Small, fascinating tidbits

[branchandroot]

So, the collective title given to KnB's five players who were very good but still over shadowed by the Miracle Generation is 無冠 の 五将. This is variously translated as the "Uncrowned Kings" or "Uncrowned Generals". Three of them show up on Akashi's team, and this is significant.

五将 is actually two words: go (five) and shou (commander/leader/general). That shou is also the character used for several kinds of pieces in shougi, the ruling or jeweled general, often called the king in English, the gold generals, and the silver generals. There are five of these pieces to a side. I may have sparkled with helplessly delighted geekery when I realized this.

無冠 is one word, which really does translate pretty directly to "un-crowned", specifically indicating someone who did not receive an award or title despite being nominated or in the qualifying pool.

Now I desperately want the names of the shougi pieces to show up in reference to these guys in some meaningful way.

Comments

[kaigou]

Ahahaha, my dear. Never change.

Except for one thing. Posts like this make me worry that somewhere out there is a mangaka who knows who you are and is planning (at this very moment!) a manga in which the clear theme is, say, the known and unknown universe. And you are going to leap excitedly at the notion that there shall be developing hints and themes in which the planetary connections of asian (or western) astrology will get tied in, such that you can shred the meanings and delve the patterns to your heart's content... except the mangaka will turn around and instead drop hints and references to, say, American football, while naming the characters in a pattern not unlike Gundam's numbers but with letters of the Sanskrit alphabet... AND YOUR HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE.

I'm not sure whether I'll mourn that day, or laugh hysterically... because it would be ME, next.

love,
a fellow unrepentant analyst

[branchandroot]

*laughing* And on that day, I will certainly be doomed. (Heck, CLAMP almost did it to me already, and not even on purpose, just by how scattershot they get with their symbolism.)