Forum - View topicAnyone find this particular Shonen Jump (USA) habit odd?
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Vantos
 Posts: 102 |
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I am a fan of the US Shonen Jump, despite its flaws. Please do not interpret this thread as an "OMG SHONEN JUMP USA AND VIZ IS TEH SUXX0RZ! B0YC0TT! B0YC0TT!" comment, as I would still maintain my subscription and buy the GNs, despite what I am about to say.
Anyone notice how Viz makes some characters explain the meanings of certain Japanese words that they use so as to not confuse the reader? When they do this, it seems as if the characters are treating their own language as foreign, which makes no sense within the stories' context. Let me explain. JANUARY 2005 ISSUE --- Shaman King, pg. 58: Manta sees Ryu roughed up. Ryu mispronounces "Tamao" as "Tamago," then Tamao explains that it means "egg." Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all of these people Japanese? They should know what "tamago" means already. A tiny footnote would have worked. JULY 2005 ISSUE --- Naruto, pgs. 80, 90: Iruka explains the meaining of the character 「人」 to Naruto and his group. Shouldn't the group know what Iruka meant when he said "jin," especially if they saw the character right there on the scroll? Once again, remember that we're dealing with people that have some understanding of Kanji. As for explaining "jin" to the reader, it could have been included in the footnote that appears on pg. 80, when 「人」 is first shown. SEPTEMBER 2005 ISSUE --- Naruto, pg. 71: Gai, thinking about how Sasuke trounced his opponent comes up with this gem: "The lotus, or renge..." Now I don't even know who he's explaining "renge" to. Why was the Japanese word even mentioned? The above anomalies would make sense in the context of a story like One Piece, a story that does not take place in Japan proper or a Japan-like setting. As for the Naruto characters thinking about translations of the names of their attacks? Once again, it makes no sense, as they do not speak English within the context of the story. The English is just an American-readable stand-in for their actual language, and should be treated as such. I know this seems like a minor gripe, but I had to point this stuff out. Anyone know of any other oddities like the aforementioned in manga (not just Shonen Jump monthlies or GNs) that take place in Japan proper or a Japan-like setting? |
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slickwataris
 Posts: 1334 Location: Carol Stream, Illinois |
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I have a problem with Yu-Gi-Oh! gracing the cover for the fifth month in a row.
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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Yes, that's another problem that needs to be dealt with.
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Coffeeman
Posts: 298 |
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The way I see it...
Shonen Jump is aimed at younger readers. Therefore, a footnote might go unnoticed, and a character explananation makes the explanation "live" as it were - in that it cannot be ignored. Although it might not make sense if you consider the characters Japanese, it's the way that Viz chose. |
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Vantos
Posts: 102 |
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It's just that footnotes have been used before, and since these "explanations" are few and far between, they wouldn't gum up the flow of anything.
Though I would prefer that they don't do this, I understand why the attack names are explained in Naruto. Also, Viz isn't exactly trying to let readers assume that the characters are American. There are examples of live explanations in Bleach GNs as well, though they are small and (thankfully) easy to ignore. The Shonen Jump line doesn't exactly have a clean record (only Del Rey Manga can boast that), but I'm not just going to quit buying. |
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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Yeah, seeing YGO so many times on the front cover is really annoying. I know Hikaru no Go isn't that popular, but it's like the titles doesn't even exist. It's never been on the cover. I don't subscribe anymore, but I still buy the GN's. (I can't just drop Rurouni Kenshin ^^) They also dropped a manga and only serialize six titles now, which I'm not too happy about. But then again, I never really liked DBZ anyway.
I agree, Del Rey hasn't ticked me off too much yet. My only problem is they still have that ridiculous (I think) "As seen on TV" sign on the cover of Gundam SEED. I've gotten sort of used to the price by now. Sorta. |
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GoodLuckSaturday
 Posts: 567 Location: Indiana |
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I'm getting tired of Yu-Gi-Oh! on the cover. I mean, One Piece is at least somewhat popular right? Isn't Shaman King ending on 4Kids? Send it off with recognition. I assume Naruto will get some more cover time in a couple of months...if Viz just doesn't decide to make Yu-Gi-Oh! the permanant cover figure. I hope Shojo Beat doesn't fall to this with NANA covers. I've very cool with Del Ray prices now. I didn't like them at first, but the more stuff of theirs I read, the more I think $1 is worth the price of the excellent translator notes. |
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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Oh their translator notes are really great. I had been into manga for about a year when they launched, and I don't think I've ever read manga with that kind of extra.
When I picked up issue two of Shoujo Beat, I was concerned about the same thing. I know Nana is a good title and catches people's eyes, but Crimson Hero is cool too! *I insist* Having a regular way of doing things is good for Shonen Jump (and other things), but when it gets too regular, I start to get tired of seeing spiky red/black hair all the time. In color. But unless VIZ starts jerking me around too much, I'll still buy their stuff. Anyway, sorry for rambling off topic. |
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DoubleWide
 Posts: 80 |
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The only thing really annoying about Shonen Jump (USA) is the constant reminder to buy the graphic novels. Its almost as bad as watching PBS and them contantly begging for money.
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