Manga

Cipher Academy's lipogram puzzle stumped both its characters and Viz Media's English translator.

I don’t know if that’s true but I was a little bit more...prepared (?) to quit Cipher Academy.” “The higher-ups at Viz were not willing to do that, so that’s when I begged to be let out early.” [Yesterday’s War Is War Today Too](https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/cipher-academy-chapter-10/chapter/26229?action=read),” Viz Media translator Kumar Sivasubramanian had the unenviable task of translating a [lipogram-based](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipogram) cipher battle between Irohazaka and supporting character [Tayu Yugata](https://cipher-academy.fandom.com/wiki/Tayu_Yugata). For context, a book schedule would’ve had Sivasubramanian translate one volume (containing 8-10 chapters or 160-200 pages) every three to six months. [Cipher Academy](https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/cipher-academy?locale=en), a mystery series written by [Monogatari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monogatari_(series)) author Nisio Isin and illustrated by Yūji Iwasaki. [Mission: Yozakura Family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Yozakura_Family), which he quit in 2022. Cipher Academy’s drafts were just white pages with boxes drawn to indicate rough panel layouts and dialog, which let him get a head start on translating. A lipogram is a type of word association game in which participants must avoid using a certain combination of syllables or letters. Being based in Australia, he explained how he wouldn’t receive the raw pages until Saturday, which cut into his family time. While English translators do their damnedest to [provide context](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/just-according-to-keikaku) behind either cultural or phonetic puns in editor’s notes (typically within a manga panel’s margins or alongside an anime’s subtitles), one Viz Media translator is resigning from their project after revealing a Shonen Jump series’ latest chapter was basically impossible to translate. But there was no guarantee his translations would still fit the eventual final pages. The series follows [Iroha Irohazaka](https://cipher-academy.fandom.com/wiki/Iroha_Irohazaka), a teenager attending the prestigious, titular high school.