Final Story: A reflection

I have been fond of Chopin’s Nocturne lately, particularly the Op 9 No 2. As I was listening to it the other day, I realised that Op 9 No 2 was a suitable background music to read Josephine Hymes’ “Seasons of Daffodils”. Thus I re-read it again… and it reignited my love to Candy and Terry. It then of course gave way to me thinking the famous Anohito identity, and how it has split the Candyland in two. This is my reflection of those issues, more than 1.5 years after my last post.

Since my last post, I have improved my Japanese quite a bit. I still struggle with Kanji, but I am more fluent with hiragana and katakana. I am more adept as well in understanding nuances in Japanese language; a very very nuanced language I should say. With these new understandings, I can see CCFS in a new light. Paired with my old analyses about Anohito, to keep it short, I can safely say that I still believe Terry to be Anohito.

The French translation of CCFS

The covers for Vol 1 and Vol 2 CCFS French version

A reader has contacted me a few days ago about the French translation of CCFS which can be quite disturbing to CT fans. The reason is because the French translation has two subtitles: Vol 1 is subtitled “Candice White l’orpheline” (Candice White the orphan) and Vol 2 is titled “Le prince sur la colline” (the Prince of the Hill). Naturally, Vol 2 automatically refers to Albert.

Another reader certainly thinks that Anohito is Albert, because she sent me a comment today (which I have posted). Therefore, please consider this a longer reply to this reader and other potential readers.

Avon River and the Great Depression

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 2010, viewed from the Avon River side
(photo by Peter Scott, courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company) 

In this post, I’m examining an aspect of the Anohito clues that I have not delved in details so far because to me it’s very obvious that it is linked to Terry. This aspect is the Avon River. However, it occurred to me that a new reader might be confused as to why Avon River is immediately linked to Terry, for there are 19 (yes, nineteen) Avon Rivers in Wikipedia. Those 19 rivers are spread across four countries: the United Kingdom (5 in England, 3 in Scotland, 2 in Wales), Australia (5), New Zealand (2), and Canada (2). Here I will examine why I think the River Avon in England (the one flowing through Warwickshire, to be exact) is the river Nagita Keiko meant in CCFS.

I will start my explanation by briefly examining the 1930s Great Depression in the USA and in the UK, because that event IMO is strongly linked to Anohito bringing Candy to live by the bank of River Avon. Many experts linked the start of the Great Depression in the USA with the collapse of Wall Street in New York on a “Black Thursday” on 24 October 1929. Around the same time (give and take a month’s time), the London Stock Exchange collapsed. Ever since, the US economy spiraled down, dragging down other stock markets in Europe. It took about a decade for the USA to recover its economy, just in time to be ready for World War II. Interestingly, the United Kingdom recovered approximately three years after the Black Thursday (1929-1932), a good 6-7 years before the US recovered. This article is quite good to understand why the UK economy recovered relatively quickly from the 1929 Great Slump. I’m not an economist, so I will not summarise the causes for the slower recovery of the US nor the faster recovery of the UK. Suffice to say, when the US was still struggling to come back on its feet, the UK was already healthier economically.

Where is Terry? The missing person in the Epilogue

Source

I talked about this post with Nila a while back after I posted my article about Anohito’s voice, smile and open arms in the CCFS Epilogue, however, I didn’t remember to post it until now. It’s a short post, but I might post another (longer) article tomorrow or on Sunday if time permits.

It started with me receiving the Italian version of the CCFS. I flipped through the books and realised again something odd with the Epilogue.

Before I resume with my explanation, let me quote what an Epilogue means. The Cambridge Dictionary states that an Epilogue is “a speech or piece of text that is added to the end of a play or book, often giving a short statement about what happens to the characters after the play or book finishes”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives three main meanings of an Epilogue. One of them is related to a book, thus an Epilogue is “a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work”. In contrast, a Prologue is “a part that comes at the beginning of a play, story, or long poem, often giving information about events that happened before the time when the play, story, or poem begins” (The Cambridge Dictionary). Although the Merriam-Webster version is very straightforward, I like using the Cambridge Dictionary’s version more because it stipulates that an Epilogue usually discloses what happens to the characters after the last chapter (pre-Epilogue) of the book.

Anohito statistical tests

The hunt for Anohito (left: Chapter 4; right: Chapter 9)

If you have read through my posts, you will notice that I have collected and reviewed up to 14 Anohito aspects in Candy’s “present day” monologue. In my latest post, I said that out of the 14 aspects, 11 of them are only attributable to Terry, 3 of them are attributable to both Terry and Albert, and none is attributable to Albert only. Thus… what does it look like if I plug those numbers into a statistical program? Does the proportion of Terry-related aspects (11 out of 14) significantly overwhelm both-Terry-Albert aspects (3 out of 14)?

The fact that there is no Anohito aspect that refers only to Albert in Candy’s monologue already established that Terry is Anohito. However, just to satisfy some statistical curiosity, let me plug those numbers.

Two more clues for Terry as Anohito

This painful scene has now lit a new understanding in me
(Chapter 7, art by Igarashi Yumiko, story by Mizuki Kyoko)

Recently, a combined effort between me and Nila has led us to find two more clues for Terry as Anohito. They are from Vol 2 pp 196 and 237. I think the clue at p 237 is more glaring and impactful, but nonetheless, the clue at p 196 is also interesting. The justifications are as follows, thanks to Nila for the original scripts and Kanji assistance. Tanoshikatta ne!

Anohito laughing at Candy’s mistake

Nila asked me to check the translation Candy's retrospection in Vol 2, p. 196. This is when Candy was thinking about Dr. Leonard (at the St Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago). Candy thought Dr. Leonard as a ruthless person, but later she realised that he was just being a professional doctor, thus he reprimanded Candy for treating Albert without an authorization. Later, when he became the director, Dr. Leonard abolished Room #0 in the hospital, effectively stating that all patients must be treated equally. In this monologue, Candy was saying this (last line of p. 196):

Was Terry too emotionally damaged for Candy?

The event that made Terry who he was when Candy met him (Chapter 4)

Since returning to the Candy Universe, I realised that there is one problem that the anti-Terry fans would always judge Terry on: He slapped Candy after she slapped him after he kissed her without her permission. While it is indeed not acceptable to slap any decent girls (I think Eliza needs some big slaps, though!), I don’t think Terry’s action should be seen on its own. It has its larger context; namely the scars of emotional abuse.

Terry kissed Candy during the dance in the May Festival because the jealous Terry was irked at Candy for always mentioning the deceased Anthony. On cue, Candy slapped Terry (take that, Terry!). And then Terry slapped her back, but not because she slapped him. Terry slapped Candy back because she said he was a “mannerless juvenile delinquent”. For Terry, Candy had no rights to judge him as a delinquent, for he had a very emotionally traumatic childhood. To complete the slapping session, Candy slapped Terry back.

Of course, I disagree with Terry slapping Candy. I am okay with Candy slapping Terry because he did ask for it. So I’m glad that Candy didn’t lose her spunk and slapped Terry back.

Epilogue (Anohito’s voice, smile and his open arms)

Is Terry's smile also Anohito's smile? (manga from Chapter 4,
art by Igarashi Yumiko, story by Mizuki Kyoko)

In this post, we will look at the three aspects on that passage: Anohito’s voice, his smile, and his open arms to which Candy run into. I have explained them sporadically in the summary of Nee-chan’s blog, but I think a more dedicated post on this passage is needed.

After a laborious day (I kid you not), using Jisho, Romajidesu, and Nihongo-pro, I finally deciphered the whole Epilogue in Japanese script. Before I resume, though, I’d like to reiterate the importance of Candy’s monologues (including Prologue and Epilogue). These monologues show what happened in Candy’s current life with Anohito. We can decipher Anohito’s identity from the hints in Candy Candy Final Story flashbacks and manga. I agree with Scottie that the anime isn’t as faithful as manga, so I don’t use the anime as a source. 

It has to be said: even though Candy still had emotions to Terry by the time she wrote her unsent letter, she could have changed by the time Terry sent her his letter post-Susanna’s death. Also, although I couldn’t detect any romance between Candy and Albert in her last letter to Albert, her feelings to him could also have changed by the time Terry sent her his letter post-Susanna’s death. I have to take those possibilities into account. Having said that, Albert’s habits and Terry’s habits found in the manga and CCFS flashbacks are still very useful when analyzing Candy’s monologues. Those are historical records of Terry’s and Albert’s personalities, and we should not discount them in analyzing Candy’s monologues.

A new Candy (and Terry) blog!

Candy and Terry, art by Marco Albiero

Hi there! Since I found out about Candy Candy the Final Story, I have made four Candy-related posts in my personal blog. However, knowing my penchant of writing something I'm passionate about (ahem, my old wuxia mania, for instance...), today I've decided to make a new blog specifically about Candy and Terry.

I owe the birth this blog to many fans at the CandyTerry.com, particularly webmistress Nila. The "Shakespearean Fool" part of the blog name was originally inspired by Josephine Hymes, for she wrote Candy nicknaming Terry as a "Pompous Fool" in her amazing "The Season of Daffodils" fan-fiction.

Then I found out that there are Shakespearean fools in Shakespeare plays. Hence I think Terry - as a Shakespearean actor - would not mind to be called a "Shakespearean Fool", for he was usually a fool when he was in love...



Email me if you'd like to talk to me privately, otherwise, drop a comment on the posts!

Although the blog focuses more on Candy and Terry, I love most of Candy Candy characters (except for the Lagans and the Marlowes). I particularly love William Albert Ardlay and Alistair Cornwell, so I might celebrate them as well in future posts.

Candy Candy Final Story Proposed Chronology and Timeline

In which the blog authoress postulates her theory about the chronology and timeline of Candy Candy the Final Story. Scroll down to the end of the letter – I mean, post – to read the proposed timeline.

Candy's wish to be with Terry has be granted! (panel from Chapter 8,
story by Mizuki Kyoto, art by Igarashi Yumiko)

Thanks to Nila from the CandyTerry.com, I’ve gained access to the precious unofficial English translations of the Candy Candy the Final Story. The translations were done by many fans, and because I do not have their permissions to disclose their screen names, I will not attribute the translators one by one. Suffice to say I’m forever grateful for their service. If you’d like to read those translations, contact Nila at the CT Forum for access.

I was rather worried before reading the novel, worried that it would be too difficult to understand. However, the novel turns out to be not so difficult to follow. Nagita Keiko wrote CCFS in flashback styles, here represented by a third person reminiscence of the events in Candy’s life from her childhood at Pony’s Home until she left St. Paul’s. Those events are divided into two volumes, Volume 1 (up to Candy knowing Terry’s lineage secret at St. Paul’s) and Volume 2 (until Candy left St. Paul’s to pursue Terry in America). Volume 1 contains Chapter 1 (Anthony’s story) and Chapter 2 (Terry’s story), while the first part of Volume 2 contains Candy’s life with Terry in St. Paul’s London.  Candy only returned to her present time twice until this moment: the first one was after reminiscing on Anthony’s death and the second one was when she started to reminisce on her journey to and in the UK.  I think these recollections or monologues serve the novel well, for it bridges us back to the “present moment” where Candy was at her new home by the Avon River.