This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)
Okaaaaaay. This would be the disadvantage to translating as I go, folks. As soon as I started looking at this next segment, I found out that I kind of made a big mistake in the previous one.
Quick crash course in gendered pronouns: Japanese doesn't really need to use them! Certainly not to the extent that English does! In other words, in the last scene, no mention whatsoever was made of Utena's gender. I shouldn't have had D-ko referring to Utena as "she" and "her" in her internal monologues.
So, what this question is really asking isn't whether D-ko would like to engage in hot makeouts with Utena (because that's a given), but whether D-ko thinks Utena is a boy or a girl. Disappointingly hetero-normative, I know. If anyone wants to change their vote as a result of this revelation, please do; in the mean time, I'll preliminarily start working on the current winning path of "ask [the cute boy] about [his] girlfriend."
Sorry 'bout that.
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Gross. Poor Sega wouldn't let her true colors show.
I especially love her androgynous breasts. They are the reason I vote to ask about the cute boy's girlfriend!
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My vote remains. I STAND BY MY DECISION!!!!!!!!!!
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I think asking the cute "boy" about "his" girlfriend is still the funnier option.
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Well, "ask about girlfriend" is in the lead both in the misunderstanding-votes and the revotes, so in the interests of moving things along I'm just going to go ahead and roll with it.
As usual, parenthesized lines are of dubious accuracy, and italicized lines are people's thoughts.
D-ko:
Hey, Utena.
Utena:
Yeah?
D-ko:
Do you have a girlfriend or anything?
Utena:
Uhh... I guess from my appearance, that doesn't seem totally out of the question, but...
D-ko:
"From my appearance?"
Smooth long hair, pretty eyes, glossy lips...
For a boy, I'd say Utena looks pretty good!
D-ko
And there's those thin legs, and not much body hair at all, and the chest...
...ch... ch... chest? There's a chest!
Wait a minute!
Utena, you're a girl?
Entire Class:
(bursts out in mocking laughter)
D-ko:
Oh, god!
I just made a total fool of myself!
Utena looks like she's at a loss,
and all the girls around me are laughing like they're going to pass out!
The only one who looks unfazed is Anthy! (groan)
"Wow," Utena thought. "I had no idea I could pass as a guy! I find it weirdly exciting! Man, if I could transfer to Ohtori all over again, I'd totally cut my hair short and hit on Wakaba. Oh, well, maybe in some other life. Some life with much weirder architecture."
(Later, at the cafeteria; sounds of students chattering.)
D-ko:
Hey, what's the "Rose Bride"?
I heard the term this morning.
Utena:
Uh... that's...
Anthy:
That's me.
D-ko:
Huh?
Anthy:
Whoever wins the duels becomes engaged to me, and can obtain the power to revolutionize the world.
Utena:
H... hold on, Himemiya!
It it okay for you to just freely talk about that stuff?
Anthy:
It's fine.
D-ko:
Duels? (You mean like where you meet up and hack away at each other?)
Anthy:
Yes. Using swords, whoever manages to knock the rose from their opponent's chest wins.
D-ko:
You can't be serious.
Utena:
I know, right? Isn't that how any normal person would react?
D-ko:
So... that guy from this morning also...?
Anthy:
Saionji-sempai was Utena's opponent in a previous duel.
Since then, I've been engaged to her.
D-ko:
By "engaged," you mean...?
Anthy:
I do whatever the person I'm engaged to wishes.
I'm presently engaged to Utena-sama, so...
Utena:
Himemiya, knock it off with the "Utena-sama" stuff, okay?
Anthy:
But I'm engaged to you, Utena-sama...
Utena:
Yeah, but...
D-ko:
Duels? Rose Bride? The Power to Revolutionize the World?
It looks like I might have accidentally fallen in with some really dangerous people!
(Maybe I should back off before I get in too deep?)
Here goes...
CHOICE:
I want to become engaged (to Anthy) too
Change the subject
Try playing dumb (maybe better translated as "Try making a joke"?)
Hey, three choices! Fancy.
Last edited by Dallbun (10-09-2009 07:24:16 PM)
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The train is about to crash! Derail the topic! Derail the topic! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DERAIL THE TOPIC!!!!!
(I vote option 2.)
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I vote for option one. It seems to be the option with the highest chance of having some sort of benefit.
Anthy's clearly trying to get D-ko involved in the duels, so saying that she wants to get engaged to Anthy is likely what she wants to hear. Changing the subject would stray her away from the heart of the conflict.
Last edited by Razara (10-09-2009 07:40:36 PM)
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I vote for playing dumb too, you might get some good information that way.
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Go for the first one! I sure wanna see how Utena will react.
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satyreyes wrote:
The pink-haired girl is a dangerous enemy. Pretend ignorance until the time is right to strike.
This man knows what he's talking about.
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Play dumb. They should underestimate you!
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OPTION ONE!!!
I need my bathroom cleaned before guests come over...
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Inquire about potential engagement. I wanna get to some dueling.
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I say play dumb because it might be too early to get involved in a duel.
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Power-hungry scheming, 6 votes; paranoid deception, 5 votes; acting like a reasonable person, 1 vote. I've got to say, I'm liking these voting trends.
Anyway, the first choice wins (because it challenged the other choices to violent duels?). However, this is a relatively long segment that will take me a little while to translate, so please be patient.
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Edit: Whoops, I voted in this message before reading the previous message and saw that voting has closed.
Well I'll take the chance to say thanks for the wonderful thread and translating.
Last edited by Charuru (10-11-2009 12:59:04 AM)
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allegoriest wrote:
satyreyes wrote:
The pink-haired girl is a dangerous enemy. Pretend ignorance until the time is right to strike.
This man knows what he's talking about.
I third this option. Feign ignorance for the sake of imformation. It's what the BILLY MAYS would do.
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Sorry for cutting off the voting before some people had a chance; I just needed to do it at some point so I would know what to translate. Am I moving too fast?
Also, I apologize for going a little image-intensive on this post, but I wanted to give you guys the feeling of playing the game as much as possible.
(Also, thanks, Charuru! I'm having fun with it, too.)
D-ko:
Hey, what if I wanted to get engaged myself?
Because if you do that, you can get the power to revolutionize the world, right?
Anthy:
Unfortunately, in order to duel, you need to possess a Rose Seal.
D-ko:
Rose Seal?
Utena:
(showing her ring) This thing.
D-ko:
Oh... so it's no good, huh?
Anthy:
However, it's possible that you might be able to acquire a Rose Seal.
D-ko:
How?
Anthy:
That... I don't know.
D-ko:
This girl Anthy has a mysterious atmosphere about her...
Like she's kind of otherwordly, I guess...
Wakaba:
Utenaaaaaa!
D-ko:
Uh, who's that...?
Anthy:
Ah, it's Wakaba-san.
Utena:
Hey, Wakaba! Over here, over here!
Wakaba:
Man, I finally got here. The line for the B Lunch was so long!
Utena:
That's why I said you should just give up!
Wakaba:
But they had (mushroom tea) for desert...!
Utena:
Is it good?
Wakaba:
Totally! So I decided to just hold out for the B Lunch.
Utena:
Huh...
Wakaba:
Oh, nice to meet you! I'm Shinohara Wakaba.
I'm in the same class as you, and I'm Utena's girlfriend. Nice to meet you.
D-ko:
Shinohara Wakaba, huh? Compared to Utena and Anthy, she feels really normal.
I'm kind of relieved.
Nice to meet you, too!
I still don't know much about the school, so please teach me, okay?
Wakaba:
Got it!
From the ways of love, to campus rumors, to the trendy local shops,
just leave it to me, Shinohara Wakaba-sama!
D-ko:
Thanks! If I have any problems, I'll be sure to consult with you.
Hey, it's a save point!
We seem to have thrown Utena somewhat off her game. She was understandably sullen for the whole Rose Seal conversation, and I can't believe she didn't react to Wakaba's "I'm Utena's girlfriend" comment. Maybe she's given up on preserving her reputation for heterosexuality.
Teacher:
...and that's our lesson for today.
Class Leader:
Stand! Bow!
Wakaba:
All right, we're done!
Utena:
D-ko, we're heading home.
D-ko:
Ah, Utena! And Anthy.
Utena:
Come to think of it, you don't know what dorm you're in yet, huh?
D-ko:
Right... I'm going to go meet the Chairman right now and find out.
Utena:
Yeah? I guess we can't walk back together, then.
D-ko:
Aww... can't you go with me to the Chairman's place?
Utena:
(But even then we don't know where you'll be going.)
We can start walking home together starting tomorrow,
but today you're on your own.
D-ko:
Yeah, I guess so...
Hey, where you you guys live, Utena?
Utena:
Himemiya and I are in the East Dorm.
We're the only ones there, so drop by any time.
D-ko:
Thanks! I guess I'm off to the Chairman's, then.
Akio:
I'm Ohtori Akio, the Chairman of the Board... or rather, the Chairman's proxy.
D-ko:
Wow, what a cool guy!
When I heard "Chairman," I was expecting some preachy old guy.
It seems like everything about Ohtori Academy is completely gorgeous!
Akio:
You'll be living in the East Dorm, Second Floor, Room 22.
Your luggage should have already arrived, I believe.
D-ko:
East Dorm? That's the same as Utena!
Akio:
Oh? You seem happy.
D-ko:
Oh, uh... it's just that that's where some friends I made today are living.
Akio:
Friends? That's good.
Just by talking to others, (people can lighten the burdens of their own hearts.)
Akio:
Here's a map of the school. Rather big, isn't it?
Right now, we're here.
Akio:
This way is the Fencing Hall.
It's a pretty, chalk-white building. You should notice it right away.
If you pass this way, it's a short cut.
D-ko:
The chalk-white Fencing Hall... just like dad said!
Akio:
And this is the East Dorm.
If you go this way, it should only take you about five minutes.
D-ko:
Got it.
Thank you very much!
Well, he seems like a nice guy.
Touga:
If the egg's shell does not crack, the chick will die without being born.
We are the chick; the egg is the world.
If the world's shell does not break, we will die without being born.
Break the world's shell!
For the sake of revolutionizing the world!
(Translator's note: nope, everyone doesn't join in for the last line.)
Touga:
It seems the East Dorm has gained a new resident.
Juri:
The East Dorm, hmm?
Saionji:
That's absurd.
Isn't the East Dorm only supposed to be used by the Rose Bride and the One Engaged?
Miki:
However, they wouldn't be able to live there without the approval of End of the World.
Touga:
Exactly.
In other words, it's End of the World's will that this new person live there as well.
Juri:
They say she's a new transfer student.
Interesting, isn't it?
Miki:
It's an irregular event...
Come to think of it, wasn't Tenjou-sempai a transfer student, too?
Saionji:
Transfer student...?
Touga:
Then, perhaps we should invite her to this evening's masquerade ball.
Any objections?
Saionji:
Hmmph... do as you like.
Juri:
Sounds amusing.
Miki:
Alright. There are no objections, so I'll extend her an invitation to the masquerade ball under the Student Council's name. Is that all right?
Touga:
Yes. Thank you, Micky.
I'm not sure why, but it makes me happy to see Saionji participating in Student Council meetings. Even if he hates everybody else's guts and has absolutely nothing productive to say.
D-ko:
Here it is... the Fencing Hall that dad described.
It's a really pretty building... like a Western cathedral.
The doors are huge, and the window frames are so decorated!
For some reason, I feel like I'm in another world.
I feel like some sightseeing yokel...
Still, I guess I'll poke my head and and take a look!
D-ko:
Nobody's here... I guess there's no practice today?
D-ko:
Looks like they have thirty members.
(That's quite a few, right?)
I mean, my last school didn't even have a Fencing Club.
This first name tag must be the club president.
So the president is Sanjouin Chigusa, huh?
What a great name. (It's really unusual.)
Hmm? It looks like there's no name tag for the club advisor.
Do they not have one?
But that's strange... my dad used to be the club advisor.
I guess maybe the system changed between then and now?
(the locker room)
D-ko:
Yep, looks like nobody's here.
Today must be a break from practice.
Huh? It looks like something is drawn on that wall.
I wonder why?
CHOICE:
Look at the wall
Look at the calendar
Because, as with all choose-your-own-adventure type scenarios, looking at both is clearly impossible.
Last edited by Dallbun (10-11-2009 03:34:37 AM)
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Yes how sad that I can't turn my head a little and look at both. I'm so limited and linear.
And heck yeah, Akio did seem like a very nice man in the earlier interaction. A very nice man indeed with a very big school.
Ummmm I vote to look at the wall.
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I vote wall as well.
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