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• 1 2015-07-28T03:22:02-07:00 Sexuality 12 Contains information regarding sexual themes featured in the SNES version of Chrono Trigger plain 2015-08-07T01:38:33-07:00 [The script text referenced throughout is from the Chrono Trigger Retranslation Project via the Chrono Compendium, completed in script form on March 30, 2007. This fan translation, thanks to KWhazit, creates "a clearer portrayal of Chrono Trigger as intended by its Japanese creators," that forgoes, "Nintendo of America's censorship standards," and overrides the video game's inability to hold all of the original text when translated to English. Please note that blue text is used to highlight specific Japanese characters and differentiate the North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) localization script.]
   
  As far as sexual censorship is concerned, Chrono Trigger in Japan was more open about sexual matters and was, in a sense, more sex-positive. When compared to this tolerant view, the North American localization appears to be more anxious, in large part, due to the sensitivity of the topic among the general populace. Following in suit, Nintendo of America tailored its game content guidelines to match this consensus, creating especially heavy rules concerning sexual themes. Because of these differences, Japanese sexuality was never fully articulated in the English script to North American audiences — with certain phrases, items, characters, and scenarios being altered or removed in their entirety.
  
  In particular, Ayla and Flea are the most sexualized characters featured throughout the adventure, indicating this through their appearance, language, gestures, and provocative thoughts pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. What is fascinating however, is that Flea’s depiction as a transgender character was deemed fine by Nintendo of America’s censorship standards:

  カエル「ゆだんするな！ こいつが空魔士マヨネー！ ただの女ではない。
  
  Kaeru: Don't get careless! This one's the Void Mage Mayonnay! She's not just any woman.
  
  Frog: Keep your guard up! This is no ordinary woman! Meet Flea, the magician!
  
  
  
  マヨネー「ムキーッ！ ど～せ、あたいは男ヨ！
  
  Mayonnay: Urrrrgh! Hey, I AM a guy after all!
  
  FLEA: What the...?! Hey, I'm a GUY!
  
  
  
  マール「男なの、このコ！
  
  Marle: A guy, this girl!?
  
  Marle: THAT is a GUY?!
  
  
  
  ルッカ「ゲ！　男なの、アンタ！？
  
  Lucca: Geh! A guy, YOU!?
  
  Lucca: Say what?! That's a guy?!
  
  
  
  ロボ「外見はあきらかに女性としか思えマセンガ……。
  
  Robo: I CAN think nothing BUT that the appearance is obviously female...
  
  Robo: But its exterior is that of a female...
  
  
  Mayonnay assumes a provocative pose and blows kisses.
  
  
  マヨネー「フフン、けど女でも男でも強い者は美しいのヨネ～。
  
  Mayonnay: *giggle*, but male, female, either way, the strong are beauuutiful.
  
  FLEA: Male...female...what's the difference? Power is beautiful, and I've got the power!

  
  
  As a result, Flea’s flexible gender identity is preserved in his appearance and “girly” gestures (especially with the “blowing a kiss” sprite animation). On the other hand, Flea’s feminine style of Japanese, his “giggle,” his usage of the 「～」 tilde and 「ー」 long vowel marks (characteristic of 「可愛い」 kawaii, “cute” speech patterns), as well as the heart icons speckled throughout his speech are lost when translation to English transpired (see SNES Character Names and Personalities):

  マヨネー「は～い！ あたいを、よんだ？
  
  Mayonnay: Here! You called for me?
  
  FLEA: You sent for me?
  
  
  
  マヨネー「あ～ら、これはみなさんおひさしぶりネ～。 しつこいコは、オネーサンキライ　なのヨネ～。
  
  Mayonnay: Oh my, look who we have here. It sure has been a while. Big sis does not like stubborn little boys and girls.
  
  FLEA: Long time no see. You know, I REALLY don't like you.

  
  
  Flea’s English translation also forgoes the mention of “big sis” displayed up above, and once you defeat him in battle, Flea drops the “Flea Vest” or “Mayonnay’s Bra” — an obvious censor enforced by Nintendo of America. This is very similar to the item that increases Ayla’s “Charm” or “Flirt” power (with “Flirt” being from the Japanese script). This equippable garment is either called the “Charm Top” or the “Captivating Bra,” once more removing explicitly sexual terminology with child-friendly words. This nonsexual jargon is also noticeable when referring to Spekkio’s description of Ayla:

  スペッキオ「こ、こりゃセクシーなネーちゃん！ けど、ネーちゃん、魔法のあった時代以前の生まれだな。 ダイナマイツだが、魔法ムリ。
  
  Spekkio: Th-this's one sexy babe! But babe, you were born before an era that had magic. You're dynamite, but magic's a no-go.
  
  SPEKKIO: All right! Sweetheart! Unfortunately, you were born before magic existed! But you seem to have other skills that will get you by.

  
  
  Here, Ayla is labeled as a sexy babe (using the Japanese honorific 「ちゃん」 chan), while also being compared to 「ダイナマイ」 dynamite. When examining the English script, these qualities are either removed or de-emphasized with nonsexual equivalents, like “sweetheart.” Besides these discrepancies, Ayla’s bisexual comment, which leads into a witty scene, is mitigated in quite the same manner:

  エイラ「エイラ　いう。 エイラ　強い男　好き。 だから　エイラ　クロ　好き。
  
  Ayla: Called Ayla. Ayla like strong men. So Ayla like Cro.
  
  Ayla: Me Ayla. Ayla like strong people. So Ayla like Crono!
  
  
  
  マール「は、はなれてよ、クロノ！
  
  Marle: G-get away from her, Crono!
  
  Marle: Get away from her, Crono!
  
  
  
  ルッカ「エイラのに気に入られたわねクロノ……
  
  Lucca: You've been found worthy of being Ayla's, Crono...
  
  Lucca: I think she likes you, Crono...
  
  
  
  エイラ「お前達も　強い。 エイラ　強い者　好き。 男でも　女でも。
  
  Ayla: Yous strong too. Ayla like strong people. Man, woman, not matter.
  
  Ayla: You strong too. Ayla respect strong people. Men and women.
  
  
  
  マール「な～んだ、そういう事か。
  
  Marle: Oh, is THAT how it is?
  
  Marle: Oh, brother...
  
  
  
  ルッカ「わ、私は、そのケはないわよ！
  
  Lucca: I d-don't swing that way!
  
  Lucca: Where have they been keeping her?

  
  
  In another instance involving Ayla, her exchange with Marle is also altered, leaving out mentions of breastfeeding:

  エイラ「おう　すだつ！ エイラにもそれ　わかる！ プテランもすだつ。 時たてば　すだつ！ マールも　すだつか？ それすごい！
  
  Ayla: Oh, leave nest! Ayla understand that too! Pteran leave nest too. Time pass, leave nest! Marle leave nest too? That great!
  
  Ayla: Ayla know about leaving nest! Time pass, grow big, leave nest! Ayla leave nest! Dactyl leave nest too. Marle leave too? Big change!
  
  
  
  エイラ「すだつ！　ねねする！ 子供うむ！　おっぱいやる！ そしてまだ　子がすだつ！
  
  Ayla: Leave nest! Make baby! Bear kids! Give boobs! Then kids leave nest again!
  
  Ayla: Leave nest! Have baby! Baby grow big! Leave nest too!
  
  
  
  エイラ「オマエ　だいじょぶか？ おっぱいないな……。
  
  Ayla: You be okay? No have boobs...
  
  Ayla: Sure you ready leave nest? Not too big yet.

  
  
  In staying true to Ayla’s speech patterns, Ayla uses the crude phrase 「おっぱいやる」 which literally means "breasts" plus a verb meaning "do" or "give". The reference of breasts, even in the nonsexual context of providing breast milk to a child, is deemed inappropriate, ultimately diminishing Ayla’s admirable honesty and compassion towards others.
  
   

  By avoiding the exact meaning of this exchange and others mentioned, these censorships influenced portions of the English Chrono Trigger script, in the end creating different scenarios. Although Flea’s transgender nature was preserved (to some extent), the full articulation of Japanese sexual culture to North American gaming communities was not possible due to enforcement of standards that forbade the inclusion of “sexually suggestive or explicit content.”
• 1 2015-07-28T03:53:13-07:00 Sexuality 8 Contains information regarding the sexual themes featured in the NDS version of Chrono Trigger plain 2015-08-06T02:51:15-07:00 [The script text referenced throughout is from the Chrono Trigger Retranslation Project via the Chrono Compendium, completed in script form on March 30, 2007. This fan translation, thanks to KWhazit, creates "a clearer portrayal of Chrono Trigger as intended by its Japanese creators," that forgoes, "Nintendo of America's censorship standards," and overrides the video game's inability to hold all of the original text when translated to English. Please note that blue text is used to highlight specific Japanese characters and differentiate the North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) localization script. Also, Nintendo Dual Screen (NDS) text from the North American localization will appear above all other text outside of the boxes.]
   
  Before Tom Slattery's partial retranslation came into effect, most forms of explicit sexuality in Chrono Trigger were removed or discreetly hidden from the player’s eyes as a result of Nintendo of America’s standards on game content at the time. Although Slattery’s script reintroduced various words and themes from the original rendition, these too were more ambiguous or less explicit than what the original Japanese script depicted. In accordance with the “middle english” theme, highly descriptive and, coincidentally, uncommon terminology was implemented — ultimately adding language barriers among younger, as well as uninformed, players. Thus, it can be viewed that Japanese sexuality was at times faithfully rearticulated to North American gaming audiences. However, there is also a prevalence of ambiguity, which clouds the Western gamer’s true understanding of the context surrounding specific assets and scenes.
  
  

  Within the (SNES Sexuality) section, Flea’s transgender nature was examined. Interestingly, this character’s transgender quality was apparently not an issue with Nintendo of America, and so, Flea’s original sexual characteristics were preserved. The mention of the word “bra” however, was not. Instead, “Mayonnay’s Bra” became “Flea’s Vest,” but in the subsequent English retranslation, Slattery decided to use the configuration, “Flea Bustier.” The following noun, “bustier” is a less common one, and evidently has two objectives: one is to add yet another flowery descriptor into the “middle english” dialect, and the second purpose, presumably, is to make the item discreet, and ultimately child-friendly. The same can also be said of Ayla’s item (first called the “Captivating Bra,” and later the “Charm Top” overseas) which is now referred to as the “Alluring Top.” This example is even more vague, since the word “top” is synonymous with many types of clothing. As such, it is not as accurate as “bustier,” although it is indeed child-friendly.
  
  In a similar way, Ayla’s two previously censored scenes were also altered, but in minute or restrained approaches. For instance, during Ayla’s bisexual remark (although it is not completely avoided), Lucca, in Slattery’s script, still does not explicitly state what she “is not”:
   

  Ayla: Me Ayla. Ayla like strong man. So Ayla like Crono!
  Marle: Get away from her, Crono!
  Lucca: Looks like somebody's got a new friend.
  Ayla: You strong, too. Ayla like strong person. Man, woman…both like!
  Marle: Oh, dear…
  Lucca: I…I don't… I mean, I'm not—!

  エイラ「エイラ　いう。 エイラ　強い男　好き。 だから　エイラ　クロ　好き。
  
  Ayla: Called Ayla.Ayla like strong men. So Ayla like Cro.
  
  Ayla: Me Ayla. Ayla like strong people. So Ayla like Crono!
  
  
  
  マール「は、はなれてよ、クロノ！
  
  Marle: G-get away from her, Crono!
  
  Marle: Get away from her, Crono!
  
  
  
  ルッカ「エイラのに気に入られたわねクロノ……
  
  Lucca: You've been found worthy of being Ayla's, Crono...
  
  Lucca: I think she likes you, Crono...
  
  
  
  エイラ「お前達も　強い。 エイラ　強い者　好き。 男でも　女でも。
  
  Ayla: Yous strong too. Ayla like strong people. Man, woman, not matter.
  
  Ayla: You strong too. Ayla respect strong people. Men and women.
  
  
  
  マール「な～んだ、そういう事か。
  
  Marle: Oh, is THAT how it is?
  
  Marle: Oh, brother...
  
  
  
  ルッカ「わ、私は、そのケはないわよ！
  
  Lucca: I d-don't swing that way!
  
  Lucca: Where have they been keeping her?

  
  
  The following, although innately discreet, is still a more accurate depiction of the scene. The original English rendition completely disregards Ayla’s words, countering them with Lucca’s question “where have they been keeping her?” Comparably, Ayla’s monologue — in which she mentions breastfeeding and a more informal version of the word “breasts” (see SNES Sexuality) — is another example of this pseudo-authentic condition:
   

  Ayla: Oh, leave nest! Ayla know leave nest! Dactyl leave nest!
  Time pass, get big, leave nest! Marle leave nest, too? Big change!
  Leave nest! Have baby! Give milk! Have more baby!
  Marle ready leave nest? Look still small.

  エイラ「おう　すだつ！ エイラにもそれ　わかる！ プテランもすだつ。 時たてば　すだつ！ マールも　すだつか？ それすごい！ すだつ！　ねねする！ 子供うむ！　おっぱいやる！ そしてまだ　子がすだつ！ オマエ　だいじょぶか？ おっぱいないな……。
  
  Ayla: Oh, leave nest! Ayla understand that too! Pteran leave nest too. Time pass, leave nest! Marle leave nest too? That great! Leave nest! Make baby! Bear kids! Give boobs! Then kids leave nest again! You be okay? No have boobs...
  
  Ayla: Ayla know about leaving nest! Time pass, grow big, leave nest! Ayla leave nest! Dactyl leave nest too. Marle leave too? Big change! Leave nest! Have baby! Baby grow big! Leave nest too! Sure you ready leave nest? Not too big yet.

  
  
  Although one could infer through the animation that Marle is embarrassed of the size of her bust because of Ayla’s final comment and the subsequent covering her chest, the fact that “breasts” are never mentioned possibly makes this interpretation all the more difficult to conjure up. Ayla’s, “give milk” and “look still small,” are also stated far apart from each other, not helping in quelling the barrier to original contextual understanding. On the other hand, “give milk” represents the original Japanese phrase 「おっぱいやる」 “give boobs,” which is a crude way of saying “breastfeed.” This line was censored in the original English script, which constitutes this as an authentic cultural artifact of Chrono Trigger.
  
   

  As witnessed above, Slattery’s retranslation reintroduced many of the themes and terms lost in the original North American localization of Chrono Trigger, but at a price. Some of these instances were clouded by restrained and uncommon equivalents, possibly amounting to a loss of context in younger generations or those who are unaware of outdated terminology. In this regard, Chrono Trigger’s original sexual themes were, by some means, rearticulated to North American gaming audiences — at times revising previous notions of the game’s content, as well as possibly hurting contextual understanding as a whole.