Boogiepop references the great Chinese strategist Sun Tzu and author of The Art of War with the quote, “Everything is already decided before the battle even begins.”
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Also, “Sun Tzu” is a Chinese pronunciation. When the Japanese see the kanji for his name, they have their own reading, which is “Sonshi.” Because there are tons of other meanings for “son”
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and “shi,” it is often used as the basis for more than a few jokes.
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(pg-195)
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Leave it to the experts
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When referring to the Towa Organization picking up the canisters, Boogiepop actually says, “Mochi wa mochiya,” or “Leave mochi to the mochi makers.” Mochi is a soft and sticky rice treat, but as that particular line sounds like an incredibly strange thing to say, we choose to substitute a suitable alternative that the average reader would be instantly able to understand..."Best to leave it to the experts.” (pg. 199)
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Chapter 7
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Terre des Hommes
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The quote by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry on Chapter VIII’s title page is taken from his work Terre des Hommes, which was translated into English as Wind, Sand and Stars. In the English translation of this book, the passage in question reads as follows:
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“And I, in my turn, shall recognize you in the faces of all mankind.
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You came towards me in an aureole of charity and magnanim-ity bearing the gift of water. All my friends and all my enemies marched towards me in your person. It did not seem to me that you were rescuing me: rather did it seem that you were forgiving me. And I felt I had no enemy left in all the world.”
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As you can see, there is quite a noticeable difference between the above version and the one we used. In the case of this quote, the original novel Terre des Hammes was translated into English from French, but in our case, we have a passage that was translated from French into Japanese and then into English. Thematically, the wording in the English version is so different from the Japanese version that it no longer seems to relate to the themes present in the Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator novels. For this reason, we have decided to go with our own version of the quote to remain accurate to Kouhei Kadono’s original thematic interpretation of the passage. (pg.205)
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Special Omake
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The original Japanese Novel Blurbs
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As in many cases, what was originally written to plug a book’s Japanese release gets revised and changed to better suit the title’s needs in foreign markets. In the case of Boogiepop, the original novel blurbs are a little bizarre, but they do act as an extension of the books themselves, giving further insight into the contents contained therein. In the case of the second novel, the blurb literally provides the best definition of what the Imaginator actually is. Likewise, the description for the first novel is the only hint we are ever given of the book’s original title...Boogiepop Doesn’t Dream.
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BOOGIEPOP AND OTHERS
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Do you have a dream? Sadly, I have no such thing. But the boys and girls in this story all have their own desires. They fret; unable to reach them, or launch themselves headlong towards that goal. Some remain uncertain what it is they truly want, others chase a desire they can never really hope to achieve, or unwittingly give others courage with their unconscious optimism.
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This story is told in pieces. It’s a very creepy story, and a little bit sad.
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...Mm? Who am I? My name is Boogiepop.
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Winner of the Game Novel Grand Prize.
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Kouhei Kadono brings you five unusual stories of one uncanny event.
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BOOGIEPOP RETURNS: VS IMAGINATOR PART 1
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Have you ever thought there was something missing inside of you? Have you ever worried you were lacking something everyone else had? Have you ever hoped someone would come along who could make up for your flaws?
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You don’t need to worry about that anymore. That time is coming. A new possibility is dawning, a time that will end all suffering. If my enemy, Boogiepop, does not interfere...
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Me? Well, my enemies call me the Imaginator.
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The winner of the fourth Dengeki Game Novel Grand Prize, Kouhei Kadono, delivers an all-new work on an even larger scale!
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Can you escape from the clutches of the Imaginator...?
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BOOGIEPOP RETURNS: VS IMAGINATOR PART 2
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Do you have anything you simply must do? Something you’ve convinced yourself is the only way? Have you ever even seriously considered if this is really important to you?
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If you believe that no matter what you do, you must do it well, then so be it. But if that springs not from your needs or desires, but is simply powered by momentum, then you may already be in the Imaginator’s grasp. If so, I, Boogiepop will appear before you as many times as it takes, until a resolution is reached......
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The much anticipated new work from Kouhei Kadono, recipi-ent of the Game novel Grand Prize.
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Will you be saved by Boogiepop? Or...
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Special Omkae
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The Original Creator Bios
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As with the original novel blurbs, the original Japanese novels included a series of creator biographies that differ from the versions found in our release. In this case, we opted to create a series of biographies for writer Kouhei Kadono and illustrator Kouji Ogata that actually served to give greater insight into their individual careers and the works they have each been involved with.
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For the release of the third Boogiepop novel, we’d like to present the original author biographies for Kouhei Kadono and Kouji Ogata as they appeared with the original Japanese novels. In the case of Kouji Ogata, he simply has one bio that is used with each of the three novels. However, Kouhei Kadono actually has three variations. Enjoy!
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Kouhei Kadono’s Bio as seen in
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Boogiepop and Others
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Born 1968. Grew up, still confused, spent some time frittering his life away before somehow ending up writing novels. That kind of guy. Favorite words, “There is no ‘absolute’ in this world.”
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Additionally, he is [male, symbol]. Blood type is O, Sagittarius (Not a misprint).
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Kouhei Kadono’s Bio as seen in
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Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 1
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Born 1968. Grew up somehow, flailed through life till he somehow began writing novels, and won the grand prize, god knows why. Often told as a child, “You’ve got eyes like a fish, can’t tell where you’re looking.” (To be continued in Part 2) Kouhei Kadono’s Bio as seen in
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Boogiepop Returns: VS Imaginator Part 2
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(Continued from Part 1) Someone else asked me why I was glaring at everyone. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, so I don’t know which of them was right. Favorite words, “There is no ‘absolute’ in this world.” Gender is [male, symbol]. Blood type is O, Sagittarius (Not a misprint).
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Kouji Ogata’s Bio as seen in the first three Boogiepop novels Born 1970. Osaka Resident. Barely managed to get enough credits to graduate Osaka Design School. Did a lot of things after that, which brings us to the present. Enjoys motorcycles, tennis, and remote controlled models. A rising star with a distinctive, eye-catching art style.
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About the Author
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Born in 1968, Kouhei Kadono grew up uncertain about his direction in life. He spent a considerable portion of his early years frittering away his youth before somehow ending up writing novels.
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In 1997, Kadono-sensei’s first Boogiepop novel, Boogiepop and Others, took First Place in the Media Works’ Dengeki Game Novel Contest. Early the following year, the novel was released to widespread acclaim and ignited the Japanese “light novel” (young adult) trend. Since that time, Kadono-sensei has written thirteen Boogiepop novels and several related works such as the Beat'
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Discipline short story collections and the Boogiepop manga series entitled Boogiepop Doesn't Laugh and Boogiepop Dual. In its entirety, the Boogiepop series has seen over two million copies in print and spawned a live action movie and a hit anime series.
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In addition to the Boogiepop universe, Kadono-sensei’s body of literary work includes a wide array of fantasy mystery novels such as the Jiken, Soul Drop, Limited World and Night series.
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About the Illustrator
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Born in 1970, a native of Osaka, Kouji Ogata spent his early twenties struggling to get enough credits to graduate from Osaka Design School. In late 1996, Ogata-sensei was comissioned by Media Works to illustrate the first Boogiepop novel, Boogiepop and Others.
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At the time, Ogata-sensei was simply a rising star with a distinctive, eye-catching art style, but he gradually was able to further hone his artistic skills with each subsequent work. His watercolor-style paneling seen in the two-volume Boogiepop Donesn't Laugh manga series was a particularly high point of his early career.
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In addition to providing illustrations for novels and mango. Ogata-sensei has been involved with supplying character designs for anime productions including Boogiepop Phantom, Spirit and Gin-iro no kami no Agito. In his free time he enjoys motorcycles, tennis, and remote controlled models.