So, today's bit of Japanese culture is going to be brought to you by the grammar point WO CHUUSHIN NI (を中心に), but in typical me fashion, in a very roundabout way.
How? Well, by using 世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ, the ever famous Japanese movie/novel/drama/manga. Yes, it is not the grammar point, but its use of the vocabulary is particulary helpful in remembering it at the very least.
So, I'm not real sure, but I'm fairly certain that Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo sakebu is called Socrates in Love in the States, though I don't want to say that with conviction. It started off as a novel, was made into a movie starring Moriyama Mirai that did incredibly well. A manga was also made, and then the story was turned into a drama series, where the lead is played, interestingly enough, by Yamada Takayuki. That's right, the main lead in Waterboys, alongside the secondary lead of Moriyama Mirai. I'd say small world, but it is Japan and that would be an understatement. (And I'll direct you to my post about the Waterboys drama, because I love it so much.)
I do have to be honest. It is not my favorite movie, but I generally don't like constant melodrama. That's right; I'm not the Japanese target audience. Bummer. It follows the love story of Sakutaro and Aki through the Sakutaro's memories seventeen years after the death of Aki. The trailer, and the movie, are pretty easy to understand, which makes me happy. Though, I'm told this is probably because the novel was written using very simple language.
As you can see, Moriyama Mirai is really different in this movie in comparison to Waterboys, or Keiji no Genba, huh? (Those are two pretty random dramas to pick out of a hat, yet there they are.)
The title of the movie means: Crying Out Love from the Center of the World.
Which has to do with our grammar point because of the word "center". How was that for detour?
O CHUUSHIN NI implies "centered around". It usually indicates that around something, everything else revolves. The easiest example to explain this would be, of course:
- 地球は太陽を中心にして回っている。
- Chikyuu ha taiyou wo chuushin ni shite mawattieru.
- The Earth rotates around the sun.
I could easily change that to: 地球は私を中心にして回っている。Because, seriously, it totally does.
The reason I included the title of the movie is because I expect everyone to have the same convulated way of thinking I do, which is through complex associations. If not, well then, you learned about a movie... and you learned that I love Moriyama Mirai. Totally worthwhile lessons, in my opinion. (P.S. My birthday is 05/26, and MM dramas are never a miss.)
But I do have a better way of discussing this grammar point, and we get to do it with May'n, the popular singer that appeared at AnimeEXPO. Strange that I've only heard of her because of my searching for this grammar point. Of course, I don't really watch anime anymore... and the Japanese music I prefer tends not to be JPOP, but those are just minor details.
Here is the sentence:
- アッパーな楽曲を中心に、力強い歌声を披露した.
- UPPA na gakkyaku wo chuushin ni, chikaratsuyoi utagoe wo hirou shita.
- Centered around high energy songs, May'n showed her powerful voice.
The website also has an image of May'n singing.
Okay, now I know you're going to ask about why the first sentence had a SHITE, when the second sentence did not. I don't have an answer. I asked my Japanese friend, and she just said you got to be Japanese to know when to use which one. Great! So, just feel it out, shall I? says I. Yup, says she.
Totally helpful.
The funny thing is that I really skipped around the elephant in the room (if you obsessively read romance mangas, I mean, so I guess this elephant is pink and flowery) when trying to discuss this grammar point. I think we are all wondering why I just didn't talk about Kimi wo Chuushin ni Sekai wa Mawaru (The world revolves around you). Well, I mostly did this because, unless you're the sort of person to read collections of one-shot mangas (basically a collection of short stories done manga-style), it's not really all that famous. Granted, niether was Ganbare Chikyuuman, but that's what you get with me. You can read it about the manga Kimi wo Chuushin ni Sekai wa Mawaru here, at baka-updates, if you're interested.
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