Tyler | The Imaginary Axis

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I think there were probably other terms that could have been used. They could have just translated it as "Divine Spirit" or "Island God" or even designed a unique mythical name. I'm not passionate about the term "Atua" or anything, but I don't really think it was a bad decision either. Like I mentioned above, I think the reasoning makes a lot of sense and seeks to preserve the character. Some nuance probably would have been lost by translating it as "god" alone. I also wouldn't say that Angie has NO connection to Polynesian culture in the original text. I mean, her splash art literally shows her carving a traditional tiki sculpture, which is a direct reference to ancient Polynesian mythology. It's not really a stretch to suggest that many of the (non-insane) descriptions she gives of her island home are borrowing elements from Polynesia and implying she lives in the central/southern Pacific. There were definitely other choices the translation team could have made, but if you think Angie's character is insensitive toward any of the Polynesian cultures, then a lot of that probably traces back to Kodaka, honestly.

@TylerAtTheAxis @monopurplee @_Eito_Blehh culture for ostensibly no reason other than that it sounds suitably foreign was a shit decision and mars the character to this day 🤷‍♀️ we can agree to disagree, but there's no reason at all that I can see why she couldn't have used the more flexible "god" in english

Due to bad translation gonta was condemned to caveman speak forever. Poor fuck

"Atua" is not a specific Polynesian figure, to the best of my knowledge. It's a general term for island deities. Think of it like she's praising "the island god" or "the divine island spirit." The reason this works is because the Japanese term "神様" means the same kind of thing. "神様" just means "god" (without specifying which one). "Atua" just means "god" (without specifying which one). But culturally, if a Japanese player saw Angie talking about "神様," they would assume by default that she was just referencing a god from her homeland. If an English player saw Angie talking about "god," they would assume by default that she was referencing Yahweh. "Atua" communicates the same nuance to English players that Japanese players reach by default. Even if you don't know what the word "Atua" means, you instinctively realize, "Oh, she's talking about a god from her homeland." If you *do* know what the word "Atua" means, you realize, "Okay. She's talking about a god from her homeland, which is presumably somewhere in Polynesia."

@TylerAtTheAxis @monopurplee @_Eito_Blehh idk I just fundamentally disagree that using a specific random deity from a culture Yonaga has no overt link to was the best direction for the localisation lol

Yes, but that one *does* make some cultural sense. The term Angie is using in Japan (神様) does not carry any specific religious connotations. Upon reading that term, Japanese players would immediately assume that Angie was just praying to an unfamiliar foreign god from her home nation. 神様 *does* translate to "god" pretty seamlessly, but if the translation team chose to have Angie run around speaking about "God" in the west, it would sound like she was part of some weird Christian cult. "Atua" actually does a better job getting across the intended effect. "Atua" is a Polynesian word, and similar to "神様", it can refer to any number of non-specific island deities. So when an English speaker hears Angie talk about "Auta," it invokes the idea that this girl is speaking about an unfamiliar foreign god from her home nation - the exact same idea conveyed in the Japanese script. The change actually *preserves* Angie's character in this case, because it accounts for differences in how both cultures process certain words.

@_Eito_Blehh correct me if i'm wrong, but i've heard the word 'atua' was never used in the japanese version. angie just simply referred to her lord as 'god'.

Tom is right. Aside from the fact that he is literally the writer, claims about Batman’s fighting talent need to be appreciated in context. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest martial artists on earth, but sweeping statements that call him “the best”, “unmatched”, “most skilled”, etc, are pretty much always made as a passing comment or part of a broad analysis. These claims are not rigorous qualitative reviews, and they are, by necessity, almost never considering the entire human population in any literal sense or obscure characters on the fringe of DC canon. Half the time, the person penning the statement may not even *know* about every obscure possible exception, but they don’t qualify the statement either because it’s really just not supposed to be that deep. It’s a generalization. This is how humans talk, and everybody knows it. Attempts to trumpet such claims as definitive, all-encompassing investigations, exhausting every corner of DC’s massive continuity are disingenuous. And counting off the number of times that somebody has randomly named Batman “the greatest fighter on earth” does nothing to prove the fact unless you can demonstrate these less prominent characters were also under scrutiny at the time. In 99% of cases, they were not. But I can *guarantee* you that every single time Richard Dragon, Cassandra Cain, Lady Siva, or any other Z-Lister was named as “the greatest fighter on earth,” Batman was *definitely* considered by the writer, the audience, and often the speaker as the claim was made. In many cases, Batman has little to no examples of favorable comparison against these lesser known characters, but many of *them* have multiple favorable comparisons against Batman. That is why the fans white knighting for Batman keep trying to rope the others in by insisting that they were implicitly compared at some point by a general statement. Batman is very, very good. Likely within the Top 10. He is probably the best fighter on earth that you’ve heard about. But no, he is not the absolute best in a very specific, technical sense, and that was never really his goal to begin with. Batman would gain nothing from dumping months of his life into the marginal perfection needed to arbitrarily go from 7th to 1st. He’s close enough, and any extra time is better spent maintaining one of his other 1,000 skills, all of which are within the Top 10 of everybody alive today. Practicality is a big part of being Batman. And so is managing your priorities. None of the people white knighting for him are reflecting those goals. They’re just interested in empty accolades and chasing hype without substance.

@TomTaylorMade What do you think of this? @TylerAtTheAxis

I love Batman. I’m literally the writer of Detective Comics. He’s one of the top heroes in the world. Dinah Lance is a better fighter than him. So is Cass Cain. Batman doesn’t need you to defend him. He’s Batman.

Calling Batman the best hand-to-hand fighter in the world is a general statement, discounting fringe exceptions. Richard Dragon is ready to send EVERYBODY packing.

@PUNPUNSAMURAI It’s also great that the moral isn’t “Humans often fall to their own hubris” or “Don’t deal with forces beyond your comprehension.” Instead, it’s apparently, “The devil thinks he’s hot stuff, but his fiddle skills are kinda mid.”

@TylerAtTheAxis Came for the run back and lost again too. (Presumably)

I love the implication that the devil’s fiddle playing was so trash compared to Johnny that, even as the literal father of lies, he was just like, “…K. I ain’t gonna hold you. I clearly lost that one.”

@DanGuy96 This was a great monologue, tbh.

The one good thing about the Big Two is that you can tell when writers absolutely hate the decisions made in other comics.

@Jundy_peace_74 This is Assassination Classroom, specifically near the end of the Kunigigaoka School Festival. Nika, Bo-bobo, Kusuo, and Kuroko are all contributing to the cause by purchasing some locally sourced acorn noodles from Class 3-E's pop-up cafe.

これだけで何のアニメか分かったらすごい

After an 86 year long battle with Chuck Norris, life itself has finally thrown in the towel. Thank you for everything. RIP to a legend.

@S_toro_ Interesting. I did not realize that other countries think of "Bro" as exclusively a slang word. My siblings and I have always used it to refer to each other.

You're literally just describing every level in the game. This is like claiming that you never beat Misty because it's up to the player to make it happen. That's not how this works. The story continues from Johto to Kanto. Important parts of the plot happen in Kanto. Important parts of the plot that ARISE in Johto are not RESOLVED until certain events that happen in Kanto. You're only ignoring half of the game because you don't like the idea of Red losing. You haven't given a single reason for ignoring it that doesn't apply to plenty of other stories broadly considered canon. The Kanto half of Gen 2 is very obviously different from optional post-game material, like the PWT in Black/White 2. The burden of proof is not on me to demonstrate that it is canon. It's on you to demonstrate that it is not.

@TylerAtTheAxis @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ Heck even I never saw the creators of the Pokemon games say themselves anyways that Red got defeated by Gold/Ethan in those games plus sure all that is part of & a continuation of the game’s story in general but again I’m talking bout the main game only not the extra stuff

Canonically, Red grew up to become a living legend, and he has remained the Champion of Kanto for many years.

Dude, it's part of the story and closes arcs and events that were set up far earlier the game. It's not optional. It's very clearly a continuation of canon. DLC didn't even exist *as a concept* at this point in gaming history. Nobody analyzes a narrative like this. You're just arbitrarily drawing a line between Johto and Kanto because it's convenient and helps you keep Red untouchable. The events and worldbuilding depicted within Kanto in Generation 2 are objectively designed as part of Pokemon history, in-universe lore, and the protagonist and rival's personal journeys .

@TylerAtTheAxis @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ Thing that happened in the game that I agree on but cannon that Red got defeated no since that was never part of the main story and forced to do to begin with… it was all optional and up to us as the player to do but it ain’t happen as part of the main story to face and beat him

The second generation Pokémon games are unique, because they contain two regions. The story continues after completing Johto. The professor asks you to travel down a previously locked route that leads to Kanto, and your rival follows you. Johto and Kanto are neighboring regions. They sit right next to each other on the map. You travel to Kanto, clean up the remnants of Team Rocket, help your rival find closure with his past, and resolve several conflicts within the league. That’s all narrative. It’s not like the WPT in Black/White 2 or optional bosses that have no impact on the story. It’s a continuation of the main plot. After you’ve become champion of both regions, you’re asked to investigate Mt. Silver, which is normally blocked off because it’s dangerous. Only very talented trainers are allowed in the area. The only two humans around the mountain are Nurse Joy at the bottom and Red at the top. Once you beat Red, the credits roll.

@TylerAtTheAxis @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ Something like that then I don’t believe it’s canon that boy defeated Red since it’s a completely optional thing to do up to us to control and get done and was never forced in the main game/story

@GhostofJonathan @KaJay_G @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ Pokemon Masters does not acknowledge any of the main characters becoming champion (i.e. completing their game) other than Red and Juliana. It is not a reliable resource for determining canon.

@KaJay_G @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ According to Pokemon Masters, Red never lost.

@KaJay_G @Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ It's the end credits. The end credits say that he lost. Defeating Red concludes the game. Losing to him puts you back at the Pokemon Center and forces you to rechallenge him again, like every other boss. The narrative only closes after you win.

@Angrybluebird16 @Light_88_ Lost his title in gold and silver 🤔 I dunno where it was said that he lost it (also 🤷🏾‍♂️ where it’s says he lost a battle against Lyra or even Ethan/Gold) 🧐

@sugarrmoone Ran the numbers. Can confirm.

oh wow i didn’t know we were still having this debate i generally agree that shuichi is better at putting his faith in others but i do still believe kyoko is a far better detective

"I am a shadow, the true self. You were never silent and enigmatic. Your inner-monologue was happy and quirky! You used to chat with people all the time! Copycat proves it!" "No... stop saying that... You're not me!"

@Platsandcats Huh. That's an interesting point. I don't think I've ever read this chapter in Japanese. I wonder what the original- ...Oh.

@TylerAtTheAxis Is this a translation thing, or that way too in Japanese ? Either way you're right.

Me, when I've never read a manga published before 1990 and the entirety of My Hero Academia is erased from my consciousness, along with half of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Chainsaw Man:

@Platsandcats Tbh, things were pretty asymmetrical from the 1950s-1990s, with manga/anime taking notes from western properties FAR more frequently than vice versa. Throw a rock at a shelf of manga. But I think my favorite "modern" example is Death Note straight up name-dropping the X-Men.

@TylerAtTheAxis Even back in the day there were clear parodies. Suppaman being an obvious one.