Thank God I not the only one

The thing with the difficulty is… Japanese railways really just ARE that strict. The game is made with that in mind. To an outside mindset, this might make playing the game rough, but to someone who knows about Japanese railways going in, this is to be expected. I do agree the easier setting should give a bit more leancency, but compared to other difficult retro games, this isn’t terrible at all when you consider the fact you have infinite continues. Either way, this does seem like a really nice port of the game, I’d argue it’s even nicer than the Switch port. The graphics in this are certainly more charming whereas the Switch game’s graphics remind me of a cheaply made Wii title.

I think a lot of the backlash with people defending localizations comes from people who simply prefer the English script rewrites and changes. It's a common argument, despite it being a completely different discussion. Even if the English script is objectively better in every way, the discussion isn't "Which script is better" but rather "Did the English version portray the author's intentions as best as they could." I used to be someone who would defend localizations a lot because I liked the English scripts and I was also under the impression that they had the okay from the original writers and genuinely cared for the works they localized. But after learning about stuff like the lore behind the Ghost Stories dub being a complete lie from Steven Foster, Jamie Marchi's attitude towards criticism of her changes for the Dragon Maid dub, JelloApocolypse trashing the LoveCom anime, its original mangaka, lied about how the series was "transphobic," and berated its fans, I eventually lost a lot of my respect for these people. The thing that pushed me over the edge was when the original creator of Dragon Quest was upset over seeing DQIII censored for a Western audience, and not only was this interview removed, but cultist Twitter users who could only loosely be described as "human" started attacking him, because god forbid an artist wants his art to be respected. It really shows to me that people don't actually see video games and by extension anime as art in the same way music, literature, and visual art is.

Totally agree with you that you dont have to be a translator to criticize translation and lo alization. Thanks bro.

I don't agree some of your critics, but still, thanks for the video. YOu did devote a lot of time and effort to make these video series. Thansk

It's almost sad to see this series end, but congrats on finishing it! I've not only enjoyed it but learned a lot. It's surprising how deep it went and ridiculous the localization got at times; here I thought it was just names. 😂 My favorite parts were seeing how much thought went into the original themes and names that ended up sometimes being lost in English - it made me love Gen 1 even more. I don't have any recs that's not the next Pokemon or some JRPG except maybe Fire Emblem? But whatever you choose, I plan on watching. Hope you continue on with the Localized Journey series since we could always use more in-depth look at localizations.

2:55 Yes, it's called text space limits. The thing you deny as a factor even though it is. 4:48 It makes sense contextually that he'd own the land.

3:28 It could also simply be that he brought a fossil into the lab that he suspects is a rare type. The Japanese doesn't necessarily imply he got the information from a scientist. If anything, it sounds like his assumption in Japanese too. Again, you're forcing your interpretation!

entire dragon quest 11, Jeanne d'Arc was ruined by using too many annoying english dialects that make it harder to understand the characters and don't fit with the japanese voices I hear when playing

the sensor on 0:05 seconds, is it an alternative for batteries? only reason why i ask, because batteries can be expensive. rechargable batteries is good. but overtime they even suffer from acid problems.

Now you know why Japanese Railways are the most on-time world wide.

What's the title of the background music at the end?

I don't know how you don't have over a million subscribers, this video is so well put together, and your narration is top-notch

2 years on and this is still as relevant as ever. the 'pro localization' crowd has become pretty vicious, basically just screaming at you to shut up if you raise this issue as it keeps happening again and again.

The problem with this conversation is that it assumes localization faithfulness is inherently a matter of quality. I disagree with this premise on the whole. What matters to me is: Does the translation tell a good story that keeps the spirit of the source? I believe there's a spectrum on this. Localization is as much an art as the original script. I would rather have a well written translation that takes liberties within reason over an accurate translation by a bad writer. What about cases where censorship improves a story? Xenosaga has a scene where Albedo originally cuts his head off with a knife. The censored version removes the knife and is actively better for it. Him ripping his head off with his bare hands is so much more unhinged, and I would argue more in character. Watching the uncensored version, the knife looks wrong. It doesn't match the lighting. The blade is too bright. It looks better without, and if they kept it, the scene likely wouldn't have stuck with me over 10 years later. Wherein a translation is too accurate, may be someone taking things too literally. They might get the content 100% correct on a technical level, but if they don't understand the point it may be substantially worse than a translation less accurate by a more nuance writer who understands the source better. This is to say: Accuracy does not equate to quality as a 1-to-1 variable. I believe in death of the author broadly speaking. The writer isn't always right simply by being the original. Adaptions can be better than the source.

Great video. I'm thinking about playing it.

Again, such a well done video. Everything is on point. *playing Wave Race 64*

Huh this is a very LGR esq video 👀

About a year ago i was watching a fan sub of the 2004 tetsuswan atom anime and my grandfather glanced at the scene with the strangest look on his face and asked me i was watching a "Japanese version of Astro Boy". Butchered Translation in the long run creates entire false perceptions that can persist in for decades. Panzer Dragoon Saga is a game i love, but the only English translation is butchered with English anachronisms and South Park references, "localized" by a man read dark fantasy novels as his "reference". I really want to play skies of arcadia but the only current English "translation" is made by Joss Whedon wannabes ad-libbing the entire script.

The whole franchise was a missed oportunity no promotions no new games and sadly to make it worse it was killed on the game cube and got a DS last game that nobody knew it was their because no marketing

Very good and informative video with appropriate language. Thank you for creating this.

The shape is based on the middle handle of the N64 controller.

My man, do you study Japanese like me, too?

The fact that Xenoblade 2, one of my favourite games ever, was changed in localisation and I don't know the extent to which that is the case has been gnawing at me since I was first made aware of the existence of such changes. I knew for example that the Xenogears translation was far from perfect, but I don't believe Richard Honeywood did it out of ill will, his was an insurmountable task. Most of those mistakes are well documented, let's hope the same ends up happening for Xenoblade 2 as well. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to study up.

Time is running.... I was 12 years old if the game released :(

Ackermin is a legend in the making!

I honestly never understood the "christened mew" line, ngl. The only contexts I ever knew around that word was "being born" and sex in a new place, neither of which made any sense. The line of "I named Mew" is simple and gets to the point; it fits in with the other bland like sentences in the localization yet the guy decides to add a big word with mulitple meanings? Maybe one can call me an idiot for not knowing that one meaning. Still, you're right to complain about the inconsistency, it's baffling what and how things get translated in Red. It's always cool to see how Kusaka and Shudo used the original game material. The journal being by one anon guy links so well to the Mewtwo movie and Katsura being Mewtwo's creator in PokeSpe. Yet Shudo even referenced the Guyana portion. The original is both detailed and just vague enough, the localization is just bland like the dialogue wasn't important to the gameplay.

Thanks YT for not notifying me of these videos. Anyway, I completely forgot about the existence of the Wild Beast Tamer class. Legit looked at that sprite and thought "that was in the localization?" lol. It's kinda cool that they managed to leave an easter egg of what the Pokemon game was going to be like. And it made me realize that Akira/AJ from the anime is a character based off that trainer type. I'm so glad you went off on the localization writer. One of the things I've noticed is that localizer writers tend to get away with changing things to the point where it could affect not just the game, but perception of future games. The details being left out involving Kyou is so pointless it's almost like he was trying to make a bland game (or forced to). And it's something that's not mentioned (almost) anywhere, a little detail just forgotten. A damn shame, thanks for giving us this. Edit: forgot to mention that they couldn't use 'Freeza'; DBZ had that on lock-down and would have sued. 😂 (Joking, I wouldn't mind Freezer being called Freeza. We'd have thousands of pics & vids of DBZ characters using pokemon then. lol)

switch cartridgtes are small on purpous, so kids can easily lost theses valuables cards.

oh i forgot abvout this push button inside the gamecube! thanks for reminding me 😂

someone did it! thanks internet 😂 i remember that was fun to eject games from the snes, and this feature disappeared from the following consoles.

I am trying my best to provide Uncensored Translations 😊 I also hate this Censorship War too.

The simple fact that localizers now seek to region lock the localization into Japan, so the consumer can't have access to original content, speaks volumes about their character, intentions and motivation

0:46 Another ignoring of the character limitation. I actually tried it myself and you can't fit all of that information in the character space they had. What we got is probably the best that could be done and it conveys the main points just fine. 2:25 But the general meaning is still the same. And you're really mad about the term "Pokedex"? Really? At least have a decent criticism lol. That's not it. People understand it just fine.

0:46 That was absolutely a result of text space limits and it still got the message across. Maybe you didn't pick up on it somehow, but it isn’t bad lmao. 1:52 What? That's not a completely different direction. You seriously are lacking in adequate understanding of the meaning of these lines. In the west, it isn't traditionally recognized for the sea to incite a sense of adventure compared to in Japan. The general idea of the text was maintained with the sea and its impact. You're exaggerating such an insignificant difference. 2:59 You even admit that you can see the connection in meaning. Just because there isn't a direct reason to change the line doesn't make it bad, as you seem to be suggesting. This is laughable 😂 3:20 Okay, and? The meaning is still consistent and the localization makes it fit given the context and what the Japanese said. It didn't come out of nowhere. And your interpretation of the character as serious isn't a good reason to consider it bad. And in all honesty, I fail to see how saying whiplash even sounds out of character as it isn't really humorous in nature. 4:45 Fan fiction? It's clearly metaphorically speaking and it has the exact same meaning lmao. How is that "fan fictiony"? The anti-localisation brigade seems to have great difficulty coming up with decent arguments 😭 10:57 Really? These are just basic localizations to her dialogue that makes it sound natural and more appropriate for western audiences while maintaining the meaning of the Japanese. There's zero issue with that. You just can't handle translations that aren't 1:1 14:21 With these statements, you've tarnished your rep here XD Really? Bruno came off as _stoic_ to you? And you think he's some sort of "meathead" in English? I don't think this guy's reading abilities are exactly top notch!

4:22 Once again, you're demonstrating your nitpicky tendencies. The English sounds natural while maintaining the general meaning of the Japanese. And for the post battle line, it also expresses surprise at the trainer's strength. Anything that is differing in words misses the mark to you lmao. 5:00 The Japanese also uses the term in an informal way. Out like a light does a fine job conveying that and carries the meaning over just fine. That's not bad localization. You just don't like things that aren't 1:1. 5:50 I think it's pretty obvious approximately how long he's been waiting. Your inability to gather that information is not the fault of the localization. 9:56 It can, but so can many other good localizations if you try hard enough. Once again, you're forcing these twisted interpretations and exaggerating them. 14:39 That's honestly a clever localization. It carries over the meaning of the Japanese with a cultural reference. Nothing was lost, but once again, you're exaggerating it. 17:45 Are you seriously moaning about inconsistency? That's such an insignificant criticism and there's no reason to use that as a reason for calling a localization bad lmao. Especially when it constantly maintains the meaning 18:11 When your best criticism is that, that says a lot lol. That's such a minor change and in all honesty, they still convey similar meanings in that they both convey an idea of persevering and acknowledging strength. 19:40 Ah, hyperbole. It isn't drastically censored lol. It's just basic censorship. And you really want him to just be some weirdo who laughs? That's pretty silly in my opinion. 20:31 Disrespectful? Once again, you're at it with the hyperbole. It's just a basic localization change, not much more than that.

This is exactly why I have my Nintendo Switch console set to Korean and not English.

Didn't knew it was on N64 too. Cool review

1:29 not like text limits are a thing! 2:18 So? That's a minor addition that fits with the context. Saffron is clearly the most significant city in the Kanto region from an economic perspective. 10:06 You're blowing that way out of proportion. And it was not referencing any Japanese custom lol. It was clearly a reference to the act of one removing shoes before engaging in such a sport. You forced a wildly different interpretation for that narrative.

14:48 That's still the same in meaning and you're still not understanding how this text space limit works. This is another laughable criticism. 16:07 Thats literally identical in meaning. All youve done is say "lol this different, so bad!". 16:29 That's such an insignificant change. Especially since it is the same in meaning. How you interpreted that as his character being changed is beyond me! I've heard similar types of characters in other media say things like "you got an appointment with the boss?". The heck are you on about "royal guard" for lmao. 20:44 That is not an adequate criticism, especially to purvey this idea you've made for it being a poorly localized game. The same goes for almost every single point in this "series". 21:55 Where was it even mentioned elsewhere? You didn't even say where else it was said. And a quick look in the text dump, the exact term is only used one other time. Not "time and time again". And you're exaggerating this flawed consistency argument, not to mention the fact that it isn't even a good reason to call the localization bad lol. And are you really going at the localization mentioning he lost again and you go on to say it’s horrible? More exaggerating. 22:53 That’s your best criticism yet, and it still isn't that good lol. His English dialogue never states that he was never going to return. In fact, the "i shall return" line at the end seems like a direct reference to his intentions to go at Silph again. And you claim it is spoiled. Literally nobody i know or have even heard of had the 8th gym spoiled from that. You are just trying to find reasons to hate on it with that 😂

0:53 Except it still is the same in meaning. They both dont like his presence. It's not 1 to 1, but it is still the same. 5:40 Those alternative names are horrible lmao. Your criticisms of that are laughable. Really? You're upset they didn't reference the round aspect again? That's really petty, even the most anti localization people don't stoop to that lmao. 4:12 Are you really having an issue with that? Not that it's new, but seriously. Why is that even worth criticising to you lmao. At least give decent arguments. All of your criticisms boil down to you finding it weird, deliberately misinterpreting it or being really nitpicky with the differences. 11:17 How was that funny in Japanese? I think your sense of humour is just weird lol. And that still has the same meaning. You're purposefully ignoring that aspect constantly. 8:05 The problem is you're scraping together random pieces of information, trying to make some warped interpretation of the Japanese dialogue that wasn't intentional. They're just throwaway lines for comedic effect and they're translated in a way that conveys that. The fact you elect to ignore that is not good. And in all honesty, i don't see how you interpreted the Japanese as him speaking to only one brother. He was clearly speaking to more than one.

6:13 That's not how it works. There was already space in the text slot for that text. They can't add more. It's all done beforehand. 14:30 what? This is the ultimate nitpick. You're seriously complaining about it adding "blocks our path" and removing that it's sleeping "peacefully"? As for the whole grumpy rage thing, it's pretty obvious that in Japanese, Snorlax isn't in the most happy state. Just because it isn't stated, doesn't mean it isn't implied. You seem to be able to pick up so many obscure meanings in the Japanese, how were you unable to do so here? 16:15 That's again due to text space limits. You just don't wish to admit that's a central reason for this information being left out. 16:52 That's literally the English cultural equivalent. People asking "what do you want" usually say that as a result of being provoked in some way in the first place. You're deliberately ignoring these things lmao. 18:44 Again?! Are you just trying your hardest to mess up the interpretation of the english? How exactly did you interpret that line lmao. It's pretty clearly implying a very similar thing to the Japanese line.

Lmao this guy does _not_ understand how this text limitation thing works 😂 You really think that it's just all one large set? They're divided into smaller sets. Take the "i lost my concentration". The additional dialogue was added because it could fit into the character limit of that specific part. Elsewhere, it is different. And you still have zero adequate criticisms. You're just moaning about minor, insignificant additions of dialogue that change literally nothing. And you're forcing your nonsensical interpretations.

Also, you can't just call localisation you interpret as being based on opinion "overlocalisation". The fact you consider that such a thing is an opinion in of itself lol

This greatly demonstrates his lack of understanding of the process of localisation, let alone the concept of it. His idea is just "be 1:1 outside of phrases and sayings", from what I've seen in these videos.

"But I like the localized names/locations/rewrites better". How many times I've heard this argument. What they fail to understand is that it doesn't matter if it's better or worse. It's like going to a foreign restaurant and ask for all your dishes to be cooked and served the way your daily meals are made. You are just robbing yourself of a discovery and showing very little respect to the original work. And when a restaurant does that without your knowledge and you finally get to experience the real thing on trip you realize that you've been cheated. Overlocalization often feels like they thought that we are too stupid, obtuse and stuck in our ways to enjoy something that hasn't been reformated to fit what the localization team thinks of what our cultural background implies in terms tastes. It is both disrespectful of the original product and its authors and awfully patronizing toward the audience. Unfortunately the American audience has been so fed with overly rewrote and "re-americanized" cultural products that a good chunk of it is now having hard time enjoying something that hasn't be remade to fit they comfort zone.

I argue "Killer" sounds pretty generic. Are the enemies are "killers," right? "Bullet Bill" gives it more of an identity.

I mean, "Lizard" can't be a favorable name for Pokemon No. 005 outside Japan. You would get ridiculed, if not, pounded/thrashed if you liked cute things. What about Copyright Issues?

All of this if making me think if this guy likes America at all. ...or, at least, their takes.

I used to have a vendetta against dubs in general when I first started to notice the changes in localizations. Basically I blamed the voice actors' bad performance being the reason behind these changes. Now I know that they aren't (always) at fault. It's funny, cuz not matter how far back you go, you still find bad localizations all over the video game history, with many different reasons as to why over the decade. And I know people want to make it political since a lof of the changes we see nowadays are made by extreme left-wing agendas, but forget that in the past it was mostly extreme-right wing groups spewing obnoxious censorship and changes all over different products. So, no, I don't think it's a political issue, it's simply bad professionals. I remember reading an interview from an old-timer localizer reflecting back on his first jobs during the PS1 era, and how easy and fun it was to change parts of the script, and how no one at the team criticized his actions. But when the fans started to complain about these changes, he immediately changed his stance to treat his job more seriously and the players were overall more happy. He said that it's highly unprofessional, but typical of newcomers to do these kinds of things, and they need to take the criticism to heart.