Re: FBOFW - 5/9/2008

In article
<c8ae8b51-536a-49d4-ac25-bb6247c26306@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Robin <rnetherton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Invid Fan wrote:
In article <7m2f24hfstfldm8ilr33f0ogfotb402ke3@xxxxxxx>, Antonio E.
Gonzalez <AntEGM111@xxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sat, 10 May 2008 13:16:00 -0400, Invid Fan <invid@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

In article <g04apd$3i5$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, J.D. Baldwin
<INVALID_SEE_SIG@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In the previous article, Antonio E. Gonzalez <AntEGM111@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
If you haven't, watch the animated movie "Whisper of the
Heart". This Japanese movie uses 'Country Road' as a major plot
point
with the teen main character trying to translate it into Japanese
(in
the very good dub, this is changed into her writing the song for
obvious reasons). The opening credits feature a version sung by
iirc
Olivia Newton John.

Ummm, "obvious reasons"?

Because if they're speaking English, it's a little implausible that
they'd be trying to translate a song that's already in English.

Yup. The change doesn't fix everything, as you still wonder why others
already know the tune, but it does fit with the character being a
writer and the results are the same.

That's the problem I had with that; making it some alternate reality
where John Denver didn't exist would have been one explanation . . .

I think another problem was that they decided to use a translation of
the Japanese version of the lyrics, instead of Denver's original. Makes
sense, as her version was more personal and is keeping with the intent
of the creators, but again leads to some questions :)

Oh my, I didn't know that was actually the Japanese version of
Denver's lyrics. My impression on watching the English dub was that
she was writing new lyrics to an existing known song, I think for her
class's graduation or some such, where it would make sense that they'd
want something personal. We did things like that all the time for
events in high school -- take a song that everyone knew (and thus
could sing), but revised the lyrics to suit the occasion. Since the
character in "Whisper" is a writer (not a songwriter) it seemed to
make sense that she was the one chosen to come up with new lyrics.

Well, that's what they wanted you to think for the dub :) In the
original, she's trying to translate the song for some class event and
was having a hard time (hence her "Concrete Road" version ^_^). What we
end up with is first the Japanese writer coming up with a translation
which is more emotionally accurate as he understands the song then a
real translation, which was then first translated into English for the
subtitle track then again into a form that could actually be sung by
the English actors. Lots of steps in there :)

--
Chris Mack "Refugee, total ***. That's how I've always seen us.
'Invid Fan' Not a help, you'll admit, to agreement between us."
-'Deal/No Deal', CHESS
.