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Alternatively, it may have made sense to call the project "Dao Dan Guǐ" 捣蛋鬼 (which is Chinese for "troublemaker", or "trouble-making ghost/spirit/demon" if taking the last symbol literally/fundamentally). Appropriately echoing Shirow's "[[Ghost in the Shell|Kōkaku Kidōtai]]", such a title would have emphasized the historical source of the "oni" kanji 鬼 (referencing a language where "ghost" actually ''was'' its primary meaning), and it would also have highlighted Oni's core concept (the [[Daodan]] Chrysalis), which breaks every balance and sends the world tumbling into uncertainty. | Alternatively, it may have made sense to call the project "Dao Dan Guǐ" 捣蛋鬼 (which is Chinese for "troublemaker", or "trouble-making ghost/spirit/demon" if taking the last symbol literally/fundamentally). Appropriately echoing Shirow's "[[Ghost in the Shell|Kōkaku Kidōtai]]", such a title would have emphasized the historical source of the "oni" kanji 鬼 (referencing a language where "ghost" actually ''was'' its primary meaning), and it would also have highlighted Oni's core concept (the [[Daodan]] Chrysalis), which breaks every balance and sends the world tumbling into uncertainty. | ||
Apparently it was deemed that "Oni" was catchier and snappier (and spookier?) as a title. Admittedly, "Dao Dan Guǐ" (or even "Yōkai") don't exactly roll off the tongue for a non-otaku. | Apparently it was deemed that "Oni" was catchier and snappier (and spookier?) as a title. Admittedly, "Dao Dan Guǐ" (or even "Yōkai") don't exactly roll off the tongue for a non-otaku, whereas "oni" is mainstream enough to have a [[wp:Oni|Wikipedia article in English]], so it's one of those Japanese words that sounds exotic yet "works" without a translation. The deep ambiguity of the "Oni" title - not clearly meaning "ghost" or "demon", and not even clearly singular or plural - was another possible plus. | ||
If Bungie had settled for an English translation of "Dao Dan Guǐ" instead, we could have known Oni as "Stirring Demon(s)". | |||
[[Category:Oni influences]][[Category:Added value]] | [[Category:Oni influences]][[Category:Added value]] |