Comments on: My crazed obsession Totoro http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/ a celebration of science fiction, anime, and geek culture Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:13:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Twenty-Sided ? Blog Archive » My Neighbor Totoro http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-205 Twenty-Sided ? Blog Archive » My Neighbor Totoro Sun, 04 Jun 2006 19:13:15 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-205 [...] My Neighbor Totoro is another Miyazaki masterpiece. Fledgling Otaku thought highly of it, and his daughter went nuts for it. Alex praised it as well. [...] [...] My Neighbor Totoro is another Miyazaki masterpiece. Fledgling Otaku thought highly of it, and his daughter went nuts for it. Alex praised it as well. [...]

]]> By: Robotech at Haibane.info http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-93 Robotech at Haibane.info Sun, 30 Apr 2006 04:09:33 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-93 [...] Come to think of it, perhaps my daughter has inherited some of these bad habits… [...] [...] Come to think of it, perhaps my daughter has inherited some of these bad habits… [...]

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-76 matoko Thu, 27 Apr 2006 03:00:38 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-76 hmmm...i can't find my vhs. but anyways, you can't see if mom has a baby or is preggers, the taxi door is in the way. in the credit pictures Mei is seen holding the baby's hand, and feeding the baby. it looks like Mei taking care of the baby, like her big sister took care of her. and if he is not their baby, why is he in there? hmmm…i can’t find my vhs.
but anyways, you can’t see if mom has a baby or is preggers, the taxi door is in the way.
in the credit pictures Mei is seen holding the baby’s hand, and feeding the baby.
it looks like Mei taking care of the baby, like her big sister took care of her.
and if he is not their baby, why is he in there?

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-75 matoko Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:19:29 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-75 totoro trivia-- the middle sized totoro is chu-totoro (i don't remember where i read that), and in Innosensu, one of the boat-floats in the parade has a totoro on it, i think. i'll get a screen capture later. Have a happy day! totoro trivia–
the middle sized totoro is chu-totoro (i don’t remember where i read that), and in Innosensu, one of the boat-floats in the parade has a totoro on it, i think. i’ll get a screen capture later.
Have a happy day!

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-74 matoko Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:14:00 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-74 Also i have Return of the Cat. Have you seen it? Also i have Return of the Cat. Have you seen it?

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-73 matoko Wed, 26 Apr 2006 13:57:55 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-73 huh! there is the baby, then he is an obvious toddler in another frame watching the girls play. I'm gonna screen capture it and prove it to you. but...like we discussed before...miyazaki films are like making cloud pictures...they are informed by your experiences. like you think the Laputa gardian robots are inhuman...but i loved them...miyazaki did too. One stands guard in the courtyard of the museum. You are a mecha bigot, Steven. i know the dubs are sometimes different--and i usually can't stand dubs, but the miyazaki dubs are better quality, usually, and devoted to keeping the meaning. and also...i will compare the vhs and the dvd of totoro...perhaps they are different. AND...as for Naussica...you and i were watching different films, i think. ;) i have more to say on that. huh! there is the baby, then he is an obvious toddler in another frame watching the girls play.
I’m gonna screen capture it and prove it to you.

but…like we discussed before…miyazaki films are like making cloud pictures…they are informed by your experiences.

like you think the Laputa gardian robots are inhuman…but i loved them…miyazaki did too.
One stands guard in the courtyard of the museum. You are a mecha bigot, Steven.

i know the dubs are sometimes different–and i usually can’t stand dubs, but the miyazaki dubs are better quality, usually, and devoted to keeping the meaning.

and also…i will compare the vhs and the dvd of totoro…perhaps they are different.

AND…as for Naussica…you and i were watching different films, i think. ;) i have more to say on that.

]]> By: Steven Den Beste http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-72 Steven Den Beste Wed, 26 Apr 2006 06:55:51 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-72 I'm aware that the dub and subtitles translated the term as "soot sprites" but often those translations take serious liberties. For instance, there was a line in an episode of DBZ I just watched. It's at the beginning of the "World Tournament" saga just after Vegita has totaled the punch machine. Gohan says something that they translated as "Can't take him anywhere." A funny line. But what he actually said was "Shou ga nai, ne?" Which means "What can you do, eh?" or "No help for it, eh?" Actually, what I've been discovering is that the English translator(s) of DBZ have gone up on their lines quite a lot, and the English (sub or dub) is a lot more witty than the original Japanese in a lot of ways. Translators often have to make serious changes in order to deal with figures of speech that don't translate literally, or cultural references, or topical jokes, or puns. Translation is not literal and cannot be. (For dubs, they have the additional problem of trying to match the animated mouth movements.) That's why sometimes I find myself trying to identify the actual Japanese; it's because I have a suspicion that the translators have taken serious liberties in the translation and I want to know what the original actually said. This is such a case. The word was translated as "soot sprits" but I don't think that's what the word/phrase actually meant, or at least not literally.) And I <i>know</i> it happens in the Miyazaki films. One of his films was titled "Spirited Away" in English, but the Japanese name is <i>Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi</i> which means "Sen and the mysterious disappearance of Chihiro". Meanwhile, I just went through the closing credits again looking for the baby, and I think you're imagining things. I think our host is closer to right: Mom was suffering from tuberculosis and was staying at a sanitarium while being treated, probably in order to minimize the risk of infecting the kids. There is a baby which appears a couple of times in the credits but no particular reason to believe that it's theirs, especially since Mom isn't holding anything in her arms when she gets out of the taxi. I’m aware that the dub and subtitles translated the term as “soot sprites” but often those translations take serious liberties.

For instance, there was a line in an episode of DBZ I just watched. It’s at the beginning of the “World Tournament” saga just after Vegita has totaled the punch machine. Gohan says something that they translated as “Can’t take him anywhere.” A funny line.

But what he actually said was “Shou ga nai, ne?” Which means “What can you do, eh?” or “No help for it, eh?”

Actually, what I’ve been discovering is that the English translator(s) of DBZ have gone up on their lines quite a lot, and the English (sub or dub) is a lot more witty than the original Japanese in a lot of ways.

Translators often have to make serious changes in order to deal with figures of speech that don’t translate literally, or cultural references, or topical jokes, or puns. Translation is not literal and cannot be. (For dubs, they have the additional problem of trying to match the animated mouth movements.)

That’s why sometimes I find myself trying to identify the actual Japanese; it’s because I have a suspicion that the translators have taken serious liberties in the translation and I want to know what the original actually said. This is such a case. The word was translated as “soot sprits” but I don’t think that’s what the word/phrase actually meant, or at least not literally.)

And I know it happens in the Miyazaki films. One of his films was titled “Spirited Away” in English, but the Japanese name is Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi which means “Sen and the mysterious disappearance of Chihiro”.

Meanwhile, I just went through the closing credits again looking for the baby, and I think you’re imagining things. I think our host is closer to right: Mom was suffering from tuberculosis and was staying at a sanitarium while being treated, probably in order to minimize the risk of infecting the kids. There is a baby which appears a couple of times in the credits but no particular reason to believe that it’s theirs, especially since Mom isn’t holding anything in her arms when she gets out of the taxi.

]]> By: fledgling otaku http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-66 fledgling otaku Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:36:31 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-66 you raise the SNR, matoko-chan :) you raise the SNR, matoko-chan :)

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-65 matoko Tue, 25 Apr 2006 22:42:43 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-65 Steven says: I found that while trying to figure out what Papa is saying in My Neighbor Totoro when he talks about the soot balls. It sounds to me like makkurokurosuke. I got makkuro meaning "pitch black", but the rest is a bit strange. Kuro suke as "darkness helpers"? I think it translates as "soot sprites". They are in Spirited Away too, but I don't know if anyone names them. I'll have to rewatch. I hope you don't mind, Aziz-habiibi, it is like chizu has comments. ;) Steven says: I found that while trying to figure out what Papa is saying in My Neighbor Totoro when he talks about the soot balls. It sounds to me like makkurokurosuke. I got makkuro meaning “pitch black”, but the rest is a bit strange. Kuro suke as “darkness helpers”?

I think it translates as “soot sprites”. They are in Spirited Away too, but I don’t know if anyone names them. I’ll have to rewatch.

I hope you don’t mind, Aziz-habiibi, it is like chizu has comments. ;)

]]> By: matoko http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-64 matoko Tue, 25 Apr 2006 22:22:03 +0000 http://www.haibane.info/2006/04/21/my-crazed-obsession-totoro/#comment-64 Steven said it wasn't finished! Oh, how could he say that? Their mom came home with a baby brother for them! You have to watch the credits to see. I didn't see it until I was a grownup, but it is still like toddler crack for me. If I have a bad day at work I watch Totoro. It is like chicken soup for me. It captures and distills a sort of childhood essence, the worry about their Mom, the surprise and excitement of the new house, the magical friend... Steven said it wasn’t finished!
Oh, how could he say that? Their mom came home with a baby brother for them!
You have to watch the credits to see.
I didn’t see it until I was a grownup, but it is still like toddler crack for me.
If I have a bad day at work I watch Totoro.
It is like chicken soup for me.
It captures and distills a sort of childhood essence, the worry about their Mom, the surprise and excitement of the new house, the magical friend…

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