So I wanna talk about language in That Scene™ because let’s be real the last 5 mins of The Black Paladins is all any of us is gonna talk about for the next 4 months.
I’m sure someone has already covered this but whatever, here we go, That Scene in Japanese. Because I find it V E R Y interesting.
This one is the same in the closed caption and the dialogue and translates evenly from English.
“Shiro, please. You’re my brother. I love you.” This has no more or less weight than what he says in English. ;)
But then there’s the Japanese version. OH MY GOD.
What Keith says: “Shiro I beg you. You’re my brother. I love you”
What he uses for love is 愛してる (aishiteru), which is…. not a word commonly heard in Japan? It means deep, powerful love and it’s rarely used even between spouses (though tbh affectionate love language between couples isn’t a thing in Japan the way it is in the Western world). It’s why when you’re watching anime, a deep confession moment comes in the form of “suki desu” (I like you), or “dai suki desu” (I REALLY like you) because that in and of itself is a big deal. Aishiteru can be used within families of course, but typically it’s for parents (moms) to their kids. Brother-to-brother it’d be rare to hear and definitely legendary-rare between friends. While not necessarily inherently romantic, aishiteru is a BIG word and a big deal because it conveys clearly what Keith feels for Shiro. Shiro is his everything.
And what I find pretty interesting is when I turn on the subs for the Japanese version, instead of just saying 愛してる(aishiteru), what it says on the screen is 心から愛してる… I love you with all of my heart.
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