Sword Art Online: War of Underworld Spanish dub episodes 4-7 review

 Sword Art Online: War of Underworld

Spanish dub episodes 4-12 review

    ¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! While I was still in the process of rewatching this season, it was unfortunately removed from Crunchyroll due to licensing changes, and I was unable to finish. However, I did have the chance to watch War of Underworld's Spanish dub nearly a year ago. My Spanish back then wasn't quite at the level it is now, but I will still be able to finish this review series based on memory, the notes I took from my first viewing, and video clips that I managed to find on YouTube. As a result, the reviews for the rest of this season won't be as in depth as the previous ones, and will be completed in two halves with this entry covering the remainder of part one, and the next covering part two. 

Gabriel as Emperor Vector and PoH as a Dark Knight

        Following the end of the previous episode, in which Gabriel and PoH logged into the Underworld as Emperor Vector and a high level Dark Knight, the representatives of each faction in the Dark Territory are summoned before them. Although most seem excited by the concept of war, Gabriel realizes that not every fluctlight will blindly follow his lead when Shasta declares, "Antes de ofrecer mi espada, tengo una pregunta." ("Before I offer my sword, I have a question.") Gabriel, skillfully playing the part of the emperor, responds with what he seeks -  "Sangre y terror. Fuego y destrucción. Muerte y gritos." ("Blood and terror. Fire and destruction. Death and screams.") This line was delivered with the same impact as the original, and the exact same wording as well. 

    It's interesting that Shasta asks what Gabriel seeks because the meaning of his player name in GGO, Subtilizer, can be translated as "one who seeks", and we see exactly what that is in a flashback to his childhood. Young Gabriel was fascinated by the idea of the human soul, and his clear, thoughtful speech is very easy to understand even for someone still learning the language, which makes it all the more unnerving to hear word for word when this child delivers lines like, "Los humanos no pueden vivir sin sus cabezas." ("Humans can't live without their heads.") After young Gabriel is shown killing his childhood friend Alicia in this flashback scene, he expresses interest in doing the "experiment" again with much enthusiasm, saying "¡Quiero ver mucho más!" ("I want to see much more!") Gabriel reminisces about this event while looking forward to continuing the experiment when he finds Alice, who has been overlapped with the memory of Alicia in his mind. His line here is also a direct translation of the original, "Tu alma será dulce." ("Your soul will be sweet.")

    PoH's dialogue with Gabriel in response to the suggestion that he might need to make speeches to his subordinates also makes it clear why he signed up for this mission, "No me interesa en esas estupideces. Yo quiero solo atacar." ("I'm not interested in that stupidity. I just want to attack.") Interestingly, some of his lines are a little more vague as to his intent in the Spanish dub, like when he asks, "¿Crees que puedo dar un pequeño paseo por el centro ahora mismo?" ("Do you think I can take a little walk downtown right now?") The English dub uses the phrase "blow off steam", which is a little less innocent than a walk, but it does match up closely with the original Japanese dialogue. His comment about "las mujeres y la sangre" ("the women and blood") in place of his "women and murder" line from Japanese and English does seem like he's being intentionally vague and making a direct reference to Gabriel's line regarding blood and pain in the Underworld. It adds a layer of mystery not present in the original, like he doesn't want to tell Gabriel everything, and is very reminiscent of a later conversation they had in the novel which was not adapted into the anime where Gabriel questioned his reasons for coming. 

    When Gabriel arrived in the Underworld as Emperor Vector and made his declaration of war, the residents of the Dark Territory raised a cheer for the emperor's conquest against the Human Empire, "¡Larga vida al emperador!" ("Long live the emperor!") At the end of the episode, they do the same, but out of fear for his power this time after seeing Shasta's incredible assassination attempt fail, led by Dark Mage leader DIL shouting "¡Larga vida al rey!" ("Long live the king!")

    The Human Empire is preparing for war too, and Alice knows they are running out of time when she shows up at the army camp with Kirito. Although Eldrie has concerns about her ability to fight while protecting Kirito, Bercouli doesn't seem worried. After a test of clashing Incarnate power, Bercouli reassures Alice, "Su corazón no está en este lugar, pero no está muerto." ("His heart is not in this place, but his soul is not dead.") 

    This episode had some very heartfelt scenes, first when Ronie and Tiese broke down in tears upon learning the fates of Kirito and Eugeo and were consoled by Alice, and later when Eldrie begged Alice not to speak as though this would be the last time they see each other. Brilliant performances all around, especially the emotion in Eldrie's voice. 

    The voice acting in the opening scenes of the war are fantastic. Deusolbert in the Spanish dub sounds very reminiscent of his English dub performance with clear, direct speech and a strong conviction. His promise to the faint memory of his wife was heartfelt, "Lo protegeré con mi vida." ("I will protect it with my life.") 

    I was also quite impressed with the goblin and orc voices in the Spanish dub. Even as someone who is still learning the language, I found their voices easy to understand. The goblin leaders in particular are chilling when they deliver their threats, such as Shiburi calling Deusolbert and humans "carne" ("meat"). Interestingly, the voice of orc leader Lilpilin appeared to be the same as any other human, in contrast to the English dub and the light novels where he and the other orcs are shown to have difference speech patterns. 

    As far as the demihuman residents of the Underworld, the best performance was given by Sigurosig, the leader of the giants. The scene where his fluctlight overloaded and broke down was just as chilling in the Spanish dub, as he started repeating the phrase "No puede ser" ("It can't be") which then devolved into broken speech during his fight with Fanatio. 

    Iskahn and Sheyta's first battle was an excellent adaptation, with great chemistry between the two of them. Their voices and tone both match well with the English dub, and their banter was very fun to watch. Iskahn's opening line is a nearly direct translation of the original when he meets Sheyta on the battlefield, "¿Quien eres tú, y que estás haciendo aquí?" ("Who are you, and what are you doing here?") He also has a great, entirely new comeback when he joked that Sheyta wouldn't be able to prevent a child from passing through. ("Tú no podrías impedir que paso un niño.")

     Later in the same episode, the confrontation between PoH and Ronie has a somewhat mixed translation. The scene starts off with a good adaptation of PoH's lines, some of them even literal translations like "matando el tiempo" ("killing time") or slightly different wording that still captures the spirit of the original dialogue as seen in his reaction to being faced with a whole squad of soldiers to fight, "¡Perfecto! ¡Esto es lo que quería!" ("Perfect! This is what I wanted!") and also his orders to the Dark Knights, "¡Vamos a divertirnos!" ("Let's have fun!") However, the choice to change his lines during the fight itself was a poor choice, in my opinion - while the original dialogue focused on PoH's excitement for player-killing and made no derisive comments towards Ronie or her combat abilities, the Spanish dub places emphasis on referring to her as a helpless girl, which couldn't be further from the truth. Even though she was outclassed by PoH's years of experience in life or death battle, she nearly caught him off guard (which he even admitted to himself in the novel) and successfully defended against his first few sword strikes. So far, this is the only time I've totally disagreed with a translation choice. 

    Asuna's arrival in the Underworld is met with even more hostility from Alice in the Spanish dub when she enters the scene and demands to know, "¿Quién demonios eres tú?" ("Who the hell are you?") Asuna's response is portrayed with the same emotion and in many cases the same words, like her declaration that "Kirito es mío." ("Kirito is mine.") Bercouli, as always, was totally smooth as he convinced the two to talk things out, and his VA captures his relaxed tone of voice well. Ronie's VA also did a great job with her adorably awkward request to join Asuna and Alice in sharing their stories about Kirito, "Me gustaría saber más sobre él." ("I would like to know more about him.")

    The battle begins the next day with a face off between the Human Guardian army and a group of pugilists and Dark Knights who managed to cross the canyon Asuna created when she appeared in the Underworld, but thanks to a daring leap of faith from Iskahn, an alliance is formed between them and his pugilists. The determination in his voice and this declaration make it clear that he no longer intends to serve Emperor Vector if he can help it, "Mi gente y yo ya podemos hacer lo que queramos." ("My people and I can now do what we want.") 

    Meanwhile, back in the real world, PoH wakes up and slowly remembers the details of Asuna dropping his Dark Knight account down a hole and knocking him out of the Underworld, but seeing a familiar face from Aincrad only excites him. Despite my issues with the translation of his dialogue in an earlier episode, PoH's VA always does a good job portraying the excitement in his voice as well as the hint that he's planning something. His lines in this scene are very similar to the originals, like his reaction to Asuna's presence in the Underworld, "¡Es mi día de suerte!" ("It's my lucky day!") and his remark about the account he plans to dive back in with, "Tengo una perfecta para jugar." ("I have a perfect one to play.")

    Check out my translation guide below for common and key phrases from this episode, and stay tuned for my next blog post, which will cover the remaining episodes of the War of Underworld arc. ¡Hasta luego!  

Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended Proficiency: Intermediate

Key phrases: 

• Comandante de los caballeros - Commander of the Knights, or simply Knight Commander (Shasta's title in the Spanish dub, instead of "General" used in English, which mirrors Bercouli's title as Integrity Knight Commander)
• Destruido en la última fase - Destroyed in the last phase (the message written on the gate between the Human Realm and the Dark Territory) 
• Magos oscuros - Dark mages 
• La noche antes de la batalla - The night before the battle
• La persona más fuerte de este mundo - The strongest person in this world (Fanatio says this about Bercouli)
• Mejor espadachín de todo los tiempos - Best swordsman of all time (Alice later says this about Kirito) 

Common phrases: 

• Ya veo - I see
• Hasta ahora - Until now
• Hermosa vista - Beautiful view
• Despierta, cariño - Wake up, darling
• ¿Quieres jugar? - Do you want to play? 
• Podrías hacerlo - You could do it
• Ya comenzó - It already started
• Vamos a ver - We'll see
• No era un tarea fácil - It was not an easy task
• Eso es todo por ahora - That's all for now
• Yo siempre vuelvo - I always come back 
• ¿Como te diste cuenta? - How did you realize?
• Entonces ire a dormir un poco - Then I'll go get some sleep 
• ¡Este es nuestro momento! - This is our moment!
• Por exemplo, como eso - For example, like this
• Asi es, soy yo - That's right, it's me (a more direct translation of the first half of this phrase would be "it is so") 
• Es un maldito imbécil - He's a damn imbecile (PoH calls Critter a variety of insults, including this one)

*All images are from Sword Art Online: War of Underworld, screenshots taken by me