.
Key:
(thoughts)
- handwritten text -
[translation notes]
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[Note (a bit of background): In the previous post (14-09-28 ), Nagato is enjoying the popularity that comes with being a military man in uniform—to the point of neglecting his duties as Yamato’s instructor. Understandably miffed, Yamato informs Nagato that he has contacted Mutsu, who is due to arrive shortly to straighten Nagato out. Nagato is alarmed at the news. Zuikaku disappears, leaving a note telling Val and Shoukaku not to come looking for him. With Zuikaku and his good luck gone, Val predicts that something bad is about to happen.]
Image:
Mutsu: …well, if you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with a man of means enjoying the company of women.
SFX: fsssh
Mutsu: Although I daresay such rampant frivolity sets a bad example for the men.
Wouldn’t you agree, Nagato?
SFX: twitch
Nagato: Well…you see…
Mutsu: And as I recall, you were the one who begged me to let you succeed Hiei as Yamato’s instructor.
Mutsu: If I don’t see some improvement, then I’ll be forced to relieve you of that duty.
Box: Battleship Mutsu
The same class as Nagato-san.
She has all the hallmarks of a yakuza wife, but apparently she’s even more popular with the people than Nagato.
Mutsu: Say, why isn’t Kirishima with you?
Headband: Shi.
Shoukaku: (He made a break for it…)
Shoukaku and Val: He’s…he’s laid up in his room with a stomachache.
Val: (Yeah, he ran for it, alright.)
Mutsu: Damn. Spineless b*****d.
Image:
SFX: shaking in their boots
Val: (Why the hell’re you two sitting in seiza, too?! And I could’ve sworn I heard “Mutsu” was a guy…)
Shoukaku: (Every bone in my body’s tellin’ me we shouldn’t cross her! She’s even got Akagi-san under her thumb! I’ve seen it with my own two eyes!)
Mutsu: Hey, you lot.
SFX: glare
Shoukaku and Val: Yes, sir!
SFX: jolt
Mutsu: I believe some of us have yet to be acquainted. Young people like you will be the ones who shape this country’s future.
SFX: smile
Mutsu: Look sharp and don’t fall behind!
And should you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me.
Mutsu: -Oh?-
Shoukaku and Val: Forget Nagato-san—we pledge our undying loyalty to you, nee-san!
Nagato: You’re abandoning me?!
Text:
I’ve received a lot of requests from people who wanted to see Mutsu-san as an adult, but she has actually been on the site all along as the “mysterious woman” next to Akagi-san in that one illustration.
Since Mutsu was such an incredibly unique battleship, I thought I would never be able to do her justice and hadn’t originally planned on creating her character.
However, when I started working on Akagi, she took shape all on her own, and although she’ll probably meet with all manner of misfortune in the future, I’d be honored if you could see this as one interpretation of her character…
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Image:
Aizu x Choushuu
Text:
Both Nagato and Mutsu’s names are derived from the names of former provinces of Japan.
So after everything that happened between the shogunate and the government, I was surprised to learn that Mutsu—whose name was mud back in the day—was actually more popular than Nagato, whose namesake signified the equally detested Choushuu…
(My great-uncle, who lived through the war, once told me, “People nowadays might not know it, but Mutsu was a cut above Nagato! She was a real marvel! Back when I was a kid, my father [a navy man] took me aboard Mutsu and let me play in the water! [?]” His eyes lit up when he told me that, which makes me think there might be some truth to his story…)
Interestingly enough, the lingering bad blood between the two domains managed to stir up trouble among the troops during the war.
[Note: Aizu (part of Mutsu Province; part of modern-day Fukushima Prefecture) and Choushuu (shorthand for “Nagato Province”; modern-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) were feudal domains during the Edo period. The respective domains fought on opposite sides of Japan’s Boshin War (1868 – 1869), a civil war between shogunate and Imperial factions that led to the end of the shogunate and the restoration of power to the imperial court.]
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Image:
Box: Question: Mutsu-san, please tell us about your ideal type of man.
Mutsu: Anyone other than someone from Choushuu, like Nagato.
Nagato: Um, excuse me… My name might be “Nagato”, but I’m not even from Choushuu…
Mutsu: ? I know, but I was just overcome by the urge to say that.
Text:
The grudge over the Boshin War is practically ingrained in the psyche.
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Image:
Mutsu: Say, where is Choushuu, anyway?
Text: -Somewhere around here?-
Nagato: Are you trying to antagonize Kyuushuu, too?!
Text:
Because the Boshin War was such a terrible tragedy, apparently even people from my grandmother’s generation were told, “Don’t marry someone from Choushuu (Yamaguchi Prefecture),” but when I asked my grandmother (a native of Fukushima) about it, she told me she had never heard that before…
But scarcely had the word “Aizu” left my mouth when she shot back, “Aye, we may all be from Fukushima, but I just don’t get those Aizu folks!”—which was, of course, no help at all…
Fukushima is generally divided into three regions, but even among those, it seems Aizu is a horse of a different color (?).
With that said, modern-day residents of Aizu might hate Choushuu yet have no idea where Choushuu actually is, and so on and so forth.
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