CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

In the American release, it says that some of the art has been modified (At least in volume 1), so what does that mean? Where was it modified?

That surprises me. There isn't anything offensive for them to modify, and when I skimmed the Viz edition of the first volume nothing leapt out as having been changed.

Here is a purely theoretical answer: Death Note, by its nature, relies on many words and these are frequently worked into the art itself. They might have translated signs/stores/computers, which would require modification because these are directly worked into the art (especially because Japanese and English read in different directions).

Since it isn't specific, I'd imagine that refers to sound effects or the things that UC mentioned.

I would assume UC's theory is correct. My only other thought is that there's one portion of the manga in which Light buys some magazines which feature bikini-clad women trying to look provacative. Since I never read the scanlations, I don't know if the girls in the manga were originally wearing bikinis or not. I would assume they were, but that just seemed like another opportunity when something might have been switched up a little.

Nah, if it was actual content edits, it would have likely said something to the effect of "Some scenes of violence and nudity have been altered from the original Japanese edition."

The modification of the art refers to the sound effects being changed into english, as is VIZ's policy. TOKYOPOP doesn't do this.

The women in the magazines have bikinis in the original version.

Impact Alberto wrote:The modification of the art refers to the sound effects being changed into english, as is VIZ's policy. TOKYOPOP doesn't do this.

random note: Darkhorse also leaves them intact. Viz is evil...but I can't complain because they brought us Kenshin manga. (sorry for going off topic)

ZIPO_MASTER* wrote:Viz is evil...

Yeah, I know. I hate it when something is translated so I can read it. I want to be left in the dark about such things!

I believe a lot of the retouched art is also the placing of word bubbles and whatnot...Seeing as some phrases are translated either longer or shorter than the originals.

MasterDias wrote:Nah, if it was actual content edits, it would have likely said something to the effect of "Some scenes of violence and nudity have been altered from the original Japanese edition."

Good. I'm glad to hear that.

I actually prefer Viz's policy of modifying sound effects. They're so integral to the artwork of the manga medium that having them in another language ruins what the author intended. Face it, unless you can read Japanese they're just a bunch of lines.

I like it when they translate the SFX, though they did a really crappy job in some places in the RK manga.

I had a feeling it was comething like that UC. The DEAth Note instructions were overlaid with English. In Rurouni Kenshin, there is no disclaimer about the art being modified.