When reading the remarks of Seidensticker on the multiplicity of choices that a translator must make in literature and media, one prominent example comes to mind. Within the manga/anime Jujutsu Kaisen, which is wildly popular in the U.S. and Japan, there is a massive difference in audience perception of characters, largely centered around one person: Naoya Zenin.
While he is obviously a very cruel character within Jujutsu Kaisen, he consistently tops favorite character charts in Japan, while being entirely disavowed by American audiences. One Japanese linguist pointed out that the difference is largely due to one crucial characteristic: his usage of 関西弁.
The Kansai Dialect, spoken in Kyoto, Osaka, etc., is regarded in Japan similarly to how a Southern accent is within America. The voice itself, while not made fun of, stands out in this show among the various characters who, on the whole, only speak 関東弁, which lends itself to what is considered "Standard Japanese."
In America, this difference in speech is not transmitted at all in Dubbed or Subtitled versions of Anime. The Manga attempts to make him sound quite different, but his speech style in the Anime is too close. This choice creates a very different outcome that likely was not intended by the translators. It is hard to say whether or not the author intended Naoya Zenin to receive such a reputation in Japan, but nevertheless, the "choices" of a translator, in my opinion, should largely seek to replicate the reaction of the audience in the place that was targeted in initial releases.
Michael
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