Forum - View topicWhat's in an anime name
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Viga_of_stars
 Posts: 1240 Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier |
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You know that quote a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. Well if The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or Naruto still have its charm if it was named something else such as for example...
Oblivious Goddess Haruhi! Super ninja fighters! Or how about The vision of Escaflowne renamed Fate alteraters PLUS! I wouldn't really care for an anime with names like that usually. You think that the title can also bring more charisma than just the shows plot or main characters alone? [/b] |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Letters. Sometimes Punctuation as well. Seriously though, A name is never gonna effect the actual enjoyability of an Anime. However it plays a big role in convincing people to watch the Anime. |
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Eruanna
 Posts: 451 Location: Canada |
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To be honest, most of time I wont even look twice at an anime with a stupid name like that, because usually the first thing I see or hear about an anime is the title, and if it dosnt catch my interest, I wont look into it.
There was one anime that I watched even though I thought its name was painfully dumb, and that was Boogiepop Phantom. I still think it sounds silly. I cant reccomend it to people without them looking at me like Im nuts. But its on my list of absolute favourites, it is amazingly good. Digimon Savers was renamed Digimon: Data Squad for the english dub, and I think thats the dumbest move they could possibly make. Fortunatly I already know its a great series, but I really hope the title dosnt turn too many people off of it.
Exactly. The name does nothing for how enjoyable the show actually is, but it is a key factor in if a person will give it a chance in the first place. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18561 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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EDIT: This is referring to the initial post, there were apparently a couple of others made while I was writing it.
Why not? Prescription drug companies put big bucks and research into choosing the name for their drugs, in large part because they know that the name of the product is going to give the first impression. That's why a well-named anime series (or, for that matter, any kind of movie or TV show) might draw your attention to the series based on the name alone. Consider the American movie and TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for instance. How many people that watched either initially were drawn in by the name alone? (It did turn out to be great series, but that's beside the point.) For anime examples, consider a name like Scrapped Princess. Not particularly bold, but it's simple, to the point, and effective because the moment you hear it you wonder to yourself, "now, what kind of story would have a princess being tossed aside like trash?" It's a name that can draw attention to itself. Voices of a Distant Star is another superior example, as its name sound poetic while also conjuring up images of communications across vast distances - which is, of course, one of the central story elements. And don't think that Neon Genesis Evangelion wasn't very carefully and deliberately chosen to be the English title for Shin Seiki Evangelion (a name loaded with meaning itself) even though it's not a direct translation. Anime also has its examples of horrific naming flops, unfortunately. Surely someone could have come up with a better name than Starship Operators for a series about space cadets on the lam who are the centerpiece of a future reality TV show? And I still don't get why Geneon used the pathetic-sounding When They Cry instead of the more literal, creepier, and cooler-sounding When The Cicadas Cry. |
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Dargonxtc
 Posts: 4463 Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋 |
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Well you got to leave some names so they can be shamelesly knocked off for a hentai title. Like Escalayer, Beat Angel or Elfen Laid or even Hooligan: The Quest for the 7 Holy Dildos.
Okay, so the last one isn't a knock off, but I like saying it. |
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Viga_of_stars
Posts: 1240 Location: Washington D.C. in the Anime Atelier |
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Well that parody and is has to be because...well its hentai. I saw kinda pissed at the fact that Elfen Laid isn't a Elfen lied hentai. I guess hentai names can also be deceiving. that hooligan title though....gotdamn! Edit: due to the fact that im listening to the Saikano OST how about a great anime like that named The war girl of love! Sorry but im laughing at that at work right now! |
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ultrapostman
 Posts: 164 Location: New Jersey. Don't you just love traffic circles? |
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One name that's always bugged me is s-cry-ed. It doesn't relate to the anime at all, but I think it's taken from the manga.
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11477 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Fighting Spirit 
Requiem from the Darkness Samurai X
Teknoman Leave it to U.S. marketing trends to make corny names and/or bastardized misnomers. |
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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SharinganEye
 Posts: 402 Location: Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
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vylo
Posts: 94 |
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I learned long ago that names are almost completely disjointed from quality, and even sometimes the plot of anime.
One of the best anime I have seen was named Fooly Cooly. |
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banas
 Posts: 116 Location: In a house in a country in Southeast Asia.. |
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Yes, for me, the name does play a big role. Sometimes, however good the anime is, if I don't like the title, I would never watch it. It's not a good habit, but like they say, first impressions last. So, when I see an anime title that doesn't catch my attention, for me, the whole series won't. What would you give as a new title for Full Metal Panic! and Fruits Basket? Also, the English title of Kare Kano is His and Her Circumstances. Would you mind telling me why? |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18561 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The latter would be more grammatically correct as "Fruit Basket," but the improper use of the "s" somehow gives it a bit more charm. Otherwise the name fits perfectly, since it's a direct reference to a kid's game described by Tohru in one of the earlier episodes (6 or 7) which epitomizes the circumstances of the title. I wouldn't change Full Metal Panic! either, since it's also a very fitting name.
Two of the first three episodes are titled "Her Circumstances" and "His Circumstances," and given the overall content of the series it's a good choice. Certainly a better choice than a direct translation, which I believe would be something like "Him Her" or "Boyfriend Girlfriend". (A Japanese expert I'm not.) Another example of a great name for a title: Perfect Blue. Just at a listen it implies some deeper meaning, which it certainly does have. (In the movie it refers to spoiler[the clarity of a cloudless sky as a symbol for the whole truth coming out after all the deceptions, convolutions, blurring between the "real" reality and the "TV series" reality.]) And I must admit, as hentai parody titles go, Elfen Laid is one of my favorite names. 
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11477 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Who said it had to be translated into English in the first place? Hajime no Ippo would work well enough. All you had to do was pass it by word of mouth and the content would speak for itself. As I mentioned in the other Ippo thread, most approximate translations sound fine. But in other cases, leaving them as is in Japanese isn't so bad either. Azumanga Daioh, InuYasha, Rurouni Kenshin, and Shakugan no Shana did pretty well without name changes, right?
The full title in Japanese is Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. Kareshi = "boyfriend" Kanojo = "girlfriend" no = possessive "of" Jijou = circumstances A direct translation would be "Boyfriend's, Girlfriend's Circumstances," though that would sound weird, so they replaced them with the pronouns "His and Her." Personally, I just stick with Kare Kano because it's easier to say than "His and Her Circumstances" (compare the syllables). Some people could just say "His and Her," but those pronouns are so ambiguous in the English language, they could be about anyone. How exactly are we supposed to know who "he and she" are? However, if you just say Kare Kano, it's easier to associate, because what other Kare Kano do you know unless you're actually in Japan talking to Japanese people about another "him and her?" |
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riccardo
 Posts: 136 Location: Melbourne, Australia |
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Interestingly, the network wanted to call the TV show just "Slayer", but the creator stuck to his guns. I know thats why I got into it. I feel it is the same with Anime. I know the names get shortened alot, like "Louie" rather than "Rune Soldier Louie" and "Excel Saga" rather than "Quack Experimental Anime Excel saga" but the crazy names are one reason I use as a factor on wether to buy a certain anime or not. Its something relatively unique to Anime, and I like it. |
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