Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Volume 3 Comparison (Kodansha vs Kodansha!)

The last few months have brought many changes to my life. A lot of things have happened, both good and bad, but I'm ready to get back into this and catch up before the next release. I'm sorry to everyone for the long wait.

So...the Sailor Moon manga is now available digitally for the first time in English. While I'm in no hurry to give up my physical copies, this is fantastic news for those who don't have the shelf space or the money. I can also see many double dipping for the convenience of being able to read the eternal editions on the go. One thing I've noticed while casually flipping through the preview pages for the other languages is they all seem to have localised honorifics whilst the English version is the only to maintain the Japanese ones. For the languages that used the same alphabet at least. As someone who would've preferred localised honorifics in the English edition, I can help but feel a little envious.

Important note: Just in case there was any confusion in my previous posts. I might occasionally refer to the 2011 translation as William Flanagan's translation for variety. The eternal editions might likewise be referred to as the Nibley twins translation.

Terms and Translation

Nothing really to speak of this time when it comes to the teams behind each release so lets move on to what has changed.

Whining Snot-face - The Importance of Space

Fellow reviewers, far more talented than me, have pointed out in the past that Chibi Usa's name did not require a hyphen prior to Flanagan's translation, however, another trait was that he seemed intent on giving them out like smarties despite there being no indication of them in the Japanese text. You get a hyphen! And you get a hyphen! That being said, there always has been more than one wrong way to write this characters name and unlike other changes, didn't affect how you read the story. The eternal edition, however, renders this discussion moot by removing it.

There is a bit of redundancy present in explaining the 'chibi' part of her name, but for the sake explaining why she was given that name to a more casual reader, I think it's more than acceptable. Just for fun, I was always a fan of combining the words "junior" and "Usagi" together into just "Juicer". I'll show myself out.

For Chibi Usa's other nickname, the eternal edition continues the simple act of adding a word here and there, smoothing out the experience immensely.

Wiseman

Similar issues have befallen a member of the Black Moon, Wiseman, whose name, throughout the story, has been written both with and without a space in the 2011 translation and thus became another one of its many inconsistencies. As Moonkitty and Miss Dream have both pointed out, there shouldn't be a space. One word, like Madonna.

The Nibley twins talk in their blog about the multiple hints about the black crystal and its parallels to the philosophers stone of legend, as the Japanese word for "wise man" or "kenja" is a part of the stone's Japanese name, "kenja no ishi". Additionally, the philosophers stone has also been referred to as the Atramentum or the "black instrument" to give it the translated name strengthening the bond between the two fictional crystals further. Sadly, despite wanting to, the twins decided against using that name and couldn't find a way to incorporate that angle into their translation. Shame, the "Instrumental Black Crystal" has a nice ring to it though it's a bit of a mouthful for a campaign poster. Speaking of...

The (Not) Evil Black crystal

The Nibley twins have already given their reasons for changing the main descriptive term of the crystal's name. A PR move on behalf of the Black Moon Clan to better reflect the gem's supposed ambiguity as well as creative reading of the kanji that make up its name. While I won't deny they've made a good point regarding its original name, "Beguiling Black Crystal" sounds a bit silly. At least, to my ears anyway though I appreciate the alliteration and couldn't come up with any better ideas. "Bewitching Black Crystal" still leans a bit too much on the side of evil. Another facet of their explanation was the utter ridiculousness of Mamoru asking Chibi Usa is she was frightened of the "Evil/Malefic Black Crystal", feeling that a name change would quell any laughter that might result from it. Sounds reasonable?

Except in both instances where Mamoru wonders this very question, the "beguiling" adjective is left off anyway so what was the point?

And that's just being cheeky.

The S. Sisters

Now let it be said, I was one fan who never had a problem with the previous name given to these sisters in 2011. However, considering the diverse meaning of their Japanese name, "Ayakashi Sisters",  being a blanket term for all things supernatural/paranormal and how that correlates to each girls speciality power, I find this change to be more than welcome despite it not rolling off the tongue as easily.

There's also been a minor change to Koan's name, but slaving over a search engine for ten seconds has led me to conclude that both spellings are correct. The circumflex above the 'o' is meant to convey a long vowel.

Little has changed between the competing paranormal enthusiasts, though the Nibley twins do explain the change from association to group were due to the Japanese word Koan used, "dokokai", meaning an unofficial gathering due to there already being a club at the school. Association simply sounded too legitimate.

Other thoughts

This is a small change and a matter of localisation and opinion. Japanese children are known for referring to their parents as "Mama/Papa" among other titles. However, due to that not being as common in the English speaking world, the 2011 translation localised it to the more familiar "mommy/daddy". Being terms that I was more familiar with and had grown up addressing my parents by, I was all for this change. Flanagan's 2011 translation was fairly consistent with Chibiusa, not so much with future characters, but that's a story for another day. I was actually a little disappointed when the Nibley twins translation reverted it back, despite the change being more accurate.

And right off the bat, there's a clear difference of intent here in regards to the Black Moon Clan's motivation and what they intend to do with the Silver Crystal. The 2011 translation would almost have you believe Prince Demande was intending to use the power of the crystal to crush his enemies, presumably the inhabitants of the 30th century. While I'm sure the idea occurred to them, that's not what's being said here and the eternal edition's take on Demande makes it clear they plan to destroy the crystal itself; adding further clarity as to how they plan to rewrite Earth's history.

I'll say this too! I don't miss the 2011 version's habit of ruining a lot of dialogue by slapping "huh" or "right" on the end, turning the majority of statements into questions. At best, the characters come across as insecure and at worst, turning them into morons who don't have a clue what's going on.

The 2011 version was indiscriminate in whose dialogue they applied this to which added to the unintended side effect of the characters all having the same voice, which I talked about in volume one.

Now, here's a rare occasion where the eternal editions have left me confused. This conversation involves both the honorifics, "senpai" and "kohai" or "upper/lower classman" respectively and both translations reflect that so there's no issue there. What I'm talking about is the eternal edition translating "kohai" in one panel to its English equivalent then leaving in Japanese in the next. A minor, but noticeable inconsistency.

Probably just a coincidence as Rei has been called "pretty" since the chapter in which she debuted, but I can't help, but wonder if this is a reference to the first season of the anime where she and Mamoru briefly dated. Then again, Rei already has a classmate named after Usagi's voice actor, Kotono Mitsushi, with whom Naoko is friends with so this could be acknowledging that plotpoint.

And while I'm at it, I'm wondering if this where the anime's writers decided that Queen Serenity should give Usagi the Moon Rod. If this really was Queen Serenity's scepter then why is Luna saying it was created by Usagi and Mamoru's love rather then being summoned by it? Is this the same rod owned by Queen Serenity or a brand new one created for Usagi? Honestly, it feels like each translation is giving it their best guess. Speaking of Usagi, I do appreciate that the new translation makes her come across as less indecisive in the final panel whilst the previous had felt like she was contradicting herself. Clearly, this idea would later be borrowed by the anime writing staff for when it came time to adapt the Infinity story arc. 

The unasked question, Luna, is: Where did these new tools come from? The original anime certainly never cared to elaborate on this, they were too busy sending Ami to Germany. 

The manga at least has the good sense to imply these pens (Are they even still pens?) are the result of the Moon Castle pulling itself back together, but we don't get any more info then that. Did Luna get them directly out of the Moon Castle the last time she was there? Did her and Usagi's combined prayer enable Luna to level up and pull stronger pens out of hammerspace? It doesn't help that we don't know where the original pens came from. I suppose they could've been created in the command centre with help from the moon system, which was in energy saver mode and only able to imbue the originals with so much strength. However, upon the Moon Castle's revival, that was no longer a problem.

I remember reading this panel years ago and recently thought to myself, hooray, no more pointless repetition, but here we are again. Having said that, the Nibley twins way of going about it is ten times more natural and I'm more than down for more of that.

No, that's a mouthful in either version. Did we really need every title the girls had given our favourite arcade manager in the story so far? Speaking of Motoki, goodness knows the story didn't...

Oh Motoki, how I wish you'd stayed more integral to the plot and helped Luna and Artemis out in the command centre. You could've brought them juice! You could've been a listening ear for Mamoru, he's just talking to rocks, which brings me to my next point. If the four kings aren't going to be reborn, then why not give Mamoru some or even just one new guardian of his own? Whether Naoko meant to or not, Sailor Moon's story was once considered by many to be a subversion, or perhaps more accurately a reversal, of the 'damsel in distress' trope so having a male character that was more domestic, front and centre,  might have worked. However, as is the fate of all those with no skills to combat the evil flavour of the month, they may appear occasionally in a group shot before riding a taxi far into the off-panel sunset. At the very least, the story believes in equal opportunities for both its male and female supporting cast. In other words, none to speak of.

This panel displays the rarest of rare in my humble opinion: neither edition got this line right. I'm not one to normally mention the Tokyopop edition, but their take on the line "Hey, are you cheating?!" seems more appropriate here as even after two attempts, neither official edition makes this exchange seem natural. Mamoru, while believing Chibi Usa is hiding something, is the last one I'd expect to accuse her of running a scam or pulling a fraud. Despite having kanji that could be read as fraud, the context isn't the same as committing fraud as that usually involves a business transaction and breach of trust. That's not even getting into the difference between a scam and a fraud, the former usually being a minor form of the latter. In this case, Chibi Usa simply used an unfair advantage, Luna-P, to win the game. A practice more commonly referred to as "cheating".

While I realize both of these statements are complimentary, Flanagan's goes into more detail and is more eloquently put. The new Nibley translation's wording is a little too simple and this won't be the last time I say that.

Hang on Minako! Wasn't that pen destroyed at the end of the last arc? We can clearly see her holding a new pen in a previous panel.

There's a difference between telling someone you believe in them and telling them to believe in themselves, but really, we're looking at two halves of the same inspirational speech, "believe in yourself because we believe in you". Considering who's going to be speaking to Mamoru soon, the latter adds a clever layer of foreshadowing. Strangely, while Usagi and Mamoru ascending to king and queen being an end goal, Flanagan's translation makes it out to be the entire reason they were reincarnated, which we know from Queen Serenity isn't true.

Mr Flanagan, I mean no disrespect, but do you not know what crop circles are?

SailorHell was quick to point out in her coverage of this volume upon its release. Chibi Usa that doesn't have a secret stash of silver crystals that she's been trying to use and fortunately the eternal edition has remedied this as it was intended to be hypothetical. This is Chibi Usa's first acknowledgement that her goal might be in vain, which leaves me scratching my head, as she tries to take Usagi's crystal in the very next chapter. I suppose she could be in denial or hope someone in the future might be able to use the crystal but still...

Destroyed, saved. It's all relative. This scene takes place after the Boule Brothers defeat and the destruction of their "palace enantiomer". I'm assuming one panel is asking who destroyed the fake palace whilst the other is asking who saved the real one, though it makes me wonder how vague the Japanese version worded things.

Anyone reading this panel in the 2011 edition, for the first time, is "doing something I've been doing for a long time". Let me tell you that. This line was fortunately fixed when this edition received its second printing, though the replacement isn't as smooth as hoped. Consistent with the rest of the book at least.

Speaking from experience, Prince Demande? If she's anything like her anime counterpart, then I gather the guardians "been doing what you've been doing for a very long time too".

The twins made a wise choice to change "sight" to "eye" in the new edition making its connection to the real-life symbol of the same name more apparent. Used both as a cursed symbol of misfortune and a talisman for protection against the eye itself. It's used in many places including the American banknote and researching it has caused me to realise something. Considering the prince's obsession with Neo Queen Serenity, in particular, her eyes and how they reacted upon seeing him, it makes narrative sense that Prince Demande would desire eyes that would undo her as a consequence.

Alethea and Athena Nibley's translation takes the quickest and most direct route, which usually ends being the most cost-effective solution. William Flanagan's 2011 translation takes the scenic to get from A to B or Japanese to English and for the most part, ends up jumping all over the place, but occasionally arriving at dialogue more appropriate for that particular panel.

Lastly, could this be a change made by Naoko between the shinsoban and kanzenban editions? I don't have either release in Japanese so I'm unable to check for myself. The 2011 translation leaves more of an impact compared to the eternal edition, which feels too tame for that particular scene.

The start of a new story arc has brought with it plenty of changes, both beneficial and confusing. The Nibley twins have admitted they don't do anything halfway, originally having been hired to simply edit the previous translation, and their love and passion for Sailor Moon are once again on show in full force here. The new eternal editions cut straight to the point as always, occasionally leaving some better lines in the dust, but for the most part, streamlining the experience and presenting the first half of the Black Moon arc at it's best.

Join me next time as Usagi talks to herself without needing to be committed while she and Mamoru commit to 900+ years of parenting.