I know you’ve already look at Alear and Veyle’s support, however I’m wondering if you can also look at their ending since there seems to some debate whether or not the original intent behind it was a bit “incest-y” in regards to the orphan mentioned. I personally have my doubts as the ending doesn’t change if Alear is a female, thus making the whole thing impossible to begin with, so I’m wondering if it had something to do with the wording of the ending in Japanese that implies something different when directly translated into English.
In short, I would say that if you really squint, it can be argued that the Alear / Veyle ending is a bit more "incest-y" in Japanese. No direct wording supports that conclusion though.
I say that the JP version can seem a bit more "incest-y" because the dragon orphan is described as "their successor," 二人の後継 (futari no koukei). The orphan isn't just Alear or Veyle's successor, but the successor of both of them.
The dragon child is also described as そこで育った (soko de sodatta), meaning they "were raised there", refering to Veyle's orphanage. Which is not said directly in the localization, just implied.
Of course, the dragon orphan being chosen as Alear and Veyle's successor, and having been raised at Veyle's orphanage does not mean the child was considered theirs as a romantic couple. They might not have even had a direct role in raising and educating the child - i.e. other caretakers at the orphanage might have raised the child, and other subordinates of Alear and Veyle might have trained and educated the child to become the future ruler of the continent.
But there is an argument in JP for Alear/Veyle romantic implications to be made if you see it that way, just as there is in localization.
To see the details yourself, my translation of the Alear / Veyle JP is posted below!
I also translated Veyle's JP solo ending because it was right there in front of me when I searched for the paired ending online, so see that below as well!
Paired Ending w/ Alear
Japanese
神竜リュールは、(Divine Dragon Alear)
新たなる神竜王として即位。(ascended as the new Divine Dragon Monarch.)
各国の王や仲間たちと繋いだ強固な絆で (With their strong bonds between them and the rulers of each nation and their allies,)
エレオス大陸を永き平穏へと導いた。(they led the continent of Elyos towards a lasting peace.)
パートナーであるヴェイルは、(Their partner Veyle)
グラドロンの地を豊かな国へと導き (led the land of Gradlon to become a prosperous nation and)
恵まれない子たちの孤児院を設立した。(established an orphanage for misfortunate children.)
そこで育った優しき竜族の子が数千年後
二人の後継として大陸を統べたという。▼ (It is said that a gentle dragon child raised there, several thousand years later, ruled the continent as their successor.)
Localization
___ became the new Divine Dragon Monarch. His/Her bonds with the rulers of each nation resulted in a lasting peace.
Veyle led Gradlon to prosperity and established an orphanage there. Millennia later, an orphan with dragon blood would go on to unify the continent.
Veyle Solo Ending
Japanese
ヴェイル (Veyle)
【優しき竜】(Gentle Dragon)
浮上したままであったグラドロンの地を
預かり、緑溢れる国土へと導いた。(Veyle took over the land of Gradlon, still above the surface, and led it to become a lush, green country.)
王族としての身分は望まないと (She did not wish for social status as royalty,)
ただの竜族であり続けようとしたが、(and tried to continue on as just a member of dragon-kind, but)
民たちの願いもあり、終戦より百余年後 (at the people’s pleas, over 100 years after the end of the war,)
グラドロン王国の初代国王となる。(she became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Gradlon.)
その姿をかつての仲間たちが見ることは
叶わなかったが、その子孫たちや、
きょうだいである神竜王が祝福した。▼ (Many of her prior allies were unable to see her as such, but their descendants and her sibling, the Divine Dragon Monarch, celebrated the occasion.)
Localization
Veyle – Gentle Dragon
Veyle took over Gradlon and made it into a lush, green land. She resisted the crown for over a century, then at last gave in to her people’s wishes and became the first monarch of Gradlon.
By then, many of her old friends had died, but their offspring and ___ were at the event.
“Defeating Kronika was in its own, my greatest challenge. I was not fighting for the hourglass- for myself. No, I fought because it was the right thing to do. For the good of the people in all realms. So colour me surprised when I gained control of the hourglass.”
“At first, I was overwhelmed with the responsibility, unsure of what path I thought would be best to set the worlds on. Who was I to decide how they should live and die? I learned as time continued to reset, what was best for everyone. They deserved peace for everything they've gone through, and I did my best to give them the chance to do better.”
“And for once... I let myself rest. Surrounded by those I love.”
The Company had no time to waste, it was time to get out of there before more wargs came looking for their scout. Dwalin quickly threw your pack at you as you all took off racing through the woodland, searching for shelter in the mountain path that lay ahead of you.
The urge to seek out Fili and his comfort was strong as the oak trees turned into pine, the path becoming less dirt and more rock. The flesh just above your hips was tingling as remembered how warm his hands were against your skin.
Fili was in the same position as you, his arms feeling like you burned him from where you grabbed ahold of him when he yanked you out of the way, saving you from becoming a meal to the beast.
“We’ll stop here for the night, we’ve gone far enough,” Thorin called out, nodding to a cave that had an outlook area, anyone up there could see all the dangers incoming, perfect for how your morning had started.
You felt a sigh of relief threatening to leave your throat, your legs were sore and aching from all the running you had done to get here, your stomach wanting nothing more than a nice fill of a comforting bowl of stew, and your mind wanting nothing more than to sleep.
Dwalin and Thorin went in to check out the cave and make sure it was abandoned before allowing the company to come in. They had deemed it safe and soon everyone was piling into the rocky hole in the mountain.
Setting down your pack in the back corner of the cave, you allowed yourself to stretch, feeling your joints pop in relief.
“(Y/n),” Fili called out to you, now that you two were finally able to relax, he wanted to speak to you about your new situation.
“Yes, Fili?” You questioned, your heartbeat quickening as you looked into his eyes.
“May we talk, outside?” Fili glanced around to see his brother and uncle watching him with knowing eyes.
Your tongue darted out to wet your lips in nervousness before nodding, “Sure,” You agreed and by instinct, Fili took your hand and led you outside to the overlook. Once you were outside, Fili glanced down to your interlocked hands and slowly pulled his hand away, nerves now getting the best of him.
“We’re soulmates,” You began when Fili just sat there fiddling with his thumbs, “Well.. I mean if you would want me as your soulmate…” You finished off nervously, realizing that he was indeed the crown prince of Erebor, and you were nothing but a warrior for hire.
“Why wouldn’t I want you?” Fili’s eyes snapped up to yours, his previous nervousness gone as he grabbed both of your hands. “I’ve wanted nothing more in my entire life, I’ve always wanted to meet you, and now that I have, I know that I will never want anyone else,” Fili’s words nearly melted your heart as he let go of one of your hands to cup your cheek.
“Fili…” You began but was cut off by a kiss to your cheek. “Please,” Fili had a begging tone to his voice, “Let me prove to you I will be a good soulmate, let me court you,” Fili’s heart was beating a mile a minute, afraid he had cut you off from rejecting him. Being a soulmate to a royal was a big responsibility in everyone’s eyes, he couldn’t blame you if you rejected him to save yourself from the pressure and watchful eyes of those who were seeing if you were good enough to become a ruler alongside him.
“You don’t have to prove anything, Fili,” You grinned as he squeezed your hand tighter.
“I know it is very early, but…. I love you already,” Fili mumbled, giving you a soft smile.
Me: *plays as Kilik to get all the cutscenes in Tales of Souls*
Also me: *repeatedly inputs A+G or B+G on his ending*
A+G input ending
B+G input ending
Kilik and Xianghua shippers would be happy... Oh wait, I'm one of them 😛
Also I actually let Xianghua fall by inputting the wrong buttons the first time I saw it. 😅
It's pretty sad that Kilik's SCIV ending has him reject Xianghua's affections yet they still bore a son on the SCIV-SCV 17-year timeskip. That's Xiba. Not sure if he's aware that Leixia is his half-sister though, but apparently he might know about Kilik being his dad and all despite always talking about food.
Could you possibly translate the Yuri/Ingrid ending in Azure Moon?
It seems English somewhat gutted the ending by making it seem like Yuri had to *convince* Dimitri to build orphanages in the slums, while machine translation (yes ik, not reliable) tells me it says Yuri worked with Dimitri to make it happen. Also English seems to have omitted the fact that Ingrid visited the slums to help out.
Could you potentially clear this up?
It's so unfortunate that I didn't get to answer this one sooner, because it's a good question! I love when even people who know little to no Japanese can pick up on when something seems to be off in localization, and do a basic investigation themselves! It's like you can tell, even without knowledge of the original Japanese, that a different writer dropped their own scene in the middle of someone else's story.
And no worries on using a machine translation for a rough idea - I gotta be fair and say that it's gotten way better over my years in the fan translation world. In particular I remember one day several years back, when I read that Google was revamping their Japanese translator, and when it went live... it was like flipping a light switch. In short, Google translate went from just translating word-by-word, to gaining an honestly impressive ability to understand longer phrases and some context.
Anyway, to the actual question at hand!
I don't have any notes to add, honestly. The machine translation gave you exactly the right impression. While sometimes a small factoid will have to be removed from a character ending in English due to word limits, this one did make those couple of distinct differences. I don't think they had to save space in this case, so it's anyone's guess as to exactly why.
And a note for context - these changes are only in the Azure Moon ending. The Ingrid / Yuri ending for the other routes is translated pretty directly.
See my translation, with the localization side-by-side, under the cut!
After the war, Ingrid flew home, went to the capital, and served as a knight to the royal family. Yuri, on the other hand, disappeared to the underworld of the western Kingdom, and after that, never once appeared on the front stage of history.
However, in the memoirs left behind by a certain knight of the Holy Kingdom, it was recorded that through communication with the King of Faerghus, Yuri worked tirelessly to found establishments such as medical clinics and orphanages; and to aid him, Ingrid visited the slums of the castle town on many occasions, and so on.
According to one rumor, after they left the frontlines, they opened and operated a post station* together, where the cooking was famous among a wide variety of people.
Localization:
Yuri disappeared into the underworld of the western Kingdom and faded away into obscurity. The only account of him after that comes from a Kingdom knight's journal, uncovered many decades later, which tells of Yuri's efforts to win the king's support for an orphanage and medical clinic to be built in the slums of the castle town. It is believed that the journal belonged to Ingrid, who had declined to rule House Galatea in order to serve House Blaiddyd as a knight. According to local rumor, Ingrid eventually retired from knighthood to become the owner of an inn. There, it is said that she and the man she wrote about cooked dishes loved by rich and poor alike.
Ingrid petitioned to inherit the Galatea territory, and became its new ruler. The eyes of the people on her, as one who had previously abandoned her house, were cold at first, but aside from her rule, everything progressed smoothly. She saw the people in the castle town, especially the lower class, side and cooperate with her ongoing policies. Knowing that, she went to the castle town, and there reunited with Yuri, who had unified the people living there.
With the people’s cooperation, the Galatea territory achieved steady development. It is said that what became the relaxation of its busy ruler was Yuri’s presence, who, with the people’s blessing had become her spouse, and the home cooking he made.
Localization:
When Galatea territory was seized, Ingrid argued strongly for the preservation of its borders. Her request was granted, and she was appointed to rule. Though, since she had previously abandoned her noble house, she was not well accepted by the people. Despite this, she found that the commonfolk carried out her policies with unexpected enthusiasm and efficiency. She soon discovered that it was Yuri who had convinced them of her wisdom. The two were reunited and eventually married, and under their stewardship, Galatea territory flourished. It is said that, after a busy day of governance, Ingrid yearned for nothing more than a home-cooked meal prepared by her husband.
* See exactly what a ‘post station’ was in Japan here - link.
Could you perhaps do a translation of Dimitri's solo ending? I've seen many claims that his ending was changed in English to reference that he improved foreign relations instead of minorities, but I have no way of confirming this.
I’ll start off directly with my translation and the localization side-by-side, but to anyone interested, please stick around and read my full notes! I describe the Japanese equivalent to the localization’s “improving foreign relations” in detail, as well as introduce the actual most common words and terms that mean “minorities” in Japanese. (Which, this already confirms that the short answer to OP’s question is: No, the Japanese does not reference minorities. While the English using “foreign relations” is not a direct translation, it is simply different wording from the Japanese.)
-
Japanese:
ディミトリは戴冠を受けて王位を継ぎ、生涯をフォドラの統治と改革に捧げた。(Dimitri was crowned, inherited the title of king, and devoted himself throughout his entire life to Fodlan’s ruling and reform.)
孤児の保護や異民族との関係改善に尽力する一方で、民の声に耳を傾け、彼らが政治に参加できる仕組みを導入。(He worked tirelessly to care for orphans, and improve relations with foreign nations; and also listened to the voices of the people, and established a system where they could participate in politics and the government.)
民のために、民と共に生きた彼を、人々は“救国王”と讃えたという。
He, who lived for the people and alongside them, was lauded by them as the “king who saved his nation from its suffering.”
Localization:
After his coronation, Dimitri spent his life reforming and ruling justly over Fodlan. He focused particularly on improving living situations for orphans and improving foreign relations. He was known for listening intently to the voices of all, and for instituting a new form of government in which the people were free to be active participants. He lived for his people and alongside them, and was thusly dubbed the Savior King.
-
The phrase specifically used in the Japanese for “foreign nations” is “異民族との関係” (iminzoku to no kankei). “との関係” translates pretty directly to “relations with.” But iminzoku deserves a little more attention than that.
Here’s a definition I pulled straight off a Google search, with my translation of it -
自分たちとは違う民族、違う範囲に住む、違う文化を培った民族
“A different people/race from one’s own. Peoples who live in a different area, and cultivate a different culture.”
As the jisho.org translation shows, minzoku can translate to a lot of different words, it really depends on the context.
The ‘i’ adds the nuance of different or foreign to the word.
I chose “foreign nations” in my translation of Dimitri’s ending above, because that seemed the most appropriate given the context of FE3H, with Fodlan’s lack of close relations with other nations being a frequently discussed plot detail throughout the game. But just as I said for minzoku above, iminzoku could translate to many different English terms like “foreign group, foreign people, foreign race, etc.” depending on context and what the translator best sees fit. They are pretty general words on their own.
To bring the explanation to a close, I’m going to explain - well then, if the Japanese wording doesn’t imply minorities in this ending of Dimitri’s, then what words or phrases do mean “minorities” in Japanese?
I’m going to be unoriginal and link the Japanese Wikipedia article for “minorities:” click here.
As a large scale social concept, the word for minorities is: 社会的少数者 (shakai teki shousuusha). Shakai means “society” and “social studies.” The word minorities itself is the 少数者 (shousuusha) part. Very super literally, it means something like “people of lesser numbers” - though please note that Japanese words are almost never the sum of their kanji parts, and don’t take that translation very directly. It just gets the point across that at its very basic meaning, a minority is a group of significantly smaller population compared to others within a whole. Japanese people will also use マイノリティ and マイノリティグループ, which are “minority” and “minority group” directly written in Japanese “letters.” Any concept / topic that garners a lot of news generally has its English word quickly adopted into Japanese.
So in both the wording that the Japanese did use (異民族との関係) and didn’t use (社会的少数者, 少数者, マイノリテ, etc.) it is clear that the Japanese does not reference minorities. While the English using “foreign relations” is not a super direct translation, it is simply slightly different wording from the Japanese.
