March Comes in Like a Lion

Sakura wonders at the naming of the manga…

Hiroshi: Not random, I read that Umino knew the English expression, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Like the weather is rough at the start of March and gentler by the end.

Sakura: But in Japanese it’s Sangatsu no Lion, “The Lion of March,” so the English title adds something.

Hiroshi: Early March, cold and stormy, yes, then gradually gets spring-like, so the “lion” part is the rough beginning and the “lamb” part is the milder ending.

Sakura: What I love is how it reflects Rei’s emotional arc: he starts off like that stormy March lion, isolated, depressed, then slowly moves toward something gentler and warmer as he finds connection.

Hiroshi: There’s also the shogi angle; the Lion King tournament, and shogi rankings culminate in March, so professionals “become lions” in that month.

Sakura: Plus the town names: the Kawamoto sisters live in Sangatsu-chou—literally “March Town”—which makes March not just a time but also a place that changes Rei’s life.

Hiroshi: Wow, yes, makes the title feel like a double metaphor: March as the harsh season of his inner life, and March Town as the environment whose warmth helps him move out of that winter. 

Sakura: And then the English idiom suggests that even if your life comes roaring in like a lion, it can still “go out” more gently, which really suits a coming‑of‑age story.

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Voice-over

So naming the manga spins a web of nuances—season, place, tournament, and the stormy kid who, little by little, finds his own spring.

Japanese Wins Tour de France

July on the Champs-Élysées…
Hiro: Unbelievable! A Japanese winning the Tour de France! On a Japanese bike!
Wataru: Historic! Always been dominated by Western cyclists.
Hiro: Never imagined a Japanese cyclist wearing the yellow jersey.
Wataru: Western sports medicine is so advanced and doping was so well hidden. Look how long Lance Armstrong got away with it.
Hiro: So how did a Japanese cyclist manage to win?
Wataru: I think teamwork was a big factor. The Japanese team were a strong presence in the peloton. Their strategies worked.
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Voice-over
Some other factors could contribute: anti-doping regulations getting stricter making for a more even playing field, Japanese physique has been getting stronger, Japanese research into nutrition improving. Japanese are becoming more prominent in a wide range of sports.

Animism in an Overgrown Shrine

A cultural connection…
Deirdre: You drop into the shrine pretty often then?
Yuki: Yes, well. I go there to toss a five-yen coin into the saisen-bako. Then, I bow twice, clap my hands twice, and send up a prayer.
Deirdre: Interesting. What do you pray for? Good luck?
Yuki: Mmm. Partly. Mostly I pray for the people in my life, friends and family. To hope things go well for them.
Deirdre: Do your prayers come true very often?
Yuki: I don't really know for sure. I just put it out there and hope for the best. Sometimes, if something has turned out well, I go back and offer a prayer of gratitude.
Deirdre: Nice. Is that special about praying at a Shinto shrine?
Yuki: Well, the five-yen coin is special because the Japanese word for five yen, "go-en," sounds like the word for fate or good luck. Also, the bowing and clapping is meant to show respect and get the attention of the kami, to connect with something greater than yourself and be mindful of the present. We’re Generation Z, so don’t fully understand all the old ways of Japanese culture. But visiting the shrine helps me feel a bit connected.
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Voice-over
Prayers can be for health, safety, success and gratitude. To entreat and thank the gods that make things happen.

Amaterasu Cat

Trading up a cat…

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Mariko: I want a Burmese. Ginger looks too ordinary.

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Arisa: Keep the ginger cat. They’re strong and friendly. Sometimes even battle cats. Pedigree cats can be a lot of bother. Fussy. Even stuck up. I saw an ad the other day for someone wanting a pedigreed Burmese. One with papers. Then the seller wrote back saying, I have a pedigreed Burmese for sale with papers. But you must send us your ancestry papers if you want to adopt this Burmese. She doesn’t want to live with a mixed breed human.

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Mariko: No!

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Arisa: Yes, well, I might have seen it on one of those cat sites. Maybe Catnip.

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Voice-over

Amaterasu Ginger Cat

Anomalies in the notion of being purebred. Modern Burmese cats are descendants from one female cat called Wong Mau brought from Burma to the US in 1930s and bred with American Siamese. Most Japanese are descendants from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and bred with Chinese and Koreans.

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Murakami Haruki and back translation

Back translating?

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Franz: One writer I’ve heard of who does that is Murakami Haruki.

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Yoko: Yes. He did. That’s how he got started, how he developed his distinctive voice. He thought in Japanese, wrote in English and back-translated into Japanese.

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Franz: Is that why he doesn’t mind giving speeches in English?

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Yoko: Yes, he’s comfortable with planning a speech in English. He says writing short sentences in English reduces his choices, makes it clearer, gives him confidence.

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Franz: He delivers well. He’s good at getting the audience on his side. They laugh, they nod in agreement.

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Yoko: Oh, but he also practises. Over and over. Often when he goes out running. Even gestures and facial expressions.

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Franz: Surprising passersby no doubt.

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Voice-over

Reversing Murakami's method

It has been said that Murakami's Japanese often reads, in the original, as if it has been translated from English. If an English writer were to do the same; by writing in Japanese first then back-translating into English, would it have a redolence of having come from the Japanese? It goes without saying though that such a writer must first be fluent in Japanese.

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Three Station Announcements

on the Central Line...

Three Hawks,
Kitsch George
Olive Oil

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Announcement: Stopping now at Three Hawks. The doors on the right side will open. We will stop briefly to let an express train to pass. Those passengers wishing to arrive downtown quicker please transfer to the express on the opposite sided of the platform ... Doors closing.

Next station is Kitsch George. Change here for the Village Well Line. Doors on the right side will open. Mind the gap ... Doors closing. Next station is Olive Oil.

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Voice-over

Precise announcements in the manner of those admirable Japanese train services. Make allowances for the station names being personally rendered as direct translations and approximated English.

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