It’s probably not a good sign when your idea of defending a character is saying, ‘No, he’s not heartless, he’s insane!’
Thanks for posting the scans and the translations. Their arrival on Alcatraz is one of my favorite scenes, partly because it’s one of the few times you really hear Kaiba open up a little. I liked Yugi’s observation that he couldn’t believe the duel disk had that kind of a history, because that really applies to Kaiba himself, although I always wish Yami had been there instead…
I had never seen the translations of the scene where they detonate Alcatraz! (And now that Jenniyah’s site seems closed I’m in scanlation withdrawal.) I’ve always thought that Kaiba grew up playing Shadow Games as destructive as any of the ones depicted involving actual Millenium Items, so it was reall cool to see him recognize this… that was probably my favorite part, as well as the line about the road to his heart being buried under the rubble of Alcatraz.
And I agree, btw with Kaiba being incredibly poetic (which is a nice contrast in someone who seems to spend most of his time practicing his maniacal laugh.) So many of the things he says like ‘it’s like asking for luck in a nightmare,’ or ‘what is in the hearts of men can surpass even God. This is my faith and I will hold to it,’ are just so beautiful. He is, even through the bad subtitling) poetic in the anime, too. One thing they do that I like is that his thoughts are often poetic, but when he speaks, what he says is brief, and usually uttered in a bored or derisive tone.
A friend of mine who reads and speaks Japanese also noticed Kaiba’s speech patterns (I’m not sure if she was referring to the manga or anime.) She asked about it, and was told that sometimes he doesn’t use modern Japanese – that his speech patterns mimic that of a feudal war lord or samurai. (Admittedly, I’m not sure if this is a historically accurate speech pattern or if he sounds like a warrior from a samurai flick.) Anyway the war lord idea seems to tie in to KC’s history. Also one of the few things I’ve read that Kazuki Takahashi said about Kaiba was that he saw him as a warrior, and that he thought meeting Yugi freed him to be one – so having him actually talk like a throwback to that age would be a nice touch.
I do think with Yugi though, that he was never a coward, although he certainly saw himself as one. From the start, he is able to complete the puzzle only because he first demonstrates courage by standing up to the hall monitor whose name I’ve forgotten on Jonouchi and Honda’s behalf. He’s afraid, but he does it anyway, which is true courage in my book. I think it’s more that Yugi learns to recognize and value the qualities that are already inside of him.
Anyay, I could probably ramble on, but I’ve hijacked your LJ long enough…
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winterfish
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 11:20 pm (UTC)Thanks for posting the scans and the translations. Their arrival on Alcatraz is one of my favorite scenes, partly because it’s one of the few times you really hear Kaiba open up a little. I liked Yugi’s observation that he couldn’t believe the duel disk had that kind of a history, because that really applies to Kaiba himself, although I always wish Yami had been there instead…
I had never seen the translations of the scene where they detonate Alcatraz! (And now that Jenniyah’s site seems closed I’m in scanlation withdrawal.) I’ve always thought that Kaiba grew up playing Shadow Games as destructive as any of the ones depicted involving actual Millenium Items, so it was reall cool to see him recognize this… that was probably my favorite part, as well as the line about the road to his heart being buried under the rubble of Alcatraz.
And I agree, btw with Kaiba being incredibly poetic (which is a nice contrast in someone who seems to spend most of his time practicing his maniacal laugh.) So many of the things he says like ‘it’s like asking for luck in a nightmare,’ or ‘what is in the hearts of men can surpass even God. This is my faith and I will hold to it,’ are just so beautiful. He is, even through the bad subtitling) poetic in the anime, too. One thing they do that I like is that his thoughts are often poetic, but when he speaks, what he says is brief, and usually uttered in a bored or derisive tone.
A friend of mine who reads and speaks Japanese also noticed Kaiba’s speech patterns (I’m not sure if she was referring to the manga or anime.) She asked about it, and was told that sometimes he doesn’t use modern Japanese – that his speech patterns mimic that of a feudal war lord or samurai. (Admittedly, I’m not sure if this is a historically accurate speech pattern or if he sounds like a warrior from a samurai flick.) Anyway the war lord idea seems to tie in to KC’s history. Also one of the few things I’ve read that Kazuki Takahashi said about Kaiba was that he saw him as a warrior, and that he thought meeting Yugi freed him to be one – so having him actually talk like a throwback to that age would be a nice touch.
I do think with Yugi though, that he was never a coward, although he certainly saw himself as one. From the start, he is able to complete the puzzle only because he first demonstrates courage by standing up to the hall monitor whose name I’ve forgotten on Jonouchi and Honda’s behalf. He’s afraid, but he does it anyway, which is true courage in my book. I think it’s more that Yugi learns to recognize and value the qualities that are already inside of him.
Anyay, I could probably ramble on, but I’ve hijacked your LJ long enough…
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