Enemy Mine 007

Translator's Note 219

What if an Earthling were to raise an alien child?
My disgustingly cute enemy I encountered on a crash-landed planet

“Jamis, you’re a drag.
“Drag is three fingers on one hand.”

“Irkmaan!”
The guy spat it out.
“You disgusting drag bastard!”
I waved both hands in front of my chest.
“Come at me, you drag bastard! Come at me!”
“Irkmaan Baa, Corum Su!”
_Page 7

Earthling David and dragoon Sheegan crash-land on an uninhabited planet called Pyrin IV.
Human and drag.
The two races have been enemies for a long time, clashing while colonizing planets in space.
To humans, drag is a creature that is repulsive from the very beginning.
Yellow skin, yellow eyes, and a face with almost no nose.
There are three fingers.
Since they are hermaphrodites, they have both male and female reproductive organs in one body.
The derogatory term “toad face” is widespread.
But David and Sheegan meet for the first time on this uninhabited planet and have no choice but to join hands.
Because they have to somehow survive in a harsh and isolated environment.
As they build a home to stay in, gather and store firewood and food, avoid the wind and waves, and light a signal fire to call for help, the two eventually become close.
'Enemy Mine' and 'My Enemy' become 'us' and learn each other's language and culture.
In particular, David learns deeply about drag culture and overcomes his prejudices against the drag race.
Rather, it even fills me with awe.
As time passed, Shigan's due date, which was due to her pregnancy, approached.
But, as fate would have it, Shigan died giving birth! David is left to raise this tiny, yellow alien baby, Jamis.

“Jamis.”
“Yes, Uncle?”
“Jamis, you’re a drag.
“Drag is three fingers on one hand.”
I raised my right hand and wiggled my fingers.
“I am human and I have five fingers.”
I then saw tears welling up in the child's eyes.
“Do you get a fourth or fifth finger when you grow up?”
I sat down and looked straight into Jamie's eyes.
The child was wondering where his other two fingers had gone.
Page 109

The novel now focuses on David and Jamis.
I've never even raised a human baby, let alone an alien baby.
Davis is at a loss as to what the baby's physiology will be like and how to handle it.
On the other hand, to this tiny, cute creature, Jamis, everything is a wonder.
How will the story unfold? Will the two be able to adapt well together? Will they be able to return to their respective planets? Encounters between aliens and humans are a long-standing theme in science fiction.
However, the story of a human becoming the uncle of an alien baby and taking care of it garners valuable and unique attention.
『Enemy Mine』, which gives readers a dreamy and touching feeling, will reach readers as a very cute SF.

“How can we stop the war if we don’t talk to each other?”
A novel that reminds us of the values ​​of care, anti-war, and coexistence.

The novel's charm also lies in the unique traditions and customs of the alien race, the Draken.
David learns his family traditions from his father.
And when Shigan died, it was he who had to teach the tradition to Jamis.
The human David acts not only as a child's guardian but also as a mediator or transmitter of drag culture, and the drag traditions that emerge significantly as the narrative progresses provide subtle lessons.

“The five names of the Jeriva family must be added to the records of those who bear those names.
“It’s not the name, but the deeds that matter.”
_Page 136.

The way dragoons name things is different from the way humans do.
Only five names are used: 'Gottig', 'Shigan', 'Jamis', 'Tai', and 'Haesni'.
Because the name is not that important, what is more important is the story of a person's life.
So, the name must be accompanied by a record of the deeds.
It is about placing value on an active life that is created through living rather than something that is innate.
To be recognized as a full-grown adult, a dragoon must recite the history of his family, including his deeds, in front of the family record archives.
This was also a task that David had to teach Jamis.
As such, coming-of-age ceremonies, which deeply recognize the deeds and history of our ancestors, remind us that we are living beings in this world who have inherited and must continue to inherit from our ancestors, and make us reflect on the values ​​of life we ​​should pursue.

Of course, the novel is a story about how to accept others.
The title of the novel, 'Enemy Mine', has a different nuance from 'My Enemy'.
If the latter implies a hostile relationship, the structure in which 'Mine' modifies 'Enemy' has the nuance of communicating and cooperating with enemies.
The work depicts friendship as the title suggests, and subtly criticizes the world situation that makes people enemies.
It is especially exquisitely portrayed through the eyes of a child named Jamie.
The innocent question, “How can we stop the war if we don’t talk to each other?” (page 139), and the kind heart of a child who says, “I want to become an interpreter and help end the war” (page 140), make adults reflect.
Even on Earth today, wars continue and violence runs rampant.
Hostility and discrimination against others are becoming more widespread.
This masterpiece, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards, is a fun and touching novel, yet also a timely science fiction work that reminds us of the values ​​of care, anti-war, and coexistence. It has arrived here in translation.