Attack on Kansai: manga creators post free comic translated into the Osaka area dialect

There seems to be no stopping the enormously popular manga-turned-anime series (and soon-to-be live-action film) "Attack on Titan" with fans all over the world who can’t get enough of its terrifying world.

"Attack on Titan" has seen crossovers and fan-made tributes before, but last week the manga creators themselves surprised fans when they published a special online comic of the first issue completely translated into the Kansai dialect spoken in western Japan around Osaka.

"Attack on Titan" announced the free comic by posting a picture of the redesigned cover showing well-known symbols of the Osaka area, such as the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, takoyaki and of course, purple-haired obachan.

Among Japan’s many dialects, the one spoken in the Kansai (or Kinki) area is arguably the most well-known because of its association with the entertainment industry, especially comedians. Osaka is usually considered to be the unofficial pop culture capital of Kansai, so many people in Japan think of its famous foods, landmarks and people when they hear the Kansai dialect. And being Japan’s second most populous region after the Tokyo metropolitan area, it makes sense that the "Attack on Titan" creators would want to honor fans their with a translation into everyday language there.

The 189-page comic is a word for word translation from the original Japanese into what you would hear on the streets of Osaka or Kobe. So words like “baka,” which means “stupid” in standard Japanese, are changed to “aho,” which is more commonly used in Kansai. And instead of referring to the “human race,” the Kansai translation of "Attack on Titan" addresses the residents of walled cities as “people of Kansai.”

Japanese netizens were quick to take advantage of the opportunity to the first issue of "Attack on Titan" in the accent usually reserved for comedians and variety show hosts on TV. Many wondered if the creators would go a step further and offer a fully dubbed version of the Kansai version of the "Attack on Titan" anime.

Sources: Kodansha, h/t Hachimakiko, Naver Matome

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