Dub localization
Encyclopedia
Dub localization, also often simply referred to as localization
, which is a form of a voice-over
. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language
film
, art film
or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience
.
Dub localization is a hot button issue active in cinephilia amongst aficionados of foreign filmmaking
and television program
s, particularly anime
fans as dubs
are still a popular form of translation of animated series. While some localization is virtually inevitable in translation, the controversy surrounding how much localization is "too much" is often much-discussed in such communities, especially when the final dub product is significantly different from the original. Some frown on any extensive localization, while others expect it and, to a degree, appreciate it.
Some dub localizations are considered so extreme as to have produced a different show or film entirely.
, which underwent heavy editing and many changes including the deletion of whole episodes, alteration of the animation itself (for example, flipping the animation in some scenes so that cars weren't driving on the "wrong" side of the road compared to American driving laws), extensive use of valley girl
slang
and other slanguage, and even name changes that included changing the city from Tokyo
to the fictional American city of "Crossroads" (oddly, the future version of the city was still named Crystal Tokyo). The first 65 episodes - the original DiC
-produced dub - were most notorious for this, as later dubbed
episodes edited far fewer of the Japanese cultural contents out and edited virtually none of the animation (things such as summertime kimono
and Japanese fairground games remain in the series); however, the latter portions of the dub are still controversial due to multiple character name changes, inconsistencies in things like names of attacks or plot-important items, the changing of a crossdressing character's sex, the making of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune into (apparently blood) relatives in an attempt to disguise their originally lesbian
relationship, and the referring of Japanese kana
in the context of "It's all in pictures!" instead of the original context of illegible writing. Largely because of fan concerns and requests, the original first and second seasons of the series (from which the original first 65 dubbed episodes originated) were eventually released in the form of a pair of uncut subtitled DVD box sets, and the third and fourth seasons had subtitled home video releases along with their dubbed home video releases.
Many of the anime dubs by 4Kids Entertainment
, such as those for Yu-Gi-Oh!
, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
, Kamen Rider
, Sonic X
, Pokemon
, Tokyo Mew Mew
and One Piece
, and many, many others are controversial amongst many anime fans largely because of localization issues, including extensive and sometime bizarre censorship
(such as changing a gun to a pop gun
or a cigarette
to a lollipop
) in order to release it on American children's TV.
Many anime dubs contain mild to strong language that is non-existent in the original Japanese versions. The best examples include the Yu Yu Hakusho and uncut One Piece dubs.
Another highly controversial dub localization was Cardcaptors, the English dubbed adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura
, which not only Americanized the setting and names, but actually changed the personalities of the characters and the focus of the show, to the point where the hero was Syaoran Li instead of Sakura
, and the series' genre
was effectively switched from shōjo
(girl-oriented) magical girl
, to shōnen
(boy-oriented) action-fantasy
; this alteration proved to be unpopular, with the American DVD and VHS releases of Cardcaptors being canceled after only 27 episodes due to poor sales and the uncut subtitled release actually outselling the dub in the end, despite being released separately with little fanfare and virtually no extra features. However UK and Australian broadcasts featured less edits (albeit still heavily edited), and even featured English adaptations of the original Japanese theme songs.
Several examples include some of ADV
's comedy dubs, especially the "alternate", Americanized dub for Super Milk-chan and the (admittedly still quite controversial) English dub for Ghost Stories
, which contrary to the nature of the original show, was adult in nature and primarily a work of parody
, and thus proved popular with a very different audience from the original children's series.
However, the best example of a localization - indeed, an extreme localization - which actually proved to be extremely popular and in-demand (in fact, more so than the original version), is likely Samurai Pizza Cats
, the English version of which is still praised for its humor and often pointed to as an example of an extreme localization that actually worked.
Robotech
, the result of several series dubbed, and merged together, has formed its own fanbase, and has even spun off several movies and series. Macross
, one of the series included in Robotech, later received an uncut English dub by ADV Films.
Localization
Localization or localisation, and represented as a numeronym as L10n, may refer to:* Language localization, the process of translating a product into different languages or adapting a product for a specific country or region...
, which is a form of a voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
.
Dub localization is a hot button issue active in cinephilia amongst aficionados of foreign filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s, particularly anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
fans as dubs
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
are still a popular form of translation of animated series. While some localization is virtually inevitable in translation, the controversy surrounding how much localization is "too much" is often much-discussed in such communities, especially when the final dub product is significantly different from the original. Some frown on any extensive localization, while others expect it and, to a degree, appreciate it.
Some dub localizations are considered so extreme as to have produced a different show or film entirely.
Controversial dub localizations
Many localized dubs are the object of much controversy. One relatively famous example of a controversial dub localization is Sailor MoonSailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, which underwent heavy editing and many changes including the deletion of whole episodes, alteration of the animation itself (for example, flipping the animation in some scenes so that cars weren't driving on the "wrong" side of the road compared to American driving laws), extensive use of valley girl
Valley girl
Valley Girl is a stereotype leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who can be described as colloquial English-speaking and materialistic...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
and other slanguage, and even name changes that included changing the city from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to the fictional American city of "Crossroads" (oddly, the future version of the city was still named Crystal Tokyo). The first 65 episodes - the original DiC
DIC
- Science :* Differential interference contrast microscopy, an illumination technique in optical microscopy* Diisopropylcarbodiimide, a reagent in organic chemistry* Digital Integrating Computer, a digital implementation of a Differential Analyzer...
-produced dub - were most notorious for this, as later dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
episodes edited far fewer of the Japanese cultural contents out and edited virtually none of the animation (things such as summertime kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
and Japanese fairground games remain in the series); however, the latter portions of the dub are still controversial due to multiple character name changes, inconsistencies in things like names of attacks or plot-important items, the changing of a crossdressing character's sex, the making of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune into (apparently blood) relatives in an attempt to disguise their originally lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationship, and the referring of Japanese kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
in the context of "It's all in pictures!" instead of the original context of illegible writing. Largely because of fan concerns and requests, the original first and second seasons of the series (from which the original first 65 dubbed episodes originated) were eventually released in the form of a pair of uncut subtitled DVD box sets, and the third and fourth seasons had subtitled home video releases along with their dubbed home video releases.
Many of the anime dubs by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...
, such as those for Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as , is an anime spin-off and sequel of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between October 6, 2004 and March 26, 2008, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's...
, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
is a Yu-Gi-Oh! series which aired in Japan between April 2, 2008 and March 30, 2011, following the previous series, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, and was succeeded by Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, on April 11, 2011...
, Kamen Rider
Kamen Rider
, is a weekly science fiction story created by Japanese manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It debuted as a tokusatsu television series on April 3, 1971 and ran until February 10, 1973, airing on the Mainichi Broadcasting System and NET TV . A manga adaptation was also featured in Shōnen Magazine...
, Sonic X
Sonic X
is an anime series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment with the partnership of Sega and was created by Sonic Team and Sonic Project. In the United States, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright and branding of the series.- Series 1 ...
, Pokemon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
, Tokyo Mew Mew
Tokyo Mew Mew
, also known as Mew Mew Power, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written by Reiko Yoshida and illustrated by Mia Ikumi. It was originally serialized in Nakayoshi from September 2000 to February 2003, and later published in seven tankōbon volumes by Kodansha from February 2001 to April 2003...
and One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
, and many, many others are controversial amongst many anime fans largely because of localization issues, including extensive and sometime bizarre censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
(such as changing a gun to a pop gun
Pop gun
A pop gun is a toy gun that uses air pressure to fire a small tethered projectile out of a barrel via piston action...
or a cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
to a lollipop
Lollipop
A lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
) in order to release it on American children's TV.
Many anime dubs contain mild to strong language that is non-existent in the original Japanese versions. The best examples include the Yu Yu Hakusho and uncut One Piece dubs.
Another highly controversial dub localization was Cardcaptors, the English dubbed adaptation of Cardcaptor Sakura
Cardcaptor Sakura
, abbreviated as CCS and also known as Cardcaptors, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist group Clamp. The manga was originally serialized monthly in Nakayoshi from the May 1996 until the June 2000 issue, and later published in 12 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha...
, which not only Americanized the setting and names, but actually changed the personalities of the characters and the focus of the show, to the point where the hero was Syaoran Li instead of Sakura
Sakura Kinomoto
is a fictional character, the heroine of Clamp's manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. In the English anime adaptation of the series, Cardcaptors, her name is changed to Sakura Avalon. For all Japanese-language productions of the anime , Sakura is voiced by Sakura Tange...
, and the series' genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
was effectively switched from shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
(girl-oriented) magical girl
Magical girl
belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...
, to shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
(boy-oriented) action-fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
; this alteration proved to be unpopular, with the American DVD and VHS releases of Cardcaptors being canceled after only 27 episodes due to poor sales and the uncut subtitled release actually outselling the dub in the end, despite being released separately with little fanfare and virtually no extra features. However UK and Australian broadcasts featured less edits (albeit still heavily edited), and even featured English adaptations of the original Japanese theme songs.
Popular dub localizations
Some dub localizations are actually quite popular in their own right, with even a handful of greatly altered titles proving equally if not more popular than the original.Several examples include some of ADV
A.D. Vision
A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...
's comedy dubs, especially the "alternate", Americanized dub for Super Milk-chan and the (admittedly still quite controversial) English dub for Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories (anime)
, also known as Ghosts at School, is a 19-episode anime series created in 2000 by animation studio Pierrot and Aniplex for Fuji Television, based on a book series by Toru Tsunemitsu....
, which contrary to the nature of the original show, was adult in nature and primarily a work of parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, and thus proved popular with a very different audience from the original children's series.
However, the best example of a localization - indeed, an extreme localization - which actually proved to be extremely popular and in-demand (in fact, more so than the original version), is likely Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats, known as in Japan, is an anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Sotsu Agency. The series was aired from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991, totaling up to 54 episodes...
, the English version of which is still praised for its humor and often pointed to as an example of an extreme localization that actually worked.
Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
, the result of several series dubbed, and merged together, has formed its own fanbase, and has even spun off several movies and series. Macross
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
, one of the series included in Robotech, later received an uncut English dub by ADV Films.
Series and films that have had a strongly localized dub
- Cardcaptor SakuraCardcaptor Sakura, abbreviated as CCS and also known as Cardcaptors, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist group Clamp. The manga was originally serialized monthly in Nakayoshi from the May 1996 until the June 2000 issue, and later published in 12 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha...
(in the form of Cardcaptors) [Nelvana Dub] - Ghost StoriesGhost Stories (anime), also known as Ghosts at School, is a 19-episode anime series created in 2000 by animation studio Pierrot and Aniplex for Fuji Television, based on a book series by Toru Tsunemitsu....
[ADV Dub] - One PieceOne Pieceis a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
(original 4Kids dub) - Ojemajo Doremi (in the form of ""Magical DoremiMagical DoReMiMagical DoReMi, known as in Japan, is a magical girl anime television series created by Toei Animation in 1999. It focuses on elementary school students who become witch apprentices. Led by Doremi Harukaze, the girls must maintain their double lives in secret.Magical DoReMi has been followed up by...
") - Power RangersPower RangersPower Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
- Samurai Pizza CatsSamurai Pizza CatsSamurai Pizza Cats, known as in Japan, is an anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Sotsu Agency. The series was aired from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991, totaling up to 54 episodes...
- Super Milk-chan (note: there was also an uncut dub translation which remained faithful to the original Japanese version of the series; the localized dub was featured as an extra on the DVD release of the series)
- Tokyo Mew MewTokyo Mew Mew, also known as Mew Mew Power, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written by Reiko Yoshida and illustrated by Mia Ikumi. It was originally serialized in Nakayoshi from September 2000 to February 2003, and later published in seven tankōbon volumes by Kodansha from February 2001 to April 2003...
(in the form of Mew Mew Power)
See also
- Dubbing (filmmaking)Dubbing (filmmaking)Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
- TranslationTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
- LocalizationLocalizationLocalization or localisation, and represented as a numeronym as L10n, may refer to:* Language localization, the process of translating a product into different languages or adapting a product for a specific country or region...
- AnimeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
- 4Kids Entertainment4Kids Entertainment4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...