Here are Koi's TL Notes. ################################################################ Air - Episode 2 Translator's Notes: 1) Soumen is a fine white Japanese noodle and a symbol of summer, the season that it's usually eaten in. Nagashi soumen is a soumen that floats down an open tube traditionally made out of a bamboo stalk. People eating the soumen grab the soumen with chopsticks, dip it in sauce, and then eat it. Since the soumen flows from top to bottom, people at the top have a greater chance of getting the noodles, making it advantagous to sit or stand near the source of water and noodles. 2) In Kano's rant, she does not mention the noun. Thus, "it" is open to speculation and different interpretations. We suggest aliens or bugs. 3) Kaya trees grow in the Far-East and are often used to make Go boards. ################################################################ Air - Episode 3 Translator's Notes: 1) Yukito refers to the Kirishima's leaving the door open as "careless". 2) "Suika wari" literally means "watermelon cracking" and is a game played in the summer by children. The person hitting the watermelon is blindfolded and turned around several times. He or she then tries to break the watermelon with a stick. It's basically the Japanese equivalent of pinatas, and another emphasis on the season, summer. 3) At one point, Yukito blows into the fan, causing his voice to change. This is a popular way of passing the time and expressing boredom in Japan. 4) When Misuzu says "I won," she is referring to making Yukito look. ################################################################ Air - Episode 4 Translator's Notes: 1) "Yatai" are the stalls that vendors put out during summer festivals. They sell anything from food to lottery tickets to toys. Literally translated, they're "night stalls" because summer festivals tend to take place in the late afternoon or at night. However, this does not mean that they stay up all night. 2) "Miko-gami" is a liason between humans and "kami," or gods. Lullaby Notes: This lullaby uses the same tune as or at least something very similar to another lullaby: "Edo Lullaby." "Kaya" is a type of grass used to thatch roofs, like pampas. Obana is another name for "susuki," or pampas grass. "Karukaya" is a type of kaya used as a material to help roof a house. "Hagi" is a small tree known as "Lespedeza." "Kikyou" is a Japanese or Chinese bellflower. Of these flowers, "obana," "hagi," and "kikyou" are three of the "seven plants of autumn" mentioned in the "Manyoushuu," an ancient Japanese poetry book. However, these plants all bloom during the summer, starting at the end of June. "Nennesuru" is not exactly "goes to sleep" but a childish way of saying it, akin to "nighty night." ################################################################ Air - Episode 5 Translator's Notes: 1) Old Maid is a card game in which the jokers are removed and players take turns in drawing cars from another player's hand and discarding any pairs. The first player to empty his or her hand wins the game. 2) Many elementary schools require students to keep a diary during the summer as homework. These diaries are called enikki, or picture diaries. The top half of the page has space for a drawing and the bottom half has lines for writing about the day. Aside from being another symbol of summer, the diary also represents Misuzu's childlike innocence. ################################################################ Air - Episode 6 Translator's Notes: 1) When Minagi's mother asks Michiru for her name, she refers to herself as "obasan," which technically means aunty but also refers to older women that the other person doesn't know very well. 2) The "fireworks competition" is "hanabi taikai." While competition is one acceptable translation of taikai, it literally means a big meet, such as a convention, rally or festival. The girls are referring to watching fireworks, yet another symbol of summer, as well as saving seats. Good seats are hard to acquire, and waiting is time consuming, especially for big or famous hanabi taikai. 3) Grab some tissues for this episode. ################################################################ Air - Episode 7 Translator's Notes: 1) In previous episodes, we wrongly assumed that "that child" was male. Scenes in this episode indicate that Yukito's mother was referring to a female. 2) Misuzu's diary is a typical diary for school, in which the date, weather and events of the day are kept. However, Misuzu writes Yukito's name in hiragana, which could symbolize that she probably is too young to know how to write Kanji. This just shows how childlike and innocent Misuzu is. On an unrelated note, it is sad that Misuzu was only able to write two lines. 3) The children refer to Yukito as "onii-san" because he is an older person who the children do not know very well. Later, they change to saying "onii-chan" because they came to know Yukito better. "Onii-chan" is more affectionate. 4) Ancient Japan had carefully micromanged status levels. Someone on the lower part of the eighth level is rather insignificant. 5) Saemon: Part of the Emonfu, or elite guards, of the Emperor 6) Daisakan: Lowest Level (of four levels) officer or guard ################################################################ Air - Episode 8 Translator Note's: 1) Please use the pause button to facilitate reading the notes. 2) -no Mikoto is a title given to those gods or nobles considered the equal of gods. 3) Taisho is the hot day in the middle of June on the Lunar Calendar (July 23rd on ours) when the sun's angle is at 120 degrees. 4) Otedama is a girl's game that involves juggling bean bags. Boys played a kicking version of the game. 5) Kishuu is another name for Kii, a country that existed in Japan's feudal system. It encompasses areas in Wakayama Prefecture and Mie Prefecture. 6) The rope, marked by white paper, that Uraha crosses signifies that she is entering a sacred place. 7) Kekkai, or the shield, is a Buddist device. Magic creates a shield to repel certain individuals. This is used to protect sacred areas and training grounds. 8) Back then, monks took an active role in government and politics. Different armed sects aided various factions and attacked the lords of the land. 9) Many places were closed to women because under Buddhism, they were considered the "dirty" gender. 10) Yao is a reading of 800. Bikuni is a female monk who leaves the family and worldly possessions. The story involves her supposedly eating the flesh of a mermaid and being cursed with immortality. Eventually, after many travels, she settles in a temple and takes her own life. She was 800 at the time, which resulted in the legend of Yao Bikuni. ################################################################ Air - Episode 9 Translator's Notes: 1) Whistling arrows, or kaburaya, are arrows with hollow turnip-shaped pieces attached. The holes in the piece create the whistling sound as the arrow flies through the air. They were commonly used by armies to communicate with each other. 2) Ryukyu is a place in the Eastern Ocean mentioned in texts such as the Zuisho, a text on the Sui Dynasty in China. It is surmised that Ryukyu could be either Taiwan or Okinawa, which was called Ryukyu before being annexed by Japan. 3) At the time of the story, Japan was trying to unify under one religion, Buddhism, and to eliminate the old gods. Holo's Notes: ;_; ################################################################ Air - Episode 10 Translator's Notes: 1) The Summer Arc has now ended, leading into the Air Arc of the story. It begins with a retelling of the events that occured in the Dream Arc from the perspective of Sora, a crow that Misuzu discovers. ################################################################ Air - Episode 11 Translator's Notes: 1) The bottle of alcohol that Haruko drinks is labeled "Tabi Karasu," or "Traveling Crow." Yukito! 2) "Hyoujungo," or standard language, is the common dialect of Japan. It is spoken by national newscasters and in professional environments. In contracts, Haruko speaks with Kansai dialect. For two acquaintances to communicate in standard language when it is not their common dialect it is impersonal and overly formal. 3) Misuzu and Haruko sleep behind "kaya," or mosquito nets. Mosquitos are a big problem in Japan. ################################################################ Air - Episode 12 Holo's Notes: ;_; ################################################################ Air - Episode 13 Holo's Notes: This episode was not included in the Blu-Ray Disk. I used Exiled-Destiny's DVD rips to be "complete". You don't need to watch this episode really. Definitely not straightaway after finishing 12. ################################################################ Air in Summer Holo's Notes: These 2 episodes are an elaboration of the events in Episode 8, and before Episode 9. ################################################################