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  • So a few months ago last year

  • I went to the cinema where I found myself sitting through numerous trailers for upcoming movies

  • And there was one trailer that really caught my eye. It was for a film with Chris Hemsworth

  • Cate Blanchett

  • and even Jeff Goldblum in it

  • Now to you and most audiences around the world you know this movie as 'Thor Ragnarok'

  • The latest movie in the seemingly never ending Marvel Cinematic Universe

  • But here in Japan it goes under a completely different name and one that is far more eye-catching

  • In my opinion because over here Thor Ragnarok is actually called Mighty Thor: Battle Royale

  • Now everybody knows the words 'Battle Royale' makes everything better and when I saw it

  • I was really excited at the time because I thought it was some kind of Japan exclusive

  • But unfortunately it turned out it was just Thor Ragnarok

  • With a different name it got me thinking what other Western films have been rebranded for Japanese audiences?

  • And it turns out there are some spectacular examples

  • So today, I wanted to share with you 21 film titles they've been translated for Japanese audiences often with questionable results

  • I mean looking at these film titles it can often feel like viewing them through an alternate universe or something

  • Take for example, the 2003 movie 'Anger Management' with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson

  • 'Anger Management' had a much more positive spin on it when it was released in Japan

  • Avoiding the word 'anger' altogether and instead calling it 'New York Style Happy Therapy'

  • 'New York Style Happy Therapy', I don't know about you, but happy therapy to me, sounds like some sort of sinister dystopian

  • education program and that image of Jack Nicholson doesn't do any favours

  • The movie 'Being John Malkovich' doesn't come off, too well

  • 'Being John Malkovich' is a film title that could have probably been translated into Japanese quite easily

  • And yet instead it was simply retitled as

  • 'Malkovich's Hole', I'm not... I'm not too sure what hole is before being referred to there

  • But it certainly conjures up some different imagery to the Western title doesn't it?

  • The Fast & Furious franchise in which Vin Diesel

  • drives a car that has been completely rebranded over here the 'Fast Five' for example is known in Japan as

  • 'Wild Speed Megamax'...

  • it sounds like a brand of condoms as opposed to a billion-dollar franchise

  • including the sequels 'Fast and Furious 7' known in Japan as

  • Still say what you will about 'Wild Speed Megamax' at least they put some degree of effort into

  • rebranding the franchise unlike 'American Pie: The Reunion', which they rebranded over here as

  • I'm not even joking that's genuinely the title and yet somehow

  • I suspect more time went into rebranding that title than was spent writing the script of the actual movie itself

  • Another franchise which was branded to questionable effects was the 'Final Destination' franchise

  • Now in the movie 'Final Destination 3' a lot of people die when a roller coaster

  • falls off the tracks and the Japanese title of the movie kind of

  • spoils that surprise somewhat because 'Final Destination 3' over here is known as

  • 'Final Dead Coaster'. Roller coaster, dead coaster

  • I don't know

  • It seems like someone was trying to think up a clever pun

  • And then they just gave up

  • The title for 'Final Destination 5 'continues this spoileriffic trend

  • In 'Final Destination 5' lots of people die when a bridge collapses

  • And with that piece of information in mind, let's see if you can guess the title of 'Final Destination 5' in Japan

  • Final... Dead...

  • Yep, say it out loud now.

  • Yeah 'Final Deadbridge'.

  • Congratulations. You got it right 'Final Deadbridge'

  • And yet somehow, It's still not the worst spoilers

  • you'll find in a Western title that's been adapted for Japan

  • That award goes to one of my favorite James Bond movies 'You Only Live Twice'

  • which in Japan is simply called '007 DiesTwice'

  • Yeah, it's not it's not quite as romantic and mysterious as the original title is it?

  • Here's another few movies where the adapted titles give away

  • a little bit too much information in order to reel in potential audience

  • Life of Pi is:

  • Despicable Me is:

  • The Spongebob movie: Sponge Out of Water

  • Very clever turn of phrase.

  • Over here, though it's:

  • And the classic Pixar movie 'UP'

  • has a bit more of a blunt rendition in Japan where UP is called:

  • That's said, at least by reading the title you know kind of what it's about

  • Unlike the next title which wins the award for worst translated movie ever.

  • now you might think 'The Karate Kid' is a title that would work well in Japan right?

  • Especially given that the word Karate is a Japanese word and yet NO.

  • In Japan, 'The Karate Kid' is called 'Best Kid'

  • The one title that didn't need to be translated or adapted, and they still did it.

  • Here's a few other titles that probably didn't need it either.

  • 'The Shawshank Redemption', one of the best titles of the '90s is:

  • and if only Andy Dufresne had been able to ascend into the Shawshank sky...

  • would have been a far more pleasant means of escape than crawling through that sewage pipe.

  • 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' is:

  • Now fair enough, Green destiny does have some relevance. It's the name of the sacred sword in the movie.

  • And yet it still lacks some of the poetic punch of the English title.

  • To me, 'Green Destiny' seems less like a martial arts movie and more like a documentary about vegans

  • but the most unpleasant sounding film adaption has to go to 'Nine Lives'

  • A movie in which Christopher Walken turns Kevin Spacey into a cat called Mr. Fuzzypants

  • and I'm genuinely not making up that synopsis, but the Japanese title is quite literally called 'Men in Cat'

  • 'Men in Cat' sounds like well...

  • I'm not even going to go there to be honest.

  • Still in my opinion some of the titles that they've adapted do actually sound better

  • For example, 'The Evil Dead'. Sam Raimi's 1981 classic is:

  • 'Friends With Benefits' is:

  • Which sounds more like life advice than a movie title

  • 'Olympus Has Fallen' in which Gerard Butler saves president Harvey Dent is:

  • 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is:

  • and 'Tooth Fairy', a movie in which the Rock becomes uhh...

  • becomes a tooth fairy... is there anything he won't do?

  • It has a much more violent edge in the Japanese version where it's called:

  • But I've saved my two favorite ones until last.

  • The first one is 'Army of Darkness'.

  • the third movie in the 'Evil Dead' franchise in which the protagonist, Ash Williams,

  • ends up in medieval times taking on well, an army of Darkness

  • But for whatever reason the artwork and the title seemed too dark for Japanese audiences, and it was retitled as...

  • Taking a violent antihero and making him sound like someone who volunteers at Walmart

  • But shockingly shit title aside, actually quite like the artwork on this one. The retro kind of artwork

  • Especially how they managed to fit Bruce Campbell's name, the name of the actor, onto the Campbell's Soup tin at the bottom there.

  • But my favorite adapted title ever.

  • Goes to a movie that I imagine few people watching this video will have seen

  • Even though it's allegedly one of Bill Clinton's favorite comedies

  • And that is the movie 'Who's Your Caddy?'

  • a movie in which a hip hop star tries to get into a country club by bribery

  • basically

  • That's the plot

  • Unsurprisingly the pun 'Who's Your Caddy' doesn't really translate well into Japanese

  • and so to attract audiences in Japan instead of 'Who's Your Caddy?'

  • They retitled it as:

  • 'We Are Hip Hop Golfers' imagine being in a situation

  • where you can legitimately use that phrase

  • but between the title 'We Are Hip Hop Golfers' and the artwork, that is my favorite title

  • So there you have it. 21 titles that have been readapted for Japanese audiences

  • But which one's your favorite?

  • Let us know in the comments section below

  • And a huge shoutout to my good friend Hanuka.

  • Who helped me compile this list. He spent the last year tweeting out these titles

  • I think there's over 150 now, and they're a joy to behold every week

  • So if you want to check them out follow him on Twitter, and he's also got a really awesome

  • underrated Youtube channel called 'Bomb Arrow'

  • Which has a lot of Japan based content, as well as skits and parody videos with the kind of videos

  • I often dream of making but lack the after effects skills to actually pull off myself

  • You can check out his videos such as 'When Gamers Play Russian Roulette'

  • or 'Using DOCTOR STRANGE's Magic!' at his channel in the description box below

  • But for now guys as always many thanks for watching. I'll see you next time.

  • I'm off now to get some 'New York Style Happy Therapy',

  • or as I like to call it 'a hamburger'.

So a few months ago last year

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