×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Vulgarity in Anime


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:43 am Reply with quote
On average, how bad is the vulgarity in your anime? Sometimes the Japanese can say bad stuff in their language, but how do the dubs work for you? I don't really care for the dubs since I can understand Japanese, but when I watch the dubs, they make the anime understandable to why it's rated what it's rated as far as language goes. Out of all the dubs I've watched, I have heard the "f" word in two series, heard the "s" word in the same two series, and heard damn, ass, female "b" word and b****** in other series. I really don't watch a lot of dubs, sorry.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Arkard



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 677
Location: Poland
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:56 am Reply with quote
I guess I am somewhat missing the point here.
As you say, you understand japanese, then I guess you already know that dubbing some of the original voices, which as you know are not vulgar per se, to the extent of f** s** etc is acceptable if the spoken word (in japanese) fits to a specific context. Like, when a character speaks a word in a certain situation, under such and such circumstances, portraying unique emotions, and when all of these lead us onto thinking he WANTS to curse, then yes dubbs may well be translated to something harder. Like with shimatta. I heard it translated to everything ranging from damn, through goddammit and even onto f***...

That being said I didn't notice alot of cursing in any anime series I`ve watched. Thats because I watch mainly fansubs. Now manga, as I read really obscure titles, tends to losen up a certain bit.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
NeonGEvangelion



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
Posts: 141
Location: El Paso TX
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:56 am Reply with quote
I find the vulgarity in the anime I watch to be Low to Medium. But some shows use this vulgarity too much and hence ruins the show by throwing curse words out into the blue (EX. Gantz). Most shows I have watched (dubbed) are usually vulgarless (for the exception of Gantz, Elfen Lied and Samarai Champloo). If there is a curse word involved, its usually out of anger or to help smooth the edges out of a translation. Theres my 2 cents.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5634
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:58 am Reply with quote
I have to admit it surprised me to see swear words in Sailor Moon subs, but I reminded myself that they were made "Kid-friendly" by the dubbers. But I have seen in the subs swear words. Due to my usual choices in anime "Damn" seems to be the worst usually, but I would have to say that Tenjho Tenge has the "worst" language, of course, I say those same words myself. Embarassed

Almost forgot, Saiyuki both sub and dub uses a lot of vulgarity.

But usually I tend to ignore it and not go "OOH, they said a swear!" which would make me a hypocrite! Still, it is a bit disconcerting to hear the Sailor Senshi swear.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
hentai4me



Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Posts: 1313
Location: England. Robin is so Cute!
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 2:03 pm Reply with quote
raises the point of when is a curse word a curse word.

for example I often hear the teens in my area talking about how 'this is tha' S**t man!' (is there really any point in blanking that...) using it as if its not a curse word but merely a statement, thats not really cursing at all, its just using a 'sentence enhancer'
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
SharinganEyes92



Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 816
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:14 pm Reply with quote
I haven't really watched the dubbed FMA because I watched it subtitled, but when I was watching it on Adult Swim once I heard Ed call Dante a B****. However, I find that many shows that have cursing in Japanese don't translate into curses in the dubbed versions.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
hentai4me



Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Posts: 1313
Location: England. Robin is so Cute!
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:25 pm Reply with quote
SharinganEyes92 wrote:
I haven't really watched the dubbed FMA because I watched it subtitled, but when I was watching it on Adult Swim once I heard Ed call Dante a B****. However, I find that many shows that have cursing in Japanese don't translate into curses in the dubbed versions.


but then literal translations of even our own curse words are hardly that offensive.

f*** = sex
S*** = excrement
B**** = female dog
B****** = child born to unmarried parents
C*** = female body part(come one...thats like calling a foot a curse word...'oh no, its a...a...body part!')


now it might be just me, but not one of those words actually means anything I find offensive.

Now if translated a word used as a curse word in an anime isnt the literal translation likely to be something as equally inane as the actal meanings of our curse words?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18362
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:25 pm Reply with quote
The "f" word, the "s" word, and the "b" word (except in very specific cases) are almost universally considered vulgar language. Beyond that it varies a lot from person to person. I don't consider "damn" to be swearing, for instance, but I know several people who do.

Although anime titles, on average, have less vulgarity than comparably-rated American titles, Mature-rated titles can have their fair share; titles by Go Nagai are generally good examples, for instance.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:44 pm Reply with quote
Well, some people will be exposed to it so much that it desensitizes their use of vocabulary like violence in the same manner. Some people will use curse words like it's a normal way of talking.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Azathrael



Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Posts: 745
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:58 pm Reply with quote
I'm glad the word used was "vulgarity" and not "cursing/swearing". That makes it a lot easier to identify words because it's more objective. Having said that, I consider any word that one would not use in a formal place as "vulgar". That pretty much includes any word that's not in the "clean" dictionary. On the other hand, curse/swear words may differ from one person to another. Like Key said, I don't consider "damn" a curse/swear word either, but it's vulgar, given the context that it's most commonly used in anime/etc.

I think it can't be helped that there are less vulgarity in anime than English cartoons. I don't think there's a literal translation of the word "f***" in Japanese, so the worse I've ever seen was "b****" or "b******". And while some people have made the f word a daily usage in their vocabulary (what makes it worse is that the f word can be used in every possible way imaginable: noun, adjective, verb, etc), I haven't heard any Japanese word that can be used in that way.

I've never been bothered by vulgarity in anime and I don't think I'll ever be anytime soon, if ever.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:58 pm Reply with quote
Azathrael wrote:
I'm glad the word used was "vulgarity" and not "cursing/swearing".

You mean in the thread title?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
jaybug39



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 552
Location: Oregon, Is it FOOTBALL yet?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:49 pm Reply with quote
It's foul language if someone is offended by being called such. It doesn't matter how you feel about a word personally. Call your mother the "C" word and see what happens.

No one mentioned the "N" word.

Vulgar http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50279450?query_type=word&queryword=vulgar&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=kMpd-weM5qP-13796&hilite=50279450
According to the Oxford English Dictionary.

I think it is much harder as a writer to not use foul language and not sound false. Sometimes however a bad word is needed, either because the speaker is uneducated, or it most accurately describes a situation. This is why Bono was originally allowed to say how brilliant a particular director was.

Of course then there are the French. Merd!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime
SharinganEyes92



Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 816
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:49 pm Reply with quote
I think that it also comes down to the interpretation by the people who are translating.

Like you can say "don't f*** with me!" but someone can interpret that as saying "don't mess with me!" , or "don't screw around with me." Or as the Black Eyed Peas would say "Don't Phunk with My Heart!"

I don't have any problem with swearing/cursing in anime. However, when the term is meant to be vulgar, I think it depends on the circumstances and context in which it's used in order for me to consider it offensive.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
coolerimmortal



Joined: 22 Aug 2003
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:38 pm Reply with quote
I swear like a sailor, so your so-called "vulgarity" doesn't bother me. They're just words; there's no problem with using them. Besides, they fit some series...Take Berserk or Gantz, for example.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7991
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:06 pm Reply with quote
In most cases vulgarity in anime I have seen has done nothing but improve the show by showing the severity of the situation. There are just certain situations which a more "colorful metaphor," is needed and anime has a lot of serious situations where I would consider swearing myself if I were them. I hardly ever swear by the way. So as long as the VAs sound serious and the situation is appropriately dire I don't have a problem with it. Since the Japanese language lacks expletives and ours has them I believe it's a fair liberty to take given the situation.

Unless it's like the cursing in Gantz which even swears in English (badly misplaced sometimes) in the Japanese version. That goes a little too far, but it's just but one of the series many faults which I won't get into here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Anime All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group