Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Leon's "Personality Shift" Explained

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Leon's "Personality Shift" Explained

    *drum roll*

    Localization.

    In the actual BH4 script written by Mikami, Leon's personality is much closer to his BH2 personality. He is serious and mission-orientated, cracking very few jokes (he still jokes, just not as much as the localization) and generally not talking very much at all. His Smarmy McCockface personality in the RE4 localization was added by the translator, Shinsaku Ohara. The reason Leon is more serious in Degeneration and beyond is because Shinsaku Ohara no longer works on translating the series and other translators kept Leon's personality intact (while fucking up other things). For example, when Hunnigan says she was worried about him after several hours without contact, Leon replies "Don't you mean lonely?" in the English script. In Japanese, he simply says: "...Sorry." His "Monsters. Guess after this there'll be one less to worry about." line in English is simply "Another monster?" in Japanese. I think the only line intact is "Your right hand comes off?".

    Basically, if you understand Japanese and English and are playing the Japanese version of the game, the subtitles do not match up with the spoken English dialogue. This is true for every game in the series, but when a character's entire personality is completely different, something is fucked up.

    Ada is also less... whatever she is in the Japanese script, and is much more withdrawn and mysterious. She spends little time actually talking to Leon, deflecting everything he says and ending every last one of their conversations with "See you.", even when Leon is mid-question. Closer to her BH2 personality. Expect her personality to be quite a bit different in BH6 compared to her portrayal in BH4.

    Saddler also isn't some U.S. hating terrorist. In fact, there are no actual terrorism or even U.S. hating references. This was all added by Ohara, who I suppose wanted to try being a topical political commentator. For example, in the first meeting with Saddler, rather than "No longer will the United States think they can police the world forever", he actually says "The United States is just right for demonstrating my power to the world". The terrorism line with Salazar is not there in general.


    BH4's localization is still one of the better ones in the series. However, this is only because Mikami's original scriptwriting was shit to begin with and there wasn't a lot of plot for the translator to fuck up. Just dialogue.
    Last edited by News Bot; 04-29-2014, 01:26 PM.
    PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

  • #2
    So Leon's personality was changed to appeal more to the kick ass, smart mouthed hero? When he actually was not like that in the original Japanese material?

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by shanemurphy View Post
      So Leon's personality was changed to appeal more to the kick ass, smart mouthed hero? When he actually was not like that in the original Japanese material?
      Yes. Basically the case with every problem related to the characters/plot that the series has ever had.
      PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

      Comment


      • #4
        Nice overview! Doesn't surprise me in the least to be honest, Western entertainment is full of cliches people like to follow...
        Last edited by Guest; 07-12-2012, 02:05 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          They seriously need to come to a common ground with the Japanese and English translations, Resident Evil 4 had such a serious tone with the gore, visuals and atmosphere, they really did not need to have Leon crack so many jokes or at least tone them down.

          Comment


          • #6
            How is Leon's first interaction with Ada in the Japanese? Does he jump straight into talking about Wesker as per the English version or is it more subdued?
            http://www.projectumbrella.net The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium
            http://twitter.com/STARS_TyranT
            Review and contributor for www.thexbutton.co.uk

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by [STARS]TyranT View Post
              How is Leon's first interaction with Ada in the Japanese? Does he jump straight into talking about Wesker as per the English version or is it more subdued?
              The English leaves out the fact that Leon already knew Ada was alive and heard a rumor that she joined Wesker's organization. So, in Japanese, it's fairly reasonable why he just jumps into questioning her. He already knows what she's been up to. But in English, there's no explanation for why he doesn't seem to care.
              PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

              Comment


              • #8
                Ah so when does Leon find out about Ada still being alive then? Is it mentioned in the Japanese script or supplemental material?
                http://www.projectumbrella.net The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium
                http://twitter.com/STARS_TyranT
                Review and contributor for www.thexbutton.co.uk

                Comment


                • #9
                  Yea, I could imagine Leon and Ada's first confrontation in RE4 being more like Leon and Sherrys in RE6. More surprise and more emotion and care in his voice.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    So Leon has gone EMO just because people couldn't translate stuff right?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by alinhoalisson View Post
                      So Leon has gone EMO just because people couldn't translate stuff right?
                      No, the opposite. Leon became a joker because people couldn't translate stuff right. Leon isn't "emo". He is dedicated and serious. Just because he's not a smarmy, cocky bastard does not mean he cuts himself at night.

                      Originally posted by [STARS]TyranT View Post
                      Ah so when does Leon find out about Ada still being alive then? Is it mentioned in the Japanese script or supplemental material?
                      He knows she's alive because he sees her when she drops him the rocket launcher to destroy the Tyrant in BH2. As for when he hears the rumor about her joining Wesker's organization, it's not specified, just sometime before the events of BH4.
                      PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        So all my hatred for Leon's douchiness in RE4 was undeserved? Sorry, bro. I don't know how else to offer my apologies. I don't have any money or anything. But...


                        ...got gum.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by News Bot View Post
                          No, the opposite. Leon became a joker because people couldn't translate stuff right. Leon isn't "emo". He is dedicated and serious. Just because he's not a smarmy, cocky bastard does not mean he cuts himself at night.
                          By "dedicated and serious". You mean "I'm with the same serious face for the whole Degeneration movie"?
                          If that's so, then I believe he's an emo, because he hardly has shown any emotions at all.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by alinhoalisson View Post
                            By "dedicated and serious". You mean "I'm with the same serious face for the whole Degeneration movie"?
                            If that's so, then I believe he's an emo, because he hardly has shown any emotions at all.
                            That's not emo, being more serious is not emo, that's how half of the action heroes from movies, games and comics act. And if anything, Degeneration's translation is less wrong in Leon's portrait than RE4.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by alinhoalisson View Post
                              By "dedicated and serious". You mean "I'm with the same serious face for the whole Degeneration movie"?
                              If that's so, then I believe he's an emo, because he hardly has shown any emotions at all.
                              You do realize that "emo" is short for "emotional", right? It has nothing to do with not showing emotions. Leon is serious, just as an agent who has seen people get torn apart would be.
                              PROJECT Umbrella - The BIOHAZARD/RESIDENT EVIL Compendium

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X