KouAidou
二番目の翻訳者
It's a fair question. I think you could do it either way. Personally I tend to get a little iffy over "technology vs. magic" stories, because there's a tendency in stories to neuter impersonal technologies such as guns, just because they're a lot less awesome than magic/kung fu, and that undermines the basic premise.
Anyway, here are the two scenarios that enter my mind for how to handle it. There are probably others, of course, but I'll leave you to think them over:
1.) The Westerners have standard 1850s technology. On an individual scale, a gun will lose to a fire-manipulating kung-fu badass, but there are only a relative handful of such badasses in Japan. People aren't necessarily prepared to put their faith in the ability of a handful of guys to stand up to an army of thousands.
Practical result: The idea that the Japanese could resist the West becomes a more legitimate one than it was in history, but it's not a guaranteed win, and to even stand a chance would require the cooperation of all factions.
In this scenario, the tension is between those who believe they could resist if they united, those who still think it's a lost cause, and those who underhandedly wish to turn the precarious situation to their own benefit.
2.) The Westerners have mass-produced, technology-based magic (something more akin to alchemy or spellcasting) that puts them closer to the level of the individual kung-fu badasses, just on an unimaginably large scale.
Practical result: The dynamic between the Japanese and the West is unchanged from its historical version, just at a much higher level. Japanese defeat is still inevitable.
In this scenario, the tension is between those who believe there is honor in fighting for a hopeless cause, those who just want to preserve what they can, and those who are legitimately interested in the West's teachings.
Anyway, here are the two scenarios that enter my mind for how to handle it. There are probably others, of course, but I'll leave you to think them over:
1.) The Westerners have standard 1850s technology. On an individual scale, a gun will lose to a fire-manipulating kung-fu badass, but there are only a relative handful of such badasses in Japan. People aren't necessarily prepared to put their faith in the ability of a handful of guys to stand up to an army of thousands.
Practical result: The idea that the Japanese could resist the West becomes a more legitimate one than it was in history, but it's not a guaranteed win, and to even stand a chance would require the cooperation of all factions.
In this scenario, the tension is between those who believe they could resist if they united, those who still think it's a lost cause, and those who underhandedly wish to turn the precarious situation to their own benefit.
2.) The Westerners have mass-produced, technology-based magic (something more akin to alchemy or spellcasting) that puts them closer to the level of the individual kung-fu badasses, just on an unimaginably large scale.
Practical result: The dynamic between the Japanese and the West is unchanged from its historical version, just at a much higher level. Japanese defeat is still inevitable.
In this scenario, the tension is between those who believe there is honor in fighting for a hopeless cause, those who just want to preserve what they can, and those who are legitimately interested in the West's teachings.
