(Are you even trying to write an afterword?)
(Ah, whatever... )
BGM “THE GOOD LIFE''
by NEW POWER GENERATION
Character Roll Call
By Chapter
One Year Earlier
Minahoshi Suiko / Imaginator (F)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Chapter I
Asukai Jin (M)
Kasugai (F)
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Kinukawa Kotoe ‘s Mother (F)
Kinukawa Kouji (M)
Skinhead (M)
Spooky E (M)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Tsuyoshi (M)
Chapter II
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Kirima Nagi (F)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Spooky E (M)
Taniguchi Masaki / Boogiepop (M)
Chapter III
Asukai Jin (M)
Kitahara Misaki (F)
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Chapter IV
Asukai Jin (M)
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Kirima Nagi (F)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Chapter V
Asukai Jin / Imaginator (M)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Spooky E (M)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
Chapter VI
Asukai Jin (M)
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Kinukawa Kotoe's Mother (F)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
Chapter VII
Asukai Jin (M)
Minahoshi Suiko / Imaginator (F)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
Chapter VIII
Asukai Jin / Imaginator (M)
Miyashita Touka / Boogiepop (F)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
Epilogue
Asukai Jin (M)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
FRIENDS & COUPLES
Miyashita Touka (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Asukai Jin (M)
Kinukawa Kotoe (F)
Orihata Aya/Camille (F)
Taniguchi Masaki (M)
THE IN CROWD
Movers and Shakers in the Boogiepop Universe
Asukai Jin (M) / Imaginator (O)
Orihata Aya/Camille (F)
Kirima Nagi (F)
Spooky E (M)
Minahoshi Suiko / Imaginator (F)
Suema Kazuko (F)
Miyashita Touka (F) / Boogiepop (O)
Taniguchi Masaki / Boogiepop (M)
TOWA ORGANIZATION
The Keepers of the New World Order
Axis (?)
Spooky E (M)
Orihata Aya / Camille (F)
Tarkus (?)
(F) = female (M) = male (O) = other
TIMELINE
BOOGIEPOP
and Others BOOGIEPOP Returns
VS Imaginator Part 1 BOOGIEPOP Returns
VS Imaginator Part 2
High School
1st Year
Minahoshi Suiko's suicide.
High School
2nd Year Kamikishiro Naoka asks Tanaka Shiro out.
The Manticore escapes from the Towa 0rganization‘s laboratory.
Satome Masami meets the Manticore and begins killing students.
Takeda Keiji sees Boogiepop in town.
Kamikishiro meets Echoes.
Kirima Nagi begins seriously investigating.
Boogiepop faces off against the Manticore.
The pillar of light pierces the sky.
Asukai Jin meets the Imaginator.
Taniguchi Masaki meets and falls in love with Orihata Aya.
Boogiepop fights Spooky E.
Taniguchi Masaki encounters Spooky E, begins dressing as Boogiepop.
Kinukawa Kotoe is brainwashed by Spooky E
High School
3rd Year
Taniguchi Masaki runs away from home, flies solo as Boogiepop
Orihata Aya turns up missing
Kinukawa Kotoes hospitalized
Asukai Jin squares off against Spooky E. Spooky E commits suicide
Boogiepop faces off against the Imaginator
Taniguchi Masaki and Orihata Aya reunited
Ronin Years Kimura Akio receives a letter from an unidentifed sender.
BOOGIEPOP FRANCHISE TIMELINE
February 1998 - Boogiepop and Others (Novel 1)
August 1998 - Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 1 (Novel 2)
- Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2 (Novel 3)
December 1998 - Boogiepop in the Mirror: Pandora (Novel 4)
February 1999 - Boogiepop Overdrive: Heartbreaker ll (Novel 5)
May 1999 - Boogiepop at Dawn (Novel 6)
August 1999 - Boogiepop Missing: Peppermint World (Novel 7)
December 1999 - Boogiepop Wicked: The Embryo 1st Half (Novel 8)
January 2000 - Boogiepop Phantom (Anime) airs on Japanese TV
February 2000 - Boogiepop Wicked: The Embryo 2nd Half (Novel 9)
- Boogiepop Phantom OST (CD) released in Japan
March 2000 - Boogiepop and Others (Movie) premiers in Japan
- Boogiepop: Music Inspired by Boogiepop and Others (CD)
April 2000 - Boogiepop Dual: Losers' Circus Volume 1 (Manga)
December 2000 - Boogiepop Dual: Losers' Circus Volume 2 (Manga)
February 2001 - Boogiepop Paradox: Heartless Red (Novel 10)
- Boogiepop Doesn’t Laugh Volume 1 (Manga)
September 2001 - Boogiepop Unbalance: Holy & Ghost (Novel 11)
March 2002 - Beat's Discipline (Side 1): Exile
December 2002 - Boogiepop Doesn’t Laugh Volume 2 (Manga)
March 2003 - Boogiepop Staccato: Welcome to Jinx Shop (Novel 12)
August 2003 - Beats Discipline (Side 2): Fracture
September 2004 - Beats Discipline (Side 3): Providence
April 2005 - Boogiepop Bounding: Lost in Moebius (Novel 13)
- Beats Discipline (Side 4): Indiscipline
April 2006 - Boogiepop Intolerance: The Ark of Orpheus (Novel 14)
TRANSLATION NOTES
Translating a foreign language work is a challenging task that can result in a lot of sleepless nights and headaches for the production team involved. The general rule of thumb for any English-- language release is to make sure that it retains the intricacies of the source material, while not reading like a literal translation. It's a difficult line to walk, but we at Seven Seas believe that preserving cultural nuance is of utmost importance.
For this reason, we've strived to present a translation that is as close to the original as possible, while keeping the flow of the novel intact. The following pages of translation notes are presented here as a way to offer some additional insight into many of the terms, characters and other cultural items that you may not have understood while reading the novel. These notes also offer a further look into some of the choices that the editorial staff at Seven Seas had to make while bringing the work to you. Enjoy!
The Prince Connection
If it hasn't become clear from reading the first three Boogiepop novels, it should be pointed out that Boogiepop creator and everything from Boogiepop whistling Wagner's “Die Meistersinger von Nurmberg” to many of the character names and chapter titles found throughout the books. In fact, it is this last point that we'd like to comment on. In the translation note section of Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part I, we explained that the 1936 movie entitled Camille starring Greta Garbo seemed to thematically relate to Orihata Aya
's character. While this is still a valid explanation, references in his novels, gomanga.com forum user “Elric of Grans” was kind enough to point out a much simpler explanation -- “Prince [the singer/songwriter] claims to have a personality that he calls 'Camille,' who wished to prove his critics wrong, and another called 'Spooky Electric,' who urged him to create The Black Album.” With that knowledge in mind, it's easy to see even more Prince references jump right out. Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 1 uses the Prince song titles “Sometimes It Snows inApril” and “If I Was Your Girlfriend” as interior titles, while Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2 has “Do U Lie?” and “The Sacrifice of Victor.” What's more, all of these individual titles have an impact on the novels themselves, as they tie into the events thematically. It makes you wonder what other clever references are still to come.
Chapter I
Onigiri
Rice balls, which actually tend to be triangle-- shaped. They are usually wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with either fish flakes, pickled plums, or other condiments.
Tarkus
Tarkus is clearly a Towa Organization Agent-- although a very underused one, as he hasn't shown up in later novels. Could “Tarkus” be a sly reference to musical group Emerson Lake and Palmer's second album? You decide.
Paisley Park
Yet another clever Prince reference. A s Boogiepop fan “Scintilla” points out, “Paisley Park is the name of a studio complex Prince had built near his home.”
Dance Club
Literally a “live house” in Japanese, this type of establishment is the sort of bar where bands play. We opted to use the term dance club to clearly convey the setting, but keep in mind that a 'club' in Japan tends to be of the bar hostess variety.
Chapter II
I must save Masaki
Aya's original Japanese chant was unworkable in English. In Japanese, she actually whispers: “Masaki dake wa” ("Only Masaki") over and over, and at the end, she adds: “Tasukenakyra” ("I have to save.") We could have reversed this and have the chant read, “I have to save” over and over, with “Masaki” at the end, but the repetition of Masaki's name here is important to the meaning of this passage. Hence, we translated it as, “I must save Masaki.”
Shishou
In case Masaki's usage of the term shishou isn't clear, it means “master teacher.”
Chapter III
Best.Typo. Ever.
Sometimes, even editors can make mistakes. That's why it's always a good idea to have a proofreader watching your back, as evidenced by this hilarious goof:
“I have already been saved by someone else!” I shouted.
Asukai Jin frowned. “Oh? Who?”
“B-- noogiepop!”
Chapter V
Standardize
Andrew is quite proud of this term, but it is worth mentioning that in Japanese, he specifically said he was going to make every human psychologically identical; it's a neat phrase, but not nearly as concise. “Put all human psyches in the same condition” would be the most literal translation.
Harite
A move from sumo where you slap the side of your opponent's face with an open hand.
Anti-Magnetic Sheets
Okay, this seems to be a made-up term, but since googling it produces an alarming number of sites dedicated to Asukai Jin/Spooky E slash fiction... one can never be too sure.
Chapter VI
Calorie Mate
Tasteless, extremely dry cookie-- like bars containing a lot of calories and a balanced range of vitamins. Needless to say... they are horrible.
Chapter VII
Followers
When Asukai Jin answers the phone to which only his followers know the number, the word used here is actually nakama, which means friends, comrades, or companions. However, those words in English make it unclear as to who is calling, so the word “followers” was substituted.
Mosh Pit
The original analogy here was “oshikuramanju,” which many Japanese to English dictionaries list as “to play push and shove.” It appears to be a game where a group of people stand very close to each other and shove one another. Except, in this book, aren't these people sprawled out and lying on their sides?
Sun Tzu
Boogiepop references the great Chinese strategist Sun Tzu and author of The Art of War with the quote, “Everything is already decided before the battle even begins.” Also, “Sun Tzu” is a Chinese pronunciation. When the Japanese see the kanji for his name, they have their own reading, which is “Sonshi.” Because there are tons of other meanings for “son” and “shi,” it is often used as the basis for more than a few jokes.
Leave it to the experts
When referring to the Towa Organization picking up the canisters, Boogiepop actually says,"Mochiwa mochiya,” or “Leave mochi to the mochi makers.” Mochi is a soft and sticky rice treat, but as that particular line sounds like an incredibly strange thing to say, we choose to substitute a suitable alternative that the average reader would be instantly able to understand -- “Best to leave it to the experts.”
Chapter VIII
Terre des Hommes
The quote by Antoine De Saint-- Exupery on Chapter VIII's title page is taken from his work Terre des Hommes, which was translated into English as Wind, Sand and Stars. In the English translation of this book, the passage in question reads as follows: “And I, in my turn, shall recognize you in the faces of all mankind. You came towards me in an aureole of charity and magnanimity bearing the gift of water. All my friends and all my enemies marched towards me in your person. It did not seem to me that you were rescuing me: rather did it seem that you were forgiving me. And I felt I had no enemy left in all the world.” As you can see, there is quite a noticeable difference between the above version and the one we used. In the case of this quote, the original novel Terre des Hommes translated into English from French, but in our case, we have a passage that was translated from French into Japanese and then into English. Thematically, the wording in the English version is so different from the Japanese version that it no longer seems to relate to the themes present in the Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator novels. For this reason, we have decided to go with our own version of the quote to remain the passage.
Special Omake
The Original Japanese Novel Blurbs
As in many cases, what was originally written to plug a book's Japanese release gets revised and changed to better suit the title's needs in foreign markets. In the case of Boogiepop, the original novel blurbs are a little bizarre, but they do act as an extension of the books themselves, giving further insight into the contents contained therein. In the case of the second novel, the blurb literally provides the best definition of what the Imaginator actually is. Likewise, the description for the first novel is the only hint we are ever given of the book's original title-- Boogiepop Doesn’t Dream.
BOOGIEPOP AND OTHERS
Do you have a dream? Sadly, I have no such thing. But the boys and girls in this story all have their own desires. They fret; unable to reach them, or launch themselves headlong towards that goal. Some remain uncertain what it is they truly want, others chase a desire they can never really hope to achieve, or unwittingly give others courage with their unconscious optimism.
This story is told in pieces. It's a very creepy story and a little bit sad.
-- Mm? Who am I? My name is Boogiepop...
Winner of the Game Novel Grand Prize.
Kouhei Kadono brings you five unusual stories of one uncanny event.
BOOGIEPOP RETURNS: VS IMAGINATOR PART 1
Have you ever thought there was something missing inside of you? Have you ever worried you were lacking something everyone else had? Have you ever hoped someone would come along who could make up for your flaws?
You don't need to worry about that anymore. That time is coming. A new possibility is dawning, a time that will end all suffering. If my enemy, Boogiepop, does not interfere... Me? Well, my enemies call me t
he Imaginator...
The winner of the fourth Dengeki Game Novel Grand Prize, scale!
Kouhei Kadono, delivers an all-new work on an even larger scale!
Can you escape from the clutches of the Imaginator... ?
BOOGIEPOP RETURNS: VS IMAGINATOR PART 2
Do you have anything you simply must do? Something you've convinced yourself is the only way? Have you ever even seriously considered if this is really important to you?
If you believe that no matter what you do, you must do it well, then so be it. But if that springs not from your needs or desires, but is simply powered by momentum, then you may already be in the Imaginator's grasp. If so, I, Boogiepop will appear before you as many times as it takes, until a resolution is reached
The much anticipated new work from Kouhei Kadono, recipient of the Game novel Grand Prize.
Will you be saved by Boogiepop? Or...
Special Omake
The Original Creator Bios
As with the original novel blurbs, the original Japanese novels included a series of creator biographies that differ from the versions found in our release. In this case, we opted to create Kouji Ogata that actually served to give greater insight into their individual careers and the works they have each been involved with.
For the release of the third Boogiepop novel, we'd like to present the original author biographies for Kouhei Kadono and Kouji Ogata as they appeared with the original Japanese novels. In the case of Kouji Ogata, he simply has one bio that is used with each of the three novels. However, Kouhei Kadono actually has three variations. Enjoy!
Boogiepop Returns VS Imaginator Part 2 Page 13
