Sub/Dub comparisons (WIP)

[el5n]

Post for transcribing down Fivelan/Peil relevant scenes where I compare the phrasing between Dub vs Sub to try and assist my close reading of the series, because I'm deranged like that idk. This is a work in progress.


Cold open of Ep 6, "A Gloomy Song"
AKA, Bel and Prospera meet for the first time in years and spend the entire reunion dodging each other's questions.

DUB

Bel: You're still alive... I'm glad.
Prospera: I've always had the devil's luck. When did you start working with Peil technologies?
Bel: You don't understand. I had no other choice.
Prospera: You've decided to carry on the Vanadis legacy...
Bel: The mobile suit called Aerial... There's no way you could have built it all by yourself. What exactly are you trying to do? And why would you have your own daughter pilot it?
Prospera: You're much more talkative than I remember you being, Bel.
Bel: There's no point, in taking revenge for something that happened 21 years ago—
Prospera: The boy you have piloting your Gundam... How many have come before him?
(Bel is visibly too shocked to answer)
Prospera: It's been nice catching up with you! Until next time...
Prospera, speaking to someone on the phone as she walks away: Right. The witch is under the wing of Peil Technologies... As predicted, she revealed herself. (.....) Worried? No. Aerial is sure to win. I have complete faith in my daughter...

SUB

Bel: So you're still alive.
Prospera: I've always had the devil's luck. And since when do you work with Peil Technologies, Bel?
Bel: I had... No other choice.
Prospera: So you're the one carrying on the Vanadis legacy.
Bel: The machine called Aerial... There's no way you built it on your own. What are you planning to do? Why have your own daughter pilot it?
Prospera: You're much more talkative than I remember.
Bel: It's no use taking revenge for a 21-year-old—
Prospera: That Gundam pilot... How many have there been?
(Bel is visibly too shocked to answer)
Prospera: Nice to see you after so long. Until we meet again.
Prospera, speaking to someone on the phone as she walks away: Yes. The witch is under the wing of Peil Technologies. As expected, we smoked her out. (....) Worried? Not at all. Aerial will surely win. I trust my darling daughter.

Commentary: I'm going to be forever bitter that Bel doesn't fucking tell her how long she's been working for Peil because it would make my life close reading this shit and figuring out timelines sooooo much easier Belmeria Winston I swear to GOD.

--------------------------------------------

Ep 16


Cold open, AKA Gundam's haunted, confirmed.

DUB

Bel: You turned your own daughter into a mobile suit?
Prospera: My wish is to rewrite this world. Everything I do is for Eri's happiness. I couldn't believe my eyes at first, but from the moment she entered Lfrith, her biometric code was in sync with the Data Storm. Even so, the harsh conditions of space were more than her little body could endure... I saved her the only way I could: with a new body in the form of Lfrith. She lives on as Aerial.
Bel: Then you did it using the Data Storm's network. Transferred her biometric code into your Gundam.
Prospera: Eri exists as nothing but permet particles now. Without Aerial to contain her, her consciousness would disintegrate in physical space. But with a permet score of eight... If we can use Quiet Zero... We'll be able to expand the Data Storm's range. And my Eri can live a life of freedom. You'll help me Bel, won't you...?
Bel: I can't do that.
Prospera: You can't? Why not?
Bel: It's against the principles of the Vanadis Institute...
Prospera: That didn't stop you before.
(Bel freezes up, clearly frightened)
Prospera: Creating enhanced humans with artificial central nervous systems built to resist the Data Storm? Doctor Cardo would be appalled! You know that.
Bel: (quiet) Please stop...
Prospera: Neural Expansion Theory wasn't her idea, it was yours.
Bel: STOP IT!!!!! That's enough. Please....
Prospera: There's no escaping this. For either of us.

SUB

Bel: It can't be... You turned a human into a mobile suit...
Prospera: I want to rewrite the world so that Eri can be happy. I couldn't believe my eyes at first... Eri's biometric code was completely synched(sic) with the data storm. Even so... Her child's body couldn't endure the harshness of outer space. I decided to use Lfrith to keep Eri alive. Alive as Aerial.
Bel: You used the data storm's network to transfer her biometric code, is that it?
Prospera: Eri is nothing more than permet particles now. Without Aerial as her body, she'd disintegrate in physical space. But with a permet score of eight... If we can expand the range of the data storm through Quiet Zero... Then Eri... Can live in freedom! Won't you help me? Bel?
Bel: I can't.
Prospera: Oh? Why is that?
Bel: These aren't the principles of the Vanadis Institute.
Prospera: But didn't you make enhanced humans?
(Bel freezes up, clearly frightened)
Prospera: Using an artificial central nervous system with resistance to the data storm. That's the Neural Expansion Theory. Dr. Cardo refused to accept it.
Bel: Don't...
Prospera: The one who conceived the idea... Was you, am I right?
Bel: Stop it! Say no more... Please...
Prospera: There will be no escape... For you, either.

Commentary: Here is further confirmation that Neural Expansion Theory is specifically Bel's pet project, and the further juicy detail that Dr. Cardo was against her idea, ooooops! Anyway I think it's interesting that in the EN translation they have Bel horrified that Prospera turned "her own daughter" into a mobile suit whereas in the original japanese she more generally is just horrified by the idea of doing it to any human at all. (Thank you Twst for training me to pick out when people are saying NINGEN so I could confirm it wasn't just a weird sub translation choice lol.)

---------------------------------

Fivelan tries to jack the Aerial

DUB

Five: This Gundam isn't normal... It's nothing like the Pharact.
Bel: It's far more than you can handle.
Five: I'm acting on orders from the top. You SHOULD be helping me.
Bel: Well I can't.
Five: So fiddling with this mobile suit is harder than swapping out a living person's central nervous system?
Bel: What else would you have had me do back then?
Five: Eh?
Bel: All my colleagues burned along with everything we worked on... The only place I could find shelter was at Peil. I had to hold out hope. I thought humanity had a future with the GUND—
(SMACK)
Five: And what about the future you stole from us? You doomed us to death with your 'enhancements'. Was it just because you're so scared of dying yourself?
Bel: That wasn't what I wanted—
Five: ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES! I'm gonna report this. All of it.

SUB

Five: What the heck... Is this Gundam? This isn't like the Pharact at all!
Bel: You're unable to handle it.
Five: This is an order from above. You should help, too.
Bel: I can't.
Five: It must be easier tinkering with this than with enhanced humans.
Bel: What should I have done instead?
Five: Huh?
Bel: After my colleagues and research went up in flames, I had to take refuge on Peil's payroll. But one day... GUND's ideals would lead to a better future--
(SMACK)
Five: Even for human experiments like me? You don't want to die yourself, but you don't give a damn about my future!
Bel: You're wrong, I--
Five: Like hell I'm wrong! I'm going to report you to the higher-ups.

Commentary: OHHHHHH the differences in this one are REALLY interesting to me... AGAIN, they're mostly pretty minor but! A couple of points stick out to me:

"What else would you have had me do back then?" vs. "What should I have done instead?" The dub makes it sound like she's more directly posing the question to Five, whereas the sub kind of has it a little more general? Almost like she could just be musing distractedly. That difference might just be a quirk in the subs, mind you, I don't know how the original Japanese itself compares.

The biggest one for me is Five's use of "Us" in the dub, referring to the Enhanced Persons more as a whole, versus the sub where he's VERY pointedly saying "Me/My"; ultimately he's saying the same thing in both versions, but the sub's more personally offended spin on it feels more in line with his selfish nature. Maybe he's mad for all human experiments but he's FIRST AND FOREMOST mad for himself.

Odd that the dub brings up the artificial nervous system again. I think the only other place it gets mentioned is in the previous scene in the same ep between Bel and Prospera.

Episode 18

DUB

OG Elan: And why didn't you nominate me to run for president of the group?
Nugen: The peil grade has rendered it's judgement. It told us your time to take the stage has not yet come.

SUB

OG Elan: You should have nominated me as a presidential candidate.
Nugen: The peil grade rendered it's judgement. It's not yet time for you to take the stage.

Commentary: I mostly just pulled this one aside because I wanted to comment on how fun it is that the dub really goes an extra length to make it sound like Peil really worships the Peil Grade. Like, they really are a fuckin' AI bro cult. Freaks.

-------------------------

SUB

Five: Peil uses its own unique AI to select the company's leaders. The one who received the top grade was the real Master Elan Ceres. But when these stupid bride-catching games began, he needed a backup who could pilot a mobile suit.
Nika: In order to win duels?
Five: There was that, but also we were originally guinea pigs used to master Gundam technology.
Nika: Eh?
Five: Pilots implanted with resistance to Data Storms. That's us, the Enhanced Persons. We still can't help dying, though...
Nika: Then if you pilot the Pharact...
Five: I'll die. Anyone who pilots a Gundam will.
(sidebar about Suletta and Aerial being freaks)
Norea: You sure know how to run your mouth.
Five: There's no use hiding it now.

DUB

Nika: Evaluation system?
Five: It's a proprietary AI that Peil created to select the company's top level personnel. And it's highest rated candidate to take the helm was the original Master Elan Ceres. Until Delling's little bride chasing sideshow turned the groups internal politics on it's head, and he needed a backup who could pilot a mobile suit in his place.
Nika: So Peil sent in body doubles to fight duels...?
Five: That's part of it, but we had another purpose: to serve as lab rats for Gundam technology testing.
Nika: Huh?
Five: They implanted us with parts that can resist data storms. So we're ~Enhanced Persons~ now. Gundams still kill us, but it takes longer.
Nika You mean, piloting the Pharact...?
Five: Bingo. Piloting a Gundam means death.

Norea: You're never gonna stop talking, are you?
Five: Not much point in keeping secrets anymore. What's your story? You pilot a Gundam. Do you have a reason to embrace death?
Norea: Nope.
Five: ~Liar~.
Norea: I answered your question.
Five: I get it. You're empty on the inside, so you pretend you're sacrificing yourself for the Earthians.
(ATTEMPTED VIOLENCE ENSUES)
Norea: I'm gonna kill every last one of you spacian scum! So how's that for a reason, you smug bastard?Five: You don't actually want to be a Gundam pilot, do you?
Norea: SHUT UP!
Five: We're both disposable. Can we at least be real with each other?