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Help Japanese on a US comic book

dotcomfool

後輩
6 Mar 2003
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rai03-1.jpg



Can someone translate the title of this comic book for me?
In the USA we call the book "Rai"...
but I'm sure it has another meaning/translation in Japanese.

Thank you!
 
I dunno... but that just looks like its just a stylized writing of the word 'rai' I doubt it has any real meaning. but then again, I don't know...
 
Konnichiwa Dotcomfool-san!

This main title(yellow words) is not Japanese. Jeisan has already said, "that just looks like its just a stylized writing of the word 'rai'". It's a right! It's a design for the main title "RAI" and is stylized as a Kanji. This word does not have any meaning in Japanese.
The first word of main title is a original picture. It's not in Japanese. The second word of main title is "太". This meaning is a "thick". The third word of main title is a original picture. It's not in Japanese. But it looks like a Kanji "工".

What mean white word "霊"? This Kanji is "Rei" in Japanese and means "soul", "spirit" and "ghost". I think that this book's title "RAI" origin in this word "Rei". Because Japanese "Rei" is pronounced "Rai" in English and English "Rai" is written "Rei" in Japanese. For example, "rain". "Rain" is written "Rein" in Japanese. This book's title is mistake in the strict sense of the word. The correct title is "REI" in Japanese but not "Rai".😲
By the way, "霊" is "ling" in Chinese. 😊

NANGI
 

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Woohoo I was right :emoji_laughing:

To elaborate on nangi's pronuciation, the Japanese word 'REI' would be said like the English word 'RAY' while 'RAI' would be said 'RYE'
 
Thank you

Thank you for your help...
I think I understand better now.

The "White" word that you said means "soul", "spirit" or "ghost"
is probably the most important part.

This character was called "Rising Spirit" originally,
which probably is why the white "spirit" word is used.

"Rai" - pronounced like 'Rye' is the first sound in 'Rising'.

So, instead of using "Rei" ('Ray') for spirit, they used 'Rai' for the 'rye' sound.

I've always wondered about that title...thank you!

So, the "Rei" white word is only one word? It looks like two words. (Top and bottom)
 
Konnichiwa Dotcomfool-san!

Yes, you find out a good point. "Rei" is a one word now, but this word is made of two words originally.

The upper part Kanji is a "Ame" and means "rain" in English. But this Kanji is an abbreviation and is "Rei" originally. This "Rei" is different from "Rei" that means "spirit". This original "Rei" means
the advent of a god(but it means "descent" in literal translation).
And bottom part Kanji is an abbreviation and is "Miko" originally. "Miko" means "shrine maiden" in English.

The first(white) word "Rei" express a shrine maiden with the advent of a god on her overhead.

In Japan, people had believed that shrine maiden can be possessed by a elemental spirit. "Elemental spirit" is synonymous with "god" in Japan. And shrine maiden told god's intention. It's similar to the Delphic oracle in Europe.

"Elemental spirit" is "Sei-rei" in Japanese and Japanese shrine maiden conceive a "god". In the West, the Virgin Mary conceive a Christ by the Holy Spirit. And "the Holy Spirit" is "Sei-rei" in Japanese. 😊
But "the Holy Spirit" is used different Kanji from "Elemental spirit".😌

NANGI
 

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Thank you very much for all your help.

In the comic book, Rai is called the "Spirit Guardian" for Japan...
and it's the year 4000.

There was a lot of war on Earth, so Japan created a giant computer
the size of the whole country and all the Japanese people live inside.

The people call the computer "Grandmother" and when the wars
were really bad, the country/computer of Japan left Earth
and moved into orbit around the planet.

Rai is the "Spirit Guardian" for Japan, and "Grandmother" (the computer)
is an artificial intelligence.
Both Rai and Grandmother take care of the Japanese people who live inside.

It's a very interesting book...and I think the ideas of the
Rai "spirit" and "overhead" fits very nicely with the idea
that Japan is "overhead" for everyone else on Earth.

This has been very helpful, thank you again.
 
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