Yukikaze [Paperback]

Sento Yosei Yukikaze originally appeared as a series of short stories on S-F Magazine between 1979 - 1983, and the compilation published in 1984. Haikasoru's Yukikaze is a translation of Sento Yosei Yukikaze <kai>, a revised version published in 2002, including the two essays by reviewers at the tail of the book. A glossary page is an addition to the translation version.

As a long time fan of the story, I welcome the English translation. I wish it gets a wide readership.

Unfortunately, it has many mistranslations. On average, I think there are about one questionable translation per page. I'll list some of them below, mostly from chapter 1 to keep this short.

"Were you on drugs?" (p.18) when it is "Do you need a sedative?" in original.
"He didn't take long to complete his inspection of Yukikaze, only another fifteen minutes or so" (p.24) whereas in original it is "It didn't feel long to wait fifteen minutes or so for Rei as he watched Yukikaze."
"He said it was Rei's "youthful zeal" that had convinced her, and while their moods were buoyed they set about analyzing how to turn their abstract idea into an actual success" (p.36) whereas in the original it is "He analyzed that it is Rei's "youthful zeal" -- somehow adequate but vague expression -- that convinced her."
"As he released the brake, he pressed down on the foot throttle." (p.44) whereas it should be "As he released the brake, the oleo strut stretched."
"You seem to be saying 'It doesn't matter' an awful lot lately, you know." (p.132) whereas in the original it's like "You say 'It doesn't matter', but you're quite talkative lately."

In the last few paragraphs of p.128, the translation is totally confused and mixes things up. It should be:
(General) "(...) FAF intelligence suspect that one of the crew may have modified the software of the on-board electronics systems."
(Rei) "So, the JAM aren't the only enemy the FAF has. An agent from Earth may have infiltrated us in order to prolong the war here, I guess."
(General) "That's ridiculous. Our enemy is the JAM."
(Rei) "Then the JAM have taken over Banshee-IV. And if that's the case, we just shoot it down."
(General) "Taken over by the JAM? Seriously?"
(Rei) "I said it's an agent from Earth and you said it's ridiculous. I said it's JAM and you don't believe it. Don't jerk me around, General. (...)"

In the original Japanese text, FAF is using meteric system for the unit of distance. In the translation, most of the numbers are converted to feet and miles. This is unfortunate since it is a part of FAF's alien feel. It may become a problem if Haikasoru is going to translate the sequels, since there's a passage explicitly states that FAF is using meteric system and Major Booker hates it (Unbroken Arrow, p.161).

Somehow, the translation changes some numbers for seemingly no reason. "Coming up on 1900 hours" (p.29) when in original it is "1658 hours." "120 squadron members" (p.34) whereas in the original it is "thirty members". "326 dolls" (p.39) when it is "thirty six" in original.

Some of the numbers lost accuracy in translation. "The swarm of missiles crossed hundreds of miles in what seemed like a matter of seconds." (p.200), when the original reads "The swarm of missiles crossed two-hundred and several tens kilometers in less than thirty seconds."

Some lines are added in the translation where there are none in original. "The doctor gave him a look full of doubt, and then shrugged." (p.18) "Now the doctor's expression shifted to one of active disdain." (p.18) "Anger was now burning in the pit of Rei's stomach." (p.19) "Major Booker frowned, which briefly made the scar that lined his cheek more prominent." (p.25) Although I guess they may be justifiable within the translator's liberty, readers may need to note that some of the personalities are exaggerated.
When the Boomeran soldiers are described as "icy cold", sometimes the additions of emotion are not appropriate.

===Additional note on Kindle version===

In November 2010, Haikasoru released e-Book version for Amazon Kindle and Apple iBook.

Some of the texts I noted above are changed in the Kindle version (downloaded Nov 8, 2010):
"Were you on drugs?" (paperback p.18) was changed to "Do you need a sedative?" (Kindle location 229)
"1900 hours" (p.29) - "1658 hours" (loc. 544)
"120 squadron members" (p.34) - "thirty squadron members" (loc. 642)
"326 dolls" (p.39) - "thirty-six dolls" (loc. 728)
"(H)e pressed down on the foot throttle." (p.44) - "the oleo strut extended." (loc. 832)
The dialog in p.128 was tweaked and clarified.

Unit of distance was changed to metric system throughout in the e-Book version. Although, it introduced a new typo: "450 meters" (loc. 228) should be "540 meters".

Other points were left as is, and I suppose they're deliberate choice.

(Feb 26, 2010 - fixed a few typos)
(Mar 7, 2010 - clarified the first paragraph)
(Mar 14, 2011 - additional note on Kindle version)

I first heard of YUKIKAZE after watching and enjoying the anime adaptation that was created and released some years ago by Gonzo. At that time, I never thought that the original novel written by Chohei Kambayashi would make it to these shores. I'm very glad to admit that I was wrong to assume that. I'm also very glad to say that the book is excellent, and hopefully there will be translations of the sequel GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE and UNBROKEN ARROW.

The plot of the novel is straightforward: over thirty years ago, a mysterious, gigantic column of mist appeared in Antarctica on the Ross Ice Shelf. In reality it was a passageway used by an alien race known only as the JAM for their attempted invasion of earth. Following a series of battles, a united mankind pushed the JAM back through the passageway to the alien planet on the other side named Faery. Over the years, humanity had generally forgotten about the JAM, but the war is still ongoing, with humans using advanced fighter aircraft as primary weapons against the JAM.

I loved this book--Kambayashi's themes of man and his relations to machines is front and center, and his writing is crisp and no nonsense (Neil Nadelman's translation is also very solid). Of course, there are events and characters in the book that did not make it into the anime, and the book itself has a vibe similar to Haldeman's THE FOREVER WAR--war is hell, and the people fighting it often must deal with enemies that they do not understand. Of course, the jets and aerial combat gives it a TOP GUN flavor. I highly recommend this book, not just to fans of the anime who want to read the source material but to fans of military SF--or any good book--in general. Kambayashi is a popular, well-respected Japanese SF writer, and it is wonderful to see his work finally reach these shores. Hopefully more will follow.

I was pretty excited when I got it as a gift. For those who are familiar with the Gonzo/Bandai anime series YUKIKAZE, this is one of the novels from which the anime series was based on. The book is considered a modern classic in Japan, and it is a pity that this translated version could not have been released at the same time as the anime series. Translating from a foreign language is not easy, and I am happy that Viz decided to go ahead and give us this treat. I will not bore you by recanting the story, but the novel delves into more detail that was only touched in the anime. It is pretty hefty at over 400 pages. Fans will not be disappointed.

For those who are wondering about the cover artwork, it is based on the Japanese cover which depicts the original look of Rei's Super Sylph, Yukikaze, prior to the anime series.

RTB