Lost in translation
Did you ever wonder what gets changed in the anime translation process? I’d given it some thought. Back in the old days stuff was just rewritten. Sometimes it was cut up and re-edited. It may have held very little resemblance to the original. Shoot, quite a bit of anime on TV still gets more editing than it really needs, but it’s a lot less than before. That’s what I thought, now I’m not so sure.
I sat down to watch Ghost Stories again to refresh my memory. I’d decided to try my hand at a dvd review, and I like this show. I’d bought the first dvd last year at Dragon*Con. From a reputable dealer mind you. There are a lot of bootlegs for sell at the con, so you have to be careful.
I was enjoying the show and I noticed that the dialog didn’t seem to quite fit the action. Oh, the sync was fine. The seriousness of the visuals just didn’t match some of the more lighthearted phrasing. So after I’d watched the four episodes I decided to check it out. I switched the dvd to Japanese audio with subtitles. It was completely different.
The general story line was the same, but the quippy one liners were gone. The show took on a more serious tone. It actually fit with what was going on. I’m still kind of suprised by it. I don’t know if I should be mad about it, or happy that I got 2 different shows for the price of one.
I think that confusion is caused by my enjoyment of the English version. I liked those quippy one liners. They are funny.
There is no indication on the packaging that such drastic changes were made and I can’t help feeling lied to for the sake of a sale. That’s what happened. Someone or some group decided the show would sell more copies if they added more humor.
That couldn’t happen to a good show like, say Naruto, could it? Yes it can.
Believe it!
anime, translation, editing, Ghost Stories, dialog
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