Subs vs. Dubs: Part One

The official title of this year’s Podium Discussion at Nippon Connection was “Lost in Translation? Japanese Film: Translation vs. Localisation.“ A very distinguished title, indeed, but I think if you asked most participants what is was about, the answer would be: “Subs vs. Dubs.” 

Tomorowo Taguchi, translator, Nami Asakawa, Dr. Roland Domenig

The panel was chaired ably once again by Dr. Roland Domenig of the Japanology department at the University of Vienna. Participants included actor and filmmaker Tomorowo Taguchi (Oh, My Buddha!, Tetsuo, the Iron Man), film subtitling expert Nami Asakawa (director of the Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy), voice actor Crispin Freeman (Itachi Uchiha in Naruto Shippūden, Hideki Motosuwa in Chobits, Prince Turnip in Howl’s Moving Castle), and director Michael Arias (Tekkon Kinkreet, Heaven’s Door).

 Dr. Roland Domenig, Crispin Freeman, Michael Arias

This is a write up of notes that I took by hand during the discussion, so it is not a transcript of the proceedings but a paraphrasing of what the participants said during the panel. I will indicate my own thoughts and comments by putting them in [square brackets].

 Dr. Domenig opened the discussion by asking the panel to share their opinions on the topic of Subs vs. Dubs. Michael Arias said that dubbing, particularly for animated films, is less distracting, however on the down side one loses the original performance. He added that the decision really rests upon the target market. He cited Miyazaki films as an example, saying that the audience doesn’t want to be distracted by subtitles. Young audiences, of course, need dubs, and it is fortunate that DVDs allow for both subs and dubs so that the audience to allow for more flexibility.

Nami Asakawa felt that cost and time were the key issues. After this, there are times when the producer and director want to preserve the ‘localisation’ of the film. In this case, subs are used so that the original flavour of the film does not get lost. The type of film is also taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to release the film cinematically with subs or dubs.

Michael Arias added that in contrast to American animation practice, where the voices are recorded before the animation is completed, dubbing does not put any constraints on the Japanese animator because they record the voices in post-production. A well done dub can improve the experience for the audience. Everything’s a compromise in filmmaking. You never get exactly what you want. Arias also said that he feels that a viewer must shift into a different state when reading subs. Although he was loathe to say so, he admitted that he even thinks a poor quality dub can be effective. 

[I found Arias’s contention that one must shift into a different state when reading subs very interesting, because that is not my own personal experience. As I have always been a quick reader, I barely even notice the subtitles except when they contain spelling mistakes or inaccurate translations. The only time I find reading subtitles laborious is when they are not in English – ie German or French, because I sometimes have to pause and run for my dictionary. I cannot stand watching films that are dubbed because I like to hear the nuances of the original performance. Even when it is a language that I do not understand, I feel that language imparts so many subtle things that make the performance unique.  On the other hand, I know people who won't even give subtitled films a chance and will just change the channel.]

Tomorowo Taguchi said that he agreed largely with the points that Asakawa had made about the reasons filmmakers choose subtitles or dubbing for their films. It really depends upon the film itself. Dubs and subs sometimes involve the translator’s different interpretation of a scene, but on the whole he enjoys the process.

For Part Two Click Here

Heaven's Door (English Subtitles) Standard Edition

Japanese Movie

Shikisoku Zeneration [Regular Edition]

Japanese Movie

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2010

Subs vs. Dubs: Part Four

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screencapture from Tekkon Kinkreet

For Part Three Click Here

Domenig then asked Michael Arias if Tekkon Kinkreet is a Japanese film. Arias claimed that he doesn’t really think about the Japaneseness of his films. With regards to the discussion that proceded this question, he says that he doesn’t feel comfortable addressing the issue of historical Japanese films as it’s not his area of knowledge. On the subject of subs vs. dubs, however, he does make a number of interesting points.

First, he describes his experience watching Steam Boy (Katsuhiro Otomo, 2004). This he found difficult to watch in Japanese because of its ‘tortured katakana’ because of all the foreign words and place names. The dub, which used ‘the Queen’s English’ was a much more pleasant viewing experience.

Arias also tells the story of Stanley Kubrick firing the Japanese subtitler for Full Metal Jacket (1987) because her language wasn’t ‘dirty’ enough. Domenig and Asakawa are familiar with this story and say that it was the renowned Japanese translator Natsuko Toda. (The chapter “Loving Dubbing” in Abé Mark Nornes’ Cinema Babel: Translating Global Cinema describes what happened).

With regards to Tekkon Kinkreet, Arias describes the translation process that they had with their scripts. They started with the Japanese manga, which was adapted into an English screenplay, then translated back into Japanese for the production staff, and so on. At each phase of filmmaking the screenplay had to be retranslated. A lot of tweaking was done on the dub in the studio.

[Here my notes become a bit scattered – Arias made some kind of a point about the number of syllables (related to lip movement in animation) and meaning (what can be matched to the lip movement?) There was also a reference to a film that was literally translated by Natsuko Toda that Arias was watching, where the expression “to drop acid” was rendered in Japanese as if the person had literally dropped acid on the floor rather than taking LSD. Someone also mentioned the fact that Coppola always insisted on using Toda for the Japanese subtitles on his films. For my blog readers, I should mention here that people who do subtitles have a very different relationship with the public than they do in English speaking countries. Most people I know do not stay to the very end of the credits and make a mental note of who the subititler was. In Japan, subitilers like Toda are celebrities themselves with fan clubs]

Returning to the topic of Tekkon Kinkreet, Michael Arias admitted that the translator and producer may have been a bit frustrated by his imput into the English version. As a native speaker of English he was concerned that the nuance of the piece would survive the translation process.

Taguchi mentioned that his next project will be a collaboration with Alex Cox (Sid and Nancy, Straight to Hell, Mike Hama Private Detective) will apparently be the main actor in the film. [Listening to what Taguchi said and how the translator interpreted it, I was confused as to who was starring and who was directing – especially seeing as both men act and director. I haven’t been able to find out any more information on this film. Alex Cox’s website lists a screenplay written in 2003 called Kawasaki karas to gaki which will star Tomorowo Taguchi, but it isn’t listed on imdb – let me know in the comments section if you know more about this Taguchi-Cox project. Taguchi did of course star In Mike Hama Must Die! in 2002 which Cox directed.] Taguchi spoke of his desire to understand the relationship between the different releases of his films and to know what works well. He also voiced a desire to speak English better.

Roland Domenig spoke briefly about how in contrast to European film releases which prefer to dub into their own language to prevent the creep of English into their native tongues, the Japanese have historically preferred subtitled cinematic released that preserve the “foreignness” of the films

Part Five

Shiritsu Tantei Mike Hama Director's version 11 Director Alex Cox "Onna to Otoko, Otoko to Onna"

TV Drama

Heaven's Door (English Subtitles) Standard Edition

Japanese Movie

Shikisoku Zeneration [Regular Edition]

Japanese Movie

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2010

Japanese women behind the scenes

At Nippon Connection in April a podium discussion was held about the current status of women in Japanese cinema. The reason for this was the sudden jump in numbers of films being presented at the festival with women at the helm as directors. Guests at the festival included Yuki Tanada with her film Ain’t No Tomorrows (俺たちに明日はないッス, 2008), animator Naomi Nagata (Animation Soup), Musabi students Ayako Shinohara (Baby Complex) and Mariko Tanji (Drown Breath) as well as producers Kanako Yoneyama, Hiroko Namba and Yukie Kito. Screenings were also held for three films from Momo Matsuri (Peach Film Festival): emerger (Aki Sato, 2008), Bunny in Hovel (月夜のバニー, Mayumi Yabe, 2009), and Csikospos (クシコスポスト, Yumiko Beppu, 2009). (The Peaches films will be screening in Toronto in August)

The podium discussion was moderated by Dr. Roland Domenig of the University of Vienna. Yukie Kito was representing women producers having presented Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Tokyo Sonata at the festival. Mayumi Yabe from Peaches represented emerging women directors. Kayoko Nakanishi represented the promotional aspect of the film industry, and Nami Asakawa gave us the perspective from the point of view of translators and subtitlers.

I was impressed by the passion all four women had for the film industry in Japan. The general message seemed to be that while big name women directors have been scarce in Japan (and I might add I most countries around the world), women have come to dominate behind the scenes. Kito and Nakanishi felt that there were more women than men working as producers and promoters in Japan. Kito’s rationale for this was the fact that women make up more than 70% of film audiences. This would also explain why so many romantic comedies and dramas are produced every year in Japan. Kito also pointed out the growing number of women cinematographers, such as Akiko Ashizawa (芦澤明子, b.1951) who has become a favourite with Kiyoshi Kurosawa working on Tokyo Sonata, Sakebi (2006) and Loft (2005). Ashikawa was interviewed for the documentary Women Behind the Camera (Alexis Krasilovsky, 2007).

Since the podium discussion, I have thought a lot about women behind the scenes, so I thought that for my final contribution to the Blogathon, I would mention a number of such women that deserve more credit for the amazing body of work they have contributed to Japanese cinema history.

Kinuyo Tanaka (pictured above with Bette Davis)

The first Japanese woman to work as a director was the actress Kinuyo Tanaka (田中絹代, 1909-1977). This luminous star was a favourite of Kenji Mizoguchi (she appeared in 15 of his films!!) and appeared in over a hundred films in the course of her career. Largely due to her star status, Tanaka was given the opportunity to direct starting with Love Letter (Koibumi) in 1953. She went on to direct five more films ending with Onna bakari n yoru in 1961. Ozu, who had directed Tanaka in Equinox Flower, co-wrote her 1955 film Tsuki wa noborinu. I do hope that someone has the foresight to put her work on DVD so that it becomes more widely available outside of Cinematheque and Japan Foundation screenings.

Teruyo Nogami

Nogami (野上照代　b. 1927) was a colleague and friend of Akira Kurosawa for almost 50 years. She started out as script girl (continuity) on Rashomon (1950). By the end of his career, she had become a vital part of the team that he gathered around him for every film production. Since Kurosawa’s death in 1998, Nogami has played an important part in the shaping of Kurosawa’s legacy. In her memoir, Waiting on the Weather, she shares anecdotes about his working methods, his relationship within the Japanese filmmaking community, and his encounters over the years with great directors from around the world.

Natto Wada

Most fans of Japanese cinema know the films of Kon Ichikawa (市川崑, 1915-2008) but fewer people have heard of wife Natto Wada (和田 夏十born Yumiko Mogi 茂木由美子, 1920-1983). The two met while working at Toho. At the time, Wada, who had a university degree in English literature, was working as a translator. After the couple married, Wada collaborated with her husband on the screenplays for many of 34 as his films (mainly adaptations, but some original screenplays). Wada retired from screenwriting after Tokyo Olympiad (1965) but is said to have continued to act as her husband’s closest advisor. She sadly died much too young of breast cancer in 1983.

Animation has been a place where women have played important roles on animation teams, often working as inbetweeners and storyboard artists. Benjamin Ettinger, who seems to have an encyclopedic knowledge about Japanese animators, wrote a highly informative article on the Women Behind Ghibli on his blog Anipages back in 2007. The article discusses the animation of Akiko Futaki, Atsuko Tanaka, Masako Shinohara, and Megumi Kagawa.

Ettinger also wrote a great piece about Kazuko Nakamura and Reiko Okuyama, two important female pioneers in Japanese animation
Read:
Two pioneer women animators
Reiko Okuyama passes away


There have also been a number of great husband-wife partnerships in the world of Japanese animation.:

Renzō & Sayoko Kinoshita (木下蓮三+木下小夜子), made wonderful short films together for over 20 years and founded the Hiroshima International Animation Festical. Read more about them here.

Uruma Delvi (うるまでるび) is the pseudonym of a husband and wife team who specializes in Flash animation. Their animated short, Bottom-Biting Bug, was a cult hit a couple of years ago. Read more about them here. Or check out their website here.

Shinzo & Yukie Yuki (行信三+ゆきゆきえ) have worked at Toei as art directors and background artists for years. Most recently, they worked on the background art for Cassern Sins. Read about it at anipages.

Writing this post made me think of Keiko McDonald and what a tragedy it was that she passed away last September. When she died she was working on a book about Japanese Women Filmmakers. I do hope that someone picks up the torch and finishes her book because much, much more needs to be written about the history of Japanese Women and Cinema.

UPDATE:

I have started a wiki called Japanese Women Behind the Scenes with the aim of gathering more information in English about Japanese women directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, producers, etc.  If you would like to join this project, please click here for more information.

September 2010

Renku Animation "Fuyu no Hi"

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2009