Jonn: I’m John. I’m American. How do you do? Yui: I’m Yui. How do you do? Jonn: Yui, do you speak English? Yui: I’m currently studying it. John, do you speak Japanese? John: Yes, I do, but I can’t let go of your hand. (Jonn: Hanashimasu. Demo, kono te ha hanashimasenn.) Yui: John, you speak (Japanese) well (you are good at letting go). So, please let go of my hand. (Yui: John, hanashi jouzu ne. Soreja, ohanashi kudasai.) John: Should we speak English for your benefit Yui? (Jonn: Yui no tame ni Eigo de hanashimashou ka.) Yui: That’s fine, but first, you should let go of my hand (begin with a lesson). (Yui: Ii desu ne. Demo, mazu ha tehodoki kara ne.) Manga Explanation: Scene 1. At an international party. John, a cheerful American man speaks in English to Yui, a Japanese woman. Yui replies in Japanese. They shake hands. Scene 2. Yui asks John whether he speaks Japanese or not. Scene 3. John says in Japanese that he speaks (hanashimasu), but doesn’t let go (hanashimasenn) of her hand. “Hanasu” means “speak” and “let go.” This is a pun on “hanasu.” Yui tells John that he is “hanashi jouzu ne,” which means “a good talker,” but her reply also implies that he is “good at letting go.” Scene 4. John suggests they speak in English, and Yui replies, “First, tehodoki kara.” “Tehodoki” means both “te wo hodoku” or “let go of my hand” and “a lesson.” This is also a pun.
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