Hi all, how are you all doing? It’s near the end of 2020, but the pandemic is far from over. 🙁 I was ready to publish a couple of days ago but since many of my readers are from the United States, I decided to wait till the next U.S President is officially announced. I can hardly believe, as of this very moment, the winner can only be projected, not declared. 😒 Anyway, it’s great to hear that Kamala Harris makes history! Her achievements mean a lot to many people nowadays.
I know it’s been a long while since I last updated my blog, mainly because I’ve been having issues with one of my eyes, thus making it necessary to take frequent breaks from work during the day and limit my screen time in the evenings. I believe I’ve finally found the root cause now, and my eye is gradually getting better. 🙏🏻 Many thanks for your patience and continued support! 💐 In this post, my focus is to address two questions asked in the comments section of the previous posts and share two pictures from Candy Candy Encyclopedia.
The first question was about the sandwich scene in Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS). If I’m not mistaken, the word “sandwich” never appears in the novel (please kindly correct me if I’m wrong) but Candy mentioned “sharing everything” in two places, as far as I know.
In her 30s, Candy recalled the reason why she started living together with Albert. In the manga, the amnesiac patient left Room 0 of his own volition but in CCFS he got expelled. Despite being fired by the hospital, she determined to stay by his side till his recovery. She never believed the rumours about him getting involved with the Mafia, so when he suggested “Let’s share everything”, she promised him (約束していた).
Literally, Albert said “anything” (なんでも), which is usually translated to “everything / whatever” in English. He used the volitional form of the verb “to share (partake) (分かち合う)“, which is like an invitation from the speaker to do something together. Candy added that he meant つらいことも、うれしいこともーーー。That is, he invited her to share all her pains and joys with him.
While she could share anything with him and expected him to do the same, he did not do his part, apparently. Thus, she was confused and upset at his sudden disappearance, if not let down. He even left her a lump sum of cash with a note “I’m sorry to have troubled you.” (迷惑をかけた).
The other place in CCFS Candy mentioned about “sharing everything” was in her letter to Albert (in the Epilogue). With nostalgia, she recalled the happy days living together with him in the House of Magnolia:
あの不安でも穏やかだったマグノリヤ荘での毎日を思い出します。(I remember the anxious yet peaceful days in the House of Magnolia.)
二人ともお財布はからっぽ。でも、楽しかった……。(Despite empty wallets, we were happy…)
なんでも分かち合おうーーーそう言ってくれたアルバートさんの言葉、忘れません。(Let’s share everything — Albert-san’s words to me, I will not forget.)
As I mentioned before, the adjective “穏やか” (peaceful) Candy used to describe the good old days in the apartment is exactly the one used in Nagita sensei’s interview of Candy’s three loves when referring to Candy’s destined love with Albert. In contrast to some fans’ remark about that being boring, Candy was undoubtedly fond of those times. 😉
The other question was about the timing of Albert’s arrival at the Chicago hospital where Candy worked. Sorry I have forgotten what exactly was unclear to some of you, but I’ll explain what I have understood primarily from Patty’s letter to Candy prior to her departure of London. In CCFS, Annie and the Cornwell brothers returned to America before the war started because the situation in Europe was very tense. When Candy received letters from Archie and Stear, she was working at Mary Jane nursing school (she started pursuing her dream in early spring, as indicated in her letter to Captain Niven). Soon after that, Candy relocated to Chicago, as shown in Patty’s letter.
Patty began by saying the date of her departure had finally been decided. She used いよいよ, which means “at last, finally, etc.” Although she didn’t want to leave her parents behind, they wanted her to go. She also mentioned England had declared war at last. She used ついに, which means “at last, in the end, etc.” We all know that England joined the Allies on August 4 and was officially at war with Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Patty honestly said Stear had urged her to come in his letter, and she wanted to be by his side. Above all, Candy was also in Chicago, so Patty was truly looking forward to their reunion. Yet, she brought up the sad topic about Albert having lost all his memory. In Stear’s letter, he had written about Albert, including what had happened to him in Italy and how the hospital staff had maltreated the suspicious patient, etc. Thus, I have reasons to believe Albert arrived at the hospital in Chicago in summer 1914, before August. What do you think?
Next, let me share two interesting posts from Candy Candy Encyclopedia (thanks to Candy Albert for sharing and Mariella for giving me her permission to use her materials 🥰 on her Facebook Page, Albert y Candy Manga Color). The first post is about Prince on the Hill.
My friend Candy Albert has kindly shared the Spanish translation with us. I think someone else has translated the Japanese text for her. 🙂
El Príncipe de la Colina
Este es un príncipe agradable y simpático que conocí en Pony Hill (La colina de Pony) cuando tenía 6 años de edad. Lo vi una vez y no sabía su nombre, pero fue mi primer amor. Vestía como un noble, estaba vestido con un traje típico escocés, con su gaita.
Amablemente me consoló, cuando estaba llorando en la colina de Pony, y dijo: “Tu sonrisa es más linda”
Fue un evento de ensueño, pero siempre mantuve la esperanza que volvería a encontrarme con él nuevamente.
A decir verdad, él siempre se mantuvo cuidándome por mucho tiempo.
Below is my humble attempt to translate the Japanese text to English:
Prince on the Hill
When I was six years old, I met a very, very charming prince on Pony’s Hill. Though I met him only once and did not know his name, he was my first love.
- Wearing the Scottish ethnic garment and carrying a bagpipe, he was dressed like a nobleman.
- When I was crying on top of Pony’s Hill, he gently comforted me, telling me, “You’re prettier when you smile.”
- Although the incident was like a dream, I believed one day I would certainly see him again.
- In fact, he had been watching over me all along.
- Of course he’s got 100 points, the perfect score! 💯
Overall, Candy was listing reasons when describing her Prince on the Hill, like why he was her first love (初恋), particularly points 2 and 4. The last point ended with emphasis too. Note that 初恋 is a term composed of two Chinese characters, “first / beginning” and “love / romance”. The word 恋 is used in Nagita sensei’s interview about Candy’s adolescent love with Terry as well.
In addition, Candy said her prince was very, very charming / good-looking / handsome, which is exactly the same as the first few words on the right hand side of the following manga image (where she inwardly admired Granduncle William’s handsome and youthful appearance). Back to the post from CC encyclopedia, Candy also said すてきな twice in a row, which serves to emphasize her point. This adjective is often translated to “nice, lovely, splendid”, and in CCFS I’ve seen it associated with some male characters like her prince, Anthony, Archie and Terry. When Anthony first asked her about her mysterious prince, she immediately told Anthony that her prince was すてき！
The other post is about Albert-san, and please click the link to see the translation in Spanish. The top left corner of the following image shows some text in a black triangle, which says “the male characters surrounding Candy”. Again, below is my translation from Japanese:
Albert-san
He likes animals and nature. He is a gentle but strong man, having taught me many things. In fact, he was Prince on the Hill.
- Whether he was dressed slightly dirty or properly, he looks good at any rate.
- When I’m troubled, he will appear from somewhere to help me. He was incredible.
- To me, he is my brother and my lover, a man like God. He’s the best man.
- His true identity is Granduncle William. He’s adopted me, always watching over me.
- He is Prince on the Hill. Of course he’s got 100 points! 💯
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Candy adored Albert, both his appearance and his personality. It was a pleasant surprise to read she directly said he was her lover/sweetheart (恋人). Remember I mentioned before that brother-sister-romance is a common trope used in Asian romantic stories? In Chinese it’s called 兄妹情.
Overall, the nuance is lost when translating. For example, in point 1, Candy was literally saying that Albert was becoming a sama (さま). This honorific is well known as the formal form of san (さん). Sometimes people (especially the female ones) use さま when referring to someone they love or adore (like a celebrity or a movie star).
In point 3, Candy described Albert as 不思議, which can mean “amazing, marvelous, mysterious, wonder, strange, etc.”. In CCFS she said he gave her a marvelous sense of security, where she used the same adjective.
In points 4 and 5. Candy used the ending particle たの, which indicates emotion and admiration when she said Albert had always been watching over her. In point 5, the sentence “Albert is Prince on the Hill”, is followed by だもの, which indicates reason and infers some protest. It’s like she was saying this reason is a good enough to make him perfect. After all, 100 points 💯 means he’s got full marks. 🙂
If I have made any mistake or if there is anything unclear, please kindly let me know. Thank you for reading my post. Hope to hear from you soon! 🥰
