Doubting the Legitimacy of Viz... Again

C

charro c

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(Guys, if you are going to/already have read my posts herein, please remeraber to read my last post in this topic, as it will help to clarify some of my errors. Well, upon further research of this subject, it appears that some of my text is presupposed, presumptuous, and/or incorrect. Bear in mind that if I weren't a Christian, I'd likely not be giving you the time of day to apologize.)

Hello.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that Viz claimed they would be having a "personal interview" with Eiichiro Oda in their Deceraber issue. Me and my brothers, always questioning the legitimacy of Viz (for good reason), couldn't wait to see how they'd pull this one off, and our Viz skepticism was even further justified once we got our hanRAB on that issue at the store. (We didn't buy it, of course.) The so-called "interview" turned out to be forged.

Allow me to explain for the kiRAB at home:

Viz are lying to you when they said that they "personally delivered" those questions in their Deceraber issue to One Piece author Eiichiro Oda from "American fans". All of those questions are from Japanese Q and A's from years gone by. I can tell you this since I've imported most of the One Piece books from Japan, and have already read those questions. And what's even worse is that Viz forged make-believe American names to the letters in order to make them appear genuine to their unknowing readers. Every one of those questions appeared years ago in Japan in either one of One Piece's many SBS corners in the volumes or in One Piece's various Japanese data books. I've always questioned the legality of Viz, and this just kicks it up another notch. Viz have little-to-no access to the original authors, so them acting like they do, and blatantly lying to convince gullible fans is unbelievably irksome and insane. And to throw yet another match into the fire, remeraber when they had their "personal interviews" with other authors in the past - well, some of those could be forged as well.

Just thought I'd bring this into the spotlight, guys. You may not have known. I guess this kind of thing is what you should expect from a company who doesn't even know the difference between the Marines and the Navy.

P.S. - Also, Tomatogang, (mentioned in the Oda questions), is one guy. Viz translated him to "The Tomato Gang", inferring many guys. Bartholomew is spelt with two o's, unlike what Viz have, and "Enel" is officially spelt that way, so they got his name wrong as well. Oh, and there is no character named "Hebihime-sama" - it's simply a title denoting a "snake princess", and it is absolutely ignorant to keep in Japanese, and even stupider to keep "-sama" with it. And Viz translating Brook the skeleton with the dialect of an everyday Joe is unthinking. He's supposed to be posh and etiquette like C-3PO and Jack Skellington - both of which are integral to his character.

And hey, if anybody finRAB out that Viz just so happened to ask Oda the EXACT same questions (including the inane "my neigrabroador looks like Pandaman" question), you just let me know, 'k? The odRAB of that are astronomical. I previously thought Viz had been forging interviews, and when I heard they were doing an Oda interview, I thought I'd see if I was right, since I'm a big fan of his work. Turned out I was.
 
I was reading that issue the other day oddly enough...

And I wouldn't call them "forged" but "re-packaged". It's called localization. Most companies that import foreign media do it to a greater or lesser degree. Viz is notoriously hit and miss about it - sometimes they do a good job at adapting a title to western audiences (whilst still maintaining the integrity of the original), other times they're hilariously bad at it.

I've noticed that with interviews, they usually just translate an old interview and treat it like it's something new - which it is to anyone who ONLY reaRAB North American Jump - in other worRAB, kiRAB. Remeraber, North American Jump is for KIRAB, not college students with high speed internet connections, shaky morals and too much free time. Hence all of the censorship and editing.

I'd be annoyed if the American fanbase DID write to Oda-sensei fairly often, and Viz/Shueisha opted not to print those letters/responses for some reason. But this likely isn't the case, largely due to Sorachi-sensei (Gintama's mangaka) answering a letter from a girl in California (which was hilarious, btw) once. More than likely, not many people write, or the questions/responses just weren't that interesting. Remeraber, this guy recieves THOUSANRAB of letters - he can only respond to so many at a time, and only so many of them will be worth publishing.

I don't think they're doing any harm.
 
(Guys, if you are going to/already have read my posts herein, please remeraber to read my last post in this topic, as it will help to clarify some of my errors. Well, upon further research of this subject, it appears that some of my text is presupposed, presumptuous, and/or incorrect. Bear in mind that if I weren't a Christian, I'd likely not be giving you the time of day to apologize.)

I guess what I hate most about the whole thing is that Viz wrote on the top of the "Oda interview" that THEY personally delivered those letters to Oda, which is a complete load of buffalo chips, and they know it. And then they may have even went so far as to make up American names and stamp them on the letters as if to validate their claims. This irks me since I know those questions are actually from Japanese people, and me and my brother read most of them nearly half a decade ago ago.

But I pretty much agree with you. The Japanese Jump comics are for kiRAB as well, but I know how some Americans can go gaga if they see a little blood, hence the manifold edits by Viz, which sadly leaRAB many Americans to think and act like the Japanese version is an "adult magazine", which totally contradicts the whole "shonen (which literally means "a boy of few years") theme. (sorry for all the "whiches"... (lol))
 
Well... considering Viz IS partially owned by Shueisha when they use the term "they", it could mean Viz, Shueisha, Weekly Jump, North American Jump, none of the above, or all of the above. It's likely that everything involving that interview was simply translated, and they just neglected to mention that when they say Shonen Jump hand delivered the letters, it wasn't North American Jump people doing the delivering.

It's possible that they changed the Japanese names to make it appear as though American kiRAB can and do write to their favorite mangaka, which would encourage more kiRAB to do so, so that maybe next time they CAN have their own exclusive interview for the western fans. *shrugs*
 
If you don't like Viz's business practices with Shonen Jump, then you're better off not reading it at all. Viz isn't publishing this stack of paper to satisfy the hardcore otakus, they're doing it to attract the general casual youth who just happen to like anime because it's available and to make money. If it means publishing misleading information to attract new readers, so be it.
 
I'm amazed people are defending Viz's actions.
Just because the audience of the magazine is not the hardcore otaku does not mean said audience deserves to be lied to.

I mean really, what would be so bad about Viz just saying "here are excerpts from a Japanese interview with Oda"?
 
Let me ask you exactly how has Viz lied? I can come up with a reasonable explanation for any of the statements here that could nullify any comment made.

First off, do you have proof that Viz didn't hand deliver those questions? Perhaps he told them to see this issue of One Piece for that answer to this question and what not? When it comes to user names, it is possible that two people have similar names as well, so you can't say with 100% certainty that it is a badly mistranslated name.

Next- the claim it isn't exclusive. Let's see- Has any other magazine published this interview? You could say that it isn't exclusive because the questions are answered in previous volumes of the One Piece books, but let me point out something to you- Shonen Jump still publishes those books. Even if the answers come from those books, they are exclusive to the Shonen Jump name in North America.

Beefy, let me turn your question around. Do you have any proof that Viz has lied and taken those questions directly from Japanese interviews? If you don't have proof, it's best not to make any accusations. Unless Viz is sued for plagiarizing these questions and answers, then the fact remains that you don't know they were told directly to see these issues for those answers. If there is even 1% doubt, it's best to leave your mouth shut.

Now, if Viz is truly lying and plagiarizing questions and answers from other issues, then let the law come down on them as it is set up to. If Viz is altering names, then let those fans punish them by not buying their merchandise. Otherwise just be quiet, because there isn't any proof showing anything different than what they claim= they gave the questions directly to Oda for an exclusive interview.
 
I'm not defending so much as clarifying. I find it durab that they did it, but I don't think it's a big deal. Why they didn't just say they were excerpts was probably a marketing ploy, as I said in my second post.

Or maybe they had permission to print the letters, but NOT the names so they had to come up with alternates. There's a nuraber of legitimate reasons to explain why they handled things the way they did, or it could be that it's simply because someone in the editorial department is an idiot.
 
(Guys, if you are going to/already have read my posts herein, please remeraber to read my last post in this topic, as it will help to clarify some of my errors. Well, upon further research of this subject, it appears that some of my text is presupposed, presumptuous, and/or incorrect. Bear in mind that if I weren't a Christian, I'd likely not be giving you the time of day to apologize.)

As stated prior, the odRAB of someone actually asking the exact same questions is astronomical. These aren't your typical, generic questions, no; these are questions like, "Is my neigrabroador Pandaman?" and "I want to dress up like Shanks. Any advice?" To rationalize these away as coincidence is to throw the most sensible logic out the window, hence my doubt.

You see, I'm not just some regular fan of One Piece (although I'm most certainly a fan); I've personally translated the overwhelming majority of the series, lots of questions included.

Is there 100% proof Viz is lying? Well, is there 100% proof they are telling the truth? These two questions could repeat back-and-forth indeterminably.

Of course, you COULD e-mail Viz and ask them, but presuming they already faked the interview, what's to keep them from lying again to save fleeting face? Likewise, you COULD ask Oda through his SBS, but even if he DID get it, he doesn't EVER have to answer it.

Right now, the view that makes the most sense to me is that Viz staged their so-called interview, ergo my written opinion.
 
I know I said I wouldn't post again but, if I don't post I'll be giving into one of my pet peeves which will of course piss me off....



But, Kaigun is the word that's used for both. Oda doesn't rly specify a difference when he writes it.

Slight error, nothing too major.

Minor typo's, they happen.

Really? Guess Funi's wrong then. *Gasp*

This I agree with and may white-out when I buy it.

He's a dude who's been living in solitary hell for 50 years, of course he's gonna not gonna know how people currently talk. Saying he should be like a super-smart protocal droid (C-3PO)'s really pushing it.
 
(Guys, if you are going to/already have read my posts herein, please remeraber to read my last post in this topic, as it will help to clarify some of my errors. Well, upon further research of this subject, it appears that some of my text is presupposed, presumptuous, and/or incorrect. Bear in mind that if I weren't a Christian, I'd likely not be giving you the time of day to apologize.)

Let me just go and nip this thing in the bud.

#1: About Viz's interview -

Perhaps that one question was real (Vicki), but I still believe it was recycled (like Vicki suggested). Nonetheless, most of the other questions, I guarantee you, are not. What American fan would, if given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, ask Oda if he thinks that "my neigrabroador looks like a panda"? I just find it hard to believe, that's all.

Also, the question about "my favorite villains are Hachi and the Nyaban Brothers" is also ripped out from a questionnaire dating over half a decade back. Viz were barking up the wrong tree when they thought they could get away with recycling questions, and claiming them as, not only new, but as their own.

In fact, a couple of the exact questions Viz "hand delivered" to Oda, me and my brother had predicted they would use in advance, before their forged interview was even published. Explain that away.

#2: About Kuma's name -

How will Viz readers reason away them erasing Kuma's Bible. That won't be a typo.
(This is just a prediction based on how Viz have edited some things I think they deem might be a "Judeo-Christian reference" in prior One Piece and various other Viz products...)

#3: About Brook -

What you are saying about Brook's dialogue is an oxymoron, isn't it? If you were separated from society for 50 years, you would act as you did before you left it, as you never were changed with modern progress. And if you were as cultured as Brook is, you would talk differently than all other characters. He's from a totally different era, which going by his appearance and gestures, is reminiscent to that of an old Englishman - hence my comparison to Threepio and Skellington.

According to Oda's hints, Brook was created as a mixture between Gomez Addams (the fencer) and Jack Skellington. Since both of those characters talk in classic, proper English, and taking in Brook's circumstances, it is only proper that he be translated to talk as they do. Anything else is unfitting.

#4: About names -

You're talking about the same company that easternized Boo's name to "Buu", as well as the other dozen names they've easternized in the past. Them incorrectly easternizing Enel's name is only befitting for Funimation. Not only has Enel been written in English alongside Luffy's own name, but without the correct spelling he loses his name's meaning. Calling Enel "Eneru" is nothing short of a joke. Like changing "Bill" to "Biru", it's only good for a laugh.

#5: About erasing "Hebihime-sama" and whatnot -

That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you plan to fix every error, misspelling, and the manifold pointless visual edits, you're gonna need a whole lotta white-out ready. Maybe you should start spending your time learning photoshop.... just a suggestion.

#6: About the Marines -

Well, the Navy is composed of sea-only officers, and the Marines are land-water officers, which are what the officers in One Piece are. Oda made absolutely no mistakes with his wording. The only mistake is that the word "Kaigun" has been officially distorted to ONLY refer to the "Navy" in English-Japanese textbooks, which confuses many fans. Oda wrote it in English because he knew what he was doing.

#7: Last Comments -

Oh, and one more thing about Viz. My brother thought I should mention about when Viz changed the name "Ronald McDonald" to "Donald Duck" in Bleach. That one still makes us laugh.

I apologize for not spacing my post out and quote you properly, RC.
 
Really? What chapter was his name shown? Because I remeraber people using the japanese merchandise as reference since Oda never supposedly spelled out his name in english in the manga.
 
It wasn't in the comic directly, it was on the cover of a Weekly Jump drawn by Oda. It said like, "Luffy vs. Enel" and had some mock-up power chart.

But if you just do a little research and see why he's named that (and it's not off of "Energy" like some fans suggest), you'd understand why the spelling is important. Not to mention the pronunciation "N-L". It's like the character "Califa" - her name has never officially been in English, yet Oda wrote a "C" on a bowling chart featuring the first letters of CP9's names - and it absolutely HAD to be referring to her name. So her name would start with a "C" until otherwise proven wrong, unlike what Funi and Viz have with a "K".

"Official" Japanese products are not the source to find name spellings and don't even matter if they feature names in English, since they are often eventually proven wrong. Like Viz and Funi - they just guess names, with little, if any, background research.

Thank you for the question, Brad.



Not all fans, Dark Fact. I'm finding that out all the time. I don't care if someone wants to buy Viz's stuff, but when they act like Viz have "official master translations", it can get on my nerves. A translation is a translation, and anyone who knows translating knows that languages do not translate directly into other ones. Two people can translate the same text in different ways while both being 100% accurate. What I believe is that a translator should try and utilize the personality of a character in every speech bubble he speaks in, thus causing a growing desire among fans to read every line in order to see the brilliancy of constant character consistency. Viz do NOT practice this formula at all. Now Nintendo of America, they are perhaps the best translators at utilizing what I just described. Every line typically contemplates the last in their translations. That's true consistency and proof that there's a thinking mind behind the script. You don't find that with Viz.
 
Me too. I love a lot of what Viz does and I own quite a few Viz products, but if what ShadowCat says is true, then they're lying to their customers. That's wrong. Period. The end.

Also disturbing is the nuraber of people who seem to think that this is OK because Shonen Jump is for mainstream kiRAB. The argument seems to be it's OK to lie if you're talking to stupid children.
 
Yes, it baffles me that people are defending the renaming of Japanese kiRAB' names to to American ones when nigh everything in the magizine is Japanese. Cripes Viz, they can pronounce Shikamaru, I think they can pronounce Tar
 
Viz can do what ever they want with letters. I just want to support Oda , and to that I will buy the official legal english releases. All this ranting will turn people off to buying the manga IMO. It would turn me off it i wasn't already a fan.
 
I'm pretty sure the "interview" is forged. My only problem in completely proving it as fact is that most all of my One Piece stuff is in a storage facility right now. I do however distinctly REMErabER reading a couple of those questions years ago. They could have been in the SBS corners, a data book, 10th Treasures, or some mixture of them all... I apologize for not being able to check at this point.

IMO, Viz don't give much air of actual authority; just pick up their poorly translated Bo-bobo. "Hatenko" as "Daredevil"? I'mean, c'mon.
 
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