Japanese to English translation: “Candy Candy Final Story” – Chapter 1, Part 2

By | August 8, 2016

I had previously written a review of the Japanese novel  “Candy Candy Final Story” (キャンディ・キャンディ Final Story) written by Nagita Keiko, and later posted a translation I did of the prologue, and another of Chapter 1, Part 1. Generally, when I do translations of small fragments of novels, I don’t intend to follow up with translations of any future chapters.

However, in this case I received such great feedback that I decided to translate a bit more of the story. It’s just a few more pages, but I hope it satisfies the fans, at least for a short time. As before, I am not sure if I will continue translating any more of this work, but if I receive a lot of good feedback as before, there is a chance I will translate some more. So feel free to like and/of comment if you enjoyed this and want more.

If you would like to advertise the existence of this translation feel free to post a link to this article on any related message board. However, I request that you please do not post any of the translated text directly, as I may always go back and re-edit portions of it.

Also, as always I would like to state that this work is owned by the author and/or publisher, and I am only doing an unofficial fan translation. If you are interested in this, please consider buying the original work (even if you don’t know Japanese, it’s good to support the author), or some of the other works from the same author and/or publisher. You can see links to some of those here in my original review.

This is a very important part of the story, where Candy meets someone special. Enjoy!

UPDATE: If you want to see more of this, please vote here for what I should translate.

 

Candy Candy Final Story (first book): Chapter 1, Part 2   (by Nagita Keiko)

– Unofficial translation –

 

Once Candy ran up to the top of the Pony’s hill, she collapsed with a thud into the thick grass. The scent of freshly grown grass tickled her nose. She made a complete revolution, gazing up at the sky that surrounded her. Its blue color was almost bright enough to sting her eyes. A white cloud that was drifting by suddenly took on the shape of the carriage that Annie had ridden in.

The carriage gradually gotten smaller and smaller, until it disappeared completely.

Had Annie finally stopped crying? The sight of her sitting with eyes downcast, sandwiched in between the nice Brighton couple was still fresh in her memory. Candy was afraid the vivid image would disappear if she blinked, so she tried hard to keep her eyes open wide.

“You’re really gone, Annie,” Candy mumbled. At that moment, all the feelings she had struggled to keep inside began to overtake her, bringing tears to her eyes.

The city Annie had been taken to live at, Chicago, was a place Candy had never heard of before, and it felt like a far-off country.

“Soon, when the flowers bloom on the Pony’s hill, we won’t be able to pick them together. Even playing tag… swimming in the river and catching fish…”

The memories of the times she had spent with Annie began to come back to her one after the other.

There was the day they decided to call this hill “Pony’s hill” as they made ornaments together out of buttercups.

And the day they played with daisies to figure out whether their parents would ever come back for them, alternately saying, “they’ll come back,” and “they won’t,” as they picked each petal.

Candy had felt that Annie, abandoned on the same day as her, was like a real sister. Annie, who was always with Candy no matter what she was doing. Annie, the timid girl who would cry so easily.

“Annie, if they tease you I won’t be able to protect you any more.”

Startled by her own words, she wiped the tears streaming from her eyes.

There was no longer any need to protect Annie from anyone. She has two wonderful parents now…

“I guess I’m the person who lost someone important, someone to apologize for me…”

It was true. Annie had always covered for Candy when she did something wrong.

“Don’t yell at Candy. Will you forgive her, Please?”

Whenever Candy was reprimanded by the sisters because they had found she’d played another prank or was acting too tomboyish, Annie would cry and beg the sisters to overlook Candy’s wrongdoing. The fact that Candy often escaped from being lectured or punished was in no small part due to Annie.

Candy herself was the one who had actually been protected all this time.

“I’m so scared about what’s going to happen to me now…”

She stood up and rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand. But the tears wouldn’t stop. She tried holding her breath but they continued to flow.

(I wish I could stop crying already… I guess it’s because I kept everything inside for so long… If I go home looking like this, the sisters will worry about me… Oh I forgot! I need to go clean the chicken coop… All right, I’d better try to cry as much as I can until I run out of tears.)

Candy readied herself by tightening her stomach muscles.

“Waaaaah! Waaaaah!”

She tried crying out loudly with all her might.

“Waa! Aghhh! Waah!”

As she listened to her own cries resounding in the nearby countryside, her tears gradually dried up and she realized how funny she sounded.

(You know, my crying really sounds like the voice of a hungry wolf!)

She began to giggle in spite of herself.

“That’s better! You’re so much cuter when you smile, little girl.”

Candy was surprised when she suddenly heard a gentle voice come from above and looked up to see who was speaking. Framed by the blue sky was a young boy wearing a strange outfit, smiling as he looked down at Candy. Something was draped over his shoulder that looked like the picture of a heart she had seen in an encyclopedia. Candy blinked her eyes in disbelief.

This boy seemed almost as if he had just descended from the sky…

“Are you an… Alien?”

He smiled pleasantly.

“Little girl, you really say some interesting things. Even though I look like this, I’m still human.”

“Hmm… But then why are you wearing a skirt even though you are a boy?”

“This isn’t a skirt. It’s called a ‘kilt’ and is part of Scotland’s traditional dress.”

“A ‘kit’ from ‘Sutland’?”

Candy had never heard of these words before. The boy smiled again.

“It’s a ‘kilt’ from ‘Scotland’. And this is called a ‘bagpipe’. It’s a musical instrument. You play it like this.”

The boy kept his eyes on Candy, who stared at him with a blank look, and he put his mouth to the instrument.

Suddenly, a strange sound came from it.

“Wow, it sounds like a snail squirming along the ground!”

Caught by surprise, Candy jumped to her feet. The boy gave one final puff, ending the “squirming snail” song.

“You really are such an interesting little girl!”

His broad smile seemed to be radiating light. Even the blond hair stuck to his forehead glittered. With gentle eyes that were as blue as today’s clear skies, Candy felt that even though they had just met, she could talk to this boy about anything.

“Where are you from? My name is Candy. You see that church over there? It’s called ‘Pony’s home’ and even though it’s so tiny, it is actually a church and an orphanage. There we teach all sorts of things to the children of this village. There is chubby Ms. Pony and skinny Ms. Reine, and I…”

Candy, absorbed in her explanation as she pointed towards the base of the hill, turned around and blurted out “Huh?” in surprise.

Nobody was there.

There was no sign of the young boy.

“He just disappeared….”

Candy, struck dumbfounded, looked around her.

There was definitely nobody there.

He had suddenly appeared, and suddenly disappeared…

(Maybe it was a dream?)

No, it couldn’t have been a dream.

“You’re so much cuter when you smile, little girl.”

The memory of the boy’s voice was still fresh in her mind.

“He was almost like a prince…”

Candy mumbled indistinctly, but then realized there was something sparkling on the ground near her feet.

In between the blades of grass lay a silver badge in the shape of an eagle with its wings spread and a bell attached to it.

“This must be the prince’s…”

She picked up the badge and smiled. It was a work of skillful craftsmanship. This expensive-looking badge was undoubtedly a very precious thing to the boy.

“I have to return this to him. Maybe I’ll be able to see him tomorrow…”

This new hope brought with it the feeling of warm sunlight shining upon her, and a gentle breeze blowing by.

He was such a nice boy, the prince of the hilltop…

If I’m able to see him tomorrow, there are so many things I want to talk about.

However…

The next day, and for many days after, Candy went to the top of the hill with eager anticipation, but since that day she never saw the mysterious boy, the “prince of the hilltop” again.

The day Annie left. The day she met the prince of the hilltop…

Only the silver badge remained, like a fragment of memory.

 

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43 thoughts on “Japanese to English translation: “Candy Candy Final Story” – Chapter 1, Part 2

  1. Ms Puddle

    This is wonderful, locksleyu!! I’m thrilled that you’re willing to translate the rest of this important chapter! You don’t know how many times I’ve read this passage in the original novel. 😀

    Although I must say that ‘shorty’ may not be a good choice for おチビちゃん because in English, ‘shorty’ is belittling(derogatory). What do you think? FYI, the Japanese fans translated that to “little girl” or “little one”. 🙂 For かわいい, yes, it means cute, but in this context it seems pretty or lovely fits better. Of course, just my two cents. 😉

    Reply
    1. locksleyu Post author

      Hello, thanks for reading and thanks for the feedback!

      About the choice of wording, depending on how many times you have read the English translated versions, you may be a little biased about what wording sounds “natural”. Having said that, I’ve thought about these two and here are my comments:

      1) おチビちゃん as “shorty” vs “little girl”/”little one”. You are right, that “shorty” has a negative connotation. However, as you know in English there are times when somebody likes someone, and uses a slightly derogative term in order to tease them. So in this sense “shorty” would fit with things like things like the phrase “You really are such an interesting girl” which also feels like he is teasing her. However, I think the other two terms would fit, with changes in nuance.

      2) 可愛い as “cute” vs “lovely”/”pretty”. ( In this passage, they would be in the form “cuter”, “lovelier”, “prettier”) I think that “cute” is perfectly appropriate, and fits with the “little girl”, “shorty” nuance. The two words you suggest sound a bit like they would be used for adults or older young people, and would map closer to 綺麗 or 素敵.

      Reply
    2. locksleyu Post author

      After thinking about this some more and doing some research, I agree that “little girl” would be a better translation for おチビちゃん, so I’ve updated my translation to reflect that.

      Reply
  2. Ms Puddle

    Hello locksleyu, thanks for considering my suggestions. My honor actually. I understand that some words do carry various meanings. Bear in mind that this famous phrase from 王子さま has later become Candy’s motto in life. Besides, he meant to cheer her up (when he himself was having inner conflicts) when she was apparently very upset about something. Not to mention that teasing someone he has never met with a negative nuance is actually out of character. If indeed he was like that, why would Candy think he was 素敵 and longed to see him again?
    About 可愛い, in the epilogue, he reused this adjective and said she was 可愛い even when crying. She was already an adult, and it sounds a bit off if he meant ‘cute’. Again, my two cents.

    Reply
    1. Ms Puddle

      Sorry when I read my comment again I sounded rude. I didn’t mean to challenge you. In fact, I truly appreciate the time and efforts you put into this 😀 so thank you very much!

      Reply
          1. locksleyu Post author

            I’m currently working on translating the next chapter. If I get enough interest I may translate the entire thing.

  3. Candy Bert

    Thank you so much Lockseyu! I’m so grateful and happy because it is one of my favorite scene of this story: the encounter between Candy and her Prince.
    I truly appreciate your work and I sincerely hope you will continue because it is priceless for a fan of Candy Candy who doesn’t understand Japanese language!
    If you don’t mind I shall put a link to your unofficial translation on my French blog.

    Reply
    1. locksleyu Post author

      Thanks for the comment!
      Sure, feel free to add a link.

      Reply
  4. Reeka

    Locksleyu,

    THANK YOU! I really appreciate what you’ve done here. This part particularly is one of the best ones from the whole CC story. Maybe I am not quoting your exact words on previous part, but as you said before, the day Annie left was the day Candy’s life changed significantly. And here near the very last line, you wrote : The day Annie left. The day she ( Candy) met the prince of the hilltop. — I am smiling ear to ear right now.

    I never read this part of CCFS as detailed as yours. I really enjoyed reading your translation on their very first meeting. I always remember this scene ( my references are the manga and the anime) as the prince was appearing while Candy was crying, and after he laughed on her comment about the squirming snails , she also laughed, and the prince then said that infamous line “you are cuter when you laugh/smile, little girl”. So now imagining the prince seeing her crying then giggling alone is really refreshingly entertaining. It’s more adorable, I may say. 🙂

    Again, thank you, Locksleyu.

    Understandably you may not be able to translate the whole novel :). However, I really appreciate if you someday can post translation of the epilogue. ^^

    Good day and take care!

    Reply
  5. Evelyn

    Thank you, Locksleyu, for what you have translated so far!! So much appreciated!! To a Candy Candy fan, this story is priceless!! We’ve been waiting so long for a reliable and unbiased translation of CCFS! Maybe if your time and energy allows it, we can finally read this beautifully story as closely to our language as the author intended it to be read. My respect and regards to you, Locksleyu. 🙂

    Reply
    1. locksleyu Post author

      I wasn’t really planing on translating the entire work, it was more of just a sample of the first few chapters.

      Reply
      1. Evelyn

        Hello Locksleyu. It would just be wonderful if you could translate the entire work…at your own pace of course! You seem to be the one who could actually translate as closely as possible this beloved story to give all of us Candy fans throughout the world a deeper understanding and a form of closure. It shows that you have made great effort into translating as accurately as possible the first couple of chapters of this story. You understand the language and culture. Though this story has a western setting, I believe the author used values and expressions only found in Asian culture such as Albert-san. You clearly understand this part of the culture and many nuances that someone else would miss and/or translate the wrong way. Perhaps you could reconsider translating the entire work? Trust me, word is getting out about your work and you already have a huge following! 🙂 best to you!!

        Reply
        1. locksleyu Post author

          Thanks for the compliments. As this is a licensed work I would feel somewhat uncomfortable translating the entire thing, though I know that is not uncommon in the fan translation world. I wonder if any progress has been made on licensing an official English version.

          Reply
          1. Magda Vidales

            Hello!!!
            There’s no translation in English yet, but anyone can translate the book there’s no rule that prohibits it. Of course, if you want to sell it, you will need the author’s written permission, but if you only do it for entertaining purposes you can do it. The only official translation Nagita has authorized is the Italian language. We Spanish speakers are dying to have it in Spanish too…

  6. Magda Vidales

    Thank you so much, for sharing this translation to Candy’s fans, I would like to ask you something, if you don’t mind of course. How did you get the book? Are you Candy’s story fan too? Have you read both books? Is the narrative style the novel has been written is more like an inference or straight forward In your opinion? In case you don’t know there is a whole fanbase where we discuss the meaning behind the novel. Thank you for your time to read my message.

    Reply
    1. locksleyu Post author

      I don’t remember for sure where I bought the book, I think it was in a Kinokuniya Japanese bookstore. Of course I am a fan! Yes, I read both books.

      I don’t quite understand your question about the narrative style, but I will say it is written from the point of view of Candy.

      Thanks for reading my translation!

      Reply
      1. Magda Vidales

        Thank you for your time to read my comment. About my question, I was referring if the style of novel’s narrative is more poetic, when the writer intends to say something, but not with direct words. I think it’s more of an inference lecture. I’m a passionate about the Candy ‘s story topic (my primary language is Spanish, but I’ve learned English and now, I’m wish to learn Japanese too.
        Thank you for the info about the bookstore, I will contact them because they said the books are out of stock and I’m dying to have them… hahaha ( just Kidding)
        Who do you think is Anohito?
        Thank you again!

        Reply
        1. Magda Vidales

          Thank you for your time to read my comment. About my question, I was referring if the style of novel’s narrative is more poetic, when the writer intends to say something, but not with direct words. I think it’s more of an inference lecture. I’m a passionate about the Candy ‘s story topic (my primary language is Spanish, but I’ve learned English and now, I’m wish to learn Japanese too.
          Thank you for the info about the bookstore, I will contact them because they said the books are out of stock and I’m dying to have them… hahaha ( just Kidding)
          Who do you think is Anohito?
          Thank you again!

          Reply
          1. locksleyu Post author

            I would say overall the style is more direct, but the author does a good job to convey Candy’s feelings.

            Although I have my own opinions about Anohito, I’m going to refrain from answering that, because it doesn’t effect my translations at all. It’s clear the author intended that reference to be somewhat vague, and my translation takes that into account.

  7. Magda Vidales

    That’s a very smart answer, by the way, do you know that there’s no more copies of the book? And they don’t know when or if there will be a new reprint of the novel.
    Thank you for your time

    Reply
  8. Amana

    Hi. I just found out of the previous comments that there was two Candy Candy books. Is the first one translated to english or they both in Japanese?
    Thanks again for all the efforts you put into translating the first chapters. You’re making so many fans, happy and eager to read more about that adorable heroine!
    Amana

    Reply
    1. locksleyu Post author

      There is a bunch of Candy Candy books: I think at least two series of novels, manga, etc. My translation is from the latest novel, which has two parts. I read both in Japanese, and last time I checked there was no English translations for them.

      Maybe a good time to start learning Japanese (:

      Reply
  9. Candy Garcia

    I would love for the whole novel to be translated. Of course take your time. I love this story so far I was dying to find a version in English thank you so much for taking your time translating!!!

    Reply
  10. Elpiniki

    This is an excellent effort, and I would like to thank you very much for the time you invested in this project. I can only hope that you will continue translating, because there are numerous fans out there, waiting for your next post. You have done a great job with the text, and I am sure that it will soon pay off. Please continue your work… 🙂

    Reply
  11. Ai Lynn

    Please continue to translate, I love this story since I was very young but never finished it. I’ve been looking allover. Please where is part 3.

    Reply
  12. Louna

    Merci pour la traduction, je vois le personnage ‘Annie sur une autre facette, elle ne voulait pas se séparer de Candy ,et plaidait souvent en sa faveur !!! En regardant l’anime elle paraissait plus égoïste et envieuse de candy.
    D’après votre traduction Candy renconte le Prince de la Colline tout de suite après le départ Annie? contrairement à la version anime,Candy retourne souvent sur cette Colline dans l’espoir de le revoir !!!
    J’espère un jour lire la suite de la traduction, bonne continuation pour ces partages qui sont trés enrichissant.

    Reply
  13. sunbeam

    Thank you so much for translating this. I was recently revisiting my childhood memory of watching Candy Candy anime growing up in Taiwan. Even though I spent most of my life in USA, I wanted my daughter to watch some shows in my first language and learn to be multi-lingual. Although I do not know Japanese, your translation is very fluid and vivid in the English language. I am not sure if you are still active on this site. I would really appreciate it if you could continue translating the remainder of the book.

    Reply

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