Is it 'Ritona' or 'Littner' and why?

[Flyvåpnet]

From day one of Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann's appearance, the leading female character was called "Yoko Ritona."  Even now, all but a handful of Web sites with anything Yoko-related on them call her "Yoko Ritona."  But lately, there's been a big push by Wikipedia and some anime-related Web sites to change Yoko's surname from "Ritona" to "Littner."

The excuse I hear most often is that Gainax supposedly has decided "Littner" is her surname.  Well, where was this alleged edict for the first 18 months of that series' release?  One version of this excuse is that "Littner" applies to the first feature film.  Whose dumb idea was that; and why, then, are various Webmasters/administrators/moderators bent on changing Yoko's surname across the board to include all Yoko-related media?

How if we change Nia's surname to "Zeppelin" or "Blimp"?  That would be silly, right?  Once name familiarity is established, you don't mess with it.  That's a rule of business; and I'm assuming Gainax is in business.  Yoko's surname had been well established for 18 months before this "Littner" nonsense began.  I'd just like to know the real reason behind Yoko's surname being changed and why some Web sites, especially Wikipedia, are leading this mendacious name-familiarity-destroying campaign with such passion.  Thank you for your input.



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[Kov]

If you think about it for a minute. The Japanese don't have an L sound.
Try and say Littner like a Japanese would.
Li - Ri
tt - to
ner - na
It's the same word.
That's what I believe thinking it off the top of my head now.

[Flyvåpnet]

I appreciate your point, Kov. Thank you for replying!  I'm glad to know Ritona and Littner are the same word.



Yoko's surname should still be Ritona, though, given that it's the same word as Littner.  Yoko already has universal name familiarity as Yoko Ritona, so if it's the same word why doesn't Wikipedia -- and the several other Web sites I'm thinking of -- just leave it alone?  I question their motivation.

Besides, Ritona flows easily off the tongue -- unlike the harsh "Littner," which sounds Germanic and certainly hasn't a feminine ring to it the way Ritona does.  Anyway, I'll stick with Ritona.  Hopefully the Littner Crusaders will, in time, tire of their folly.



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[Kov]

I agree with you that Ritona is a much better word to use/name.
However it is up to what Gainax want to call the village where she is from, as Ritona/Littner is the name of the village neighboring Jeeha, hence her surname being so.
Hell if Gainax really want to say Yoko is 14 years old then let them. If you and I want to believe she is older because of some aesthetics then we can. Just like we can say her surname is Ritona, because we want to call her that.

[Flyvåpnet]

You're right, Kov.  To hell with what Bandai or Gainax want!  I'm a firm believer in freeing favorite characters from the confines of their anime/manga corporate roles anyway.  I believe in the imagination, hence I'm definitely not a "canon NAZI."



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[WhiteyMcTool]

Meh. I'm a stickler for what they put in the official subbed versions, and in the official subs, it's Littner. Doesn't mean I'll say like that would be said literally in English (Lit-ner doesn't appeal at all, but Lii-to-na does), but that's how I'd spell it, personally.

[Flyvåpnet]

Thanks for your reply, Whitey!  Yeah, I'm thinking we'll all just have to go with whatever surname suits us; and with me, it's Yoko's long-standing original surname of "Ritona."

I'll pay more attention to official edicts from corporate executives in Tokyo when Gainax cares enough to open an English-language mirror site, the chauvinistic tossers.  Yoko's surname was "Ritona" for 18 months, everywhere, including everywhere on the Web; and now Gainax wants it changed to "Littner"?

See, it just doesn't make any business sense.  In business, you never mess with established name familiarity.  So there's got to be something behind this English-language "Littner" crusade, something other than linguistics.

I sense corporate resentment by Gainax executives:  they stupidly, via executive meddling, threw Yoko out of the series despite her critical acceptance and public popularity; so now they're messing with her name familiarity out of resentment, because she's still popular.



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[WhiteyMcTool]

See, it just doesn't make any business sense.  In business, you never mess with established name familiarity.

The Tampa Bay Rays would like to have a word. Changed their name from the "Devil Rays" to just the "Rays," and suddenly a pretty much dead fanbase that only ever looked forward to the once (maybe twice) a year traditional on-the-field brawl with the Red Sox suddenly started picking up steam and got a whole bunch of new fans.

Name changes can pay off.

Also Gainax and anime companies occasionally like to pretend that piracy doesn't exist and that us English-speaking folks don't follow the Japanese scene and didn't see Yoko's name spelled "Ritona." Ever.

[Flyvåpnet]

I guess this name-change campaign accounts for Yoko's popularity here on this board as well as in places such as the gurren_lagann community at LiveJournal.  I've seen Yoko's surname spelled "Ritona" for 18 months now, but I can't account for what Gainax executives in Japan want to pretend.  It was -- and is -- Ritona nearly everywhere on the Web.  Where was this "Littner" edict 18 months ago?  Nowhere, that's where.  I lived on Okinawa for a year and a half, ages ago, but I suppose I'd better follow Littner Logic and refer to it as Okinawer henceforth.



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[Captn' Red]

Its Ritona, fuck the american spelling I say.

Im not going to call her Littsson when this gets dubbed into swedish. >_>

[Flyvåpnet]

Yay!  LOL @ Red!  How about "MacLittner" in Scotland?  "Littova" in Russia?  The possibilities are endless....



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[Captn' Red]

This naming crap is such an bitch, we've had a massive shitstorm about writing "shimon" instead of "S I M O N".

Why? Cos its how its said in japanese. >_>
Sure we could have changed it, but we're rebells, and we're awesome.
(and stubborn to the core. lol)

[MoMor]

I think it should actually be Rittona!? I'm not sure, is the Japanese ri-to-na or ri-tto-na? Well either way when you say it it also kinda sounds like 'Littner' >__> I think Ritona/Rittona sounds/looks better though~

In the dub, do they call Shimon 'SIMON'? D:

[Kov]

Naah in the dub it's more like 'Seamoan'.

(Leeron's voice was awesome in the dub though.)

[MoMor]

omg what Seamoan!? I thought maybe they'd say Simon but guess not :|

Ohh what does Leeron sound like in the dub?
Is it like how Bijou from Hamtaro had a French accent!? (Am I the only one who finds that awesome? =__=)