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Written by Peophin-chan. Please do not take without her permission.
The Great Name Debate (or, "Which one is right?")
Well, I figured that since Tokyopop has the nerve to go and change so many names, I'd better create a page like this to keep people informed, and for debates over which ones we like better.
Table of Contents
Famous (and infamous) Debates:
~Sabel vs. Saabel
~Ramganas vs. Laamgarnus/Laamgarnas/Lahmu Gahnasu
~Viaresu vs. Bierrez
~Riru Riru vs. Leelu Reel
Other Debates:
~Rim Kaana vs. Lim Kaana
~Thats vs. Thatz
~Gil vs. Gill
Non-existent Debates:
~Karl vs. Kharl
~Eryucer vs. Illuser
~Tintoretto vs. Tintlet
-o0o-
Famous (and infamous) Debates
Sabel vs. Saabel (or, "Say it with me: 'I don't care'")
The following rant was graciously donated by Relle, because she can explain it SO much better than I can:
Okay then...*transports everyone to classroom*
*writes on chalkboard: ????*
*points* This is Saabel's name. The first letter is "Sa". The second letter is a special character indicating that you extend the the letter before it when pronouncing, so in this instance it becomes another "a". The third letter is "Be", and the fourth letter is "Ru", or "Lu", and is often clipped short, causing the last two letters to sound like "bel" when pronounced. When put together, this forms the name, "Saabel".
However, often when translating from Japanese to English, extended letters are not always extended, which is why you sometimes see characters' names spelled with extra "u"s. This is especially true when a Japanese person is doing the translating, in my experience [hence, "Shuichi Shindou" on my imported Gravitation DVD when the hiragana spelling of his name is "Shuuichi"].
*pushes classroom away* Understand?
[???...]
...Yes, I suspected as much...
Essentially, this means that you can spell it either Sabel or Saabel, and it doesn't matter. It's just personal preference.
Well? You heard what she said. Now stop asking and make up your mind.
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Ramganas vs. Laamgarnus/Laamgarnas/Lahmu Gahnasu (or, "What is Tokyopop THINKING?!")
Everybody's heard of this one. It's Tokyopop's most infamous name-change. The name "Laamgarnus" makes all DK-forumers flinch. What's the explanation behind THIS one, you ask?
Well, a number of things. Let's make a list, shall we?
FIRST, the "L" and the "R" are basically the same in Japanese, so it can be translated as either. So far, we've got Ramganas ---> Lamganas. Okay, not too bad.
SECOND, there's the extended letter idea expressed above by Relle. Ram has two of these, both after the first two "a"s. So, now we've got Ramganas ---> Laamganas. All riiiight...
THIRD, I have learned that the extended "a" can also make an "ar" sound at the end. Therefore, Ramganas ---> Laamgarnas.
As for the "u" in "Laamgarnus"? Nobody knows >> Not only that, but sometimes Tokyopop will actually not translate it this way. They'll just leave it at "Laamgarnas". And this was in the same volume, too oO;;;
"Lahmu Gahnasu" is what I believe to be a much more literal translation of Ram's name. The problem that most fans have with this is A) the completely absurd name translation, and B) the THIRD name-change for our poor Ram here.
Advice to Tokyopop? Next time, just stick with "Ramganas".
- - - -
Viaresu vs. Bierrez (or, "This one's for you, Pam")
Before you say another word, I will tell you that his correct name IS, indeed, Viaresu. Just so we've got that clear.
Now, why did Tokyopop translate this as "Bierrez"? This one's not quite as complicated as Ram's name, but it's strange all the same...
First off, let's start off by saying that the "V" and the "B" are also interchangeable. (I've noticed that some other languages, such as Spanish, also pronounce the "v" and "b" similarly.) So, now we've got Viaresu ---> Biaresu. oO;;;
Next, we'll tackle that z. Why z? I'd say that Tokyopop has a little thing for z's, personally (see "Thats vs. Thatz"). The "u" at the end of the name is often not pronounced (same with Sabel-- see Relle's rant above). Apparently, though, Tokyopop decides to spice things up with their little z. So now we've got Viaresu ---> Biarrez. (Note that it is not a big deal to add an r or two, so I won't bother with that.)
Now, there's that pesky "e". This, I suspect, was another little liberty they took, like Ram's "u" above. The complaint that Viaresu fans have with this is that it causes readers to mispronounce the name, as, perhaps "bee-air-ez" instead of the correct "bee-uh-rez".
I suspect that most readers have fallen prey to that misleading "e" in the name. If you ever meet Pam t3h Spam, though, her hardcore Viaresu-ness will convert you (like I was converted) to the correct version. ^^;;;
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Riru Riru vs. Leelu Reel (or, "What is Tokyopop THINKING?!, part 2")
Okay, I'll say it straight out. What are they THINKING?!
I believe that if you've been reading along, the only thing I need to explain is the i ---> ee. I believe this was done for pronunciaton purposes.
The only problem with the name "Leelu Reel" is that it is so TOTALLY absurd-sounding. I mean, think about it. "Leelu Reel"? Who has a name like THAT?
Look around the room for a moment. Look at the first person you see. (If you're alone, you can go into a different room.) Now, go up to that person and ask them, "What would you think of a character named 'Leelu Reel'?" Go ahead. I dare you. What's their reaction to that dumb-sounding name?
...My only point is, all fans of DK that I've met have found this name horribly absurd and stupid-sounding. Why can't Tokyopop just leave it be?
-o0o-
Other Debates
Rim Kaana vs. Lim Kaana (or, "Being indecisive, are we?")
I've already explained that the "L" and the "R" are interchangeable, so either one is acceptable. I will also note, however, that it was not till Tokyopop came along that the name "Lim Kaana" was heard. Which one would YOU choose?
(don't worry, I can't decide between the two either)
Eira also points out that the name has been seen spelled as "Rim/Lim Kanna", which is also incorrect. o_o
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Thats vs. Thatz (or, "Here we go with that z again")
Let me just say it. "Thats" is correct.
Tokyopop seems to be z-happy, in my opinion oO;;; Maybe it's just because of the fact that if you add an apostrophe, his name will become "that's", but apparently the publishers of the English version decided to spice it up a little by adding that z again.
Now, let's all stop bugging Aquajogger about her choice of spelling, eh? ^~
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Gil vs. Gill (or, "That extra L makes him sound like a fish")
There's really not much to say on this one, other than that Ohkami-sensei herself has been known to use two L's. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one to use. The general fandom tends to agree on "Gil", because two L's sounds too much like a fish. You can use "Gill" if you like, though.
-o0o-
Non-existent Debates
Karl vs. Kharl (or, "Where'd that h come from?")
Actually, "Karl" is correct, seeing as how there's no "kh" letter in Japanese. o.o The opinion on this name is much like the one on Gil's-- "Kharl" just generally sounds cooler.
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Eryucer vs. Illuser (or, "This one tends to confuse me")
For the most part, "Eryucer" is supposed to be the correct version of the name. This is not too well-known throughout the fandom, and "Illuser" is used widely. (Though I believe that when Relle translated the hirigana, it ended up being like a cross between the two oO;;; ) The only reason I'm putting up a section for this is because the name "Illuser" may occasionally lead fans such as myself to pronounce the English version in a Japanese way, therefore confusing the fan appropriately when they encounter the name "Eryucer". I suggest avoiding this mistake, myself >>
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Tintoretto vs. Tintlet (or, "Isn't the Japanese just so much prettier?")
I'm bringing this up because I have seen Ohkami-sensei use the name "Tintoretto" on a drawing or two, and have been led to believe that this is the correct version. And, let's face it, doesn't it just sound so much prettier than "Tintlet"? (I've also seen the name spelled "Tintlett"-- mainly because of Aquajogger, I suspect-- and I agree that this is also much prettier.)
-o0o-
Just a reminder that I did not write this up, only edited it slightly. All credits go to Peophin-chan. I hope this helped settle or shed light on some readers o.o
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