Here’s something that makes all those death of manga articles seem a tad premature… the latest volume of One Piece will receive a 2.85 million-copy print run in Japan which, according to my calculations, is enough paper to sink the island of Kyushu. And that’s just the first print run. (Confession: I failed high school geology.)
Another way to make this number more relevant for those living in countries that don’t love comics nearly as much as Japan… At 420 yen per copy, the total retail value of One Piece 56 is 1197 million yen, the equivalent of nearly 14 million US dollars. This is decent Matthew McConaughey/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy opening territory.
Ninjas, pirates… I do hope zombies isn’t the next big thing.
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Japanator –> Akiba Blog profiles Hitori de Ecchi, a “manga guide to masturbation.” If I recall correctly, this is actually a series of books (for a subject as complex as onani, I would expect nothing less than 20 encyclopedic volumes). Much of the comic art and cover illustration was provided by Hinemosunotari, author of our soon-to-be-released Read Me. You have it pre-ordered, right?
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Manga scholar and recently unretired translator Matt Thorn has a rather… unrestrained… editorial on the artistry of translation, and the lack thereof in some commercial manga releases. Any translator, current or aspiring, should give this a very thorough reading.
Having neither a talent for creative writing nor the technical expertise required for translation, I’m in no position to challenge the academic criticisms leveled against those cliches that have become convention, or the disregard for voice and nuance (but I think you’d be hard pressed to find consensus on issues of style). But as a publisher, I’m going to offer this cynical, and likely offensive to everyone, counterpoint… we (manga publishers) are not interested in accuracy, just the appearance of accuracy. Because that’s what a significant portion of the readership wants. Commerce and consumer psychology dictates we should meet, or only slightly exceed, the expectations of the target audience. This is only condescending if the product undershoots those expectations. And if it greatly overshoots, we’d have wasted energy and time, which is not desirable for business.
I suppose this is merely an excuse, not a defense against any of Professor Thorn’s arguments. But I wanted to raise it so that everyone understands the impetus is really on consumers as a whole to be vocal about change, if they really want it. Generally speaking, business is a race to the bottom; we would try to get away with the least amount of work and investment as you would allow us. This is reflected in the very features that have come to define manga: the cheap stock and B/W printing. And manga didn’t hit its stride in the US until one company dared to release manga fast, unflopped, with minimal changes no matter how awkward, on less-than-premium paper… consumers back then said that’s what they wanted. By my personal observations, that still holds true. Taste is ever-evolving, and business doesn’t have to be at the expense of good style. But these are conscious choices.
One aspect of the article I hope isn’t overshadowed by disagreements over honorifics or the intricacies of local dialects is the pay scale for translators. Publishers absolutely should pay more, or at least to the best of their abilities. But unfortunately, and like many other forms of entertainment, the people most intimately involved with production are often the least compensated.
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Before Batman.
Before Superman.
There was… Goofy O-Face Skull Guy The Golden Bat!
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Deb Aoki has a fun article about her experience with the Pop Travel Japan tour, during which she was accompanied by several artists. Makes you wish you had the time and/or money to indulge in one of these excursions.
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On a more somber note… over 3,000 mourners attended Yoshito Usui’s funeral. The mangaka of Crayon Shin-chan perished in a mountain-climbing accident in September.
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I saw the title and thought you were had written something about me.
Haha, I guess I have to translate some yaoi and call someone a lose-ette before I can get taken seriously in my criticisms of manga translation and romanization methods in general.
OH WELL, I STILL LOVE YOU, SIMON! Haha.
As an aside, how hot is Balalaika? God I hope she’s in the new chapter of Black Lagoon that’s out this month.
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I don’t think your take on translation is really all that offensive at all. The end result is going to give people what they want better than a translator determining the correct way for people to read something. Sure, it’s born of business, but your focus is on the product that the customer receives more than the method of delivery. It also leaves more room for the influence of a publisher’s brand and a level of consistency for fans of that brand.
Matt Thorn’s article read a little more like a call for readers and publishers to support what he sees as correct methods of translation. It just seems like the priorities are a little backwards there.
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Wait, the priorities are backwards for people who think a more accurate translation is better?
Don’t you mean the priorities of the company don’t properly respect the art and are therefore backwards, if profitable? Surely that’s what you meant to say. I mean, you can’t be suggesting, without any sense of irony, that whatever mutilations one wants to make to a piece of art are fine so long as the end result is profit? I mean, yes, that’s why businesses do… but even Simon admits it’s not done out of any sense of respect for the artists or their hard work, in fact the opposite.
Still, that’s fine. I’ve shifted my focus from trying to fix the industry to just idly hoping it dies a quick death. :D Of course, Simon is excluded from that sort of thing since I think publishing pornography is a noble art form, even if he uses an incorrect romanization method. :D
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Eh…I -really- hate to say this, but this here is about as pure and as close to unfettered from the money machine as a comic gets: http://concessioncomic.com/index.php?pid=20060701 I actually have to respect how he just does whatever the fuck he wants while I drag my ass on a few pages.
If I remember correctly, you can’t stand webcomics though and the only other game in town is some form of publishing even if you’re flipping through scans. Between the comicker’s pen and your eyeball, there’s plenty of hoops to jump through and when a publisher can actually admit that his money comes from his customers, that’s a hell of a lot better than decades of ad-based media. In that case, purchases inform change and lack thereof informs a realization of fucking up somewhat. Simon says it right up there and for as much bullshit as he reads from us, you know he must pay pretty good attention to the fans who aren’t pains in the ass.
As far as Matt Thorn’s version of correct and artistic integrity, not once does he mention the original artist’s intent as being at all a factor in the translation. ‘…recreating as faithfully as possible the -experience of reading- the original.’ as near as I can tell, the Matt Thorn Method is putting Matt Thorn’s interpretation of a book into flowery writing and the reader either likes it or they can go fuck themselves. It’s very similar to my rant post method. He doesn’t say anything about preserving the -creator’s- vision, he doesn’t say anything about giving the -reader- something that reads naturally to them. Judging by what little he had to say about either artists or readers, he would rather dictate his own, personal interpretation of what he gleaned from only the book itself. Honestly, considering how much content some publishers rip from scanlations wholesale, Thorn should be bitching about the house he helped build if he has a problem with current translations.
As far as Simon goes, as long as they aren’t saying ‘thing’ or ‘place’ five times a page, I can handle it.
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