AnimeSuki Forums

Thewanderer · 2006-01-20, 02:44

Why do people insist on translating the series' name to A!MG? The name of the anime(or so I thought) was named after the English phrase "Oh my god!"(but "goddess" instead of "god"). I'm also guessing that the Japanese can't easily translate that saying, so it became "Ah! My Goddess". Why do we have to keep the Engrish when referring to OMG? It don't make any sense to me.

And please tell me if I'm way off

This was only a guess.

Cloudnine · 2006-01-20, 02:58

The series' title wasn't originally phrased to resemble the common saying "oh my god!", rather, it was on part of the manga adaptation to English which slightly changed the original naming to something more catchier to the reader.

Original title - ああっ女神さまっ
Romanized - Aa! Megami-sama!
True name - Ah! My Goddess

NoSanninWa · 2006-01-20, 03:28

All that is true, but I'm going to add a few more intersting facts. When AnimEigo licensed the show, they thought it would sound better to change the Ah to an Oh so they made the Title Oh My Goddess!

Much more recently, Geneon licensed the movie. Unfortunately for them AnimEigo still owned the copyright on the title, so they changed it back. The movie was released under the title Ah! My Goddess: The Movie

Aa! = Japanese
Oh! = English: AnimEigo
Ah! = English: Geneon

As you see, it is quite a mess. Since it is Ah in both English and Japanese, but Oh in English only, I'd have to say the more official title is Ah! My Goddess

Incidently Geneon is releasing the TV series under the title of Ah! My Goddess. Not a surprise since that is the title they used for the movie.

Thewanderer · 2006-01-20, 03:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudnine

The series' title wasn't originally phrased to resemble the common saying "oh my god!", rather, it was on part of the manga adaptation to English which slightly changed the original naming to something more catchier to the reader.

It wasn't? Then why was it initially dubbed as if it was?(unless that's what you're talking about) That confused the cluck outta me...

NoSanninWa · 2006-01-20, 03:32

Thewanderer: I edited my post after you posted. (You were too fast for me.) Please read it again for more details.

And it was dubbed that way because AnimEigo thought it was funnier that way.

Thewanderer · 2006-01-20, 03:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Thewanderer: I edited my post after you posted. (You were too fast for me.) Please read it again for more details.

And it was dubbed that way because AnimEigo thought it was funnier that way.

Oh, sorry.

*goes to read it*

Cloudnine · 2006-01-20, 22:22

Funny note, in the TV series, the title of each episode starts with "Aa!"

Episode 2 - Ah! Can the One Who Believes be Saved?
Episode 3 - Ah! The Queen and the Goddess!
Episode 4 - Ah! Living under one roof!

Now try replacing it with "Oh!" and you can see that the meaning is somewhat lost in the translation ^^;

NoSanninWa · 2006-01-21, 01:49

Heh. Yeah, that sounds funny with an "Oh!" in those titles. I guess that Ah and Oh really do have different meanings and it is pretty clear which one is intended in those episode titles.

SinnerChrno · 2006-01-22, 03:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoSanninWa

Incidently Geneon is releasing the TV series under the title of Ah! My Goddess. Not a surprise since that is the title they used for the movie.

Um, don't you mean Media Blasters, not Geneon?

aikming · 2006-01-22, 07:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thewanderer

Why do ppl insist on translating the series' name to A!MG? The name of the anime(or so I thought) was named after the english phrase "Oh my god!"(but "goddess" instead of "god"). I'm also guessing that the Japanese can't easily translate that saying, so it became "Ah! My Goddess". Why do we have to keep the engrish when referring to OMG? It don't make any sense to me.

And pls tell me if I'm way off

This was only a guess.

By no means, the series name was taken from the phrase " oh my God'. The moment it was serialized in shounen magazine, it was Aa! Megamisama~ naturally Ah! my goddess. The "oh" was added due to commercial interest. The mangaka has always stick to Aa! Megamisama

Rushuna · 2006-01-31, 18:03

Dark Horse originally called it Oh My Goddess as well.

astrallionheart · 2006-02-18, 02:00

"Ah!" has a very sweet, childlike feeling to it.

"Oh!" doesnt seem as much, and "Oh My Goddess" or "OMG" would just be parodying an English phrase, where really the title ("Ah!") is meant to be an indication of what kind of show it is.

Morisato · 2006-02-28, 02:40

It's a parody on a popular internet abbreviation. OMG means OH MY GOD. and OH MY GOD is usually said when one is in shock and/or disbelief.

Newtyped · 2006-04-12, 19:48

amg sounds gayer than omg
its stupid if u actually say it =/

NoSanninWa · 2006-04-13, 00:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morisato

It's a parody on a popular internet abbreviation. OMG means OH MY GOD. and OH MY GOD is usually said when one is in shock and/or disbelief.

I hate to point this out, but the manga existed before OMG was an internet abbreviation, so there is no way that it is a parody on the internet abbreviation.

Daniel E. · 2006-04-13, 04:05

I may be wrong with this one, but, didn't Kosuke himself said it was OK for the fans to use the one they liked the most? (Ah/Oh)

I think I read this in the letter section in one of the Dark Horse releases of the manga. (but like I said, I am not 100% sure)

EDIT:

Ok found the following in Wiki:

The original Japanese title is "Aa! Megami-sama!". The question of how best to translate this phrase has led to a great deal of debate and flamewars amongst English-speaking anime fans during the early 1990s. The US-anime import company AnimEigo obtained the OVA rights and entitled them: "Oh! My Goddess". Many felt the title should be "Ah! My Goddess".

Several references to "Oh my god" and "Oh my goddess" in a number of songs (such as Hottokenai No Sa, Megami-sama tto Oyoubi) only fueled the debate further.

Ultimately Fujishima himself was consulted. His initial reaction was to agree with the "Ah" camp, but once the English phrase "Oh my God" was explained to him, he decided the "Oh" would be closer to what he was trying to convey. However, when a Japanese fan later pointed out to Fujishima that the Japanese merchandise uses "Ah", Fujishima said that it would be better to keep things consistent.

Conri · 2006-04-14, 03:50

The back of the first volume of the Japanese manga, published in 1989.

Personally, I find that Ah! My Goddess sounds more elegant than Oh My Goddess. As for Fujishima's opinion, I've heard people claiming all sides, Ah, Oh, and either or, so I can see the Wiki article being true about Fujishima changing his mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newtyped

amg sounds gayer than omg

Great! Even more reason to use it.

Spectacular_Insanity · 2006-04-25, 17:56

I saw in the AnimeEigo version (apparently I've seen the one that is really, REALLY short) the titles for the first 5 episodes:

1) Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms (I saw no cherry blossoms...)
2) A Midsummer Nights Dream (w/ apologies to Mr. Shakespeare)
3) Burning Hearts on the Road (Ah! Swerve! *crashes motorcycle*)
4) Uh.... something..... (hmmmm...)
5) For the Love of Goddess (ROFL)

C'mon! #5 has to be a pun! For the love of God it has to be!

Altrisha · 2006-05-04, 08:00

Is it really that important? I think whats important is the whole package is really good. Well if your a romantic type that is... I didnt know that until i watched it hehe.

kaitou_strife · 2006-05-08, 06:46

Well from what i understand Aa! was for the japanesse title Ah! was for the american title and they used Oh! for the english title at least thats what i heard.
PS: I also think Ah! Sounds more elegant than Oh!

2006-01-20, 02:44	Link #1
Thewanderer Hiyori Fanboy Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Columbus, Ohio Age: 42	Ah! My Goddess / Oh! My Goddess? Why do people insist on translating the series' name to A!MG? The name of the anime(or so I thought) was named after the English phrase "Oh my god!"(but "goddess" instead of "god"). I'm also guessing that the Japanese can't easily translate that saying, so it became "Ah! My Goddess". Why do we have to keep the Engrish when referring to OMG? It don't make any sense to me. And please tell me if I'm way off This was only a guess. __________________ Last edited by Thewanderer; 2009-04-10 at 19:58.

2006-01-20, 03:28	Link #3
NoSanninWa Weapon of Mass Discussion Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York, USA	All that is true, but I'm going to add a few more intersting facts. When AnimEigo licensed the show, they thought it would sound better to change the Ah to an Oh so they made the Title Oh My Goddess! Much more recently, Geneon licensed the movie. Unfortunately for them AnimEigo still owned the copyright on the title, so they changed it back. The movie was released under the title Ah! My Goddess: The Movie Aa! = Japanese Oh! = English: AnimEigo Ah! = English: Geneon As you see, it is quite a mess. Since it is Ah in both English and Japanese, but Oh in English only, I'd have to say the more official title is Ah! My Goddess Incidently Geneon is releasing the TV series under the title of Ah! My Goddess. Not a surprise since that is the title they used for the movie. __________________ There's not that fine a line between willing suspension of disbelief and something just being stupid.

2006-01-20, 03:32	Link #5
NoSanninWa Weapon of Mass Discussion Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York, USA	Thewanderer: I edited my post after you posted. (You were too fast for me.) Please read it again for more details. And it was dubbed that way because AnimEigo thought it was funnier that way. __________________ There's not that fine a line between willing suspension of disbelief and something just being stupid.

2006-01-21, 01:49	Link #8
NoSanninWa Weapon of Mass Discussion Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York, USA	Heh. Yeah, that sounds funny with an "Oh!" in those titles. I guess that Ah and Oh really do have different meanings and it is pretty clear which one is intended in those episode titles. __________________ There's not that fine a line between willing suspension of disbelief and something just being stupid.

2006-04-13, 04:05	Link #16
Daniel E. AniMexican! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterrey N.L. Mexico	I may be wrong with this one, but, didn't Kosuke himself said it was OK for the fans to use the one they liked the most? (Ah/Oh) I think I read this in the letter section in one of the Dark Horse releases of the manga. (but like I said, I am not 100% sure) EDIT: Ok found the following in Wiki: The original Japanese title is "Aa! Megami-sama!". The question of how best to translate this phrase has led to a great deal of debate and flamewars amongst English-speaking anime fans during the early 1990s. The US-anime import company AnimEigo obtained the OVA rights and entitled them: "Oh! My Goddess". Many felt the title should be "Ah! My Goddess". Several references to "Oh my god" and "Oh my goddess" in a number of songs (such as Hottokenai No Sa, Megami-sama tto Oyoubi) only fueled the debate further. Ultimately Fujishima himself was consulted. His initial reaction was to agree with the "Ah" camp, but once the English phrase "Oh my God" was explained to him, he decided the "Oh" would be closer to what he was trying to convey. However, when a Japanese fan later pointed out to Fujishima that the Japanese merchandise uses "Ah", Fujishima said that it would be better to keep things consistent. __________________ Last edited by Daniel E.; 2006-04-13 at 23:50.

2006-01-20, 02:58	Link #2
Cloudnine ロリ is life~ Join Date: Dec 2005	The series' title wasn't originally phrased to resemble the common saying "oh my god!", rather, it was on part of the manga adaptation to English which slightly changed the original naming to something more catchier to the reader. Original title - ああっ女神さまっ Romanized - Aa! Megami-sama! True name - Ah! My Goddess

2006-01-20, 22:22	Link #7
Cloudnine ロリ is life~ Join Date: Dec 2005	Funny note, in the TV series, the title of each episode starts with "Aa!" Episode 2 - Ah! Can the One Who Believes be Saved? Episode 3 - Ah! The Queen and the Goddess! Episode 4 - Ah! Living under one roof! Now try replacing it with "Oh!" and you can see that the meaning is somewhat lost in the translation ^^;

2006-01-31, 18:03	Link #11
Rushuna Supaa Handsome Boi Join Date: Jan 2006 Age: 38	Dark Horse originally called it Oh My Goddess as well.

2006-02-18, 02:00	Link #12
astrallionheart Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005	"Ah!" has a very sweet, childlike feeling to it. "Oh!" doesnt seem as much, and "Oh My Goddess" or "OMG" would just be parodying an English phrase, where really the title ("Ah!") is meant to be an indication of what kind of show it is.

2006-02-28, 02:40	Link #13
Morisato Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005	It's a parody on a popular internet abbreviation. OMG means OH MY GOD. and OH MY GOD is usually said when one is in shock and/or disbelief.

2006-04-12, 19:48	Link #14
Newtyped Gangsta Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ct Age: 32	amg sounds gayer than omg its stupid if u actually say it =/

2006-04-25, 17:56	Link #18
Spectacular_Insanity Ha ha ha ha ha... Graphic Designer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Right behind you. Age: 35	I saw in the AnimeEigo version (apparently I've seen the one that is really, REALLY short) the titles for the first 5 episodes: 1) Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms (I saw no cherry blossoms...) 2) A Midsummer Nights Dream (w/ apologies to Mr. Shakespeare) 3) Burning Hearts on the Road (Ah! Swerve! crashes motorcycle) 4) Uh.... something..... (hmmmm...) 5) For the Love of Goddess (ROFL) C'mon! #5 has to be a pun! For the love of God it has to be! __________________

2006-05-04, 08:00	Link #19
Altrisha Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manila, Philippines	Is it really that important? I think whats important is the whole package is really good. Well if your a romantic type that is... I didnt know that until i watched it hehe.

2006-05-08, 06:46	Link #20
kaitou_strife Dragon1st class unlimited Join Date: May 2006 Location: A forgoten place Age: 37	Well from what i understand Aa! was for the japanesse title Ah! was for the american title and they used Oh! for the english title at least thats what i heard. PS: I also think Ah! Sounds more elegant than Oh!