Acclaimed Shonen Jump flag-bearer Ichi the Witch has just reopened one of anime and manga’s thorniest debates. Fans who’ve been following the manga know that Chapter 44 set the stage for Kumugi’s sister, Spica Harvest. This week’s release of Chapter 45, “Appearances Deceiving”, saw her debut through with no shortage of fanfare as she waffles over the possibility of courting Ichi, the first male witch.
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The devil is in the details, though: Spica’s onslaught of infatuation came loaded with slang, with her notably saying “would” when she first sees Ichi. Needless to say, not every fan is happy with it. One particularly viral post on X (formerly Twitter) puts the animanga community’s oldest schism on full display as the question of proper localization is brought to the foreground. It just happens to be entangled with Ichi the Witch‘s broader success, too.
Ichi the Witch Fans Are Lauding Its Localization
Ichi the Witch has always had a very opinionated localization, as the snippets in the post above show. This became a matter of debate when X user @oblivibum lauded Ichi‘s translator, saying they’re “singlehandedly making [Ichi the Witch] go viral.” Indeed, Ichi‘s translation has always been loaded with cheeky slang. Positive replies discussed how Ichi‘s translation brings it a unique voice and personality.
But the responses show that not every reader is here for it. Some say that the use of contemporary slang feels “corny” and out of place in manga. Another X user made a connection to Crunchyroll’s controversial localization; and one more, still, would go so far as to say “we should send all localizers to the nightmare dimension[.]”
The nightmare dimension! Scary. There’s clearly a lot of vitriol wrapped up in this question. For Ichi, in particular, it’s an important matter. Part of why Ichi is so digestible is the nonchalance of its translation, which fits perfectly with the easygoing spirit of the manga. Not to mention, it feels true to the spirit of writer Osamu Nishi’s comedy-oriented pocket shown off in Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun.
Translation Remains a Sore Spot for Anime and Manga
The contentious question of localization is bound up in the earliest days of anime and manga’s Western availability, when much of the hard work of translation fell on fan communities themselves. It’s always been the case, though, that whether the finished product came from fans or from a production company, translation could make or break a series.
Localization has few “right answers”; translation is always motivated, and there is no “unbiased” translation. Obviously, you can be in or out of the ballpark with the received meaning of a phrase, but what actually happens when you’re in that ballpark is, well, fair game. For example, saying manga should have literal or “serious” translations would require you to ignore Ichi’s spirit, written for younger Japanese readers and no doubt employing mannerisms unique to that audience. X user @20is201 made this exact connection, citing Spica’s use of an equivalent phrase to “would” in Japanese.
Along the same lines, although using English slang like “The G.O.A.T” may not be word-for-word literal, it can appeal to the heart of the series writ large. While that doesn’t prevent such slang from seeming out of place, ultimately whether slang fits (or what even constitutes “slang” at all) is a matter of interpretation, which is always exposed to bias. If nothing else, Western readers must be careful of impulses to perceive Asian works as “sage” and protect them from an apparently foreign playfulness, which certainly veers into the territory of Orientalism.
For our part, we love Ichi’s localization. The manga is one of Shonen Jump’s best ongoing series for a reason: it has a tireless heart of gold that invigorates readers in a way few manga of our times can. Its localization feels fun, effortless, and like a true labor of love on the part of the translator; its casual tone is a perfect complement to the twisting, winding tale of the feral boy witch, matching the levity that makes Ichi the Witch stand out so much to begin with.
What do you think? If you love (or hate) Ichi the Witch‘s translation, let us know why in the comments. Finally, if you want to read our write-up on why Ichi will be the series to carry Shonen Jump in coming years, click through to the link below.
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Image courtesy of Netflix
