Translation Notes
Twin Blades Cross: Metempsychosis of the Inverted World
1 “…Shogun Ashikaga’s line.” The Ashikaga family ruled Japan during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Japan was ruled by a shogun and had a military government, and it was the era of the samurai.
2 Yoshiteru Ashikaga was the thirteenth shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate and ruled from 1546 to 1565.
3 “You M-2 syndrome types really like your nullification powers.” M-2 syndrome refers to chuunibyou, literally, “second-year-of-middle-school disease,” characterized by delusional behavior often exhibited by middle schoolers.
4 “Bright ‘Swordian Master’ Woodstock.” Zaimokuza is playing with the characters of his name. Yoshiteru contains the character for “shine/bright,” and Zaimokuza has the characters for “tree/wood” and “forest.”
Chapter 1 … This is how Shizuka Hiratsuka kicks off a new competition.
1 “…Benkei Musashibou had his lord.” Benkei Musashibou (1155–1189) was a famous warrior monk. The story goes that he positioned himself on a bridge in Kyoto and disarmed every passing swordsman, eventually collecting 999 swords from his victories. The one thousandth swordsman to cross his path was Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who defeated him and accepted Benkei as his vassal. Eventually, Benkei would die protecting his lord.
2 “…a suite pretty cure for my morning hunger.” Suite Pretty Cure is the eighth series in the Pretty Cure franchise, a massively popular magicalgirl series. While it’s explicitly marketed to little girls, it also has a strong adult male otaku fanbase—the bronies of Japan, if you will.
3 “…one of those fake English words Japanese people made up!” Komachi is referring to wasei eigo, Japanese words that sound like they came from English but were actually coined in Japanese.
4 Great Gitayuu is the stage name for comedian/musician Masayuki Suzuki.
5 “…a basketball anime set in the near future would be dubbed Baskish.” Hikigaya is referring to the 2009 sci-fi sports anime Basquash! in which characters play basketball while riding mecha.
6 “…thanks to my class skill Obfuscation…” The skill Obfuscation, or Presence Concealment in certain translations, is a skill of the Assassin class in the Fate media franchise.
7 “…But if AIC comes and recruits me by mistake, I’ll be a good boy and make another Tenchi Muyo! OVA.” AIC, or Anime International Company, is the animation studio that did the Tenchi Muyo! OVAs.
8 “Hachiman Hikigaya withdraws coolly.” A reference to the character Speedwagon in the long-running manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki. He often says out loud, “Speedwagon withdraws coolly.”
9 “How cool am I, you ask? Enough to record everything I see with a cassette player.” This is a reference to the manga Cool: Rental Bodyguard by Takeshi Konomi. The main character, whose name is Cool, is always recording himself talking.
10 “It always ended with Komachi summoning my dad and draining my life points to zero.” Hikigaya is referencing the Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible card game.
11 Oda Nobunaga was the most infamous warlord of Japanese history, known for his ruthlessness and brutality. He is famous for unifying Japan and ending the Sengoku (Warring States) period in the late sixteenth century.
12 “Like that thing you use to get the Masayuki Map.” The Masayuki Map is an item in Dragon Quest IX that you can get only through StreetPass functionality.
13 “All who come to him are refused, and all who leave him are free to go.” Hachiman is playing with the Japanese saying “All who come are welcome, all who leave are free to go.”
14 “It’s not time to give up just yet!” This is from Slam Dunk, a basketball manga by Takehiko Inoue, published in Weekly Shonen Jump in the 1990s. This particular line has become something of an Internet meme among Japanese audiences.
15 “…Yukinoshita and I would have a Robattle Fight! (not that Robopon thing)…” In Volume 1, Miss Hiratsuka referenced the battles of the anime Medabots, a relatively obscure series. Robopon is short for Robot Ponkottsu, a series of games from the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Advance generation about capturing wild robots and having them fight each other. The gameplay style was highly derivative of the Pokémon franchise.
16 “You don’t even see that movie on Friday Roadshow anymore.” Friday Roadshow is a movie programming show that’s been on the air since 1985.
17 “…Roadshow does Laputa every year…” Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) is a famous Studio Ghibli movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
18 “Do Earthsea, man—Earthsea.” Tales from Earthsea (2006) is a lesser-known Ghibli movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki, loosely based off Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels.
19 “Basically, it’s like the Kaguya arc in Yaiba.” Yaiba, also known as Legend of the Swordmaster Yaiba, is a shonen manga series by Gosho Aoyama that began running in 1988. It’s a lighthearted series about an adventuring samurai.
20 “You have so many orders for us. Is this all just leading up to us being eaten by a wildcat?” Hikigaya is referring to the children’s book by Kenji Miyazawa called The Restaurant of Many Orders. The story involves two men who come to a restaurant and are progressively asked to do more and more things, such as take off their belts and wash their faces, and finally, at the end, they find out that they are doing all of this so that they can be dinner for a wildcat. They are saved in the end, however.
21 “Who the hell does Miss Hiratsuka think she is, Princess Kaguya?” In the legend of Kaguya-hime, Kaguya is a princess from the heavens raised by a woodcutter. She has many suitors, and she drives them away by giving them ridiculous, unreasonable demands to carry out if they want to marry her. In the end, her true family takes her back to heaven.
Chapter 2 … Saika Totsuka’s youth romantic comedy is right, as I expected.
1 “Okay, I’ll buy a hundred of his CDs! Then, once I get the ticket for a handshake, I’ll sell them somewhere.” Hachiman is talking about the business model of the girl group AKB48. Special tickets for meet-and-greets are put into randomly selected hard-copy CDs. Hard-core fans will buy hundreds of CDs in order to get these tickets.
2 “…the park near Saize…” Saize is short for Saizeriya, a cheap and ubiquitous Japanized-Italian food chain.
3 “…in a game of Shanghai and try to conquer the Great Wall of China…” Shanghai is a game of solitaire played using mah-jongg pieces. “Conquering the Great Wall” is a reference to a video game called Shanghai: The Great Wall, where beating each stage allows you to conquer a part of the Great Wall of China.
4 “In a dilemma reminiscent of Dotch Cooking Show…” Dotch Cooking Show (aired 1997–2005) was a cooking show akin to Iron Chef. It featured two competing cooks, and judges would try dishes prepared by both and pick out which they liked best.
5 “My perennial favorite, Magic Academy…” Quiz Magic Academy is a series of arcade quiz games that test your otaku trivia knowledge. There is also a spinoff anime.
6 “Nay. He is an Arcanabro.” Arcana Heart is a series of 2D fighting games. All the playable characters are cute girls.
7 Koshien is the stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, that hosts the Japanese High School Baseball Championship.
8 Purikura is short for “print club.” They are photo booths equipped with various filters to make your skin whiter, eyes larger, legs longer, and add all sorts of digital effects before the photos are printed.
9 “…the area is only for girls and couples.” It is quite common for purikura sections of arcades to allow only girls and couples in. The rationale is generally that this rule prevents sexual harassment. Often girls will dress up or do cosplay, which can attract unwanted attention from the awkward male otaku like Zaimokuza, who frequently visit arcades. It’s generally perceived and marketed as a girly hobby, so any guy who tries to get in alone is assumed to want to get in for creepy reasons rather than legitimately wanting to take photos.
10 “…a world unknown to you.” Anata no shiranai sekai (A World Unknown to You) is a variety show that features viewer stories about supernatural experiences, ghost sightings, and stories about ESP and related phenomena.
11 “Oh, so Tien Shinhan isn’t the only one who can use Solar Flare.” The character Tien Shinhan in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga has an ability called Solar Flare, which causes an incredibly bright flash of light. Later, Goku learns it, too.
12 “Actually, I’m really more of a Ribbon kind of guy.” Best Friends (Nakayoshi) is the name of a shoujo manga magazine, and Ribbon (Ribon) is another shoujo manga magazine.
13 “Kodocha is particularly superb.” Kodocha, short for Kodomo no Omocha (Child’s Toy) is a manga by Miho Obana about a child actress that ran in Ribon from 1994 to 1998. There is also an anime adaptation that diverges significantly from its source.
Chapter 3 … Yukino Yukinoshita really does love cats.
1 “…like some kind of Super Saiyan bargain sale.” This line is a quote from Vegeta in Volume 36 of Dragon Ball, when he sees that his son, Trunks, has easily awakened to his powers as a Super Saiyan. It has since turned into something of an Internet meme among Japanese fans.
2 “Kobo was amazing today.” Kobo-chan, or Kobo, the Li’l Rascal in the English edition, is a comedy/slice-of-life manga by Masashi Ueda that began running in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in 1982.
3 “U-Ra-Ra! Wait, that’s Beetlebomb.” This is a reference to the characteristic roar of the character Beetlebomb (also known as Geronimo in the original Japanese) in Yudetamago’s comedy manga Ultimate Muscle, or Kinnikuman.
4 “If a girl hits on you, she really just wants to make you buy paintings.” This is a kind of scam that is rumored to be common in Japan. A woman will approach a meek-looking man and invite him to come with her to a free gallery. When they arrive there, she pressures him to buy a painting for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and if he says he doesn’t have the money, she tries to make him take out a loan and capitalize on his inability to say no.
5 “…like I was Masuo talking to his mother-in-law.” Masuo and Fune are characters from the long-running newspaper manga Sazae-san by Machiko Hasegawa that began in 1946. The anime adaptation of Sazae-san is the longest-running animated series in the world. Masuo is the titular character’s husband, and Fune is Sazae’s mother. Masuo and Fune’s relationship is rather awkward.
6 Makuhari Messe is a large convention center in Chiba and a site popular for big music shows, most notably the Tokyo Game Show.
7 Tokyo Big Sight is a massive convention center in Tokyo, the site for large-scale events such as Comiket.
8 “…the Shinjuku subway station. And Umeda Station.” Shinjuku Station is a major train station in downtown Tokyo. It’s the biggest transport hub in the world and extremely easy to get lost in. Umeda Station is the central train station in downtown Osaka. Like many Japanese train stations, it is combined with a vast underground and aboveground shopping center and has dozens of different exits in every direction.
9 Jaja Uma Grooming Up by Masami Yuuki (more famous in the West for the Patlabor series) is a manga about horse racing that ran from 1994 to 2000. The main character lives on a ranch belonging to the Watarai family. A jaja uma means both a stubborn horse and a tomboy or unmanageable woman.
10 “Does Tsunayoshi have a hand in this, too?” Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, the fifth shogun of the Edo period, was famous for being fond of animals, particularly dogs.
Chapter 4 … Komachi Hikigaya is shrewdly scheming.
1 World Great TV, or Sekai Marumie! Terebi Tokusoubu, is a documentary/variety show that began running in 1990. The show is infamous for turning everything into a cliffhanger that will be revealed after the commercial break.
2 Lisa Lisa is a character from Hirohiko Araki’s manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. She is a master of the Ripple, a form of supernatural martial arts.
3 Rinko is one of the girls in the Love Plus series of dating sims. She’s a quiet loner and a member of the library committee.
4 “I don’t think Yuigahama is looking for any bonus to defense in her clothes.” The plain clothes are typically the starting equipment in classic Dragon Quest games.
5 Puppet Muppet is a comedian whose bit involves using a puppet on each hand (a cow and a frog), and a bag over his head to hide his face.
6 “Oh man, this makes me want to laugh like Ka-ka-ka-ka!” The titular character of the cooking manga Iron Wok Jan by Shinji Saijo has this particular unique laugh.
7 “…a big 4D pocket in the middle.” In the children’s anime Doraemon, the titular character has a large pocket on his tummy that has an infinite number of gadgets tucked away inside it. He calls it his 4D pocket.
8 Medal games are ubiquitous at Japanese arcades. They are a sort of simulated gambling, since there are no casinos in Japan (gambling is illegal). You buy medals to play the game, and the game pays out in more medals. Unlike pachinko parlors, which are generally run by yakuza and will illicitly exchange your payout prizes for cash, arcades make an effort to appear clean and family oriented, so the majority will not award you cash, only cheap toys.
9 “I started wondering if I’d eaten some of Doraemon’s weird translation jelly.” In the children’s anime Doraemon, one of Doraemon’s special items is called a honyaku konnyaku, or “translation jelly” in English. When eaten, it lets you understand any language. Konnyaku is a savory jellylike substance made from the bulb of the konjac plant. It tastes quite bland and has almost no calories.
10 “I would read a certain magical index, though.” Hikigaya is referring to the light-novel series A Certain Magical Index by Kazuma Kamachi. In this series, Index is a girl, not a book.
11 “Look, Chii is learning.” “Chii is learning” became an Internet meme due to how often the robot girl says that line in the CLAMP manga and anime series Chobits. It’s something you say whenever you learn something new, especially new words.
12 “A fortified armor shell…or, no, maybe a mobile suit.” A “fortified armor shell” is the name of the mecha suit from the manga Apocalypse Zero by Takayuki Yamaguchi. It’s small and fits the human body—about the size of an Iron Man suit. A mobile suit from the Gundam franchise is far larger—giant-robot sized.
13 “The Three Non-Connection Principles of the Foreveralone are carved into my soul…” This is playing with the Three Non-Nuclear Principles of Japan: “Japan shall neither possess nor manufacture nuclear weapons, nor shall it permit their introduction into Japanese territory.”
Chapter 5 … Despite it all, Yoshiteru Zaimokuza wails alone in the wasteland.
1 “I worried I might have honed that skill a little too well and unlocked my Stand power.” Stands are the superpowers in Hirohiko Araki’s long-running manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Particularly, in the third and most popular arc, Stardust Crusaders, the protagonist, Jotaro, has a Stand with the power to stop time. The main JoJo villain, Dio Brando, shares the same ability in this arc.
2 “Is this the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?” The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is a special training room in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, where time is slowed, gravity is stronger, and the air is denser.
3 “Wahhhh! Hachiemoooon!” Zaimokuza is imitating Nobita, the protagonist of the children’s anime Doraemon. Nobita often whines to his friend Doraemon, looking for help.
4 “Right, Gian?” Gian is the bully character in Doraemon. He’s often quite mean to Nobita.
5 “I can settle for ‘Ninja Hachitori.’” Zaimokuza is referencing another kids’ anime, Ninja Hattori-kun.
6 “In your visage, I could see a quiver like a bow string’s pulse.” Zaimokuza is referencing a line from the theme song of the Studio Ghibli film Princess Mononoke.
7 “What, are you Misawa?” Jigoku no Misawa (Misawa from Hell) is a comedy manga artist whose humor tends to involve narcissistic and self-involved people saying annoying things.
8 “…perhaps a reflection of his sharp mind and sharp ideas.” Hachiman is quoting the Sharp Electronics slogan: From sharp minds come sharp ideas.
9 “…inspiring the next generation.” Inspire the next is Hitachi Electronics’ slogan.
10 “…the regulars like the Guiltybros…” Referring to the fighting game series Guilty Gear.
11 “Ha-ha-ha-ha! It’s time to d-d-d-duel! Monster card!” In the Japanese, Zaimokuza says, “It’s always my turn!” This is a line spoken by Seto Kaiba in Kazuki Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, which has become an Internet meme among Japanese fans. This meme is referenced when a player pulls out a continuous series of moves in a game while often unfairly overpowered, not giving his or her opponent a chance to strike.
12 “I had tons of Miracle of the Zone…cards…” Daikaijuu Monogatari: Miracle of the Zone (Giant Beast Story: Miracle of the Zone) is another collectable card game. There was also a GameBoy version at one point.
13 “The End of Genesis, T.M.R.evolution Type-D!” The End of Genesis, T.M.R.evolution Type-D was the name of T.M.Revolution and Daisuke Asakura’s one-time pop duo. Technically, it was Revolution Turbo Type-D. They likely changed this to avoid stepping on trademarks.
14 “In other words, since the opposite of opposition is approval…” Hachiman is playing with a quote from Bakabon’s father in the gag manga Tensai Bakabon (Genius Bakabon) by Fujio Akatsuka. He’s always saying things like “The opposite of approval is disapproval” or “The opposite of approval! An approval of opposition!” It’s all slightly nonsensical and generally just means “Whatever, that’s fine.”
15 “Zaimokuza doesn’t have a Zetsuei, and I’m no Shell Bullet.” References to the 2001 shonen anime S-CRY-ed. Shell Bullet is the alias of the main character. Zetsuei is the name of his rival’s Alter power.
16 “Are you the computer grandma or what…?” “Computer Obaachan” (“Computer Grandma”) is an NHK children’s song from the 1980s. It’s basically a song about how Computer Grandma can do anything and everything. It’s part of a TV program called Minna no Uta (Our Songs) where they play children’s songs with short animated videos repeatedly in between children’s shows. Generally, the same songs will continue for months, so they’re highly memorable.
17 “Are you an Alter user?” In S-CRY-ed, Kanami, a young girl who lives with Kazuma, is also an Alter user with the power to read minds.
18 “Sagami’s ejaculation of surprise resembled something out of Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” This particular manga is infamous for having a lot of distinctive shocked reaction faces.
19 “Whether or not your dreams come true is up to luck, as is victory and defeat. Source: Tottemo! Luckyman.” Tottemo! Luckyman is a superhero/comedy manga by Hiroshi Gamou about a boy who shares a body with an alien named Luckyman. When there is need, the boy transforms into Luckyman to defend the earth from invaders with the power of luck.
Bonus Track! “Like, This Sort of Birthday Song.”
1 “As a wise man once said, never forget what it was to be new.” A quote from the Muromachi-era actor and playwright, Zeami Motokiyo. The quote is a caution to never forget the earnest feelings and humility of a beginner; the original context concerned Noh theater.
2 Rurouni Kenshin is a manga from the 1990s by Nobuhiro Watsuki about a wandering swordsman, set in the Meiji period. The titular character, Kenshin, practices the Hiten Mitsurugi school of kendo. His technique is focused on Iai, the art of drawing a blade quickly from the sheath. One of the precepts of his school is that you should always be on guard and ready for a follow-up strike.
3 “Come on, do you have heaven’s memo pad or something?” A series of light novels, titled Heaven’s Memo Pad, by Hikaru Sugii that also has an anime adaptation. It’s a detective story that focuses on solving mysteries with limited resources via smarts and deduction.
4 A yamato nadeshiko is the traditional ideal woman. She should always be quiet, be reserved, and walk three steps behind her husband. Yamato is an old word for ethnically Japanese people, and a nadeshiko is a flower generally called a “fringed pink” in English. In modern times, it’s considered an old-fashioned ideal.
5 “…I dashed away as fast as a certain combat butler…” This refers to the manga by Kenjiro Hata, Hayate the Combat Butler, which began in 2004. The main character, the “combat butler,” is named Hayate, which means “wind.” So in running as fast as him, Hachiman is running as fast as…the wind.
6 Jooshy polly yey is a greeting coined by Chiaki Takahashi, a voice actor, singer, and gravure model. Meant to sound like “juicy party yay” and has no particular deep meaning.
7 “Are you blood type A, Yukinon?” It’s a popular belief in Japan that blood type determines personality. It’s a sort of astrology, and almost everyone knows their blood type and the personality traits associated with it. Type A is the farmer: conservative, introverted, perfectionist. Type B is the hunter: creative, free-spirited, unpredictable. Type AB is the humanist: rational, organized, and empathetic. Type O is the warrior: outgoing, social, and a natural leader.
8 “Calm thyself, my right hand!” This is most likely a reference to the manga Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaaki, in which the main character has his hand possessed by an alien parasite.
9 “‘Like how we both like celery, and we’re both demanding.’ Plus, we hate summer and are willing to compromise.” This exchange is a reference to the lyrics of the song “Celery” by the extremely popular, if aging, boy band SMAP. The beginning of the song goes: “We were raised in different environments, so it’s inevitable we’d have different tastes / Like hating summer or liking celery / Not to mention that we’re a man and a woman, so misunderstandings are bound to happen / We compromise and get demanding.”
10 “They’re the kind of people who would name me Hachiman because I was born on August eighth.” The hachi in Hachiman means “eight,” and the word for “August” in Japanese literally means “eighth month.”
11 “My name was chosen just because it was snowing when I was born.” The yuki in Yukino means “snow.”
12 “Don’t seduce someone else’s petite soeur. The Virgin Mary is watching you.” Hachiman is referring to the girls’ love light-novel series Maria-sama ga Miteiru (The Virgin Mary Is Watching) by Oyuki Konno, which was also adapted into a manga and anime. The story is set in a Catholic all-girls’ school that has a system where an older girl, called the grande soeur (older sister), chooses a younger girl as her petite soeur (younger sister) to lead and guide her. Of course, it’s a loaded relationship. Yuri means “white lily” and also girls’ love.
13 “…the kanji says fate, but the ruby reads Grampa.” Kanji characters convey meaning, but it’s difficult to know how to pronounce them unless you already know the word. Often in manga and light novels, especially for younger readers, tiny phonetic characters will be provided above the kanji. Pronunciation guides like this are called “ruby.” Sometimes, instead of explaining pronunciation, ruby will be used for artistic effect. When Zaimokuza says “the kanji says fate, but the ruby reads Grampa,” it’s as if he is creating a new word that means “fate” but is pronounced “Grampa.” Of course, this is something that works only in writing.
14 “My parents just wanted me to live a life full of color.” Saika means “add color.”
15 “This time, Buddha’s watching you, too.” Oshaka-sama mo Miteiru (Buddha Is Watching You, Too) is a spinoff novel series of Maria-sama ga Miteiru. Mandalas are a spiritual symbol in Buddhism.
16 Byakko, the white tiger, is one of the four symbols of Chinese constellations, along with Seiryuu the dragon, Genbu the turtle, and Suzaku the phoenix.
17 Ultra Divine Water is a special drink in Dragon Ball that will draw out the full potential of the drinker if they can survive its poisonous effects.
18 “Shocking First Bullet!” This is a skill that is a special attack of Kazuma Torisuna, the main character in the shonen anime S-CRY-ed.
19 “Oh, ohhhh~! Dividing Driver!” This is from the opening song of The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, a mecha anime from the late 1990s.
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