These are notes for historical and cultural context, as well as my own personal notes... think of it kind of like a DVD commentary.
Chapter 1:
I picked the age 100 for many different reasons, but mostly because I felt like this is the age where Jack has now witnessed at least a couple generations come and go, and is starting to get a real sense of his immortality. Up until this point I can justify the idea that he might have stayed in the immediate area, not only out of insecurity and fear, but also because the time period between 1712 and 1812 was fairly eventful in Pennsylvania. The war brewing up north is another reason Jack might be interested in leaving the nest.
The black cat is a not so subtle reference to Thackery Binx from Hocus Pocus.
The log cabin is ostensibly the one Jack's family might have lived in.
Chapter 2:
The Edo era... one of the most romanticized periods in Japan. Probably has something to do with the prolific art and elaborate styles of the period, and the fact that it was relatively peaceful.
Ukiyo-e block prints are iconic of this period.
If you're not too familiar with Japanese history, Edo is the previous name for what's now Tokyo.
Translation: "Hanashite!" = "Let go!"
Chapter 3:
Translations:
"Kochirakoso, dare? Naze atashi o oikaketeita?" - "Same to you, who are you? Why were you chasing me?"
"Kono fuku ga okashii," - "These clothes are funny."
"Kono kami mo!"- "This hair, too!"
"Kore nani?" - "What's this?"
"Tokubetsu da?" - "It's special?"
"Naze nan darou..." - "I wonder why..."
"Atashi wa Tsukiko," - "I'm Tsukiko."
Tsukiko talks in a weird mix of formal and informal Japanese. I didn't try to make her speech historically accurate, since Jack's English isn't.
Tsukiko's appearance is typical of the classical Heian period in Japan (794 AD to 1185 AD)
Chapter 4:
"required neither food nor sleep" - so years ago I had the opportunity to ask Hamish Grieve, the head of story for the film, a few questions about Jack and the Guardians. One of the questions I asked was about if the Guardians needed food or sleep. His general consensus was that they could, but they didn't need it. The Guardians most closely related to humans (North and Jack) were probably more capable of it than the others.
Snow rabbits are a typical thing that Japanese children make in the snow in winter; usually made out of a ball of snow with two leaves for ears and berries or something like it for the eyes.
Translations:
"Mieru?" - "Can they see me?" This is actually a single verb (to be able to see) used as a whole sentence with context implied... Japanese is great like that.
"Touzen da yo!" - "Of course!"
"Doko da?" - "Where are you?"
"Kakureteiru kana..." - "Maybe he's hiding..."
"Bikkurishita..." - "That surprised me..." Often said after being startled.
"Youkai." - A very broad term for spirits/demons/monsters
"Bakemono nan da." - "It's a monster."
"Tomodachi?" - "Friends?"
"Yakusoku shite," - "Promise me."
"Sayonara!" - "Good-bye!" This is usually said when you won't be seeing the person again for a long time.
Chapter 5:
The beginning touches on the original idea from visual development for the film that Jack Frost was the one to change the colors of the leaves in the fall.
Translations:
"Okaeri!" - "Welcome back!" Usually said when greeting someone who has just returned home. The corresponding answer to this is "Tadaima" ("I'm back").
"Kakurenbo!" - Hide and seek.
"Shinpai shita." - "I was worried."
"Ano..." - "Well/umm..."
"Jakku wa... modorenai ka to..." - "Whether or not... you'd come back..." It's typical to use the person's name rather than the word "you".
"Un, yakusoku!" - "Yeah, promise!"
"Eto... ah, souka!" - "Uh... ah, that's right!"
"Sou, sou! Tobe!" - "Right! Fly!"
"Mattaku..." - "Good grief"... exasperated expression
"Yatta! Seikou!" - "Yeah! It's a hit!"
"Eto... mahou mitai darou?" - "Uh... it's like magic?"
"Kimochi." - Feelings
"Ii kimochi, ka..." "... warui kimochi." Good feelings or bad feelings.
I was interested in some sort of explanation for Jack's powers to inspire a sense of "fun" in people using snowflakes or snowballs. In a way this seems almost a bit of a sinister power, because in some ways it completely overrides a person's nature (Cupcake, Bunny) to instill an emotion or behavior.
Chapter 6:
The game Jack and Tsukiko play near the bridge is a Japanese word game called "shiritori". The only object of the game is to say a word that starts with the last syllable of the word your opponent used. The only rules are that the words have to be nouns, and cannot end in "n". Jack loses the first round because "kibun" ends with an "n".
The words Jack and Tsukiko use: yuki (snow), kibun (feeling), uma (horse), mahou (magic), uso (lie), sousou (funeral)
A nekomata is a type of Japanese demon, typically appearing as a cat with two tails. This particular one is an example of a mountain nekomata, a monstrous cat that preys on humans. Nekomata are mostly evil creatures that are thought to have necromantic powers, raising or controlling the dead, and are sometimes associated with fires.
This particular nekomata is designed after the Tsushima leopard cat.
Demons are sometimes associated with the stench of sulfur.
"A cornered rat will bite a cat" - "kyuuso neko wo kamu" - a Japanese idiom with a fairly obvious meaning
Tsukiko calls the demon "sensei", a respectful (and well known) term for a teacher, hinting at their past together
"Neko-chan" - the suffix "-chan" is typically added to the names of little girls. "Neko" means cat. Tsukiko is mocking him.
Chapter 7:
Tsukiko is talking about an encounter with a tanuki, also known as a raccoon dog. They have a mythological history in Japan as tricksters.
Sake is rice wine alcohol.
Tsukiko and Jack move to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan that was mostly inhabited by the Ainu during this period.
Translations:
"Dewa, itterasshai!" - "Well, see you later!"... "itterasshai" is traditionally said in response when someone leaves the house, something like saying "drive safe" nowadays
"Ittekimasu" - "See you" ... traditionally said when leaving the house
I was curious why if ever Jack might have learned to use his staff for combat; in this case, he is training not just to protect himself against external threats, but also in a way to protect others from Tsukiko, though this is just in the back of his mind at the time
The wolves are a now extinct species alternately known as the Hokkaido, the Ezo, or the Japanese wolf, native to the island of Hokkaido. About the size of a gray wolf.
"Droning of bugs" - reference to the sound of cicadas in the summer in Japan
Jack's outfit is kind of typical for a commoner traveling during this period, probably pilfered from clothes lines.
Chapter 8:
The flashback is a reference to Valley Forge, the infamous military camp during the American Revolutionary War where over 2,000 soldiers died, many of disease and exposure to freezing temperatures.
The lights or fire around Tsukiko are known as hitodama, the souls of the dead often depicted as balls of fire in Japanese folklore... artistic liberties were taken to give them the appearance of rabbits
As a demon, Tsukiko is larger than most small towns and can make incredible leaps across Japan, setting off earthquakes when she lands. Her fur is split evenly down the middle with one half having the appearance of the "light" side of the moon and the other having inverted markings like the "dark" side of the moon. Her features as a demon hare are highly exaggerated with extra long ears and a long tail.
Chapter 9:
The children are talking about the "Year Without a Summer", a real event in the year 1816 where a volcanic eruption in Indonesia caused a dramatic climate shift, causing frost and snow in the middle of summer in parts of North America.
Chapter 10:
"fuzanken janai" - Tsukiko's softened this a bit, but it still essentially means "stop bullshitting me"/"you're so full of shit"
The shogun in the Edo era was not technically the ruler of Japan - the emperor was - but they might as well have been as the military leaders of Japan.
The stone foundation inside the palace that Tsukiko is standing on is the remains of a five-story tower that was once the highest tower in Japan before it was destroyed in a fire in 1657.
Thanks for reading! - Tigrin