Netflix recently released the 1995 anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, a dramatic post-apocalyptic series in which young people control large bio-mechanical suits to fight off giant destructive monsters. And while fans were initially excited to have the entire series at their fingertips, they quickly realized that Netflix’s new “English-language translation and voice track dials back [the show’s] famous homoerotic subtext,” according to Vox.com.
Vox writes:
The late-series love expressed between the main character, Shinji, and his close friend Kaworu, seems to have been inexplicably reframed as a less overtly romantic kind of friendship — to the extent that in some scenes, the word “love” has been replaced with more euphemistic words.
In one particular scene, a boy named Kaworu declares his love for Shinji…. or at least he used to until Netflix got a hold of it. One Twitter fan showed the change in dialogue for that scene: the original 1995 dialogue is on the left and Netflix’s new dialogue is on the right.
sorry but this is not ok (right is from the new netflix eva script) pic.twitter.com/LehJYFjMng
— Jimmy Gnome (@jimmygnome9) June 21, 2019
Dan Kanemitsu, a translator who worked on the Netflix re-release, responded to upset fans in a series of tweets:
How about we take this to the next level?
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While I am not in a position to refer specifically to the decision involved in the scene you described, in all my translation of any title, I have tried my best to be faithful to the original source material. Bar none.
The power of storytelling sometime depends on the ability of audiences to establish emotional relationships with the characters, as well as, recognize intimacy between people based on inferences.
It is one thing for characters to confess their love. It is quite another for the audience to infer affection and leave them guessing. How committed are the characters? What possible misunderstandings might be talking place? Leaving room for interpretation make things exciting.
He added in an e-mail to Vox, “It is not my intention to marginalize queer relations in media, as I have fought hard to ensure free speech should cover queer relations in manga and this material should be made available to the largest audience possible.”
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Vox also points out that the couple were unambiguously gay and sexual in the original manga comic book that the series was adapted from. Netflix has yet to publicly respond to fan complaints, but we’ll update this article if they do.
UlfRaynor
I call BS, if it wasn’t his intent to marginalize the gay context of the characters then why didn’t he translate it accurately instead of inventing a new context that had nothing to do with the original?
Hussain-TheCanadian
I haven’t seen this anime in awhile, but I dont remember that the main character, Shinji, is gay. Even the character in question, Kaworu, isnt “real”, it’s a character in shinji’s mind of his friend, who I think died when the aliens invaded earth.
Shinji even has sex with his “mentor”, a woman, so the gay part is just the above lines, and the homoeroticism isnt explicit either.
Netflix please remake Berserk already!!
CJones01
A) The anime came first and the manga adaption came out in 2014. I haven’t read the manga in Japanese, however. I’ve read the English translation, so that is colored by another translator’s interpretation.
B) Spoilers: Shinji is an extremely withdrawn character who fears getting hurt by interacting with others. During the course of the series he opens up, shit happens and he withdraws again. Kaworu come in at this point. The idea that someone would openly accept him and love him in such a short span of time throws Shinji off. The creator, I believe, stated that Shinji in his desperation would respond (not necessarily sexually) to any form of affection.
C) Japanese people are very unlikely to directly express their feelings, so that adds a layer of murkiness: is Kaworu expressing his platonic love because he’s bonded with Shinji or his romantic interest? That is actually vague.
D) The most common Japanese word for like/love is the same: “suki,” which can be used for liking a particular food, activity, friend and your parents or lover. “Koui” can range in meaning from “love” to “favor.” Furthermore, (spoilers) Kaworu is an antagonist. Is he being sincere or is it a ploy?
Conclusion: Netflix and their translator aren’t necessarily incorrect in the choices made. It changes very little of the actual story as a whole.