Reflections on the translation of gender in Perfect Blue, an anime film by Kon Satoshi

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Published: Oct 15, 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2019.ne4.11
Keywords:
anime, Kon Satoshi, Perfect Blue, traducción audiovisual, género

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Daniel E. Josephy-Hernández
Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Abstract

Perfect Blue (1997) is an anime (Japanese animation) film directed by Kon Satoshi. The film revolves around a female idol (a pop star) named Mima who quits her career as an idol to become an actress, and how she gradually loses her mind. This article presents anime as an important pop culture phenomenon with a massive influence worldwide. This article examines the gender stereotypes promulgated by this phenomenon and proposes a different reading of the work of Kon by comparing how the gender roles are portrayed in the different versions: The Japanese original and its yakuwarigo or “scripted speech” (Kinsui and Yamakido 2015) and the US English subtitles and dubbing. Methodologically, the analysis relies on close observation of the use of the Japanese first and second person pronouns and sentence-final particles in the characters’ language, since “the use of these features is known to be highly gender-dependent” (Hiramoto 2013: 55). The study comes to important conclusions regarding gender portrayals in audiovisual translation. 

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How to Cite
Josephy-Hernández, D. E. (2019). Reflections on the translation of gender in Perfect Blue, an anime film by Kon Satoshi. MonTI. Monographs in Translation and Interpreting, 309–342. https://doi.org/10.6035/MonTI.2019.ne4.11
Issue
2019: Special Issue 4. Multilingualism and representation of identities in audiovisual texts
Section
Articles

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Author Biography

Daniel E. Josephy-Hernández, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

Daniel E. Josephy-Hernández holds a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Ottawa. His gender-focused dissertation explores the subtitles and the dubbing of the Kon Satoshi (1964-2010) film Perfect Blue (1997). He spent a research period (2014-2015) at Tōhoku Gakuin University in Sendai, Japan. His research concentrates mostly on gender and audiovisual translation in anime, focusing on critical analyses of hegemonic gender portrayals in the medium. He also studies the censorship and distribution of anime, including that of hentai (pornographic) anime, as well as the translation of anime dialects. In addition, he has published work on video game translation, graphic novels, translation in Wales and film censorship in Iran. He is passionate about gender issues in Japan, and speaks Japanese fluently, amongst several languages.

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Filmography:

愛の若草物語, Ai no Wakakusa Monogatari (Little Women) (Fumio Kurokawa 1987)

美少女戦士セーラームーン, Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn (Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon) (Junichi Satō 1992)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (20th Century Fox Television 1997-2003)

ドリフターズ, Dorifutazu (Drifters) (Kenichi Suzuki 2016)

風夏, Fuuka (Keizō Kusakawa 2017)

響け! ユーフォニアム, Hibike! Yūfoniamu (Sound! Euphonium) (Tatsuya Ishihara 2015)

カードキャプターさくら, Kādokyaputā Sakura (Cardcaptor Sakura) (Morio Asaka 1998)

妄想代理人, Mōsō Dairinin (Paranoia Agent) (Satoshi Kon, 2005)

パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū (Perfect Blue) (Satoshi Kon, 1997)

パプリカ Papurika (Paprika) (Satoshi Kon, 2006)

Queer as Folk (Showcase Television 2000-2005)

千年女優, Sennen Joyū (Millennium Actress) (Satoshi Kon, 2001)

Sex and the City (HBO 1998-2004)

The L Word (Showtime Networks 2004-2009)

東京ゴッドファーザーズ, Tōkyō Goddofāzāzu (Tokyo Godfathers) (Satoshi Kon, 2003)