Please help me to read this English sentence:

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

Maybe I would just shrug my shoulders. It's hard to explain, but as I grow older, I see actions as they occur in the present. They are separate from what others describe in the future.

Shrugging your shoulders. That’s one of the best ways to confuse Japanese.
You may see people shrug their shoulders in some manga, but they tend to shrug when they don’t like or approve of something.

Perhaps to make it clearer, I recall how I felt when I wrote stories in the past (mainly fan fictions based on the Diablo computer game or later stories based in Dungeons & Dragons). I would write these stories concerned mainly on keeping the sentences readable and the visual imagery uncomplicated. People would read these stories and tell me how much they appreciated them, but to me they were just stories I told that I would like to read. Years later when I would read these stories, it was hard to believe that I wrote them and not someone else.

Sorry, I don’t understand.
If I read your story and say it’s wonderful, what would you say?
Would you shrug your shoulders? How would you express it?

Not in the slightest, Yuri. I brought it up mainly as a example of a well-known manga/anime in the Western world. It was my intention to say that a large amount of teens who would read this manga have an incorrect idea of Japanese culture. They would take this fantasy setting and believe it to be reality, which is untrue.

Really!? I didn’t know Naruto was that popular or they still believed there were ninja in Japan. It’s too shocking.
I have seen some signs of Ninja Schools, but they are never like Naruto.
Is it because of Sho Kosugi?

[Koir]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Shrugging your shoulders. That’s one of the best ways to confuse Japanese.
You may see people shrug their shoulders in some manga, but they tend to shrug when they don’t like or approve of something.

That was the first thing to come to mind. I suppose my reaction would be to find out how the great thing my family member had done would benefit people, and what they could now do as a result.

Sorry, I don’t understand.
If I read your story and say it’s wonderful, what would you say?
Would you shrug your shoulders? How would you express it?

I would be glad you liked it, of course. Stories are meant to be shared, and have as many different meanings as there are readers of it. Again, my perspective was as a writer of the stories people liked, so it's vastly different from a reader's perspective.

Really!? I didn’t know Naruto was that popular or they still believed there were ninja in Japan. It’s too shocking.

Young people believe in many things being real, until they grow old like I'm doing.

I have seen some signs of Ninja Schools, but they are never like Naruto.
Is it because of Sho Kosugi?

I had to consult Wikipedia to read about Sho Kosugi. It's my opinion that he may not be well-known to Western audiences, much less anime/manga fans.

The only ninja-like anime I remember watching a few times is "Ninja Scroll", so I may not have much experience with actors or directors in that movie genre.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

That was the first thing to come to mind. I suppose my reaction would be to find out how the great thing my family member had done would benefit people, and what they could now do as a result.

That must be the Western way.
You don’t say “That’s not any great.” or “That’s nothing.”, do you?

The only ninja-like anime I remember watching a few times is "Ninja Scroll", so I may not have much experience with actors or directors in that movie genre.

I had to consult Wikipedia to read about Ninja Scroll. I hadn’t heard of it.

I recommend watching this movie.
Azumi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The main actor, Aya Ueto, is cute.

[Koir]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

That must be the Western way.
You don’t say “That’s not any great.” or “That’s nothing.”, do you?

There would be situations I would say that, but not as a common response.

I had to consult Wikipedia to read about Ninja Scroll. I hadn’t heard of it.

That was one of the three examples I watched when I first discovered anime as a separate thing from other kinds of animation. The other two were "Project A-ko", and "Vampire Hunter D". Most of my reactions were of the "I can't believe that actually happened" variety.

I recommend watching this movie.
Azumi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The main actor, Aya Ueto, is cute.

Quite a bit of heavy themes in that series, from what Wikipedia describes. I'll take note of those movies when I see them on DVD or elsewhere

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

That was one of the three examples I watched when I first discovered anime as a separate thing from other kinds of animation. The other two were "Project A-ko", and "Vampire Hunter D". Most of my reactions were of the "I can't believe that actually happened" variety.

Sorry, I don’t understand again.
You first discovered anime as a separate thing from other kinds of animation?
You mean ‘other kinds of animation’ ‘films which have more realism’?
The three animation films differed from others in that they were illusion-promoting, didn’t they? Right?

[Koir]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Sorry, I don’t understand again.
You first discovered anime as a separate thing from other kinds of animation?
You mean ‘other kinds of animation’ ‘films which have more realism’?
The three animation films differed from others in that they were illusion-promoting, didn’t they? Right?

Seeing those three films introduced me to what Japanese animation was as opposed to Western animation. More adult themes, graphic violence (especially in Ninja Scroll) were new things I had never seen before in that kind of entertainment. I was raised on shows like Looney Tunes and Flintstones; more kid-centred animation that didn't go near violent or adult themes.

In short, they were closer to "realism" than cavemen riding dinosaurs or cats walking off cliffs and hovering

I suppose Japanese animation were illusion-promoting in the sense they were my first exposure to what animation was truly capable of, in both themes and pictures.

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

I suppose Japanese animation were illusion-promoting in the sense they were my first exposure to what animation was truly capable of, in both themes and pictures.

I see.
We don't have many chances to watch Western animations here. We have watched parts of them twice or three times. They were very simple and obviously made for little kids.

[YuriTokoro]

Hi.
Could you correct my English?


‘A Dress Shirt’ has become ‘a Y-Shirt’ in Japan

We say a dress shirt a Y-shirt in Japan.
In the end of Miji Era (1868-1912), people started wearing dress shirts. At that time, dress shirts were only white here, so they used to call it “white shirts”.
However, the word “white” was indiscernible to Japanese people, and sounded “Y”.
Many Japanese people have trouble with spoken English, because Japanese language has many vowels, and catching consonants is very hard. You would understand that by know we write “white” “howaito” (white=ホワイト) in rohmaji.
Anyway, people started calling white dress shirts “Y-shirts” in the early time of Tisho Era (1912-1926).
Now we have dress shirts with many colors, still we call them Y-shirts.
By the way, we write Y-shirs “waishatsu”.

This song is titled “Heya to Y shirts to watashi” (means like “our room, your shirts and me).
YouTube - Hiramatsu Eri - Heya to Y shirts to Watashi

Thank you.

Meiji period - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taishō period - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Koir]

Originally Posted by YuriTokoro

Hi.
Could you correct my English?


‘A Dress Shirt’ has become ‘a Y-Shirt’ in Japan

We call a "dress" shirt a "Y-shirt" in Japan.
By the end of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), people had begun wearing dress shirts. At that time, dress shirts were only available in white, so they were called “white shirts”.
However, the word “white” was indecipherable as a word to Japanese speakers, to whom it sounded like the letter “Y”.
Many Japanese people have trouble with spoken English; the Japanese language has many vowels which makes hearing consonant sounds difficult. To illustrate this point, Japanese speakers refer to “white" as “howaito” (white=ホワイト) in romaji.
By the Tisho era (1912-26), people began referring to white dress shirts “Y-shirts”.
Even though many colors of dress shirts are available now, we still call them Y-shirts, or "waishatsu".


Here is a song named “Heya to Y shirts to watashi” (or “Our Room, Your Shirts and Me").
YouTube - Hiramatsu Eri - Heya to Y shirts to Watashi

Thank you.

Meiji period - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taishō period - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Interesting history, Yuri. I'm not much for dress shirts myself, as I don't have a formal job...yet. I have worn them in the past for funerals and weddings and other functions though.

As for revisions, some words were changed. The first change that concerned me was "Miji". I had thought it might mean "Meiji", which was confirmed by the wikipedia link at the end of the post.

"Indiscernible" was changed to "indecipherable" to better convey the concept that the word "white" was a word not familiar to Japanese speakers. This, hopefully, makes the point of the sentence clearer (the changing of "white" to "Y", a more easily understood way to describe the item of clothing).

This post brings to mind the many times anime characters refer to a "T-shirt" as the similiar-sounding "T-shirtsu" (which is how it sounds to me). Another example of the strength of the Japanese language to adopt other words into its use.

Good work, Yuri

[YuriTokoro]

Originally Posted by Koir

Interesting history, Yuri. I'm not much for dress shirts myself, as I don't have a formal job...yet. I have worn them in the past for funerals and weddings and other functions though.

Hi. Koir, thanks.
You are studying accountant, aren’t you? So you will have a formal job, and wear dress shirts almost every day in the future.

As for revisions, some words were changed. The first change that concerned me was "Miji". I had thought it might mean "Meiji", which was confirmed by the wikipedia link at the end of the post.

Thanks! That’s my mistake. I’m not good at reading Japanese written with alphabets.

"Indiscernible" was changed to "indecipherable" to better convey the concept that the word "white" was a word not familiar to Japanese speakers. This, hopefully, makes the point of the sentence clearer (the changing of "white" to "Y", a more easily understood way to describe the item of clothing).

Can “indecipherable” mean like “hard to catch”?
Many Japanese people can’t catch consonants, and they thought it was Y, when they heard while.

This post brings to mind the many times anime characters refer to a "T-shirt" as the similiar-sounding "T-shirtsu" (which is how it sounds to me). Another example of the strength of the Japanese language to adopt other words into its use.

We spell T-shirt “T shatsu”.
Were the anime films you watched subtitled? You heard Japanese language?