Random Thoughts From Out of Nowhere

[Princess Viola]

I remember somewhat recently there were people on Twitter (I know, people on Twitter complaining? What a shock!) about the official translation of My Hero Academia and they were comparing the official Viz translation to the fan translation and insisting that the fan translation was a better and more accurate translation of the Japanese original.

Spoiler alert: it turns out the Viz translation of the manga that these people were complaining about was literally a completely accurate translation of the original Japanese version and it was the fan translation that they were praising for being 'better' and 'more accurate' that took liberties when it came to the translation.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Well, I still prefer DiC's version of Sailor Moon to Viz's, for the most part. Although some of the name changes were minor annoyances....

(I didn't have an issue with gender-flipped Zoisite, the revised character model resembled then-contemporary Star Wars EU character Natasi Daala. But did they have to rename the character "Zoeycite", as though to underline "She Is Girl Now"?)

 

[Princess Viola]

But why though.

I genuinely don't understand why someone would prefer an edited and censored version of a series over an unedited and uncensored version.

Spoiler

I'd also argue that the editing of anime to remove Japanese elements was ultimately steeped in racism or xenophobia but that might be getting too P&R but seriously no one has ever been able to give a valid reason as to why that was an OK thing to do because it wasn't.

 

[Caldwin]

I have to admit, even though I think Beast King GiLion is the better version and I'm glad I was able to at least get the first two collections, I would probably be more likely to watch Voltron just because it's what I grew up with and didn't even know about BKG until much later in life. Dub vs Sub may also be a factor.

 

[unluckiness]

But why though.

I genuinely don't understand why someone would prefer an edited and censored version of a series over an unedited and uncensored version.

Spoiler

I'd also argue that the editing of anime to remove Japanese elements was ultimately steeped in racism or xenophobia but that might be getting too P&R but seriously no one has ever been able to give a valid reason as to why that was an OK thing to do because it wasn't.

Same reason a bastardized frankenstein made by an openly hostile, greedy corporation content to copyright troll is supported instead of proper Macross. Nostalgia.

 

[Princess Viola]

I still remember the thread on the old version of the Allspark about HG's legal kerfuffles over the Macross rights and you had that one dude who was basically a complete HG simp trying to get people to just start liking HG and Robotech or whatever over Macross.

 

[Haywire]

I have to admit a fondness for Robotech, likely steeped in nostalgia, but I still prefer Macross.

That said, when ADV was subbing anime like City Hunter, each episode had to have a page or more of notes to explain the jokes and references that western audiences wouldn't get. I can see a company believing that editing those bits out would be the simpler route if they were dubbing it anyway.

Not saying I necessarily agree with that thinking, but I can at least understand the train of thought.

 

[Princess Viola]

I always distinguish between localization and Westernization, even though many people conflate the two.

To me localization is fine and a sign of a good translation. A good translation should flow naturally and not feel like you're reading a translation, it should feel like you're reading something that was originally written in whatever language it was translated to. So translating puns and jokes into ones that work in English is fine and what you should do, instead of translating the puns and jokes literally - which would be more accurate but it also means you lose out on the humor (assuming it's not a joke that somehow works in both English and Japanese).

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

But why though.

I genuinely don't understand why someone would prefer an edited and censored version of a series over an unedited and uncensored version.

Spoiler

I'd also argue that the editing of anime to remove Japanese elements was ultimately steeped in racism or xenophobia but that might be getting too P&R but seriously no one has ever been able to give a valid reason as to why that was an OK thing to do because it wasn't.

...why not?

Less glibly, I think it came down to the voice acting -- the Viz-produced English-language version just sounds... off. You know the old saying about actors "phoning in their lines" to describe a lackluster performance? Imagine that being literal as well as metaphorical, and that's my perception of Viz's Sailor Moon.

As to your other point, while DiC's translation was "not really one thing or the other" (unlike Saban's never-got-past-a-pitch-tape All-American Sailor Moon), I never got the sense that it didn't take place in Japan (The Tokyo TV Tower is right there, for one thing), although the name changes made me think that many of the cast were "expat brats" -- the children of military, business, or diplomatic personnel stationed in the country. (This would make sense with Mina, who was in London during the prequel comic series Codename Sailor V.) Rei, of course, is very much Japanese in both versions (and didn't need a spelling change, thank you), and I'm still trying to track down verification of a secondhand Word-of-the-Author assertion that Ami/Amy was intended to be half-American.

 

[unluckiness]

These donuts are great! Jelly-filled are my favorite! Nothing beats a jelly-filled donut!

 

[Princess Viola]

...why not?

Less glibly, I think it came down to the voice acting -- the Viz-produced English-language version just sounds... off. You know the old saying about actors "phoning in their lines" to describe a lackluster performance? Imagine that being literal as well as metaphorical, and that's my perception of Viz's Sailor Moon.

As to your other point, while DiC's translation was "not really one thing or the other" (unlike Saban's never-got-past-a-pitch-tape All-American Sailor Moon), I never got the sense that it didn't take place in Japan (The Tokyo TV Tower is right there, for one thing), although the name changes made me think that many of the cast were "expat brats" -- the children of military, business, or diplomatic personnel stationed in the country. (This would make sense with Mina, who was in London during the prequel comic series Codename Sailor V.) Rei, of course, is very much Japanese is both versions (and didn't need a spelling change, thank you), and I'm still trying to track down verification of a secondhand Word-of-the-Author assertion that Ami/Amy was intended to be half-American.

See I just watched Sailor Moon in Japanese and not in English.

Of course now I'm reminded of this one website that was insistent that the DiC English dub name of Usagi was the actual 'correct' name for her and not her actual original Japanese name because ?????????????.

I'm pretty sure one of their 'arguments' was that you can't write her Japanese name in English and if you think you can by writing Usagi Tsukino then you're wrong because her name is 月野うさぎ and that's not English and you can't write that in English therefore Serena is the correct and proper name for her in English.

Yes apparently this website was written by someone who had no idea of the concept of romanization.

 

[Caldwin]

These donuts are great! Jelly-filled are my favorite! Nothing beats a jelly-filled donut!

I have two words for you...apple fritter.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Same reason a bastardized frankenstein made by an openly hostile, greedy corporation content to copyright troll is supported instead of proper Macross. Nostalgia.

No, no, Carl Macek would be Dr. Frankenstein in your analogy. Although there's no formal name for the doctor's creation, White Wolf did float the term "Promethean" after the subtitle of the original novel....

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Macekre - TV Tropes

A strongly held opinion that a significant Dub-Induced Plotline Change of an anime is a mockery of the original work. Pronounced similarly to "massacre", the term was coined by anime fans from the name of producer/writer Carl Macek, whose early " …

tvtropes.org

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I must admit that in my younger days in anime fandom, I rather enjoyed asking "I-Can't-Believe-You're-Watching-the-Dub!" purists where Macross Plus (which I rather enjoyed, by the way) fit in Robotech continuity.

And yet, in those same pre-Kiss Players days, I also thought that the shouted command "Transform!" sounded better when written out in rômaji first.

Did I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradicted myself. I've noticed that my fannishness has gotten more iconoclastic in recent years....

 

[unluckiness]

I wouldn’t fault anybody for preferring one or theother but As annoying as I find the usual squeaky, high pitched anime girl voices, the English dubbers imitating them are worse. Makes the Animax Asia dubs sound like masterpieces.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I finally tried Popeyes tonight. I get it now. I assumed the hype was a meme but it really is the best fast food chicken sandwich I've had.

Also, I just assumed I needed to order large fries to get a decent amount. Oops. Apparently they go with Dunkin sizing.

 

[Princess Viola]

Popeyes has awful customer service but their food is so good it makes it worth it.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

I've never noticed the service to be any worse than any other fast food joint.

 

[Caldwin]

Probably depends on the location.