Cecil: A Knight's Tale
Cecil: A Knight's Tale
(Picture: Sqaure Enix)
Cecil, I’ve always thought, is one of those characters who simply… is. If I had to pin down his personality, I might compare him to a knight - but what else? It’s probably just me more than anything else, but his personality has quite often felt a little bit hard to exactly define. But now, after analysing his character in the Japanese and English versions of the game script, I understand why.
‘My Lord, do you know the name of the knight who won the tournament at Winchester, the one with red arms who wore the Sleeve on his helmet?’
‘Why do you ask?’ Said the king.
‘Because,’ replied Sir Gawain, ‘I do not think you know who it was’
….
‘And who was he?’ Asked the king. ‘I shall soon know if you are telling the truth.’
‘My Lord,’ he said, ‘it was Sir Lancelot del Lac.’
(Le Mort D’Arthur, 30).
‘Sir knight, you are certainly welcome
I am head of this house: Arthur is my name.”
(Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 12).
‘Gawain is my name,
And whatever happens after…”
(Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 17).
This could be taken for a model of how Cecil speaks in the game. A notable aspect of his English characterisation that persists throughout the game is how he speaks in a slightly affect way, and whilst I’ll mention it more in a couple of other character’s posts, it is clearly a style that the translators were aiming for. When you really think about it, is actually quite apt for the game - it’s a medieval fantasy with pretty intense European influences, after all. Japanese Cecil, however, is not quite the same. Let’s take a look at an example,
長老: そなたはあの時の・・・・今度はいったい何の用じゃ。
Elder: You are that knight from before. Why have you returned?
Elder: You are that knight… Just what are you doing back here?
Elder: You are that knight… Just what are you doing back here?
セシル: 飛空艇団を指揮していました、セシルと言います。あの時は王の命令に背く勇気がありませんでした・・・・
Cecil: My name is Cecil. I am the former commander of the Red Wings. Before I did not have the courage to go against the king's orders, but now I wish...
Cecil: I was in command of Baron’s airforce, my name I Cecil. I didn’t have the courage to disobey the king’s orders then…
(My translation is in the green)
In the Japanese, Cecil had none of these medieval, knightly customs. He introduces himself afterstating what his position was, as opposed to saying ‘My name is Cecil’. This formula echoes the conventions of medieval knightly romances as seen above: one’s name is tantamount to one’s total identity. Indeed, Cecil uses this formula four times in the English script: here, and when meeting Rydia, Yang and Edward! That’s a pretty significant portion of the main cast, and it’s fairly obvious when you notice it. Especially as Cecil never introduces himself like that when meeting Rydia, Yang and Edward in the Japaense. So this new characterisation has a pretty significant affect on his characterisation: whilst in the English he’s all custom and little personal flavour, in the Japanese, he’s more naive-sounding, and kinder. This affects how the character is presented in two ways throughout the game: firstly, Japanese Cecil is much more emotional; secondly, English Cecil seems a lot older.
In the Japanese, Cecil had none of these medieval, knightly customs. He introduces himself afterstating what his position was, as opposed to saying ‘My name is Cecil’. This formula echoes the conventions of medieval knightly romances as seen above: one’s name is tantamount to one’s total identity. Indeed, Cecil uses this formula four times in the English script: here, and when meeting Rydia, Yang and Edward! That’s a pretty significant portion of the main cast, and it’s fairly obvious when you notice it. Especially as Cecil never introduces himself like that when meeting Rydia, Yang and Edward in the Japaense. So this new characterisation has a pretty significant affect on his characterisation: whilst in the English he’s all custom and little personal flavour, in the Japanese, he’s more naive-sounding, and kinder. This affects how the character is presented in two ways throughout the game: firstly, Japanese Cecil is much more emotional; secondly, English Cecil seems a lot older.
Emotional Arc
(Picture: Square Enix)
セシル: 僕はミシディアで・・・・罪もない人々からクリスタルを！
この暗黒騎士の姿同様、僕の心も・・・・！
Cecil: ...In Mysidia, we killed innocent people to steal their Crystal. It was horrible.
I suppose this is my fate as a dark knight. Soon, I won't even feel remorse for my actions.
Cecil: In Mysidia I… Just for the Crystal, from blameless people, I…! Just like the dark suit of armour I wear, my heart, too, will….!
Japanese Cecil, it would be fair to say, has a bit of trouble getting out what he needs to say. The above excerpt is from his conversation with Rosa at the beginning of the game, and it reflects a general trend in the Japanese script of Cecil never quite being able to admit what he’s done. It’s as though the trauma is so great, he cannot process it to be able to discuss the actions he took. Not only does this make the crimes he committed seem even greater, it also helps to make Cecil a much more emotional, sympathetic character. He is our main character, after all, and we wantto see him be able to overcome this trauma. Even if he did totally kill a load of innocent civilians.
The English Cecil, however, is a bit more forthcoming in his atrocities. To the point where, there is little emotion in his voice at all. On the one hand, the Japanese language has the lexical advantage of easily being able to drop verbs (you can see from my translation how it reads a little bit awkwardly). However, all the emotion in this line comes from the verbs themselves. We can imagine that the verbs in Japanese will be hard-hitting - he might have ‘butchered’ or ‘massacred’ the civilians, and ‘stole’ or ‘robbed’ the Crystal. Moreover, the punctuation directs the player to read the lines with emotion (perhaps rather a lot compared with how one might punctuate the line in English), so an adjective such as ‘horrible’, coupled with flat punctuation and short, perfunctory sentences simply falls flat. Rather than an emotion-filled stream of consciousness where you can feel Cecil struggling to come to terms with what has happened, English Cecil simply describes an attack and muses over the nature of his soul.
So, you can see how it changes Cecil’s character. This kind of translation alteration continues throughout the game script, which prolongs a lack of emotion for English Cecil and thus changes how he is presented. Whilst the Japanese Cecil being unable to process what he has done fits in better with this conversation where he is to the point of doubting the sanctity of his own soul, English Cecil does not have such a prolonged character conflict. Japanese Cecil has a chartable arc which climaxes in his ability to begin accepting the things that happen around him by calling Golbez his ‘big brother’ (お兄さん), but English Cecil does not find such difficulty in saying the things he has done, and so when he called Golbez simply that in his final conversation with the man at the end of the game, the emotional arc does not have the same resonance. What was a really rather touching scene in the Japanese loses somewhat of its impact in the English.
How Old Are You?
(Picture: Square Enix)
Cecil: That’s enough! You’re the rightful ruler of Damcyan, so start acting like it! You owe it to your people, and you owe it to Anna. Your Highness, my name is Cecil, and I need your help.
Cecil: You’re not the only one who’s sad! If you keep on like this, Anna won’t be able to be proud of you! Besides, we need your help right now!
Ah, yes. The eternal question. ‘So, how old are you exactly?”. If I had a penny for every time I heard this!
And, I might ask the same question of Cecil: seriously, how old is he!? For Japanese Cecil, I’d peg him as maybe 19-21, but for English Cecil he seems more like 24-5. Why is this, exactly? Well, it comes down to the above point: his naivety and highly emotional dialogue makes him look a hell of a lot younger than the knightly Cecil of the English Script.
As you can see from the excerpt above (it comes from just after Anna dies in Damcyan Castle), Japanese Cecil appeals to Edward’s emotions; English Cecil appeals to his rationality. Japanese Cecil’s dialogue is more immediate, whereas English Cecil takes a pause to introduce himself as the same formula as he always does (‘my name is Cecil’), which take the immediacy out of the dialogue. The former makes him seem younger, the latter makes him seem older. Besides, it’s worth mentioning that the knights of medieval tales are always older than you’d think - Arthur is over one-hundred in Le Mort D’Arthur.
The affect of this change is again felt perhaps most strongly in the Ending. The final resolution between estranged, orphaned brothers is not so emotional when the brother in question are written to be about the same age, and only call each other by their first names - not ‘big brother’, as in the Japanese. Whilst a shame, it is still, of course, touching to see two brothers reconcile no matter their ages or the circumstances.
These are the basic changes that Cecil’s character underwent in this translation. They’re only minor changes but, when seen so consistently throughout the script, they do actually produce two quite different characters at the end. But to really see how his different characterisation affects the over all picture, let’s have a look at his relationships with other characters.
Relationships
Rosa
(Picture: Square Enix)
In the English script, love is mentioned, once.
ローザ: 赤い翼のセシルは、そんな弱音を吐かないはずよ！私の好きなセシルは・・・・
Rosa: The Cecil I know would never whimper like this! The Cecil I love…
Rosa: Cecil of the Red Wings doesn’t whimper like this! Not the Cecil I hold dear…
Surprising, right? In fact, throughout the script, thisis the one thing that English Cecil can’t bring himself to say. He says “the two of us can never…”, or “I realised… I….”. Now, love seemsto be on the agenda, but it’s always struck me as really strange that despite us getting that conversation about how the two can never be together in the beginning, there’s not even one little scene or line to indicate that the two have discussed things and decided to marry before boom! wedding. Or maybe there are people who just appear in a church one day with full wedding attire and get married without discussing it, I don’t know. Either way, my point is this: whoever wrote this script clearly wasn’t focusing on romance. And to be honest, that is completely fair enough. It’s not a romance game, it’s no big deal. What is strange, though, is to make the ending cutscene build to a wedding that comes totally out of the blue. Especially when there’s this:
セシル: 僕の仲間が、カイポで高熱病にかかっているんです。
Cecil: A friend of mine suffers from desert fever.
Cecil: My companion is suffering from a terrible fever in Kaipo.
ゴルベーザ: 私は君の愛しいローザと一緒に、このゾットの塔の最上階にいる。
Golbez: Rosa stands beside me at the top of this tower.
Golbez: Your beloved Rosa is here with me, at the top of this tower.
Why is Golbez better able to define their relationship than Cecil is? And he calls her his companion? That and the whole airship scene kind of makes me want Rosa to not marry him, like honestly. Actually, I don’t really think about it that much, but it really does make me laugh - sure, relationships are like rollercoasters, but this is way too much hot and cold!
Anyway, my point is this: at least English Cecil doesn’t call Rosa his ‘companion’, and therefore English Cecil is way more romantic and a better pair with Rosa. Sorry, Japanese Cecil, but it’s 1-0.
Kain
(Picture: Square Enix)
Votes for Kain and Cecil’s bromance being better than his relationship with Rosa? These two are… well, I’ll talk more about my thoughts on Kain in his post, but in sum, I think B-, room for improvement. And again, English Cecil wins this one. Mostly because of this one, fascinating exchange:
カイン: 生きていたか セシル。
Kain:Heh! So you’re still among the living.
Kain: Still alive, Cecil?
シド: カイン、どういうつもりじゃ！
Cid: Kain! You traitor…!
Cid: Kain, what the hell are you doing?!
セシル：ローザは・・・・無事だろうな。
Cecil: Where is Rosa? You would not… harm her, would you?
Cecil: Rosa’s… okay, right?
カイン: フッ、やはり心配か？ ローザの命が惜しければ、トロイアの土のクリスタルと引換えだ。
Kain: If you want her back, bring me the Earth Crystal.
Kain: Of course - worrying, are you? If you value her life, I will exchange it for Troia’s Earth Crystal.
セシル: 何？
Cecil: What!?
Cecil: What?
テラ: 卑怯な手を！
Tellah: You shameless dog!
Tellah: You coward, you…!
カイン: 手に入れたら、また連絡に来る・・・・ いいか、必ずだ！ ローザの身を案ずるなら。
Kain: I will come for you once you have the Crystal in your possession. And if Rosa means anything to you, you’ll get that Crystal.
Kain: Once you obtain the crytal, I will return… I know you will do it! If you really value Rosa’s life…
ヤン: きさま・・・・！
Yang: Why, you…!
Yang: You…!
セシル: 目を醒ませ カイン！
Cecil: Wake up, Kain!
Cecil: Wake up, Kain!
カイン: 話す事はそれだけだ。
Kain: I have nothing else to say to you.
Kain: This is all I have to say to you.
I know it’s a long one, but let’s break it down into one key line: “Where is Rosa? You would not… harm her, would you?”. I’ll be honest: this is the perfecttranslation of this line. Cecil gets straight to the point asking for Rosa, not only showing his affection for her, but pointing to the crux of Cecil and Kain’s relationship, too: the one in between them. The ellipsis is positioned so that we actually see Cecil wonder if his best friend, that man who it appears is like a brother to him, would hurt the woman they both love. Then the questioning tag phrase at the end shows a rare bit of vulnerability slip through from the Japanese script, but it works wonderfully here. In short: this is the moment that Kain and Cecil’s relationship changes. And, sure, it works well because a little characteristic of Japanese Cecil slips through. However, that English Cecil is usually so stoic is what makes the vulnerability all the more pressing. This is a heartbreaking line, and I love it. But for the whole exchange really, you can’t tell to what extent Kain is being mind controlled. So the temporary shift in character in the English makes this all the more heartbreaking, and it works very well.
Conclusion
(Picture: Square Enix)
From simply a writing point of view, the Japanese Cecil works better. The plot of this game is so ‘Saturday Morning Cartoon’ in style, for lack of a better descriptor, so his youthful, naive character simply fits better - especially for the main character. He’s like the lead in a Shonen Manga, and that works really well for the style they’ve gone for. Using conventions from medieval courtly romances? That would pretty much fly over the heads of most players - although on a literary level I do think that it’s very clever. However, when it comes to the relationships Cecil has with two of the characters tied most closely to his character, English Cecil wins. Perhaps this is because the English Script that I’ve used has the luxury of being the X-th iteration of this game, so it can build on ideas from other translations to make the relationships seem more organic. With the exception of Rosa and Cecil’s relationship which is, frankly, all over the place in bothversions, these relationships feel most engaging in the English - although still pretty compelling in the Japanese, too.
For me, I preferred Japanese Cecil overall. It was nice to finally see him with some degree of characterisation, and now I finally understand why his voice-actor’s voice is so high-pitched! Besides, it was fun to read his dialogue, and I just enjoyed playing him in the Japanese more than the English. That being said, I congratulate the translator on their job for the English, too: he makes a great pillar character for all the others to play off, if a little boring. But tell me: have you ever met anyone who’s favourite character is Cecil? I’d love to know what their reasoning is, and perhaps that could change how I see him, too. Either way, let me know your thoughts below.
So, we’ve had a great start here with Cecil: a well written, solid character in both languages. And next up? Well, I think he’s the ‘shooting star’ character of the cast…
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