Danica Davidson
October 21, 2020 Dark Horse is re-releasing Blade of the Immortal as a deluxe hardcover edition, and the first omnibus volume comes out this month. In honor of the event, Dark Horse shared an article written by Senior Editor Philip R. Simon on the localization of the fan favorite series.
If you'd like to know more about the process behind bringing this manga to English audiences, check out editor @Philip_Simon's article on Crunchyroll: https://t.co/vsHtRakGMp
— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) October 20, 2020
“The original manga series debuted as Mugen no Jünin in Japan in 1993 and ended with its final chapter on December 25, 2012,” Simon wrote on Crunchyroll. “The original Japanese title roughly translates to ‘Wanderer into Infinity.’ When original translator and English-language editor Toren Smith — of the now-defunct but pioneering Studio Proteus manga translating and packaging company — first negotiated the publishing deal for this series between Japanese publisher Kodansha and Dark Horse Comics, Toren suggested using the Blade of the Immortal title for English-reading markets. The title stuck!”
From there Simon continues into more behind-the-scenes details, including the issue of “flopping” the manga. It’s an interesting read for fans of Blade of the Immortal, or just anyone curious about how manga is localized in America.
Source: Crunchyroll
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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