Talk:Undercurrent (manga)

About prix Asie-ACBD
It might be an obscure French prize but it should be pondered by the fact that the ACBD is an association made of professional comics reviewers & journalists. So the nominated works & the prize winner will get mentioned by those professionals in there respective mediums (radio/tv/newspaper/magazine/internet). --KrebMarkt 16:34, 28 June 2009 (UTC)


 * It's not well-known in the Anglosphere, but it sounds like it does convey notability. —Quasirandom (talk) 17:18, 28 June 2009 (UTC)


 * This prize isn't much money. Its power comes that it's the choice made by +70 comics journalists/reviewers. Somehow it is perceived as the comics critics pick of the year in Asian comics (Manga/Manhua/Manhwa with Manga alone representing +90%). Some people complained about how elitist is the prize. --KrebMarkt 17:50, 28 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Most of the better literary prizes pay in the prestige -- and resulting sales -- rather than money direct. Not that the Euros are anything to sneer at. —Quasirandom (talk) 18:25, 28 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Smuggled: Japan Expo 2009 + mention of Undercurrent on France Info --KrebMarkt 18:13, 28 June 2009 (UTC)


 * The year of Shoujo, eh? (And if I had Natsuki Takaya as a guest, I'd be trumpeting her as well. She doesn't travel outside of Japan much.) —Quasirandom (talk) 18:27, 28 June 2009 (UTC)
 * The main attraction is CLAMP & also Nana's Ai Yazawa was scheduled but renounced due to bad health/illness. So if we add them together we have the crazy year of the Shojo.
 * From what i understood the prix Asie-ACBD was created at the suggestion of the Japan Expo. They wanted a prize similar to the Prix de la critique also awarded by the same ACBD. --KrebMarkt 19:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Review workshop
So are we ready to start digesting the reviews into a Reception section? —Quasirandom (talk) 01:39, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I will add maybe one or two reviews ;) By the way i think we will have enough materials to do a DYK. --KrebMarkt 08:54, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Look at that ... KrebMarkt run away as far as possible. --KrebMarkt 11:02, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Hee! I love it. (BTW, the detective in Undercurrent is a recurring character in Toyoda's current series, Coffee Time.) I'll get to editing the new review in a bit. —Quasirandom (talk) 14:16, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * small update direct link to the image. --KrebMarkt 08:29, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

Manga News review
''Les personnages les plus présents vont se révéler plus attachants que prévus et avec chacun une histoire propre, venant ajoutés une profondeur au récit. Chaque page de réflexion et de souvenirs plus ou moins heureux sur le passé des personnages est intelligemment photographiée, des prises de vue tantôt angoissantes, froides tantôt réconfortantes se mèlent pour former au final une oeuvre unique depuis bien longtemps dans le paysage du manga en France.''
 * The most present characters reveal themselves as more attractive than expected, each with their own story, adding more depth to the story.
 * Each page of reflection and memories, either happy or not, on the characters' past is cleverly rendered; the views are sometimes anguishingly cold and other times comforting, mixed together to form in the end a unique work [not seen] for quite a long time in the landscape of French manga.

Comment: reviewer omited a verb in the last sentence but the rest of the sentence let us guess it something like 'not seen'
 * Gotcha. I want to make that [of a sort not seen], but that would be too much interpretation, I think. —Quasirandom (talk) 16:19, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

''L'auteur, Tetsuya Toyoda, jusqu'alors inconnue en France nous livre ici une merveille ! Profond et lumineux, ce titre apporte un sourire aux lèvres avec un sentiment d'accalmie à la fermeture du livre... En effet la facilité de l'auteur pour nous exprimer les différents sentiments des personnages est bluffante et lui permet même de nous apporter des réponses à cet abandon de la femme par son mari, qui d'habitude sont absentes dans ce genre de titre, et ce dans le but de laisser une fin ouverte ; l'auteur est d'autant plus douée qu'elle nous sème dans la psychologie des personnages par le biais d'une autre disparition, cette fois ci entre un frère et une soeur et finalement posant d'autres conséquences psychologiques avec une ouverture sur un autre débat...''
 * The author, Tetsuya Toyoda, until now unknown in France, delivers a wonder! Deep and luminous, this title makes us smile with a feeling of calm when closing the book...
 * Indeed, the author's ease at expressing the different characters' sentiments is bluffing, allowing him to give this abandonment of the wife by the husband answers, which are often absent in this kind of title, which aim to keep the ending open; the author is even more gifted in that she (sic) has us lost in the characters' psychologies by using another disappearance, this time between a brother and sister, and finally setting other psychological consequences with an opening on another debate...

Comment: the last paragraph refers to the genre where the disparation is not resolved usually, the double disparition the husband & the chilhood friends.--KrebMarkt 08:51, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * That sentence is still a bit tangled in English; will try again later. I marked "she" with (sic), as Tetsuya is ordinarily a male-only name, so I'd been assuming the mangaka is a man. —Quasirandom (talk) 16:19, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

Anime Land review
''Tetsuya Toyoda aime ces petites histoires entre la comédie et le fait divers. [...] Ce mangaka publié au Japon dans le mensuel d’Afternoon possède un certain talent de conteur et un amour évident pour le cinéma, tant certains plans paraissent tout droit sortis de la nouvelle vague du cinéma japonais. Le seul hic se situe dans les dessins. Même s’ils ne sont pas désagréables, Kanae ressemble à un garçon, tout comme sa tante.''
 * Tetsuya loves these short stories between comedy and slice of life. [...] This mangaka, published in Japan in the monthly Afternoon, possess a certain gift for story-telling and an obvious love for cinema, so much that some frames seem to come out straight from the Japanese New Wave cinema. The sole hiccup is in the drawings. Even if they are not unappealing, Kanae looks too much like a boy, as does her aunt. --KrebMarkt 08:59, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Edited. Does "frames" work for plans? (And she does not look like a boy. Sheesh. Good comparison Japanese New Wave cinema, though -- hadn't noticed till it was pointed out, but, yeah.) —Quasirandom (talk) 21:55, 16 July 2009 (UTC)
 * If it's how it's called in English i see no problem. --KrebMarkt 22:04, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

Le Soir.be review
''Ce manga très riche en émotions guérit les blessures de la vie. Sa finesse et l’intimité du dessin raviront les fans de Jirô Taniguchi.''
 * This manga, rich in emotions, heals life wounds. Its detailed and intimate art will make fans of Jiro Taniguchi rejoice.


 * Comment: Taniguchi is a good comparison. —Quasirandom (talk) 23:08, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

Bodoï review
''Placé sous le signe de l’eau, Undercurrent est un manga zen et onirique sur le temps qui passe, tel un courant contre lequel on ne peut lutter, rappelant en cela les œuvres du maître Jiro Taniguchi (Quartiers lointains). Ce drame réaliste est construit comme un véritable story-board de film, où même les ralentis sont suggérés. Il impose ainsi un rythme quasi hypnotique où chaque geste, chaque sous-entendu, chaque surface d’eau troublée, sont brossés avec un graphisme minutieux. Soutenu par une galerie de personnages hauts en couleurs - un détective en loques, un monolithique employé des bains, et un grand-père franchement libidineux -, Undercurrent verra sa conclusion au bord de la mer, symbole de nouveau départ pour tous ces protagonistes.''
 * Put under the symbol of water, Undercurrent is a zen-like and dream-like manga on the passage of time, as a flow against which we cannot struggle, recalling on this point the world of the master Jiro Taniguchi (Haruka na Machi e). This realistic drama is built like a movie storyboard, where even slow motions are suggested. Supported by a colorful cast of characters -- a detective in rags, a monolithic public bath worker, and a clearly libidinous grandfather -- Undercurrent finds its conclusion at the sea's edge, symbol of a new departure for all those protagonists.


 * Yeah, oneiric is a real word, but few people know it and would use dream-like instead (it's a common term in reviews). There was one phrase, I'm not seeing in the original and so deleted. —Quasirandom (talk) 00:58, 17 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Thankee. French reviews tend to be colorful --KrebMarkt 05:41, 17 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Speaking of which, what's the connotations of monolithique in this? In English, monolithic has the sense of uniform and unmoving, but also massive at the same time (a monolith is a large standing stone). —Quasirandom (talk) 20:27, 17 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Same meanings in French. It's also convey a sense of denseness meaning you can hardly see through the monolith. --KrebMarkt 15:33, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

BD Gest' review
''Cette première œuvre de Tetsuya Toyoda publiée en français invite le lecteur à suivre le quotidien de Kanae. Par le biais d'une tranche de vie pleine d’humanité, l’auteur livre l’histoire de cette femme qui, malgré le chagrin et l’incompréhension, va graduellement reprendre goût à la vie. Mais cette lente remontée à la surface fera également resurgir d’anciens démons qui ne manqueront pas d’intriguer le lecteur. Porté par un courant de sentiments, ce dernier se laisse baigner dans le présent de Kanae, tout en essayant de percer le voile que l’auteur laisse délibérément planer sur son passé.''
 * This first work of Testuya Toyoda to be published in French invites the reader to follow the daily life of Kanae. With a slice-of-life (story) full of humanity, the author gives us the tale of a woman who, despite her chagrin and incomprehension, gradually recaptures her taste for life. However, this slow climb up to the surface also brings back old daemons, which will not fail to leave the reader intrigued. Carried by a flow of emotions, the reader be immersed in Kanae's daily life, while trying to pierce the veil that the author deliberately draped over her past.

''Le travail livré sur les personnages secondaires est également remarquable. Il y a d’abord M. Hori, qui fait office de bouée de sauvetage et qui, au fil des pages, accompagne Kanae dans sa délicate remontée. Un homme discret qu’elle embauche pour l'aider à tenir ses bains publics, mais qui semble également torturé par des événements du passé. Il y a ensuite ce détective privé qui insuffle un peu de légèreté et d’humour au récit, tout en alimentant son côté polar. Le graphisme alterne un style assez classique, mais parfaitement maîtrisé, qui colle parfaitement à l’aspect intimiste de ce manga, et des passages se rapprochant de la peinture, qui restituent admirablement le côté trouble des souvenirs des protagonistes.''
 * The work done on the secondary characters is equally remarkable. The first is Mr. Hori, who act as a life buoy, who, following the pages, keep company to Kanae's delicate resurfacing. A discreet man she hires to help to run the public bath, but who seems also to be tortured by events from the past. Next is the private detective who instills a bit of lightness and comedy into the story, while fueling the detective story side. The art alternates between a rather classic style, but well mastered, which fits perfectly with the intimate aspects of this manga, and something close to painting, which admirably reproduces the protagonists' troubled memories.

Undercurrent est un one-shot très touchant qui ne manquera pas de plaire aux fans de Taniguchi.
 * Undercurrent is a very touching one-shot which won't fail to please the fans of Taniguchi.

--KrebMarkt 09:53, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I'm not quite quite grasping the sense of travail livré sur les personnages: the work the author has put into the characters? Would "The secondary characters are equally remarkable" do as a translation?
 * And that's two three comparisons to Jiro Taniguchi -- must be certain to mention that. —Quasirandom (talk) 20:17, 17 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Should be read as: "The effort on the secondaries characters is also worth mentions" meaning wise but i want to have a translation literally close to original.
 * It's is said that Jiro Taniguchi praised Tetsuya Toyoda. I still need to find a RS to verify that fact which is certainly true.
 * Yes, if Taniguchi prised Toyoda, it's worth tracking a reference down. —Quasirandom (talk) 15:57, 18 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Got the bottom of the story. The first print of the French Undercurrent included an ad banner quoting Taniguchi's praises for Toyoda. As i own the second print i don't have that banner :( --KrebMarkt 15:38, 19 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Only the first? What were they thinking? Ah well -- something to watch out for while moving on. —Quasirandom (talk) 19:58, 19 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Well the second print has an Angoulême International Comics Festival selection 2009 sticker on it ;) I found 3 more reviews that may be RS. One of them can prove that Taniguchi praised Toyoda without giving the exact content of that praise.
 * A rather off topic question. Are you interested on working on Yoshiharu Tsuge biography in Q4 2009 ? (yea i'm thinking that much ahead) I think there are enough materials for GA with 6-7 English and French biographies from RS sources. --KrebMarkt 20:37, 19 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Ah, they were thinking something sensible. Shows what I know. As for whether I'm interested, ask again when you start preparing -- I've no idea what I'll have on my virtual plate at the time. If nothing else has my attention, you may be talk me into it. —Quasirandom (talk) 01:38, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Manga Sanctuary review
''L'auteur nous présente en détail le quotidien des personnes qui travaillent dans des bains publics avec un réalisme saisissant. Mais l'auteur met surtout l'accent sur le psychologique en nous montrant la détresse et surtout l'impuissance de Kanae face au départ inexpliqué de son mari. Ceci fait penser aux personnes dont un proche a disparu et qui n'arrivent pas à faire leur deuil : le pire est de ne pas savoir.''
 * The author presents in detail the daily life of people who work in a public bath with startling realism. However the author focuses on the psychology showing the Kanae's distress and powerlessness in the face of her husband's unexplained departure. This reminds us of persons who have lost a relative and cannot mourn: the worst thing is not knowing.

[...] ''J'ai trouvé le dessin agréable bien que plutôt simple et assez épuré. Le tout est très sérieux mais bien heureusement l'auteur a su intégrer quelques personnages originaux et comiques qui cassent un peu le rythme plutôt lent du manga.''
 * I found the art pleasant though rather simple and very uncluttered. As a whole, it is very serious but fortunately the author managed to integrate few funny and original characters who break up the rather slow rhythm of the manga a bit.

Sans trop en dire, le dénouement est à la hauteur du reste : réaliste et sans surenchère.
 * Whithout giving spoilers, the ending is at the same level than rest: realistic without overdoing it.

''Undercurrent est un one shot vraiment apaisant qui alterne habilement les longs silences et l'émotion. Le côté enquête est vraiment intéressant et tout le long on s'interroge sur ce qui a bien pu arriver à ce mari disparu...bref, l'auteur sait nous tenir en haleine mais sans tomber vraiment dans le manga à suspense.''
 * Undercurrent is an one-shot resting on alternatives, skillfully [word missing?] the long silences and emotions. The investigation side is really interesting and all through the story we ask ourselves what could have happened to this vanished husband ... In brief, the author knows how to keep us interested without really falling into a suspense manga.

Au final, Undercurrent fait passer un agréable moment grâce à la description d'un environnement hors du commun et une histoire singulière
 * Finaly, Undercurrent gives us a pleasant moment thanks to descriptions out of universal norms and a singular story.[...]

[...] Un one shot touchant à découvrir.
 * A touching one shot to discover.

--KrebMarkt 12:49, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Ah! here we go -- I found a translation of épuré when referring to art style as "uncluttered." That seems to be what's being gotten at here. How does that sound to you? —Quasirandom (talk) 16:21, 18 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Use of "uncluttered" is correct as it imply the lack of excess. I guess, we have made the full tour of French to English comics terms translation --KrebMarkt 16:55, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

Planete BD
''L’auteur nous offre un récit juste et sensible de manière subtile et ponctue l’histoire en s’attardant un peu sur les personnages secondaires. Que ce soit dans le rire ou les larmes, les sentiments sont parfaitement décrits et réalistes et on se laisse porter par l’histoire. Hormis le découpage qui manque un peu d’originalité, la qualité graphique est très correcte : personnages expressifs, tramage et encrage maîtrisés, décors relativement soignés et présents. Le style est net et épuré, et le choix des plans est réfléchi. Ce one-shot est une très agréable surprise et on a hâte de lire les prochains titres de l’auteur.'
 * The author offers in subtle ways an accurate and sensible story, and punctuates it by focusing a bit on the secondary characters. Whether for tears or laughs, the sentiments are perfectly described and realistic, and we let ourselves be carried by the story. Aside from the layout of some scenes, which lacked some originality, the art quality is very correct: expressive characters, screentone and inking mastered, background details relatively well drawn and presented. The style is neat and uncluttered, and the choice of frames are well thought out. This one-shot is a very pleasant surprise and we are in hurry to read the author's next titles.

Comment: Done or so. Thnaks for the Copy-Edit. --KrebMarkt 13:53, 29 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I like this review best of all -- explaining what is so good about this. —Quasirandom (talk) 16:16, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

Auracan.com
The reviewer is currently a member of the French ACBD that will give him the modicum of credibility as comics/manga reviewer.

[...] Celle-ci aborde le thème des disparitions, phénomène qui toucherait 100.000 personnes au Japon.
 * This one (Undercurrent) deals with the theme of disappearance, a phenomenon which affects 100,000 persons in Japan.


 * Comment: Good number for lead or plot section
 * Indeed. But is that total, per year, or what? —Quasirandom (talk) 14:18, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Started as something nice to spice the article and dig up something worth an article.
 * The Japanese term for those who voluntary disappear is Johatsu and according to Sylvère Henri Cissé (journalist) in his chronicle "vue d'ailleurs" in On n'est pas que des parents TV show on the French France 5, between 70 000 and 100 000 persons disappeared every year in Japan. The term was coined due to many of the persons who disappear go into the Mont Fuji's onsen to get cleansed from their past and start their life anew. Their past is literally "evaporated" in the onsen vapors. For a rough explanation see that photo reportage the number in introduction is dubious as it's from a photograph not a journalist. --KrebMarkt 16:30, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * This happens, when you do research. New and sparkly things lead to more new and sparkly things. Interesting research indeed. And relevant to the article. —Quasirandom (talk) 17:44, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

''Quelques années après son mariage, Satoru Shiraishi abandonne, sans crier gare, sans un mot d’ailleurs, le domicile conjugal et l’affaire commune de bains publics. Son épouse Kanae Sekiguchi se retrouve seule à faire fonctionner les bains Tsuki No Yu jusqu’à l’arrivée providentielle d’Hori, un beau jeune homme assez ténébreux, envoyé par le Syndicat pour l’aider. Se représente enfin Saburo Tajima, un vieil homme excentrique qui s’immisce dans ses affaires. Malgré son courage et son entourage, la jeune femme ne peut se résoudre à la disparition de son époux et finit par accepter le conseil d’une amie d’engager un détective privé Michio Yamazaki au comportement étrange.''
 * A few years after their mariage, Satoru Shiraishi left, without warning, without leaving a word, the conjugal home and their joint business, a public bathhouse. His spouse, Kanae Sekiguchi, finds herself alone keeping the Tsuki No Yu baths working until the providential arrival of Hori, a good-looking, rather gloomy young man, sent by the Syndicate to help her. Then we meet Saburo Tajima, an eccentric old man who interferes with her life. Even with her courage and company, the young woman cannot accept her husband's disappearance and finally accepts a friend's advice to hire a private detective, Michio Yamazaki, with strange behavior.


 * Comment: Nice chunk no need for re-read to get the protagonists names :p
 * Indeed. I'm not quite sure about leaving "entourage" as is -- the sense seems to be more her company or surroundings than the usual English meaning of people who accompany her. Thoughts? —Quasirandom (talk) 16:33, 21 July 2009 (UTC)
 * company would do. --KrebMarkt 18:02, 21 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Done, and tweaked. —Quasirandom (talk) 19:53, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

L’histoire pose de nombreuses interrogations et tourne autour des relations entre Kanae et ces quatre hommes dans une société japonaise traditionnelle qui épie tous ses faits et gestes et ne se gêne pas pour laisser planer de lourds silences et de nombreux sous-entendus, terme qui pourrait être la traduction du titre. Est-il convenable pour une femme seule d’héberger son jeune employé ? Qu’a-t-elle bien pu faire pour que son mari la quitte ainsi ?
 * The story asks a lot of questions and turn around the relationship of Kanae and those four men in a traditional Japanese society which watches all her doing and doesn't hesitate to leave heavy silences and numerous insinuations, term which could be the translation of the title. Is it acceptable for lone woman to host her young worker ? What did she do to have her husband leave her ?


 * Comment: sous-entendu. Blunt translation is under - understood and the title is Under current.

L’auteur plonge dans l’intimité du couple et déshabille, décortique la psychologie et les souffrances de l’héroïne et des autres personnages. La tension dramatique se fait ressentir progressivement. Finalement, l’histoire est touchante parce qu’elle campe des personnages crédibles dans une enquête qui va de surprise en surprise. Le dessin sobre, précis et expressif, dans la tradition de Jirô Taniguchi, traduit parfaitement les intentions de l’auteur, assure à la lecture sa fluidité et découvre une autre facette du Japon.
 * The author dives into the couple intimacy and strip bare, decorticate the psychology and sufferings of the heroine and the others characters. The dramatic tension get itself progressively felt. Finally the story is touching because its depicts credible characters in an investigation that from a surprise to another. The drawing sober, precise and expressive in the Jirô Taniguchi's tradition, translates perfectly the author intent, ensures the reading fluidity and we discover another aspect of the Japan.

--KrebMarkt 12:03, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Mang'arte blog
It's from the official blog of the late Arte Mang'Arte show. From Mang'Arte to its blog The blog is also referenced as an Arte's officials blogs (just roll the list of the Made in Arte).

[...] Tetsuya Toyoda. Retenez bien ce nom. Kana ne s’y est pas trompé en bardant ce nouveau volume d’une citation élogieuse du grand Taniguchi qui loue les qualités narratives du monsieur. A juste titre. Le rythme lent et souvent contemplatif, de même que l’attention à raconter le quotidien par des menus détails concourent à rapprocher les deux mangakas même si Toyoda s’autorise plus facilement des envolées cocasses et presque absurdes par le truchement de personnages hauts en couleur, en l’occurrence ici un détective gentiment déglingué et un vieux grigou attachant apportant des petites pastilles légères au milieu d’une histoire marquée par une tension émotive permanente.
 * Tetsuya Toyoda. Remember that name. Kana (the publisher) doesn't mistake by putting on this new volume a commendation from the great Taniguchi who praises the narrative qualities of the man. A well justified/deserved one. The rhythm is slow and contemplative, in addition the focus on telling the daily life by small details concur in getting closer those two mangakas even if Toyoda permit himself more easily funnies flights/outbursts and nearly absurds by using colorful characters, in occurrence here a nicely weird detective and an old appealing "grigou" bringing smalls tablets of lightness/airiness in the middle of a story marked by a permanent emotive tension.

Car Undercurrent ne manque pas d’interpeller par son propos qui creuse le mystère que recèle chacun d’entre nous et qui rend vain par extension toute connaissance profonde et absolue de « l’autre ». Tout en pudeur et en retenu, Toyoda nous montre une femme face à son incompréhension d’avoir perdu un être cher suite à une décision aussi brutale qu’inexpliquée. Jouant magnifiquement de l’ambiance languide et ouatée du décor des bains qui favorise la promiscuité et attise la relation ambiguë entre l’héroïne et son aide providentielle, Toyoda ne tombe pourtant jamais dans les facilités et les réponses toutes faites, comme s’il nous glissait que la vie ne pouvait se réduire à un artifice scénaristique. Une approche subtile et ouverte qui place Undercurrent comme l’un des mangas de l’année.
 * Bacause Undercurrent doesn't miss to accost us by its telling/talking which dig into the mystery that each one of us conceals and which make vain by extent any deep & absolute understanding of "the other". All in [pudeur] and restrain, Toyoda shows us a woman facing her incomprehension to have lost someone dear following an as brutal as unexplained decision. Playing magnificently on the languid and wadded baths background ambiance which favorites the promiscuity and stirs the ambiguous relationship between the heroine and her providential help, Toyoda however doesn't fall into the facility and the all-made/pre-made answers, as if he is whispering to us that life could not be reduced to a scenario artifice. A subtle and open approach which places Undercurrent as one of the manga of the year.


 * Comment: The hardest of the whole bunch of reviews :( I used wadded for ouatée which into a cotton/wool like feel. That the very last one --KrebMarkt 14:25, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * Hmm -- "wadded" sounds very odd. "Cotton wool" can be used descriptively for a mood/feel, but it'll take a bit of thinking to get the correct idiom here. —Quasirandom (talk) 21:09, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
 * We have time. The most important is to get the meaning and the right idiom will fall upon you when you expect it the less. At least that how it happens for me. I really wanted that one review regardless how convoluted RS evidences are for that source because it mentioned the Taniguchi's praises. --KrebMarkt 21:41, 20 July 2009 (UTC)