nnescio
Evard's Tentacles of Forced Intrusion
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Re: [RJ171244] 女魔王メリッサのHな冒険記～精液を集めるエロ魔王～
Okay, sort of kidding, but strictly speaking, leaving is as Maou is transliteration, not translation.
Which could work because titles like Demon Overlord/Demon Queen can be a mouthful sometimes. People who are not familiar with the word might not get it though, and it can be somewhat jarring in a fantasy European setting.
魔王 can be a somewhat tricky word to translate. Historically it was one of the possible Japanese translations of the various terms used for the Judeo-Christian primary adversary of God, which is why JP/EN dictionaries sometimes back-translate 魔王 as "the Devil", "Satan", "Beelzebub", "Prince of Darkness" or one of his many names.
Then Japanese RPGs like Dragon Quest and the game it inspired started using 魔王 as the generic Evil Overlord of monsters which the hero must defeat to free the land/save the world/save the girl/some such shit. Here, the term is usually translated as some variation of Demon (or Devil) King, Demon Lord, or Demon Overlord. "Satan" and "Beelzebub" would be highly inappropriate as they are names referring to a specific individual.
This has become so cemented in Japanese culture such that 魔王 still retains this similar meaning in most modern Japanese fiction; that is, some sort of Overlord of Monsters or Demons that is the enemy of Humans, and is the designated foe whom the Hero must defeat (see
(Melissa's father was the classic Evil Overlord though. To the point that Melissa was glad he got killed by the Hero[ine].)
Usually in these works the true villains are whichever passes for the religious authority among the humans, with demons getting a bad rap in their version of scripture. And of course, oftentimes the demons aren't entirely innocent either, with bloodthirsty jingoists among them who want nothing better but to Kill All Humans (and starting a coup against the Demon Lord if he's the pacifistic sort who won't go along with them). Examples of these kinds of portrayals can be seen in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, Hataraku Maou-sama, and the Disgaea series. Disgaea in particular consistently translate 魔王 as Demon Overlord or just Overlord for short.
In some works of fiction, 魔王 is also used as a title for a human (or some humanoid that isn't explicitly a demon or devil) ruler with magical powers (because 魔 can also mean magic). Some sort of Mage King or Sorcerous Overlord, so as to speak. The bearer of the title is usually implied to be a tyrant of some sort, because of the negative connotations of the word. An example can be found in the Japanese translations of Lord of the Rings -- 魔王 was used to translate the title of the Witch-King of Angmar.
The final choice on how to transliterate or translate 魔王 is still yours though -- you're the one who's doing the translation after all. I'm just info-dumping here so you can make a more informed choice.
(TN note: k̶e̶i̶k̶a̶k̶u̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶s̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶ Maou means Demon King)
Okay, sort of kidding, but strictly speaking, leaving is as Maou is transliteration, not translation.
Which could work because titles like Demon Overlord/Demon Queen can be a mouthful sometimes. People who are not familiar with the word might not get it though, and it can be somewhat jarring in a fantasy European setting.
魔王 can be a somewhat tricky word to translate. Historically it was one of the possible Japanese translations of the various terms used for the Judeo-Christian primary adversary of God, which is why JP/EN dictionaries sometimes back-translate 魔王 as "the Devil", "Satan", "Beelzebub", "Prince of Darkness" or one of his many names.
Then Japanese RPGs like Dragon Quest and the game it inspired started using 魔王 as the generic Evil Overlord of monsters which the hero must defeat to free the land/save the world/save the girl/some such shit. Here, the term is usually translated as some variation of Demon (or Devil) King, Demon Lord, or Demon Overlord. "Satan" and "Beelzebub" would be highly inappropriate as they are names referring to a specific individual.
This has become so cemented in Japanese culture such that 魔王 still retains this similar meaning in most modern Japanese fiction; that is, some sort of Overlord of Monsters or Demons that is the enemy of Humans, and is the designated foe whom the Hero must defeat (see
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for plenty of examples). Recent works (including this one) tend to portray the monsters or demons somewhat sympathetically though. Most of the time they're no longer inherently evil but are another humanoid (or bestial) race(s) trying to eke out living in the world. Likewise for their 魔王. (Melissa's father was the classic Evil Overlord though. To the point that Melissa was glad he got killed by the Hero[ine].)
Usually in these works the true villains are whichever passes for the religious authority among the humans, with demons getting a bad rap in their version of scripture. And of course, oftentimes the demons aren't entirely innocent either, with bloodthirsty jingoists among them who want nothing better but to Kill All Humans (and starting a coup against the Demon Lord if he's the pacifistic sort who won't go along with them). Examples of these kinds of portrayals can be seen in Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, Hataraku Maou-sama, and the Disgaea series. Disgaea in particular consistently translate 魔王 as Demon Overlord or just Overlord for short.
In some works of fiction, 魔王 is also used as a title for a human (or some humanoid that isn't explicitly a demon or devil) ruler with magical powers (because 魔 can also mean magic). Some sort of Mage King or Sorcerous Overlord, so as to speak. The bearer of the title is usually implied to be a tyrant of some sort, because of the negative connotations of the word. An example can be found in the Japanese translations of Lord of the Rings -- 魔王 was used to translate the title of the Witch-King of Angmar.
The final choice on how to transliterate or translate 魔王 is still yours though -- you're the one who's doing the translation after all. I'm just info-dumping here so you can make a more informed choice.
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