Is Juliet Persia Japanese? Or at least Japanese speaking?

Question

(Like this: Questions about nationalities and languages in Death Note)

Haven't watched Boarding School Juliet. I just saw a recap (Leaders Of Rival Dorms Are In A Forbidden Relationship) of it. Apparently Juliet Persia 'is the only daughter of the Persia household, a high ranking noble family from the West'. So I guess Juliet isn't Japanese? Or what?

But Juliet actually is speaking Japanese? Or what? (Like this: Why doesn't Kallen or Suzaku recognise Lelouch's voice when Lelouch speaks as Zero? Is Lelouch's Japanese perhaps that good?)

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered May 29 '22 at 07:31

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The two main countries in play in the series are the West Duchy which resembles Europe, with a Monarchy and Aristocracy, and Touwa which resembles older Japanese society. While they resemble contemporary countries, they are not set within current world boundaries and should not be compared as such, so the Death Note comparison is moot. While the language they speak in the show is Japanese, it is not actually Japanese they are speaking.

For narrative purposes the dialogue is conveyed in Japanese, but the characters aren't actually speaking Japanese but some other common language. This is a common trope, much like how in dubbed anime the characters may be speaking the dubbed language but they maybe speaking a passage from a Japanese book. Or a particular character having difficulty with English despite the dubbed dialogue bring in English.

answered May 29 '22 at 07:31

кяαzєя

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Ok thanks but 1 - 'While they resemble contemporary countries, they are not set within current world boundaries and should not be compared as such, so the Death Note comparison is moot.' --> Well, what about Code Geass? 2 - Anyway, I guess West Duchy and Touwa don't necessarily have the same national language, but anyway whenever 2 characters A and B talk to each other, they are not necessarily speaking the same language as when, say, A talks to another character C right? – BCLC May 29 '22 at 07:48
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Code geass is code geass, they are set in an alternate history world that resembles the real world that's explicitly part of it's setting. That is not the case with this series. You are making and apples to oranges comparison here. – кяαzєя May 29 '22 at 07:51
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A common language is implied. What it is is not elaborated in the world building. Why because the two faction are at war with each other. It's implied that neither would use the other's native language as it would make them appear subservient to the other. – кяαzєя May 29 '22 at 07:56
Re code geass: Ok whatever. It doesn't have to be 'english' that lelouch speaks. but the native language of britannia surely isn't the same as the native language of japan right? I mean, you don't really think code geass has only 1 language do you? Same with death note or boarding school juliet. Anyhoo how do you know Gasai it's necessarily a common language when they come from different countries? – BCLC Jun 30 '22 at 10:12
It's a literary trope based on lingua franca. It's commonly used in speculative fiction as a means to bridge linguistical gaps. I suggest that you take some time to familiarize your self with the concept. Different series use it in different ways based on the author. It's not reasonable to treat them as if they were part of some shared universe with shared fundamentals. – кяαzєя Jul 01 '22 at 02:44

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 30 '22 at 10:14

frdsTM from reddit says here:

It's pretty safe to assume that, at least Persia and Inuzuka are bilingual.

I forgot which manga chapter but Persia does indeed can read the in-universe "Japanese" language. Inuzuka can also read "English".

Also IIRC, in the school there is also no one in both houses who can't speak to each other. So it's kinda safe to assume everyone is also bilingual. Or maybe at least have a universal language they use in the school (but this is never acknowledged).

and

Another thing to note is that in the example I given (Chapter 20 page 17), in context was them giving somewhat secret messages. You might even imply there is a third language they used in school, but in secret they speak in-universe "English"/"Japanese". But I think that's reaching and more likely they just chose one of the two language as the universal language.

Is Juliet Persia Japanese? Or at least Japanese speaking?

2 Answers2