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[Anime] of Fall 2024: Aliens VS Spirits, Remakes VS Isekais
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Volume 7 just came out officially in English a couple of weeks ago, so now the long wait til Volume 8.
I do kind of miss the translation notes of the fan translations about all the animal puns, since the official translation doesn't include translation notes and just tries their best to make an English pun when possible.
I worked in localization briefly about 10 years ago, and it was already a blight. But it wasn't called AI. It was called "run through Google Translate." Same thing these days, just with better OCR.
When the twitter gag versions first started getting popular, the author actually re-drew some of them to make English versions of the animal puns that still worked. I haven't researched it too much but I hope they're still doing that.
It was always funny in language school when they would ask us what someone said, and the teacher responds to an answer with "no, stop using Google translate". It was always the easiest/fastest but for some things had the sketchiest translations.
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Even when you're not getting sketchy translations. There is the whole issue where language derives its power from being a means and directly communicating with others, but some of that communication also using some heuristics that make use of the cultural tapestry of the societies that use it. It's kind of why it's a mess when you have asshole cultural supremacists and clue dumbasses arguing over language because both groups are missing those two key points. The supremacists fail to get that their language would be meaningless if it can convey information and that's likely what started each language out. dumbasses don't get that some phrases are able to impart a hell of a lot of information because they reference either pop culture or stuff thoroughly entrenched in the historical culture. It's why someone that quickly learns English for communication can really fucking struggle with the nuances, when they have little familiarity with any of the lore out of Greek or Biblical mythology. For instance both the phrases "flew to close to the sun" and "Apple the forbidden fruit," are going to have very different meanings to someone that lacks the literary knowledge and some that does.
It's the only reason that something like localization exists, which generative AI is nowhere close be able to really do. You get certain allusions, metaphors, foreshadowing and other literary devices that only work because they are pulling on cultural knowledge and that gets completely lost in translation. Any attempt to convey all of that information in a direct info dump would likely ruin things, so a localization team has to consider when they need to swap in stuff form the target language that will more or less get the same effect. Granted, sometime even the localization team doesn't always succeed because the language the source material is being translated into, doesn't have close similarities or even when it does, you're still losing some key bits, that really need the audience to be familiar with what is being referenced from the culture. Even if the AI gets something legible and not super sketchy, it's going to be a literal translation that is liable to leave the audience lost.
I know at some point with my independent Japanese learning, and to a lesser extend my independent Spanish learning. That I need to track down folklore and other shit that is heavily referenced in both cultures, if I want to have any hope of truly being able to communicate in either language well and not just be someone where the language only helps me get by with basic things.
Detective Conan
This show is so heavy...I should hate it as misery porn but for some reason it nails the whole optimism for tomorrow thing and adventure is just one more turn around the bend thing, even if it's horrific every time.
Im convinced the people harping about localization are being funded by AI translation people on some level
Blue Box (chapter 149)
Witch Watch is another less-overall-plot, more-gags chapter, but I liked the existence in-world of not-quite-real things:
Psych House chapter 2 continues to be pretty insubstantial and cheerful -- it would be nice if it just kept on like that and avoids having Big Plot stuff happen, but I guess we'll see.
There's a lot of age inappropriate stuff in anime/manga where I really don't take offense to it, it feels more like either appealing to teenagers, or just kinda thoughtlessly treating all their characters as adults without thinking it through at all.
Made in Abyss is not in that category, that dude's a fuckin' pervert. Like, he's also a talented, imaginative writer and artist, buuut it's better to go with the anime where at least they filter out some of that stuff.
You're gonna have to explain this one more
Anyway, as someone who wants to read/experience stuff as close to the original as possible: AI translation sucks and can fuck right off
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That type of person usually shows the most boring poorly worded/structures AI translation and says its better . I just feel like short of reading comprehension foe these people being that low they cant possibly look at an AI translation and think its better so some of them must be getting paid
There's room for comfort food in Jump (something that I think the editorial team has forgotten in the Fall Of The Tentpoles.) And this week's chapter did a good job of setting up the world in some key ways:
* Adding in some more characters, even if some were just talked about.
* Establishing the base of what the lead can do with her powers (baseline resets each day, pulling to is easier than sending from, can teleport herself with the above caviats)
* Showing that their powers can improve with practice (and so those limits on the lead may only be temporary.)
We also get Chekov's Furnishings as well (as a bunch of the "miniatures" are just shrunk items.)
they were toning him down in the anime? I'm kinda glad I never looked for the manga
Yeaaaaaahhhhh, that's a trigger-warning worthy chapter if I ever read one.
Let's Play Final Fantasy 'II' (Ch10 - 5/17/10)
This is all true, but I feel like the lack of conflict is really hurting it, and I don’t mean that in a shounen “there must be battles and enemies” kinda way. Compare to Ruri Dragon, where it’s established in the first chapter that this transformation she’s going through is unpredictable and possibly dangerous, and has the potential to both disrupt and improve her daily life. Or Akanebanashi, which spends virtually the entire first chapter establishing Akane’s motivation. Or Spy x Family’s first chapter showing Twilight’s mission and need for secrecy paired with Anya’s own secrets and hidden knowledge. These are all generally lighthearted stories that still took the time to give their characters needs, wants, and obstacles in the way.*
Meanwhile, the protagonist in Psych House had 2 initial problems - finances and criminal behavior - and both were unequivocally resolved. Now she’s just a normal, well adjusted, socially content high schooler who also has special powers that are all beneficial (even if she needs more training to improve them) and at least one other friend with more powers to make her life even easier. No strong needs or wants, nothing in her way. Maybe that will change with the introduction of more characters or the development of her powers, but it feels like window of opportunity to do that gracefully is quickly closing.
* Yes, there are comedies that get away without this, like Azumangah Diaoh, but the writing needs enough humor and charm that just watching the characters interact and get into new situations is entertaining on its own, and Psych House hasn’t demonstrated its ability to do that yet (and its surprise use of fanservice in chapter 2 doesn’t fill me with confidence). Right now it’s a comedy that’s not all that funny, a drama that’s not all that dramatic, and a sci-fi/fantasy that’s not much more than wish fulfillment.
Huh? The lead has a pretty major conflict - her mom's in a coma, and has been for half a year. Even if she's now in a more stable situation homewise, it doesn't change that - and it's been established that part of the reason she agreed to move in is the potential to find someone who could help.
Oh yeah! I’ll be honest, I completely forgot about that plot point. So that is a potential hook, though I’d argue that if it wasn’t impactful enough for me to remember, that still doesn’t bode well.
lmao
felt a little (actually a lot) underbaked in parts, but knowing Fujimoto returns to a lot of these ideas made it easier to not feel disappointed when he abruptly jettisons a whole plotline in favor of something new. Somehow it's even less subtle than his more recent stuff, and a bit more raw in the way where I get why some folks prefer this but also, it doesn't really do it for me?
Togata getting handed a whole "fight to the front of this train" as if by god and being like "oh no i gotta cut this one because audiences hate repetition" is a near perfect bit though. Absolutely insane and indefensible directorial decision, i felt like a younger version of myself getting mad at someone's terrible film choices. Works pretty good in a comic, at least!
Oh, and something tells me that her finally giving him the ability to understand Common language was more than it seemed to be, but not something she did on purpose. She doesn't have the power to hurt him like that, they already pointed that out, meaning that "damage" came from something else. My guess is that it has to do with the Understand All Languages Except Common ability she did grant him at the start, which she pointed out. What if by restoring the Common part it ratcheted up exponentially in power or authority? We've already seen how it applies not just to spoken language but the languages of magic itself too. So the first ability was strong but "incomplete" and now that it's "complete" it's gone up a couple ranks in power maybe? Hope it's explained soon.
There was so much I loved about this episode besides that. Tomoe's hammy acting, the demiplane getting to show what they're able to do, and the imminent collision course with both heroes Makoto is now on. Gonna be a good buildup to the finale.