mindstalk: (riboku)
There doesn't seem to be an actual title. Just "Twelve Kingdoms, Vol. 4"

On a cart in Ryuu, a woman asks "where are you going?" Shoukei says "Hou". I think that was supposed to be "where are you from?" Someone can't get their prepositions right... and while an editor has to trust the translator on things like Hourin's gender, whether English makes sense is something the editor can catch. Likewise, a bit later it's said Rakushun will escort Shoukei to En, when they've just crossed into En and are talking about her going to Kei.

Someone asked about weird Royal titles. Kyou is the Alms-King, Hou is the Ridge-King, Sai the Hue-King. Though I'm not sure which of these are kingdom titles (Glory-King of Kei) and which individual king titles (Prophet-King, the late king of Kei.)

One thing I do like is that Youko is always the king of Kei, even when Glory-King isn't being used. When Enho tells her she can't marry, he says she can take a Consort or Queen. I don't have time to look up Eugene's translation, and wonder if 'Queen' might be one of the translator's little additions. (Eugene noted a lot of those in the first novel), but emphasizing, as awkward as it is, the non-gendered nature of the word 'ruler' in Japanese is nice, IMO. (Ruler, sovereign, and monarch are also non-gendered in English, but don't have the simple cachet of 'king'.)

Despite the flaws, a bunch of the mostly incongruity-based humor still shines through. I still plan to return the book to the store, on the grounds of too much crap.

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mindstalk

May 2025

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