Terry’s brief letter to Candy (Part 4)
First of all, I’d like to express my utmost appreciation to all of you for your encouraging feedback to my latest fanart. Not only that, I really enjoy chatting with you — the comments and discussions in my recent posts are the fuel that keeps me motivated and inspired. In particular, Lynn’s comment reminds me that it’s about time to talk about Terry’s ambiguous letter to Candy, again.
Few years ago I wrote a 3-part series about Terry’s brief letter to Candy (some readers simply call it a note). It is the very last letter in Section III of Candy Candy Final Story, which is enveloped with blank pages in the Japanese version. That is, a blank page follows Susanna’s obituary, then this letter, and then another blank page before the epilogue begins. I was told there was once a joke in a Japanese forum about this letter. These blank pages seem to imply whatever in between can be safely torn from the novel, because its existence or absence has not affected the story as a whole. 😅 Needless to say, many people disagree. In fact, some fans regard this note as the crucial clue to Anohito’s identity, primarily due to their assumption that it was written some time after Susanna’s death. However, please note that the letters in CCFS are not necessarily ordered chronologically. For example, Candy’s letter to Mr. Whitman might be written after her day trip to Lakewood with Albert. The other good example is Candy’s letter to Captain Vincent Brown after a certain Christmas, when she could freely spend her leisure time in Ardlay’s principal mansion in Chicago, admiring Rosemary’s portraits.
I agree with Lynn. If indeed Terry mailed this letter a year or so after Susanna’s funeral, it makes him look like a vulture or hyena. How could he be so cruel to say he had not changed? Yet, as I have explained in my series, the fact that Terry wrote “since then” (あれから) indicates that he expected Candy would understand what he had referred to without him saying it. She would not only know what but also when that incident had taken place, such as their breakup, his forced kiss, etc. It’s unlikely he would expect Candy to know when exactly Susanna had passed away. Some people argued it might be their “reunion” at Rockstown, but it’s unclear in CCFS if Terry had later found out from his mother about Candy’s presence in that roadside theatre.
The other day when I checked the manga I stumbled across the following page in Volume 7. Here I zoomed in to show what Terry thought: …もうあれから一年以上たってしまった……
If you don’t know the context, Terry decided to audition for the upcoming play, Romeo & Juliet, which triggered his memory of May Festival. Therefore, he thought, …it’s been more than a year already…
Doesn’t this sound familiar? I almost couldn’t believe my eyes, so I quickly checked his letter in CCFS. After asking Candy if she had changed, he wrote, …あれから一年たった。
For more details please read my series, in which I explained in depth why I’m convinced he had referred to their first and only kiss (yes, a stolen kiss). The timing in CCFS might not be the same as in the manga, but you got the idea. He might be thinking of Candy about a year after May’s festival, so roughly several months after he had left her in London. Of course, you don’t have to agree with me. 🙂
There’s another interesting fact of his letter that I may not have talked about before. In CCFS or in the manga, Terry liked using the pronoun おれ to refer to himself. The other male characters Albert, Anthony, Archie and Stear all used another pronoun ぼく, which Terry sometimes used as well. For example, in the manga, when Terry was talking to Robert Hathaway or in CCFS when he came up with an excuse not to dance with Eliza at the May festival.
In Japanese there are many first-person singular pronouns, some are neutral, formal or informal. The above two are casual but rarely used by women. If you do a Google search you will see many discussions comparing them. If I’m not mistaken, some people may be offended if a man uses おれ (like Terry), thinking he sounds arrogant, inappropriate or rude. For example, Terry would not use it when talking to Robert Hathaway. 😉 On the other hand, ぼく is also casual but a bit more polite or refined. Not sure if this is true, but I read somewhere that a Shitamachi (Old Tokyo) guy would use おれ but a Ginza guy would use ぼく 😀
In Susanna’s letter to Candy (CCFS), she apologized and thanked Candy with gratitude. She also quoted Terry’s promise to her, that he would stay by her side from now on. Here in CCFS he used ぼく when he was with Susanna. Perhaps he was humbled by her sacrifice? In the manga version, he spoke soft, tender words to her after the accident. Yet, I double checked the scene when Susanna confessed to Terry on the stage, telling him about sending Candy away in the Chicago hotel. Terry used おれ back then when talking to her.
After Susanna ran away in tears, Terry admitted to himself he was certain he did not dislike her (the negative form of きらい). Right after this he remembered Candy and believed his feelings for her would not change no matter what would happen (or so he thought). I can’t seem to find in the manga where Terry said he was attracted to Susanna. Yet, actions speak louder than words, don’t you think? 😉
On the other hand, with Candy, Terry almost always used おれ (both CCFS and the manga) to make him sound tough (or more manly), even at their first encounter on the ocean liner, so much so that Candy was very surprised when Georges revealed that he was the son of a noble. Candy exclaimed Terry was 生意気な口の悪いやつ (a bad guy who is rude and disrespectful) and even said that Anthony was more like a nobleman. 😉
Please don’t get me wrong. Using おれ does not necessarily make a guy sound rude, because it really depends on context. In fact, it’s a trend among young guys these days to use おれ with other male friends or love interests. It’s just that Terry typically used おれ with Candy, but in his brief letter, to my surprise, he wrote ぼく instead. Also, he did not say anything about his feelings. I once discussed this with another Candy Candy fan who knows Japanese. She joked that perhaps this was another Eliza’s prank? 😀 Seriously, he was either unaware he had actually changed after having worked at Stratford, or he wasn’t sure if someone else (other than Candy) would read his letter. 🤔
Lynn brought up another valid point. In CCFS it isn’t clear what Susanna’s injury was, only that she had a very serious accident and that she had to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life. It’s my bad as I’ve always assumed that referred to her amputation. Yet, Nagita sensei had plausibly kept it vague so that her readers won’t be too shocked when Susanna would later suffer from some chronic disease for a long time before her demise.
This post is getting long, but last but not least, I’d like to bring up Lakewood’s comment. She said it was strange or outlandish why Candy or her friends did not discover Susanna’s accident prior to her departure. It’s a good question, and in CCFS from Annie’s letter to Candy, we learned the accident had happened during a dress rehearsal. It’s the same in the manga version, where one of the crew members mentioned the premiere was coming up. A few pages after that Candy was very happy because in three days she would be leaving for New York.
Do you know how frequently magazines or tabloids were published back then? Weekly? Bi-weekly? I honestly don’t know. How about the newspapers? Did Susanna’s accident make it to the headline? Maybe in the local newspapers only and there were other more important news in Chicago? Is it possible Stratford tried to cover it up? What do you think?
Anyway, thanks for reading. Take care and stay safe, my friends! 🙂
In the Manga, Short-haired Albert found out who Candy was when he saw his missing brooch that was on Candy’s neck (correct me if I’m wrong), but in the anime version, vagabond Albert remembered her as a little girl after he saved her from the river. He said these words: ‘It’s her’. Any idea why Toei didn’t follow the original scene from the Manga?
I wouldn’t expect TOEI to use that particular scene from the manga because the anime portrayed Albert as a father figure. In the manga, this scene had taken place when Albert’s car broke down and he spent the night in the natural park with Candy.
Sorry WAA. I don’t quite understand your question. Are you talking about the rescue near the waterfall when Candy was 13? Or are you asking about the rescue after Candy escaped from Neal’s trap?
It’s from the waterfall and river scene when Albert saved Candy from drowning.
Oh I see. Thank you @Lynn.
Because WAA mentioned short-haired Albert in the manga so I wasn’t sure 😅
Hi WAA, I think TOEI did that wrong. The audience was not supposed to find out Vagabond Albert had seen Candy before.
In the manga, it was not shown that he recognized her either. The readers learned about this only after his confession in the old CC novel as well as CCFS, from one of his letters to Candy.
That’s not the only thing TOEI did wrong. Lol
In fact, the anime is solely responsible for the father-figure image being ascribed to Albert. Most people know the CC story from the anime and that’s why they were stunned when Nagita introduced him as a friend and potential suitor for Candy. The manga is widely popular too but not as the anime.
Agree with you, @Lynn. Also, amnesiac Albert in the anime is more like a good friend or brother to Candy, seemingly devoid of romantic feelings for each other. 🙁
Hi Ms Puddle & Ms Lynn:
Thank you so much for your replies and I’m sorry for being late returning back to you because of my work or our different timezone.
I totally agree with both you that it’s very wrong of TOEI for allowing Anime Albert to know who Candy is after he rescued her from drowning, even if Manga doesn’t even tell Albert that he knew Candy. The reason I asked why they were different because I want to understand if that Anime version when Albert saved Candy was legit like in the Manga. Now that you mention that Albert admitted that he knew her only in novel version. That part I missed. I’m certain I have sheets of those letters and I missed it. Will reread later. 😁 😁 😁
You’re both correct; I shouldn’t be expecting much from Anime version when I already read the original like Manga or Novel. Even the other Animes I watched from the past didn’t even come from its original content. I’m disappointed at how TOEI described Albert when he is around Candy, 😞 and I’m not fond of the ending.
Anyways, thank you for your precious time to reply and hope things go well with both of you, and stay healthy and safe! 🙂🙂
What do you think of this, Ms Pudle?
https://bit.ly/2XLoz7R
Hello Ms Puddle and WAA,
Unfortunately, the “stigma” of the father-figure had already been attached to-if not glued onto-Albert in the anime. What’s even worse is that the anime is the medium with the highest popularity, especially in Latin (Hispanic -speaking) America. The manga is a distant second and very few people have ever read the earlier novels and their re-editions.
This is the reason why many people were surprised to see how different Albert is in the manga and the novels. Nagita’s intention was not to depict Albert as a father-figure and this is clearly evident in both the manga and the novels-the earlier ones and this latest CCFS one.
In the preface of the CCFS available in all the translated novels so far (Italian, French and Spanish), Nagita makes it perfectly clear to her readers that she does not want them to take either the anime or the manga into consideration when reading her latest novel. She only wants her readers to use Igarashi’s drawings as a means to imagine what the characters look like because Nagita hasn’t really bothered in providing any significant description of them apart from Candy, Anthony and Albert.
Nagita says that we should read the CCFS as if we’re starting from scratch (apart from Igarashi’s visuals, of-course) and I’m glad about that because Albert is depicted as a potential suitor and not as a father-figure to Candy. We never get to see this in the anime and it’s rather subdued in the manga. However, the flirtatious relationship and courting between Candy and Albert is by far more pronounced in the CCFS, and we owe the Epilogue to that. There is a reason why Nagita placed the Epilogue in the final section of her novel and she made that clear during her interview in Paris in 2019. She said that she wanted the Epilogue to be based on the exchange of letters between Candy and Albert because she absolutely adores that form of dynamic between two of her most important characters. We get far more from the Epilogue than we do from the anime and the manga combined when it comes to the depth of the relationship between Candy and Albert as well as their character development. In these letters we are offered insight into the mindsets of two adults who definitely have feelings for each other. Now, whether those feelings developed into something more, no one is in the position to confirm.
To clarify, I’m not saying that anohito is Terry or Albert as they both have equal chances of being Candy’s partner in the 1930s. What I am saying is that no one can deny that there was something far more than mere friendship going on between Candy and Albert and that is perfectly clear in the CCFS without the help of any anime or manga.
P.S. Based on the link you’ve provided @WAA, I like both illustrations but I like the manga ones even more. Thanks for your wishes and I hope you stay safe from the pandemic too. Take care of yourself and looking forward to hearing from you again soon.
Well said, @Lynn!! This is by far one of the fairest comparisons between CCFS and the manga or anime. Although CCFS is not perfect, the epilogue is precious to me as it clearly shows the feelings between Candy and Albert. Some people actually prefer the ending of the old CC novel but not me. I think the last two letters from Candy conveyed her resolve to leave her past (ex-boyfriends) behind; at the same time she looked forward to her future with Little Bert. That’s not as obvious in the old novel or the manga.
I didn’t mention the anime because it didn’t do Albert justice. Sigh… It’s misled many fans since the beginning.
Hello @WAA, thank you for sharing the post. I like the junior version better mainly because of the knee-length kilt. The other one was wrong. It was a miniskirt lol 🤣
Keiko Nagita has explained in the preface as well as in her interviews that she couldn’t provide a story surrounding Candy as an adult due to restrictions from the manga and anime. Therefore, we couldn’t get much insight into the developing relationship between Candy and Albert. Despite the many flaws of the CCFS with regards to narrative structure and congruence, it offers far greater depth and insight into the intricate relationship between Candy and Albert. We also get to see the various layers of Albert’s character. In the anime and manga, he’s simply the kind and protective mentor to Candy. However, in the CCFS the readers get to know that he isn’t perfect and just like Terry, he also has his own personal demons to battle. The readers also get to see the humorous side of Albert as he and Candy engage in mutual albeit affectionate teasing and joking.
Thanks again @Lynn. May I share these two comments of yours in my new post?
I agree with you all and the CCFS does give even further depth to Albert’s complex character. I prefer that he’s more humane and less of an angelic figure in the novel.
Speaking of novel, I’ve received the Spanish CCFS. I didn’t expect it to arrive so soon. Guess that pre-order did the trick. Anyway, I’ll give you my thoughts on it when I finish reading it.
That’s great, @Myra!! I hope it’s worth the wait and no more Señor Albert in the epilogue 😊
I’ve read the Spanish translation of the CCFS and it’s almost identical to the Italian translation apart from a few minor differences which are significant, nonetheless.
I’ll begin with Terry’s brief letter to Candy since your latest article is analyzing it. Here it is in Spanish:
Querida Candy,
Te estas cuidando?
Ha pasado ya un ano. Pasado este largo periodo de tiempo, me prometi que te escribiria, pero despues, preso de las dudas, deje pasar otros seis meses. Sin embargo, ahora ya he reunido el suficiente valor como para escribirte esta carta.
Para mi nada ha cambiado.
No se si llegaras a leer estas palabras algun dia, pero queria que al menos lo supieras.
(Dear Candy,
Are you taking care of yourself?
A year has passed. After this lengthy period of time, I promised myself that I would write to you, but later on, prisoner of doubts, I let another six months pass by. However, I have now gathered enough courage to write this letter to you.
For me nothing has changed.
I don’t know if you will ever read these words one day, but I wanted you to at least know this.)
The Italian translation is this:
Dear Candy,
How are you?
A year has passed since then … After this period I promised to write to you, but then taken in by doubt, I let another six months go by. Now, however, I took courage and decided to send you this letter.
Nothing has changed for me.
I don’t know if you’ll ever read these words of mine, but I wanted you to know at least this.
As you may have noticed, the Spanish translation has omitted the phrase “since then” from the sentence “A year has passed since then..”. The rest of this brief letter is almost the same apart from making it a bit more verbose but the entire Spanish translation tends to be rather wordy and superfluous in its expression whilst conveying the exact same meaning as that of the Italian and French translations of the CCFS. The language remains simple, nonetheless, and this Spanish translation is very easy to read throughout.
What grasped my attention is that the French translation of the CCFS has made the exact same omission of the phrase “since then”:
Candy,
Are you still the same?
It’s been a year. I told myself that I would contact you after a year. However, by hesitation, another six months have passed.
Come on, I’m writing to you, and no matter what happens.
I’m still the same.
As you can see, the French version is different not in meaning as it is in style and tone-both of which I disagree with and I can understand why the Terry-fans got upset with this French translation. Yet, the Spanish translation has followed the example of the French translation by omitting the aforementioned phrase. That omission is significant because it makes Terry’s letter appear as even more loose and obscure than it already is. The phrase “since then” is essential because it helps the reader understand that a crucial event had occurred. However, by omitting that phrase, this brief letter seems rather flippant and whimsical.
Regarding your question about the Epilogue, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Candy is not calling Albert “mister” as she does in the Italian translation. The Spanish translators had already specified in their recent video on YouTubbe that they didn’t find any formality in the letters of the Epilogue. Instead, both these translators agree that the letters between Candy and Albert are intimate as they are sharing secrets and jokes. In the Spanish translation of the Epilogue, Candy begins with her initial hesitation and it’s obvious that she is a bit more formal towards Albert because she’s making the first move in contacting him. However, that initial awkwardness from her part is almost immediately dispelled and both Candy and Albert engage in an intimate exchange of letters where they address each other by their first names. Candy addresses Albert as “Querida Albert” and not “señor”. Apparently, the teasing remains and Candy relentlessly pokes fun at Albert for being an old man but we all know that she’s joking and she even says so herself.
If you want to know more about the novel, let me know. In general, this Spanish version is almost 100% like the Italian one with a few features resembling the French translation, especially when it comes to intimacy between Candy and Albert in their exchange of letters in the Epilogue.
Thank you so much @Myra! This certainly helps us understand their differences!
I was a little surprised by the French translation of Terry’s letter too but it’s interesting even the Spanish one followed suit.
Yet the French translation did get the word play in the first sentence. Terry basically asked if Candy had changed, but it is usually translated to “how are you”? This letter ended with him telling her he had not changed, so it was like he was answering his own question.
The French version simplified the paragraph before the last statement, but it did convey the sense six months had passed… Terry did not procrastinate on purpose. In that case, the French version is the correct one when compared to the other two.
Yet I’m extremely glad and relieved to hear that the epilogue showed the intimacy between the two. Bravo!!!
Thanks again @Myra! It’s wonderful you’re fluent in several languages and you own all the copies!
May I share your comment in the new post I’m writing?
This is awesome information. Thanks for sharing @Myra.
I agree with you about that omission. It’s strange that the translators left out those two words-‘since then’. That letter could mean anything or nothing at all. It’s really up to the reader what to do with it but it’ll be based on wishful thinking and outlandish claims.
The Arechi Manga team had already specified that their translation of the CCFS would be based entirely on the original 2010 Japanese novel. I’m glad that none of those ludicrous rumors circulating on social media turned out to be true. As for some minor differences, everything gets lost a bit in translation and we should also take into consideration the cultural factors which influence a translator no matter how objective he or she is.
Once I get my copy, I’ll tell you what I think.
If I can be of help, you’re more than welcome to share my comment @Ms Puddle. Thank you very much.
The Spanish translation seems to be an amalgamation of the Italian and French ones. Yet, I have to admit that I didn’t expect this Spanish version to omit the words “since then..” from Terry’s brief letter. The omission of those two words weakens the structure and significance of Terry’s letter. He seems like he’s just writing randomly but that’s not the case because a specific event prompted him to decide to get in touch with Candy.
As for the Epilogue, Candy is a bit hesitant at first because she makes the first move but Albert’s response makes her feel far more comfortable and intimate with him. The Epilogue is so enjoyable to read in Spanish because it has omitted all those formalities from the Italian translation. The humor shared between Candy and Albert is awesome.
I think the Spanish translators did a really good job and I sure would recommend this version of the CCFS to anyone interested.
I’m surprised that those Spanish editors and translators didn’t give in to the Terry-fan pressure and create a novel which is favorably predisposed to him. Instead, this novel retains the ambiguity as already found in the other two translations made so far. From what I’ve been reading though, this Spanish novel is not as “cold” as the Italian one. There’s absolutely no formality between Candy and Albert in their interactions. This Spanish version is closer to the French than the Italian one in this respect.
I agree with you @DanielleV. The pro-Terry fans had been too hopeful that there would be a definite ending where Terry would be officially named as “ano hito”. This is the reason why so many delusional rumors were splattered all over Facebook and YouTube. Fortunately, the Spanish CCFS is finally out and available for those interested in reading it. For those of us who have read it, we can definitely confirm that Keiko Nagita has not named “ano hito” and that the ending is just as vague as the Italian and French CCFS, hence, leaving the readers to know that Candy is either with Terry or Albert as a 50-50 per cent chance for both of those male characters.
As for other translations, I don’t think any other country is interested-at least not as much as the Spanish speaking folk of Latin America. Apart from them, however, everyone else is indifferent. Even Keiko Nagita has admitted that her priority was to have her book translated in English but nobody is interested from English-speaking countries. Those of us who come from English-speaking countries such as Canada, the US, Australia, Ireland and the UK, know about the CCFS because of our ties with Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Latin America.
If you ask anyone in any English-speaking country if they know about Candy, they’ll just think you’re talking about a dessert or a “Snickers” chocolate bar. Lol