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Holo Maid

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6 (4.1%)

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Holo, I'm going to complain you didn't put in my idea.

23 (15.6%)

Total Members Voted: 88

[westrim]

Her name is only Alita in the translated version. In the original her name is Gally.
And this is just me speculating, but I think of it as because it's the title that both fans of the un-name-changed series and the ones of the name-changed series more familiar with its past recognize.
As for me personally, I only think of the first half of the series as Battle Angel Alita. That's probably because I first read it as the English-translated version, but eh.
Gunnm really is a much shorter name, though. Less title fatigue for me to remember.

You know guys, if I know the root of the Japanese title, it's pretty likely that I also know that the main character also had a name change.

I find that unlikely, since it's been available in the US for 20 years only as Battle Angel Alita, which is also the the James Cameron version will use whenever that gets off the ground.
Well, sure. The second half is (colon) Last Order. Though 'half' may be the wrong word since it's already twice as long and still going.

Shorter yes, but in addition to my previous reasoning, try saying it.

My feeling is that we're speaking English to each other, so we use English names unless they're clearly dislike by the natives- by your reckoning I should start referring to Japan as Nippon.

Indeed, Gally is the true name for the heroine in Gunnm. As far as I know, the name was inverted with her "girly" name, precisely because it did not sound feminine to Anglo-saxon audiences (I would have said American, except I do not know if it was translated in the UK.) But Kishiro actually gave that name to his character.

It's not the true name, it's the Japanese name. The source material being Japanese doesn't make it 'true.' Not sure which name you're saying is girly- both are feminine names, though Alita does give off a more tomboyish vibe, but that may be because of it's association in my mind with this manga. English is the usual catchall- Anglo-Saxon is a racial group, not a language. Kishiro also used Alita, in a dream sequence, which indicates to me that he's okay with it.

[Salty]

Guh-num.

But this is a silly argument over pointless points.

Though it is always nice to meet another fan.

[Neko_Ali]

Ummm.. Since Gunnm is a Japanese comic series by a Japanese creator I would say that yes, Gally is her true name. Alita was the name invented by the translators. If you have a friend named Bob and started calling him Susan all the time, that doesn't make Susan his real name. Now if he were to change his name to Susan, that would be a different story...

[J]

all names are just arbitrary linguistic designations, so what makes one any more valid than the other? likewise, what makes a translation more valid than the original? the translation is as much a creative work as the original version it's based on, and the translator is just as much an artist.

[Dekker3D]

all names are just arbitrary linguistic designations, so what makes one any more valid than the other? likewise, what makes a translation more valid than the original? the translation is as much a creative work as the original version it's based on, and the translator is just as much an artist.

If I created a long-running, popular anime/manga series (I don't actually know gunnm specifically), and someone said that the translator were as much of an artist as I were.. Yeah, I think that'd hurt.

Translation IS a creative process, but not nearly as much so as coming up with the thing in the first place. I agree that the original can be considered the only canon, including such things as "real names". Differences in translation can be caused by translator error as much as it can be caused by creative differences.


I like how the comic is dealing with May and Dale. It fleshes them both out pretty well, and May seems like an interesting character.

[KOK]

all names are just arbitrary linguistic designations, so what makes one any more valid than the other?

So Dickmouth Stinkface had no reason to object to her name.

[westrim]

Guh-num.

See, I looked at the Wikipedia page and it says Ganmu. I have no idea personally because I haven't said it out loud.

Ummm.. Since Gunnm is a Japanese comic series by a Japanese creator I would say that yes, Gally is her true name. Alita was the name invented by the translators. If you have a friend named Bob and started calling him Susan all the time, that doesn't make Susan his real name. Now if he were to change his name to Susan, that would be a different story...

Neko, since you didn't mention it, I'll say it again differently; Japan is just as valid and true a name for a certain nation as Nippon, Cat. And since the creator has used Alita to refer to the character (aforementioned dream sequence), we have a pretty strong indication that he's okay with it, Gato.

[muon]

Meow?

[Indicible]

And since the creator has used Alita to refer to the character (aforementioned dream sequence), we have a pretty strong indication that he's okay with it, Gato.

Yes, as an alternate interpretation of her personality.
As for translations being creations, since the source material gives us Gally (ガリィ) it is the legitimate name. Of course, in an American context, you have better chances of being understood by using Alita. But it is a deformation, kinda like translation conundrums into Japanese (since tenses do not exist in the same sense as in Western languages.). The reference should remain the original work.

Gato -> Anavel?

[Carl-E]

I have a navel. 

[ab720]

Woohoo robot jail! I got told I was wrong and it was Romania in the livestream. It isn't Romania!


I wonder if my speculation that for every good, human facing AI, there is a nasty, abrasive AI that gets sent to robot jail has any weight.

Like in Twins, when Danny Devito is made of "The rest".

 Pintsize fell through the cracks due to marten's fear of spiders, but did robowhale end up in robot jail out of loneliness?

[cesariojpn]

So wait........technically speaking, Pintsize could be jailed for handling porn that is illegal?