Today, someone on youtube managed to get the English version of Fire Emblem Fates early and load a Japanese save file onto it in order to view Soleil’s support conversation as it was officially localized. I then transcribed the entire thing by watching the video above. Find the transcript below! I will do a detailed comparison later on, but I do leave some notes at the bottom.
As you may know, the original Japanese dialogue was controversial due to misinterpretations and a bit of a media frenzy. You can read all about that here. Her original support conversation in Japanese (translated ) can be viewed here.
As you can imagine, the process of transcribing this took some time (and passion!), so if you are feeling generous, then…Please donate! It helps fund future projects!
View the transcription below. I separated them by ranks (C, B, A, S).
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C Rank
Soleil:
*sigh* I have a problem. Lord Corrin.
But I’m not sure you’d understand.
Corrin:
Try me. If nothing else, I can offer another
perspective on it.
Soleil:
Ok, here goes.
I want to be a warrior. A fearless, take-no-
prisoners, sword-slinging tough gal.
There’s just one small hitch that I haven’t
gotten past…
And it’s making what should be smooth
sailing into a four-day hurricane at sea.
Corrin:
This is sounding serious. What’s this
“hitch” you mentioned?
Soleil:
OK…don’t laugh, but…
I lose my mind around cute girls.
Corrin:
So I’ve heard. But what’s the problem?
Soleil:
No, I mean. I REALLY lose my mind.
When I see a cute girl, I start to sweat.
When she gets close, I faint sometimes.
I just can’t stand how great girls are!
Corrin:
…Are you putting me on? Is this some sort
of pran? Are people watching this?
Soleil:
You remember the other day, when I was on my way back to camp?
Corrin:
Hmm, vaguely. I thought for a moment that
you might have taken a blow in the head.
Soliel:
Yeah. I don’t blame you for thinking so,
but it had nothing to do with the battle.
What happened was…this cute village girl
came up to me to thank my troop.
That’s when I started to feel weak in the knees…
Corrin:
Oh, was that all?
Soleil:
No, you don’t understand! This is a real
problem if I’m going to be a warrior!
Corrin:
I…I see…
Corrin:
Take heart. I’ll give it some thought, and
hopefully we can come up with a solution.
B Rank
Soleil:
OK, the blindfold’s on.
Corrin:
You fastened it tightly? There’s no light
getting through?
Soleil:
Nope. I’m totally blind for whatever you
had in mind.
Corrin:
Good. I want to try a visualization
exercise with you.
I want you to picture me not as I am, but
as I might look if I was a woman.
Soleil:
…
Hello, gorgeous.
Corrin:
Y-you’ve got the idea, it seems…
What we’ll do is, I’ll play the role of a girl,
and you try to keep it together around me.
Soleil:
OK! This should be fun.
Though it’s harder to fantas– I mean,
imagine you as a girl when you’re talking.
Maybe try a higher pitch?
Corrin:
Ah, good point. OK…
Oh, Soleil…!
Soleil:
*gasp*
Th-there it is…that tingly feeling…
That familiar rush of blood to the head…
Corrin:
You saved us all! You were so amazing and
strong when you beat up the bad guys!
Soleil:
Aaaaaaaaah!
Corrin:
Was that more or less right? I was trying
to get into the village girl mind-set.
Soleil:
I-it was scary close. I almost fainted.
Corrin:
Good! This should help to build up a
tolerance. Shall we go once more?
Soleil:
Yeah, I’m game.
But maybe I could take a short break before
we get back at it?
Corrin:
Of course! Take all the time you need.
Soleil:
Thanks!
Because so long as I’ve got this blindfold
on and we’re visualizing…
I’m gonna daydream about what the rest of
the guys would look like as girls!
Mmm, Xandra… you’re so much prettier
when you smile…
Corrin:
Uh, Soleil…!
Soleil! That’s not the point of the exercise!
A Rank
Corrin:
Ah, hello, Soleil. Have our visualization
sessions helped with your problem?
Soleil:
Not much, I’m afraid. After the last battle,
I went to a nearby village.
And whem, I got mobbed by a pack of
grateful village girls. Just the kind I like…
I blacked out, and when I came to, things,
had taken a turn for the worse.
They were waiting on me hand and foot!
I hate to say it, but I think we’ve been
wasting our time.
Corrin:
I see…
Soleil:
Sorry, Corrin.
Corrin:
It’s all right. It might be a while before you
can keep your composure around girls.
Don’t be upset because the problem isn’t
solved after a few days.
Soleil:
That’s true. I shouldn’t let it get me down.
When I was little, I was a real crybaby.
But then my father said to me,
“Laugh it off, Soleil. The trick is to smile
until you have something to smile about.”
Ever since, no matter how I feel inside,
I put on a happy face.
Which is what I ought to be doing
right now!
Corrin:
Soleil… you don’t need to force a smile.
Soleil:
It’s not forced, though!
Sure, we haven’t made any headway on
my problem.
But you’re trying to help. That counts
for a lot.
So don’t think this smile of mine is fake.
I mean it!
Corrin:
In that case, I’ll smile for you too.
You’re an important member of the team.
I want to help with any problems of yours.
Soleil:
You mean that? Because I’d be up for some
more of that visualization stuff.
I love it when you pretend to be a girl,
heehee.
Though nowadays, I have fun with you no
matter what we’re doing.
S Rank
Soleil:
What did you want me to see out here,
Corrin? What’s going on?
Corrin:
It’s nothing special. Look up at the sky.
Soleil:
The sky…?
Oh!
Corrin:
This is the warmest, brightest spot I know.
The sun shines especially strong here.
Soleil:
Wow, no kidding. It’s so nice!
Corrin:
Just like you.
Soleil:
Hm?
Corrin:
Your smile is radiant as the sun.
I’d bask in its warmth forever if I could…
Soleil:
Uh…
Are you feeling OK, Corrin? Did you
take a hit in the head or something?
Corrin:
N-no! I’m being totally serious!
Soleil:
For real…?
Gosh, I wasn’t expecting this today.
Corrin:
I understand if you’re not interested, since
I’m only a woman in your imagination.
Soleil:
Oh, that’s not such a problem. I like men
just fine.
I think I could even get to like one for real
if I knew him well enough.
Corrin:
That’s great! So then-
Soleil:
But we’re not there yet. The image I had
of you during our sessions…
It was cute, and lovely, but it’s not you.
Corrin:
Is that a problem?
Soleil:
Well… yes and no. The girl you in my
imagination was cute and adorable.
And if you just wanted to be silly and have
fun, I’d close my eyes and imagine her.
But it sounds like you’re talking about
something serious. Something real.
So that version of you, cute as she is,
won’t work anymore.
Corrin:
Oh. Then where does that leave us?
Soleil:
We’ll just have to start over!
Instead of hanging out with you pretending
to be other people…
we’ll hang out and I can get to know who
you really are instead.
I’m confident we can get there. I mean,
I already like you a lot!
Corrin:
Enough to make up for me not being
a cute girl?
Soleil:
Hey, cute’s cute!
Corrin:
That’s high praise, coming from you.
Soleil:
Haha…to be honest…
<Confession Line>
“I love you more than all the cute things in the world combined. This is kinda embarrassing, but…stay with me forever, promise?”
———————————————————–
Some quick notes:
- You can see the general flow remained the same (C = introducing the problem, B = solving it with some method that turns boys into girls A = Saying it didn’t work but thanking him anyway S = Falling for him/confessing after all that).
- They kept her name as Soleil! Yay!
- Soleil’s personality is consistent with her original self, too.
- However, the most obvious change is from magic hallucinogenic potion to a blindfold. They even go out of their way to ensure it’s written in a way that’s clearly using consent. While it may not be as effective as the hallucination at accomplishing the thought exercise (that is, imagining them as girls to get used to girls), it is definitely a safer choice, and ensured that there was no trickery involved. That’s what NoA was going for, and that is what they achieved.
- Xandra. xD
- I’m quite happy with it. I think the original controversy was needless in the first place, so this change is quite justified to avoid a likely mishap that would have occurred otherwise. I am glad they kept the core conversation the same (for better or for worse), which gives me hope (and dread) for the main story!
- So, overall a good localization. Same base, flow, characters, and just avoiding potentially controversial subject matter. It may fall into the realm of “censorship” that bothers other people, though… but that controversy will probably be less overblown than this one (or so I hope).
- I’ll do a side by side later on, but for now this is good enough to clear doubts. : )