Extra grammar:
- ようになる
- よう (for aims)
- ために vs ように
そう is here.
A brief overview of そう & よう
そう expresses subjective judgments and is used to talk about present or future events/actions. In some other definitions, you will find descriptions like: “perceived conditions”, which means that you’re (just) making educated guesses.
よう, on the other hand, is more objective and refers to the past and present events/actions. Some dictionaries will say that it is used to talk about “observable conditions.” You see something, you analyze it, and then you pronounce your judgment.
Both can be translated to: it seems, it looks like. However, English is a bit blurry on the differences between these two phrases. Japanese, not so much.
Anime Examples: よう vs そう
Let's take a look at examples of both structures in action to see how this theory applies in practice.
Examples with ～よう
Let’s start with Rengoku and Akaza in the Mugen Train movie:
俺と君とでは物ごとの価値基準が違うようだ
→ It seems you and I have different standards of what things are worth.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 価値基準 | かちきじゅん | standard of value |
| 物事 | ものごと | things; everything |
| ようだ | — | it seems; it looks like. |
So what is Rengoku saying/implying?
Rengoku is sure that his standards differ from Akaza’s standards. Akaza is a demon who eats people and fights them for fun. Rengoku, though, kills demons and helps people. Besides, the way Akaza is acting and the things he is saying are observable conditions. The evidence is strong in this case, and because of the evidence, we can say that Rengoku’s statement is objective.
To add to this claim, we can say that Akaza DID something to make Rengoku think that their standards differ - past actions, hence よう. To be more precise, Akaza said: “Weak people make me sick.”
あまり計画通りに事が運んでいないようだな
→ It looks like things aren’t going quite according to plan.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 計画通り | けいかくどおり | in accordance with plans; just as planned |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ | to go (well, etc.); to proceed; to progress |
| あまり + negative | — | not much; not everything; here: “aren’t … quite” |
よう because Madara sees the Shinobi Alliance, so it is an observable condition. Moreover, some things happened in the past and those past actions caused the current state of affairs. The plan he and Obito plotted is not going so well, and the gathered shinobi are the proof. Basically, everything screams: “Obito failed!"
マーレ軍に潜入する諜報員のようなものなのかな
→ I wonder if you are like spies sneaking into the Marleyan army.
Context: Hanji to Yelena
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 軍 | ぐん | army |
| 潜入 | せんにゅう | infiltration; sneaking in; going undercover [suru verb] |
| 諜報員 | ちょうほういん | intelligence operative; spy |
| もの | — | person |
| ものなのかな | — | noun + な + のかな = I wonder if… |
Hanji is expressing similarity in this case. She’s comparing Yelena and Onyankopon to spies. There’s no guessing. However, よう is used because expressing any similarities is usually based on things that happened in the past, looks, or observable conditions.
Lit. If you guys (もの) are like (のような) spies (諜報員)… We start translating from what is after よう.
諜報などと呼べるような代物ではありません
→ We are not the kind of people you could call spies.
Context: Yelena to Hanji
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 代物 | しろもの | fine thing; fellow; affair; stuff; article; goods; product [here: person] |
| 呼ぶ | よぶ | to call; to name; to brand [here in its “can” form] |
| など | — | makes the noun a bit vague; spies or things like that... |
Lit. We are not (ではありません) things/fellows (代物) who can be named/called (と呼べる) as (ような) spies (諜報) or anything of that sort (など).
Yelena, just like Hanji, is comparing themselves to spies. She’s not making any guesses.
娘が世話になったようやね
→ It seems you took good care of my daughter.
Context: Sasha’s father to Connie, Mikasa, Jean & Nicolo
世話になる (おせわになる) = to receive favor; to be much obliged to someone; to be indebted
In this case, よう actually expresses an observable condition. Sasha’s family heard the conversation between Connie and the rest. The evidence is solid.
Examples with ～そう
何か… ネタがありそうですのぉ。
→ Well... it looks like there's some trick to it.
ネタ = a trick
Jiraya didn’t have much evidence. He knew nothing about what he was looking at. It is a subjective guess, his own opinion about the present situation.
いや 役に立ちそうなものは 何も
→ No, nothing that looked (seemed) useful.
Context: Armin to Eren when Eren asked if Armin saw anything in Berthold’s memories.
役に立つ (やくにたつ) = to be helpful; to be useful
Armin couldn’t be sure if Berthold’s memories were useful or not. Determining which memories are useful is a subjective guess referring to a present situation. He SAW some memories in the past, but they are talking about them from a different perspective; it’s about their usefulness NOW.
誰よりもうまそうに食べてくれました
→ She ate looking like it was the most delicious thing in the world.
Context: Nicolo to Sasha’s parents.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 誰よりも | だれよりも | more than anyone else; more than anyone |
| うまそうに食べて | — | i-adj + そう + に + verb |
Even though Nicolo is referring to a past situation, he can’t use よう here because he’s talking about a subjective guess. Sasha ate the food like it was the best in the world to her. What is tasty and what is not is an extremely subjective case.
立体機動でたくさん遊べそうだしな
→ It looks like you can play a lot with the 3D maneuver gear here.
Context: Zeke to Levi when Levi took him to Zeke’s “hotel”
立体機動 = 3D maneuver gear
Again, a subjective guess about something that is relevant in the present. Zeke doesn’t have any information related to places best suited to use the 3D gear. He just throws his subjective opinion out there based on the forest he sees.
～ようになる
すごく早く進むようになってさ
→ ...building it’s become quick (building the port).
～ようになる means that a change has happened.
For example, from building the port SLOWLY to building it QUICKLY. The pace (in this case) has changed.
If you couldn’t read kanji in the past, but now you can, you could use this phrase to indicate that a change in your abilities has happened.
漢字を読むようになった
大きくなったら分かるようになるよ。
→ When you get older, you’ll be able to understand.
Now, I don’t understand, but this state will change when I’m older.
The phrase is often translated as: “Now (indicating that in the past I couldn’t) I can do something” or “In the future (because now I can’t) I’ll be able to do something.”
～ように for expressing aims
時間を稼ぐためには手出しできねえようにしてやるんだ
→ We have to outwit them so that they can't interfere and buy us some time.
手出し (が) でき(ねえ) = [idiom] having one’s hands tied, however, 手出し [suru verb] means to interfere; meddle, so we can read this literally as “unable to interfere”
してやる is a casual way of saying “do something for somebody”. But there’s another meaning, “to deceive someone” or “to outwit” someone.
To express aims, we can use this structure:
(A desired state/result) + ように + do A = Do A so that (a desired state/result) occurs.
Desired state = 手出しできねえ (The people of Marley don’t interfere)
Things they need to do = してやるんだ (They will outwit them)
I’m pretty sure that’s what Eren is really saying. When you think about it, “to keep someone at bay” means “to prevent them from reaching, attacking, or affecting you.” Whether through tricking or asking, it doesn’t matter. The translation is perfect. Translating Eren’s words 1:1 would get us a wordy phrase, and we need to remember about subtitling rules.
ために vs ように
One of the differences is that ために is used for situations where the speaker/actor has control, or ability to make something happen. ように is used when you cannot control the situation entirely.
