Retranslation discussion

[ZeaLitY]

In the English version, the Elder notes that Janus has a huge magical power that he's hiding. He says that Janus must be using the power to get close to Lavos. Ted Woolsey, bless him, accidentally screwed up the meaning of this line. It was meant to say:

Elder: I heard from the Sages-sama that
   Jyaki-sama hides an amazing magical power
   that surpasses even Sara-sama.

   However, he hates that power, which drives
   the Queen mad and torments Sara-sama, and
   together with his heart...He has shut that power away.

This means Janus was reluctant to use the magic that drove the wild and unchecked ambitions of Zeal.

[Chrono'99]

Janus > Schala. Ehe

[Magus22]

Very cool.

Would the assumption of Janus > Queen Zeal be valid?

[ZeaLitY]

Yes, since some guy in Zeal says that Schala > Queen Zeal, too. I guess she didn't have the heart to resist.

[Magus22]

I am glad we're getting a lot more information from the retranslation.

Just a random side note, was there (is there) a retranslation for CC in the future? Would we gain anything from analyzing it?

[ZeaLitY]

Negative. Masato Kato went to sizable lengths to work with Richard Honeywood and make sure certain things in the English version were clarified and better presented. Retranslating the Japanese would probably leave us with a more ambiguous product. It'd also be 4 times the size of CT's script, like translating a novel or something. We couldn't expect on volunteer help for that.

[ZeaLitY]

In the NA version, a woman warns that some crackpot lives in a dome on the southern continent. What was totally missed is that Belthasar not only lives in this dome -- he created it. This tidbit not only adds to the legend of Belthasar's ingenuity, but validates the notion of his creating the sealed doors in 2300 A.D. for the heroes' later use.

 [Man]
   There's an old man living in a dome
   near «Death Peak.»
   Talk about crackpots!

 [Man]
   There's an old man who built a dome near Death
   Mountain and keeps watch like some odd hobby.

[ZeaLitY]

Also:

Magus's quotes in the JP version at the End of Time are cooler than the ones in the NA version. The kill quote was probably trimmed by censors.

Magus: Going my way?
      Yes.
      No.

Magus: Now we've got a winning
   team!

Magus: The weak always strive to
   be weaker...

~

Magus: You need my power, right......?
      Yes
      No

Magus: If it seems like you're going to hinder me, I'll
   kill you...…

Magus: The weaker they are, the tougher they act...…

[ZeaLitY]

More Magus development:

===Magus's Note===

In the NA version, Magus notes that the world is populated by cretins. The Japanese version isn't radically different, but does differ in the first line of this speech.

<pre>Magus: We Wizards and humans
   have brought about our own ruin...

   Except for you and I, this world is
   populated by cretins...

   The one who wins this battle...
    ...will rule the world...</pre>

<pre>Magus: Both humans and we Demons have
   mostly let their lives drop...…

   Those aside from you and I who live are like
   unto worms……

   The one who lives when this battle ends will
   take the world……</pre>

Generally meaning dying, but the imagery is interesting. He could literally mean that most are dead, or he could mean that they're so insignificant, or lacking in the qualities needed to bring about change and shape the future, that they are effectively 'dead' despite living.

[Radical_Dreamer]

I like that this helps further the notion of Frog and Magus as rivals rather than enemies in that final confrontation.

[Magus22]

"Magus: Now we've got a winning team!" That's for damn sure and I also like that line.

Magus is by far the coolest character. He rarely makes small talk, a man a few words really (Worf), he is very imposing, and has an almost sensible aura about him or of his many attributes, that lets others know not to mess with him.

This is excellent news. How much more retranslation (not done) is there left?

[ZeaLitY]

Fiona's Lineage

Fiona is probably descended from the Zeal Plant Woman.

FIONA: This Mystic seedling could revive
   the forest, but I can't plant it. Too
   many hungry monsters lurking about.

Fiona: If I were to plant this seedling with mysterious
   powers that was passed down for generations, it
   could even restore this desert to green earth, but...…

   I can't plant it with monsters nesting in the desert
   cave...…

[Radical_Dreamer]

Interesting. That implies that Fiona knew that at one point humans could use magic.

[ZeaLitY]

 [Young man]
   Zzz...zzz...
   Truths exist in dreams...
   Herbal tea...zzz...crystals...zzz...

 [Young man]
   Zzz, zzz.
   It is within dreams that there is reality.
   It is within me that there is the universe.

[ZeaLitY]

Also, seems like non-mechanical Nu retain a consistent speech pattern. One of the interesting parts of Trigger was that the prehistoric Nu spoke like Ayla. However, originally, they were all uniform in speech. This reinforces the idea that they're somehow special, and even opens that Nu up to the remoe possibility of having come from Zeal.