Ok, I need to make a post about this before I go insane from laughing so much.
If you know or have heard about the new series “The Summer Hikaru Died” and you don't speak Spanish, you probably have no idea about all the drama and head-hunting that is brewing on the Spanish side of the fandom.
Let me tell you, it's hilariously sad.
It turns out that there is a small problem with the subtitles. A teeny, tiny one. Just a little detail. Here is a screenshot to illustrate this.
“But what's wrong with that?” you might ask, after using Google Translate to translate “caer bien” to “Like you.”
FATAL MISTAKE. Spanish has a wide range of words for the spectrum that surrounds affection. “Caer bien” is nowhere near the kind of “like you” that this scene involves. This is basically like saying, “I can't help but think of you as a chill dude.” or "I think you are nice". In other words, someone I don't dislike.
Yes, the translator chose the blandest, most *nothing* word out of the pile. At that point, the characters are already FRIENDS. Imagine thinking that's a good way to portray their dynamic? "Caes bien" is something you say to your coworker who said "bless you" that one time you sneezed. Not a close friend.
And no, it's not an error. The translator, María Victoria Rodil, argued on her twitter that her choice of words was based on her professional “judgment.” I, personally, can't imagine anything more unprofessional than shoe-horning your own opinion into a piece of media by removing ALL the queer sub (and very much implicit in all ways possible) text.
Another example of how she massacred our boy:
"I thought they were boyfriends" to “I thought he was a girl”. If this is not pure and plain homophobia, I don't have any idea what it is then.
At least the community has presented a strong backlash against this. There is a petition right now with 51.000 signatures to change it.
BUT, that's not all. The hilarious part about all this are the memes that were born as a result of this incident. Please laugh with me, I am rolling in the ground right now because the irony is so PEAK:
So, now you know the context. Now go, kiss the homie good night and say that they "te cae muy bien" <3