Much as I appreciate VIZ for publishing a lot of Junji Ito, I didn't like some of their translations cause they didn't hit as hard. Just the panels below illustrate my point.
From VIZ (Official):
From DANIEL.AU (Fan Scanlation):
I get it, censorship and all that, and maybe VIZ’s version is technically more accurate, but seriously - a little cursing in a horror manga won’t hurt anyone, right? Considering the target audience? But hey, maybe that's just me.
Also, I am not even gonna speak about the abysmal anime version. It's not just as intense.
Glyceride (Junji Ito)
"The story revolves around a father and his daughter and son, who run a barbecue joint, which results in grease rising from the bottom floor to their living space, making everything in their house- their clothes, the walls, the furniture - covered in a film of grease. There's a constant motif of the horrors of the flesh at their grossest: The constant bullying the daughter Yui endures from her brother Goro, her stress and disgust at what she calls the "saturation level" of grease in the air, the horrible acne Goro develops and his strange addiction to drinking cooking oil, and the unnatural, greasy body odor their father has. All of this is later put on disgusting contrast against their father's job at the barbecue, and how his customers think the meat he serves is delicious…"
SPOILERS BELOW CUT
Tender is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica)
"Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans —though no one calls them that anymore.
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.
Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved."
Flesh Leitner Bracket Final
Glyceride (Junji Ito)
Tender is the Flesh (Agustina Bazterrica)
Voting ended onMay 4, 2024
All of this escalates until Goro tries to kill Yui. However, their father saves Yui by bashing Goro over the head with a frying pan, killing him; he subsequently gets rid of the body by serving his flesh to the customers in his restaurant. The restaurant enjoys a revival in popularity due to Goro being served to the patrons but, when the meat runs out, the customers stop coming back. Yui begins to develop acne and a bad temper, just like Goro. She wakes up one night to find her father forcing oil down her throat just as Goro used to drink it. From then on, Yui can't sleep due to her father's constant efforts to break into her room and give her oil.
With no more meat left, Yui's father is forced to close the restaurant. He begins drinking the oil himself. His skin and hair become even greasier, and the saturation level continues to rise. The entire house is now full to the brim with grease, and grease drips constantly from the ceiling the saturation level is 90%. Eventually, Yui catches a glimpse of her father cutting off his own leg to serve in the restaurant since Goro's been eaten and she refuses to drink the oil; she observes that her father's leg is not leaking blood, only grease, as she realizes the saturation level is now at 100%.
True, the rows of small and sharp teeth that grazed the underside of your chin made you nervous, but you knew that at this moment, you were the safest you'd ever been. It astounded you, how a man his size still managed to handle you so well - not like you were a doll, something he was afraid to break, and at the same time, not too harshly.
The texture of his skin was not unpleasant, though unique. Your fingers worried over the ridges of his scales, focusing on how perfectly they were layered, a pattern; order still finding a place upon chaos. One of your palms settles upon the softer skin of his belly, sensitive and pale, and you know it's an honor, for him to allow you to be that close to his heart. It was your privilege, one no one else got to experience.
There's something just to the left of awe in his eyes as one of his claws moves to stroke at the side of your hair. A deep rumble starts in his stomach, comes out through his nose, and you can feel the instinctive fear of such a predatory, hungry noise encourage your heart to be a little faster. It doesn't go unnoticed, and he leans closer, takes in your scent. His breath is a wave of heat that puffs against your cheek, and you press your lips just below his mouth.
It's not said, but you can feel him claiming you as his own in this moment, testing your boundaries and nipping quietly at flesh laid bare for him to mark. You are still adapting, and perhaps you will never get used to the way he looks at you like he wants to consume you whole, or how cold he is to the touch, but you want him. And as long as he wants you, as long as you wanted each other, there was nothing to worry about.
