The long-awaited ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘ will finally have its world premiere on July 24, 2024! The comic book world’s infamous heroes are set to make waves across the multiverse, and this time, they’re teaming up with none other than Wolverine! Will the worlds established in the ‘X-MEN’ series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe be turned upside down by these two? We can only expect great things.
Why is Deadpool so loved? It’s because of the chaotic nature of this character. Particularly, his sharp tongue and the machine-gun pace of his witty remarks are part of his charm. This time, it’s a “dangerous to mix” buddy movie with Wolverine. It becomes crucial to convey their lively dialogue. We spoke with Hiroyuki Matsuzaki, who is in charge of the Japanese subtitles for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’. Matsuzaki has worked on many film subtitles and dubbed versions, and he has also been involved with the ‘X-MEN’ and ‘Deadpool’ series. As someone who knows the words of Wolverine and Deadpool well, he shared the charm of this work and the challenges he faced during the subtitling process.
INTERVIEW：
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Japanese Subtitle Supervisor Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
── It’s an honor to meet you. Let’s get straight to it: the upcoming ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is a highly anticipated film that all comic book fans are looking forward to. At the same time, I believe the spoilers were strictly prohibited and there was a thorough secrecy leading up to the release. Was the subtitling process difficult under these circumstances?
You’re absolutely right. Typically, information management is stringent for films before their release, but for ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, it was particularly strict. As a matter of policy, I was not allowed to even mention to my family or acquaintances that I was working on this project. I felt like a spy (laughs).
── A rather lonely task, indeed (laughs). Since this film connects the ‘X-MEN’ series from 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios) with the MCU, a substantial amount of information can be expected.
Yes, there’s a considerable amount of information. However, it’s not necessary for viewers to have seen all the previous works to enjoy this film. I think first-time viewers will also be able to enjoy it sufficiently.
── Speaking of information, since Deadpool talks a lot, didn’t you have difficulty expressing his lines within a limited character count?
Usually, the standard for subtitles is to have four characters read per second, but in Deadpool’s case, there are instances where seven or eight characters are crammed in per second (laughs). Well, considering the character’s tension, it makes sense. Also, there are quite a few American jokes, puns, and adult humor, and it’s impossible to convey their meanings completely in subtitles. However, I make an effort to ensure that the audience understands that “Oh, Deadpool is making a pun here,” or “He’s throwing in some adult humor” without losing the context. In most cases, puns in English don’t translate well into Japanese in an amusing way. But if the audience can find it funny that Deadpool is making the puns, that’s what matters.
I believe that subtitle translation should convey the original film’s charm without losing it within the constraints. Achieving a perfect expression is certainly difficult, but the task requires me to use my own skills creatively for translation. Therefore, I feel that what is actually necessary is more about the ability in Japanese rather than English.
── I see… There are a lot of F-words in the trailers, right? This definitely pertains to “How do we convey this in Japanese?”
If I translated all the F-words as “Kuso!” (which means “sh*t!”), it would end up being a movie where they are saying “Kuso! Kuso!” all the time (laughs), so I’m using different expressions depending on the context. There are various expressions used in this film as well.
── Since Deadpool breaks the fourth wall (Note: Deadpool speaks directly to the audience. This ability is referred to as “breaking the fourth wall”), doesn’t this complicate the subtitling?
In fact, when Deadpool breaks the fourth wall, it’s scripted for him to speak while making eye contact with the camera. The original lines are cleverly crafted, so even without extra efforts in subtitling, the vibe reaches the audience well.
── Matsuzaki-san, you work on subtitling for a wide range of films, not just superhero comics. Is there any difference in the subtitling process for superhero films compared to other films?
In superhero movies, the more popular the hero, the more the audience has a preconceived image of that character, right? So I try to familiarize myself with these heroes to some extent before diving into the subtitling process.
When I first worked on the subtitles for ‘Deadpool’ (2016), I had the character refer to himself as “Ore” (meaning “I”), but I learned that the term “Ore-chan” was circulating among fans, so I decided to use that. However, “Ore-chan” takes up quite a bit of character count, and if it were to appear non-stop on screen, it would become annoying (laughs), so I’ve limited its usage to a few instances.
── In this film, Deadpool and Wolverine are the leads. What are your thoughts on these two characters?
Actually, I was already familiar with Wolverine from the comics. I’ve loved English magazines since I was a child and was exposed to American film magazines and comics. I had Hulk comics when I was in the third grade, but I thought Hulk was pronounced “Furuku” (laughs). I learned about Wolverine within those comics. I imagined the comic version of Wolverine as a short, stocky hero (Note: In the original comics, Wolverine is depicted as short). He’s not exactly what you’d call smart. So, when I saw Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine, I thought to myself that this was quite different from the Wolverine I knew.
As for Deadpool, I didn’t know about him until the movie came out. When I saw the film, I thought he was flashy, talked a lot, looked gruesome without his mask, and didn’t seem like a hero at all. I was quite surprised that the Deadpool movie became a hit not just in America but also in Japan.
── The success of ‘Deadpool’ was undoubtedly due to the charm of this character, and I believe that the subtitles by Matsuzaki-san contributed significantly to that. After all, Deadpool is often referred to as a “chatty mercenary,” so the dialogue is a key charm, and Matsuzaki-san has managed to convey that well.
I’m glad to hear that, but those of us who work on subtitles often worry that our subtitles may undermine the film’s charm.
── That’s definitely not the case! I’m looking forward to the dialogues between Deadpool and Wolverine! Lastly, could you share a message for the Japanese fans eagerly awaiting this film?
Well, since I can’t touch on the content of the film, from the perspective of the subtitle supervisor, as I mentioned, I am pushing the limits of the character count per second and cramming lines into the subtitles (laughs). Whether or not the audience enjoys this film will depend on their reaction speed (everyone laughs).
Since I spoke with him before the release, I couldn’t gather detailed content, but Matsuzaki-san’s words conveyed just how lively and entertaining this film is.
Both Deadpool and Wolverine are based on comics. And since it’s a comic, the dialogue in speech bubbles is crucial. In movies, this very dialogue corresponds to the subtitles. Conveying the characters’ charm within a limited character count is truly Matsuzaki-san’s superpower! Be sure to enjoy the banter between Deadpool and Wolverine in the theater.
Text by Suji Takahiro
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer | I Want to Save My World Edition | Fastest Release on July 24 (Wed)
INFORMATION
Deadpool & Wolverine
Fastest Release on July 24 (Wed)
©2024 20th Century Studios / ©and ™2024 MARVEL.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Japan
Director: Shawn Levy (‘Free Guy’, ‘Night at the Museum’)
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman
Original Title: ‘DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE’ US Release Date: July 26, 2024