Candy’s letter to Prince on the Hill (Part 4)
My apology to my friend Antlay! I should have posted the following montage before those two in Part 3 🙁
That is, combining with the first montage in Part 3, the Japanese passage is
丘の上で、しばらく黙っていた大おじさまは、思いきったようにわたしの方を振り向くと、
Candy Candy Final Story (Japanese)
「キャンディ……そろそろ、バッジを返してくれないか……」
ぎこちないほほ笑みを浮かべてそう言われたのですよね。
Up on the hill, Granduncle, after keeping his silence for some time, spun around to face me as if he had made up his mind, “Candy… isn’t it about time to return the badge to me…?”
This was said with an awkward smile, don’t you agree?
La brise printanière a séché mes joues.
Candy Candy Final Story (French)
Le ciel bleu au-dessus de moi, mon prince à mes côtés…
Je goûtais cet instant de bonheur parfait quand le klaxon de la voiture de Georges, au pied de la colline, m’a ramené à la dure réalité. Peuh !
For the Japanese text and my translation/interpretation, please check my other post Lost in Translation (Part 5).
I can hardly believe it’s been a month already since I began working from home. I hope all is well with you. Since some of you admire Igarashi’s drawings, for your interest, you can check my friend’s Facebook page, Candy y Albert, el Príncipe de la Colina. This photo album shows Igarashi’s Artbook II, where you can see Candy Candy’s characters in colors. Also, the manga version was originally serialized in Nakayoshi magazine, and this photo album shows the magazine covers, the majority of which were Igarashi’s drawings of Candy. ❤️
Let’s just wait and see what the Spanish translation will be like. Probably it will tip the scales one way or the other.
I meant to post the above comment as a reply to Avon’s earlier comment but I couldn’t find the “reply” button.
No worries.. I got your message, Fay.
I’ve noticed that the Spanish translation is a single-volume novel. I’ve seen the hard-cover but it may be available in paperback.
Have you heard or read anything about the Spanish translation? Is it going to add some material like the French one?
To be more precise, the French translation didn’t exactly add new material. Instead, there was a change in the title of the second volume and the dialogue between Candy and Albert in the Epilogue seemed more flirtatious.
Yes, it is a single volume. For the time being, it is only with a hard cover. It has also a preface of Nagita to the Spanish readers just as the Italian and French editions had. Arechi Manga editions have announced the delay of the publication date which was scheduled for April 2 but was put on hold due to the pandemic.
I’m not sure about any new addition to this translation. However, judging from the title which is exactly the same as the original one, I hope this translation will be quite faithful to the original.
There’s a strong possibility that it will be faithful to the original, taking into account the adept albeit unofficial Spanish translations circulating online. The Hispanic-speaking CC fandom is massive in comparison to all the other languages/cultures and they don’t appear to be leaning heavily either to Terry or to Albert. That’s a favorable aspect and as you have mentioned, it may be faithful to the original novel. Time will tell..
I agree with both of you-Fay and Avon. I’m also confident that the Spanish version will probably be the best one after the original, of-course.
Hi Fay, Avon and Myra, yes I also expect the Spanish version to be at least as good as the French version. Avon, would you like to share an example of what makes you think their dialogue more flirtatious? I suppose you compared those to the Italian version, right?
Hi Ms Puddle,
I’ll share a few examples regarding the flirting going on between Candy and Albert in the Epilogue.
Whilst the Italian translation desperately tries to maintain a formality between Candy and Albert, the flirting is still noticeable albeit far more subtle than in the French translation.
A notable example is Candy’s teasing. She’s ruthless in her teasing of Albert. It’s as if she’s acting the same way Terry did back at St Paul’s. She’s nowhere as mean and nasty as Terry, apparently, but she teases the life out of Albert and she appears to enjoy it a lot. lol
She overdoes it with the teasing though at some point when she calls Albert “grandfather”, “granduncle”, “grandfather prince”, and so on to the point where Albert tells her off. The two of them are entangled in a form of lovers’ quarrel.
Such lovers’ quarrel occurs again when Candy keeps on nagging that she wants to see Albert and have him all to herself. Even the Italian translation couldn’t alleviate the sexual tension between the two of them in this section of the Epilogue.
Needless to mention the continual hints Candy and Albert share with each other: Candy finds Albert very youthful-looking and beautiful, Albert returns the compliment, Candy specifies that she has never perceived Albert as a father-figure or a brother, Albert also tells her that she may remind him of his sister but he never perceives her as such, Candy keeps on calling Albert her “Prince”, Albert protests, and the list goes on and on..
The bottom line is that the two of them are head over heels in love and it’s evident in both the Italian and the French translation. The only difference is that the Italian translation tries to muffle this flirting whereas the French translation intensifies it.
What about the original Japanese? Is this flirting noticeable as in the French translation or more suppressed as in the Italian translation?
Thank you so much, Avon. Yes in Japanese version Candy was just as ruthless in teasing Albert, even giving him names like the ones you’ve listed. I’ve explained in the beginning of my Lost in translation series (Part 1), especially how she justified her behavior in her letter to Georges. She even quoted Albert’s reaction (obviously troubled, if not frustrated or vexed) by saying something like “Forgive me” with exasperation. She did seem proud of mischievous actions.
Later in the epilogue Candy refused to reply to Albert in writing. She wanted to see him and talk to him in person. Is this what you meant, Avon?
Not to mention Candy addressed Albert as her prince 17 times in the same letter. One has to be blind to not see that she was in love with him.
I’m not sure where “Candy did not perceive Albert as father figure (or brother) or Albert talked to her about how she had reminded him of his late sister” though. That might be the new additions Nagita sensei has endorsed? Where in the epilogue is it, Avon?
Throughout the novel, Candy adds some of her inner thoughts about various characters but when she refers to Albert, she explains that he’s someone special to her but not a father-figure or a brother. I’ll have to search the novel to give exact citations. If I correctly recall, it’s where Candy reflects about her relationship with Annie and expresses that even her best friend doesn’t know all her secrets as Albert does. She explains further that she has opened her soul to Albert in ways she has never done with Annie or anyone else. Again, I’ll have to check the novel to specify exactly where Candy says all this.
You’ll find Albert’s words concerning his sister in his letters to Candy in the Epilogue. I think it’s that longer letter where he expounds on his past and how he first met Candy, her large green eyes reminding him of his sister’s eyes. It’s at this point where he specifies to Candy that he’s not implying that she’s like a sister to him. On the contrary, he makes it clear that he doesn’t view Candy as such.
I’ll try to find the exact text with regards to your queries. Bear with me..
Ok thanks Avon in advance. No rush in getting back to me. I think I know which sections you have referred to and I’ll also check my books later this evening after work 🤗
Thanks for your understanding, Ms Puddle. I have found the source material we have been looking for:
1. CCFS/Volume 2/ Section 3/ Narrative Part 5:
Candy is reminiscing about the time she had spent with Albert at the Magnolia, his sudden disappearance, then his re-appearance as William A Ardlay, and his response to Candy when he told him that she looked older because she was so worried about him. Here’s a segment:
“And he replied laughing:
‘I would prefer you looked a little older instead of being taken for my little sister.’
Yet, at the same time, he said that with utmost seriousness. Then he narrowed his eyes, as if he were making fun of me.
Albert has always been very good at confusing my thoughts.
We lived together pretending to be brother and sister.
At that time I was wondering if our life was akin to a normal family, but probably that was not the case. I don’t know how to explain it, but deep in my heart I knew that he was someone special. I wonder what he was also thinking about it…
He is such an exasperating man…”
In that same source (CCFS/ Volume 2 /Section 3 /Narrative Part 5) Candy explains that she has confessed more of her inner thoughts and feelings to Albert than to Annie:
“Albert and I had promised to share everything, good things and bad. It had been himself who proposed that to me. I could talk to him about anything: about Terry, about Susanna…things I didn’t confess even to Annie. In the same way, I was convinced that he also would share everything with me..”
Thank you so much, Avon, for your prompt replies❣️
Then these are not new, and I’ve discussed them in various posts:
About Albert’s remarks of Candy looking older:
http://mspuddleshaven.com/2015/11/10/candy-and-prince-on-the-hill-part-7/
About Candy’s thoughts of Albert not being the same as a family member:
http://mspuddleshaven.com/2015/02/18/hes-driving-me-crazy/
About how Candy could tell Albert everything:
http://mspuddleshaven.com/2015/07/27/the-day-her-life-changed-part-6/
Thank you for the links, Ms Puddle. I’ll check them out.
I’ve got another question after re-checking that final segment of the CCFS when ‘anohito’ gets back home. Candy says that she didn’t even hear the car drive in. However, I’ve come across two different translations:
1. “I didn’t hear the sound of the car that brought him back home.”
2. “How could I have not heard his car return home.”
What is the original Japanese sentence? The first translation above appears to suggest that ‘anohito’ didn’t drive home but was brought home (by a chauffeur perhaps?).
Hi Avon, literally the Japanese phrase means “returning car” or “coming home car”, which can be translated to simply “his car”. I suppose driving is implied, because if a chauffeur had driven him home the sentence would have been structured differently.
Thanks for letting me know, Ms Puddle. I would consider it a significant detail because, arguably, Nagita want s to retain the mystery surrounding the identity of ‘anohito’ until the end of the CCFS. If ‘anohito’ was driving home, then it would almost 100% certain that he’s Albert because Terry has never been mentioned as driving in the CCFS. Albert is the ‘car guy’ in this story. lol
Yes Avon it’s interesting that Albert or Candy mentioned his driving several times in the story, but in the manga almost every guy character could drive, even Neal. 😉
I meant to say ‘it would almost be 100% certain..’.
It’s annoying that not a single woman has any form of independence in the manga and anime. They’re not even allowed to drive. Society was so horrendously conservative back then even though the wave of feminism had already made its first impact. It’s ironic because the manga writers were mainly female and liberal. Presumably, they also had to abide by strict patriarchal guidelines even in manga art.
Yes, back then the society was quite conservative, and yet, believe me, Avon, I actually have female relatives and friends who don’t want to drive or even learn to drive. Their excuses? Either too scared to drive or don’t see the need to learn when their partners can drive 😅
It’s impossible to fathom this unadulterated stupidity deriving from certain females who are eager to render themselves passive recipients to chauvinistic males. However, these females tend to be of older age (mainly over 40-50) and those of us within the 20-30 and younger age range have completely different mentalities which do not tolerate such subservience and servility to patriarchy.
Hi Ms Puddle and Avon, I find your discussion intriguing because I’ve shared a similar experience with my eldest sister. She’s in her early 40s and I’m in my early 30s. My eldest sister constituted a minority when it came to women’s emancipation and fight for gender equality. During her youth, most of her peers considered it acceptable for men to hold the upper hand in almost all aspects of life. It also explains why toxic male chauvinists like Terry were so appealing to young women back in the 70s until the 90s. These are the so-called “soccer-moms” of today who are now in their late 40s and older. It’s not just the Terry-fans, however. Many of these older women also drool over violent and abusive men like that dude in “50 Shades of Gray”. Come to think of it, he’s very similar to Terry in his sadistic and possessive character. Yet, these older women have some sort of perverse fetish for such toxic and vile men. They actually find such aggressive men as “sexy” and that’s so messed up.
Going back to the Candy Candy story, my sister used to watch the anime back in the 80s and my friends and I started watching it in the late 90s and early 21st century. The reception to the anime and manga were completely different during my teens. First off, Terry’s popularity had waned considerably and he was viewed far more critically. Furthermore, other characters such as Stear, Archie and Albert started to gain in popularity due to their respect for women. These lads were “outsiders” during my sister’s youth because they didn’t fit the stereotype of the chauvinistic and possessive man as Terry did. Instead, these men seemed to be too “boring” back in the 70s and 80s because young women at the time were brainwashed into believing that men had to be aggressive towards women in order to demonstrate their passion for them. Kinda sick really..
This goes to show how times and mindsets change. Keiko Nagita is also a very old woman and her ideas are a bit cob-webbed for our day and age. Unfortunately, she didn’t provide and progressive update to her new novel and that’s the reason why it’s highly unlikely-if not virtually impossible-that younger people will buy her book. Perhaps her target audience is centered on those “soccer-moms” who will happily buy her novel and read all about Terry abusing and trying to dominate Candy-physically and psychologically.
On the other hand, Nagita may be well aware that times have changed and she wouldn’t want to alienate the growing and far more powerful younger generation which has turned its back to abusive men like Terry. It may explain why she’s kept the identity of “anohito” a mystery. If she reveals that it’s Terry, then the younger readers will be disgusted. However, if she reveals it’s Albert, then she’ll receive a hailstorm of hysteria coming from the Terry fans. By keeping the identity of this mystery man a secret, the author saves herself from getting tons of grief from the CC community-young and old.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Myra. Much has changed since the 1980s and the generation gap between boomers/generation x and millennials is actually quite big. It’s not just the CC anime or manga. Take most movies and TV shows back in the 1970s and 1980s. Women were objectified and regarded as inferior to men in most cases. You manage to find some movies which smash this patriarchal tradition but these movies are very few. I’m grateful that I didn’t spend the formative years of my adolescence and early adulthood during those times.
I’m grateful as well. My eldest sister had to put up with so much nonsense, however. Makes me appreciate our progressive times but more still needs to be done to battle inequality and sexism.
At least the anime producers put some effort in softening Terry’s character. He’s nasty af in the manga and Nagita doubles down on his misogynistic nature in her novel by making him even more damaged and hysterical than he already is. Most of Terry’s fans haven’t ever read the manga but only watched the anime. Even those who have read the manga and novel desperately block out those nasty scenes and forgive Terry. Those fans are in complete denial about their dearly beloved character.
Yet, the anime creators were obviously uncomfortable with Terry’s violence against women and they tried to make him nicer to Candy. There are so many added scenes in the anime which don’t exist in either the manga or the novel. For instance, Terry doesn’t force himself on Candy at the May Fest but he tries his best to convince the nuns to include her at the party. Later on when the two of them get into trouble from Eliza’s trap, Terry puts in loads of effort to convince his father to intervene and help Candy. Of-course, this scene doesn’t exist in the manga or the novel, both of which describe Terry as simply taking flight and abandoning Candy in the UK.
Moreover, in the anime Terry tries to reunite with Candy after their separation in New York by trying to find her in Chicago. Again, this scene doesn’t exist in the manga or anime.
Apparently, the way Terry is presented in the anime is a much better version than the violent and enraged Terry we know in the manga and novel. He always looks like a growling dog in the manga and in the novel he’s constantly suffering from emotional problems and depression.
What a catch he is..
Hi Avon, Myra, and Lakewood,
A CC fan told me that her friends, after reading the Italian version, were quite shocked, not only because Terry was different but also because Albert was way more important in the novel.
I agree with Myra. Some readers, even the younger ones, tend to regard abusive men as sexy or irresistible. I wonder if that has anything to do with their upbringing. The popularity of 50 shades is unbelievable, and I was told the majority of the fans are actually women, something that I probably will never understand. 🤔
You’re right about the novel, Ms Puddle. It shocked many Terry fans because they didn’t expect Nagita to give so much leverage and importance to Albert. Terry remains a mere supplementary character after his departure from the boarding school in London. Needless to mention that there’s no character development surrounding Terry and his relationship with Candy. Everything stopped in London. The opposite occurs with Albert and his relationship with Candy in which Nagita generously provides so much depth and character development. It’s a pity that the Terry fans fail to take the hint. But that’s their problem.
Speaking of problem, some women tend to have serious issue when it comes to internalized misogyny and self-deprecation. Nonetheless, I’ll agree with Avon and Myra and reiterate that it’s mainly those older women over forty who tolerate and often endorse the abusive and demeaning behaviour of men such as Terry and that degenerate from “50 Shades”-most of his fans are desperate housewives, btw. I agree with you that it’s a matter of upbringing and I’ll add education too. You’ll find some young women who tolerate such behaviour but they’re extremely few in comparison to those older women.
Replying to the 80’s vs 90’s ideas of man. I’m in my early forties myself. I never ever liked the rude Terry type. I was always on the other side. My man type is Albert, in character. I could give you a list of childhood heroes, I’ve watched a lot of 80’s TV and anime, but I don’t know if you know them. I’ll just mention Luke from Star Wars. I was and still am a Luke devotee, Han does not push any buttons on me. 😉
Anohita, I also like Luke Skywalker more than Han Solo, and I don’t understand why Princess Leia would fall for him… other than the “All Girls Want Bad Boys ” trope 🙄
Bonjour à toutes,
Pas de souci Ms Puddle 😄😉
Comme l’a soulignée Ms Puddle, les dessins des montages proviennent de ceux du manga. Les personnages dessinés par Iragashi sont très beaux, bien plus que ceux du dessin animé, j’ai donc une préférence pour le manga.
Merci encore Ms Puddle 🤗 pour avoir partagé les illustrations de la lettre de Candy à son Prince sur votre blog et merci à toutes pour vos retours positifs, le but étant de procurer un peu de joie dans ces moments difficiles.
Prenez toutes, bien soin de vous.
Thank you Antlay 😘 for your wonderful contributions!! By sharing them I have a chance to chat with you all, not to mention it’s a relief knowing you ladies are safe, just self-isolated.
Pleased to read your new post, Ms Puddle. I’m not particularly active on Facebook but I’ll definitely check out your suggested link. I’ve been trying to find Igarashi’s drawings which weren’t endorsed by Nagita. Have any of those drawings been included anywhere else?
Cheers,
Myra
The drawings I’m talking about are those where Candy and Albert are embracing one another at Pony’s Hill. You had commented that Nagita didn’t want that drawing in the manga. Why so? Is it anywhere else?
Thanks @Antlay31 for sharing your montage with us.
I wonder why too, but some people claim Japanese stories usually try to be less explicit and rather let the readers or audience imagine what happens afterwards. A recent example is the end of the anime movie “Your name?” … To me the two endings are somewhat similar.
I’ve seen those somewhere but I forgot now, Myra. 🙁 One of those was Candy’s discovery of an Ardlay’s badge under Albert’s pillow. Yet, the manga we know now still shows Candy sleeping in Albert’s bed after he had vanished in her life.
Thank you for your reply, Ms Puddle. I’ve read about various changes and additions in the manga but there doesn’t seem to be any concrete evidence. What is for sure, however, is that the Italian translation of the manga had omitted many scenes of Candy and Albert together, the most notable being the two of them embracing on the tree after Stear’s death. The Italian translators had even changed the dialogue when Candy was talking about Albert. When she was admiring how beautiful he looked without the dark glasses and brown hair (she didn’t know he was blonde) in the hospital scene, the Italian translators changed those words by adding that Albert looked old and grey. The Greek manga also had those same errors because they were translating straight from the Italian and not the original Japanese manga.
It’s great that you know Japanese and can read the original manga directly without the multiple errors and misleading translations.
What a coincidence! I happened to read this particular page in the Japanese manga this morning just for fun! You’re right, Myra. Candy said Albert was handsome. A CC friend, a nurse herself, joked that Candy had crossed the line of being a professional nurse lol… (even though the patient was utterly unaware of her compliment)
She sure did cross the line. The poor guy was ill in hospital and she was swooning over him. 😂😂
If I remember correctly, Archie told Candy and Stear off for admiring Albert’s looks when in repose.
Myra, let me dig up the stories behind the scene on the tree when both Albert and Candy were talking about Stear after his tragic death. If I find anything I will show it in a new post. 😊
That’ll be great. Thanks!
Hello,
There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding the “missing pieces” or allegedly removed sections of the CC manga. It’s certain, however, that many Candy-Albert scenes were removed from the Italian version. I won’t call it translation because it’s deviated from the original manga.
I’ve read somewhere that Igarashi has drawn a scene where Candy and Albert are sleeping together but Nagita didn’t want that scene because it was too “explicit” for her. This drawing was allegedly included in the Korean manga. Is that true? Have you heard anything about it?
Hope you are all in good health and safe.
Avon
P.S. Which manga translations have you got, Ms Puddle? I would imagine that you have the Japanese one-am I right? Have you got any other translations?
Hi Avon, I bought a complete manga version in traditional Chinese from eBay. I also have the Japanese version, but only in digital format. It’s missing some pages unfortunately, but I got most of the volumes except the second half of Volume 7 (Susanna’s suicidal attempt and the subsequent breakup). I’ve also seen the French version in a website before. But I’m not used to seeing the manga images the other way, from left to right. 😉
No Avon I’ve never heard of this “sleeping together” scene. Wonder how this fits in the manga timeline?
You are right, Myra. The Greek manga copied the Italian one word per word, changing many important dialogues, omitting several pages and continuing with that ridiculous sequel. The Italian publishers did their best to convince the readers that Candy and Terry would be together in the end, no matter what, and the Greek publishers followed suit. On the other hand, the French and the Spanish editions of the manga have almost the same texts, probably because the Spanish followed the example of the French manga which was published in the 1990’s in 9 volumes, exactly like the Japanese. A friend of mine who speaks French said to me once that she had read the Greek manga as a child, and when she read the French edition years later she felt like she was reading a different story (she meant the original manga and not the sequel).
Interestingly, there is a recent Italian online edition of the manga which came out just last year, and unlike the published Italian manga it is black and white, and is the exact copy of the Japanese. It can be read from right to left, as the original text, and it also has the sounds in Japanese. From what I have seen when I checked on it, the translation is much better than the Italian colored manga, although slightly different from the French and the Spanish at some points. Its only flaw is that some pages are mixed up.
By the way, Happy Easter, Myra. Tomorrow it is Easter Sunday for us Greeks. No celebrations this year, no visits to friends and relatives, no church congregations. A different Easter for all of us.
Happy Easter to you too, Fay. Χριστός Ανέστη!
I’m also of Greek decent. I tend to spend a lot of time in Athens but my job involves travel to the US too. I’m in Northern Athens suburbia now and there were a few fireworks coming from some neighboring houses and a small church nearby. It’s disappointing that some places in Athens were crowded such as supermarkets, open fruit&veg markets and the butcher stands at the “Varvakeio”. I think these folks feel confident that the warmer weather will somehow eradicate the virus. They’re foolish if they believe so.
Regarding the Candy Candy manga, my sister and I have got the entire Greek, Italian and French collections. We have a few Spanish and Japanese ones too but they’re incomplete. I’ve been trying to find the vintage original ones online but in vain.
I won’t even bother talk about that idiotic Italian continuation of the manga. 🤦 Sometimes I wonder whether the creators of that nonsensical mess were under the influence of dubious substances.🤔
Lmao, I’ll have to agree that the Italian manga is ludicrous and those extra volumes were a sheer monstrosity. I doubt it that Keiko Nagita or Yumiko Igarashi ever approved of those silly volumes. I could imagine the look on their faces if they ever happened to read them.
Anyway, I hope all of you are fine and coping as much as possible with the quarantine.
And thank you-Ms Puddle and Antlay-again for your updates. Albert looks so beautiful in the anime but in the manga he is superb.
Yes, Lakewood. Albert is superb in the manga, especially when he was still amnesiac.
Αληθώς Ανέστη!
To be honest, I’d rather the measures would last longer than the end of April. There is still great danger of the virus spreading even in the summer, and of course the higher temperatures can in no way prevent it from doing so.
You are absolutely right about the Italian continuation. I guess even Terry fans have understood how silly it was by now. Even seeing Candy and Terry together in the end couldn’t compensate them for all that crazy plot, not to mention the ugly drawings which tried in vain to imitate Igarashi’s work.
Ms. Puddle, thank you for this new post. Also many thanks to Antlay for her beautiful drawings. They are so close to the original. Great work.
Keep well, everybody, stay at home (as much as possible) and be safe.
Fay, Easter was last weekend in North America, but happy Easter to you too.
Just so you know my friend Antlay created these beautiful montages using pictures from the manga. She did a wonderful job didn’t she?
Thank you for your wishes, Ms. Puddle.
Antlay’s work is indeed wonderful. If I remember correctly, she had also done the drawings accompanying Candy’s last letter to Albert from the Epilogue which you have presented in some older posts.
About Albert, I think he was handsome in the anime, but he couldn’t compare to the manga version. For example, in the scene where Candy discovers he is Great Uncle William, Albert is incredibly charming and sexy, unlike the equivalent scene in the anime which I didn’t like at all, both its drawings and plot.
As a matter of fact, I consider all characters much more beautiful in the manga, so much so that no color is needed to enhance their beauty. That’s why I prefer the black and white version to the colored one. Albert in particular seems to become more and more handsome as the story progresses. I have to agree that during his amnesia he was at his handsomest. Actually, the French manga uses the word “seduisant” (seducing) when Candy talks about Albert in the hospital, seeing him without glasses and brown hair. Wasn’t that too daring to say for a mere friend? Maybe something was awakening inside her back then.
Yes Fay you’re right. Antlay has created other montages before for “Candy’s last letter to Albert” in the epilogue as well as my fanfic “A Man in Love”.
In fact, Antlay is an artist herself, and I have colored some of her drawings before. 🤗
I can’t agree with you more, Fay, that Albert as the Granduncle in the manga appeared very charming and sexy. No wonder Candy sat right beside Albert on the tree, swooning over him with a dreamy look. I’ve shared this manga image before in one of my old posts. She said to herself he was すてき (twice, for emphasis), the same adjective she had used, as a little girl, for the mysterious Prince on the Hill. She had also used this adjective when she realized Albert had blond hair, not brown (when he was unconscious, lying in bed in room 0).
For your interest, you can read more about すてき (suteki)
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-meaning-of/japanese-word-073a2e4160533ec5b31b98f748cfadc8efc84868.html
Oh no… Some people just don’t see the danger. Some people in Vancouver actually protested… that their human rights being violated 😑
The French translation is a bit ‘bolder’ when it comes to the relationship between Candy and Albert. It appears that the Italians were keener on Terry and the French on Albert. lol
LOL… Seriously Avon, I think there are lots of French speaking Terry fans too, but i figure the translator was able to grasp the essence of their relationship in the original story. 😉
Hi ladies! How are you? :))
Lurker me again. Talking about Albert’s hair, the manga does not say why he goes from blond to brown to blond. I always found it too odd, downright unrealistic. A true blond will stay blond, see actor Luke Mitchell for example, my Albert-like these days (except he has green eyes and a higher pitched voice than my head Albert). Blond hair darkens only when wet or dirty or smoothed with some gel. So.. unless Albert did not wash his hair at all, he could not be dark brown! And what, dying it, no, no, no, why should he? Camouflage? From what, animals and trees? lol No! And actually, the sun brightens up all hair, so he should be even blonder! Ha! If you ask me, Misuki wanted her readers not to suspect that Albert was an Ardlay until much later, so she had Igarashi darken his hair. It’s one of the minor unrealistic things in the manga though, that still bugs pragmatist me to no end. 😛
I got to say now that I remembered… got glimpse of a guy on the side of the road yesterday, drove past him, and he was so vagabond Albert! Unwashed longish blond hair and long beard, darker from grease at the roots, lighter at the ends, a rucksack on his back. He looked more like a traveler than a homeless man, still on the young side. I watched him for like less than a couple of seconds, had to keep driving, but his image stuck in my mind. I hope he is well! Hmmm… with him in mind though, yes, a vagabond Albert would seem less blond than a shorter haired, freshly showered one. But certainly not dark brown, no.
Shutting up now. 🙂
Hello Anohita,
Hair-dye actually existed since the antiquities. It was common practice amongst the elite in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and further on. Archaeologists claim that stained and tinted glass had already been created in Mesopotamia, Ancient and Medieval China as well as Ancient Greece and Rome.
Resuming to the CCFS, the reason why Albert dyed his hair and wore dark glasses was to get away a bit from his Ardlay elders. He explains this in his letters to Candy in the Epilogue but we also get a lot of info from Igarashi in the manga. Apparently, he stopped dying his hair during his amnesiac phase because he had forgotten his identity and the Ardlay elders were constantly after him and never giving him any moment of peace.
As for his personal hygiene during his “vagabond” phase, both Nagita and Igarashi portray him as very posh, elegant and clean, irrespective of his worn “safari”-like attire. Even Candy mentions in the CCFS during her first encounter with Albert (after rescuing her from the waterfall) that she found him unusually elegant and posh. She’s not particularly convinced that he’s a vagabond because of his classy manners, calm voice and articulate speech. When she encounters him again in London (when she was looking for a pharmacy to get medicine for Terry), she noticed how younger and more handsome he looked as his hair was trimmed and he had shaven his beard. It’s ironic that Albert wanted to look like a vagabond to conceal his identity from his Ardlay elders but his highly educated upbringing simply wouldn’t allow it. His posh manners were his dead giveaway all the time.
You’ll find all this info in the CCFS and in the manga.
You’ve mentioned Luke Mitchell as an Albert look-alike. Another Australian actor who could easily be cast as Albert is Chris Hemsworth (long or short hair) ( tinyurl.com/y9m7r29h ), Joe Alwyn (he could also be cast as Anthony or Albert during his early adulthood) ( tinyurl.com/yca77bth ), and one of my personal favorites John Schneider, especially during his 30s-40s when he was cast as “Daniel Simon” in “Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman” (with or without a beard) ( tinyurl.com/ybktu7ry and tinyurl.com/ycmektp3 ). John Schneider’s smile is awesome and so akin to the way Nagita describes Albert’s smile. He’s the actor who starred as “Bo Duke” in the “Dukes of Hazzard” and later on as “Jonathan Kent” in “Smallville”.
These are amazing and handsome actors, Interstellar 😍 Lucky Candy 😉
I suppose Nagita sensei wanted Albert to be much taller than Candy because her story was inspired by Daddy-long-legs 😁
All these suggested actors would look amazing as Albert. I agree with you, Anohita and Interstellar. Based on the drawings and the text, Albert is described as being very tall and slender. I would imagine him to be around 6ft 2 – 6ft 4 like these actors are. Chris Hemsworth is my favourite, btw.
I really like Chris Hemsworth as well, Lynn, especially the commercial posters he had done for a certain brand of luxurious watches.
I’d like to add the English actor Dan Stevens in Downton Abbey to the list too. 😊
Hello Anohita and Interstellar,
My neighbour next door is a real life example of blond hair turning brown. He and his wife were both blonds when they got married years ago. Over time the man’s blond hair somehow became brownish, and when we first met him, he already had dark brown hair. However, this did not happen to his wife at all, and both their kids still have shiny blond hair. 😀
In the manga I think Interstellar was right, that Albert dyed his hair brown and lived like a vagabond. I guess it was something his aunt tolerated so long as he hid his real identity. After all he was an adult already.
But in CCFS he said to Candy that his hair turned brownish and then back to blond. That I think is not quite convincing. To be honest I’d rather he told Candy that he had dyed his hair.
Hi Ms Puddle, I remember watching Dan Stevens in that thriller called “The Guest”. I don’t know if he’s a natural blonde because he often appears with brown hair but as a blonde he could look like Albert.
Hi Lynn, perhaps he does not have natural blond hair. I remember reading an interview about him in which he admitted dying his hair 😉
There’s a bit of confusion regarding the hair colour of certain CC characters in the coloured manga. I won’t go into the novel because Nagita doesn’t specify hair colour for her characters apart from Candy, Anthony, Archie and Albert. In the coloured manga, I’ve seen Terry depicted other as blonde and then in the next frame as dark brown. Albert is a natural blonde so his dark brown hair colour was a mere disguise. Susanna is depicted as blonde or charcoal black hair. What’s with all this?
Thanks for the info, Interstellar! I’ve only read what CCFS translations are here, and the manga of course, so I don’t think I’ve read about Albert dying his hair. Where is that mentioned? I was saying it as a joke! And well, I don’t see Albert as the type to die his hair anyway, he’s too manly for that. Sunglasses? Not invented yet then. As for blonds turning brown, yes, my nephew and niece were blond as kids, but brown now as adults.
Chris Hemsworth is one very handsome man, but not Albert for me. Big YES for young John Schneider (“just two good ol’ boys… never meanin’ no harm…”, heheheh Dukes fan here!!!) and an OK for Dan Stevens. A nod to young James Spader as well. I don’t know the other guys. Actually, I think Igarashi based adult Albert mostly on Robert Redford, with a hint of Clint Eastwood. It was the 70s when she was drawing him after all. 😛 And the idea of Albert with animals all around him is taken probably from Grizzly Adams, along with the longish hair and beard.The film was made in 1974, the series a couple of years later. Anime vagabond Albert is the spitting image of Dan Haggerty, LOL!
Mentioning Australians… that “Bondi Vet” show has quite a few blond fellas that would pass the Albert audition… :PPPP As for Anthony, gosh… there was a boy in school when I was 11 that was a pure copy of him, blond, blue eyed, I used to stare at him speechless. I wonder where he is now…
Anohita, I was told Igarashi based adult Albert on John Lennon and Terry on a popular handsome actor in Japan, but I’m not sure if this was real 😉
Hello Anohita,
As specified in my previous comment, Albert did not dye his hair for cosmetic reasons but in order to conceal his identity from the aforementioned Ardlay elders. Many people dye their hair for various reasons apart from cosmetic. Presumably, Terry also had to dye his hair for various roles or perhaps wear a wig, again depending on the role.
Furthermore, sun-glasses had already been invented and used as protection from the bright sun-rays during 12th century China and you’ll also find portraits of notable North Americans wearing sunglasses as back as the early 19th century. Do a simple online search of Jefferson Coates (1843-1880), who was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War and you’ll see that he’s wearing sun-glasses. Many North Americans were already wearing various fashionable sun-glasses during early 20th century ad especially during the Interbellum (1918-1939).
Regards,
Interstellar
Typo: “and” (not “ad”).
Oops, *dye* his hair, not “die”, although he does murder it with henna, poor blond hair dies. LOL.
Anyway, casting Albert is an impossible task if you ask me, him and Rhaegar Targaryen (as described in the books). There is simply no actor for me that has all that it takes.
Hello Ms Puddle,
Is there no mention of Albert dying his hair in the CCFS as there is in the manga? Is it not even implied? Nagita does have that annoying tendency of being horrendously vague in her narrative, therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised is she was too timid to be a bit more specific even at this point. Her ambivalence is getting ridiculous to say the least.
It’s not that I support that writers should necessarily take the reader by the hand and spoon-feed them each and every detail of their text; however, Nagita has gone to the opposite extreme by leaving almost everything up to the readers’ imagination. If that’s the case, then Nagita should just offer each and every one of her readers a blank notebook and allow each reader to write a story of one’s own.
The phrase “less is more” is astute but Nagita has stretched it so much that it has completely lost its effect and significance.
Regards,
Interstellar
Hi Interstellar, if I’m not mistaken, in one of Albert’s letters to Candy in the epilogue he mentioned his hair changing colors from blond to brown and back to blond post trauma. I have to double check my book later. 😉
@Interstellar.
I don’t see why Albert would need extra camouflage, long hair and beard plus living off the mansion was cover enough. He did not need…spy stuff. 😉 No, it was clearly a trick by Misuki/Nagita in the manga to hide who Albert was, albeit an unrealistic in my humble opinion. As for sunglasses, they became popular after WWI, I did google it, and in 1914 -1917 they certainly were not the anachronistic RayBans that Igarashi sketched. Jefferson Coates wears shades to conceal his damaged blind eyes btw.
Don’t mind me, I’m just obsessed with realism in everything. As much as I love the manga, I also want to shred it to pieces for the absurdities it entails. As a kid, I didn’t realise/mind. As an adult, they annoy me to no end. 😊
No worries, Anohita. I constantly make typos due to typing very fast. My hands are too big for this small tablet. Lol
Hello Ms Puddle,
I easily found that section you were referring to because I’ve got the entire novel in pdf form. A simple search brought me to Candy’s letter to Anthony (Epilogue) where she explains that Albert has mentioned that his hair was naturally blonde but his hair became for some unknown reason brown and then back to his original blonde hair. Seriously, Nagita outdid herself in lame explanations. The manga version was by far more reasonable as an explanation. One’s hair does not simply revert from blonde to brown or vice-versa. Lol
Regards,
Interstellar
I agree, Interstellar. The manga is more convincing. It would make sense that Albert had dyed his hair in his attempt to escape all that 24/7 monitoring. There are many cases where one’s hair becomes darker with age but it never goes back to the original hue. The novel is so problematic that this hair dye issue is the least noticeable.
Hello Anohita,
It’s not a matter of being “obsessed” with reality. Those two words constitute a contradiction of terms, anyway. Furthermore, you are not the only one whose intention is to focus on factual evidence. As you have probably noticed, most-if not all people-in this forum always provide valid explanations to their commentary.
That said and to reiterate, there is ample archaeological evidence confirming that glasses purported to protect eyes from the sun had already been invented during 12th century China and elsewhere within the European continent. Once again, I’ll remind you that sun-glasses were widely used in the 19th century and well within the 20th century North American communities. They were already fashionable by the end of WWI (1918).
I have already provide a credible list of notable historical figures deploying various forms of sun-glasses, therefore, no further explanation is required from my part.
Regards,
Interstellar
By all means, Interstellar, you have proven your point and we all know here how accurate and intelligent you always are in your comments. I’ve found a few sources which prove exactly what you’ve explained but Ms Puddle’s website doesn’t allow too many links because they’re probably mistaken for spam. I’ve decided to just post the links to cetain websites and all you have to do is add “www.” in the beginning or “http”:
glasseshistory.com/glasses-history/history-of-sunglasses/
framesdirect.com/knowledge-center/who-invented-glasses
sunglassmuseum.com/blogs/news/a-brief-history-of-sunglasses
And the soldier you were talking about-foudn him on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Coates
Thanks again, Interstellar!
Thank you for your kind words, @Lynn.
I also thank you for making it clear why many of us avoid posting links on Ms Puddle’s page. It’s because we don’t want it to appear as if we’re “bombarding” her website with spam. Some websites tend to reject certain posts because the links provided may be deemed as spam. YouTube and other social media outlets tend to follow suit.
I’m glad you found the links and there is so much material online. A simple “google” search should suffice. 😉
Best Wishes,
Interstellar
Thank you Lynn and Interstellar for providing links for others to use.
Anohita did not provide her email address when commenting so I need to manually approve each of her comments. It may be timing issue, but I do appreciate your patience and understanding.
I agree doing a quick Google search suffices, and one can easily read about facts and evidence concerning sunglasses and hair dying tradition. 😉
Hi Interstellar-you’re right about sunglasses being worn during the American Civil War in the mid-C19th. Anyone who knows about American and British history has read that Queen Victoria also wore sunglasses.
smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-rare-footage-smiling-sunglass-wearing-queen-victoria-180972308/
Check out this amazing website which offers such vintage C19th-C20th eye-wear:
historiceyewearcompany.com
Albert’s sunglasses have that vintage look which cowboys used to wear back in the mid-C19th.
You’re also spot on about Albert’s disguise. He explains that he felt so stifled by the ways in which his Aunt Elroy confined him that he would try to find ways to escape from them. Changing his appearance was one of those ways.
Take Care!
Thank you Ms Puddle and Lakewood for your supporting words and information provided.
Since everything we have discussed is fully confirmed via credible sources online, we don’t have to utilize our time in explaining the obvious to others.
Best Wishes,
Interstellar
Hello Ms Puddle and Interstellar,
I agree with you both. Albert had a well-explained reason why he did his utmost to conceal his identity. He was seriously fed up with that restrictive lifestyle where he couldn’t enjoy his youth. He was forced to live in hiding so he decided to hide from his aunt too.
Concerning the drawings of the manga and anime, they were both created during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Manga and anime were growing in popularity back then and stereotypes/tropes were already beginning to form to the point where you could easily find so many similarities between various manga and anime series. The most glaring detail is the 70s style in the characters’ clothing and hairstyle. The men wore tight flare trousers or bell-bottom jeans, their hair was very long or shoulder-length with side-burns and most of them had a John Lennon style to them, especially Terry and Albert. The Candy Candy anime would often remind me of “Scooby-Doo”. Lmao
Yet, I’ve noticed that Nagita wants us as readers to retain that 1970s visualization of the manga characters in her final novel about Candy. She wrote about that in the Preface of the Italian translation of her book.
Nevertheless, sun-glasses and hair colorants existed in the long distant past. Besides, Candy’s time was the early 1900s-not the Bronze Age. Lol
Had a good laugh with your ‘Scooby Doo’ reference, Myra. Come to think of it, Stear does bear some resemblance to Shaggy Rogers.😂
Avon, me too… LOL… Thanks, Myra 🙂 I personally don’t like men with long hair, so I was kinda “relieved” that Albert had his hair cut short when Candy returned from New York. Though I must say Igarashi’s Albert is really handsome, even with long hair.
I also prefer men with short hair. I don’t like long hair.. I don’t like beards either but Albert sported both of them like a champ. Lol
George is cute too and he’s so classy. I’m not into that thin mustache but it was in style back then in the early 1900s. Without it, he would look grand-a bit like Jared Padalecki or even more like Jim Caviezel.
I have read all articles concerning sunglasses and all say that the use of them as sun protection and not therapy was widespread AFTER World War I. Even Robert Redford in “Out Of Africa”, a film set in the CC time does not wear sunglasses and he’s in hot and sunny Africa. So unless Albert had myopia, sensitivity from syphilis (:O nonono) or was color blind (er…), his wearing RayBans is an anachronistic feature. A cowboy hat would be 10000% accurate as both camouflage and sun protection, but we are talking about two Japanese women fantasizing about Americans, based on Anne of Green Gables, Daddy Long Legs, Grizzly Adams and 70s actors, they simply did not do a fashion hustory search.
Hi Anohita, is it alright that we don’t talk about sunglasses anymore?
FYI, Queen Victoria was filmed wearing shades:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-rare-footage-smiling-sunglass-wearing-queen-victoria-180972308/
Thank you, Ms Puddle and Interstellar, for providing indisputable evidence surrounding the use of sun-glasses in those two previously mentioned centuries. As Interstellar has wisely specified, no further discussion is necessary. It’s a matter of sheer common sense and rationality.
Hi Ms Puddle,
Thanks for posting that link which proves that sunglasses actually existed in the late 1800s and Queen Victoria enjoyed wearing them. For those who don’t know much about history (or reality in general), Queen Victoria died in January 22, 1901. The CCFS takes place after that as Candy was born during the turn of the century.
I’ve also posted some links which are available in this thread.
I’m sorry this thread has come to this and by mistake I’ve approved some comments too soon. 🙁
Some pointed to historical evidence and yet some meant fashions. I do acknowledge Igarashi’s drawings were heavily influenced by the fashion trends in 70s.
I’ve deleted some comments as per request.
Anyway, let’s just end this sunglasses discussion, please.
Greetings!
Of-course sunglasses existed during the Victorian Era. They actually go further back but they were mainly tinted glass used to help people with photo-sensitivity and either eye irritations. For those who believe that sunglasses are simply for fashion are downright ignorant. Even in our times, the main purpose of sunglasses is to protect us from the radiant sunlight, whether we’ve got mild or serious eye sensitivities. It’s imperative that all people wear high quality sunglasses when it’s sunny or when handling jobs requiring exposure to the sunlight. Yet, back in the Victorian Era, it was mainly the wealthy people who could afford sunglasses.
@Ms Puddle: If I’m not mistaken, there’s a short dialogue in the CC Final Story where Candy asks Albert why he’s wearing sunglasses and his reply was because his eyes were sensitive to the light. This dialogue took place when Candy was rescued by Albert and staying at his lodge.
By the way, I’ve read this article from the New York Times about Queen Vicoria spotted sporting some shades and it’s worth a look!
tinyurl.com/y6qxyfts
Hi Irana93, I don’t recall this particular dialogue in CCFS between Candy and Albert. Perhaps I’ve missed it? 🤔 Will double check later. Yet, I remember Candy came to when it was completely dark outside the lodge, and she spent the night with Albert-san before he brought her back by boat the next morning.
I had read that on some online translation in another blog but I haven’t read that scene in the translations you and Fay have provided here on this forum. I’m going to take your word for it because you’re always accurate in what you say.
Alternatively, this scene may have taken place in the original novel but I wouldn’t be sure about that.
Speaking of the original novel, is it true that the final letters between Candy and Albert were about them planning to travel around the world together? If that’s true, then why would the author remove those letters?
Thanks in advance and apologies for any inadvertent confusion caused.
I remember those letters too. They’ve been circulating on the internet in various translations claiming to come from the old novel which was divided into three volumes. Perhaps Nagita removed those letters because the readers would discover that anohito is Albert.
Just a theory..
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not the only one who mentioned this. I’ve heard that Nagita reduced the number of letters exchanged between Candy and Albert.
No need to thank me. I don’t think there’s any translation of the old novel. From what I’ve read so far, there was going to be a wider circulation of the book but the legal battles between Igarashi and Nagita cancelled any such endeavour.
You could also read Ms Puddle’s insightful articles about the old novel here on her blog. She provides a comparison between the old and new novels. We should all thank her for this enlightening information.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Myra. It’s my pleasure to share what I know 🤗
Hi Irana93, I did not read the original old novel myself but the series Myra mentioned was based on images/articles taken from that novel and shared by other CC fans.
About the letters between Candy and Albert in the old novel, the last letter from Albert mentioned his wish to travel one day when he could have more spare time, which was followed by a casual invitation to Candy to go with him. 😊 Candy’s response concluded the novel, in which she eagerly accepted his invitation to travel together.
These two letters are not in CCFS, but replaced by much longer letters about their day trip to Lakewood (Candy’s letter to Little Bert and mental letter to Anthony). 😉
Thank you for the clarifications, Ms Puddle. By accepting his offer to travel with him, Candy is bold enough to tell Albert that she wants to be with him. There’s a stronger commitment implied as this story is situated in the early 1900s and no one back then would make or accept such an offer without being or wishing to engage in a serious relationship.
No wonder Nagita removed that final letter as it would reveal the identity of anohito.😉
Oh yes, Myra, Candy was considered bold to have accepted Albert’s invitation, which also revealed his wish to spend his free time with her alone. That’s why many readers regarded this as his (subtle) proposal 😁
I appreciate your reply-Ms Puddle. Candy seems to have put the past behind her and move on with her meaningful relationship with Albert. Her mental letter to Anthony expresses her healthy decision to let go of her painful past and embark on a new life with the man she loves and that most certainly is Albert.
My sentiments exactly, Irana93.
Before I forget, Candy’s diary is also something new in CCFS (not in the old novel), and the fact she gave it back to Albert to keep speaks volumes. Not only that, she was bold enough to sign her letter to Little Bert with the word 愛 (love), which is a strong word in Japanese culture even nowadays.