A word-for-word comparison of the official English-language translation of Twst the first novel.
In the original game/manga/novel and the English-language manga the characters will refer to Grim as a tanuki. This was changed in the English-language game and novel to “weasel.”
Original Novel (Grim): “I’m gonna put on those clothes, and then I’ll—“
EN Novel (Grim): “Now unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, take off that—”
In the original game/manga/novel, the students of NRC are referred to as “the eggs of magic users.” In the English-language manga/novel this was changed to “fledgling,” and how the line is translated in the English-language game varies by situation. (Re: The Eggs of Twisted Wonderland)
Original Novel (Yuuya): “An incessant rumbling, like something hard rolling along the ground.”
EN Novel (Yuuya): (removed)
(This line from Yuuya’s recollection of what happened just before he appeared at NRC was removed from the English-language novel.)
When Crowley returns to the opening ceremony with Yuuya we originally receive five comments from unnamed students. In EN, there are only four.
The line, “Does that mean they’re special, I guess?,” was removed from the English-language novel.
While trying to identify Yuuya’s home, Crowley originally asks him if he has a health insurance card. This was changed in the English adaptation to “driver’s license.”
Original Novel (Grim): “Nyahaha, what’s with that stupid look on your face? You already forgotten what I look like?”
EN Novel (Grim): “Myah ha ha! That look on your face is priceless. Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun!”
(This EN line is accurate to both the original and EN game but was changed for the JP novel, and it seems the EN novel opted for the game version, instead.)
Original Novel (Ace): “Maybe it’s ’cause he wasn’t born a king that he was able to be considerate about issues to do with status. Pretty cool.”
EN Novel (Ace): “’Maybe he could look past status and all that stuff ’cause he hadn’t been born royal himself,” Ace said. ‘Pretty cool, huh?’”
Original Novel (Ace): “Do your best cleaning up with that monster.”
EN Novel (Ace): “I’ll let you get back to picking up trash with your little monster friend.”
(Directly after this Yuuya confesses he has has no friends and is shocked when the ghosts comment he and Grim seem like friends.)
Original Novel: “How dare you mock me. I’ll show you which of us is superior!’ ‘Hah. A mere monster is gonna take me on?”
EN Novel: “‘No one makes fun of Grim, master of fire!’ Grim snarled. ‘I’ll show ya who’s boss here!’ ‘Ha!’ Ace snorted. ‘You wanna throw down with me, shorty?’”
(Grim does not call himself “master of fire,” and Ace does not call him “shorty.” Ace calls Grim “shorty” often in the EN novel, which he never does in the original, and it seems that this is another instance of the EN novel taking something from the EN game that did not originally exist in the JP game or novel.)
Original Novel (Ace): “How lame. Are you really going to spout nonsense about coming together and protecting the weak?”
EN Novel (Ace): “’Work together?’ Ace made a gagging face. ‘No thanks. Next you’re gonna make us hold hands and sing a song or something.'”
Original Novel: “The stone is ours!”
EN Novel: “The stone is mine!”
(When calling out to the mine monster to distract it, Yuuya originally says that the magestone belongs to all of them. In the EN novel he says that the stone belongs to him alone.)
Original Novel (Ace): “Yuu, before you rely on this guy and get into trouble, come to me if something happens.”
EN Novel (Ace): “Yu, pal, you come to me if you need anything. Don’t ask this knucklehead, or you’ll end up to your neck in trouble.”
(Ace never calls Yuuya “pal.”)
Original Novel: Crewel-sama
EN Novel: Professor Crewel
(Interestingly the “Crewel-sama” line was actually kept in the EN game, where it was localized as “Master” in one place and “O Great” in another: “You can start by calling me ‘O Great Crewel’ instead of Professor.”)
Original Novel: “If it weren’t for you, Ace-kun, I don’t think I’d even be here right now.”
“This isn’t some academy for spoiled rich kids, you know—just Ace is fine.”
“…Ace. Thank you.”
EN Novel: “I really appreciated your help yesterday.” Now it was his turn to bow his head. He hadn’t been able to thank Ace properly for rescuing him from the monster in the nick of time. “If you hadn’t been there, Ace, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”
“‘Appreciated’?” Ace snorted a laugh. “This isn’t some highfalutin rich-kid school. You don’t need to be so polite.”
Yuya smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”
(As the English-language novel is largely not using honorifics, the line where Ace tells Yuuya to drop the honorific from his name was changed.)
Original Novel: “Ace. Deuce-kun. Thanks.”
“What IS your problem? Weirdo.”
“Why do you use ‘-kun’ only with me? Just Deuce is fine.”
EN Novel: “Thanks, Ace, Deuce,” he said with a shy smile.
“What for?” Ace stared at him blankly. “You’re a weirdo.”
“How come you said Ace first?” Deuce protested. “I’m first.”
(The line where Deuce tells Yuuya to drop the honorific from his name was changed to Deuce protesting against Yuuya thanking Ace first instead of thanking him first.)
Original Novel: “Morning, Yuu.’ ‘Morning, Ace.’ Yobisute was a little awkward, but Ace didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked refreshed.”
EN Novel: “’Morning, Ace.’ ‘Morning, Yu.’ Ace looked much better than he had earlier.”
(While the reference to yobisute being removed was unavoidable, it is interesting that the order in which they speak was swapped.)
Original Novel: “Either way, Chenya speaks quite casually about Riddle. The only other person Yuuya knows who addresses Riddle without honorifics is Trey.”
EN Novel: “Either way, Chenya spoke of Riddle quite familiarly, and Yuya had only ever heard Trey talk about him so casually.”
Original Novel: “Usually, Cater does not ever yobi-sute anyone. When he calls to Trey, he always adds ‘kun’ to his name. This is probably one of his skills as a good-natured person. When Cater uses Trey’s name like this, it is only when he is really serious. Only when it is important.”
EN Novel: “Trey,” Cater said, abnormally serious. He usually sounded so lighthearted when he called Trey’s name; being sociable was one of the secrets to his success. And Cater only said his name so seriously when it was truly important.
Original Novel: “Don’t worry. When I become house warden, I’ll order Riddle to to remove it.”
“Oof, already with the yobisute…”
EN Novel: “Relax.” Ace waved a nonchalant hand. “Once I’m housewarden, I’ll order Riddle to take it off. Easy-peasy!”
“You’re already bossing him around.”
As Cater’s use of honorifics is an important character point, they were incorporated into the English-language novel via nicknames.
Ace-chan: Acey / Deuce-chan: Deucey / Grim-chan: Grimmy / Riddle-kun: Riddley / Yuu-chan: Yuuey / (no nickname made for Trey)
Deuce’s use of honorifics is also an important character point. As a result, he refers to all upperclassmen by their last names in the English-language adaptation of the novel.
Clover-senpai: Clover / Diamond-senpai: Diamond / Draconia-senpai: Draconia
Original Novel (Cater): “I’m glad that you all look so energetic.”
EN Novel (Cater): “You look good, real hot.”
Original Novel (Ace): “What are you so glad about…you just used us, then kicked us out.”
EN Novel (Ace): “Real hot? Whatever. You used us and then chased us away.”
Ace saying “thank you” in English was changed to Ace saying “merci” in the English-language novel.
Similarly, Sam saying “Hey” in English was changed to “Ciao” in the EN novel.
(“Hey” is how Sam greets them in the original game, saying “Bye” when they leave. This was changed to “Greetings” and “Ciao” on EN.)
When asked how he knew what Deuce and Yuuya had come to buy, Sam references is “secret companions,” changed in the English-language novel to, “Easy-peasy. A little bird told me.”
Sam tries to sell them things from the shop and Deuce originally grabs Yuuya’s arm. In the English-language novel, he grabs Yuuya’s shirt.
Original Novel (Deuce): “She was saying that since I don’t have a dad, it might be her fault that I was acting out. That she might have raised me wrong.”
EN Novel (Deuce): “She was saying I was so wild, and that, like, maybe she had raised me wrong.”
(Maybe the only reference we’ve ever had to Deuce’s absent father, removed from the English-language novel.)
Original Novel (Deuce): “Are you planning to overthrow the housewarden!?”
EN Novel (Deuce): “Are you trying to overturn the natural order of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen?! To overthrow our housewarden?!”
(“The natural order” comment was added to EN.)
Original Novel (Ace): “What’s with all these weird phrases you keep dropping, like ‘gang leader’ and ‘overthrowing authority’?”
EN Novel (Ace): “You keep going on about upperclassmen and order and respect. What is with all your hierarchy stuff?”
(Ace has never been told Deuce’s history, but he may suspect it, which is what this is originally in reference to: Ace comments multiple times both in the game and novel on how Deuce will shift from “honor student” to “gang member” speech patterns.)
Original Novel: “’Um, Housewarden. May I have a moment?’ ‘Oh. You are…’
EN Novel: “’Um, Housewarden, sir,’ he said. ‘Is now okay?’ ‘Ah, it’s you.’ Riddle looked him up and down. ‘The tart thief.’
(These lines were added to the EN novel, possibly taken from the original/EN game rather than the original novel.)
Original Novel (Chenya): “Somewhat like a cat, somewhat like a person, a mysterious somewhat with magical powers.”
EN Novel (Chenya): “Am I a cat? Am I a purrison? A mome rath with a knack for magic? I am a profound mystery.”
(EN novel again incorporating lines from the EN game instead of the original novel)
Original Novel (Chenya): “At least…I’m on a different level than you all over there.”
EN Novel (Chenya): “Let’s just say I’m not from the other side of the looking glass.”
(More dialogue rewritten for the EN game that varies from both the original game and novel (EN manga is accurate).)
In the original novel (and game) Chenya just refers to Trey as “glasses/four-eyes,” but in the EN novel (and game) he says “four-eyed friend.”
Chenya originally does not refer to them as friends. This was also possibly dialogue that was changed for the EN game and then adopted by the EN novel.
When Ace confronts Trey, Trey is incorrectly localized as “Cater.” Cater is not in this scene.
When Trey tells Cater he tried to convince Ace and the others not to challenge Riddle, Trey is incorrectly localized as “Deuce.” Deuce is not in this scene.
Original Novel (Ace): “If he’s got guards or whatever around, of course no one is gonna be able to talk to him.”
EN Novel (Ace): (removed)
(A comment from Ace about Malleus being attended by guards removed from the English-language novel.)
Original Novel: “‘Good news, right?’ said the cheerful headmage giving a thumbs up, to which Ace snapped back, ‘That’s rude.’”
EN Novel: “’Safety first.’ The headmage gave them a sunny thumbs-up.”
(Ace calling Crowley rude for saying they are too weak to overblot was removed.)
Original Novel (Riddle): “I see. It would have been wiser of you to say that it had been a joke.”
EN Novel (Riddle): “”Hmph. Have it your way, then. Let us get this over with,”
(This line was changed for the original novel, but the EN-novel chose to use the line from the original/EN game, instead.)
Original Novel (Riddle): “The only response I will accept is ‘Yes, Riddle-sama!’”
EN Novel (Riddle): “The only response I will accept from you is ‘Yes, Housewarden Riddle.’”
This change was also made to the EN game.
Riddle often reminds others to say “Yes, Housewarden” in the original/EN game, but after his overblot he changes to demanding “Yes, Riddle-sama,” instead.
The EN manga localized this as “Lord Riddle,” but the EN game and EN novel chose “Housewarden Riddle,” removing the escalation.
Original Novel: Be prepared…
EN Novel: They got no idea what’s comin’…
(Much like the English-language game, Leona’s “Be prepared” line has been rewritten.)
JP Novel (Cater): Ahhh~~~goddamn it!
EN Novel (Cater): Aaaah! Whyyyyy?!
(Most curse words have been removed/rewritten in the EN novel, but this was a slightly confusing choice, possibly making it sound as if Cater is asking why everyone is insistent on saving Riddle, which is not what he is saying.)
Curse words in the English-language adaptation of the novel:
Original: kuso – Dammit/damn it, damn, god damn it, shit, bloody hell, fucking hell, fuck
EN: curses (or removed)
Original: baka – Idiot, moron, fool, dumb ass, dummy, stupid
EN: Idiot, dodo
Original: aho – idiot, stupid
EN: Stupid
Original: manuke – fool, moron, blockhead, half-wit, idiot
EN: Dunce, Chicken
Original: chikushou – Dammit/damn it, damn, god damn it, shit, bloody hell, fucking hell, fuck
EN: Cripes, ugh
Original: tanuki – a creature endemic to Japan that looks like a cross between a dog and a raccoon, sometimes used to insult Grim
EN: weasel, hairball
Original: yarou – used in a derogatory manner with a meaning of “jerk,” “asshole” or “jackass”
EN: ding-dong (or removed)
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 