Forum - View topicSeries names: Japanese or English?!
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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As a reader of the forums, I've come across something I found to be interesting.
When listing a series by name, there are those who stick to the original Japanese title, and those who write the English title. Some even swap between the two. I find myself using the Encyclopedia to look up Japanese titles and often chuckle why the English name isn't used. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I often tend to stick to the DVD title, as that's how I relate a series by name. But curiously enough, I just happened to catch my copy of Shakugan no Shana and asked myself "Why was this never translated as 'The Blazing Eyes of Shana'?". Now I have to ask, and spark a discussion, on which you prefer and why you prefer it. Place your two yen below. 
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11509 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I generally go by the U.S. translations, as some of the full Japanese titles are a bit long-winded. I sometimes use the shortened Japanese monikers like Kare Kano or AzuDai when making reference to said series, but a good deal of the title translations for most series don't really require it.
On a few rare cases, though, I stick to Japanese titles, but only when the English one is a complete butchering like Samurai X or Fighting Spirit. Ya' know, the ones certain people with mental deficiencies decided to use because they have absolutely no grasp of creational integrity. |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I generally stick with whatever title I knew first. For example, I usually use Saiunkoku Monogatari, instead of Story of Saiunkoku, because that's the title I first encountered the series under. And typically, the first title I come across is the same as the English release.
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SalarymanJoe
 Posts: 468 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA |
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I wish I could say that I had a definitive answer or standard policy of referencing anime ... but the only one I can seriously think of is that I use Japanese titles exclusively when speaking about anime in Japanese.
I guess if it's an English title, like Cross Game or Touch, I'll use the English pronunciations; or if it's a series that I came across with no translation first, like Rurouni Kenshin, I'll use that. A lot of times though, I find myself using shortened versions of the title, like Macross or Layzner, rather than their full titles of Choujikuu Yousai Macross or Aoki Ryuusei SPT Layzner. It seems as though it is entirely hap-hazard and I never really think about it. Like Tony K. mentioned about abbreviations, if a Japanese one exists, I will most likely use it (Kodocha, HagaRen) when it needs abbreviated (but rarely will I say Hagane no Renkinjutsushi)... Now that you've got me thinking about it, it's kinda frustrating. Thanks, PetrifiedJello. Thanks. 
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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Generally, I go by the first title I'm familiar with, and whichever title is more pleasing to the ear and rolls off the tongue easier. This also includes occurrences where there are multiple translated versions of a title; say, the fansubbers chose one way to translate it while the legal distributors chose another, or there's a literal translation and a more "sales friendly" title. For example, I refer to the Utena movie as Adolescence of Utena, as opposed to the official English title of Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie, or the Revolutinary Girl Utena: Adolescence Apocalypse title I've seen pop up on occasion. There're also the Rurouni Kenshin OVAs, which I alternatively refer to as Remembrance & Reflection or Tsuiokuhen & Seishouhen as opposed to the more "sales friendly" official English title, Samurai-X.
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Glad I could help with this. 
Tony K. stated this topic was done before, so I did some digging (revamping my search criteria to find it) and it's interesting you're not the only one who feels this way. I did like the reference to Hell Girl, because it does sound better than Jigoku Shoujo. At least it prevents the "What?" we non-Japanese speaking people would do had it been used on the DVD (which I still would have bought, cursing at the title wondering what it meant). |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15596 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I used to find many of the Japanese titles a bit difficult, but i have found that I often find myself going for what feels natureal except for a few cases. Such examples is Seto no Hanayome which I found is much better then "My wife is a mermaid", which is not even a direct translation. Some I use because I managed to memorise the name in the first place such as To Aru Majutsu no Index, which translates into "A Certain Magical Index". And some just have a better ring to it such as Zero no Tsukaima (Familiar of Zero) and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (Goodby Mr Despair).
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zawa113
 Posts: 7361 |
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Same for me for the most part. I first heard of Gurren Lagann as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, therefore I almost always call it Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann or TTGL. I'm not actually mad at the abbreviation from TTGL to GL by Bandai though if only because they still called the TTGL the TTGL and not the whatever the literal translation was (which would have just sounded silly to me). But then there are some titles that are just too long for me to remember in Japanese, like Noein-Mou Hitori no Kimi e in which I certainly prefer Noein~to your other self~. There are a few titles that I accept equally in English or Japanese though, like Tetsuwan Atom and Astro Boy (I accept his name as Atom or Astro equally too) or Hi no Tori and Phoenix. For the most part though, I think it's important to use whatever title everyone refers to the series as the most, simply so we can all be on the same page. I don't know anyone who calls Hajime no Ippo "Fighting Spirit", even people who haven't seen the series yet and certainly not people who own or have seen the series. |
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Buster Blader 126
 Posts: 1207 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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Except for certain exceptions (i.e. Cardcaptor Sakura), I virtually always go by the official English title. If unlicensed, I go by the Japanese name.
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jacobX082
Posts: 9 |
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I generally stick to the English name unless people commonly refer to a title by the Japanese name. Somebody mentioned Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, which is one example where typing in "Good Bye Mr. Despair" in a search engine will yield fewer results than the former.
Or sometimes I go with the "ringy-ness" to the name. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya definitely sounds more interesting to the ears than Haruhi Suzumiya no Yutsu. But then again, the best rule of thumb for me would be to go with the official translations (or lack thereof) from the American companies that sell the anime. |
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Veers
 Posts: 1197 Location: Texas |
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Normally I, too, go with whatever I got used to first. But even then it varies so it's hard to say one way or another...
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egoist
 Posts: 7762 |
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I'd say I prefer japanese since it's usually the original name, I don't mind when the original name is in english but what I really hate is when they come up with another language (ex: le chevalier d'eon, french). Also I find it really confusing when they translate the title from japanese and make that the most popular name. So I'd stick with japanese after all.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18589 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Use of the Japanese title for an anime series or movie when a perfectly accurate, smooth-sounding, and widely English translation is available is probably my second-biggest biggest anime-related pet peeve, behind only insisting on calling Duck in Princess Tutu "Ahiru" when speaking in English. (And really, it's a similar issue in both cases.) The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the biggest offenders here, but hardly the only one. Really, doing so sound elitist to me.
And let's not even get started on people who insist on maintaining what even the original creators admit was a misspelling in a title (Chrno Crusade and Brain-Powerd, I'm looking at you). Have to get to work now or I could probably rant on this a lot longer. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6903 Location: Kazune City |
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If you're looking for previous threads on the subject, PetrifiedJello, there's some epic flamewarz here. As I stated in the old thread, if there's an official English title, I will use that. If there's a straightforward translation of an unlicensed title, I'll use that. Seriously, is anything lost by using "Allison and Lillia," "Tears and Tiara," and "The Secret of Haruka Nogizaka"? "Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei" is okay because there's no one agreed-upon translation, and the words sayonara and sensei are recognizable enough to the average viewer. As with Key, it's a pet peeve of mine to see people insisting on Japanese titles when simple, unaltered English titles exist. I can understand still using "Kimi ga Nozomu Eien" or "Hajime no Ippo" I'll sometimes use those if I think people won't know what the hell I'm talking about with the English titles. But come on, ichigo = strawberry and mashimaro = marshmallow, so what the hell is wrong with "Strawberry Marshmallow"?? |
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jacobX082
Posts: 9 |
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Indeed. I wonder why some fans insist upon using a title like "Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni" when "When They Cry" is sooo much easier on the eyes and ears? There is a convention video on youtube where a fan mentioned that entire Japanese name in front of an American voice actor (who by the way, was never even involved in the show). Why do some fans do this? |
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