CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

I've waited 5 long months for this day. For the day I'd FINALLY get to read the one volume of Tactics that I haven't read before. And now that I finally have it...there is sadness.

Now don't get me wrong. I think next to volume 5, volume 2 is by far my favorite. x3 There's lots of Edwards! And Kantarou works in a church as a Japanese interpreter, which made me squeal with fangirly happiness. But...there is still sadness.

You see, ADV thought it was appropriate to randomly change the genders of Sugino and Muu-chan. So now one of the most lovely bishounen in the series is a girl. And his wife is now a boy. Apparently.

Now I wouldn't be so upset about this if Sakura Kinoshita failed to drop any hints to Sugino's gender. However...this isn't the case.

Sugino refers to himself with "ore" - a Japanese pronoun equivalent to "I" that is mainly used by men. Therefore it is safe to assume that the person he is married to (Muu-chan) is female.

This revelation makes me sad. Not only are their genders COMPLETELY wrong, but Muu-chan also happens to have a fangirly crush on Kantarou. So now we have incorrect genders and ADV sending the impression that a married youkai is gay...

*sighs* ...I must write to ADV and right this wrong...this is just too terrible...

ahgrkssdkfhsjsdsjkhf! O.O NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! ADV I will never ever ever support you again! *shoots self* TT_TT

::Blows up ADV::

::punches dead ADV translator's in the face::

::Stands around awkwardly::

I went a little nutty and wrote a review about this on Amazon.com. ^_^

[quote="Kokoro's Amazon.com review"]Before I say anything else about the quality of this volume of Tactics, I must say this: Tactics by Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama is one of the most beautiful manga series I have seen in a long time. I have been following the series in Japanese for a good while now, and from the very beginning I fell in love with the lovely art work and captivating characters that the two artists have created. At times the action was confusing and the dialogue less than perfect, but in the entire scheme of things, it's an enjoyable series that'll be sure to leave appreciating individuals hooked. Volume-wise, I'd have to say this installment of Tactics is one of the best out of the 6 book (and counting) series with a nice mix of humor and serious situations and a plot that's been nicely smoothed out since the first volume.

However, it would seem that with every good comes something indescribably bad. Thus is the case with ADV's translation of this most excellent manga. It would seem that both the translators and the editors were half asleep when they released this. The first and most disturbing problem with the translation is the gender bending of two core characters, Sugino and Muu-chan (who happens to be known as Myu in ADV's version, though the Japanese text clearly refers to her as "Muu"). Sugino is described in the translation as "she" while Muu-chan/Myu is referred to as "he". This couldn't be more incorrect. Yes, Sugino and Muu-chan/Myu are a married couple, but Sugino happens to be the male of the relationship, and in the original Japanese uses an exclusively male pronoun ("ore") to refer to himself. It's disappointing to me that a high school student such as myself, who has only one year of formal Japanese classes under her belt, was able to pick out such a glaring mistake.

Furthermore, the back of both volumes 1 and 2 describe the manga as being set in the "feudal era" or "medieval era" of Japan - a laughable mistake, seeing as there are fairly obvious clues pointing to a late 1800's or early 1900's setting. Example? The presence of automobiles, soda-pop, movie theaters, western style clothing, trains, and Catholic priests from Great Britain.

All in all, Tactics volume 2 is an excellent read, with a fun story line, new characters, and admirable art and character designs. However I only give it 3 stars for its rather disappointing translation. But, you know, there's nothing a little white out can't fix. ]

<<::Blows up ADV::

::punches dead ADV translator's in the face::

::Stands around awkwardly::>>
*claps* FUNimation next!

<<I went a little nutty and wrote a review about this on Amazon.com. ^_^>>
*claps some more* Good for you!

*claps for your Amazon review* AMEN MY SISTER!! Tell those ignorant masses~

I have lost hope in ADV ToT But I still have to buy FMP so I can't boycott them... <.< At least most of their dubs are decent...

.... Poor Sugino!! If they get the anime I wonder how they'll explain this... If I remember, Sugino does have a somewhat masculine voice.

Heh...Kokoro-chan, that was the first thing I noticed when I started reading it.

"Hey...this says it's in feudal Japan...but they're driving a car. What the...?"

Switched the two genders entirely? Man, that's retarded...the translation was already kinda shaky. I like the series, but...man, do they have freakin' IDIOTS working in the translation department or something?

Sugino has a rather masculine voice, yes. His manner of speech is also considered masculine.

A lot of the people I know from the Tactics fandom have at least a rudimentary understanding of Japanese. x3; I'm sure ADV's going to be getting a LOT of letter's about this. Either that or a rabid mob of Tactics fans at their main office threatening hostile takeover. *runs hands together* eeexxxceelllent.

This is bad. I'm really sorry to hear this. As it is, we already have enough misperceptions about anime/manga. The last thing we need is some smart aleck translator company.

Wha....? How can they just change a character's gender?!