Manga Planet English GNG Discussion and FAQ

[Uru]

I read the first chapter and compared different translations.

- When Gin is born he is called "shooting star Gin". In Finnish version it is just "Gin" for some reason.
- Riki is called leader of bearhounds. In Finnish this is not mentioned.
- Daisuke says that akita's have same build as Yamagata's koyasu dogs. Finnish version it is called Yamagata's takayasu dogs and there is no breed with that name...

This is really surprising as Finnish translations are usually very high quality. Maybe the translator knows lot about dogs?

I also like how they call Gohee with different names: when Daisuke speaks with Gohee the name is old man. When Daisuke speaks to his friends, he calls Gohee elder.

[Digsu]

- When Gin is born he is called "shooting star Gin". In Finnish version it is just "Gin" for some reason.
- Riki is called leader of bearhounds. In Finnish this is not mentioned.

I think the English translation is more literal while the Finnish translation puts more emphasis on keeping the flow of the text as natural as possible (or the former uses "formal equivalence" while the latter uses "dynamic equivalence" if you want to be overly technical). I've noticed that it's somewhat common for lines in the Finnish translation to be shorter and more to the point than the original Japanese, which usually just makes the dialogue sound less clunky and more natural in Finnish but there are times when it results in loss of tiny details like that. Both are perfectly acceptable translation strategies, though, and it's largely up to the personal preference translator to choose which style they use.

[Arano]

I'm really pleased with how the translation looks! The sound effects could have more oompf to them but at least they're there. Can't wait for more chapter releases

I think I like the fact they aren't putting footnotes everywhere? When fans translate, footnotes are really common because I think there's a weird need to bridge that gap and know every tiny insignificant detail to get the most out of it. When actually, you don't really need to go that deep to get the story...


... but speaking of insignificance

- Daisuke says that akita's have same build as Yamagata's koyasu dogs. Finnish version it is called Yamagata's takayasu dogs and there is no breed with that name...

I like this kind of thing and this is what I found out for anyone interested:

The character used in the Japanese version is 'ko' 高, but this has an alternate form 'taka' for names which looks like this 髙. Both can be read as ko or taka, but taka is specifically for names and more commonly seen as the latter kanji(?). Don't quote me on that's it's just what I could put together from google.

To confirm, there is no Takayasu district in Yamagata. The dog "breed" is 100% Koyasu as that is the place name in Yamagata, and the dog line went extinct somewhere in the 1930s. Apparently according to the wikipedia for them, this type of dog is where kai dogs have some of their roots.

Anyway, in the wikipedia for the actual dogs in question, it has the spelling in brackets for Kouyasu* inu（こうやすいぬ) so this is correct, and there's a festival for them every year at a shrine in Koyasu.
In the SJR reprint I'm looking at, the character used is definitely 高 with what looks like correct hirigana next to it as above, though it's really faded and I can't work out the last character... but the important ones are there.
*this is why it was spelt with a u in the fan translation

Yukio Togawa (author of King Fang) wrote a story about "the last Koyasu dog" named Chin called 'Koyasu Inu Monogatari' (The Story of a Koyasu Dog) in 1954 which had an influence in popularising the notion of protecting Japanese dog breeds from dying out, it was enough to be made into a film in 1986 - you can see an image here of the translated title.

But still, if you search for it you will often see it get referred to as Takayasu.

/detective

[Uru]

- When Gin is born he is called "shooting star Gin". In Finnish version it is just "Gin" for some reason.
- Riki is called leader of bearhounds. In Finnish this is not mentioned.

I think the English translation is more literal while the Finnish translation puts more emphasis on keeping the flow of the text as natural as possible (or the former uses "formal equivalence" while the latter uses "dynamic equivalence" if you want to be overly technical). I've noticed that it's somewhat common for lines in the Finnish translation to be shorter and more to the point than the original Japanese, which usually just makes the dialogue sound less clunky and more natural in Finnish but there are times when it results in loss of tiny details like that. Both are perfectly acceptable translation strategies, though, and it's largely up to the personal preference translator to choose which style they use.

Yeah, I thought that too and wrote about it at my blog. But I think it is really strange that the name of the series is left out...

Arano: That's really interesting! Also: does anyone have the second print of GNG? 10 parts, silver lined pictures? The translation was done by using that print so I was wondering, if the mistake was there. GNG has hiragana with most of the kanji, so the Finnish translator should have seen the correct way to write the word. Of course, he had to do the translation from used books so there might have been some worn out pages...

[Tora]

I also like how they call Gohee with different names: when Daisuke speaks with Gohee the name is old man. When Daisuke speaks to his friends, he calls Gohee elder.

I noticed that too. Elder, Old man, Grandpa.

[Regnant]

They did use "brindle", but had a footnote about that meaning "Tiger-Striped" which I think makes everyone pretty happy!

[Tsukitora]

My main thought on the chapter:

haha riki go “bow-wow”

Also, I never noticed last time I read through GNG that poor girl peed herself watching Akakabuto eat her ‘friend’

[Arano]

- When Gin is born he is called "shooting star Gin". In Finnish version it is just "Gin" for some reason.
- Riki is called leader of bearhounds. In Finnish this is not mentioned.

I think the English translation is more literal while the Finnish translation puts more emphasis on keeping the flow of the text as natural as possible (or the former uses "formal equivalence" while the latter uses "dynamic equivalence" if you want to be overly technical). I've noticed that it's somewhat common for lines in the Finnish translation to be shorter and more to the point than the original Japanese, which usually just makes the dialogue sound less clunky and more natural in Finnish but there are times when it results in loss of tiny details like that. Both are perfectly acceptable translation strategies, though, and it's largely up to the personal preference translator to choose which style they use.

Yeah, I thought that too and wrote about it at my blog. But I think it is really strange that the name of the series is left out...

Arano: That's really interesting! Also: does anyone have the second print of GNG? 10 parts, silver lined pictures? The translation was done by using that print so I was wondering, if the mistake was there. GNG has hiragana with most of the kanji, so the Finnish translator should have seen the correct way to write the word. Of course, he had to do the translation from used books so there might have been some worn out pages...

Dug out my copy and it is the same https://imgur.com/ugMHNu4
The first character is definitely ko, it just isn't as exaggerated as the text form as it's so tiny (こ) (better example here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Japa ... tai_KO.svg)
Wouldn't be surprised if it was too small to read correctly, I took that photo with the macro feature on my phone because I struggled to see it lol.

[Densetsu No Kage]

Very impressed and satisfied with the translation so far. The only thing that gave me pause was on page 31, when Don begins barking after Riki starts sniffing out Akakabuto, they use the the term "bow wow". Normally that's a phrase that's used by children. The phraseology also had a funny if unfortunate side effect, when Gohei kicks Don for barking the dogs utters, "Wow!" At first I was like, "wait what?" and then started laughing.

Stop barking, stupid dog!
Wow, you went there and kicked me!

As for the footnotes I think leaving one for the term brindle was a smart move. Most people usually call a cat or dog "striped" and don't use the nomenclature. For the names of characters, most manga translators here in the United States don't bother with footnotes as to what a name means. If a character's name pops up in the actual text and is talked about or if a joke doesn't translate properly, then maybe a footnote will pop up below.

[Wolpard]

Manga Planet on the possibility of a print version. Looks like there is a possibility of Print on Demand in the future if there is enough demand for it! No guarantee but exciting to hear nonetheless.

[Flanoir]

Manga Planet on the possibility of a print version. Looks like there is a possibility of Print on Demand in the future if there is enough demand for it! No guarantee but exciting to hear nonetheless.

Daaammmn!! Just imagine THAT. Getting to put GNG in English on your shelf.

[FDQ]

Stop barking, stupid dog!
Wow, you went there and kicked me!

I read that in Owen Wilson's voice xD

[Akame]

SCREECHING over the possibility of a physical release, I never thought an official English translation would happen but now it is it feels like anything is possible

I have read ch1, and I think it’s so cute the dogs literally “woof” and “bow wow”, I like it a lot so far, I didn’t think it would be quite so literal as far as the translation itself goes BUT it isn’t affecting my enjoyment so far. My fave thing was that they called Gins markings “brindle” cos it really feels like it was written for me worded like that.

[Raki]

Manga Planet on the possibility of a print version. Looks like there is a possibility of Print on Demand in the future if there is enough demand for it! No guarantee but exciting to hear nonetheless.

OMG I so hope for that!! <33

[Arano]

2nd chapter is released:
https://read.mangaplanet.com/comic/5f22454553b78
But it's not free anymore. There was a blog posts saying the new releases would have 3 chapters available for free, which now I can't find...

Saying that, I have a subscription but the new chapter won't load for me anyone else manage to read it?
Edit: Nevermind, it worked for me eventually. I hadn't read GNG for so long I had forgotten how exciting this chapter was. Though, someone said further up the thread the 'bow wow' was phrasing for children... yeah I see what you mean now, it was a bit off putting to see that in a Riki bubble!

I've updated the main topic with the next chapter release date, and more info about the levels of subscription as well in the FAQ.

[Sonichu]

Devil's advocate.
What happens when/if it gets dropped like a sack of turds and we get comicsone all over again? A cult series is a cult series.

[Wolpard]

Devil's advocate.
What happens when/if it gets dropped like a sack of turds and we get comicsone all over again? A cult series is a cult series.

If we give them enough support then it shouldn't get dropped. MangaPlanet is at least giving us a decent translation so far, ComicsOne had some... weird practices. Who tf flips a manga so it reads like a Western book, first of all? Lol. Also MangaPlanet doesnt have to worry about print costs.

[Arano]

Devil's advocate.
What happens when/if it gets dropped like a sack of turds and we get comicsone all over again? A cult series is a cult series.

Entirely different situation to ComicsOne so we don't have to worry about that

It's zero risk to Manga Planet because a) No print costs like Wolpard said b) The subscription service means they earn bank even if readers are low. Worst case scenario is they finish it and don't consider any other Takahashi stories.

Plus, reviving old manga with English translations seem to be something they like doing. Ginga isn't the only cult series they're translating.

[MasterOfCider]

Devil's advocate.
What happens when/if it gets dropped like a sack of turds and we get comicsone all over again? A cult series is a cult series.

If we give them enough support then it shouldn't get dropped. MangaPlanet is at least giving us a decent translation so far, ComicsOne had some... weird practices. Who tf flips a manga so it reads like a Western book, first of all? Lol. Also MangaPlanet doesnt have to worry about print costs.

Oh there are quite a few Inuyasha books I own that were flipped to be more friendly to Western readers.

[Arano]

Chapter 3 is up and that's volume 1 finished already!