that there is no difference between man and woman. It is alright if men wear skirts and makeup. I want to tear down the boundaries between men and women.


The perfect woman?
A woman who is assertive, stands by her ideals and has a passion for beauty and elegance.

The perfect man?
A man who tackles his goals with passion, who has a strong faith and is ready to fight, come what may.

I remember getting quite annoyed when first reading these parts of the interview. It seems like Mana is wildly contradicting himself, doesn't it? On the one hand he's claiming there are no differences between men and women, and on the other hand he clearly states these differences and brings out specific positive aspects of them. I don't get it o_Ò
I have great respect for Mana, but to be honest, the last two answers make me shiver in disgust :?

i don't think he's really contradicting himself. the way i interpret it, is that in the 2nd question he's talking about looks, while in the other questions its more about the inside/spirit.
ane he didn't say that for example females can't have male aspects.
it's probably also because of the way the questions are formulated. it probably would've been better if they asked what male/female aspects he likes, because that way the answer would apply to both (physically) males and females.

i hope this is a bit understandable:P i'm not good at explaining things like this
 

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Judging by appearance, Musical style and AURA...I though mana would have a taste for dark ambient music such as musical scores by Midnight syndicate.

I mean some of his instrumental tracks in moi dix mois and many instrumentals like sakai no chi bara would have fit mana but I hear hes a big metalhead.....Hmmmmm I dunno, I listen to dark ambient because i was influenced by mana to only to find out he really doesnt listen to it. Except for horrorr movie soundtracks.....

Wait if he does like horrorr movie soundtracks hes gotta like dark ambient....Lol nevermind then.

I love manas philosophy, I believe men and women should be equal with no boundaries...but sadly society doesnt think that way


Hmm i wonder what black metal he listens to...............
 

flowersofnight

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

spook wrote:
I remember getting quite annoyed when first reading these parts of the interview. It seems like Mana is wildly contradicting himself, doesn't it? On the one hand he's claiming there are no differences between men and women, and on the other hand he clearly states these differences and brings out specific positive aspects of them. I don't get it o_Ò
I have great respect for Mana, but to be honest, the last two answers make me shiver in disgust :?
You can believe that there are no differences between men and women, but still prefer them to be a certain way. I think Mana believes that men and women can both be whatever they want, but he has his own preferences as to what he likes in men and women. I don't think it's necessarily a contradiction.
 

Geisha

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

spook wrote:
I remember getting quite annoyed when first reading these parts of the interview. It seems like Mana is wildly contradicting himself, doesn't it? On the one hand he's claiming there are no differences between men and women, and on the other hand he clearly states these differences and brings out specific positive aspects of them. I don't get it o_Ò
I have great respect for Mana, but to be honest, the last two answers make me shiver in disgust :?
I don't see much of a contradiction. He seems to like assertive people who stand their ground, regardless of their gender.

I remember, when I still lived at home my parents read a weekly magazine that did interviews with writers and other intellectuals. A different person was interviewed each week but the questions were always the same, including: what qualities do you value in a man/woman. A good percentage of male interviewees answered: man=intelligence, woman=beauty. That pissed me off every time.
 

spook

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Re: Mana Interview in Astan Magazine, April 2005 - Translati

flowersofnight wrote:
spook wrote:
I remember getting quite annoyed when first reading these parts of the interview. It seems like Mana is wildly contradicting himself, doesn't it? On the one hand he's claiming there are no differences between men and women, and on the other hand he clearly states these differences and brings out specific positive aspects of them. I don't get it o_Ò
I have great respect for Mana, but to be honest, the last two answers make me shiver in disgust :?
You can believe that there are no differences between men and women, but still prefer them to be a certain way. I think Mana believes that men and women can both be whatever they want, but he has his own preferences as to what he likes in men and women. I don't think it's necessarily a contradiction.

I guess, but if you really don't see any differences between men and women, I fail to understand why you would prefer them acting any differently. To me, it doesn't make much sense. Contradiction or not, I strongly dislike those answers of his.

[edit] However, I suppose I shouldn't read too much into these short answers. He's not given much space to develop his thoughts after all. I'm sure he would express himself accordingly if the circumstances were different[/edit]
 
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