I was at my local video store the other day when I noticed something peculiar in the new rentals section. I saw what looked like a box of “Napoleon Dynamite”, However on closer inspection, I noticed that something was seriously wrong. The picture was the same as the Canadian release of the film, but the title hit me like a fan at a shit convention: Check it out here. That’s right, it’s now called “Bus Otoko” or “Bus Man.”
This gets my vote for worst translation of the year. For those of you who don’t know, it’s based on another popular Japanese drama series called “Densha Otoko” or “Train Man.” Obviously there is no way any Japanese person can turn “Napoleon Dynamite” into something pronounceable, so they resorted to the clever marketing tactic of copying another successful brand. Thank you once again Japan for restoring my confidence in sleazy business practices. For a second there I thought you were getting all soft on me.
