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I have couple of issues/questions about a certain piece of monologue from a manga. Because it's from a manga I will be separating the lines based on boxes in which they are in, and using / to separate columns (where I think that information is needed), because I'm not entirely sure they even use punctuation in places where they should but can simply split the text into another box or column. So that's the question 1:

1) Do manga dialogues even use punctuation? Because I have been reading this one issue and I have yet to see a single comma or full stop. I have a feeling they tend to simply skip to the next column when they might have placed a comma or skip to the next box where a sentence ending full stop might be?

私は絶対に諦めない

この星も諦めない /
パパだって諦めない

お行儀よく諦めてなんかやらない

そう……

その為だったらなんだって…っ

Most of it is rather clear and is here for context. If additional context is needed, a planet is facing disaster and it is right now pretty certain it's doomed. Also narrator's father has been trying to avert it but he is now ill and isn't likely to live long.

So, question time:

2) what purpose do も and だって serve in この星諦めない / パパだって諦めない? As it was at first I read it as

Because of papa, who didn't give up on this world (too?/even?), I won't give up

that is I'm assuming the この星も諦めない is a descriptor of her father. BUT, I have searched some, and it seems, (based on a previous answer) if だって is used after a noun it means even? So in that case is it:

Even my papa didn't give up on this world, so I won't

OR these two are separate fragments and there should be a full stop or a comma at least between them. So it's actually:

I won't give up on this world, and I won't give up on papa either!

And yeah, what does も do here. Because I don't really see anything to too at that point, unless it's chaining into that だって down there?

3) Finally I have this line: その為だったらなんだって and I'm wondering if I'm right in assuming なんだって means ANYTHING here so the translation is:

If it's for the sake of that/them, I'll do ANYTHING...

I'm wondering because I feel that I might be wrong there...

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    Please try to ask one question per question.
    – user1478
    Commented Jan 28, 2018 at 23:36
  • Well, this was rather connected, although I guess the last bit was probably fit for another question. Commented Jan 29, 2018 at 0:57

1 Answer 1

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  1. Many manga artists do not follow conventional punctuation norms. Liberal use of commas where one (non-Japanese speaker) wouldn't expect them, high use of exclamation points, question marks, etc is commonplace.

  2. You have two questions here (making your post a total of 4 questions). Please see Japanese StackExchange questions 55521, 35831, and 5336 for uses on だって and なんだって

My take on a general translation below:

私は絶対に諦めない I'll never give up.

この星も諦めない / I won't give up on this planet either.

パパだって諦めない Dad won't either.

お行儀よく諦めてなんかやらない I won't just be a good little girl and walk away.

そう…… Is that right?

その為だったらなんだって…っ To accomplish that goal I'll do whatever it takes.

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