Angelic Layer Volume 1 (C) 1999 by CLAMP Kadokawa Comics A #45-1, ISBN4-04-713283-7, ¥540 Published in Monthly Shounen Ace from February 1999 - June 1999 BATTLE 1 Version 2.1 Translation by Heather Sluys, August 1999 The Angelic Layer translation disclaimer: Angelic Layer and its characters are property of CLAMP, but if you're reading this you probably knew that already. As far as I know, I'm the first person to translate this series into English. There is no commercial translation available for this series, but if one ever does become available I am not responsible for whether or not you still use this translation. Now, go and read, my friends! Have fun! Heather Sluys, a.k.a. Heta-chan ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BATTLE 1 NOTES: From the back, the 'heroine from a manga' that Misaki is talking about can be easily identified as Hikaru Shidou. She's a character from another series by CLAMP called Magic Knight Rayearth, and she's also apparently the character from whom Hikaru, Misaki's angel, got her name. "Deus" comes from "Deus ex Machina" which is a Latin word for puppeteer; literally it means something like "God from the Machine." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- * = Thoughts < = Handwriting/Captions/Narration ~ = Flashbacks @ = Sound Effects ( = Notes --Pg. 1-- --Pg. 5-- --Pg. 6 & 7-- --Pg. 8-- MISAKI Where am I? @Glance glance@ MISAKI Aaaaaaaa! I'll never be able to leave Tokyo Station. Where am I?! --Pg. 9-- MISAKI I've come this way already! @Flap flap@ @Crowd noises@ MISAKI I told her it was impossible for me to make it alone. Wait in line for the 8:19 --> Get off at Kihi Temple> MISAKI Siiiggghh. My aunt said she would come meet me to pick me up. But I said she should just wait at home for me. I'm so useless. Grrrrr! I must be a moron. I didn't come here to get lost in the city! What'll I do, what'll I do? @Shock@ MISAKI Wha?! @Cheer@ --Pg. 10-- @Cheer@ MISAKI *How pretty . . .* --Pg. 11-- @Tap tap tap@ @Bash@ MISAKI W-what's this? *Why're they fighting all of a sudden?* @Bam bam bam bam@ --Pg. 12-- MISAKI Ummmm, ummm, what is this? CROWD Ooohhhh! LITTLE GIRL Don't you know about "Angelic Layer?" MISAKI Angelic Layer . . .? @Cheering@ MISAKI I don't really get it. Are they fighting for the white side and the black side? LITTLE GIRL It's not a fight! It's Angelic Layer!! @Glare@ @Cheering@ --Pg. 13-- MISAKI *They're totally different in size. If things keep going this way, the white one's going to lose.* @Bash@ @Crack@ MISAKI *Figures.* --Pg. 14-- MISAKI *. . . she couldn't make it with that kind of disadvantage.* CROWD Ooohhhhhh! @Gasp@ @Swish swish swish@ MISAKI *Amazing!* --Pg. 15-- @Crack@ @Grab@ @Kabam@ --Pg. 16-- @Bang@ MISAKI LOOK OUT!!! @Flash@ @Thud@ @Crash@ @Thump@ @Swish@ --Pg. 17-- @CRACK@ MISAKI Aaaa!! --Pg. 18 & 19-- @Bam@ @Slide slide slide@ @Pop@ @Crackle@ --Pg. 20-- @Roar@ @BOOM@ --Pg. 21-- MISAKI She did it!! Cool! Cool! You said that was . . . what, what? LITTLE GIRL I said it's called Angelic Layer. MISAKI It's so cooooolll! The smaller person was able to win! MAN It's not a person. --Pg. 22-- MISAKI Wha? MAN That's an angel. MISAKI An angel? MAN When a "Deus" first moves them, they become more than just a mobile doll. (The kanji next to "Deus" means puppeteer, in agreement with the Latin origin.) MISAKI Huhhhhhh?! MAN Heheheh. --Pg. 23-- MISAKI That was a doll?! MAN Of course. Those high-tech deaths you saw only happened to toys. MISAKI You're saying they're toys. Does that mean I could buy one too? MAN Yeah, go buy one. MISAKI Ehhhh?! WHERE?! MAN Right there. @ZOOM@ MISAKI Thank yooouuuu!! CROWD He must be a pervert. Check out that white uniform. How strange. @Whisper whisper@ @Grin@ --Pg. 24-- MISAKI I'D LIKE A DOLL PLEASE!! SALESPERSON A . . . a doll? Which kind . . . @Bap bap@ MISAKI One that moves!! SALESPERSON Huh?! MAN Mwahahahaha! If it's a moving doll you were talking about, there's a place with lots of those! Let's not annoy the nice salesperson! What you're looking for is over here!! --Pg. 25-- MISAKI An egg? MAN The angel comes from within this egg. That's why it's called an "Angel Egg." You can design the "doll" that comes from this egg yourself, and make it into an angel. MISAKI Huhh?! You make it yourself?! MAN Those two angels that you just saw on the TV screen, they probably used to look the same as this doll in the egg. --Pg. 26-- MAN If you make one by yourself, it'll be your very own. @Shine@ MISAKI My very own . . . ! MAN What's your name? MISAKI Misaki! I'm Misaki Suzuhara! MAN What grade are you in? MISAKI I'm a sixth grader. MAN Are you getting all this? MISAKI Wha? --Pg. 27-- MAN If you really want to participate in Angelic Layer, I'll have to teach you a few things. MISAKI Really?! MAN Heheheheh. @Sparkle@ MAN Yep, you've got to make a little noise to get into Angelic Layer. MISAKI I'll do it! I wanna make my own angel!! --Pg. 28-- MAN Then you'll need this and this and this and this and this and . . . @Toss toss toss@ MISAKI Do I really need all these things? MAN If you want to be the best, you'll need more than this stuff. @Wobble wobble@ MISAKI Saaayyyyy . . . errrr, what's your name . . . MAN Me? I'm Mihara . . . No, I'm Icchan. Icchan is good. All right! Now go and pay for it!! @Zoom@ MISAKI Riiigghhtt! --Pg. 29-- SALESPERSON It's this guy! He's the one who took that little girl away!! @Flap flap@ SECURITY GUARD Sir, please come with us. ICCHAN What the?! I'm not some kind of stranger!! @Heyyy!@ @Aaah! Aaah!@ @Tap tap@ @Glance glance@ MISAKI Icchan-san? Wha? You're not here? I thought he still had stuff to tell me. Icchan-san'll probably come back again. Anyway, I still have to find a way to get to my aunt's house . . . --Pg. 30-- MISAKI . . . my money . . .?! If I don't have enough money to use the telephone, I'll be stuck here . . . I spent it all on toys . . . @Sway sway@ MISAKI Heyyyy! Icchan-saaann! Please lend me some moneeeyyyyy! --Pg. 31-- AUNT I was completely surprised when that telephone call came from the police. MISAKI I'm sowwwyyy . . . @Wahhhh!@ AUNT It's impossible to try to walk here from Tokyo Station. What station did you think you were at? MISAKI I'm sure I took the train to the right place, but then I bought a few things, and my money . . . AUNT It's just like a girl to go shopping in Tokyo, isn't it? --Pg. 32-- AUNT What did you buy? Can I take a look in here? @Nod@ MISAKI Sure! AUNT This is . . . MISAKI It's an angel egg! An angel's being made inside of it! I saw them on a TV at Tokyo Station! It was called Angelic Layer! I saw one that grew white wings; it was really cool! @Hug@ MISAKI It made me want to try and see if I could buy one too at the toy shop, but . . . I ended up spending all of my money. --Pg. 33-- MISAKI Auntie? @Pinch@ AUNT Call me Shouko-san! @Pinch pinch@ MISAKI Hyouko-saaannn SHOUKO I'm younger than your mother! Since we're not the same age, don't call me Auntie! MISAKI Owwww @Shake shake@ SHOUKO I guess Angelic Layer's getting to be pretty popular. I've seen it featured on several TV shows. MISAKI Aun . . . I mean, Shouko-san, you're saying it's on TV? SHOUKO Yep. Even your Grandma and Grandpa have seen it, plus a guy from the news show I work for who thinks I'm cute. --Pg. 34-- SHOUKO Heheheh, I wonder if I should pay more attention to him. Anyway, you got your Grandpa and Grandma's permission to come here from the middle school, right? MISAKI Yep. Originally, Grandma wanted the opposite. When Dad died, Mom got so lonely that she went back to Tokyo to work. SHOUKO . . . Misaki, when was the last time you saw my sister Shuuko? MISAKI Not since I was in kindergarten. Now I can barely remember her. I think she's usually pretty busy; her job forces her to move almost monthly, but thanks to her I can go to a school in Tokyo. --Pg. 35-- SHOUKO You're fortunate that you could go to a place that was near here, since I live alone and have lots of room to spare. If you want to stay here through eighth grade, that's fine with me. Well! Now you can go take a bath! @Bap@ MISAKI Right! @Rummage rummage rummage@ MISAKI Ah! SHOUKO Are you gonna play in the bathtub? MISAKI Nope. The writing on this says it'll be easier to open in the bathtub. @Step step@ SHOUKO I thought so . . . she'll put a lot of blood into competing, won't she . . . --Pg. 36-- MISAKI *She's going to look really cool . . . that angel that I'll make . . .* @Sigh@ MISAKI All right! I can do it!! @Yeaahhh!@ MISAKI Ah, this looks like vinyl. I guess that's so it won't get wet. Let's see. "Some shock absorbing fluid will come from the angel egg, so please open it while you're in the bathroom." @Flippety flap@ MISAKI "Now, you should not eat the shock absorbing fluid. We will not be held responsible for small children who eat it. Please make sure that you ask for an adult's help when you try to break the seal." --Pg. 37-- MISAKI I'm pretty small, but I think I can open it by myself. @CRACK@ @Drip drip@ MISAKI . . . so this is a doll. It's a little scary . . . @Drip drip@ --Pg. 38-- MISAKI "Once you take the doll out of the egg, please rinse the shock absorbing fluid off with water." @Psshhh@ MISAKI From now on, I get to make you into my very own angel. I'd better hurry up with this bath so I can continue. @Rub rub@ @Achoo!@ @Click@ @Bam@ MISAKI What a nice room. Shouko-san said I could use it, but it seems too pretty for me . . . --Pg. 39-- MISAKI From today on this is gonna be my room! @Boing boing@ MISAKI That's right, I should keep going! First I need something to make hair out of. This'll do. @Flop@ MISAKI Of course I'll cut it short. Short like mine. "When you cut its hair, please choose your cutting utensil carefully. If you're a small child let an adult help you shape it . . ." --Pg. 40-- MISAKI I can do this pretty well by myself . . . @Snip snip@ MISAKI It's done! I could have done it a little better. I'm sort of clumsy. Anyway, gotta keep going! @Shuffle shuffle@ MISAKI Ummm, I think this goes here. @Vwweeeeen@ MISAKI Waaaaa! --Pg. 41-- @Slip@ MISAKI I put her in here, and . . . "Please choose what kind of angel you would like. Built for speed or built for stamina? Smaller or bigger? Please specify the parameters." *Smaller's better than bigger. She should be small, like me.* @Beep beep beep@ MISAKI *Small, but strong.* --Pg. 42-- MISAKI *Yeah, she'll look like the heroine from a manga I saw a while ago. And she'll be small like me, but she'll be an enthusiastic girl with lots of energy.* @Beep@ @Diinnngg@ MISAKI She's finished! @Zoom@ --Pg. 43-- @Zoom@ MISAKI Waaaa! "Please choose a name." Hikaru! Hikaru is good!! --Pg. 44-- MISAKI Hikaru! My angel's finished! To Next --------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading the first chapter! THIS TRANSLATION BY HEATHER SLUYS, AUGUST 1999