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THREAD: Why Edgeworth's strong opposition to marriage is actually gay-coding, in my opinion. (A Japanese vs. English text comparison)
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THREAD: Why Edgeworth's strong opposition to marriage is actually gay-coding, in my opinion. (A Japanese vs. English text comparison)
I've seen a lot of English-speaking fans think that Edgeworth's opposition to marriage is evidence that he is uninterested in romantic relationships or that he and Phoenix won't get together. It is important to consider cultural context when looking at the text at this part.
The English version is set in America, where same-sex marriage is legal. In Japan, same-sex marriage is illegal and few areas in Japan allowed same-sex partnerships at the time of AA6's launch. Looking at the original text with a Japanese perspective tells a very different story.
I'll provide the Japanese text, my translation, the localized text, and a bit of my own commentary. Please note that I'm still learning Japanese so there may be mistakes. Please let me know if there are any mistranslations!
1. Edgeworth: A flying wedding ceremony... Quite romantic, isn't it?
2. Phoenix: Romantic...?
2. Phoenix: Romantic...?
3. P: For such a word to come out of your mouth... Is something wrong?
4. E: Hm? Nothing in particular is wrong.
Note: Phoenix uses a form of the word "you" (おまえ) here that is considered rude unless you use it with someone you are close friends with.
4. E: Hm? Nothing in particular is wrong.
Note: Phoenix uses a form of the word "you" (おまえ) here that is considered rude unless you use it with someone you are close friends with.
5. P: C-Could it be you... are thinking of getting married?
6. E: ...Why did you come to such an extreme idea?
6. E: ...Why did you come to such an extreme idea?
7. E: I have no such plan. What about you?
8. P: Well I don't either but...
Note: Edgeworth uses a form of the word "you" (キサマ) that is unbelievably rude unless used with a close friend.
8. P: Well I don't either but...
Note: Edgeworth uses a form of the word "you" (キサマ) that is unbelievably rude unless used with a close friend.
The part I find most interesting here is where Phoenix says "Well I don't [have plans to get married] either but..." That unfinished sentence much broader in Japanese than in English due to Japan's lack of marriage equality. Does he not have plans because he hasn't found someone?
Is it because he's attracted to men? Is it because he's attracted to Edgeworth specifically? Because a man cannot marry another man in Japan, when asking Edgeworth if he is thinking of getting married, Phoenix is essentially asking "Are you thinking getting married [to a woman]?"
When you look at the question that way, then this section feels extremely gay-coded. If he's gay then of course he's NOT thinking of getting married because he's not interested in women. Suddenly Edgeworth's little outburst in court makes more sense:
When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..
9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]!
10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!
![When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ech50o0XkAA8-zO.png "When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!")
![When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ech51naXYAYJeMx.png "When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!")
![When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ech527uWoAELS8y.png "When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!")
![When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ech540pXoAAltJz.png "When the Judge implies that Edgeworth will get married someday Edgeworth responds by saying..9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]! 10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!")
9. E: There are no plans [for me to get married]!
10. E: What's so bad about being unwed?!
Why so defensive, Miles? Being so strongly opposed to marriage that you uncharacteristically have an off-topic rant in court seems a bit strange. But if you are a gay man, and your only option is to marry a woman? Then of course you'd be so certain you'd never wed!
You'll note that for the most part the translations are incredibly similar to the localizations. They did not stray far from the original text in the Eng ver. That's my point. Taking the same words and putting them in a different cultural context makes a world of difference here.
One last thing! I'm not saying my headcanon is fact, just providing a different perspective here that doesn't exist in the localized version. If you hc Edgeworth as aromantic, or you interpret this scene completely differently, that's totally cool!
This was fun! Idk if people want me to do more of this sort of thing. It's really good Japanese practice. If there's any lines in AA you want to know the original text of let me know? Some things I won't be able to do because I'm not fluent but yeah. Hope this was informative!
