#yoro's local diffs

[yoroshiu]

Kingdom Hearts Quotes I Couldn't Put In My Poll Because They Were Too Long

I was so sad I couldn't because I like these ones TvT (no particular order) (For the Very Serious edition poll)

"Have the uncountable hours in the shadows whittled away the courage I never really had?" - Aqua (0.2)

" You can't afford to get sentimental; you have to be pragmatic." - Master of Masters (Union x)

"Would a friend try to manipulate someone's beliefs just because they don't line up with their own?" - Xehanort (Dark Road)

"But while they can be hidden deep inside, the wounds and scars remain. Forgetting doesn't mean it never happened." - Chirithy (Union x)

"You'll forget things, lose things you care about, and it won't always make sense." - Data-Riku (Re:Coded)

"You might not know it now, but I hope you'll see, that nothing is guilt-free in this world." - Data-Sora (Re:Coded)

"And me and Donald, we're always gonna fight for him, too." - Goofy (Re:Coded)

Quotes from KH media that isn't the games + Translation variants from the Japanese dub:

"What about me? Don't you think I wanted the three of us to stay together, too?!" - Axel (358/2 Days novelization)

"Did he tell you that he hates Sora?" - DiZ (KH2 Japanese)

(There's definitely more but I'm blanking so maybe another day?)

[yoroshiu]

Hiya friend! If you're still open to doing some translation, I have a scene I'd love for your thoughts on. It's one in KH3, called Xigbar's Admonishment. I'm especially interested in Xigbar's dialog, as I believe it frames the story of KH3 as a whole. However, Sora's reaction to it all is of course interesting to me as well.

-Nyssa

Hi! I'm so happy to get a translation ask! I locked in and did this in one go so there's a small chance of mistakes or missed nuances, but from what I got, there's a lot of differences that change the subtleties. Doing this was a mix of my own knowledge and using translators for the kanji I wasn't as familiar with, so I hope it's coherent enough TvT

And I'm the same when it comes to this cutscene, it has a grip on me TvT

So below, I'll put the translation, my notes, and thoughts/analysis. It's a little on the long end but I hope this'll be an interesting read. If anything's unclear or confusing or if there's questions overall, let me know ^o^

Kingdom Hearts 3 - "Xigbar's Admonition"

X: Iyaa, Wonderful, wonderful!

D: Black coat!

G: It's Organization XIII!

S: You're Xigbar!

X: What a beautiful self-sacrificing spirit, is this what they say those with a heart of light can do?

S: What are you trying to say?

X: (It's) simple and clear*, stop self-sacrificing, as they say.

H: (Since) I risked my life, I was able to save Meg.

X: That's because you have a special existence, that's not how it works for normal humans.

S: But we can't deny that Hercules' was able to do what his heart desired.

X: In trying to save someone who self-sacrifices, a new self-sacrifice is born. That's a negative chain reaction. If one collapses, the rest fall, as they say.

X: It's the same for your "connected hearts"*. It's true that connected hearts can become (your) power, but remember, on the other hand, it can cause suffering and burden those you're connected with.

X: However, Sora, you can be left as is. (Let) your connected heart be your power and continue on with your hearts connections.

S: Who would do what you say?!

X: No, you have no choice but to follow your heart, as they say. At the time you get there, you'll know your destiny. The goal may be closer than you expected. How fun!

(Xigbar disappears)

S: Connecting hearts will bring everyone suffering—

H: Sora, don't worry about it. That guy just uses words to toy with others. Seeing proves it. There's no mistake in what we did.

S: You're right!

G: Yeah, our present is proof of that!

D: We'll show them! Connecting hearts is our power!

S: Right!

(Everyone walks off while Sora stops and looks behind)

S: My destiny—

~~~~~~

Translation Notes:

General:

In Japanese, Xigbar's cathchphrase, which is "As if" in ENG, is "ってハナシ" (tte hanashi) which I've translated to "as they say".

I've mentioned it in previous posts but "My friends are my power" is "Connecting hearts is my power" in JPN.

Specific:

~1 I checked the kanji and its meaning from different sources and it literally is "simple and clear". I'm making note of it 'cause it's really close to simple and clean and I found that amusing LOL

~2 This is where Xigbar is referring to Sora's iconic line

Analysis:

I've also thought that this scene was very vital to framing the theme of sacrifice KH3 covers. Translating from JPN has given me a lot of new insight. I think certain parts really end up making the moment match Xigbar's story in the KH3 Character Files.

The difference that's probably the most notable and which stuck to me is:

"It's true that connected hearts can become (your) power, but remember, on the other hand, it can cause suffering and burden those you're connected with."

In English, this is where the line about "putting too much power in one place might break it" is.

While both lines technically get Xigbar's main message across, the difference lies in the phrasing. JPN has more focus on the fact that everyone suffers when one sacrifices themselves. In a way ENG, kinda has more focus on the fact that the one breaks. While both statements are true, in the context of Xigbar's character (Luxu specifically), it makes a lot of sense that he'd focus on the consequences of self-sacrifice from the perspective of someone who got left behind, who's seen people get destroyed over and over by it.

In his Character Files story, it's mentioned/implied that he kinda wanted Sora to understand where he was coming from.

In terms of Sora's reaction, he reflects on the idea of everyone suffering due to "connecting hearts". I think for KH3 and most likely future games, it's something he's going to have to contend with. With the way the others are working to get him back, Sora will definitely be confronted with the reality that people have suffered when he threw himself away.

Also very interestingly, the camera pans to Donald and Goofy when Xigbar says the quoted part I mentioned earlier about others suffering from that connection (WHICH IS WILD WHEN PUT IN JPN CONTEXT).

And the end line where he lingers on "My destiny" which does fit with his lines in the intro (as Nomura had said that the lines there are Sora's thoughts post-KH3).

Both ENG and JPN do their jobs in setting up this specific theme and conflict for KH3, but in doing this, I feel that JPN's wording and phrasing does more overt work in tying to the other themes and the characters (which tends to be a reccuring thing with the localizations). I think I have more thoughts on it in general but am lacking the coherence to express it at the moment since I'm a little fried from translating LOL

I really appreciate the ask and I had so much fun doing this, I'm definitely gonna store this in my mind reserves for when the next games come out TvT I hope this gives a lot of food for thought!

[yoroshiu]

Characterization Through Language: Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

The poll ended up with Sora winning so here we are! In a way, it makes sense since he's the protagonist and considering that he's my favorite, I have no problems with that~

After Sora, I'm going to go in order of the poll results so Riku should be next.

Below, I'll give some general info about each character in JPN like their voice actor and then go into things like preferred 1st/2nd Person pronouns (or how they go about them in general). After that I'll add some of my own thoughts and interpretations for the character in question + how ENG might have made decisions based off of JPN/localization differences + maybe some fun trivia if I just so happen to have any.

This does include some notes about Vanitas and Data-Sora.

Of course, I might be missing stuff because watching everything from all the games is way too much workload, so if anyone finds any mistakes or has anything to add, feel free to lmk.

Also very long post ahead! (With screenshots!)

CV: Miyu Irino (Haku (Spirited Away), Koushi Sugawara (Haikyuu), Todomatsu Matsuno (Osomatsu-san), Cyno (Genshin Impact), etc.)

Of course, he voices Vanitas as well. The difference is really interesting. Right below are links to videos for their voicelines in battle and you can see the stark difference in tone/direction Irino-san takes them, especially with the lines where they're saying the same thing.

Sora

Vanitas

(They're linked to the specific time I want to share)

Sora makes use of his upper/normal range, especially in battle, while Vanitas uses his normal/lower range. If you aren't familiar with the JPN dub, that should give you some idea of how Sora (+ Vanitas) sound.

~~~

Now onto notable preferences/habits Sora has when he speaks:

I've mentioned this in other posts but I have some newer insights.

Sora's preferred 1st Person pronoun ("I") is: "Ore" - 俺

(Though there is one case of him using "boku" (僕) with Kairi in KH1. "Boku" is a more...humble but still a usually casual masculine "I" pronoun)

This is a really casual, usually masculine pronoun. If you hear a male character use "ore" then they're usually really confident and/or casual, though that's in the most typical sense. If you consume Japanese media, you've definitely heard this one before.

Of course, this is fitting for Sora. His whole thing is being a normal teenage boy, easily excitable and very friendly.

Sora's preferred 2nd Person Pronoun ("you") is: "Kimi" - 君 / キミ BUT, and huge but, there's more layers to this than past me knew fully

I've usually seen him go with "kimi" in most cases but throughout the series, he tends to switch depending on who he's talking to.

With the way Japanese works, "you" pronouns can often be omitted in conversation since context makes things easily understood. Also, you might hear people or characters saying someone's name more often than in English which can be a matter of formality (I've brought this up in an earlier post) or otherwise.

Sora often says the names of his friends, like he usually refers to Donald and Goofy by name from what I've seen, but there's some interesting notes.

If he just so happens to say "you" to Riku then it's "omae"

But he also uses "omae" with people who antagonize him or those on a level "below" like he does with Pluto in KH1

(This is also a thing in Japanese, a formality type thing, where your superior can speak to you casually but not vice versa. Your boss can call you casually but not the other way around. An in-universe example is how MoM uses "omae" Ava and Gula as they're the youngest of the foretellers)

In Riku's case, it's a show of how close they are and the sort of dynamic they have. Sora doesn't seem to use "omae" with others but Riku is his childhood friend. They're best friends and rivals, and the use of "omae" on both of their sides is a show of that wavelength they share.

If it's people like Kairi, Naminé, most others then "kimi" is used. "Kimi" is considered more polite than "omae" but still pretty casual and somewhat associated with masculine pronouns from what I've seen. Sora seems to use this with strangers he hadn't been antagonized by, friends that aren't Riku, etc.

Interestingly, in Coded, Data-Sora uses "omae" with Data-Roxas which is a given since Data-Roxas was pretty much an antagonizing stranger to him from the get-go. However, in Dream Drop, Sora uses "kimi" with Roxas. In a way, I think this shows the variation between Sora and Data-Sora as individuals in terms of their experiences.

(You could also say the same with Roxas, but I'll save that for his own post)

This is a rarer one compared to his use of "kimi" and "omae" but he has used "anta" (あんた), which is a shortened form of "anata" (あなた) (a more formal "you" than the previous ones mentioned), when he firsts meets Ansem in the beginning of KH1.

A characters 1st/2nd pronoun usage is always interesting to me because it says a lot about a character based on what they choose to use and if they choose to switch depending on who they're talking to.

Sora switches his "you" pronouns which does show awareness over some social standards though he doesn't actually change how he speaks overall (he's speaks casually from the get-go). Oftentimes with characters, they might not switch no matter who they're talking to. It gives a lot of insight on how they view things like formalities and/or social norms. I just think this is an interesting aspect to take note of.

~~~

Sora is pretty straightforward in JPN, as in, if you're more familiar with ENG and were asked to imagine his voice in JPN, you probably wouldn't be that far off from the truth. Haley Joel Osment and Miyu Irino, especially in earlier games were pretty similar in terms of pitch, tone, and vibes for Sora, though HJO has a much more apparent voice drop. HJO does have a pretty big jump from 2 to 3, though I think he still portrays Sora really well.

Miyu Irino has been mostly consistent with Sora's voice, to the point many think his voice hasn't really changed at all (between 2 and 3 but I've even seen people go as far as 1. In reality, I believe there's definitely a notable difference from 1 for sure).

Sora doesn't have extremely quirky/out there speaking habits. As said before, he's pretty much a normal casual teen boy. Irino-san uses a very energetic vibe with him. He also adds a whine to his voice sometimes which is really cute LOL

I do think there's a big difference between his usual/energetic pitches and when he's being serious. The dichotomy of Sora's childish whimsy versus his maturity (both natural and forced haha...ha...)

Even so, I think there's still a lot of cool finds that can't be found in ENG, even if it's small things like a difference in tone for a sentence.

~~~

I've brought this up in a post a long time ago, but I think some of the way lines end up sounding in ENG, the awkward sounding/phrased ones, are due fundamental difference between English and Japanese. This is notable with Sora, hence why I'll bring it it up with him, but Japanese has a lot of different sounds + the way grammar structure forms sentences. Hence why scenes like the conversation between Sora and Ven with Vanitas end up the way they are in ENG (look at this post I have for translating this scene for context).

~~~

Fun Trivia or Things I Want to Share:

I've recc'd it before but you have to hear Sora ask for a Baymax in JPN! This time I'll link it to the exact moment:

"Just one! Just one!" (Considering all the voices talking, he might be a bit hard to hear lol)

If you've ever been curious about Miyu Irino's perspective on Sora and voicing him: (From misc. interviews)

(Note: Miyano is Mamoru Miyano who voices Riku and Uchida is Risa Uchida who voices Kairi)

I'm sorry if this is messy and that there could've been more to talk about. Maybe in the future, I'll make an addendum for Sora for additions and/or corrections. I hope there was something cool to learn for anyone reading this post!

And if anyone needs sources for any of the stuff I put, just lmk and I can share it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Making Kingdom Hearts Stuff Until KH4 Comes Out (Day 77)

[yoroshiu]

Sora and How He Copes: "This is the usual" (Localization/Analysis) (KH 0.2/KH3)

I started a new KH3 run yesterday and decided to go with Japanese audio, and immediately noticed some things about Sora's lines early on.

In Yen Sid's tower, Sora's response to being reminded about his lost powers in English is:

Sora: Whatever! Happens all the time.

In Japanese though, the line is more like:

Sora: It's okay! This is the usual.*

(「大丈夫！いつものことだし。」)*

The interesting thing about the usage of this phrase is that in Olympus, after Sora and co. confront Maleficent and Pete, it's used again.

In English, Sora says: "I can take it."

But it's still the same "This is the usual" in Japanese.

Analysis: I don't know if it's just me, but this ends up feeling even more like Sora is coping with what happened to him. Even more so, his using it after being insulted/disregarded by Pete and Maleficent puts it in a different perspective to me. He's repeating the same things: "This is the usual," "It's always like this," how he tries to normalize what's happened to him so it won't keep him down for too long.

*Note 1: Honestly, I feel like I'd prefer to translate it as "It's always like this" but I don't want to stray from the sentence/grammar structure. It'd be more of a localizing thing.

[yoroshiu]

Sometimes the Sora thoughts go to the KH2 ending, the quiet, almost to himself,

"You know...maybe the darkness has gotten to me, too."

From Japanese, it can be translated to:

"Somehow, I wonder if I've also gotten stained by the Realm of Darkness."

It's the way it's said and then not fully touched upon since Riku falls over. What it might mean for Sora in the grander scale of things. Going from "You gotta think positive!" not too long ago to this moment of vulnerability. Sora doesn't get too many moments where he gets to contemplate so long for his own state of being, and it's got me thinking a lot as always.

[yoroshiu]

Making Kingdom Hearts Stuff Until KH4 Comes Out (Day 41)

Fun little note:

It's actually quite rude to say "you" to people in Japanese in a general formality sense, hence it being preferable to say a person's name. (Of course, not applicable in every case. There's also different levels of "you" in terms of politeness)

Riku in particular consistently uses "omae" (casual and considered pretty rude) except around figures of higher position. Sora, on the other hand, tends to lean towards "kimi" (casual but less rude than "omae") for those he looks at neutrally/in a friendly way and "omae" for those in a negative light. I think, from my own memory, he's used "omae" and "aitsu" (that guy) for Riku but very rarely.

I think it goes to show that dynamic between them: Sora looking up to Riku while Riku was considered the stronger one between them.

[yoroshiu]

"I won’t let you walk away” vs “I won’t forgive you” (Localization) (Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory)

NOTE: This time, rather than a whole scene, I want to focus on a specific set of lines from one. 

Scene: Fated Meeting (KH MoM) (Only one line pretty much)

This is part of the encounter between Kairi and the memory/illusion of Xehanort in her mind. The line(s) I want to specifically focus on are the one Kairi says in the following:

ENG: “You’re the one who keeps messing with my fate. If it weren’t for everything that you’ve done, then Sora and everyone* would be safe. Even if you’re not really here and this is just a memory or illusion...I won’t let you walk away!”

JPN: “Because of you/It’s your fault that my fate is being toyed with—*. Because of my lack of power, everyone and Sora was hurt.  Even if the you in front of me (front of [my] eyes) is an illusion or memories, I won't forgive you!

1* I think that the phrasing of “Sora and everyone” stems from JPN’s “everyone and Sora” but something like that ends up sounding strange in English. Usually, from what I’ve learned, specifying a certain person from a group of people kind of implies the person has importance. This makes sense since Sora has disappeared and probably takes precedence (but also for the history between him and Xehanort and him and Kairi). 

2* The phrasing here can mean toyed with/at the mercy of. In this context, and looking at how ENG translated it, ‘toyed with’ makes the most sense. I used an em dash here since this also appears in the JPN subtitles. It’s possible that she cuts off here, going from blaming him to blaming herself (which I want to get into in my analysis/additional notes.

Analysis/Additional Notes:

I find it interesting that ENG doesn’t have that sense of self-blame JPN has. From what I’ve heard and seen, Kairi in JPN shows more insecurity about her abilities and all that. Additionally, I wonder why they changed the “I won’t forgive you” to “I won’t let you walk away.” Personally, I wish they kept it the way JPN did it because, it blatantly shows that Xehanort wasn’t forgiven, contrary to what some players think the cast did at the end of KH3. Overall JPN has a rather...more aggressive approach to it? Also, I’ll put the original text in JPN for the “Even the you...” part below.

「今目の前にいるあなたがたとえ記憶や幻であっても私はあなたを許さない」

Personally, I feel that Kairi comes across as more active to the things that happened to her, even if it’s through these small phrasings. Kairi blames her lack of strength for getting others hurt (even though it is right to blame Xehanort as ENG did) so it gives insight to her thoughts about those events. At least, that’s what I feel. 

Overall, I think it’s interesting to study these differences. Though it might not mean much of anything to some people, phrasing and word choice is such an important factor in writing, especially how a character can come across to an audience. I find it fun to analyze where these differences might impact the audience’s perspective and experience on a piece of media!

Overanalyzing KH pt 3, someone save me lol

[yoroshiu]

“Believe” and “Never Give Up” (Localization) (KH3)

NOTE: A specific part in Sora and the Nameless Star’s conversation always stuck out to me for a couple of reasons. 

ENG: 

Sora: Good. You got to believe 

Nameless Star: Believe? Oh, you mean know in my heart he will return? Without any proof? 

S: Exactly, believe. I thought it was all over for me, but a friend of mine looked me in the eye and said, "You don't believe that."

JPN:

S: I see. You shouldn't give up too 

NS: Don't give up— Aa, that's a choice too, I didn't even think about that. 

S: I think it's better [to think that (way)]. Giving up wasn't/isn't an option for a kid* I know. I was taught that too.

or

S:  I think it’s good to think that way. It’s the same for this kid I know, giving up isn’t an option. I was taught that too.

~~~

Additional Notes/Analysis: 

1* Sora uses  子 (ko) which means child/kid which kind of threw me off (if anyone actually has a proper answer to this, I’d like to know). My guess is that it has to do with the fact that Sora changes the way he speaks depending on who he’s talking to do (as most characters do). I just find it interesting that that’s how he refers to Riku in this case. I can see why ENG decided to stick with ‘friend’. That specific part is written like this in JPN subtitles:

「俺の知ってる子もそなんだ」

I think a lot of players do know of this, but yeah, the whole “believe” and “never give up” is based on the different way Riku encouraged Sora before sacrificing himself to protect him in the Keyblade Graveyard. I’ve seen people say that they don’t like how ENG went about Riku saying it, and I have to say, I agree with that. The phrasing can almost be looked at as dismissive to how Sora was feeling and maybe had been feeling for some time now. Well-intentioned but weirdly phrased, I think, it ended up being. 

The whole “believe” exchange also sounds a bit strange. I’ve always looked at Nameless Star’s response as a bit silly, for lack of a better word, since she more or less simply defines the term. I don’t know how to describe my thoughts on this better TvT

There’s so many of these really small moments of word choice and phrasing that makes a lot of difference to me (I’m way to obsessed with it at this point, oh gosh help me From what I’ve seen from people playing, it does a lot of work. It’s interesting how much of a character you can learn just based from how they speak (how they refer to themselves, how they refer to others, etc.), which is extremely prominent in Japanese. Like, Sora and Riku both use 俺 “ore” when referring to themselves but Sora tends to use 君 “kimi” with most people, お前 “omae” with enemies and Riku, and simply referring to people by name (also does this with Riku often). On the other hand, Riku uses “omae” usually but he does switch when talking to people of supposed higher rank like Mickey or Aqua and Terra. That’s enough of that tangent LOL

[yoroshiu]

“I don’t care” vs “But I’ll do it” + The Reason Behind Sora’s Journey (Localization/Character Analysis) (KH3 Re:Mind)

NOTE: I’m really grateful for the likes and reblogs! It really makes my day and gets me motivated to share more things I find/learn. I’ll start to tag my posts for easier organization! I’m thankful for the advice ^o^ This particular line I want to compare is extremely miniscule in the grander scale of things, and I can see my analysis being argued against, but I guess this is me placing my major to use alongside my love for languages/translating/localization. I’ll go back to older posts and organize better if possible. Also, I’ll go back to more translating/localization related things! I just remembered this very particular thing that I wanted to talk about.

(By the way, I honestly don’t feel strongly about ships in KH in general, so please don’t take any of my posts as me personally leaning towards one ship or against another, but feel free to interpret these translations and differences between dubs/languages as you see them.)

Scene: When Sora is about to go back in time to save Kairi

ENG: I don’t care.

JPN: But I’ll do it.

The original text for that line is:

「でもやるよ」

~~~ Analysis:

I’m making a post about this since it always stood out to me in my KH3 JPN watch-throughs. I’ve seen a back and forth about Sora in that moment and Sora’s character in general, and for all the line above is, I feel like this is where wording makes a difference. Sora’s my favorite character too, so I tend to feel even more of a need to understand him and how the games tend to portray him, and sometimes even more so, how language portrays him. 

On one hand, the lines pretty much say the same thing. Sora’s planning to forgo any worries about his safety and the general consequences to break nature taboos to save Kairi. But I think where I’m going to go with this is pretty clear. “I don’t care” gives off an air that he didn’t really think about those consequences while “But I’ll do it” shows that he’s considered it and is willing to go through with it despite all of that. This is an extra personal opinion/insight, but I feel that saying that Sora didn’t comprehend what he chose to do is kind of doing his character and his development disservice. High key, I don’t have too much to add onto that so this is a pretty short post that I mostly feel doesn’t have anything amazingly insightful, but it was a thought I wanted to let out in the open.

In terms of localizing/translating, this is another example of how important word choice can be (it’s been zero days since I mentioned word choice fr ToT). Something as small as “don’t care” or “but I’ll” can go a long way. As a writer, I find it to be fascinating to study, even if it’s something a general audience doesn’t actively think about. 

______________

About That One Line That Came After:

Same scene, in ENG, Sora says “That’s the whole reason behind my whole journey.” JPN Sora says “My journey started there.” These give off relatively different vibes wording-wise, which is also I find to be interesting. Because in a way, they also say the same thing but it feels different when I read it. 

[yoroshiu]

Masterlist

Hi! Welcome to my blog! I realized that at some point I should probably start organizing my posts, especially the stuff related to translations and localization. I hope this makes things easier to navigate for anyone looking!

Things to know:

I take requests for translating KH scenes! I'm not fluent, but I am currently studying and will do my best to give an accurate translation

I don't have a consistent post schedule. I post whenever I have an idea or something in mind since I'm awful at consistency

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