Re: Toren Smith comments
- From: Yaniv Tempelman <yaniv_tempelman@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 06 Dec 2005 23:52:22 +0100
Gilles Poitras wrote:
> While I don't agree with everything he says I feel he has the gist down
> right. Especially the weak translation work being done by some of the
> companies today.
Where manga translations back then in the early and mid-nineties so much
better than todays translations? I somehow doubt it.
Concernig Studio Proteus/Dark Horse, as a swiss manga reader I'm not too
much into us manga translations, but I remember for example that there
was some swearing in the first chapter of the english Naru Taru version
(aka Shadow Star) where there isn't any in the original by Kitoh. The
same goes for the english Outlanders and Caravan Kidd translations.
There's hardly any real swearing and/or "cool" sounding slang in the
original volumes.
> Toren has done so much to promote good quality manga, I've been reading
> his translations since the late 1980s. He is a great example of a fan
> who saw an opportunity and turned pro.
I agree with some of his opinions about "neo-otakus", but I strongly
disagree on some of his remarks, for
instance about the "quality cut" of todays manga market. I mean, there
was also a lot of "junk" translated before the tankoubon boom which
occured some years ago. I wouldn't consider Yoshi Manabe's work "good
quality" for example, even though I like some of his stories. The same
goes for Gunsmith Cat's, Oh My Goodess or other longtime fan-series.
Just because those series are around in the english market since more
than ten years and considered classics doesn't mean they're "better"
than what he seems to qualify as junk from today's output.
The other thing I don't understand is his rant about some otakus
stubborness concerning pictures and translations adjustments. Example:
If Shiina is sometimes naked in the original Naru Taru - a series which
is full of sexual allusions and coming of age, by the way - and Toren Smith
says this wouldn't be important for the overall plot at all, then I
can't help asking myself a) why did Kitoh draw her naked for Afternoon
in the first place and b) maybe Kitoh has no problem with any
alterations to his (art)work because he's a polite japanese and doesn't
want to be rough towards some gaijin? You know, the tatemae/honne aspect
when dealing with japanese people.
Of course, manga is buisness, and if there is anything which can put
sales in jeopardy, it will be removed or altered. I fully unterstand
the publisher's position. It's just Toren Smith's rant about fans, his
justifications and "old days nostalgia" which seem over top to me.
Maybe he had really bad experiences whith some fans in the past; I can't
explain some of his views and remarks otherwise.
--
Yaniv Tempelman
Manga Takarajima http://www.manga-takarajima.mangafan.net/ (german)
.
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