#localization adventures

[thatoneblogaccount]

I've been wanting to write this up for a while, and now that I've finished my JP AG watch, I can. As a companion piece to the post I had about localization changes that leaned into contestshipping (there's maybe one line I missed in that post), this one has some localization changes that took away from contestshipping.

Fair warning, but this is pretty long. All translations are mine; some of them may not be smooth because I wanted to try preserving the original line as much as possible.

AG113: Who, What, When, Where, Wynaut? (まぼろし島のソーナノ！)

I'd be remiss not to include this. Prior to AG113, Shuu refers to Haruka as "Haruka-kun", appending the -kun to her name as a means of condescension (when he isn't using kimi, "you"). This episode marks the moment he drops the -kun and calls her "Haruka" permanently. You won't miss the shift in their dynamic in the dub either, but in Japanese, it's made completely clear with this change.

Fun fact about Shuu: he only ever uses -kun or no honorific with Haruka. Every other character we see him interact with is -san out of politeness or distance, if he says their names at all. Satoshi and co are kimi-tachi ("you guys") and he never addresses Harley by anything, not even kimi.

AG123: Rhapsody in Drew (決戦！グランドフェスティバル➂！！)

English: Caroline: May will give it her best, I'm sure of that. Japanese: Mitsuko「宿命の対決って感じね」 (It feels like a predestined/fated matchup, doesn't it?)

Haruka's mom says this line before the Haruka vs Shuu match begins. The rivalry is such a core component to Haruka and Shuu's relationship, one that's central to both Grand Festivals, and changing the line here feels like it shifts the focus to Haruka instead of their clashing as rivals.

宿命の対決 (shukumei no taiketsu) is a really battle shounen phrase, but I wanted to note the word shukumei ("something determined before birth that can't be avoided") because it comes up again later.

English: Caroline: Yes, he's certainly a very good Trainer, huh? And I don't expect he's the type to take it easy on someone who's down either. Japanese: Mitsuko「確かにシュウ君ってすごい子ね。しかもなんだかハルカを挑発してるように見えるわ」 (Shuu-kun certainly is incredible. What's more, it almost seems like he's provoking Haruka)

Flygon dodges Combusken's attack and Haruka gets an eyeful of the sun. Takeshi then mentions how Shuu's making good use of the open stage. Mitsuko, however, doesn't feel like the move was purely strategic; he's purposefully drawing Haruka out too. It's a verbal acknowledgement of how they interact as rivals that we don't quite get from her dub line.

English: Drew: I'm still determined to become the top coordinator someday. Hey, I'm already thinking about attacks I might wanna use in next year's festival! Japanese: Shuu「僕はトップコーディネーターを目指す。僕にしかできない方法でポケモンたちを輝かせるんだ」 (I'm aiming for Top Coordinator. I'll make my Pokemon shine in a way only I can)

I've got this one here because the 4Kids dub altering this line ends up looking silly when May calls back to it in The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing! with the TPCi dub:

English: May: Remember? When you told me you needed to find a battling style that was yours and only yours? Well, I want to find my own style too, and learn how to show off my Pokemon a lot better than I do now. All my own, like no one else! Japanese: Haruka「いつかシュウ言ってたよね？『自分にしかできない方法でポケモンたちを輝かせたい』って。私も自分だけの方法を見つけたい。もっともっとポケモンたちの魅力を引き出したい。私にしかできないやり方で！」 (You said it before, didn't you? "I want to make my Pokemon shine in a way only I can". I want to find my own way too, to draw out the charm of my Pokemon more and more. In a way only I can!)

With the dubbing company changing between S8 and S9, this was kind of out of their hands, but the mismatch means you might miss how influential that conversation on the beach is to her.

AG143: The Saffron Con (ポケモンコンテスト・ヤマブキ大会！(前編))

English: Harley: I wonder if your little rival will enter this contest. Japanese: Harley「あ～ら、やっぱり二人は宿命のライバルなのねえ」 (Well now! So [as I thought] you two are predestined/fated rivals after all, huh?)

Here's that shukumei word again, this time in 宿命のライバル (shukumei no raibaru). Haruka and Harley both mention running into Shuu in Kanto and he says this line. It's another comment about their rivalry that gets lost in the dub, but also a small nod towards how convenient it is that they'd run into each other despite never talking about where they were planning to go.

AG162: Spontaneous Combusken! (ポケモンコンテスト！ユズリハ大会！！)

English: Brock: Gee Drew, why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Japanese: Takeshi「全くシュウはハルカには厳しいな」 (Geez, you sure are tough on Haruka)

"Wasn't this in the other post?" Yep. One of the things this episode does in spades is show us the difference in how Shuu treats Haruka vs other people. This line, the way it's phrased in Japanese, serves a similar purpose. What Takeshi is saying is "I don't know about anyone else, but at least towards Haruka specifically, you're critical/harsh", highlighting the contrast.

English: Brianna: C'mon, May! It seems to me your feelings for Drew go way beyond just contests and battling. May: Huh? Me and Drew? He's just a rival, that's all! Brianna: Oh yeah? Well, I wanna know if you like Drew! May: Like him!? To be honest, I've never really given it that much thought... Brianna: For your information, as soon as I win this, I'm telling him that I love him! May: That's fine with me except for the 'soon as you win this' part.

Japanese: Wakana「ハルカさん。結局ハルカさんってシュウ様のことどう思ってるんですか？」 (Haruka-san. So what/how do you think of Shuu-sama?) Haruka「はあ？シュウはライバルよ。いつか絶対に勝ちたい相手」 (Huh? Shuu's my rival. Someone I absolutely wanna win against someday) Wakana「そうじゃなくって。好きかどうかってことです」 (That's not what I mean. I'm asking whether you like him or not) Haruka「好き！？そ…そんなこと意識したことないし…急に言われても…」 (Like him!? I...I've never considered it before...so even if you suddenly ask me...) Wakana「私、ハルカさんに勝ったら、シュウ様に告白しようと思ってるんです」 (I'm thinking of confessing to Shuu-sama once I win against you) Haruka「えっ！？あっ、ワカナがそう決めたんならそれでいいかも」 (Huh!? Um, if that's what you've decided, then [I guess] that's fine)

The part I wanted to highlight is how Wakana asks Haruka rather than the more pointed accusation in the dub, which colors how Haruka/May responds. The dub line feels like she understands the implication on some level, whereas the original line gives her that wiggle room to take the question at face value. "What/How do you think of Shuu?" → "He's my rival!"

She doesn't register her fixation as anything else, something Wakana picks up on, so it flows much better into the next set of lines when Wakana clarifies she meant "do you like him". Then she turns red, flounders with her answer, etc etc. This becomes relevant come The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing!.

Detour note: Haruka has a habit of frequently ending her sentences with -kamo (short for kamoshirenai, an expression of uncertainty like "maybe"), which doesn't quite make it into the localization. Harley calls attention to it all the time, but it's usually treated more like white noise. I've written "I guess" in brackets for the last line to reflect that it's there.

AG174: New Plot, Odd Lot! (ハーリー＆ロケット団！悪役同盟結成！？)

English: Drew: Guess it had to be. Japanese: Shuu「そうこなくっちゃね」 (That's what I'm talking about/That's how it should be)

He has all of three lines in this episode (four if you count the flashback), but here's one where I don't think the localization really captures what he means. The phrase そうこなくっちゃ (sou konakuccha) is used often in response to something turning out the way you wanted, and he says it right after Haruka makes it past the appeal stage. The dub line is oddly more subdued than the original, which is kinda rare.

Extra tidbit, but he says this in his first appearance in Now That's Flower Power! too when Haruka agrees to battle him over the Bluk Berries.

AG181: Thinning the Hoard! (ハルカVSハーリー！ダブルバトルでステージ・オン！！)

English: Harley: The poor little loser girl got her teeny feelings all hurt. Japanese: Harley「まあ、かもちゃんったらあんなに動揺しちゃって」 (My my, Kamo-chan's so shaken up)

Harley says this right after The Fight™. He orchestrates this altercation and his original line places emphasis on how much it affected her—an emphasis that sounds suspiciously like a line he's said before at a certain other Grand Festival (which got changed into the boyfriend line):

Harley「ふん。まさかシュウ君がこんなにあんたのこと気にしてたなんてね」 (Hmph. To think Shuu-kun would care/concern himself this much with you)

This was also in the other post, but I do think it's better than the boyfriend line even if it's not as funny. A decent chunk of Harley's commentary seems to exist to call attention to certain aspects of their relationship; these two lines are no different.

Side note, but if you have to watch any episodes of AG subbed/in Japanese, the Kanto GF arc is a good choice. The dub...certainly does a thing with some key lines.

AG187: The Unbeatable Lightness of Seeing! (ハルカVSシュウ！ライバルよ永遠に)

English: May: You really gave me a shock back there. See, I was just thinking about you when all of a sudden, there you were. Drew: Were they good thoughts? May: Uh, c'mon! Of course they were! Japanese: Haruka「さっきはびっくりしたわ。シュウのこと考えてたらいきなり目の前に現れるんだもん」 (That was a surprise. I was thinking about you and suddenly, there you were) Shuu「考えてた？」 (Thinking [about me]?) Haruka「あ…いや、そういう意味じゃないの！」 (Ah, no, I didn't mean like that!)

Remember that exchange with Wakana in Spontaneous Combusken? Wakana asks her dou omotteru ("what/how do you think of—?) with romantic implications and Haruka answers at face value. Shuu asks her kangaeteta ("thinking?") with no implications and her immediate reaction is to not take it at face value.

This bit of dialogue provides continuity for the events of Spontaneous Combusken and is basically the only time Haruka reacts this way without some third party needling her. The dub change turns it into a funny but mostly forgettable interaction.

English: Harley: How touching. It's dangerous~ Two kids alone like this. May: Ah, c'mon! We were just talking! Really! Japanese: Harley「お二人さん！何やってんのよ、怪しいわね」 (Hey, you two! What's going on here? How suspicious) Haruka「そんな！私たち別に…その…」 (No way! We're not really...um...)

I don't have much to say about this one—you can watch the scene yourself to hear the difference. If May had stuttered or sounded hesitant in the dub line, it'd be more accurate to the original.

A number of lines got omitted for one reason or another and I avoided cross-referencing tons of other episodes for some semblance of brevity, but if you made it this far, I appreciate your time

[thatoneblogaccount]

Every so often, I get pulled back into the childhood nostalgia of watching Pokemon (and Digimon and Yu-gi-oh and...), and this year, I actually opted to watch the Japanese dub for the first time. Not from episode 1 of course, just hopping around to watch some of my favorites. Naturally, this means getting sucked back into enjoying one of my favorite dynamic duos: May and Drew (or Haruka and Shuu, if you prefer).

They feel about as canon as a pair of probably-ten year olds could be in a kids' show, but I can't help but notice some of the localizations that really try to lean on that.

Some examples under the cut:

AG123: Deceit and Assist/熱闘(ねっとう)! グランドフェスティバル!! ②

English dub: Harley: Ugh, it almost worked too, and you never would've known if your annoying boyfriend here [referring to Drew] had kept his trap shut.

Japanese dub: Harley: ふん。まさかシュウ君がこんなにあんたのこと気にしてたなんてね。おかげでぶち壊しよ。 (Hmph. I didn't think Shuu-kun would care/concern himself so much with you. Thanks to that, it's [the plan to sabotage Haruka] ruined.)

I don't think my translation really does total justice to the nuance, but to be honest, I would've preferred they kept the line closer to the original here. Not that it's a bad localization; it works with Harley's character. Either way, it's obvious Drew/Shuu can't mind his own business.

AG162: Spontaneous Combusken!/ポケモンコンテスト！ユズリハ大会！！

English dub: Drew: Hey, gimme a break! Doesn't she remember that Munchlax's solar beam's quicker in the sun? That's too bad. It would've given her a huge advantage. Sorry, but it looks like May messed up again.

Brock: Gee Drew, why don't you tell us how you really feel?

Japanese dub: Shuu: この日差しの中でソーラービームがいつもより早くうてることが分かっていたらきっと二次審査でゴンべを使ったはずさ。そのほうがバトルでも有利になるだろう？ (Surely you'd pick Munchlax for the second round knowing that solar beam fires off quicker in this sunlight. It offers you a big advantage in battles, don't you think?

Takeshi: 全くシュウはハルカには厳しいな。 (Geez, you sure are tough on Haruka.)

I threw this in mainly because of Brock's line, but the original actually has Drew being critical without the additional meanness.

AG175: Going for Choke!/ハルカVSムサシ！最後のコンテスト！！

English dub: Drew: Hm? I only did it [saved Ash and co from Team Rocket] so May would have someone cheering her on.

Japanese dub: Shuu: コンテストを台無しにされたくなかっただけさ。 (I just didn't want the contest to be spoiled/ruined.)

This doesn't really take away from the fact that Drew/Shuu clearly still can't mind his own business, but they did change up this line a lot even if the relative nuance is the same. Frankly, the English dub line almost makes more sense in context—it's not like saving Ash and co was a necessary step for preserving contest integrity.

AG180: May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!/開幕！ポケモンコンテスト・グランドフェスティバル！！

English dub: Soledad: See, I think since he's [Drew] been watching you [May] grow stronger in your performances, he's gotten feelings for you. I think it's because of your abilities that he's gotten more competitive.

Japanese dub: Saori: 自分と同じように成長したり立ち止まったりする姿に―何かを感じたのね。追われる側になったことで負けたくない気持ちが出てきたのかな。 (Seeing someone growing and stagnating like himself, he felt something. As the one being pursued, maybe he'd come to feel like he didn't want to lose.)

Here's the infamous "he's gotten feelings for you" line. My translation is admittedly stilted, but the point is that her comment sounding somewhat romantic feels like a purposeful change in the localization that wasn't really necessary.

I'm sure there's more, but I don't have them on hand. The pair still feels near-canon even if you ignore the changes, it was just interesting to see some of the decisions the localization team chose to make. Nothing that holds a candle to Brock's S1 "jelly-filled donuts" though lol

[thatoneblogaccount]

Didn't get to write this when the two-parter got uploaded, but there's a line in the Pacifidlog Contest that the dub kind of royally flubs:

The whole quote (from Erika/Eriko):

English Erika: Don't tell me...the two of them? They're staying perfectly in sync no matter what moves either one of them makes! Could it be they're the perfect battling couple?

Japanese Eriko「あの二人まさか…あのとき二人の息ぴったり合ってるように見えたのはお互いが本当にいいライバルだから？」 (Could it be...that the reason those two seemed perfectly in sync that time/back then is because they're actually good rivals?)

Now, I like picking out places where the dub makes adjustments to the original lines—there's a thought process that goes into many of those changes, and for the most part, they're low stakes. Unless you're nitpicking for analysis, many of the dub changes fall into the category of "different, but has no real bearing on the overall story or characters".

This line from the Pacifidlog Contest is among the ones I'd consider to be legitimate dub misses. It stands out because this is supposed to be Erika's epiphany moment leading up to the apology, and the "perfect battling couple" line directly contradicts the whole "your dynamic with Joshua had nothing to do with you being his girlfriend" lesson.

[thatoneblogaccount]

The Bicker the Better is such an absurd episode, one of my favorites to rewatch for fun. On the other hand, I have mixed feelings about some of the localization choices made in it. I've got a much longer write-up about it in my notes (with quotes), but in summary:

→ there's a bit at the beginning of Ash and May's squabbling where May complains and Ash, in all his pettiness, mimics her speech pattern to complain right back at her

→ the choice to have Oscar and Andi use "happy couple", "lovebirds", "in love", etc being wrong but also not technically wrong (this is like 90% of my write-up)

→ a few of May's and Jessie's lines are honestly just a little ?? in the localization

Pretty classic English dubbing fare, I guess