im going to bed but one thing i really liked about the d.va short was how it showed how fake a lot of D.VA’s image is, how its used as propaganda by the state to make the citizens feel safer.
In the beginning you have the news saying that in the aftermath of the latest battle all of D.VA’s teammates were trashed but she came out almost completely unharmed. And maybe you almost believe it, because you see that she IS doing fine. But then why is she fixing her mech? Why is she so concerned with their recent close call? Then at the end you see D.VA almost die to stop the omnic attack, having to be rushed to the hospital, and yet the news reports that she “won without a scratch.” Its a simple but effective way of showing how much of D.VA’s image as the flawless super star is manufactured.
The fact that Hana is clearly aware of this and rolls with it shows she understands her role as a propaganda icon too. It’s interesting. Really, getting a glimpse behind the mask at the real Hana, the loner who has trouble reaching out to others and tries to carry the whole world on her shoulders, was the best part of this one. As usual with these shorts it leaves me really interested to see how she’d go from this to (presumably) being a member of Winston’s new Overwatch team.
Found the Korean version!! So, some nice additional nuances from the Korean lines of the new D.Va cinematic:
You can really feel how close Hana and Daehyun are because they’re both using the informal register. It gives everything an air of fondness to it, and also gives them the impression of being similar ages because neither of them are using age relation terms like “oppa” or “noona.”
This effect is also emphasized because we get hints of Hana’s D.Va demeanor through the Nano Cola voice, which uses the polite register as expected of a celebrity.
Whereas in the English, Daehyun says “I wonder what glitz and glamour tastes like,” the Korean says, “How great would it be if that were true,” ‘that’ meaning the news report about D.Va and her crew enjoying some luxurious celebration time. I personally feel that the Korean gives more room to interpret Daehyun’s comment less as self-interest and more like concern for Hana.
Interestingly, whereas the English says “How we used to stay up late and work on your hoverbike,” the Korean says “Like how we used to stay up all night working on the hoverbike together,” without implying ownership.
The English has Hana say, “You still mad about that?” but the Korean uses the word “삐졌어,” which is… cuter? It can give either a more lighthearted or trivializing feeling, depending on the context. Kind of like the word “sulking,” actually – it just adds to the feeling of familiarity between them. It’s cute.
When D.Va’s in the clutches of the final omnic, the English says “I can’t stop this thing,” but the Korean says, “How can I stop this thing?” – a small nuance, but I feel that they give slightly different impressions of Hana.
And before that, when she goes to chase it down, in the English, Hana says “I’m on it,” but the Korean says “Leave it to me!” and it’s just a little extra sense of responsibility, that impression that she’s used to taking everything on her own shoulders.
Also, I’ve pointed out in my Details About D.Va post before that D.Va is going to end up a major advertising campaign, and I’m delighted to see that I was correct!
To wrap this up, the messages on her cast say, “Hana’s the best! (jjang!),” “[I/We] love you!”, “D.Va jjang!”, “Fighting!” (a Korean term of encouragement), and – interestingly enough – “Thank you” in polite register. It makes me wonder what variety of people got to sign that cast.
As per usual, if anyone has questions about translation and or Korean culture, feel free to ask. I’m not a professional, but I’m always happy to give it my best shot!
PkCaramel 