Liner notes: Chapter TwoAs explained in the kanji liner note in Chapter One, Japanese writing is based on Chinese. Tamahome's "normal" name is written in kanji. The Japanese reading of his name's kanji is "So Kichiku", but a Chinese person reading those same kanji would see "Xong Gui-Siu". ^^ It's a safe bet the name of every Chinese person and place mentioned in FY is said with the Japanese reading. Since FY is told in Japanese, this seems only natural. I seriously doubt Miaka can speak ancient Chinese, yet she has no problems communicating with the other characters in Konan. *shrugs* Artstic license, I suppose. In the licensed English FY manga, Viz chose to use the Chinese readings of the character's non-Shichiseihi names, and is actually where I found the reading "Xong Gui-Siu". But since I prefer to keep things they way they are said in the anime, "So Kichiku" it is.
This English word is one of many that has been adopted into Japanese and whose meaning and usage has been slightly changed to suit Japanese sensibilities. "Lucky" is said in appropriate situations as an expression of delight at one's good fortune. Instead of saying "Yeah!" or "All right!" when good fortune comes their way, they'll laugh and cheer out, "Lucky!" Of course, with a Japanese accent it sounds more like "Rakk-eee"! *grins* Another English word with similar usage is "Chance!", which ususally sounds more like "Chyansu!" with that Japanese accent, and is used when a great opportunity presents itself and the speaker decides to take advantage of it. ^^ The two words come up all the time in anime, especially "Rakk-ee". *grins*
Seiryuu, Gembu, Byakko, and Suzaku are not FY exclusives. They are taken from very ancient Chinese astronomy and religion, some of which is still practiced today. To sum up, each of the four gods are the rulers of a quadrant of the sky, corresponding to the four directions--and the position of their country in the setting of FY. For the record, Suzaku and Konan are in the south, Seiryuu and Kutou in the east, Genbu and Hokkan in the north, and Byakko and Saito in the west. The names of each Shichiseishi are the names of the constellations within each quadrant of the sky. However, remember that the kanji used to write the names of the four gods, and the names of the constellations, are pronounced differently in their original Chinese. As mentioned above, the only reason Suzaku is pronounced Suzaku is because this story is being told from the Japanese point of view. ^^ These four gods can be found in quite a few anime titles, under different incarnations and very different circumstances. For example, in Yuu Yuu Hakusho, they are the names of a group on nasty demon villains. Interestingly, Suzaku is the leader, and considered the strongest of them all. ^^ In Basara, the four gods are names for four different swords. The list goes on and on!
A "miko" is a girl who works in a religious shrine, and communes with the gods. In a way, she is a medium between a normal person and the gods, like a priest in western religions. For a non-FY example, Rei in Sailor Moon is a "miko". And when her grandfather is hitting on all the young girls (and guys...), he invites them to also be miko in his shrine. Sakura in Urusei Yatsura is another miko. In both cases, they are miko in Shinto shrines. I am not sure if other religions have miko, but at least in Konan they do. ^^ As you will formally learn later, "no" implies ownership, and Suzaku is of course the name of Konan's god. In other words, Suzaku no Miko really does mean "Priestess of Suzaku". ^^
Line notes for Chapter 2 last tweaked 12-10-04 |
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