Samuel R. Messner

KiraKira Media (for Azuki)

In the 1930s, Mitsuko is Japan’s first female detective. This episodic detective manga required much historical research. A sensitive touch was needed to handle societal issues, as well as to write modern English dialogue without feeling incongruent with the setting.

Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Stage Play

Mid-sized theater troupe

Subtitling and script translation of an experimental stage play. The multiple songs featured needed to be translated poetically and on meter.

YKS Services (for Kodansha USA)

In 1970s Japan, Yukinojo moves up north to work at an apple farm, when he suddenly finds himself fighting a local god who’s dead set on spiriting his wife away. This dramatic josei manga involved translating poetry and agricultural jargon, and – most uniquely – localizing a thick Japanese dialect into Scottish!

Depraved Monk in Paradise

YKS Services (for Mangamo)

A Buddhism-themed action manga. I had to transliterate the Japanese interpretation of the Chinese pronunciation of Sanskrit mantras to the English representation of Sanskrit! Never have I done so much linguistic reverse engineering.

Seven Seas Entertainment

Two women with a passion for theater meet and fall in love – but they’re hiding something from each other… Being a romance manga, this project involved translating hard-hitting emotional dialogue and nuanced character voices.

Sci-Fi RPG for Nintendo Switch

Mid-sized game localization agency

Localization quality assurance and editing for the English localization of a text-heavy Japanese science fiction RPG for the Nintendo Switch. This project involved immense amounts of science fiction jargon and highly idiosyncratic character voices.