I was in NYC last week so of course I had to visit the Chelsea Hotel. I was checking out the plaques and their fan-added graffiti, and I almost choked ahaha. Geezus, guys…
Someone has actually defaced Chelsea Hotel itself… I don’t know whether to feel proud or shocked *insert laughter/cry emoji*
The Japanese word for the ‘mutant’-type of quirk is 「異形」 - Igyo, which can be translated into [variant/fantastic/grotesque/strange-looking/suspicious-looking/irregular]. Basically it means ‘different, in a bit of bad way. I’m going to use 'Igyou’ as a placeholder for that word for now.
The first time we ever hear the word, it’s spoken by a Villain with a mutant quirk whose part of the group attacking USJ in Chapter 14. Dude says something like, “Eraserhead, you can’t erase my quirk because I’m 「異形型!」” - Igyou-gata(gata being 'type).
The CRC here, they’re called the 異形排斥主義集団: Igyou Exclusionist Group. Spinner notes that they’re against “異形型の人間” - Igyou-gata no ningen - Igyou-type-humans. and they’re shit bastards.
This is when he tells us:
ちなみに「異形」は好ましくない言葉だ。まア皆日常的に使ってるがかしこまった場では気を付けた方がいい
lit. By the way, 'Igyou’ is an unfavorable word. Well, everyone uses it on a daily basis, but in a proper/polite place, be careful to reconsider.
Not too sure if the unfavorable is his opinion, or in general; could be either? either way, he does explicitly say that in formal situations (「かしこまった」 - kashikimatta - which is like funerals or weddings or fancy official things, uptight places) it’s better not to use it.
As far as I know, which doesn’t mean much because I haven’t read through the series in japanese to notice this, and I’m no translator, there’s no other word used for someone with such a quirk. ‘Mutant’ in Japanese is literally just 'mutant’ borrowed from English; mutation is a whole different word together (突然変異); and in the CRC blurb in Volume 23 Extras, Horikoshi says of the targets of the CRC as “姿形の変わった” - sugatakatachi no kawatta - peculiar appearance, which is more of a description than like a label?
Viz just uses 'heteromorph’ for Igyou. Other translations I’ve seen is 'mutant’ (jaimini scanlation) or 'grotesque’ (mangastream scanlation).
Personally for a fic once I used 'grotesque’, 'aberrant’ as the insults and 'heteromorph’ as the okay word. Well either way, it’s still singling out one person as super different/unusual, so no good choice?
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please, please do not trust this to be 100% accurate, my Japanese is bad, thank you
I feel like I should be clear lol: I don’t ship Felix and Allegra, so anything I draw of them is not ship art, and I will not be drawing them in that context because I see them as close childhood friends. I’ll still be drawing them because I adore this duo, but yea. ‘fraid you’ll have to ask someone else for that, k
