About the Bath Scene in Pluto EP5
Introduction
This is a note that identifies and examines the parts of the bath scene in Pluto series EP5 that I don't understand, and gives my own interpretation.
Why does taking a bath help you write a novel? What is May trying to convey? Let's think about this.
The story that Aioon (Oom) tells May = "Story"
The novel written by Aioon (Oom) = "Novel"
First, I will explain the background of the scene.
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Aioon (Oom) said, "I wanted to know what it means to be loved," and shared their experience of the love they felt through May. Hearing this, May responded, "I love it when you tell me these things. It's like reading a novel—I can imagine it and truly feel it." Inspired by this, Aioon decided to try writing a story for May. When she finally reads what she has written to May, she says, "This is a little different from the story Oom tells me."
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May：Lay it down, let your burdens fade, Release the worries, shade by shade, Let body and mind drift gently apart, Feel the water that warms your heart. In stillness, Three Characteristics you’ll find, A realization right before your eyes, Impermanence, selflessness, touches of dismay, Things come, linger, then slip away.
Aioon（Oom）： That’s euphonious.
May：A Dhamma poem. I recited it to help me get through the first phase of being blind. Do you know what it means?
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She gives Aioon (Oom) a bath, and offers to help her write a novel. Recites a Dhamma poem* May says she read to encourage herself when she lost her sight, in order to get through it.
I reply that Aioon (Oom) is another beautiful sounding poem.
May asks Aioon (Oom) if you know what this means?
*Dhamma Poem = Dhammapada (In Jp, this is called an "HOKKUGYŌ＝法句経")
One of the Buddhist scriptures, a sutra composed entirely of rhymes, which convey Buddhist teachings in the form of short verses (aphorisms).
"This represents the three characteristics* in Buddhism. The nature of all things in this world. impermanence, suffering, and non-self," Aioon (Oom) replies.
The Three Characteristics＝"Impermanence, suffering, and non-self" are important teachings known as the "The Three Characteristics" (In Jp, this is called an "SANSŌ＝三相".)
She then says that this Dhamma poem is the same as the story ("Story") that Aioon (Oom) tells May.
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May：It’s like your poem .It has meaning and euphony. You just need to differentiate what the meaning is and what euphony is. For poems, it’s called "euphonious*". For novels, it’s called "fun".
May：The way you describe things so well when you’re with me
is because you add euphony, not a story.
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Furthermore, Aioon (Oom) explains that the reason she can speak so well when she's with May is because she's adding euphony.
*euphonious＝Contains nuances such as "pleasant sound", "beautiful resonance", and "aurally pleasant"
Let's take a moment to think about what effect "euphonious" has.
First of all, when I first heard the Dhamma poem that May read, I thought it was similar to Japanese HAIKU because of its rhythmic prose.
(The reason for this is that HAIKU is a short poem consisting of 5, 7, and 5 syllables = 17 syllables. There is also a rule to include a “seasonal word” to describe the season, but we will skip that.)
< – update 20241121 – >
The verses of the Dhamma are considered to be scriptures composed solely of poetic form. Now, what is poetry? Poetry is defined as "a text that has a certain rhythm and is structured in a formal manner." (In Jp, this is called an “INBUN”=”韻文”.)
The term "rhythm" refers to "the rhythm of words created by variations in sound strength, length, and pitch."
(In Jp, this is called an "INRUTSU”＝”韻律”)
In other words, a text that has a certain rhythm is referred to as "poetry（INBUN=韻文）
An easy-to-understand example in the English-speaking world is the rhymes with Mother Goose.
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Hey, diddle, diddle-Mother Goose
Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
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"Diddle/fiddle" and "moon/spoon" rhyme.
In Japan, verse generally refers to "HAIKU, TANKA, and poetry." When I heard Dhamma poem, I felt it was similar to HAIKU because both are composed in verse.
Later, I will also write about syllables and beats, but it seems that the prosody in verse is fundamentally determined by the form of the words that compose it (such as accent patterns, tones, and the number of syllables and morae).
So my interpretation of syllables and beats ended up being something of a bonus.
I'll leave it here as a record since I've come this far.
< – update end – >
I also thought that syllables* and mora* were also related. However, this syllable differs depending on the language, so you need to be careful.
*Syllable = A unit that separates sounds centered around vowels.
*Mora = rhythmic unit.
...It's getting very confusing. I'll try my best to think about it using an example.
Differences depending on the syllable, Mora, and language of "chocolate"
EN:「chocolate」choc・o・late // 3 mora for 3 syllables
JP: 「chocolate」cho・ko・rē・to(cho・ko・rē・i・to) // 5 mora for 4 syllables
Even though the word "chocolate" is the same, the syllables and mora are different in English and Japanese.
The Dhamma poem that May read is made up of Thai syllables and mora, so even if you translate it into English or Japanese, the euphonious effect will be lost.
(Because the number of sounds and rhythms will be off)
Therefore, I think it is best to understand the Dhamma poems by the sound of May speaking. Returning to the topic of HAIKU, I thought that this Dhamma poem also has syllabic rules, just like the rules for HAIKU.
For example this phrase
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การวางใจอาวรณ์รู้อ่อนไหว （4 mora for 4 syllables）
I quoted from Thai automatic generation, but I'm not sure if it's correct. So I will post the URL of Ep5. We recommend that you listen while paying attention to the number of sounds. Do you know what it means to have a good rhythm and feel comfortable?
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Repeating the same number of syllables (4, 4, 4 syllables) or regular syllables (3, 4, 4 syllables + 3, 4, 4 syllables) gives a sense of rhythm to sentences.
Sentences that have a rhythm feel comfortable when reading or listening to them.
Why do sentences with a good rhythm feel comfortable? There are new themes to investigate. Is this deeply related? I'll leave it aside for now.
but I digress
We can get some hints about the euphonious from the Dhamma poems, but it seems that improving the rhythm is not enough.
Because May, who read the novel for the first time, says this.
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May：It's a little different from the story you always tell me.
May：The novel you wrote has characters,elements,and scenes.
It sounds too blunt.
It’s very straightforward,like reading legal documents,certificates,or biographies.
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"Oom's novels have characters, elements, and scenes (For convenience, we will call these "plot") but they're. It sounds too blunt. They're like legal documents, certificates, or biographies," May says.
Aioon (Oom) seems troubled, saying, "When I tell you a story, I don't think about a plot." "What should I do?" Aioon (Oom) asks May.
There, May tells Aioon (Oom) the words of her once
instructor.
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Laws are like taking off our clothes.
Writing a case file is like taking a shower.
Gathering evidence is like putting on makeup.
Witness hearings are like getting dressed.
In the end, you get your final look.
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The instructor's words use figurative expressions (simile expression*).
This simile has the effect of creating a visual image.
*simile expression in Eng= expression that uses words such as "like" or "as" to compare two things.
Describing a lawyer's work as analogous to getting dressed and ready.
The metaphor that understanding the meaning of clothing is understanding the meaning (at plot) of the novel.
Instead of saying "Just dress up = monotonous sentence," May says "Now, dress well." This is a metaphor for "dressing well = adding "euphonious."
These words contain everything May wanted to convey.
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Aioon：I wanted to know what it felt like to be loved.
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The episode that inspired Aioon (Oom) to write the novel is also a good illustration of the effectiveness of metaphoric expressions.
When Aioon (Oom) said, "I wanted to know what it was like to be loved," May asked, "What was it like?Aioon (Oom) said, "I wanted to know what it was like to be loved," and May asked, "What was it like?May then tells the "story" of how Aioon (Oom) felt about love.
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Aioon：It felt like my whole body was filling up with something,
and it just kept growing.
The more love I got, the bigger it grew. But instead of feeling heavy, no,
I actually felt like I could float.
May：It’sweird. Bigger but floaty.
Aioon：I guess love is like…the air in a balloon. It makes us bigger, beautiful, and floaty.
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This is the "story" of Aioon that May likes.
Here is the URL for the Ep that talks about love.
For example, what would happen if we told this story without using metaphors?
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A new sensation spread throughout my body, and it gradually grew stronger.
As my love deepened, the sensation grew stronger.
I felt that love is something that helps us grow and move forward in a beautiful and light-hearted way.
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What do you think? The meaning is clear, but it gives a bland or simple impression. By using the metaphor of a balloon to express the way love expands, it is easier for the listener to imagine the scene.
Conclusion
Why does putting Aioon in the bath help with writing a novel?
May was like a teacher.
First, she pointed out areas for improvement in the novel and clarified what was being done well and what was missing.
What is being done well
Understanding the meaning of words
Using "euphonious" (only when telling stories to May)
What is missing
The novel itself lacks "euphonious"
Additionally, instead of directly giving the answer, providing hints is a very effective approach.
There are many things that cannot be understood without firsthand experience.
Just as you won’t know if a kettle is hot without touching it,
you can’t understand how pleasant a sound is until you actually hear it for yourself.
You soak in the bath, relax, and savor the soothing sounds of Dhamma poetry.
After leaving the bath, you carefully choose words as if selecting clothes with care, and then weave your story.
Through this method of "putting it in the bath," May was able to perfectly convey this to Aioon (Oom).
After hearing this balloon-like love story, May replied, "I like it when it's told like that. It's like reading a novel, I can actually imagine and feel it." I think that's why she wanted Aioon (Oom) to create a "novel" that would allow her to experience these feelings.
I, too, really like this story of love.
2024.11.20
Inumochi
< – update 20250228 – >
https://twitter.com/mindespaced/status/1895094456698970495?s=46&t=wXaY3SZ0QMEFBXRRmnhd6w
I initially thought this bath scene was meant for May to teach Aioon (Oom) how to write a novel (plus a bit of fan service).
After translating the Pluto production team's discussion on Space, I revisited their intentions for this scene and summarized them here.
May traces the arms and legs of Aioon (Oom) , who is sitting in the bathtub, while quoting words from her former mentor.
Aioon closes her eyes, completely immersed in the sensation of May's touch, her heart racing uncontrollably.
However, May leaves the bathroom as if nothing happened, casually saying, "Now, wear it well."
Left behind, Aioon (Oom) is left breathless, her face filled with surprise.
I remember feeling that May left the scene rather abruptly.
May had already completed her mission of explaining euphonious (the beauty of sound) as part of "helping her write a novel." Mission complete.
But in reality, she didn’t leave because the mission was over—leaving Aioon (Oom) behind was the mission.
What May was actually doing was applying the psychological theory of "Misattribution of Arousal." A well-known example of this is the suspension bridge effect:
"Am I feeling this excitement because the bridge is high, or because of the person in front of me?"
Similarly, "Am I feeling flustered because my bare skin is being touched in the bath, or because of May herself?"
This setup was intentional.
"Make her heart race, draw her in, and then leave."
More than just "helping her write a novel," it became clear that seducing Aioon (Oom) was also part of May’s plan.
Misattribution of Arousal refers to a phenomenon where a person misjudges the cause of their own arousal.
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