Chinese Sailormoon
General Overview
Chinese Sailormoon is pretty diverse, since you have to consider mainland China,
Taiwan, and Hong Kong as three separate areas that all write and speak Chinese.
Each of these three areas uses different names for the senshi with different
characters and different pronounciations. There are supposedly two to three
independent dubbers of Cantonese Sailormoon in Hong Kong. Different names are
used in those dubs, and, from what I understand, it took a while for some of
those individual dubs to even settle on consistent names. That doesn't include
the Cantonese manga, but I don't know if it uses the same names as those of at
least one version of the anime; I highly doubt that they are exactly alike
though.
In Taiwan, the manga uses entirely different names from the dubbed anime-
I don't know where the anime gets its names from, because a lot of them aren't
even direct translations. The anime is pretty funny because it switches names
at some point; originally Ami's name is 'Ai mi,' based on how you pronounce it
in Japanese, but by the R dub, Minako's name is 'Ai mi,' and Ami's name is its
correct one, based on the Japanese kanji. The anime books operate
independently of the actual anime dub because they use different names, more
similar to the manga names, but not quite the same. Then the anime book memorial
albums, like the S movie book, which use the manga names in them, not the
anime books' or the anime's. The subbed anime (the original Japanese anime
subtitled in Chinese), use names based on the anime books' names but using some
terms based on the dubbed anime, depending on what season it is.
Cantonese Name Romanizations
The following are contributed by Setsuna
Meioh and Saturn respectively. The names are from the Cantonese version
of SM, but because they differ, I'm guessing they got the names from different
anime versions or one from the manga, the other from one of the anime.
- Tsukino Usagi = Yuet Yea Tou
- Mizuno Ami = Sui Yea Ah Mei
- Hino Rei = Fo Yea Lei
- Kino Makoto = Mook Yea Jan Kam
- Aino Minako = Knoy Yea May Loy Gee
- Meioh Setsuna = Ming Wong Fat Loi
- Kaioh Michiru = Hoi Wong Mun (Ah Mun for short)
- Tenoh Haruka = Tin Wong Yeu
- SailorPluto: Meng Wong Xut Noi (Xut Noi for short)
- SailorSaturn: Tou Mang Ying (Ah Yng for short)
Interesting Facts
- In the Tawainese dubbed anime and subbed anime, the senshi are referred to
as 'fairies,' not Sailors. So their names are 'Moon Fairy', 'Mars Fairy',
'Neptune Fairy', et cetera.
- The Hong Kong and Taiwanese manga are both pretty good translations of
the original, except when it comes to names, attacks, and henshin phrases-
they have the most mistakes when it comes to those areas.
- The Hong Kong manga uses English when it mentions the senshi, some attacks,
and the phrase 'make-up.' For example, the manga writes 'MARS' in English if
someone is talking to or about Sailormars; if Venus uses "Venus Crystal Power
Make-Up", the manga will write "Venus Crystal Power" in Chinese, then write
'MAKE-UP' in English; and it misspells some of the attacks like 'Star Serious
Laser.' The Animamates are called 'Animaids' in the Cantonese SailorStars
manga.
- The Taiwanese anime books put 'sailor' at the end of the senshi's names,
so their names are 'Moon Sailor,' 'Uranus Sailor,' 'Pluto Sailor,' et cetera.
- In the Taiwanese anime and anime books, Usagi's name is 'Little Rabbit.'
Putting 'little' in front of the name makes it sort of a nickname, sort of
like -chan or -san, except there's really no distinction on respect (for
example Haruka is called by everyone as 'Little Haruka', or rather, 'Little
Distant'). In any case, that sort of throws things off, so Chibi-usa is called
'Little Little Rabbit.' The only possible confusion I can see coming from
this is if the dub ever gets to SailorStars and ChibiChibi.
- In the Taiwanese manga, ChibiChibi is called 'Little Little,' while the
Cantonese manga calls her 'Little Little Rabbit.' Apparently adding the
'rabbit' in at the end makes it easier to say, less awkward. In the Taiwanese
dub, ChibiChibi is called 'Xiao Bu Dian.'
- Michiru's Taiwanese manga name means 'full,' and in the Cantonese manga,
it means 'beauty and wisdom kept.' Michiru's Taiwanese anime name is the
same as her Taiwanese manga name.
- Haruka's Taiwanese anime name is almost the same as her Taiwanese manga
name, just that it has the character for "spring" in between the character
for "king" (wang) and the character for "distant" (yuan).
- The Taiwanese dubbed anime uses the same intro and ending animations as in
the Japanese anime. However, they only use one introduction and one ending
throughout the entire series, and they don't change it like in the Japanese
anime. In the first season dub, only the BGM of the intro and ending songs
is used, and the Japanese singing is left out. In the SailorStars dub, the
Japanese songs are kept in both the introduction and the ending.
- The Taiwanese SailorStars dub is called "Super Pretty Soldiers" for some
reason.
- There is no censorship that I'm aware of in the Taiwanese anime.
Everything is left the same, and Haruka and Michiru are still obviously
lesbians.
The following information was submitted by Soryu
Langley Asuka, is as of 5/11/2002, and is cut and pasted:
Well, Sailor Moon in mainland China is terrible, especially the voice. Usagi's
voice is like a three-years-old child, and Mamoru's is like an old fogey ~_~ The
voice of other Characters aren't very interesting to the ear, either. (So is Sm
not so favorably in China, many Anime Otakus think that Sm is only for little babys.)
It was only showed the first two Seasons,and I think that the other three can't be
show on the TV. (Sailor Moon is NOT popular in mainland China.)
The opening and endings were mostly cut,or we can only hear the melody-without vocal.
The Anime version was only called Mei Shao Nue(umlaut) Zhan Shi (Bishoujo
Sensh-Pretty Soldiers). And the Senshi's last name were READ from the Original
Kanji (Japanese kanji are alike the Ch. character), not translate, only the
katagana were translated.
Sailor Moon in the mainland Anime version was called"Shui Bing Yue".(Shuibing=Sailor
Yue=Moon)
The Attacks and Transforms were translated in China, mostly very awkward. "Make up"
was changed in "bianshen" (what means Henshin.)
There are many Manga version (The Manga version was called
MeiShaoNueZhanShi-ShuiShouYueLiang. Shuishou=Sailor Yueliang=Moon), mainly an
encode from the Hongkong version, but all the Attacks and Transforms was
translated in Chinese.
They're many errors in the Manga, and the quality is not very well.
The first five (Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, ChibiMoon) Senshi's name were
translated (Moon in Yueliang, Mercury in ShuiXing, Mars in HuoXing, Jupiter in
MuXing, Chibimoon in XiaoYueLiang) But the name from the other 6 soldiers are
only transcriptions.
There is nothing different from Three Lights and Starlights in this version.
The boygroup was called San Shu Guang(what means Three Lights), when they are
transformed, they are Sailor Three Lights. And the name for Starfighter,
Starmaker, Starhealer are without "Star" and difficult. (In many Chinese
versions they were called Sailor Starlight-xxxxxx.)
The name of Sailor Starlights in the Chinese versions are difficult,too. I've
heard that some of the Hongkong versions called them "Shooting Stars Three
Lights", or the "three Starlight knight-errands". I can't believe it...... And
"Sailor Stars" in Hongkong was changed in "Last Starlight."
There are many difference from the Manga and Anime names. Queen Beryl in the
Anime was called Q.Beiliao Nuewang (NueWang means Queen or mistress. I can't
believe that the translator doesn't know that the katagana for Queen Queen
means.) And there're anything wrong with the Manga name from Beryl. Her name
in the Manga version is Bell......
Huu, I'm tired, so I can't write something about the names anymore.
I will say something about your China-SM-Info: "The anime is pretty funny because
it switches names at some point; originally Ami's name is 'Ai mi,' based on how
you pronounce it in Japanese, but by the R dub, Minako's name is 'Ai mi,' and Ami's
name is its correct one, based on the Japanese kanji." Well,I think Minako was
called "Ai Mi" because "Ai Mi" here is a diminutive, something like "Mi-chan".
In Takubon 18, Chibichibi was called 'Little Little Rabbit', too. And Chibiusa was
called Little 'Ai' rabbit. Usagi in the Manga was called 'Ai' Rabbit.
By the way,in some Hongkong versions,the songs were sung in Kantonese. The melody
are the same.But the Lyrics are a little difference.
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