Blogging about my Torikae baya manga translation project.
Thoughts from Episode 64: What shall I call you?
The gradual denouement continues in this chapter, with Sara’s marriage to the Emperor being confirmed, to (almost) everyone’s delight. Elsewhere, Yoshino no Miya recovers and has an awkward and ambiguous reconciliation with Suzakuin, while Suiren is implied to tell Mitsuko… something about the two men’s past. As time goes by, the Emperor ponders who could’ve got Sara pregnant before – ruling out several options including the person we know to be responsible – but seemingly stops worrying about it following the exciting news that Sara is pregnant again!
Thoughts from Episode 35: Naishi no kami
I’m back for the final chapter before the volumes I’m skipping over! (I explain that plan a bit more here) At this point in the story, Sara and Suiren are settling into their new roles as each other, but there’s a catch: their personalities seem to have changed since before they went missing. Men at court think that “Sara” is no longer as bright and fun as he was, and suspect it is because of Shi no Hime and Tsuwabuki’s affair; meanwhile, the returning “Suiren” doesn’t seem like the modest, ladylike individual San no Hime has heard about. Now fearful of raising suspicious, both Sara and Suiren take extra care about how they come across as they deal with the drama of this chapter.
Thoughts from Episode 34: The sky is falling
The cliffhanger last time saw Sara, now ready to take over Suiren’s old position as naishi no kami, coming face to face with San no Hime (daughter of Kakumitsu and sister of Sara’s former wife Shi no Hime). It soon emerges that in the wake of the invasion of Togu’s quarters, Kakumitsu had most of her existing staff dismissed in favour of San no Hime and her attendants, leaving Togu isolated and distrustful. When Sara finally gets to see her in private, she quickly confirms that he is not the Suiren she knows, and San no Hime takes him away.
Just as Sara and Suiren are scrambling for a solution, an ominous falling star appears in the night sky. Suiren seeks advice from Yoshino no Miya, who writes back telling them that it will recur for three nights. The siblings then devise a plan.
Thoughts from Episode 26: Togu or not Togu?
As I suggested last week, palace politics come up as an important thread in Episode 26. But first, if you thought things were awkward between Suiren and Togu after the shrine incident, wait until you see them now!
After the dramatic kiss that ended volume 5, Suiren quickly takes her leave, fearing that there is no return for her. She later calls in sick, prompting Togu to visit her, wanting to understand her feelings but not knowing how to ask. Togu instead asks about the story Suiren is writing – which sounds like it might resemble Torikae baya – and Suiren hastily stops her from reading it, causing her to leave.
Thoughts from Episode 6: New year, new ranks!
I’m back from my break, and I’ve been making some more progress with the translation! We left off last time at the end of the first volume, so now let’s move on to Episode 6: The New Emperor.
Thoughts from Episode 5: Names, names, names
This week’s chapter revolves around a hunting trip organised by the Emperor. The most important people at the court go and have a good time in the outskirts of Heian-kyo, and the citizens get an opportunity to see them in their finery. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the stars of the event are to be Sara and Tsuwabuki!
Thoughts from Episode 1: Introduction to the story, and court ranks
Here’s the first blog post proper! I’ll be going through my thoughts from translating Saito Chiho’s Torikae baya, starting at the beginning. If you happen to have access to the manga in Japanese, you can even follow along!
First, I’ll quickly introduce the story. The manga is based on Torikaebaya monogatari, a tale written by an unknown author or authors (there was originally more than one version) in probably the late Heian period – at the very least, it’s set in the Heian period. In both the original story and the manga, a court official has two wives, each of whom gives birth on the same day to almost identical babies, one a girl and one a boy. This is all very auspicious for the father, who would hope that they can grow up to fill important roles, but there’s a catch: his new “daughter” behaves like a boy and his new “son” behaves like a girl.