1

The speaker, a 魔術者, is talking about the process of manipulating a man to do something advantageous for the speaker. The exact particulars of how this was done were never mentioned, it just was done.

実のところ、人を操るような魔術は複雑な精神構造に干渉しなければならないため難しく、正直あまり成功率は高くない。

成功率を上げるためには相応の時間や手間が掛かる上に、反動で大きな反作用を招いて術者にかなりの負担を強いる場合もある。

言葉による洗脳や肉体的な躾けの方が長期的に見て効率がいいぐらいだ。

しかしこういう状況でピンポイントに使う分には、やり方次第で非常に有効だったりもする。

特にあの男は元々性欲や支配欲が強そうなので、その点を煽るような暗示は掛かりやすい。

...

For the sake of increasing the success rate, an appropriate amount of time and effort needs to be spent, on top of that, "to produce a large reaction (total guess)", there is often a substantial burden on the practitioner.

Brainwashing and disciplining via words is effective in the long term ぐらいだ

Though in this situation, for the purpose of a pinpoint dosage of manipulation, depending on the method (魔術 or 言葉?), it is also extremely effective (sometimes?)

...

There is definitely something that I am missing between the 2nd and 4th sentences as a congruent thought process is not maintained.

  1. How is で used in 反動で大きな反作用を招いて and how does it work in relation to both 反作用 and 反動 in such a short span?

  2. This may be contingent on my lack of understanding of the 2nd/4th sentence, but I can't tell why mentioning the extent of ...の方が長期的に見て効率がいい is relevant in this context.

  3. Again this may be relating my misunderstanding of the 2nd and 3rd sentences. In the 3rd sentence, I have an issue with the disconnect between やり方次第で and ~たりもする. やり方次第で implies an outcome depending on the method but 有効だったりもする indicates a good outcome among other things. So does that imply depending on the method, it can also be not effective? Or what is the scope of this ~たり statement? In addition what is the also/も relating to then?

Thanks!

Chocolate
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charu
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1 Answers1

2

For 1. This 反動{はんどう} describes mental state, a qualitative reaction. Working on the magic towards others is stressful to the agent. So, an agent get "great counter-action : 「大きな反作用」" by "the stress :「反動」" he/she feels.

This で used here is the following : 動作・作用の原因・理由を表す。「受験勉強で暇がない」「君のおかげで助かった」

For 2. I think "the direct method" : 言葉による洗脳や肉体的な躾け is effective in the long term comparing to "the indirect method" such as the magic the agent is trying to use.

For 3. "So does that imply depending on the method, it can also be not effective?"

Yes, you are correct. It does not necessarily occurs to be effective. So, it's lacking inevitability. But this time, since the situation allowing and the point being pinpointed, it happens to be effective. This 「たり〜」 implies surprisingly it occurs by chance. And this 「も」 soften the statement as explained here.

kimi Tanaka
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  • thanks, I'm still unsure of how to tie your answers from 1-3 into a logical interpretation of the 4th sentence that ties every together. Based on what you said the には　in 使う分には is pointing out the significance of precise usage, but the 2nd half of the sentence does not provide any closure to this idea since it's so wishy washy. – charu Sep 22 '19 at 18:56
  • This 「しかしこういう状況でピンポイントに使う分**には**」 is picking up using the magic precisely to the target in the situation like this and 「やり方次第で非常に有効だったりもする。」is trying to explain the merit of the magic, while the previous sentences are explaining the demerit of the magic as using the magic is exhausting or the other direct method are more effective than this magic. – kimi Tanaka Sep 22 '19 at 23:26
  • in that case, does this mean the scope of やり方次第で is in terms of how to apply the 魔術 , and and not the choice between 魔術 or 言葉? – charu Sep 22 '19 at 23:59
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    @charu I think so. It seems this sentence has switched to explain the practical usage of the magic from the brainwashing using 言葉. – kimi Tanaka Sep 23 '19 at 00:11