KATANAGATARI 1: Sword Tale

When I am reading LN translations, I often have to sit and stare at the text, confused, wondering whether the unfathomable passage I am reading is a problem with the source text or the result of an inadequate translation. There are many moments like this in, for example, the Monogatari series, written by the same author as this book and translated by the same company (albeit not by the same translator).In this book, those moments of confusion basically do not exist. And that should end the review--the book is worth your money. But perhaps there is another feature of this translation worth talking about.Strewn throughout the text, on almost every page, are footnotes which note and sometimes explain the literal Japanese term for a word or phrase. Some of these function as traditional TL notes (such as a footnote explaining how "kitsune" and "tanuki" are alike), but most act as a sort of alternate translation. My first impression of the footnotes was that they were a sort of apology for non-literal translations in the text--not that the translator needs to apologize for his work here. But they also act as the opposite: sometimes, the translation is so perfect that the footnote feels like a brag, as where the translation renders a term literally meaning "preliminary research" as "due diligence."Such notes are risky because they expose how the sausage is made. LN translations are generally opaque, and hopefully Vertical's transparency won't be held against them (or against the translator).

It's Nisioisin, back at it again with the fantastic work, and joined by a group of fantastic translators and editors.The main premise is that a sword fighter, who doesn't use a sword, goes off to fight against sword users who use special swords, and to then collect those special swords with the help of a sarcastic schemer. Hilarity, drama, action, a questionable romance, and cheerios ensue.Nothing I say is going to do this series justice, so again, just buy it. Hell, get a second one for your friend. Maybe then someone will get around to liscensing the anime.

As a huge fan of the anime, I was extremely excited to see an official english translation becoming available. I was moved enough by the quality of this work to post a review.Another reviewer said it much more eloquently, but this is objectively one of the best translated light novels I’ve read. The care the translator took with his craft is astounding. The excess of footnotes throughout the novel really adds extra depth to the story that makes me it appreciate even more. The book itself is also gorgeous sporting artwork from the original novel.Vertical and Sam Bett truly made an incredible work here. My highest recommendation to anyone interested in a new light novel.

It's the first three books in one, but it has the cover art of the second and third books in the book itself as fold outs, which is a nice touch.I watched the anime when it came out, and it's become one of my favorites, so I'm a bit bias, but after reading the book, it's nice to have a lot more detail in this that couldn't be captured in an hour timeslot per book.

This book is amazing and I highly recommend reading it. It might not be as appealing if you aren't familiar with other works from Nisio Isin, such as the monogatari series, but it is a very fun read overall. The writing is very creative and I love how there are so many footnotes as to exactly how things translate to add more depth to the book.

I like that it is hardcover, but I don't really like that it is an omnibus

Si saben ingles o van en buen camino, les recomiendo comprar Katanagatari, la verdad que la edición de tapa dura, las notas de pie de página para los términos de japón antiguo y más comentarios. Hacen de katanagatari uno de los mejores productos de vertical, ansioso de obtener su segunda parte

Really excellent

Katanagatari is definitely one of my favourite light novels as well as one of my favourite anime.This hardcover release is an omnibus which means it includes 3 volumes in one book. The quality is very good, cover looks absolutely amazing and you are not missing out on the other 2 covers since they are included inside the book.Had a little issue with my copy that had a damaged spine on the bottom and one of the pages was bent and not cut to size. Amazon quickly send a new copy of the book before I even returned the damaged one. The second book came in a perfect condition.

Lovely book

I like this authors work in general for his philosophy and style of writing, but it would be better without the sexual innuendos/tropes. Then again that is the draw for some other readers!Interesting story, loved the artwork to accompany it (mini inserts throughout the chapters)

Das Werk an sich brauche ich hier nicht groß beschreiben. Ein blick auf den Namen des Autor's sagt einem alles was man wissen muss.Stattdessen bewerte ich hier die Umsetzung dieser Version.Ich muss sagen, dass ich sehr zufrieden bin. Recht viele Light Novel's und Visual Novel's haben das Problem, dass sie sehr mittelmäßig übersetzt sind. Man erkennt oft viele Übersetzungsfehler.Hier sind mir allerdings fast keine Fehler aufgefallen. Zudem sind verschiedene japanische Wörter unten auf der Seite in Fußnoten nochmal wortwörtlich erklärt, was ich extrem gut finde. Bin dank meinen "schlechten" vorherigen Erfahrungen sehr beeindruckt von dieser Übersetzung.Auch das Buch an sich gefällt mir von der Qualität her sehr gut. Es sieht sehr gut aus und das Hardcover erscheint mir sehr Hochwertig.Ich kann Katanagatari eigentlich absolut jedem uneingeschränkt empfehlen, sofern man sich mit dem Stil von Nisioisin anfreunden kann.

Fan de l'anime à ses débuts je trouvais ça très frustrant de ne pas avoir de traduction des light novels de Katanagatari. Et dès que j'ai su que ce jour arrivait enfin, je me suis précipité sur l'occasion!Rien de surprenant à retrouver l'univers et ses personnages. L'anime étant une fidèle adaptation, le support d'origine apparaît comme une version complète avec tous les détails sur la relation entre les deux protagonistes, le contexte historique de l'intrigue et bien d'autres. C'était une expérience comparable à lire du lore, d'un point de vue personnel.De plus, les notes de bas de page sur la traduction sont vraiment instructives, surtout quand on connait la prose complexe de NisioIsin. Même les "fiches personnages" de fin de volumes sont traduites, ainsi que les notes de l'auteur, ce qui est une superbe attention. Traduction de qualité au passage!Mais pour les personnes qui ne connaissent pas, si vous aimez les fictions historiques, les brisages de 4e mur, l'ancien Japon et les dialogues de 10 pages alors je vous recommande cette série. Hors de ces critères, c'est une œuvre méconnue qui mérite au moins le coup d'œil. La nature épisodique de Katanagatari est loin d'être répétitive et permet de vraiment s'attacher aux personnages, même les "ennemis" (entre guillemets car rien n'est simple et manichéen et encore moins dans Katanagatari). Aussi, l'ambiance et les illustrations de take renforcent vraiment le propos en plus d'être plaisantes visuellement.Au niveau factuel, du coup ce tome réunit les 3 premiers volumes. Pratique, en comparaison de 12 light novels de 100 pages environ dans sa publication d'origine.Cependant, j'ignore si des éditeurs français prévoient de traduire les livres (alors qu'ironiquement la France faisait partie des seuls à doubler l'anime)...