About

Title aside, this blog probably screams otaku…and in a sense, it’s true, for this third major hobby of mine has now lasted for over 15 years. However, the one thing that I’m really crazy about is language…English, Japanese and in the future, hopefully Chinese and Korean. I just wish I didn’t have to work so that I can spend more time on that particular obsession!

About this place

This blog is where I’m storing anything I decide to muse about, be it film, anime, shows, music, books, cafes etc. Although I started out on livejournal and a forum that died quite a few years ago, in more recent times, I’ve found this blog far more conducive to the types of discussions I want to have, so this has now become the best place to find me. As an overview of what I’m aiming for, have a listen to David Foster Wallace, taken from his Commencement Address to the Kenyon Class of 2005:

It’s taken me a while to work out how I want to achieve this. But as of 2015, I think I’ve finally figured out what’s best for me. I no longer attempt reviews, having never really liked giving spoiler-free overviews of a series. Instead, I like to find something about a series that engages me critically, typically through an issue that requires extra research on my part. Examples of this include my musings on the Usagi Drop movie, and my three posts on Nisemonogatari. A number of my all-time favourites have yet to show up here because I could never work out how to ‘review’ them. Now, I am hoping they will one day, as I slowly work my way through politics, social issues, animation production, and a variety of other things I appreciate in the media I consume.

Lost in Translation?

This blog also serves an an archive for anything I translate/summarise, be it drama CDs, songs, articles, interviews, commentaries…the list goes on. Unless otherwise stated, all translations here are my own, but I’ll also reference any other translations I’ve consulted. I’m not the best translator out there, nor do I understand everything. Nevertheless, I’m always willing to learn, so if you spot anything that’s wrong, please let me know!

With regards to my translation philosophy…I’m still working out the finer details, but I always try to keep the following in mind:

(1) the setting of the work I’m translating

For example, if it’s set in England (e.g. Victorian Romance Emma or Black Butler – not that I’ve ever worked on either), absolutely no honourifics and NO JAPANESE. If it’s set in Japan (or another Asian country where honourifics are important)…well, it depends…

(2) the audience I’m translating for

Since I translate mostly for the anime community, you can probably count on Japanese honourifics appearing where appropriate, though definitely not in every single instance. What you’ll probably find most annoying, however, are the nicknames for seiyuu and staff (what? they’re just easier to type, and it’s not like I’m getting paid for this…), but I’ll try to note them in each relevant entry.

(3) the medium

If it’s just visual (i.e. manga/novels), I’m more likely to leave honourifics out.

I will say, however, that I prefer using Japanese name order for Japanese creators and characters. They usually present Western names in the proper, ‘first name’ ‘surname’ order, so I want to do them–and the other cultures that use different name conventions–the same courtesy.

Linking out…

You can also find me:

• Writing the occasional guest post at Wave Motion Cannon
• gathering art and information on Twitter
• posting translation bites on Tumblr
• fangirling on Livejournal

Places you won’t find me include 4ch and 2ch, though I will occasionally post interesting things I find on those sites. I have also been active at several forums in the past, most recently Animesuki and Mangafox, though I’ve pretty much stopped posting because I can’t stand the politics in the fandoms I was active in. But I’ve always been known as karice or karice67 (do not ask me why I decided on that name) — I never post about MAG stuff under a different moniker, much less anonymously.

As for the title of this blog, that’s precisely how I like having my hot chocolate. (^_^)