Anime Title Meanings

[cindialai]

Anyone know a site with information on anime title meanings??

[Mcgreag]

Why not post the anime titles you want translated here and someone will probobly translate them for you.

[Lord Raiden]

I've been curious what the heck "Maburaho" means. That's gotten my curiousity for a while.

Also, toss "Tenshi na Konamaiki" in there too.

[NoSanninWa]

Hey! I can field those!!

Maburaho is a play on the words Maho Rabu which means something like Magic love. The author was being clever. Maho is magic. Rabu is... well it's almost English, so you can work it out!

Tenshi na Konamaiki means A Cheeky Angel, (Tenshi is Angel and Konamaiki is Cheeky) only it should properly be Konamaiki na Tenshi. It was purposefully turned around to reflect the show. The author thought that they were being clever again.

[xris]

Originally Posted by The Small One

I don't think it was just "turned around", but the translation is simply false.

No, you missed the point.

The Japanese phrase "Tenshi na Konamaiki" is grammatically incorrect (in Japanese)*, it should be "Konamaiki na Tenshi". This has nothing to do with how we translate it into English.

* At least, someone on these forums reported that his Japanese teacher was amused by the phrase and reported that it was back to front.

[BME]

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Hey! I can field those!!

Maburaho is a play on the words Maho Rabu which means something like Magic love. The author was being clever. Maho is magic. Rabu is... well it's almost English, so you can work it out!

I also wonderd about that, but why are half the letters in capital?

[felix]

Hmm, can someone explain to me these titles...

• Fate Stay/Night
  Any meaning to it?
  
  
• Soukou no Strain
  I know Strain is the robots.
  
  
• Elfen Lied
  Ok I'm clueless.
  
  
• Cowboy Beabop
  Cowboy Jazz?
  
  
• Lucky Star
  Why?
  
  
• Kanon
  What does that word mean.

What exactly does "no" translate to? or what is it's gramatical purpose. (e.g Shinigami no Ballad, Shakugan no Shana)

[-KarumA-]

Originally Posted by Cats

Hmm, can someone explain to me these titles...
[*]Elfen Lied
Ok I'm clueless.

Originally Posted by wiki

he title is literally German for "Elves' Song", or more properly translated "Song of the Elves", and takes its name from the poem Elfenlied and the German word lied, a classical-romantic poem or musical work.

now I'll try and find the poem, however last part is a little off Lied in ym language is song doesn't have to be a classical/romatic poem, anything tuney can be considered this

edit:
the poet's name is Eduard Mörike, he wrote the poem that carried the simulair name Elfen Lied

edit2:

Spoiler for the poem+ translation:

Bei Nacht im Dorf der Wächter rief: Elfe!
Ein ganz kleines Elfchen im Walde schlief
wohl um die Elfe!
Und meint, es rief ihm aus dem Tal
bei seinem Namen die Nachtigall,
oder Silpelit hätt' ihm gerufen.
Reibt sich der Elf' die Augen aus,
begibt sich vor sein Schneckenhaus
und ist als wie ein trunken Mann,
sein Schläflein war nicht voll getan,
und humpelt also tippe tapp
durch's Haselholz in's Tal hinab,
schlupft an der Mauer hin so dicht,
da sitzt der Glühwurm Licht an Licht.
Was sind das helle Fensterlein?
Da drin wird eine Hochzeit sein:
die Kleinen sitzen bei'm Mahle,
und treiben's in dem Saale.
Da guck' ich wohl ein wenig 'nein!«
Pfui, stößt den Kopf an harten Stein!
Elfe, gelt, du hast genug?
Gukuk!
Translation:

At night in the village the watchman cried "Elf!"
A very small elf was asleep in the wood -
just at eleven! -
And he thinks that the nightingale
must have called him by name from the valley,
or Silpelit might have sent for him. (Silpelit is a character's name from an opera of Mörike's, "Eduard auf dem Seil")
So the elf rubs his eyes,
comes out of his snail-shell house,
and is like a drunken man,
his nap was not finished;
and he hobbles down, tip tap,
through the hazel wood into the valley,
slips right up to the wall;
there sits the glow-worm, light on light.
"What are those bright windows?
There must be a wedding inside;
the little people are sitting at the feast,
and fooling around in the ballroom.
So I'll just take a peep in!"
Shame! he hits his head on hard stone!
Well, elf, had enough, have you?
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!

[False Dawn]

Originally Posted by Cats

[*]Kanon
What does that word mean.[/list]

Although not confirmed, it's meant to be a nod to Pachelbel's Canon, a piece that is used recurringly during the series.

[RWBladewing]

Originally Posted by Cats

[*]Kanon
What does that word mean.[/list]

Originally Posted by wikipedia

The title is generally believed to be derived from the musical term canon; the second TV adaptation plays on this association by using of Pachelbel's Kanon D-dur, or Canon in D major, as a background piece at certain instances throughout the series.

Supposedly the piece "becoming more beautiful" as it repeats also ties into the theme of the show. Yuuichi talks to Sayuri about it in one episode but offhand I don't remember the number or the exact conversation.

[KholdStare]

Originally Posted by False Dawn

Although not confirmed, it's meant to be a nod to Pachelbel's Canon, a piece that is used recurringly during the series.

It may not be confirmed, but there are many hints throughout. The first hint is of course Canon playing in the cafe. The second hint is that every episode title has a word relating to music such as "The Silver Ouverture" and "The Introit in the Snow." The title of the last episode is "The Kanon at the End of Dreams," which implies that Kanon is, in fact, that nod at Pachelbel's Canon.

Originally Posted by RWBladewing

Supposedly the piece "becoming more beautiful" as it repeats also ties into the theme of the show. Yuuichi talks to Sayuri about it in one episode but offhand I don't remember the number or the exact conversation.

I believe the quote is roughly:

"The same melody repeats itself... as the song gradually grows richer and more beautiful. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could also live seemingly constant lives... while experiencing changes bit by bit?"

[RWBladewing]

Originally Posted by KholdStare

I believe the quote is roughly:

"The same melody repeats itself... as the song gradually grows richer and more beautiful. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could also live seemingly constant lives... while experiencing changes bit by bit?"

Heh, did you look that up or did you actually go through the trouble of memorizing that?

Originally Posted by Cats

What exactly does "no" translate to? or what is it's gramatical purpose. (e.g Shinigami no Ballad, Shakugan no Shana)

I'm not even close to an expert (or even a novice) in Japanese but I'm pretty sure it's basically a possessive, e.g. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu = Nogizaka Haruka's Secret, Shakugan no Shana = Shana of The Blazing Eyes, etc.

Also I'd really like to know what Fate/Stay Night means myself, I've seen the anime, played and actually own a legal copy of the game, and surfed the most comprehensive forum for everything Type-Moon, and have still never seen anything about the title.

[KholdStare]

Yeah, what RWBladewing said. It may not be the proper explanation, but here's my reasoning and it never failed.

You have x no y.

It's either y of x, or x's y.

[wingdarkness]

@Cats - I can’t help you with the rest but I can give you Cowboy Bebop…

Cowboy is the term used in this era for men who are bounty hunters and bebop is just another way of saying freestyle…Bebop is also actually a style of Jazz from the early 40’s IIRC where the emphasis on the music was the ability of the artist to freestyle and embrace a lack of structure…The way the episodes flow in this series also embrace this theme as they go in all and any direction staying completely free and episodic..If you read the original Chinese DVD box set that first released the series (Which I bought on ebay in 2002) , under the title it has a passage about how musicians gathered in New York City in the early 40’s and they formed a new music called bebop (Remember how in the OP credits you hear the narrator talk about being in New York City, then saying 3-2-1- let’s go!!!)…So a basic interpretation of the title would be:

Cowboy Bebop = Bounty-Hunter Freestyle

Which is the essence of the series on whole…

[Dop]

I've always thought that 'Kiddy Grade' was a title that made absolutely no sense whatsoever (as well as sounding a trifle dubious). I suspect it's like one of those Japanese t-shirts where they just stick a bunch of English words on in a way that doesn't make any sense.

[yezhanquan]

Originally Posted by Dop

I've always thought that 'Kiddy Grade' was a title that made absolutely no sense whatsoever (as well as sounding a trifle dubious). I suspect it's like one of those Japanese t-shirts where they just stick a bunch of English words on in a way that doesn't make any sense.

I'll try this one.

In the series, the agents are "graded" into classes according to their powers. The "kiddie" part refers to the main duo, who looks like they could use some more years, Lumeire (?) in terms of appearance, and Eclair in terms of her way of thinking. Of course, things aren't quite what they seemed...

[Quarkboy]

For Lucky Star, taken from Japanese wikipedia:

タイトルは“Lucky Star（ラッキー スター）”が原義であり単行本表紙のロゴにもそうデザインされている。作者の美水によれば「女の子が学園生 活を送る漫画のタイトル」としてイメージした結果、女優が演じるという意味合いの「スター」と「幸運」や「 気まぐれ」という意味を持つ「ラッキー」をあわせたとしている

Rough translation: The Title "Lucky Star"'s basic meaning is of the star on the tankobon version's design. According to the author [misui](sp?) it's a manga title with the result of "the daily lives of schoolgirls", the actress says that it's a combination of the meanings of "star" and "fortune" or the "whimsical" "lucky".

Here's one:

The "Pretty Cure" (purikyua) series is a pun between that engrish phrase and the common "purikura", i.e. "Print Club" booths that are so popular with young girls in arcades in Japan (the photo booths).

[Zeroryoko1974]

So Seto no Hanayome would be the Bride of Seto?

[felix]

Thanks for all the help so far guys.

@ Zeroryoko, it would seem it's something like that, I guess the other version - Seto's bride - makes a little more sense.

[N-aoki]

According to the author [misui](sp?)

No,美水 is　[yosimizu].

Here's one:
The "Pretty Cure" (purikyua) series is a pun between that engrish phrase and the common "purikura", i.e. "Print Club" booths that are so popular with young girls in arcades in Japan (the photo booths).[/QUOTE]

That is not correct,too.
This is only reason,[Ｈｕｔａｒｉ ｈａ pretty cure] is too long title for children.