My comments on volume 1 of the Del Rey version:
Nice to see a translated Oh! great work without the artwork censored.
The first 8 colour pages in the Japanese edition are reproduced twice in the Del Rey version: firstly exactly as it is in the Japanese edition, including with text untranslated (presumably so as not to mess up the colour art), secondly in black and white with text translated and touching up. I like the fact that Del Rey have gone to the extra trouble of doing that.
I've only performed a very quick comparison of artwork and text. Translation on the whole is fine, though personally I prefer a more literal translation. Sometimes the translator may not see links which the author intended, and a less literal translation can destroy that link. It seems to me that a loose translation is the reason for a number of my following comments.
(Note that the page numbering adopted for the Del Rey edition matches the Japanese edition.)
Page 14 panel 4
Japanese edition: Chako says "I've bought the Inoki omnibus!!"
Del Rey edition: Chako says "Hee hee, I wanna see *all* your tricks, Itsuki!"
Given that there's later reference to Inoki in the Del Rey edition, and that that reference was given a translation note, it's strange that the same thing wasn't done in this case. It's even stranger because at page 58 panel 1 there's a picture of Chako holding the Inoki omnibus (translated by Del Rey as the "Inoki Yearbook") - the reason why she's holding the book is lost to the reader of the Del Rey edition without the first line.
Note also that the only art edits in this volume (that I found) were to replace Japanese signs with English signs. Apart from page 58 panel 1, this also occurs at page 91 panel 3, page 103 panel 7 and page 117 panel 2.
Page 25 panel 1
Rika is holding a bottle. The label is untranslated. It says "MSG - miso flavour". For some reason, this label is untranslated in the Del Rey version, when other signs in the volume are translated. Not a big deal story-wise since the reader will the gist of what's going on in the following panels, but strange.
Page 27 panel 1
In this scene, the girls are eating meat, while Ikki is given some tiny fish and a mouthful of rice. Mikan is holding a piece of meat in her chopsticks and says-
Japanese: "Here Pochi. (It can't be helped.)"
Del Rey: "Eat my shorts- it's what you get."
In the next panel, there's a picture of Ikki with dog ears and tail - a reference to Mikan calling him Pochi (for Japanese, "Pochi" is a stereotypical name for a dog). This reference is lost in the Del Rey version. Why not just translate it as "Here Spot/Rover"?
Page 63 panel 1
In the Japanese edition, there's reference to Higa-chu (presumably short for Higashi-chugaku or East Junior High). The Del Rey edition starts by referring to "Eastside" but this panel then refers to Higashi, which may confuse readers. There are also references to Higashi on page 96 panel 1, page 144 panel 1 and page 181 panel 5. Just inconsistent IMO.
Page 70 panel 5
Japanese: "and that outfit.."
Del Rey: "...and with the naughty ski instructor look going and all..."
This kind of translation is just too loose for my liking.
Page 80 panel 4
Japanese: Mikan calls Ikki "Chicken boy/jerk".
Del Rey: Mikan calls him a "wuss".
In most cases, I'd just say that translation is subjective and as long as the meaning is conveyed, that's the main thing. But in this manga, there's a theme of Ikki being linked with birds (see for example page 110 where Ikki is compared to a hawk with a broken wing). This is the sort of thing I mean when I say less literal translations can sometimes miss things which the author may have intended.
Page 94 panel 1
Japanese: reference to 5,000 yen.
Del Rey: reference to 500 yen.
Clearly just a typo since there's a note in the Del Rey edition that this amount is equivalent to about US$40.
Page 95 panel 4
Japanese: "That would've been Chako's first time"
Del Rey: "But who knows what could happen to us next time!!"
Censorship IMO. (Does this mean Air Gear makes it into the manga edits forum?) The implication is that Chako's been violated. Given that Del Rey has rated this book OT, I would've hoped they didn't feel the need to do this. The Japanese line also helps explain Ikki's look of shock in the next panel. Note also that at page 109 panel 4, Kazu says (in the Del Rey edition) "Chako says not to blame you... It's not anybody's fault she says and... and well..." The meaning of this line is lost without a literal translation of the earlier line.
Page 101 panel 1
Japanese: "The disciples of the skull will sleep in the forest."
Del Rey: Ringo says "Those who follow the mark of the skull will meet their end... in the forest."
The less literal translation lessens the link to the team "Sleeping Forest".
Page 109 panel 4
Del Rey: "You know you don't wanna keep hating on us anymore either!!"
Seems to be some syntax/grammar error there.
Page 132
Japanese: Next to the picture of one of Shiraume's dolls is an arrow pointing to the doll's hair and the word "eels".
Del Rey: States "This hair is actually made of eels".
I don't think Oh! great meant that the doll's hair is *actually made* of eels, but rather that the hair is supposed to *represent* eels (ie the doll looks like a medusa).
Page 144 panel 1
Japanese: "If you swear not to mess with Higa-chu again, I'll let you off today with a firecracker up your dick/urethra."
Del Rey: "Let's end this all now... If you swear to never show your face at Higashi again, then I'll forget about everything that you did here."
Dialogue toned down (and a split infinitive
).
Page 144 panel 4
Japanese: "Do it!! Come on!! I won't resist!! Take my fingers, my di__, whatever you want, come on!!"
Del Rey: "Bring your shit, bitch! You can't stand up against me!! You wanna lift a finger against me, just do it!!"
Dialogue toned down (and seems to have been changed from Magaki saying he won't resist to Magaki saying Ikki can't stop him). In general, though, I don't think the language in the Del Rey version has been toned down (as shown by the use of the words "shit" and "bitch" in this panel).
Page 161 panel 2
Japanese: side comment "There's your interest. Now get lost, idiot." ("Interest" as in 'to pay someone back with interest'.)
Del Rey: this side comment was omitted.
Page 183 panel 3
Japanese: "Dosukoi, dosukoi, little Koni(shiki)."
Del Rey: "Oh, that's sexy... yeah, baby... Like a little Konishiki..."
"Dosukoi" is the cry that sumo wrestlers (and sumo audiences) make when preparing for a bout. Del Rey's edition changes this to a sarcastic remark, but it's strange because Del Rey inserted a translation note about Konishiki (the sumo wrestler). If you're going to put in a translation note at that point, I would've just kept the "dosukoi" and added a translation note for that at the same time.
Page 191 panel 1
Japanese: "I mean... did some girls pass through here!? A group of 3...."
Del Rey: "Actually, have you seen a group of girls come by here? Should be four of them."
Translation error - the numeral "3" somehow got translated as "four"
Page 192 panel 2
Del Rey edition refers to "Koro-jii" (Old Man Koro, Grandpa Koro) but the translation note on honourifics at the beginning of the book does not explain "-jii" (only other suffixes like "-san" etc).
The Del Rey edition mistranslates "onushi" to mean "Master" when it means "you", which results in the relevant sentences being mistranslated, as follows:
Page 194 panel 3
Japanese: "To the world you seek."
Del Rey: "To where the Master will decide about you."
Page 197 panel 3
Japanese: "The ones you seek are just ahead!!"
Del Rey: "The ones that the Master sent to decide about you are just in front of you now!!"
Pages 198 & 199
Japanese: "Your wings are crying!!"
Del Rey: "I can hear them now... the Master's wings screeeaaaming!!"