I’ve been reading the Japanese version of SPY x FAMILY manga for quite a long time already in addition to keeping up with the latest chapter on MANGA Plus.
But strangely enough, I only realize this after reading three volumes of the manga in Japanese.
Yes, I know how slow I am to realize this after the third book. Since the gap between when I purchase the second and the third book is shorter, I only began to notice it recently.
The fourth volume of the manga is already available for sale as I write this. It’s too bad that I can only get the manga a little later due to the disruption in the supply chain.
Wondering what SPY x FAMILY manga is all about? You can read about the manga right here.
What I notice in the Japanese version of SPY x FAMILY manga
What seems to be uniquely different in the Japanese version of the manga that you don’t get to see in the English version?
Well, the answer is Anya’s dialogue.
For the most part, it’s nothing strange to see the characters who are in the young age to speak more or less the same way as the adult characters.
Just take a look at Damian’s and Becky’s dialogues. Both of them are talking the same way as the adult characters in the series, with a mixture of Hiragana, Katakana ,and Kanji.
You can also say the same thing for other kids in the series as well. They all speak more or less the same way as the adult characters.
But in Anya’s case, her dialogues are all in Hiragana. Same goes for the words that are in Katakana too.
When you see Anya speaks, you’ll see nothing but Hiragana in all of her dialogues.
Why is there such difference in her dialogue
For those of you who are not familiar with Japanese writing, Hiragana is the basic in Japanese writing. To see Anya’s dialogue to have nothing but Hiragana in it is only to illustrate how young Anya is.
You can also say the same thing for other kids as well. But remember that most students who are attending Eden Academy are coming from rich families. So, they’re already exposed to many different things as they grow up, including their interaction with the adults.
Thus, the way they speak isn’t that much different from the way the adult characters would normally speak.
Some of you may throw a rock at me for saying this. But the fact that all of her dialogues are all in Hiragana also illustrates that she’s not a bright kid, to begin with.
It’s because of this reason that she depends heavily on her mind-reading power to get her through during the exam.
Wait, am I missing something here?
If you’re reading the English version of the manga like me and everyone else, you may feel that you’re missing something.
But the truth is, you’re not missing anything much other than the fact that Anya’s dialogues are all in Hiragana.
This is the subtle thing that is missing from the English version of the manga. Of course, they try to compensate that by making the translation of the dialogue to be child-like in a good way.
But hey, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. I don’t think if there’s any other way to illustrate her all-hiragana dialogues other than to make it sound child-like.
What we have for the English version is already good enough.
If you can read Japanese and would like to see Anya’s dialogues for yourself, you can buy the manga in Japanese right here at CDJapan.
Buy SPY x FAMILY manga in Japanese on CDJapan
For those who are wondering, I got mine from Kinokuniya. I tend to get the manga that are no longer available for sale in Kinokuniya through CDJapan, though.
P.S Just to let you know that I’m currently running a special promotion for all of my books on Smashwords where you can get any of my books for less than $4. The promotion will only be available until May 31st, 2020. If you’d like to give my book a try, now is your chance to do so.
Here are the links to all of my books on Smashwords:
The Diary of Modern Cinderella
I'm an author who writes thriller and suspense light novels. But when I'm not writing a book, I love to blog about books that I enjoy reading. Some of these books also become the inspiration for my novel as well.
Most of the books that I talk about on my blog tend to be manga and light novels, with nonfiction books in between. If you're looking for interesting books to read, then you will certainly enjoy reading my blog. 
Girl thanks, I always feel like I’m missing out because I can’t read Japanese, I read the English ones and I feel they are pretty great. Some mangas are so hard to get your hands on though, I plan to at least buy one volume of each one I read if I can get all of them.
You’re welcome. To be honest, I do think that the English ones are just as good. Sure, some parts of the meanings and contexts may get lost during the translation process. But the official translations tend to do what they can to be as accurate as possible when it comes to translating and portraying the characters’ personalities and habits.
So, don’t feel bad that you can’t read Japanese. What you get is just as good as the original ones but in a language that you understand.
It’s also natural for a child to under-develop skills when they have a gift elsewhere that they can lean on. If you had wings you might not learn to walk very well, even though you are entirely capable. Anya being able to read minds would discourage her from bothering with anything that may challenge her.
Thanks for your insight about child development. That explains why Anya’s speech only consists of hiragana to portray her as a child who is under-developed compared to other children of her age.