#also thanks to beloved mutual brushbugs for sending me that raw panel like a year ago lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neversetyoufree · 1 year

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Hey besties, can someone whose Japanese is better than mine confirm something for me?

In the English version of this panel, the phrasing of the last speech bubble makes it seem like "alone" as a modifier is being applied to Chloé's death. Like, she made an arbitrary decision, and the decision is that she will die alone.

However, looking at the Japanese, it seems like "alone" is actually modifying the decision, not the death. If I'm right, you could maybe translate this more directly as "The face of someone who, arbitrarily and alone, made the decision to die."

Am I reading this right, or have I misunderstood something?

#my japanese is. uh. extremely basic at best #but I think I've got a good enough grasp of the grammar here to at least tell which word a description is modifying #emphasis on think #and this distinction here feels really important!#deciding your death will be alone vs choosing death on your own #also thanks to beloved mutual brushbugs for sending me that raw panel like a year ago lol #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #<< main tagging this so that people will see it and I can get input lol #translation #ID in alt text

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