Lost in Translation

By: Allen Divers
Date: Monday, May 12, 2003

This week, I've decided to shake things up a bit. Lost in Translation, as a column, has slowly evolved into quite a lot of things. Initially a forum for reviewing English soundtracks for Anime, Lost in Translation has become something of an answering house for DUB related questions, an outlet for interviews with actors and to be honest, whatever other topics tickle my fancy. So in honor of the chaos I produce, this week, is a super-duper double-sized special issue!



Lost in Translation ? Manga Style



When people gather to talk about Anime, the talk eventually turns towards the inspiration for many of the most current titles. While many titles begin life as pure animated projects there are many series that start in the pages of a Manga anthology. Often, with the existing audience making the transition to the animated format, these series grow to be some of the biggest hits in Anime. In the last year, the face of Manga in North America has changed dramatically, with a few new players in the game, and some long established players rapidly changing their image to match the needs of today's new Manga reader.



Ok, so in some wild way I need to tie this into the idea of English DUBs, so stand by for this strange segway. It's been argued that an English DUB is only as strong as its original translation. While the translation is an important part that leads to a high quality DUB, a translation plays a completely different part in Manga. In Manga, you don't have to worry about actor performance, emotional aspects of the character and the need to match flapping lips. In fact, the only real worry in Manga is, can the editors fit all the necessary dialogue in the supplied word bubble. (There's a lot more to it than that, as many of my Manga editor friends will soon remind me, but I like to keep things simple!)




But, wait! There's still the need to make the dialogue understandable and entertaining. A literal translation, while informative, can hardly be viewed as entertaining. We're back to leaving it up to a translator to decide if the phrase, "what's up?" can really stand in for the original text that said something like "what is the status of your current being, given that you just ate a banana." So, again, much like an English DUB, it helps to have a writer capable of staying true to the original meaning of the dialogue, yet create something that will entertain the audience.



Well, one of those new players in the Manga world is taking a slightly different approach to bringing Manga to North America. I'm talking about Gutsoon Entertainment. Gutsoon's lead line is the weekly Raijin Comics, an anthology featuring some of the hottest Manga artists and writers straight from Japan. Their approach is simple: Instead of licensing an established title, Raijin is in the business of creating new titles that premiere both in North America and Japan at the same time. While the English version is a bit behind the Japanese version, there isn't the massive time lag (often more than one year) that exists in other Manga titles being released in North America. Raijin is also taking a huge risk by being a weekly anthology at $5.00 U.S. a pop. Ok, I will admit that some of the titles in Raijin are older titles, but for the most part, the rest of the stuff is brand new material.



The editorial process at Raijin is also a bit different than that seen in other North American distributors. With offices in Japan, Gutsoon keeps the original artists and creators involved in the editorial process even through the translation to English. This allows for more of the creators original ideas to come through the translation. Should Gutsoon move into the Anime distribution business, hopefully this philosophy will transfer over as it will allow for English DUBs to be more in keeping with the intent of the original staff.



Raijin Comics has been on the shelves for the last 6 months, and its distribution continues to increase thanks to deals with major distributors in North America. Diamond Distributors, one of the largest distributors to Comic and Game shops, has more than tripled Raijin's availability. Playing heir apparent to the hilt, Gutsoon, via its Raijin line, is looking to expand their audience with a line of graphic novels pulled directly from the pages of their weekly anthology.



Coming in June are the first in Gutsoon's line of Raijin Graphic Novels. Priced at $9.95 U.S., these books are a standard size of 5 x 7 ½ Inches. Featuring 7 to 8 chapters of a particular title, readers can expect to see approximately 140+ pages of Manga in each GN. Slated for release in June are the four titles: City Hunter by Hojo Tsukasa, The First President of Japan by Tsughihara Ryuji and Hidaka Yoshiki, Fist of the Blue Sky by Hara Tetsuo, Horie Nobu and Buronson and Slam Dunk by Inoue Takehiko. The novels will have special features ranging from new and original cover artwork to background and supplemental information about the series. The important distinction between Raijin's novels and other North American Manga is that the books are being edited by Japanese editors and all design and production decisions are being made in "authentic" Japanese Manga publishing standards.



City Hunter with Art & Story by Hojo Tsukasa



City Hunter has already had the luxury of exposure thanks to ADV's release of a few of the Anime OVA's and movies. In the style of many vigilante movies and shows, Saeba Ryo is a sweeper that works outside of the law in the name of justice. With a solid mix of action and drama, City Hunter works as a gritty crime drama. To help balance all the crime and drama and bring in a bit of lighter fare, Saeba Ryo is a raging pervert that brings in a solid sense of humor to the otherwise dark tales that are presented. The story is a bit predictable, but the action and comedy help draw in the reader. Hojo Tsukasa's art style is unique, going towards a more realistic feel. There is often quite a lot of detail, especially when it comes to weapons. The one real failing with Hojo Tsukasa's style is that the women in the comic all seem to look alike. With a rotating cast of side characters in each adventure, this isn't a bad thing, it just becomes difficult to spot other established characters as they run in for comic relief. Overall, City Hunter is one of the stronger titles in Raijin Comics with a mature mix of action, drama and comedy.



The First President of Japan with Art by Tsugihara Ryuji and Story by Hidaki Yoshiki



This title is probably the most radical title in the mix. A true political drama, it seems out of place amongst super human vigilantes and martial arts masters. While an original work of fiction, the title eerily mirrors some of the political drama occurring in today's headlines. Its strong roots in the "real" world make it a dramatic departure for Manga fans used to more fanciful offerings. During the election of Japan's first freely elected Prime Minister, a crisis occurs on the Korean peninsula as North Korea moves to invade South Korea. Japan finds itself isolated as long time allies begin to shift alliances. The story is very complicated, with twists and turns each chapter. For many ego-centric American readers, the material can often feel like a direct insult as the story looks at the United States from the eyes of the Japanese. As a political commentary, The First President of Japan stands as a true eye opener as the fictional Japan of the story struggles to create a new identity for itself. As for drama, it doesn't get any more dramatic than this as it feels like each chapter introduces more challenges for the protagonists. The art style stays in the more "realistic" model from the stereotypical Manga, but at times feels overshadowed by the story. The real thrill of this series is the story, with the art strongly complementing the tale without over powering it. For those looking for more dramatic Manga tales, it doesn't get much more dramatic than this.



Fist of the Blue Sky with Art by Hara Tetsuo Story by Horie Nobu and Advisor: Buronson



Fist of the Blue Sky is a prequel to the popular Fist of the North Star series. The story follows Yan Wang, a man with a unique power to kill men with a simple touch. His power comes from the ancient martial art of Hokuto Shinken, Fist of the North Star. To put his past behind him, he has left the crime ridden streets of Shanghai for a new life in Japan. When I initially saw this story, I was excited by its dramatic artwork and intriguing storyline. The initial story created a lot of potential for action, drama and comedy, as the hero had adopted a kind of absent-minded professor persona to hide his identity. This persona and storyline seemed to be quickly abandoned to move towards a more action oriented pace. The artwork is still amazing with a high level of detail and a beautiful layout that easily conveys the action present in the story. Fist of the Blue Sky is very action oriented and should be able to easily appeal to the action hungry Manga fans. For now, Fist of the Blue Sky comes across as the weakest of the first 4 titles getting the Graphic Novel treatment, but has plenty of eye-candy for the action lovers among us.



Slam Dunk with Art & Story by Inoue Takehiko



I'll be honest, when I saw the title list for Raijin Comics; this title thrilled me in no way. I had seen a few episodes of the Anime and just wasn't excited about what I saw in any way. It's mostly the fact that basketball has never been one of my interests. Well, I've had a major change of heart with this one. The story follows Sakuragi, you're typical new high school freshman. He's a typical rebel without a clue type character. He has no interest in clubs, school or anything else for that matter, save one: girls. In his first day in High School, he meets one girl that will change his life. Akagi Haruko changes Sakuragi's life with one simple question, "do you like basketball?" And now I'm hooked. Slam Dunk mixes sports drama with romantic comedy to produce something very unique. There's a lot of melodramatic action, near over the top comedy and strong character development that hooks the reader and leaves them panting for more.



Raijin into the future



The four titles chosen by Gutsoon to be the flagships of their new line are definitely a mixed bag of what Gutsoon has to offer the Manga reading world. More action and drama than romance and comedy, this titles stand out, showing Raijin is here to play tough. Fans can expect to see regular releases of titles in GN format, starting with 2 month increments. Other titles from the pages of Raijin are expected to get the GN treatment, and will see publishing times between issues of 2 to 3 months. There has even been some early talk of some Japanese titles bypassing the Raijin weekly anthology and going straight into graphic novel format. This is still speculation at this point, but represents yet another leap in the amount of time fans will have to wait to get their hands on new Manga.



Before I move into part 2 of this week's column, I wanted to make mention of the other major Graphic Novel release by Gutsoon. This title has actually been running for a while, and is about to see the fifth novel released in this series. I'm talking about the Fist of the North Star Manga that saw the light of day in North America as a deluxe Graphic Novel release. In full color at a more standard comic book size printing, Fist of the North Star Master Edition brings the story of Buronson with Art by Hara Tetsuo to a whole new level. Going back to the involvement of the original creators, Hara Tetsuo is quite excited to see his work in full color, and has created all-new original artwork for the covers of issue 4 and 5.



The master edition format sets a new standard for Manga Graphic Novels in North America. It'll be interesting to see if any other companies decide to match what Gutsoon is trying to do or even attempt to raise the bar. Quantity is one thing, but loyal fans are often more intrigued by quality.



Normally, this would be the end of this week's column, but I feel like I have so much to cover, that I'm bringing you an extra special second part.



Until next time!



Thanks!

Allen Divers

Freelance Adventurer

boxie@azraelproductions.com