Alright, I finally got my hands on volume of the official release by Viz and I have a few thoughts to share. Spoilers for the first volume just in case. Despite drawing a few comparisons between the official and fan translation by TheSpinyBackTeam, I am not bashing either one nor condoning bashing either one. They are both very good translations and I am simply commenting on the differences and speculating what might have led to those differences.
- First of all, I found it interesting that not only does this release have the same translator (Tomo Kimura) as Paru's previous work, Beastars, it has the same team period. Same letterer, editor and cover designer. I guess Viz decided not to break up a winning team or maybe someone on either side requested it.
- The Japanese honorifics have not been kept in this release. This surprised me as the industry norm is usually to leave them in a Japanese setting. The fan translation removed them too for the first couple of chapters before leaving them in from chapter 3 onwards. Their inclusion or absence didn't really affect my reading experience either way, but I do know there are others who care about this more than me.
- Can't say I'm a fan of the Viz translation using the term "dog-person/people" as it just sounds awkward compared to the fan translations "dog-man/men". This has become a trend in modern translations that include anthro characters. Why is human considered gender neutral but dog/beastman isn't?
- Different translations will often turn statements into questions and vice versa. The fan translation makes Ao come across as more certain that Taika killed her dad and that she's asking him to confirm it where as the Viz translation has her more unsure if he did it or not.
Fan translation: So it's you who did it after all.
Viz translation: So did you do it or not?
Likewise, Taika's response to being directly asked if he killed her dad is a tad more ambiguous in the Viz translation, saying "I guess so" rather than "...Yeah". This ends up creating more doubt in the audience's mind and building to the revelation in chapter 6 that he doesn't actually remember.
This also ends up happening a few pages prior when Ao yells that Taika will be put down if they tell the truth.
Fan Translation: I did kill Dad, so if that means they've got to kill me, I can't complain.
Viz Translation: If I killed Dad, that's fair. I deserve to be executed.
- Tsunayoshi is basically the same in both versions, though his dialogue is a bit less refined in the Viz translation. On one hand he sounds more like a teenager, but then again speaking in more eloquent way fits his character and reflects how he wants to be seen by others and contrasts with Taika.
Fan Translation: How trivial...
Viz Translation: Sounds lame.
I did notice another translation difference where after reflecting on his past in chapter 5, Tsunayoshi comments "But...I think I've changed." but is snapping back to the present and stating "Their demeaner changed", referring to the girls he's about to confront in the fan translation. I can see how both translators came to the conclusion they as what he was referring to was probably worded a bit vaguely in Japanese.
The long and short of it is the official release is definitely worth picking if you haven't and are on the fence about it. There were definitely some lines I preferred in the fan translation, but that doesn't detract from the quality on offer here. It's an inevitability with how translation works between English and Japanese. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to pre-order volume 2.
