Anime Industry Watching No. 34: Coming Soon on Terrestrial Television! Translator Tomoko Seo talks about the appeal of "RWBY!

The American-made 3DCG anime "RWBY," which drew attention for its Japanese anime-style look, will be aired on TV from July 2017 (TOKYO MX from July 7, Kumamoto Broadcasting from July 9, Sun TV from July 11, and AbemaTV from July 3). The English version of the series has just completed VOLUME 4. The Japanese dubbed version, VOLUME 1-3, has been shown in theaters and software has already been released. The TV version will be titled "RWBY VOLUME 1-3: The Beginning," and will consist of 13 re-edited episodes from VOLUME 1 to 3.
The charm of the Japanese dubbed version of "RWBY" is the stylish dialogue delivered by the splendid voice actors. It has a sophisticated flavor more like a foreign drama than an anime. Akiba Research Institute has interviewed Japanese language director Ryoichi Uchikoshi and thefour lead voice actors, but this time we asked translator Tomoko Seo, who created many of the lines that are so pleasing to the ear, about the fun and difficulty of the unique dialogue in "RWBY.

The charm of "RWBY" is its colors, action, and music

─ What was your first impression of "RWBY"?

Seo: First of all, I was surprised by the beautiful colors; at the beginning of VOLUME 1, the villain Roman walks in, and the contrast between his orange hair, white clothes, and the richness of the night sky is beautiful. I had the impression that conventional American animation used a lot of bright colors, so I felt that "RWBY" had a very different taste.

─ In terms of colors, the main character, Ruby, is an austere combination of red and black.

Seo: Yes, red is red, but it has a slightly darker hue. It is deep and has a nice color. Another attraction, which I think everyone has mentioned, is the action. I already forgot that I was working and watched it. Furthermore, the matching music is wonderful. The beat is effective and catchy, and it enhances the battle scenes effectively.

─ ─ Now, I would like to ask you about the dialogue.

Seo: It's just plain, normal English, without any f-words (dirty slang expressions).

──When Warner Bros. asked you to translate the film, did you have the cast for the Japanese dubbed version in mind?

Seo: No, I was not asked about the casting. I think they were probably still considering it. First, I used the first draft I translated as a starting point, and then Mr. Ryoichi Uchikoshi (sound director) and the production staff talked about it, and I reconsidered the parts that needed alternatives.


─ Is that the same way as in a regular drama?

Seo: Yes, we first submit a script that will serve as a basis for the project, and then we may have a meeting with the entire staff, or if there is not enough time, I may work at home while waiting for instructions. Recently, dubbed and subtitled versions are broadcast at the same time, so there is also the process of reconciling the audio and subtitle expressions.

─ ─ What kind of corrections do you receive from the staff?

Seo: To give you an example, at the beginning of VOLUME 2, Ruby says, "It's rich and addictive! at the beginning of VOLUME 2. If that line were translated directly, the nuance would be stiff and not match Ruby's cute atmosphere. When I was asked to re-draft that part, I rethought it to make it sound catchy and cute.

─ ─ Before Warner Bros. created the official Japanese dubbed version, fans voluntarily created their own Japanese dubbed versions. ......

Seo: Yes, I have seen all of them. I didn't use the translations as they were, but I did use Weiss's "must be" style of speech and Ren's prince-like tone of voice as references. This is because when I was approached to work on the translation, I did not want to ignore the image that the dedicated fans in Japan already had, as they were already positively engaged in the project. The feelings of the fans are my top priority, and I believe that translation is a shadow job, so I decided to go to ....... I can only thank the fans who were excited about the project first.

─ So you were aware of the existence of the core Japanese fans?

Seo: Yes, every time the official dubbed Japanese version is released, I get a little nervous. I'm still wondering if "bumblebees" or "ladybugs" would have sounded better. The original words sound cooler, but I feel that it is hard to imagine them immediately.

──Roman, the villain, calls Ruby "Red Riding Hood," right? In the original language, we just call her "Red". How did you come up with "Red Riding Hood"?

Seo: On a website created by overseas fans, it was written that Ruby was modeled after the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" (Note: This is now officially recognized). I thought that if it was a common belief among fans, it would not be out of place to use "Red Riding Hood," so I decided to use it for the line.