At 03:16 PM 5/20/96 -0700, you wrote:
I guess I better add my $.02 here. I don't really think that Japanese
should be used when there is an appropriate english translation ("sempai"
I agree in some cases, but simple words like Nani? Ano? Arigatou etc. are
pretty easy to understand. And even the more difficult ones are also if used
in a good way. For example, Kun-chan's lemon series uses a LOT of Japanese words
to describe *ahem* yet it is pretty obvious what they mean. AND, as a bonus, you
learn a little Japanese.
[snip]
Think about it, would you like the subtitlers to put "Nani??" down whenever
a character says "Nani??" No, you want them to use "What??" in the subtitle.
Really? I actually LIKE it when they use a few Japanese words. It frustrates me
to NO end when (in Kimagure Orange Road OVAs) the subtitlers kept saying that
Kyosuke was calling Madoka "Madoka" (her first name), when you could HEAR that
he always called her "Ayukawa" (her last name). She called him "Kasuga" (his
last
name) and they kept subbing it as "Kyosuke"! This pissed me off because when she
finally DOES call him Kyosuke, it ruins the effect.
Another example would be Maison Ikkoku. How would you like it if they
kept showing Godai (in the subtitles) calling Kyoko "Kyoko" when he was really
saying "Kanrinnin-san" ? Or "Yuhsaku" although everyone was really calling him
Godai? Even worse, if they put up "Manager" everytime Godai said
"Kanrinnin-san."
Again, you can pick up a LOT of Japanese phrases this way... easy ones.
Oh well, off my soapbox now.
We all have our own opinions :).
Amen. I've gotten lost in more than a couple of stories due to the
overuse of Japanese, and it's not very often that a story interests me
OVERUSE is bad. I agree with that.
-Misachan!
Marisa Price
marisa@gladstone.uoregon.edu
Anime Page!!! includes my Ranma and MI picture pages!!
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~marisa/
Mermaid Saga Web Page!!
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~marisa/mermaid.html
Member of COR and UDIC.
Anime otaku forever! Medieval Studies and English major.