Anime Translation Notes - Other Brothers

[Mlle Bienvenu]

I got the third DVD recently which includes the episodes The Other Brothers Elric pt 1 + 2... and I noticed some significant translation differences between what is said in the subbed version and what is said in the direct Japanese translation. They helped to clarify a few things for me concerning the Tringhams and Mugear's Master Plan (maniacal laughter ensues)

First thing I noticed was that Dr Marcoh, when he treats Alisia, states that Alisia came into contact with the red water through ground seepage... now Dr. Marcoh could be guessing, seeing as how we're led to believe otherwise later on in the episode. I just thought it was worth noting that ground seepage was mentioned rather than her 'somehow' coming into contact with the stuff...

Second and a more important difference is Mugear's Plan 'B'. In the subbed version, Mugear says to put the Red Water into the drinking supply of pregnant women... this has always brought up the question for me, how do you only put it in the drinking supply of pregnant women? Well, my question's been answered, kind of... The plan according to the direct translation is for the red water to be drunk by pregnant women...which leads me to believe that it hasn't been distributed in the drinking supply... my guess is maybe it was supposed to be given as a 'medication' or something and probably distributed through the pharmacy we see earlier in the Tringham story arc.

The third thing I noticed clears up for me whether the Red Water is A) a natural substance, and B) How recently it was formed. When Ed asks Russel why he was following in his father's footsteps, in the dubbed version Russel replies 'because, it was his dream', but in the direct translation, Russel says something like, 'It was Dad's Red Water.' which leads me to believe that Nash actually created the red water in Mugear's mine himself.

[Big Brother]

So Red Water may not be a naturally-occurring substance....which begs the question, what's it made of? Is it made through some sort of traditional chemical process (mix two substances and heat, for example) or through an alchemical transformation? And if it is alchemically created, what's the equivalent exchange? Although not quite a true PStone, as I understand it, Red Water and the Red Stones made from it do enhance alchemical abilities and allow at least a partial bypassing of equivalent exchange (Cornello, etc.)...but, once again, making Red Water and Red Stones themselves via alchemy would have to still be covered by Equivalent Exchange. If merely bonding a soul to armor costs you a leg, does making a stone cost a pinky finger or something?

No, I don't think Red Water or Red Stones are artificial substances.

Perhaps it was simply too deep in the earth to get at easily, and Nash Tringham used alchemy to cause it to rise to the surface (or at least up to the level of the mine). Perhaps Nash was the first to discover the power of Red Water (or perhaps previous discoverers kept it a secret, and leaking info led to the legend of the Philosopher's Stone)...

Dangit, I gotta borrow the tape from Lolua and watch the eps I missed...

[Mlle Bienvenu]

Hehe, another thing I just noticed. . . hehee... Lolua, you'll like this. . . in Other Brothers Pt 1, when Ed says "On your knees!" to Russel. . . in the Japanese version, he actually says "Sit!"

Kagome: He learned it from me ;D


Anyway. . . here's exactly what it says in the literal translation.

Mugear: For the love of. . .! All you had to do was shut up and put that other method into practice!
Fletcher: Nii-san, what method does he mean?
Mugear: It's simple really, have newly pregnant women drink the red water. Soon, the red water will pass through the placenta and condense.
Fletcher: You don't mean. . .!
Russel: Stop!
Mugear: At the right time, you get it from them and transmute it into a stone. It's a simple and reliable method.


Compared to. . .

Mugear: You're useless! You just had to put the contingency phase 2 into effect!
Fletcher: Brother? What is phase 2?
Mugear: Simple really, you introduce the red water into the drinking supply of pregnant women. It permeates their placenta, a factory of biological condensing.
Russel: You shut up!
Mugear: When the process is done, you extract it and transmute it into a stone. It's fool-proof! Let's mother-nature do the work!

[Lolua]

admin said:

Hehe, another thing I just noticed. . . hehee... Lolua, you'll like this. . . in Other Brothers Pt 1, when Ed says "On your knees!" to Russel. . . in the Japanese version, he actually says "Sit!"

Kagome: He learned it from me ;D

ROFL.... that's great!

Inuyasha: That'd better be the only thing he learned from you, Kagome.... *glares at Ed*