I can't find my movie!
Hello,
Ever encounter this? You recall this movie you really wanted to see that should be on DVD even in Japan. You rush over to your local video store to check the DVD aisle and are struck with...bum bum bummmmm.....name shock. As in, the movie you want to see has had it's name changed to something supposed to a) be easier for a Japanese person to say b) be easier for a Japanese person to understand or most commonly c) to play mind games with the common movie consumer.
Let me give you a few examples.
American Title - Japanese Title
Memoirs of a Geisha - Sayuri (The main character's name)
40 Days and 40 nights - Koi Suru 40 Days (Love 40 Days)
Napoleon Dynamite - Basuotoko (Bus Man)
Anger Management - N.Y. Shiki Happy Therapy (New York Event, Happy Therapy)
Now I think you see what I mean. How do you find what you're looking for? Here are your main options:
Option 1: Search every DVD on the rack until you recognize the picture of the DVD box.
Option 2: Think creatively of possible names it could be.
Option 3: Ask the video guy. They sometimes have a book for this purpose (though sometimes it is outrageously outdated). If he doesn't know it off-hand, you could describe it or who is in it (Japanese ability dependant).
Option 4: And perhaps the best (you'll need to be able see Japanese characters on your pc for this one). Go to Amazon Japan and type the English name in the top search box then press "Go!". Amazon conveniently will produce the Japanese version DVD. On the listed results the title of the product is in blue next to the pictures. This is what you need. If you can't read it, copy and paste or print it and take it into your ready-to-serve video guy or gal and they will pluck it out for you.
Happy Movie Watching!!!
posted by Fudocom - Celina @ 6:31 PM
3 Comments:
You are so right!!!
Cinemas too.
I remember going to see the movie "Ladder 49" last year just after I came to Japan, I can't actually remember the japanese name but it wasn't written in katakana, and certainly didn't have the number "49" in it, or the word hashigo ("ladder"). There was a lot of pointing involved when buying the ticket.
By the way, in case you were wondering, the film was rubbish.
-David
Ah, Ladder 49. A 2 hour glance into the world of firefighting and amply renamed "Honoo no Memorial" (Flame Memorial) in Japan.
Thanks David!
Thanks Celina,
But doesn't the japanese title give away the fact that there is going to some sort of memorial? That sort of gives away the fact that someone important dies doesnt it? That's a bit annoying for people who want to watch the film not knowing too much about the ending.
Thanks again,
David
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