This is an introduction to the regular version.
The captain was a prince.
My destiny, the captain,
I said this as soon as I came to meet him.
Let's get married.
It starts from there,
Me, the dog, and the captain,
A dreamlike moment.
The setting is on a shelf, and all the characters are wooden dolls.
Goffstein's story of love, life and fantasy.
[About this book]
Me and My Captain is the long-awaited new translation and new edition of Me and My Captain, published in 1974 by legendary picture book author M. B. Goffstein.
The setting is on a shelf in a window frame, with all the characters being wooden dolls, and the philosophical themes are gently, deeply and infiltrated into the heart, with plenty of imagination and humor.
And the perfect picture is super simple. This is the ultimate love story that was reached by the author who has continued to question what our true happiness is.
[About design]
When we create Goffstein's books, we don't just have original characters, but instead design them to add to the tone we have now. This time, we had trial and error and many twists and turns, but the size of the original drawing fits the most, so I made the most use of it.
The overall size is the same as "Beyond the Sea" and is larger, but the illustration size is almost the same as the original.
The cross part on the cover is yellow, inspired by the sun. The paper part is designed to follow the original. When you open it, silver paper spreads out like a sparkling surface of water. The binding is studded with the sun, the sea, and the light.
The cover is covered in fabric from the edge to the back, and the front cover uses a "joint cover" technique in which paper is attached. This is the first time I've tried it in the series, and I like the fact that the texture of the fabric and the clear illustrations can be coexisted.
[About translation]
The translation this time was difficult, and I couldn't understand it many times along the way, but after I came here, I feel like I've finally got a grasp of the Tonkachi style rhythm and words. My favorite part is when the captain I just met proposes to me. "And they'll tell me, let's get married." Here we were able to create a character for the captain, "what we think." The captain must have been the kind of person who would skip everything and propose straight to him if he had come to mind. It wasn't a heavy word, it must have been said lightly as if sing. This part of the translation work this time was the highlight. Translation may be about creating characters.
[Comments from staff]
When I first read it, I didn't really understand it. However, after reading it carefully several times, it suddenly got into my mind. Since then, I have been getting a different impression depending on when I read it. (Staff: Y)
The illustrations are cuter than usual, and you can always look at small items such as plaster food, shells, and boats. A normally stubborn wooden dog smiles only before meals, and since it's a wooden doll, it's not a seat on a chair and stands up and eats. When you look at the art, there are many fun scenes. (Staff: M)
Looking at the prototype book included with the box set, you can see that after many trial and error, I came across this simple form, including cutting and pasting pictures and finely adjusting the layout of the text. So be sure to buy the box set too! (Advertising staff: A)
The main character, who always smiles, is really cute. I hope in the back of my heart that I will continue to smile forever. I hope I am like that too. (Staff: H)
This book seems to be a musical. Songs and dances are spilled from the main character's monologue. (President: K)
[To readers]
Tonkachi books can be ordered from bookstores nationwide. Please contact your local bookstore. If you are looking for this, please let us know the book name and ISBN code (13-digit number) and we will be able to find it smoothly.
→To all the bookstore staff