You Spoony Bard

[Fate]

Please, I SERIOUSLY need to know why this quote is so loved by everyone! I seriously have NO clue at all...

[icemageofkatrac]

Cause it sounds weird lol, and why do i keep running into you, HUNK, Abyssal Darkness, and Dragoons posts? lol

[T.G. Oskar]

Originally Posted by Fayt Leingod

Please, I SERIOUSLY need to know why this quote is so loved by everyone! I seriously have NO clue at all...

Because it sounds a bit silly, and because it's probably the most famous mistranslation of the bunch from the original Final Fantasy IV for the NA SNES. Basically, it mutated to become a meme on the Internet (aka, "Memetic Mutation") In essence, the reason why it's so popular is because the original version meant something entirely different, but the NA translation actually captured the essence of the character itself. "Spoony" sounds quite silly, but it also seems to mean that Edward was useless; indeed, on the very original version of the game Edward was simply put, useless. So "Spoony" passed from being a mistranslation to a statement about a character. Cue the fame later, as the Internet spread the quote like gunpowder.

You might want to summon Dawezy for that, he's our resident FFIV expert and he'd expand on the idea, but this is basically the reason.

[Fate]

So all this time, "you spoony bard" is just a mistranslation? What did it used to mean?

[LeonShadowFox]

It's just a hilarious quote. I mean how uses the word spoony anyway?

[Ralz]

The most logical reason, and that's a challenge, is that one of the directors kept saying "you spoony bard" to everyone when the game was being developed, and he was paid 4000 dollars to shut up if they put it in the game.

[Meigumi]

I guess it's because it's comical, in a way. Kinda led some misunderstandings for me, though.

( Spoony Bard = SPOON BARD. xDcerea l)
Then
( Spoony Bard = Stupid Bard. )
So in a way, the Spoony part kinda developed its own reputation.

[Krezos]

It's basically the FFIV equivalent of "OVER NINE THOUSAND!!" I won't link you to that video if you haven't seen it, it sucks out your brain.

And I, for one, would've preferred a correct translation, because "you spoony bard" caused me to laugh my ass off rather than take anyone's rage/angst seriously.

[scifi1980]

What makes it so bad, I think is the fact Tellah is in a rage and is ready to kill Edgar over the death of his daughter and..........he calls him a spoony bard with ominous/tragic music playing??? Just killed the seriousness of the moment.


That would be like if they used Don't Worry Be Happy for End Of Evangelion when everything goes to shit.

[KeybladerXIII]

It sounds funny to modern ears, but "spoony" is actually an archaic word meaning "foolish" or "sentimental".

[Fate]

Ah, so it does. "Feebly sentimental" was what showed up for me. I guess it makes sense, since FF does use archaic things. But the word sounds funny nowadays!

[Terminus Est]

Reading Oskar's answer, initially I suppose it sounds rather comical, and while it does indeed portray the essence of Edward in a way which is easy to comprehend despite "spoony" not technically meaning anything, I am quite curious as to what it was actually supposed to imply.

Quite the fluke that, then, although I highly doubt that most people who enjoyed the quite were really cognizant of the entire history and irony of the mistranslation. I myself found the online Spoony bandwagon quite annoying, kind of like all the Chuck Norris jokes.

There were plenty of other hilarious translation issues in the Super Nintendo version, one of them implying incest between two characters. O_o

[Govinda]

The original Japanese actually meant 'Useless fairy harp weaponry WHAT?! lying to himself about his sexuality dumbest hat of the century JEEZO'. How it ended up being Spoony Bard, we'll never know.

[Maciariello]

It's the little things in games like this that add character to the whole thing. Without the "spoony bard" quote, it would be lacking one of the components of its individuality that makes it unique among the other Final Fantasy games.

[Kisuke_Hellsing]

that is honestly the strangest quote I have ever read in my life...

[H.U.N.K]

Aye that it is but it's one of the best.

Y'know I saw a few people here on TFF with that on their rep and never knew what it ment. Now that I have played FFIV I think it's hillarious. I thought Tellah was jumping to conclusions and "Spoony" was refering to what he thought was happening beteween them.

And for the record, Edwards hat is awesome. It's kinda similar to the original red mage hat.