Zenon Receives Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Would someone be so kind and explain the the 1st book of Ze to me? I really like the characters, the vibe and everything, but the story confuses the hell out of me, especially from that part on when this Shoi enters the scene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoi Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Good question, I didn't get that either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenon Receives Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 Ah, the 2nd book provides a short character introduction and summary on the first two pages, that made it a little bit more clear.^_^° I always have the problem, that I can't tell manga charcters apart if they got the same hair color or do look otherwise similar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenovaVII Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I don't know exactly what you don't understand and I'm really awful at explaining things to others but I'm giving it a try. I'll try not to spoil anything for later volumes but if something escapes here or there, I'm sorry. For starters, let's divide the characters in three: - Normal Humans (No powers.) - Kotodama (Humans with the 'Power Of Words' -which is also called Kotodama- who can make things they say out loud happen if there is enough intent and strong feelings. They can only make happen curse-like and destructive things and not good things like curing someone's sickness. Using the power requires a compensation, the Kotodama users will suffer injuries proportional to the degree of power utilized.) - Kami (Non-Humans. Paper dolls created by the Doll Maker, Waki. They look like regular Humans on the outside but they can't feel physical pain, don't possess blood, don't need to eat nor go the bathroom. Their sole purpose for existing is to absorb/heal the injuries of their respective Kotodama/Master. The Kami can't 'die', per see. As they are literally made of paper, they will eventually wear up with time - even if it will take a long, long time for they are incredibly resistant. They will then begin to tear up in pieces and disappear, returning to Hakushi -blank/empty paper- consequentely loosing all their memories.) The Kotodama-Kami pairs are always of the same gender, female-female or male-male. There are two methods of healing injuries between the Kotodama and the Kami: the first is the Kotodama saying something along the lines of "Tranfer injuries," using the Power Of Words and it will be done with; the second is by contact of mucuous membranes. Through the manga there are some badly done translations where they say there is only a need to being in contact or swap corporal fluids. While that is not completely wrong, it's also no entirely accurate. It's needed contact with mucuous membranes -like the nose, the tongue or the anus- for the healing/tranfering of injuries to occur. The intensity of the contact during the healing process is proportional to the severity of the injuries, just as the severity of said injuries is proportional to the intensity of Power utilized. For example, Ouka used Kotodama saying "Tighten Raizou's heart for a second," and her compensation was a tiny cut in her finger, and it would only take a lick to heal, if a Kotodama uses the power to kill a person the wounds received will be practically fatal and it will take intense contact, like sexual intercourse, to have a chance to heal. About the Mitou family, they are very important and influential in the Kotodama World. Mitou Shoui and Mitou Konoha are brothers. Mitou Ouka is a cousin (I don't really remeber so I might be wrong). Shoui is the current head of the family, he is a powerful Kotodama who uses his powers a lot and recurringly. His Kami is Asari, who is very old -he is the first Kami created by Waki (if not the first it's not very far from there) a long time ago. he also served as Shoui's grandfather, Mitou Rikiichi's Kami- so, as I said, he has already absorbed a lot of injuries during all this time and is pretty worn out by now, almost reaching the limit of injuries he can heal before disapearing. Asari can still heal Shoui's light and mild wounds but it gets more and more difficult with the most severe ones. This worries Shoui and he starts not using Asari to heal his wounds anymore, saying that he should be the only one to suffer because he's also the one using Kotodama. Asari doesn't agree with this the least, thinking that because he can't be useful as a Kami to Shoui anymore, then he has no right to stay by his side, being burden to him like this. Running away and hidding at Waki's, Asari insists that Waki should get Shoui another Kami and that he will just return to being Hakushi. Shoui ends up coming for Asari to take him back home with him, he wants Asari to stay by him not as a Kami but because he loves him, so he has not need for him to be absorb his injuries and be hurt, all he wants is for them to stay together. After some more lovers spat and heart warming moments Asari stops being stubborn (Yeah, right, as if) and goes back with Shoui. While teasing him and harassing him, like always. About Raizou and Kon, the first is a normal Human and the other a Kami. Before meeting Rai, Kon didn't even think of himself as a person, only existing to complete the jobs that Waki gives him -healing the injuries of random people, customers. Raizou worries about Kon and protects him of things that are supposedly harmful, which causes Kon to snap and be mad at Raizou, yelling at him that he can't feel pain or be hurt at all because he isn't Human to begin with. These two eventually became a Kotodama-Kami pair, even if only in name, because Rai doesn't have powers. After some beautiful words from Rai (He's just too sweet) and, surpringly, from Kon as well, they get together. Kon learns to value his existence because now he wishes to be with Raizou until he dies. -- It was really hard restraining myself to talk only about the first volume. Now I feel like re-reading ZE all over again for XXX time. *runs to do it* 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belita Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Like i said before... Flawless... Amazing summary, you're awsome 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoi Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 @JenovaVII Thank you so much for the explanations! Now I really understand it! :leaf3: And once again, you're the best for doing this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zenon Receives Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Jenova, you are wrong. You're actually pretty good at explaining thing.^_^ THX so much, sweetheart, now it's all clear. Few questions remain: # As the guy in black clothes tries to rape Kon and pins him down to the floor with a knife through Kon's hand, he mentions, that Kamis do seem to feel pain and even bleed? # Later after this scenario Kon grabs Raizos tongue and the wound at his hand disappears. Does that mean, this healing thing also works in the opposite direction? # Was there a trick or something, that Oka does, to get Shoui and Asari together again? Didn't quite get that (and don't have the manga at hand right now to take a closer look). # I guess, you meant "Mitou Kotoha" not "Konoha" ;D But I really don't want to disturb your re-reading! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belita Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Few questions remain: # As the guy in black clothes tries to rape Kon and pins him down to the floor with a knife through Kon's hand, he mentions, that Kamis do seem to feel pain and even bleed? # Later after this scenario Kon grabs Raizos tongue and the wound at his hand disappears. Does that mean, this healing thing also works in the opposite direction? # Was there a trick or something, that Oka does, to get Shoui and Asari together again? Didn't quite get that (and don't have the manga at hand right now to take a closer look). # I guess, you meant "Mitou Kotoha" not "Konoha" ;D I think i can aswer a few since i read Jenow post too... Yes the first guy that atacks Kon right at the begining says it seems Kami feel pain and bleed ("See you bleed too"), because he's delusional, they really do not, the guy's just insane not saying anything with much sense... As for Kon "tongue stealling saliva" from Raizou, to me looks like Raizou may have hurted himself and Kon heals him, not the other way around... If you look at the scene after Kon picks Raizou tongue a wound appears right at the spot you think the Kon's wound disapeared but in fact it appears a new one and Kon is licking it on the square under maybe to join himself with his own saliva... In fact if you go 1 or two pages back(shoot can't remember) when Kon is laying on the bed and Raizou is saying that it'll take time to get used to the screams, his hand his hurt...thats the wound Kon's healing when he slips Raizou tongue...I believe that when we see the Kotadama "licking" their Kami they're not exactly healing them...or so i think... As for Shoui and Asari, the thing i understood was that someone(don't quite know it it was Ouka or Waki who did it) made it look like a killing intent just for the purpose of setting those two together since, they knew Shoui wouldn't let Asari face it since he's really old... Or so i think... Most of this are taken of my own conclusions....i can be wrong And yeah Jenow must have mistyped it Hope it helped... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenovaVII Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 @ Zenon, Bela and Aoi You're welcome, I'm glad you guys think so and that it was of help. (: 1) It was a translation error, I think. What the man meant to say was that Kon really didn't bleed, like normal people. We can clearly see in the image that shows a close-up of the tantö trespassing his hands that there is no blood. As for pain I don't think he felt it either, after all Kami don't bleed nor feel pain, as I've said before. I can't be a hundred percent sure because of an issue that is discovered in later volumes and even after I've read everything I don't know how many times I still don't get it completely but... I think Kon was more in panic than anything else. Concerning the following items, I agree with Bela. 2) The Kami absorb the Kotodama's injuries only, and not the other way around. What happened when Kon touched Raizou's tongue with is finger was that he healed the wound Rai got on his hand when he punched the man who was assaulting Kon. 3) Ouka used Kotodama to curse Shoui and call forth that attack. They (Waki and Ouka) knew that Asari would take it in Shoui's stead with no hesitation just like they knew that Shoui wouldn't let Asari be hurt anymore and would take it dead-on. I think that when he said "Come for me," he even used Kotodama so that it couldn't touch Asari at all, but that's just my presumption. When Waki got to Ouka's room Benio had already absorbed Ouka's injuries -compensation for cursing Shoui- and Waki brought them more medicine. Ouka said something like if Waki had just talked with Asari, scolded him a bit and made him see things clearly, there would have been no need for things to come to this and it would have all been dealt with peacefully. But Waki is a wicked awesome bastard so he wanted Shoui to sacrifice himself for Asari. And that's what happened~ Hope I'm not wrong or at least not very far from what really happened. The ZE scanlations are not the best, there's actually a lot of mistakes and while I'm pretty decent at Japanese I'm still learning (self-taught) so even the RAWs can be a bit tricky sometimes. (: 4) Yup, it was a typo, sorry. Talking about ZE is never any trouble at all. (: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah3161 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 @JenovaVII Sensei arigato gozaimasu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l1ght Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 love this manga very much, and i just have vol.1 & 3 T_T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampiez Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Wanted more chapter. TT ^ TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asclepius Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 The only information that i found shows that the project was postponed. It's from what seems to be the official Yuki Shimizu blog. Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links. Edit. OOps, wrong thread. This is about the live action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulxdy13 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Thank you so much for this wonderful information! I'm currently helping a friend of mine to translate this story from Chinese to English. I've never read this manga before so i couldn't really understand the storyline and i couldn't translate their names/powers and such, so your post really saved me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now