Kobato Drop 23F translation

[starlady]

This is the second-to-last chapter of Kobato. *sigh* My help_japan and Gate 7 04 translations are in progress, and will be posted/sent on ASAP.

!!! page 01
FX: Running

Ioryogi: How do you know about Ushagi!?

FX: Halting

Kobato: God told me.

Ioryogi: You…now--

Are you
Suishou?

Kobato: No,
I'm Hanato Kobato.
-------------
!!! page 02
Kobato: I talked
with God too,

That day.

That time when my time
Stopped.

God told me

That I might die for an
Unrelated reason.
So if I had any wishes, He would grant just one.
-------------
!!! page 03
Kobato: I answered that I wanted to live.

And God said that that was incredibly serious, and for me, difficult,

But
Since someone would probably do their best for that, he told me to say something else.

So I said that
"I want to go."

"I want to go to the place where the people I love are,"
I said.
-------------
!!! page 04
Kobato: Before this happened, my body was always weak.
I was in the hospital longer than in the house, and everyone was always worried for me.

Every day in the hospital I saw people who had been cheerful the day before die of illness and injury.
From the time I was small, I always thought

"People die from just a little thing.

"They won't always continue until tomorrow."

And I
Can't even do anything for the people I love.

So I wished to be able to go to where they were.

Even if I were reborn,
Even…
If I were dead.
-------------
!!! page 05
"Even if I'm reborn,
I want to be near where they are," I thought.

But God
Said that wishes are things that change.

And that when I, whose time had stopped,
Was returned to the human world,

Just because I would forget many things, I would helped by many people.
-------------
!!! page 06
Kobato: And that, if my wish changed,

If I found a new wish,

I should call on Ushagi-san.

Ioryogi: …God
Didn't say anything about this to me… [Belated TN: Kobato says "kami-sama," Ioryogi just says "kami"]

Kobato: Now,
I've found it.

My wish.
-------------
!!! page 07
Kobato: That Okiura-san's father won't do awful things to Sayaka-sensei and Okiura-san any more,

And that the two of them can be happy.

The bottle isn't full yet,
But is it enough?

Ioryogi: Hey, wait!!
-------------
!!! page 08
FX: Whirling

Kobato: …That's good.

Ioryogi: This is not good!

If that wish is granted,
You,
You'll die like this!

Kobato: That's right.
-------------
!!! page 09
Kobato: But
Right now this

Is the wish I want granted most.

That I could be able to live alone with you, Ioryogi-san, as I'd longed to do,
And that I could wander around outside cheerfully…

With everyone's help,
I was happy.

Since that's something I couldn't do up until now.
-------------
!!! page 10
Kobato: …Besides,

I was able to meet
Fujimoto-san too.

Ioryogi: Do you think that's enough?

Leaving without saying anything to Fujimoto!?

Kobato: It's all right.

Since Fujimoto-san will be able to smile this way,

It's all right.
-------------
!!! page 11
FX: Light

Ioryogi: !!

Stooop!!!
-------------
!!! page 12-13
Kobato: Thank you very much
for giving your all for me,

Iorogi-san.

Ioryogi: Why could you only say it
Properly at a time like this!?
-------------
!!! page 14-15
Kobato: I love you.
-------------
!!! page 16
Kobato: …Goodbye.

---

…I'm going to dislike this ending, aren't I?

Comments

[hoshiko-2000.livejournal.com]

T-T. She died. Oh my god.

Thanks so much for the translation T-T.

[mindy-mousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the translation!

So sad. :( Eager to see what's going to happen in the finale!

[bluwim.livejournal.com]

T.T

So sad... But lovely.

Thanks a lot.

[cutesherry.livejournal.com]

…I'm going to dislike this ending, aren't I?

I believe we all will ;_;
I see no truly happy ending here, and having her reincarnated like Kohaku from Wish would be very cliché, too expected and repetitive for Clamp, I don't know if they are the type to make same/similar endings for 2 of their mangas.
To be sincere, I don't really like the fact she is sacrificing her wish for the couple, since Okiura problem is not unresolvable, difficult yes, but it could be solved through humans means with time; I don't see the necessity of divine powers to intervene here, especially knowing Kobato's life ended for it, I don't see it as a fair exchange and I don't believe Sayaka sensei would be happy about it.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure we're meant to see it as a fair exchange either, to be honest. Ioryogi certainly doesn't, and I think it's partly Kobato's limited perspective/incomplete knowledge that's making her think that this is a fair exchange. Fujimoto certainly won't be able to smile after this! But she doesn't realize that, I don't think.

[hanagetsu.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the translation.
I recently reread Kobato's volume 1. The whole story is more mature and dramatic than Wish.
I was conscious that an happy ending for both the couples (Kobato/Fujimoto and Yorogi/Shuisho) were impossible.
I still expect that at least one of the two will have an happy conclusion.

Instead there is a thing I still don't understand. In CLAMP world soul mates search for each other even in other reincarnations, like Kohaku and Suichirou or in TRC. Kobato and Shuisho have the same soul, but they love different person. Why?
It is a long time that I have a theory: maybe Ioryogi and Fujimoto have the same soul?
If this is not true, this chapter is more and more sad for Ioryogi, since he has just lost his angel and seen Kobato's declaration to Fujimoto.

[white-manjuu.livejournal.com]

Yep! I have the same thought! Fujimoto = Ioryogi.

[crystal-moon975.livejournal.com]

Welll, maybe think of it like this: The clone Sakura and Sakura-hime "technically" had the samle soul to start but, as time when on and they each experienced different things, thye became their own person. I think that reincarnations and clones/doubles simply have souls VERY VERY close to one another, but there are small differences that make them unique and individual at the same time.

And I honestly don't know which pair I ship more: Kobato/Fujimoto or Yorogi/Shuisho XD

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought of that before, but it makes a lot of sense. Also it's rather painfully ironic, especially considering Iorogi's opinion of Fujimoto.

[kaeyko.livejournal.com]

What is Iorogi's opinion of Fujimoto? It's been so... long that I can't remember if Iorogi thinks Fujimoto is a jerk all the time, or if it was just the early days when Fujimoto was deeply suspicious of Kobato. (Or maybe it's a case of like disliking like.)


Thank you for the translation.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I just read volume 5 and got the impression that there was no love lost on Ioryogi's side. But I think he's prepared to think kindly of F for Kobato's sake? It's hard to say.

[hanagetsu.livejournal.com]

According to your translations Ioryogi said: "Do you think that's enough? Leaving without saying anything to Fujimoto!?"
How should we interpret this statement?
It seems that Ioryogi support Kobato and Fujimoto's relationship.

[rekallthegreat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the translation. I'm really interested to see what happens in the last chapter to wrap things up. I'm sure that CLAMP will somehow create a happy ending.

[luvcabefelu.livejournal.com]

Why does CLAMP do this to us? Fujimoto doesn't know about her feelings, will he remember her, at least, or will he forget her?

Thank you for this.

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

I was kinda hoping Okiura-san's father had some sort of back story. First FWR, now, unnamed yakuza father. Anime/manga bad guys almost always have some deeply angsty motivation for being bad.

Thx for the translations!

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

As cartoonish as these yakuza are, I think the fact that he's a yakuza boss is motivation enough to be evil.

[crystal-moon975.livejournal.com]

0-0 *hyperventilates* T-T KOBATOOOOOOO!!!!!

[jlarinda.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the translation!

[anbaachan.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the translation, even if it made me a little weepy! ;_;

[spunky-aly.livejournal.com]

I was reading the comments and just about everyone agreed that Kobato was telling Fujimoto that she loved him. My thought process is that CLAMP didn't specify so it would be rather foolish to assume anything. Besides, seeing as Kobato and Suishou share a body couldn't Suishou be telling Ioryogi her feelings once again. Then again, this scene mirrors the scene where Suishou disappears the first time (pronouncing Ioryogi's name correctly, telling her beloved that she loved him) so it could be Kobato. I don't know, and no one will know until next month. I think that CLAMP rushed this series along though. It had potential in the beginning and I was expecting a longer series but the volumes themselves are a bit shorter than the rest of the manga that CLAMP puts out. Maybe the series was doomed to be short. . .

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

Given that Fujimoto and Kobato are the only characters on that page spread, and Kobato specifically stated at the beginning of the chapter that it's her rather than Suishou talking, I'm inclined to think that it is Kobato speaking to Fujimoto.

Suishou and Kobato both had the same verbal tic about Iorogi's name, and Kobato is able to say it properly in the exact circumstances that Suishou was (i.e. on the verge of disappearing), so I think we're supposed to take that as dramatic parallelism rather than as a sign that it's Suishou talking, contra what we were already told.

I was expecting the series to be a bit longer too, I have to admit; the bottle thing was a real bait-and-switch. But I don't think the volumes are much shorter than, say, Angelic Layer, another manga CLAMP did with Kadokawa.

[spunky-aly.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I haven't looked at the pages yet. Shows you how much I know. . .

I honestly haven't read Angelic Layer; I've watched the anime but I haven't read the manga cause I haven't been able to find it. Out of the volumes I have by CLAMP, Kobato is the shortest. I think the anime was more fulfilling about the bottle though.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I suspect Kobato is about the same length as Wish, but they published it in 6 volumes rather than in 4.

I gave up on the Kobato anime after about four episodes, but I keep meaning to watch the TRC crossover episode at some point.

[spunky-aly.livejournal.com]

I thought the anime was cute. There are some parts that are vastly different from the manga itself but it doesn't take away from the story.

[selenityshiroi.livejournal.com]

It actually states in the side text that Kobato is 'leaving her feelings for Fujimoto'.

The actual phrasing is google translate, so rather loose, but Kobato and Fujimoto are mentioned by name.

「大好きです」という藤本への思いを本人に届けぬまま、消えてしまった小場...。次回、最終回！

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

*squints* It's more like her feelings for Fujimoto (that she loves him) which she can't say in person, because she's disappeared. And it's all in the past tense, so it's more a summary of what just happened at the end of this chapter.

[selenityshiroi.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you! I know not to take google translate seriously, but I knew that the text was at least confirming that the end of the chapter was between Kobato and Fujimoto and not Ioryogi and Shishou.

[mangaka-chan.livejournal.com]

Interesting how the manga is lining up in certain ways with the anime (minus the role of Shuisho of course). It makes me wonder if we'll see an ending similar to the anime's, though how on earth CLAMP will fit that into one chapter (i.e. 14-20 pages) and make it work is beyond me.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

I'm expecting they'll get a few extra pages, since it is the end, but I have no idea how many more exactly.

[selenityshiroi.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the translation!