Contents
- Introduction
- Japanese Changes
1. Frozen = アナと雪の女王 (Anna and the Snow Queen)
2. Fast and Furious = Wild Speed
3. You Only Live Twice = 007は二度死ぬ (007 Dies Twice)
4. Napoleon Dynamite = バス男 (Bus Man)
5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me = Austin Powers Deluxe - English Changes
1. Studio Ghibli
2. Biohazard = Resident Evil
3. Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Ressha-Hen = Demon Slayer Mugen Train
4. Kimi no Na wa = Your Name
5. おくりびと = Departures - Conclusion
Introduction
Japan is unique. There is no other way to say it. Japan has a rich culture and a history that dates back centuries. Perhaps this is the reason why Japan insists on changing the names of almost every movie that is released to the public!
Japanese Changes
1. Frozen = アナと雪の女王 (Anna and the Snow Queen)
Let's kick things off with Frozen which was renamed "Anna and the Snow Queen". In actuality, most of the Disney movies that screen in Japanese cinemas, oftentimes have their titles adjusted. These movies are for children, after all, and even in katakana, children may not know what the word Frozen means. Still, it's interesting that, while Anna is named in the title (her being the primary protagonist of the film), Elsa's name is cast to the wayside instead referring to her as a "Snow Queen".
Several other Disney titles have had their names changed in Japan as well. Standouts include "Tangled" being renamed to "塔の上のラプンツェル (Rapunzel of the top of the tower)", "The Emperor's New Groove" being renamed to "ラマになった王様 ("The King who became a llama), and, our personal favorite, "Lady and the Tramp" being renamed to "わんわん物語 (Woof-woof story)"! Almost every popular Disney movie has had its title adjusted for the Japanese audience. Why not let us know which you think is the most drastic change!
2. Fast and Furious = Wild Speed
This is a strange one and it's unclear as to why exactly the change was made. However, both titles encapsulate the story of the movie and the general idea well enough and neither is going to be winning any Pulitzer's for creativity!
Yet, there is something far greater we have yet to discuss. This being, of course, the countless other renames for every other movie in the Fast and Furious franchise. Ladies and Gentleman, please enjoy:
- The Fast and the Furious = Wild Speed
- 2 Fast 2 Furious = Wild Speed X2
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift = Wild Speed X3: Tokyo Drift
- Fast & Furious = Wild Speed MAX
- Fast Five = Wild Speed MEGA MAX
- Fast & Furious 6 = Wild Speed: Euro Mission
- Furious 7 = Wild Speed: Sky Mission
- The Fate of the Furious = Wild Speed: Ice Break
- Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw = Wild Speed: Super Combo
- F9 = Wild Speed: Jet Break
It isn't inherently clear which set of titles is funnier. The English titles jump around so frantically from "Fast 5" to "Furious 7" to "F9". We do have to give extra credit to "Wild Speed MEGA MAX" for sounding as over the top as the movies themselves!
3. You Only Live Twice = 007は二度死ぬ (007 Dies Twice)
Technically this is true? By living twice you would technically have to die twice as well. However, the former title implies that the daring escapes of James Bond leave him alive where others would have perished (similar to a cat with nine lives).
The latter, on the other hand, implies some kind of Frankenstein zombification of Bond wherein he perishes, is revived, and sent off to die again! The idea is there for this title but it is still a rather odd translation choice regardless.
4. Napoleon Dynamite = バス男 (Bus Man)
Napoleon Dynamite is a hit-or-miss film in the West so to take such a story and present it to a culture with an entirely different sense of humor is a monumental task. It seems the localization team in Japan recognized this almost immediately and got to work trying to make the film as marketable as possible.
A popular film in Japan is known as "Train Man" or "Densha Otoko". The story hits similar beats to Napoleon Dynamite in that it details the life of an otaku who struggles to find success with women and those in his social circle. The film was fairly well-received and perhaps the team was trying to piggyback off that film's success by using a similar title.
5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me = Austin Powers Deluxe
It must have been tricky for even American audiences to come to terms with the popular English word "shag" so lord knows how Japan would have received such a title. When it comes to these titles with no visible translation, Japan tends to simply tell audiences what the film is about.
We've also seen this with films like "Karate Kid" renamed "Best Kid" in Japan. It doesn't get more to the point than that!
English Changes
1. Studio Ghibli
Just as Japan changes our Disney names to better suit their audience's expectations, so do we alter the names of almost every Ghibli movie released from Japan. Some names make the leap unscathed. Titles with very little workaround such as "Mononoke Hime" translate directly into "Princess Mononoke" and are left untouched. However, the biggest change is probably with the popular title "Spirited Away". In Japanese, this film is named; "千と千尋の神隠し (Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away)" referencing the titular character of Chihiro and the reduction of her name to simply Sen. The title is rather long, and perhaps Western marketers thought taking the essence of the title would help people remember it more. Thus, they ripped the "Spiriting Away" from the title and rolled with it!
Other Ghibli movie name changes include things like "Porco Rosso" from "紅の豚" (Crimson Pig) for the sake of the pun. Other notable changes include "Kiki's Delivery Service" originally titled "魔女の宅急便" (With's Delivery Service).
2. Biohazard = Resident Evil
In Japan the popular movie and video game franchise that we all know as "Resident Evil" is actually known by the general populace as "Biohazard". When the game made its way over to the West, the localization team knew that it would be impossible for them to trademark the name "Biohazard" due to the fact that so many other companies would likely already have ownership over the word.
So, a company-wide contest was held to determine what the series would be renamed as and, due to the first game taking place inside a mansion, the punny "Resident Evil" was born. The two versions have gone by their own distinct names ever since!
3. Kimetsu no Yaiba Mugen Ressha-Hen = Demon Slayer Mugen Train
Next up we have the critically acclaimed Kimetsu no Yaiba movie. Already, Kimetsu no Yaiba as a franchise has seen its name altered for a Western audience. Kimetsu no Yaiba refers more so to the blade that the Demon Slayers wield and would translate to "Demon Blade", "Demon Slaying Blade", or "Demon Slayer" (in this final translation the "slayer" is referencing the weapon rather than the person).
In this sense, the translation does really well taking the essence of the title and repurposing it for a Western audience. It's left ambiguous so that Japanese fans can see the throughline whereas Western fans can draw their own conclusion as to whether or not the "slayer" is referencing a weapon or a person. For the movie, however, the localization team decided to incorporate the Japanese word for "infinite", this being of course, "Mugen". Perhaps they thought that the word Mugen sounded cooler than infinite or they felt as though this was the train's metaphorical name and should not be directly translated. Either way, this was a very tasteful translation and one that we can all get behind!
4. Kimi no Na wa = Your Name
This entry refers to every animated blockbuster to come out from Japan over the last few years. Whether it be Your Name, Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, or A Silent Voice, these movies always have their names as closely translated as possible. Animated movies in the West rarely sell out theatres the way Hollywood movies do. Perhaps due to a long-standing stigma of cartoons being for children, but who can really say? Regardless, it's going to be doubly difficult to fill a screening room if patrons cannot even read the title of the film!
By translating these titles into an understandable and recognizable format, it alleviates some of the heavy lifting of trying to market an animated seemingly kids movie to grown adults. Adults don't have time to translate things! We're too busy paying off our sixth mortgage!
5. おくりびと = Departures
おくりびと translates roughly to "the person who sends off". This film follows the life of a talented cellist who, after being rendered unemployed, takes a job as a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. He places clothes onto the deceased body, makeup, and other accessories so that the person can be beautiful and look like themselves for one last time. The man receives stigma at first due to the sensitive nature of death in Japan but the ending is a pleasant one.
Due to the lack of ritualistic mortality traditions in the West and the wide variety of religious customs, perhaps the notion of a 納棺師 (noukanshi) would have been lost on the audience. In such cases, a poetic title explaining the central theme of the movie should suffice.
Conclusion
So, these were some interesting translations that both the West and Japan have made over the years. Do you know of any other movies that would fall under this same umbrella? Let us know!
