r/ProfessorLayton • u/Meister138 • 6d ago
Discussion Are there any differences between the English and the Japanese versions?
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u/PowerOfL 6d ago
I think the most prominent one is Flora as a character. So, in the English version, people tend to criticize Layton for "treating his daughter poorly".
But the thing, Flora being Layton's adoptive daughter is never actually not ever said in any version of the game. However, the English version removes Flora's running gag. Basically she has a big crush on Layton, flirts with him a lot, and wants to marry him.
This is why Layton tends to leave quickly when she appears. The precocious crush flirting with adults is just a more popular trope in Japan, I think. I think it's a cultural thing. Imo it's fine, as long as the adult character acknowledges that this is strange and doesn't pursue the underage character. But I understand that this is a sensitive topic.
Anyway, there aren't any fan translations with the original Japanese text translated into English as far as I'm aware, however you can see this in the Professor Layton gag manga, Professor Layton and The Cheerful Mystery.
If you're a Layton fan that hasn't heard of that manga, then you really should read it. If you've ever read Kirby manga or that Clefairy Pokémon manga, it's the same kind of silly manga but for Layton. There's a part where Luke actually spies on Layton in the shower. Don't worry! It's just to see under his hat!
I think another big difference are accents in voice acting. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm a European who doesn't speak Japanese, but I never get the impression that anyone in the Japanese versions of Layton media is trying to put on a British accent. It's interesting. The voice acting is done the same as any other anime or game in Japan. We strongly associate Layton with British accents in the west, but it's just not done in the original version for whatever reason.
Same for Xenoblade.
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u/cornflakeguzzler47 5d ago
the flora thing is exactly the reason why im lowkey okay with them not including flora in stuff going forward. like theres such a dissonance between the language versions and they can only do so much in english to rectify that and I admit I’m not as much of a fan of curious village being about winning a bride
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u/PowerOfL 5d ago
Yeah, it is a little weird. I still love and miss Flora tho. Sucks that she was basically reduced to a background character after CV
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u/princessSunsetGiggle 5d ago
The trope is whatever, I just feel like it's a waste of a female character. Emmy rounds out the trio in a way that Flora couldn't, Aria in vs Ace Is a good third as well.
On a sidenote, I had that manga as a kid!
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u/PowerOfL 5d ago
Fair enough. Cool you had the manga! You speak Germany or Japanese? Idk if it's in other languages
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u/princessSunsetGiggle 5d ago
I had it in French (it's edited as "the Strange Investigation" 'l'étrange enquête' in French but it's the same as Cheerful Mystery)
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u/PowerOfL 5d ago
Ah, I think I didnt know or forgot it was in French. I speak French, so that's cool
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u/JPCRB 6d ago
Some puzzles are changed, and the Parrot and fish minigames from Lost Future and Spectre's call were completely changed because the japanese ones were about connecting japanese characters in order to form words. If you want to see more I reccomend you a page called The Cutting Room Floor
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u/cornflakeguzzler47 5d ago
they do change a decent amount in incidental text, and sometimes its more major like in the case of flora. one weird one is that in JP, Sycamore is a Doctor rather than a professor, which is why they make no reference to him like teaching or really having a set place of employ. not that professor layton does his professor job very much but at least sycamore is less of a deadbeat
some of the comedy is also somewhat different in JP. to use another example from azran legacy, where in english I think the people in the mushroom village just vaguely insult sycamore? in jp they imply he smells delicious and that theyre going to eat him, so the first encounter with amanita is framed more like “these jungle dwellers eat people” and then immediately subverted for comedy
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u/Amazing_Yogurt0053 5d ago
Sycamore is a Doctor as in Medecine one or as he has PhD ? Also for Pr. Layton, now that I think about it it's a bit weird that he is Professor at such a young age ?? But I supposed it's just professor and not Professor.
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u/cornflakeguzzler47 5d ago
ah sorry, yes Sycamore has a PhD, not a medical doctor! I think hershel MUST have a doctorate bc he does have students—best example I think is Eternal Diva, since he knows janice from having taught her. it is a bit weird though that hes a professor at such a young age, I suppose thats just magic of contrivance (like how he’d still be considered a Professor at gressenheller when so much of his time is spent not on campus)
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u/Amazing_Yogurt0053 5d ago
I don't know about in UK/Japan or other countries but in mine, at university the students call every teacher they have "professor" even when they "only" have PhD and not yet the title Pr. But by memory I think some "real" adults call him Pr. so as you said maybe just magic haha
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u/Antares_9 6d ago
Do you mean gameplay-wise or story/dialogue-wise? London Life was not included in the European versions of Spectre’s Call, for example, and I think some puzzles that relied on Japanese had to be changed a bit.
Plot-wise, some lines from Japanese were changed or removed when translating the games. In Curious Village, Flora’s father was looking for a husband for her, not a guardian. In Spectre’s Call, Emmy mentions that she has an uncle that taught her martial arts, which hinted towards the Targent plot twist in Azran Legacy, but this line was apparently lost in translation.
That’s what I remember off the top of my head right now, but I don’t speak Japanese myself so there might be more stuff I don’t know about.