I figured it would be fun to do some textual analysis for Japanese learners. Particularly because the game has the original calling cards in-game (just like a lot of other items throughout the game). To avoid spoiling plot points in the title, it just contains the number and not the name of the person it is addressed to.
*Calling card -* *予告状 – (Yokokujou)*: For those wondering what it is, In the game, Persona 5, these cards were sent by the Phantom Thieves to the persons they target, indicating an imminent attack on their psyche to “change their heart”, i.e. to make them confess what they have done and change their ways. Basically the card outlines their particular crime, why they’re being targeted, and informs them that the attack is coming the following day.
(The Japanese word for “calling card” which is 予告状 (Yokokujou). Oddly enough, in the soundtrack, the lyrics of the battle song “Take Over” make reference to a “prior notice card” which is a direct translation of the word.)
​
​
*Original text:*
功を競うものたちへの妬み嫉みに我を忘れ、
出世欲に取り憑かれたる嫉妬の罪人、
新島冴殿。
出世のため「不正義」すら「正義」と唱える不実。
その罪の数々を、貴殿の口から告白させる事と決定した。
その歪んだ欲望を頂戴し、あるべき場所へ帰るといい。
**心の怪盗団より**
​
*English (my translation, not necessarily the English translation of the game):*
Utterly jealously competing with others for achievements having caused you to forget who you are,
(This is to) the criminal of envy, completely haunted and obsessed by her desire for social advancement / for her career,
Miss Nijima Sae
For the sake of getting ahead, you will falsely advocate even injustice as justice.
We have resolved to (respectfully) have you confess your many-fold crimes from your own mouth.
We will take your distorted desires, and (thus) you should go back to where/(how) you should be.
**From the Phantom Thieves of Hearts**
​
*Romaji:*
Isao wo kisou monotachi he no netami-sonemi ni ware wo wasure
Shusseiyoku no toritsukaretaru shitto no zainin,
Nijima Sae-dono.
Shussei no tame “Fuseigi” sura “seigi” to totonoeru fujitsu.
Sono tsumi no kazukazu wo, kiden no kuchi kara kokuhaku saseru koto to kettei shita.
sono yuganda yokubou wo choudai shi, arubeki bashou he kaeru to ii.
**kokoro no kaitoudan yori**
​
​
​
***Notes:***
新島冴殿: Nijima Sae-dono. Welcome back to the wonderful rabbit hole of Japanese names. 冴 (Sae) is the character of her very beautiful first name, which means clear, lucid. 頭が冴える (Atama ga saeru) “to be clear-headed” is a common expression to note.
Again, note the final title “dono” which I translated with “Miss” here. “Dono” is different from what the kanji, meaning “lord” implies. “dono” at the end of a name is, depending on the context, pejorative, as it implies the one addressing the other with that title is in a higher position. Like a teacher towards a student, or a superior at work vs. a junior colleague. A central theme of the game is rebellion against a world of uncaring, evil adults, therefore this inversion of teenagers addressing adults with this fits well.
\-Now for some words on *Jealousy*:
Japanese has several words for it, multiple of which seem to appear here. What doesn’t appear here is the one most people have heard, 羨ましい (urayamashii) which is comparatively light (“I’m sooo jealous”). The jealousy here is that of envy, i.e. complete obsessive hatred to not get what others have.
妬み嫉み (netami-sonemi) : utter jealousy is how I translated it; a duplication of two words meaning the same thing.
嫉妬 (shitto): jealousy, envy (notice that they’re the same characters as above just using their on readings). notice the pattern of the other calling cards and that this is Sae’s great sin.
In short, if there is one key takeaway for learners, then let it be that envy/jealousy is shit(to).
出世 (shusse): A very common word worth remembering for which we don’t have an exact translation in English. “getting ahead in life, advancing socially, being apart of the rat race, successfully pursuing a career”
正義 (seigi): simple word but worth remembering if you don’t know it: Justice
取り憑かれたる (toritsukaretaru): being completely haunted and obsessed with. 憑かれる (tsukareru) ‘s main character 憑 is another Hyougai Kanji outside of the two main lists (Jouyou and Jinmei). I would take this as an example that many characters outside of those learnt in the school curriculum are regularly used and written.
貴殿 (kiden): a very respectful form of address, usually in written documents, usually to people higher than you or the same.
歪んだ (yuganda) is the past form of 歪む (yugamu). 歪 is a “Hyougai” Kanji outside of the two official lists. Meaning to “be distorted”, (even the kanji itself is made of two parts, “not” at the top and “correct” at the bottom). It’s an important term throughout the game.
頂戴する: a nice formal way of saying to take, to gladly accept taking something.
あるべき (arubeki): how it should be, how ideally things should be. Notice here the form:
べき (beki). This is construction to say “should” which is general, norm-setting (and potentially very impolite if you use this to tell somebody to do something). It’s like “it should be this way, you should do this /should always be doing this / should already be doing this”. Think of a parents support group with the general message being “we must take care of our children”.
怪盗団 (kaitoudan): The Phantom Thieves, or literally, “ghostly thief band”. all 1 word with 3 characters.
より (yori): It’s a special “yori” here, not the comparative one, used to say less than/more than. Rather here it is similar to “kara” meaning from.
​
I hope this post on Persona 5 hermeneutics has been beneficial. 1 more to go.
Previous posts:
[First Calling Card (Kamoshida)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/10usyu7/persona_5_first_calling_card_kamoshida/)
[Second Calling Card (Madarame)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/114xbyo/persona_5_second_calling_card_madarame/)
[Third Calling Card (Kaneshiro)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/1197pw4/persona_5_third_calling_card_kaneshiro/)
[Fourth Calling Card](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/11avlbd/persona_5_fourth_calling_card_japaneseenglish/)
[Fifth Calling Card](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/11cffo0/persona_5_fifth_calling_card_japaneseenglish/)