Incoherent Book Thoughts
Sep. 3rd, 2013 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xyzzysqrlThe Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair - Haruka Takachiho
WARNING: This writeup will be completely incoherent if you have no idea who the Dirty Pair are. I'm sorry. I don't care enough to flesh that out right now.
It took me a while to finish this one. In part that's Final Fantasy XIV's fault, but it's also because I kept wanting to just pick up the book and start red-markering the hell out of it. I got some enjoyment out of this in spite of the writing, not because of it. There's a sequel volume that's also been translated by Dark Horse. I'm tempted to skip it.
"The polite nature of the words they were saying didn't match the volume of their loud shouts as three casino security guards busted through the crowd. "Security guard" may sounds like a respectable position, but they are really just paid muscle. These three had shifty looking mugs and were shaped like gorillas which were as wide as they were tall."
"Sounds" is in the actual text.
The entire book is written like that.
That is not how you use words. I've read fanfic with better-constructed sentences than this. When you're translating from another language, please don't just write down the words they used. Rewrite. Edit. Attempt to convey the feeling of the text, the spirit, instead.
That said, as a fan of the Dirty Pair anime there's some interesting things here. Confirmation that Mughi ("Mugi" here, which is valid. Names are tough.) is in fact a potassium-eating courel, which is awesome. I want to name my FFXIV couerl after him now.
Kei and Yuri are also psychic in this, which is sort of cool because damned if I don't love 80s anime and nothing is more 80s anime than psychic spaceship-piloting girls with blaster pistols. I also can't 100% blame the weirdness and awkward language on translation. Kei and Yuri swap between narrator duty, and it feels like Yuri is more forthcoming with plot details, while Kei is fond of waving away various bits of narrative with "Well, I don't want to talk about that. ANYWAY..."
...so... I don't know.
Am I going to read this again? Not unless forced.
Am I going to enjoy watching some Dirty Pair in anime form? Sure, Manga has basically all the OVAs, TV, and even Flash up on their Youtube channel.
Am I going to read something else? YES. RIGHT AWAY.
WARNING: This writeup will be completely incoherent if you have no idea who the Dirty Pair are. I'm sorry. I don't care enough to flesh that out right now.
It took me a while to finish this one. In part that's Final Fantasy XIV's fault, but it's also because I kept wanting to just pick up the book and start red-markering the hell out of it. I got some enjoyment out of this in spite of the writing, not because of it. There's a sequel volume that's also been translated by Dark Horse. I'm tempted to skip it.
"The polite nature of the words they were saying didn't match the volume of their loud shouts as three casino security guards busted through the crowd. "Security guard" may sounds like a respectable position, but they are really just paid muscle. These three had shifty looking mugs and were shaped like gorillas which were as wide as they were tall."
"Sounds" is in the actual text.
The entire book is written like that.
That is not how you use words. I've read fanfic with better-constructed sentences than this. When you're translating from another language, please don't just write down the words they used. Rewrite. Edit. Attempt to convey the feeling of the text, the spirit, instead.
That said, as a fan of the Dirty Pair anime there's some interesting things here. Confirmation that Mughi ("Mugi" here, which is valid. Names are tough.) is in fact a potassium-eating courel, which is awesome. I want to name my FFXIV couerl after him now.
Kei and Yuri are also psychic in this, which is sort of cool because damned if I don't love 80s anime and nothing is more 80s anime than psychic spaceship-piloting girls with blaster pistols. I also can't 100% blame the weirdness and awkward language on translation. Kei and Yuri swap between narrator duty, and it feels like Yuri is more forthcoming with plot details, while Kei is fond of waving away various bits of narrative with "Well, I don't want to talk about that. ANYWAY..."
...so... I don't know.
Am I going to read this again? Not unless forced.
Am I going to enjoy watching some Dirty Pair in anime form? Sure, Manga has basically all the OVAs, TV, and even Flash up on their Youtube channel.
Am I going to read something else? YES. RIGHT AWAY.
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no subject
Date: 2013-09-04 12:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-04 04:58 pm (UTC)I forget the Sqrly opinion of them, which is sad because I know I asked about it not long ago.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-04 09:33 pm (UTC)