I have been struggling to write this since December. I still don’t really know where or how to begin, but the recent announcement of 2ha’s English licensing by Seven Seas seems as good a motivator as any at this point.
I guess before I begin, I want to make clear that I am not writing this with the intent or desire to harm—it’s certainly a criticism, but I want it to be a practical one. Please don’t use my words as an excuse to take up arms or make personal attacks. I don’t want to be used as a prop in anyone else’s fights, I don’t wan to talk about it, I just want to say my piece and be done.
So. Without mincing words: I am beyond disappointed in the MXTX English-language editions. The idea that this might be what sets the precedent for future danmei releases is incredibly disheartening. There are several reasons, and I’ll try to explain my main issues as best I can without being unnecessarily harsh. I will be talking about specifics with regards to MDZS, as it’s the one I’m most familiar with.
Quality & Production Timeline:
The overall quality of the work is lackluster and rushed. Several reviews have already discussed issues with the MDZS translation that was published—they are easy to find on Goodreads and elsewhere, but I am not going to link them here because I feel that relitigating details and pinning blame on the translator(s) is very misguided. The licensed translation is full of mistakes (both major and minor), inconsistencies, and confusing wording. To me, this betrays a very serious lack of editorial oversight and quality checking rather than a problem with the raw translation itself. No translator on earth can produce a first draft without mistakes, yes, even very basic ones. Everyone slips up, even in their native tongue, all the time. Having mistakes in an early draft is not at all an indication that a translator lacks skill, and this persistent focus on the faults of the translator(s) feels more like scapegoating than anything. I may not agree with all of the translation choices, but I do not think that mistakes make the translator(s) unqualified.
What I find unacceptable is that these mistakes were allowed through into the final printing, which tells me there was insufficient, if any, review of the content, either by the translators, or by another party familiar with the original work. The production timeline feels very, very short for such a project (I cannot even begin to imagine trying to translate 32 chapters of MDZS in under four months), which maybe explains, but doesn’t excuse. I am not intimately familiar with the publishing industry, so I will refrain from speculating further, except to point in the direction of both Suika and Pengie’s threads on the matter:
If the books needed more time to be done well, then they should have allotted more time. The translators should not be bearing the brunt of the criticism. It isn’t fair to them—and it isn’t fair that the publication schedule and process set them up for failure in this way.
Pronunciation Guide:
This is perhaps my most serious grievance, and the one that’s kept me from writing this for four and a half months. I know that my reaction is personal and extreme, but I also think that it has roots in something that is both real and actionable. Forgive me, this will be harsh.
When I saw the pronunciation guides in the back of all the books, I felt physically ill.
It reads like an echo of all the times I’ve had my “difficult” language used against me, but this time packaged up as a pseudo-helpful, sightseeing brochure to make English speakers feel good about themselves when confronted with supposedly “difficult” content. They are condescending, touristy, and teach a bastardized, hyper-Americanized anglicization of my first language. The pronunciations, as they are written, sound exactly the way a classmate used to harass me by following me around, mocking my name, and pulling at the corners of his eyes. They are worse than useless.
These guides are not only disrespectful to people like me, but also disrespectful to the English speakers who put their trust in this production based on the marketing that implied there would be careful consideration of the cross-cultural challenges involved. When there was so much reassuring from the publisher that these books would be done right, that the production would be handled with respect and understanding, the inclusion of these guides was particularly insulting. Much has been made about how they are inaccurate—which they are. But what’s more egregious is their tone, their technique, their application.
Mandarin pronunciation can be challenging for English speakers. I am not contesting this. But I ask—what was the purpose of these guides? “[Mandarin] is a tonal language,” they read, “so correct pronunciation is vital to being understood!” But there is not a single further allusion to tone within the guide, and the pronunciations that follow are not, in any way, going to help a reader new to the language pronounce anything well.
Obviously, two-page pronunciation guides cannot be a substitute for language instruction—but then they should not make any pretension to be. I cannot see these guides as anything other than a way to pander to the egos of English speakers, to simplify and make palatable this language that might make them uncomfortable with its difference. These guides promise knowledge on culture that they don’t deliver, and instead mislead readers with racist caricatures of the language.
Lest this is met with responses along the lines of “but it’s hard to create a pronunciation guide” and “it makes the book more accessible”—1) of course it’s hard. So what? Doing it badly was worse than not doing it at all. 2) No, it doesn’t. Misinformation does not increase accessibility.
There was every opportunity to create something respectful and sincere. Many people have pointed out that the Pinyin system is very serviceable and consistent. If it wasn’t feasible to include a basic guide to Pinyin in the books, perhaps there could have been a space for “Additional Resources” instead, providing links or references to places where a reader could seek out that information if they wanted it. We live in a multimedia world. Several fans, including myself, have made audio pronunciation guides—something like that, more professionally produced, might have been an option. There was room to allow readers to explore and learn and put in effort to engage instead of spoon-feeding them this slapdash, half-assed bullshit.
I can believe that it was done with the best of intentions. But that doesn’t make it good.
Marketing:
This leads into my final point, which is a bit more nebulous and hard to explain, but I’ll try.
The inclusion of guides beyond a pronunciation guide and glossary was also insulting, in a different way. Why is there a need for a character guide? Can readers not be trusted to read? I might understand an inclusion in later volumes as a refresher, but it’s baffling to me that these guides are considered necessary at the outset, and it’s also frustrating to see that they contain interpretations of characterization and motivation. “The identity of certain characters may be a spoiler; use this guide with caution on your first read of the novel.” Why include it at all?
As a reader, I do not want to be told how to understand the text. The text can speak for itself without an external party setting the tone. These stories are not more complicated just because they are Chinese. Harry Potter didn’t come with an extensive list of characters and the meanings of their names. And those were books written for children.
MXTX’s works are adult books. They are adult books, but everything about their marketing in English feels like they are aimed at teens that the publishers don’t think are very smart. Yes, the stories may be culturally unfamiliar, but that doesn’t mean readers need to be hand-held with cutesy lectures. To do so feels like it says something less than flattering about the publisher’s perception of MXTX’s work and audience.
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When the English licensing of MXTX’s works was first announced, I admit my first reaction was despair because I was so afraid of the consequences, of what unintended collateral damage the final product might generate if it fell short of a very high standard—for the translators, for MXTX, for the greater danmei genre. It’s difficult to be the first, and it’s difficult to be the first with such high stakes. And unfortunately, here we are, and it played out nearly exactly how I had predicted and hoped it would not.
I am not unbiased, and my views certainly reflect that. It is possible that some of my criticisms are excessive or unsympathetic. However, I have spent a long time thinking this over and attempting to put it all into words, and I would appreciate having my criticisms considered seriously, even if you eventually decide that you disagree with them. But I am tired and I am terribly sad that something I loved so much was handled in a way that felt so disrespectful. How can I be excited about the English releases of these books if I can hardly bear to look at the copies on my shelf? Unless a lot changes about the future installments, I cannot view any English licensing announcements with anything but bitter disappointment. I have no trust left to give, and no heart to spare.
It’s fine if you love the English editions of these novels. I don’t want to take away your joy because it’s a wonderful thing to have. As always, all I’m asking for is serious consideration. If I’ve made you see things in a different light, that’s as much as I can hope for.
We all know naruto has crazy love for sasuke but can we address sasuke’s intense, brain configuration warping love for naruto…it’s such a misconception that his beef with naruto was the product of jealousy. His only moment of intense jealousy towards him is after the confrontation with itachi - he is retraumatized, has resurfacing survivor’s guilt, resents naruto for so easily capturing itachi’s attention when sasuke has centered his entire life around one day killing him, he is basically shaken to the core by the realization that he is nowhere near his goal and (unfairly) takes it out on naruto (who in turn is eager for a fight because that’s how he processes his own feelings of intense inadequacy towards sasuke). Apart from this instance, he is only frustrated by naruto’s progress because he sees him as an obstacle to overcome to achieve his new goal - he notably does not care when Zetsu comments that naruto is stronger than him after the Pein arc, because naruto isnt an obstacle in his current goal of killing danzo
Apart from this, his desire to distance himself from naruto consistently boils down to being overwhelmed the enormity of his feelings for him. This is canon, he says over and over that his feelings for naruto ‘weakened’ him, were a distraction, make him irrational, etc. he doesn’t deny that these feelings exist for the most part (the only exception really is early shippuden, where he’s actively trying to push him away), he just doesn’t want them
In fact, before team 7 implodes he actually very actively expresses these feelings, to the best of his ability (since, trauma is still a thing). He might tease afterwards but he’s always the first one to rescue naruto when he’s in trouble. He offers him food at the risk of sacrificing his entire career. When naruto announces he’ll kick everyone’s ass and the other rookies are either embarrassed or inexpressive, there’s a close up on sasuke smirking proudly. At the valley of the end, he tells naruto the most worthwhile part of his time in konoha was their friendship. During the war, he is protective in the most ott way, however he might justify this to himself, like at one point he wraps the entire susanoo arm around naruto. Even as adults, naruto confides in him about his familial problems and sasuke actually effectively comforts him. He kicks him out of the way while fighting that hideous rabbit alien thing which is almost comically protective, considering naruto at this point is a grown man, the hokage, and a demigod. Boruto movie is canon btw, kishimoto wrote the story himself although he wasn’t in charge of the animation.
Basically, the entire concept of sasuke being like…motivated by jealousy when it comes to naruto, or in denial of his feelings (seeing his feelings as weakness =/= denying them), or incapable of prioritizing naruto or expecting like…one sided care and attention in their relationship is so ooc and boring. It’s like, who is that character because it’s not sasuke. Him loving naruto is…one of the most essential and inescapable aspects of his characterization, even if in canon it’s intended platonically.
Is there any other shonen couple you think can compare to sasunaru?
Not really, no. There are pairs that share some elements of Naruto and Sasuke's dynamic, but none that I'd call truly comparable in terms of how central the relationship is to the overall narrative.
Fujobaiting has been a fixture of shonen manga for decades, so you'll always find a pair of characters that's shippable in any given series. But that's usually all it is, not much substance.
Even Gojo and Geto, the pair people most often hype as "the next SNS." I find their relationship lackluster by comparison, partly because it functions more as a narrative device than the central character-driven bond , and partly because I don't feel much sympathy for Geto. If anything, Gojo-Geto has more in common with Kakashi-Obito: the descent into a mass-murdering idealist, a fall triggered by a traumatic death, and a survivor who spends the rest of the story blaming himself for not preventing it.
If I had to name the pairing that comes closest to Sasunaru, I'd unironically say Sora and Riku from Kingdom Hearts. Both relationships start as a friends/rivals dynamic within a trio, with one member taking a darker path while the other refuses to give up on him, becoming one of the most important people in his life. In both cases, that bond is the emotional core of the series, and the dialogue between them often reads as genuinely romantic.
What keeps Soriku from sitting alongside SNS, though, is that Kingdom Hearts just isn't as serious a series, and its characterization isn't nearly as cohesive. On top of that, Sora already has an obvious love interest in Kairi , she's shown to be deeply important to both Sora and Riku early on and remains significant to Sora for the rest of the series, which is more than can be said for Sakura in comparison. Still, SoRiku holds a soft spot for me, I loved them at 13, and honestly got into Kingdom Hearts in the first place because they reminded of SNS
Worth an obligatory mention too: Hanamichi and Rukawa from Slam Dunk, since they were Kishimoto's direct inspiration for the initial Naruto-Sasuke dynamic . I've touched on this before, but their relationship never develops the same emotional depth that SNS does.
Translating comments from the Chinese Naruto fandom regarding the ending and Boruto
Boruto is widely hated, and most of the fanbase disapproves of how the former protagonists are treated, especially Sasuke.
Sasuke, you're not young anymore, I can accept that, but can you at least stand up straight?
22K Likes
Just kill them off already, make it so that not even the Reanimation Jutsu can find a trace of their cells. Stop tormenting the former protagonists, just let them rest in peace, will you? A kunai to the Rinnegan? An Uchiha bodyslam? Shattering the Susanoo with a single kick? Was it really necessary to portray Sasuke’s later years as so miserable?
15K Likes
Fans are frustrated with how much Sasuke has been nerfed.
Back in the day, they'd even use Susanoo just to avoid getting wet in the rain
30K Likes
😂
I don't believe true Naruto fans can tolerate Boruto
18K Likes
In Boruto, Amaterasu is only good for lighting cigarettes for people
13K Likes
My youth turned out to be so fragile in Boruto
Majority of the people also hate the final pairings
Anyway, the official pairings are just bad. Naruto and Hinata have no real feelings between them, and Sakura is a single-mother raising her child
12K Likes
Even shonen manga can't avoid forced marriages and having children
I've watched Naruto about ten times, and I've been following it for years. It's clear to see that Sakura has feelings for Sasuke, you can barely discern the emotions between Hinata and Naruto. But when it comes to Sasuke having feelings for Sakura, I honestly can't see a single shred of evidence..
Personally, I feel like Sasuke never had any romantic interest in women throughout the entire series, he only loved Itachi and Naruto
Sasuke marrying Sakura as a punishment is a very popular talking point lmao
Sasuke only married Sakura out of atonement
10K Likes
Sasuke may have committed many misdeeds in the first half of his life, but marrying Sakura compensates for all of it
18K Likes
These are some of the most popular comments and they pretty much capture the sentiment of the vast majority of the fandom
dailybridgerton
ellievsbear
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
areudirty
yousharknotpass
romaincrisis
