ITT: Bookworm translates the Japanese Internet

[Darkling]

I was looking up the room number of Kana's hospital room, and came across my link to 'Room 512', a Japanese KLS fansite with cute little illustrations of the characters in various odd situations. I've never been able to read them, of course, but now I have resources at my disposal that I didn't have before!

Bookworm, do you think you could start with the graphic at the bottom of this page, please?

http://ww61.tiki.ne.jp/~nontan2/kana-cg.htm

[Jo']

The first says:

Kana: ...apple (ringo) no idea why it's written in katakana instead of hiragana
reply: Yes, an apple, isn't it. (Un, ringo da na)


The second I leave to those who like to look up kanji
Kana: ...muku
Reply: un, ?? ?? da na.

[Bookworm]

Don't expect too much - after all, I'm just an amateur, and I might as well mess up when trying to translate from Japanese (as I've already done before). But I'll do my best - well, sort of...

1st panel:

Kana: "... apple..."

Taka (at least I think it's him): "Yeah, it's an apple."

2nd panel:

Kana: "...　this suits you..."

Taka: "Yeah, that's purity..."

If I understood this correctly, it's a play on words: Kana says muku, which can be a verb (向く) meaning 'to be suited to' or 'to be fit for', or a noun (無垢) meaning 'purity' or 'innocence'.　But since there are still more possible meanings to that word, I'm not sure if I guessed this right.

[Darkling]

Hmm, you're right, Bookworm. That doesn't sound like the right translation.

I guessed that the first panel's exchange was "Apple", "Right, it's an apple". Those lines came from the game.

So I was expecting the second panel to be a twist or a variant on the same structure. Maybe it's a game called 'Innocence'? That would (sort of) fit the joke structure. Of course, if it's one of those obscure Japanese puns, then all bets are off and there's a big chance the humour is going over my head.

But Taka says something different to what Kana says in the second panel, doesn't he? The characters are different.

[Jo']

by kana: http://jisho.org/words?jap=%E3%82%80%E3 ... dict=edict
by kanji: http://jisho.org/words?jap=%E7%84%A1%E5 ... dict=edict

by sound they both say "muku" ~> むく


Funny, looking at the kanji details: mu can also mean "not" and ku "dirt(y)" perhaps?

[Bookworm]

I guessed that the first panel's exchange was "Apple", "Right, it's an apple". Those lines came from the game.

So I was expecting the second panel to be a twist or a variant on the same structure.

After looking around a little I think I found the solution. Kana says muku, meaning 'peel', like she does in the game. Normally that word would be written 剥く, but in this case, for sake of the pun, it's in hiragana.

Maybe it's a game called 'Innocence'? That would (sort of) fit the joke structure.

Indeed: there is a bishōjo game with that name, and it's obviously the one Kana is holding in her hand here.

So in the end, it comes out like this:

1st panel:

• Kana: "... apple..."
  
  Taka: "Yeah, it's an apple."

2nd panel:

• Kana: "...　peel..."
  
  Taka: "Yeah, it's Purity..."

[Darkling]

Ah, okay. So the joke (or pun) is that Kana is saying a word that sounds like 'peel' but also sounds like 'innocence', whereas Taka is saying the actual title of the game?

...I thought it was going to be more clever than that, somehow. I don't know why. Puns have never been my favourite form of humour, though, so maybe it's just not tickling me properly.

Okay, then - next up, what are Kana and Cana saying in this one?

http://ww61.tiki.ne.jp/~nontan2/hattori.jpg

[Bookworm]

• Cana:
  ハットリカンゾウでござる。
  Hattori Kanzō degozaru.
  I am Kanzō Hattori.
  
  Kana:
  じ・・・ジンゾウでござる・・・
  Ji... Jinzō degozaru...
  I... I am Jinzō...

This picture is evidently referring to a manga series called Ninja Hattori-kun. While Cana is playing the role of Kanzō Hattori, wearing a blue robe, Kana is impersonating Kanzō's little brother Jinzō, wearing a red robe. Just take a look at this picture.

[Darkling]

Okay, so it's a Japanese pop culture reference. Makes sense.

How about this one?

http://ww61.tiki.ne.jp/~nontan2/umino-toudou.jpg

[Arch Evil]

When I was playing Left 4 Dead, I noticed this graffiti in one of the safe-houses:

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/7565/l4djapanese.jpg

Any idea what it says?