Illusion of Gaia Translation Commentary Part 18: Undersea Tunnel

Featuring mushroom nutritional value, the nature of tsundere, and Edward Furlong

• I’m an amateur. My advantage over the original translation is that I have no deadline pressure, and I have the modern internet to help me. I’m assuredly wrong about some of my translations.

• Translation is hard. When I point out a mistranslation, it’s not a judgment of the original translators. They had a deadline and poor resources.

• Please no jokes in the comments about Karen being a Karen. I really hate that trend.

Notation reminder:
JP: Original Japanese
T: My translation
OE: Original English

JP: 海底トンネル
T: Undersea Tunnel
OE: Seaside Tunnel

OE once again mixes up 海底 (kaitei - undersea) and 海浜 (kaihen - seaside). The previous dialogue established that this tunnel is under the ocean, so US players probably weren’t that confused.

JP: 海底トンネルに　入って 5日が　すぎた。
行けども　行けども　同じような 景色が　つづく。 気が　遠くなりそうだった．．．
T: 5 days have passed since we entered the undersea tunnel.
The same scenery goes on and on. I feel like I’m going crazy.
OE: Five days have passed since we entered the tunnel.
The same scenery goes on and on. It’s hard to keep track of time…

気が遠くなりそう (ki ga tookunarisou) has a bunch of meanings listed in the dictionary. To faint / to lose consciousness / to be in a daze / to be overwhelmed / to feel exhausted / to lose one’s mind. Given context, I think the last definition is most likely.

JP: ニール： 今日は　このあたりで　休むと しようか。
エリック：　つかれたあ。 今日は　１０００キロくらい 歩いたかな。
T: Neil: Let’s rest here today.
Erik: I’m worn out. We must have walked 1000 kilometers today.
OE: Neil: Let’s rest here today.
Erik: I’m so tired. I must have walked 500 miles today.

OE changes km to mi, which is totally standard for localization. I’d do the same in a rom hack.

JP: ロブ：　ばかだな。 人間の足で　そんなに　歩けるわけ ねえだろっ。
カレン：　もーう　やだっ！ もう　旅に出てから　つかれること しか　ないんだものっ。
T: Rob: This is ridiculous. People’s feet aren’t made to walk this much.
Karen: No more! I’ve been nothing but tired since we started this trip.
OE: Lance: This is crazy! Having to walk so far!
Kara: Enough!! You’ve been tired ever since we started this trip.

Karen isn’t scolding Rob, she’s adding her complaints to the rising chorus.

JP: リリィ： みんな　同じこと　思ってるんだから 声に　だして言わないのっ！
それより　ごはんにしよ。 おなか　すいちゃった。
T: Lily: Everyone feels the same way. There’s no need to say it out loud.
Anyway, let’s eat. I’m hungry.
OE: Lilly: Lance’s right, Kara I think all of us feel the same way!
Let’s eat, I’m hungry.

Now we can go around and talk to everyone.

JP: エリック： おしっこ　するんだから　見に こないでよっ！
T: Erik: I’m going to wee, so don’t look!
OE: Erik: Hey, don’t look!

I actually like that OE makes it less explicit what Erik’s doing. It’s likely censorship, but it was obvious and didn’t need to be spelled out.

Now that the game has acknowledged that these characters do need to expel waste, what do you suppose they’ve been using as toilet paper in this cave? Or do they just leave it on, all crusty and itchy?

JP: ロブ： この地下道って　いったい　どこまで つづいてるんだろう．．．
T: Rob: I wonder how friggin’ long this tunnel goes.
OE: Lance: I wonder how far this tunnel goes…

Come to think of it, this is a really spacious tunnel. Digging out this much must have extended the project by 3 to 5 times, right? The people from Mu must not have been that desperate to escape.

JP: ニール： 何百年も　むかしに　この地下道を 歩いた人たちが　いたんだなあ。
なんだか　遠い過去を　想像してると 自分が　ちっぽけに　思えてくるよ。
T: Neil: People walked through this tunnel hundreds of years ago.
When I imagine the distant past, I feel kinda insignificant.
OE: Neil: Thousands of years ago people walked through this tunnel.
Somehow, when I think of the distant past, I feel so insignificant.

JP: リリィ： 人間って　不思議だよね．．．
T: Lily: People are strange.
OE: Lilly: People are strange…

You thought that link was gonna be The Doors, didn’t you? Nah. Everyone knows that song already. But there might be someone out there who didn’t know that Edward Furlong, who played John Connor in Terminator 2, did a cover as part of an album released only in Japan.

JP: 極限じょうたいになると 何が食べられて　何が毒なのか 一目で　わかっちゃうんだもん。
もしかすると　むかしの人って みんな　そうだったのかな。
T: When you get really good, you can tell which foods are edible and which are poisonous with just a glance.
Maybe all of the ancients could do that.
OE: I am afraid the longer we travel in this tunnel, the easier it will be to forget why we are here.
Maybe all ancient people were that way.

Well that’s a pretty big difference. There’s no way it’s a mistranslation—this was an intentional change. In JP the second sentence makes sense. She’s saying that, a long time ago, life was so dangerous that pretty much everyone had to have that knowledge. In the US, she’s suggesting that all ancient people… forgot why they were there?

JP: カレン： あーあ　ステーキが食べたいっ！ サラダも　食べたいっ！！
変なものばっかり　食べてるから もう　ハダが　がさがさになって きちゃった．．．
T: Karen: Aaaaah, I want a steak! And salad!
I’ve been eating so much weird food that my skin has gotten course.
OE: Kara: I want a steak! And a salad!
My skin has gone dry from eating weird food…

Hey, remember when Karen was all like, oh don’t hurt the poor fishies! Apparently cows aren’t on her list of worthy animals.

Off to the right, there’s a mushroom.

JP: この　キノコは　トンネル内の いたるところに　生えている。 ぼくらの　ゆいいつの　食料だ。
昨日は　焼きキノコ。 おとといは　ゆでキノコ。
T: These mushrooms grow everywhere throughout the tunnel. It’s our only food source.
Yesterday, roasted mushrooms. The day before that, boiled mushrooms.
OE: These mushrooms grow all over in the tunnel. It’s our only food.
Yesterday, baked mushroom.
The day before, boiled mushroom.

JP: さきおとといは　生で食べたら おそろしく　まずかった．．．
でも　ぜいたくは言っていられない。 生きるためには　がまんしてでも お腹に入れなくては．．．
T: The day before that we ate them raw, which was just awful.
But we can’t ask for luxuries. I’ll stick it out and eat what I must to survive.
OE: Before that, raw. Awfully tasteless…
We can’t ask too much. I’ll do it to live. We have to eat…

Tim takes the mushroom to the group, which triggers a reaction from Karen.

JP: カレン：　があああん。 テムが　また　キノコを　見つけて きたわ．．．
リリィ： 死ぬよりいいと　思わなきゃ。 さあ　ごはんに　しよっ。
T: Karen: Oh, no. Tim found more mushrooms.
Lily: I’m pretty sure it’s better than dying. Come on, let’s eat.
OE: Kara: Oh, no! Will found more mushrooms…
Lilly: It’s better than starving. Well, let’s eat.

JP: そうして　また　一日が　ゆっくりと すぎていった．．．
T: And so another day passed slowly.
OE: In this way, another day passed slowly…

The scene fades out and fades in to Tim standing by an underground river. Say, do you suppose this is fresh water somehow?

JP: 海底トンネルに入って　８日目。 ぼくは　ねつかれず 地下水の流れを　見つめていた．．
T: It’s been 8 days since entering the undersea tunnel. Unable to sleep, I stared at an underground river.
OE: Eighth day in the tunnel. Unable to sleep, I stared at an underground river…..

JP: リリィ： ねむれないの？
テム：　うん。 お腹が　すいてさ。 っていうのは　じょうだんだけど。
T: Lily: Can’t sleep?
Tim: Yeah, my tummy’s rumbling. Just kidding.
OE: Lilly: Can’t sleep?
Will: No. I’m looking for more mushrooms, just kidding.

Yeahhhh, OE was absolutely right to change this. Tim’s joke in JP isn’t even slightly funny. He just says お腹が　すいて (onaka ga suite) which means stomach is empty.

JP: リリィ：　テムってさ。 旅を　つづけるうちに　ずいぶん 変わったよね。
なんだか 大人っぽくなったって　いうかさ。
T: Lily: Tim, you’ve changed a lot while on this journey.
I think you’ve gotten a little more mature.
OE: Lilly: Will. You’ve changed during this journey.
Somehow you’ve grown up.

Now that he’s telling terrible non-jokes about being hungry, he seems way more mature. You’re spot on, Lily.

JP: テム： 自分でも　よく　わかんないん だけど．．．
ぼくは　不思議な力が　使えるし それに　戦士の姿に　変身するのも 見たろ？
T: Even I don’t really understand it, but…
I can use some mysterious powers. And you saw that I can transform into a warrior, right?
OE: Will: I don’t understand it myself, but….
I can use some strange power, and my body has changed to the body of a warrior.

OE makes it sound like his body has permanently changed to that of a warrior. I guess getting buff while hitting things with your flute counts.

JP: ぼくの体に　変化がおこったのは 以前　父さんと　バベルのとうに 探検に　いった時からなんだ。
この旅で　ぼくの力の　秘密が わかりそうな　気がするんだよ。
T: The changes in my body started when I went on an expedition to Babel with my father.
I feel like I’ll discover the secret of my power while on this journey.
OE: The change seems to have started when my father went to the Tower of Babel.
I’m just starting to understand that power.

JP: それより　リリィは　なんで 危険な旅に　ついてきたわけ？
T: But never mind that. Why did you join on this dangerous trip?
OE: Why did you join this dangerous expedition?

JP: リリィ：　最初は　面白半分だったんだけどね。 でも　今は　ないしょ。　エヘヘ。
明日は　また　いっぱい　歩かなきゃ ならないし．．． もう　そろそろ　ねなくちゃね。
T: Lily: At first it was just for fun. But now, it’s a secret. Heh heh heh.
Tomorrow’s another day full of walking. Let’s get some sleep.
OE: Lilly: At first it was just for fun. But now it’s a secret. Heh heh.
We will walk all day again tomorrow… Let’s get some sleep…

The next scene is the most interesting day in the tunnel. We get to meet a friend!

JP: 海底トンネルに入って　2週間。 今だに　出口は　見えない．．．
カレン：　ねえねえ。 ゆうべ　ねているとき　上の方から 不気味な　物音が　しなかった？
T: It’s been 2 weeks since entering the undersea tunnel. There’s still no end in sight.
Karen: Hey, did anyone hear any eerie noises coming from above while sleeping last night?
OE: Two weeks since entering the tunnel. Still no end in sight.
Kara: Last night when I was sleeping I heard an odd sound from above.

JP: ロブ： カレンは　よく　そんな物音に 気がつくなあ．．．
つかれはてて　それどころじゃ なかったよ。
T: Rob: I don’t know how you can notice noises like that.
I was zonked out. I didn’t hear a thing.
OE: Lance: Kara is very concerned about that sound…
I’m too tired to do anything.

JP: カレン：　ほらっ。 今も　聞こえたわっ！！ 何かしら．．．　あの音．．．
エリック： もしかして　リバイヤサン．．．？
T: Karen: Wait. I can hear it again! It sounds familiar.
Erik: Maybe it’s a leviathan?
OE: Kara: Wait. I hear it again!! What is that sound…?
Erik: Maybe it’s Riverson…?

JP: カレン： たいへんっ！！ にげなくっちゃ！！！
リリィ： にげるって　いったい　どこへ にげるわけっ？！
T: Karen: Oh, no! We’ve got to run!
Lily: Where the heck are we supposed to run to!?
OE: Kara: Oh, no! We’ve got to run!!
Lilly: Run? Run where?!

JP: ニール： みんな　静かにっ！！ この　しんどうの　連続音．．．
これは　モールス信号だ．．．
T: Neil: Quiet, everyone! The sounds are in a series of vibrations.
It’s Morse code.
OE: Neil: Quiet, everyone! This vibrating sound…
It’s Morse Code…

JP: 音の長さが　言葉になっている信号で 船同士が　連らくを　とりあうときに 使われている　合図なんだよ。
ちょっと　解読してみるから まってくれ．．．
T: It’s a language in which the length of sounds indicates letters. It’s a signal ships use to send notices to each other.
If you give me a sec, I can decode it.
OE: It’s a signal ships use to talk to each other. The length of the sound indicates letters.
Let’s see if I can decode it…Wait…

JP: ぼくは　モリス．．．
ロブ： モリスだって？！！！
T: This is Morris.
Rob: Morris!?
OE: This is Seth…
Lance: Seth?!!

Morse code? More like Morris code, am I right?

JP: リリィ： しっ。　静かにっ。 ニール　先を　続けて。
ぼくは　リバイヤサンに 飲みこまれました．．．．
T: Lily: Shh. Be quiet. Neil, continue.
I was swallowed by a leviathan.
OE: Lilly: Shh. Quiet! Neil continues.
I was swallowed by Riverson…

JP: そして　気づいた時には 体が　リバイヤサンの姿に　なって いたのです。
この　リバイヤサンという生物は 海の中で生活する　人間なのかも しれませんね。
T: Next thing I knew, my body had taken on the form of a leviathan.
These creatures called leviathans might be humans who live in the middle of the sea.
OE: When I came to, the form of my body had changed to Riverson’s.
This Riverson is a creature who lives in the ocean. I don’t know if it’s human or not.

JP: 仲間の　リバイヤサンの話では すい星の光で　生き物の　進化が おかしくなっているとか。
ぼくも　いっしょに 旅を　続けたかったけど　今は こんな体　ですからね。
T: My fellow leviathans said that the light of the comet is causing the evolution of living things to go awry.
I wanted to continue journeying with you, but I’m not able to with a body like this.
OE: He said that evolution is being affected by the light of a comet.
I wanted to continue the journey with you, but not in this body.

JP: どうか　がんばって すい星と　イサキのなぞを 解き明かしてください．．．．
T: Please, you have to press on and solve the riddle of the comet and the ruins.
OE: You must figure out this riddle of the comet and the ruins…

Wow, so… that’s different.

OE’s troubles all start from translating as if there’s only one Riverson. It’s very clear in JP that there are more than one. From that single decision flows a bunch of weirdness:

1. In OE, Morris has somehow fused with Riverson, after being digested by it or something. In JP, Morris has inexplicably turned into a leviathan, with no reason to think it’s the same one that devoured him. It could be. Or he could be reincarnated or transformed.

2. In OE, Morris ponders whether Riverson is human or not, completely inexplicably. In JP, Morris is hypothesizing that, because he’s a human who turned into a leviathan, maybe all the leviathans were once human.

3. In OE, it is the lone Riverson who told Morris about the comet and evolution. Which implies that there’s more than one consciousness in the body of Riverson, right? Like, Morris clearly controls this body, or he wouldn’t be able to send this message to his friends. But how could he (that is, Riverson) have told Morris anything? They have to be sharing space in the same brain and can communicate with each other, which is bizarre. In JP, it’s 仲間の　リバイヤサン (nakama no ribaiyasan - fellow leviathans) who tell this to Morris.

4. In OE it’s not clear why Riverson told Morris about the comet. In JP, it comes right after Morris suggesting that leviathans are former humans, so I think the idea is that Morris and the rest got turned into leviathans by the light of the comet. (I have no idea how that light reached Morris while he was inside another leviathan, but whatever.)

I had heard before I started this project that this scene was translated very badly. It seems to me like the changes are intentional. I doubt the translator missed the part about fellow leviathans. I guess they could have interpreted it as singular, but then it would still be fellow leviathan.

Whether accidental or intentional, acting as if there’s only one of these creatures makes the message even more confusing. It’s not as if it made a ton of sense in JP to begin with.

JP: ニール： もう　何も　聞こえなくなった．．．
カレン： モリス．．．． かわいそうに．．．．．
T: Neil: I don’t hear anything now.
Karen: Morris, you poor soul.
OE: Neil: I don’t hear anything now…
Kara: Seth…. I’m scared…..

I have no idea how they got scared out of this. かわいそう (kawaisou) means poor, pitiful, pathetic. かわいそうに (kawaisou ni) means poor thing or what a pity.

JP: ロブ：　そういえば　あいつ モールス信号について　勉強してた もんなあ。
モリスも　いきなこと　してくれる じゃねえか。
T: Rob: Come to think of it, he was studying Morse code.
We’re lucky he’s so smart, huh?
OE: Lance: This guy must have studied Morse code.
Seth, too, did a good thing.

そういえば (souieba): Now that you mention it, come to think of it, etc. あいつ (aitsu) can mean that guy but it can also just mean he or she. And it says 勉強してた (benkyoushiteta): was studying, rather than must have studied.

いき (iki) can have a lot of meanings. My dictionary lists chic, smart, stylish, tasteful, refined, sophisticated, worldly, considerate, understanding, sympathetic. I think in context, smart or some synonym is the best choice. So いきなこと (iki na koto) would mean smart thing. してくれる (shitekureru) means to do something for someone. In total, I believe the sentence means something like, Morris also does a smart thing for me/us, huh? I think Rob’s saying those studies paid off. My interpretation on this sentence might be wrong, but it fits the context.

JP: エリック： でも　モリスは　人間の姿じゃ なくなっちゃたんだよっ！！
ニール： いや　エリック。 そう　決めつけるのはよくないな。
T: Erik: But Morris is no longer human!
Neil: Hold on, Erik. Don’t be so fixated on that.
OE: Erik: But Seth didn’t have a human form!!
Neil: No, Erik. Don’t jump to conclusions.

JP: 人間の体が　一番なんて 思っているのは　案外と　ぼくら 人間だけなのかも　しれないぞ。
さあ。 元気を出して　先を急ごう！！
T: It’s possible that only humans think that our bodies are the best.
Come on. Let’s cheer up and hurry on.
OE: Only humans think that human shape is the best one.
Well, cheer up. Let’s go!

Have you ever heard of Poochinski?

Poochinski was an unsold TV pilot. That is, there’s only one episode (available on YouTube, naturally). Peter Boyle played a police officer who’s killed in the line of duty. His consciousness transfers into his dog’s body. From there he becomes a wisecracking pupper who has to work with his old partner to solve his own murder. And also be a total dick.

The series has become a bit infamous. The plot called for the dog to talk, and they didn’t want to do a Mr. Ed peanut butter thing. Instead, they made an animatronic dog. But the dog looked weird, and that on its own seems to have killed the show. This article has an interview with the writer about the affair.

There’s one part where the dog sits down and has a moment of despair after seeing his reflection in the mirror: “Look at me. I’ve become a dog. It’s all sinking in now.” And he proceeds to lament the life and body that he’s lost.

Anyway, Erik’s right. Maybe humans are the only ones who think our bodies are the best, but Morris is mentally a human and he’s probably not happy with this situation. Shut up, Neil.

JP: ニール：　ようやく　ついたな。 結局　海底トンネルを　一カ月近く 歩いただなあ．．．
ロブ： あれ？　立てふだが　あるぜ。
T: Neil: We’ve finally arrived. I think we walked through the undersea tunnel for about a month.
Rob: Huh? There’s a sign.
OE: Neil: We’re here at last. We’ve walked through the tunnel for almost a month…
Lance: Look! A sign!

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Given earlier events, the game bleeds the question. They were underground for a month eating only one kind of food, right? So what I must know is:

Should our heroes have gotten scurvy?

According to this page, the mushrooms highest in vitamin C content are raw oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Can these grow in caves? Technically, yeah, but they don’t naturally. Mushrooms don’t need sunlight. All they need is decomposing organic matter—something most caves have very little of. But this cave has running (fresh?) water, so I’ll give it a pass and say this one is special.

Now, how much would our heroes need to eat if they wanted to prevent scurvy? 100g of raw shiitake mushrooms contain 10mg of vitamin C. And that’s about the bare minimum needed daily to ward off scurvy. How much is that?

1 cup is about 70g, so the needed amount is a little over a cup a day. If they’re eating enough mushrooms to not feel like they’re starving all the time, then they’re probably eating enough to prevent scurvy, assuming they’re particularly vitamin C rich mushrooms. So it is plausible that our heroes would not have gotten scurvy.

If you think I’m overthinking things, then you’re missing the point, which is that I learned about how nutritious shiitake mushrooms are. They even have decent amounts of protein, fiber, and niacin. I gotta add more of these to my diet.

JP: ロブ： なになに？　だ天使族？ 族人は　この部屋を使ってください？
ニール：　だ天使族っていうのは こんなところに　住んでいたのか．．
T: Rob: What? Fallen Angel Tribe? Travelers, please use this room?
Neil: The Fallen Angel Tribe lives in a place like this?
OE: Lance: What? Angel Tribe? Travellers, please use this room?
Neil: Angels living in a place like this?

Yes indeed, they are not the Angel Tribe. That would be 天使族 (tenshi zoku). But it says だ天使族 (datenshi zoku). They’ve excluded a kanji, but this will normally show up in dictionaries as 堕天使 (same pronunciation.) And the dictionary says…

I am not the least bit surprised that this was changed. On top of the fact that fallen angels are synonymous with demons in Christian mythology, it also takes extra characters to write it. OE had every incentive to remove the word.

JP: ニール：　彼らは　自分から 人に会いたがらないっていうからな。
まずは　その部屋で　休ませてもらう とするか．．．
T: Neil: It must be because they’re not especially eager to meet other people, or so I’ve heard.
First of all, why don’t we try to rest in that room?
OE: Neil: They say angels don’t like meeting with people.
First we can rest in that room…

JP: リリィ： テム。　行こっ。
カレン： 何が　”テム　行こっ”　よっ！
T: Lily: Tim, let’s go.
Karen: What’s with this “Tim, let’s go” stuff!?
OE: Lilly: Will, let’s go.
Kara: What! Will! Come with me!

Oof, OE takes out the quotation marks and in so doing erases the fact that Karen is quoting Lily. In OE it looks like Karen wants Tim to go with her instead. In JP, Karen wants Lily to not have assumed she’d be accompanying Tim.

JP: テムも　テムよ。 でれでれ　しちゃってさ。
あたし　一人で　あたりを 見物してくる！ ついて　こないでよっ！！
T: And you’re no better, Tim. You’re always flirting.
I’m going to check out this place by myself. Don’t follow me!
OE: What are you grinning about?
I’ll explore this place myself. Don’t try to follow me!

And oof again. Here, OE makes it seem like Tim is grinning at Karen’s tantrum and she’s scolding him in return. But no, she’s scolding Tim for doing でれでれ (deredere). It’s an onomatopoeia for blushing. (Apparently blushing makes a sound if you’re Japanese?) In practice, it means flirting, fawning over someone, acting lovey-dovey, etc.

Have you ever heard of a tsundere character? It’s a hot and cold personality type, someone who’s a jerk and sweet at varying times, or who uses rudeness to hide that they have a crush. It’s a combination of two onomatopoeic words. つんつん (tsuntsun) is an onomatopoeia for pouting and means being aloof. The other is the word I just explained, でれでれ (deredere). Aloof + flirty = tsundere.

Anyway, Karen thinks Tim is too flirty with Lily. Her outburst here is crummy, obviously, but it’s not as ridiculous as it seems in the OE. Remember, in OE, Tim has already professed feelings for Karen while on the raft. But in JP, Karen expressed her feelings and Tim said absolutely nothing in return. She’s insecure about the whole thing.

Also they just spent a whole month in a cave, so that probably feels bad too.

JP: リリィ： 何を　カリカリしてるんだか．．．
ロブ： まあ　いつもの　おじょうさまの 気まぐれさ。　ほっとくんだな。
T: Lily: What made you so grouchy?
Rob: Eh, it’s just her typical princess moodiness. Leave her alone.
OE: Lilly: Why are you so grouchy…
Lance: Maybe she’s just tired. Let her be for now.

Rob is way nicer about this in OE than he is in JP.

The cutscene ends there and we can control Tim again. But this entry had a lot of digressions and has gotten long, so I’ll stop there. Next time: Fallen Angel Village and Ishtar’s studio.