Mirela
As a company in the localization industry, we always encourage businesses looking to expand beyond their borders to consider localizing their services or products. However, we’d like to raise an important question: Is everything meant to be localized? Perhaps not. At least not extensively. Anime localization serves as a compelling example of an adaptation process that has often sparked controversy rather than consensus.
Why many anime fans oppose localization
Anime, short for “animation” in Japanese, has deep cultural roots that date back to the early 20th century, influenced by traditional Japanese art and Western animation techniques. Post-World War II, iconic creators like Osamu Tezuka revolutionized the medium with works like Astro Boy, emphasizing storytelling and unique artistic styles.
Over the decades, anime became a distinct cultural expression, reflecting Japan’s values, humor, and societal issues. It’s exactly because anime is so intertwined with Japanese identity that fans argue it should remain unchanged during localization to preserve its authenticity and allow worldwide audiences to experience its cultural depth as intended by the creators.
Fans argue that even small alterations can dilute or misrepresent the creative vision of the original Japanese writers and animators. This is especially contentious when changes are made to humor, which often relies on Japan-specific cultural references that fans feel should remain intact to honor the source material.
When it comes to the dubbed versions, these can come with substantial changes to dialogue. To better match mouth movements, localizers sometimes have to rewrite lines in ways that stray from the original tone or intent. Fans who prefer subtitles see this as an unnecessary compromise.
Censorship is another major flashpoint in the localization debate. Certain elements in anime, such as violent scenes, nudity, or controversial themes, have to be removed or altered to meet broadcasting standards, for example. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No. However, fans often view censorship as undermining the creative vision.
Notable anime localization controversies
Over the years, we saw several high-profile localization controversies. One of the most infamous cases is the localization work done by 4Kids Entertainment, a now-defunct American film and television production company, that was involved in the localization of Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece anime series.
The 4Kids version of One Piece was heavily altered. Key plot deaths were omitted, and much of the dialogue was changed, often adding pun-based humor even during tense scenes. Some silent moments in the Japanese version were given added speech, and the dub skipped 20 episodes entirely, cutting the series by 39 episodes in total by combining footage from multiple Japanese episodes into one. Auch!
In recent years, controversies have also arisen over how modern sociopolitical themes are integrated into localized scripts. A notable example occurred with the English dub of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, where some lines were rewritten to include references to contemporary gender politics. This sparked backlash from fans who felt the changes were unnecessary and deviated from the original script’s tone.
Another widely debated instance was Netflix’s new translation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The updated subtitles altered the interpretation of a pivotal line where Kaworu expresses his feelings toward Shinji, replacing “I love you” with “I like you,” thus shifting the romantic undertone. Not only this, but Netflix’s release excluded the iconic karaoke-style versions of Bart Howard’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”
The argument for localization translation
Given that extreme localization can strip an anime of the elements that contribute to its uniqueness, what approach would be more effective? Some fans believe a more direct translation approach, paired with localization only where truly necessary, can help maintain the original meaning of an anime rather than extensive localization. Especially today, when foreign anime enthusiasts know quite a bit about Japanese culture and also have more grasp on Japanese language than in the “old days.”
By focusing on translating the dialogue and cultural references as faithfully as possible, the essence of the anime would be preserved (despite possible restrictions imposed by censorship). This would allow international audiences to experience the story and emotions as intended by the creators. It may require some explanation or footnotes for certain cultural references, though.