I've been around dubs of anime for almost 20 years, and no where have I come across a more controversial decision than that of the dubbing company's decision to name the original character Sailor Chibi-moon "Sailor Mini-moon" in the English dub.

This of course follows on the not-so-distant heels of the latest Austin Powers flick in which the main badguy clones himself, I guess (I'll admit to not seeing the movie) and decides, "I shall name him Mini-Me."

The fact that the word "mini" is perhaps the best translation of the Japanese word "chibi" is no comfort to those people, including myself at times, who cringe at hearing the mutated name. (The reason I didn't see the movie is because I dislike Austin Powers, so I cringe because I am reminded of something I dislike anyway.)

However, look at the two most obvious alternatives. The dubbing company could have kept the name "Chibi-moon", but then would come the awkward task of having to somehow slip an explanation into the dub. This might seem easy to the average person, but consider that no other name has had to be explained and this would perhaps set a bad precedent. Also, since the characters in the story are all familiar with Chibi-moon, there was never any need for them to explain it to each other, and therefore no real place that a dubbing company could tweak into a "Hello, my name's Rini, but I'm also known as Sailor Chibi-moon."

So, any such attempt to do so would be awkward and confusing to the fans.

Also consider that "mini" is the best translation of the word "chibi". When I looked the word up in my online English-Japanese dictionary, what I discovered is that "chibi" means both "little" or "runt". Now, how foolish would Sailor Chibi-moon look if in the dub she introduced herself as "Sailor Little-moon", or even worse: "Sailor Runt-moon".

Face it folks. The only word in the English language that comes close to the actual meaning and context of the Japanese is the word "mini".

But, that's not my only problem with the whole "Mini-moon" issue. I can not imagine writing this editorial simply to clear up some mysteries surrounding the translation of a Japanese word. No, in the case of Sailor Mini-moon, some purists have taken their anger to extremes.

One fan at the "Anti-Mini-Moon Alliance" wrote: "I HATE THE NAME MINI MOON, down with minimoom!!!!!!" Sounds okay so far, even if the person is acting a bit irate. However, this fan didn't stop there. "Let's all gang up and kill the dubbies," the fan says.

Now, let me preface this by saying that it appears that this person is an extreme minority, even within the group of people who comprise this "alliance". Most of the people who wrote in and got posted to the comments page simply vent their dismay and disgust at the name "Mini-moon" and then go about their merry business. One contributor admitted that "it does fit the literal meaning of Chibi Moon" but then this person also confesses a nearly complete lack of knowledge of why dubbing comapnies do things by saying: "Dubbers shouln't mess with the original names of the characters and mess up the whole plot."

The errors continue. One fan wants to write the Cartoon network and complain about the dubbing. Newsflash folks: the Cartoon Network didn't do the dubbing. Fans also display a lack of knowledge about why dubbing companies do what they do with such comments as "...they've taken the whole editing thing too far, so we're not in Japan or can't understand Japanese, that doesn't make us stupid or closed-minded." and later: "How dare they do that to our beloved chibimoon!"

Getting back to our top story, so to speak, other Alliance commenters referred to the dubbers as "morons", and say that the renaming was "sick and twisted".

My own view is that the renaming of Chibi-moon into Mini-moon was unfortunate, but probably necessary. However, as usual, some fans take their fandom to an extreme that shows a lack of wisdom, common sense, and self-control.

The "let's all gang up" portion of the phrase brings back memories of the times out here in Wyoming when things weren't as civil, when the long arm of the LAW was stretched pretty thin and ordinary people had to take justice into their own hands, sometimes to protect themselves and the ones they loved. These were the original vigilantes, but let's not kid ourselves here. Vigilantes were actually few and far between, and just as often, they were called on to prove the justification for their actions. So, while the "let's all gang up" into this big band of people and go after the mean and evil dubbers sounds like a good idea to many, in reality, it accomplishes very little.

The really bad part is what happens after this band comes together. What is the purpose of this pack of vigilantes? "Let's all gang up and KILL THE DUBBIES!" Note that the writer did not say dubbers, or dubbing companies. The term "dubbies", a derogatory term used to identify those people who favor watching the English dub for whatever reason.

I have to believe either that this person accidentally wrote those words, or that what they really mean is the dubbers or the dubbing companies. I can not believe that someone would be so stupid as to advocate the murder of people because they prefer one adaptation of a show over another. It's about as stupid as one group of aliens killing their bretheren because the groups were wearing different colored scarves. (Babylon 5: "Points of Departure")

Anyone who knows me, or has talked to me, knows that I am a big fan of personal responsibility, and I also believe something Rush Limbaugh likes to say, "words mean things". Advocating the murder of fans because of a choice in the translation of one word is extreme to say the least. However, let's just say that this person means what they say. First off, any attempt to murder dubbies would run WAY into the ranks of serial killer, and the perpetrator would be found, jailed, and probably they would receive the death penalty.

I am demonstrating extremity by being a bit extreme here, but the idea is make you all remember to think about what you say, even on the Internet. There have been too many cases of people carrying out Internet threats for you not to do so.

I realize that this person was probably venting a frustration he or she feels about Ms Mini-Me, I mean Mini-Moon. However, I am rather upset too, and you don't see me threatening to kill dubbies. Why? Because Sailor Moon is one facet of anime, which is one facet of my life. It is not all-encompassing, and it's not the only thing I do.

It is often said that people who spend a lot of time on the Internet just need to shut off the computer and go outside, or curl up with a good book. I think that all of the members of this "Anti-Mini-moon Alliance" should do exactly that. Turn off your computers and go do something else. Perhaps then your life will have something else to it and you won't get so extreme because of the translation of ONE word.

Artemis

(comments welcome - please email me at [email protected] and I will post your comments here as well.)