Interesting. As usual, there are a few different readings for the kanji.
Peter
Even in English, “pervert” can be read differently – it’s also a verb, meaning “to turn something aside from proper or normal use” or “lead astray from right behaviour or beliefs, etc” (from my OED). In that respect, it’s quite close to the kanji, it’s just that we’ve come to place more emphasis on the sexual connotations here in the west.
Incidentally, even when people do use “hentai” to refer to porn, there’s no requirement for it to be animated. Just sayin’
Passerby
Great. A language of more than 4000 characters and they can even be read in different ways. I’m starting to feel sympathy and understanding for blind idiot translation efforts.
Justme
Henshin a go-go, baby!
Kobra
To be exact, it means “pervert,” and other things as well. Lots of Japanese words have double meanings.
BermudaRectangle
…just like several english words. Beaver, pie, gay, weiner, suck….
Oberon
Doesn’t weiner mean “Tweets pics of his occupied undies to coeds”?
Actually, “hentai” means “pervert,” although, for watching it you must be a little. On second thought, any porn can class you as one. Unless it’s against the law. Then you’re a criminal.
Actually, she HAS learned her lesson; exploiting her gender makes short-term advancement easier. What she HASN’T learnt is that there are long-term complications to it. And when she does learn that, it’ll be too late to do anything about it.
The Time Lord
The Time Lord has met her baby. It had a f****d-up childhood.
All the more reason to bring him on more than once every blue moon!!
chumash99
Speaking of which, what about That Guy, the one Purvous said “You gonna get fired today” to.* Things couldn’t have been *that* bad while he was in charge, right? RIGHT? Oh, dear… 😉
And again we are reminded on just how big a slut she is. Not bad enough she cheats on her guy just to get ahead but not she’s trying to do it again. I mean for gods sake woman if you’re going to be the company slut be one in a company that pays allot more than a dame grocery store.
Remember what Nate said about the economy? As future planning goes it’s probably one of the more viable strategies and as someone who works in a similar line of work, convenience store not grocery, Tracey, if she were real would probably be a regional manager by now.
I think the gag is on the reader and on the hapless lad. The scratching of the itch line is banter between two people who have chemistry. This last strip is so exaggerated that she is either à pantomime villain/slut or she is taking the piss. That the chorus is now chanting, “slut,slut,slut!” means it’s risen to the bait.
Why settle for a one-on-one with the district manager, Tracy? Head straight for the top and go in for the kill:
Tracy & Beth: *slurp* *squelch* *squeal* etc.
Charles Connor Baron III, President and CEO of Food Baron: Oh! Oh my! Ah! Yes! All right! I am appointing you as Food Baron’s Head of Discipline. Salary… ooooh!
Tracy: Never mind that. I get Nathan Ashborne as my personal sex slave.
Charles: Yyyesss!
Tracy: And Miranda Reyes as my personal whipping girl.
Beth: *slurp* And 80% discount on alcohol purchases!
Charles: Sssure!
Tracy: And assistant managers’ duties will be expanded to include counseling and backrubs, establishment and supervision of a company creche, phone sex services for our senior customers, and… what is that bleeping noise?! Shit…
(Tracy wakes to the sound of her alarm. She sleepily pounds the pillow in frustration.)
Tracy: (grinds teeth) Stupid dream. Stupid dream company president. Aren’t we owned by a faceless conglomerate or something, anyway?
I presume the gain she got from him makes her vulnerable in such a situation as she might wish to belittle him in. Fecking emotions and their desperate drag on one’s rise to middle managerial mogolhood. What kind of world do we live in that a smart, sexy, young woman, with glasses that only enhance her features, can’t sleep with someone that’s learned one or two of her hooha’s delightfully erogenous secrets without gaining something!?
He should buy her some jewelry just to make amends. Better yet, he should get her a meeting, and prime the regional manager with tips towards cracking the mystery of her orient…could imagine someone doing that under several circumstances, including a boy who believes he will call her bluff this way, and make her to crack somehow somehow.
I could imagine someone doing such because he’s a boy who wants to make a maybe lover squirm her way away from him…but I’m reading too much of my own baggage into this. Were I to have my way, all female individuals within the comic would be confined to their own girl-maintenance pods within my subterranean …erm…
No, hey, she’s crazy, isn’t she, Nate…heh…heh…AHEM *goes back to what he was doing*
I’d hazard a guess that Tracy’s biological clock started ticking for some reason, and she at least knows that Nate’s a fertile male. Or at least a sexually active one roughly her own age.
P.S. I’ve gotta say at this point, the main character’s bluntness, brutal honesty, & awesome sarcasm remind me of a friend who works a similar job at a certain VERY well-known food services establishment (whose name shall remain anonymous). I’m not sure the others in this comic are like his coworkers (wouldn’t surprise me though), but Nate DEFINITELY reminds me of him.
One would think that tracy would aim a little higher in her goals, like banging the owner of the entire story chain or at least a son of he’s or her’s (guessing they have one) but meh, sometimes u go for the easy raise.
The original Treading Ground comics were created between 2003 and 2011. As such, you'll find some unfortunate hallmarks of raunchy comedies of the time. These include casual misogyny, dubious sexual situations, insensitive edgelord humor and a character using the r-slur.
While these are not typically portrayed as positive, it's definitely not how I would write the comic today, and you should know that going in. That said, there's still a lot of good stuff here.
There's also some nudity. Consider the whole comic NSFW!
72 thoughts on “Realign”
MegaHentai
People, people, we’re all avoiding the important question here: WHAT ABOUT UNCLE CHUEY?
chumash99
I’m sure he’s busy comforting Miranda, who probably hasn’t shown up for work yet. 😉
David Herbert
Maybe he’s a psychologist and is helping her through the trauma.
Ryutso
The first comment is by a guy named Mega”Animated Porn”.
We’re in for a mess.
Ghost
At least he didn’t say “FIRST!!”
I’d call this a win.
Dexter18
Actually hentai means ‘pervert’ jus sayin
L33tmaster
hentai does not mean pervert …. otaku does
Nemo
actually Otaku is more like geek than anything else and Hentai does mean pervert…americans are just stupid…
Spicy
Hentai = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hentai
Otaku = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku
ThatGuy
Ecchi is the word for pervert.
BMeph
No, “Ecchi” is the Roman script (English alphabet) way of writing the way someone would pronounce the first letter of “H”entai in Japanese.
So, “hentai” is the word for pervert, and “H” is a short/slang-form.
Eric
Hentai does mean pervert. Otaku means someone with an obsessive interest…
Chris
You aren’t wrong, but to be specific, Otaku means “House” and refers to someone who never goes outside due to obsessive interest. 😀
Kramegame
hentai means “metamorphosis” or abnormality. generally translated to sexually perverted.
Nick Wright
Maybe you’re thinking of “henshin”?
Dr,wonderful
Kramegame is right. ( 変態) That is the direct translation of the word. But hentai is commonly used to mean “sexually perverted”.
Nick Wright
Interesting. As usual, there are a few different readings for the kanji.
Peter
Even in English, “pervert” can be read differently – it’s also a verb, meaning “to turn something aside from proper or normal use” or “lead astray from right behaviour or beliefs, etc” (from my OED). In that respect, it’s quite close to the kanji, it’s just that we’ve come to place more emphasis on the sexual connotations here in the west.
Incidentally, even when people do use “hentai” to refer to porn, there’s no requirement for it to be animated. Just sayin’
Passerby
Great. A language of more than 4000 characters and they can even be read in different ways. I’m starting to feel sympathy and understanding for blind idiot translation efforts.
Justme
Henshin a go-go, baby!
Kobra
To be exact, it means “pervert,” and other things as well. Lots of Japanese words have double meanings.
BermudaRectangle
…just like several english words. Beaver, pie, gay, weiner, suck….
Oberon
Doesn’t weiner mean “Tweets pics of his occupied undies to coeds”?
John Madden
It does now.
Renadt
Actually, “hentai” means “pervert,” although, for watching it you must be a little. On second thought, any porn can class you as one. Unless it’s against the law. Then you’re a criminal.
Renadt
Wow, so many responses since my post. Damn.
Dr Angry Ed
Yeah, we want more uncle Chuey n o w
xoer
Gratz on being first AND ACTUALLY HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY *applause*
Philip
Agreed! What’s up with Uncle Chuey and Miranda?
Minty
That’s my name too! Don’t you hate the douchebags that spell it with two l’s?
Philip
Also, the maniacal expression on Tracy’s face in the third panel? Brilliant!
codyblues
Ohhhhhh, you. Keep it in your pants ya horny s.o.b.
Or don’t, we love ya either way.
Lazruth
Aaannndd it’s a swing and a miss! Don’t worry Tracy, I’m sure you’ll be a real human one day!
Pashakitty
I highly doubt that. If she hasn’t learned her lesson yet, she probably never will.
AbslomRob
Actually, she HAS learned her lesson; exploiting her gender makes short-term advancement easier. What she HASN’T learnt is that there are long-term complications to it. And when she does learn that, it’ll be too late to do anything about it.
The Time Lord
The Time Lord has met her baby. It had a f****d-up childhood.
Ghost
Where’s Purvous? We haven’t seen him since his one-frame appearance showing what was happing at the Food Baron while the picnic was going on…
John Madden
Agreed, moar special needs lulz!
Nick Wright
Fun fact: Purvous has only been in 10 strips out of 236. He’s a minor character with a big impact.
Jeri
All the more reason to bring him on more than once every blue moon!!
chumash99
Speaking of which, what about That Guy, the one Purvous said “You gonna get fired today” to.* Things couldn’t have been *that* bad while he was in charge, right? RIGHT? Oh, dear… 😉
*SEE: https://og.treadingground.com/?p=1349
THE REDNECK NINJA
not really surprised that she turns to that plan to raise up in the ranks of a dead end job…
Dr.wonderful
Well at least she [b] came[/b] to a conclusion.
Har de har har
John Madden
YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Rob Lopez
It’s gotten so layered that this depiphany actually pleasantly threw me. What? I’m reading a comic strip? NO! 🙂
John Madden
She gonna end up in the gutter.
THE REDNECK NINJA
suckin ppl off for a mcdubble
A Random Dewd
While givin a handjob to two other guys for the fries and soda.
Ginger256
Ha! Beautiful. ^_^
A Random Dewd
Because it suits her to the n’th degree? Nawwwwww 😉
Musings
Misty Beethoven she is not.
Kobra
And again we are reminded on just how big a slut she is. Not bad enough she cheats on her guy just to get ahead but not she’s trying to do it again. I mean for gods sake woman if you’re going to be the company slut be one in a company that pays allot more than a dame grocery store.
Brasca1
Remember what Nate said about the economy? As future planning goes it’s probably one of the more viable strategies and as someone who works in a similar line of work, convenience store not grocery, Tracey, if she were real would probably be a regional manager by now.
Chaos
Meh. She still likes him.
And here I was finally convinced that her little freakout during End of Compliance was completely non-canon.
Arctic Brit
I think the gag is on the reader and on the hapless lad. The scratching of the itch line is banter between two people who have chemistry. This last strip is so exaggerated that she is either à pantomime villain/slut or she is taking the piss. That the chorus is now chanting, “slut,slut,slut!” means it’s risen to the bait.
PantherScott
Does it count that I had the Disney show Good Luck Charlie theme in my head?
Hang in there baby
Yadda yadda, crap I don’t care to remember
You’ll turn out fine this year.
OverlordLaharl79
Yeah… is it any wonder I prefer Rose and Miranda over Tracy? :facepalm:
Dr Angry Ed
Well, maybe she’s ready to go the next step after the jelly incident and get herself another anal gape in order to ascend to a higher level.
The price of success.
Jill
I’m adding “depiphany” to my vocabulary 🙂
Greenwood Goat
Why settle for a one-on-one with the district manager, Tracy? Head straight for the top and go in for the kill:
Tracy & Beth: *slurp* *squelch* *squeal* etc.
Charles Connor Baron III, President and CEO of Food Baron: Oh! Oh my! Ah! Yes! All right! I am appointing you as Food Baron’s Head of Discipline. Salary… ooooh!
Tracy: Never mind that. I get Nathan Ashborne as my personal sex slave.
Charles: Yyyesss!
Tracy: And Miranda Reyes as my personal whipping girl.
Beth: *slurp* And 80% discount on alcohol purchases!
Charles: Sssure!
Tracy: And assistant managers’ duties will be expanded to include counseling and backrubs, establishment and supervision of a company creche, phone sex services for our senior customers, and… what is that bleeping noise?! Shit…
(Tracy wakes to the sound of her alarm. She sleepily pounds the pillow in frustration.)
Tracy: (grinds teeth) Stupid dream. Stupid dream company president. Aren’t we owned by a faceless conglomerate or something, anyway?
–
Hey, if Dallas can get away with it, so can I.
The man who knows all
You had me going for a while.
Mr. Croup
I presume the gain she got from him makes her vulnerable in such a situation as she might wish to belittle him in. Fecking emotions and their desperate drag on one’s rise to middle managerial mogolhood. What kind of world do we live in that a smart, sexy, young woman, with glasses that only enhance her features, can’t sleep with someone that’s learned one or two of her hooha’s delightfully erogenous secrets without gaining something!?
He should buy her some jewelry just to make amends. Better yet, he should get her a meeting, and prime the regional manager with tips towards cracking the mystery of her orient…could imagine someone doing that under several circumstances, including a boy who believes he will call her bluff this way, and make her to crack somehow somehow.
I could imagine someone doing such because he’s a boy who wants to make a maybe lover squirm her way away from him…but I’m reading too much of my own baggage into this. Were I to have my way, all female individuals within the comic would be confined to their own girl-maintenance pods within my subterranean …erm…
No, hey, she’s crazy, isn’t she, Nate…heh…heh…AHEM *goes back to what he was doing*
Passerby
Place yer bets people!
Will the district manager be: Male? Female? Gay? Showing up in the comic at all?
Robby
District manager is Uncle Chuey, hence why he was heading to the beach.
Ginger
Atta girl, Tracy. They can’t MAKE you learn anything from this! *^_~*
Rock
I’d hazard a guess that Tracy’s biological clock started ticking for some reason, and she at least knows that Nate’s a fertile male. Or at least a sexually active one roughly her own age.
Bill M.
She should end up with Trevor, and let the douchebaggery and b*tchiness be confined to their family alone.
Tyler
Godsmack reference Nick?
Nick Wright
Not intentionally, but I did listen to them in my younger days, so maybe it buried itself in my subconscious.
Oxford
FUCK the regional manager(no pun intended), she should go straight to the governor.
A Random Dewd
P.S. I’ve gotta say at this point, the main character’s bluntness, brutal honesty, & awesome sarcasm remind me of a friend who works a similar job at a certain VERY well-known food services establishment (whose name shall remain anonymous). I’m not sure the others in this comic are like his coworkers (wouldn’t surprise me though), but Nate DEFINITELY reminds me of him.
Keep up the good work Nick.
Riyukadragon
One would think that tracy would aim a little higher in her goals, like banging the owner of the entire story chain or at least a son of he’s or her’s (guessing they have one) but meh, sometimes u go for the easy raise.
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The original Treading Ground comics were created between 2003 and 2011. As such, you'll find some unfortunate hallmarks of raunchy comedies of the time. These include casual misogyny, dubious sexual situations, insensitive edgelord humor and a character using the r-slur.
While these are not typically portrayed as positive, it's definitely not how I would write the comic today, and you should know that going in. That said, there's still a lot of good stuff here.
There's also some nudity. Consider the whole comic NSFW!
Click to proceed Click to read the New Treading Ground