A Preface
Chapters 13 and 14 of Cookie Run Kingdom's story mode were beautiful pieces of writing and wonderful additions to Cookie Run's story, with a narrative that focuses on the state of the Cacao Kingdom post-DFW (Dark Flour War) and the story of Dark Cacao and Dark Choco's unfortunate circumstances and fragmented father-son relationship. The Cacao Kingdom as it is in Chapters 13 and 14 is a kingdom on the verge of crumbling that struggles to feed its people, due to maritime trade with the Hollyberry kingdom being severed via the monsters that lie within the Licorice Sea making trade dangerous, trade with the Vanilla kingdom severed due to its... quite literal disappearance and the presumed death of Pure Vanilla, the Licorice Sea itself making sea fishing hostile, and Affogato being far too liberal with their resources once he gets ahold of management (meaning, they were presumably managing alright with just getting their food from the land, as they were more than capable, until Affogato came along.)
However, it wasn't always this way, as Dark Choco left to acquire the Strawberry Jam Sword so long ago to help his kingdom fight off the threat of the Licorice Sea, against the wishes of his father, and while it isn't clear how bad it was before Choco left, it is presumably at a fixable state. We do not yet know the reason for Dark Cacao's opposition. Dark Choco, looking for something else, came upon the Strawberry Jam Sword and was cursed, destroying his homeland under the influence, completely out of his control, killing countless, and was banished by his father for his actions. Dark Cacao does not know Dark Choco was cursed. Dark Choco does not understand the true magnitude of the sword's hold on him, fully blaming himself and turning to the darkness thinking he truly belongs there.
In the years following Dark Choco's destruction, Cacao and his people attempt to rebuild, and as Dark Cacao was injured by his son before Choco's banishment, both he and his kingdom were left in a vulnerable state. Cue Affogato, who comes in to both curse and poison Cacao in turn (presumably under the guise of helping him heal,) and take control of the kingdom, driving them into the horrible state we see them in today, where those outside the citadel are turned away by Affogato to fend for themselves or die, and Cacao is far too weak to be able to impose his own rule and action. Every negative action Affogato makes is plastered on Cacao's name, and he himself has no idea any of this is happening or that he's being abused in the first place. Thus, Choco, when he returns to the kingdom to do what he was sent to do by Dark Enchantress, has no idea of his father's situation in turn (like the rest of the kingdom,) and holds Cacao responsible for the current state of affairs. Cacao takes full blame and becomes the scapegoat for Affogato's actions to all those who did not know the scope of the details, once he realizes what was going on in his kingdom, as he had no idea the entire time, completely locked away in the castle by Affogato in an attempt to control Cacao even further.
Thus, Chapter 13 and 14's story was born. I wanted to give a quick overview of the kingdom's history, and I want people to understand that the Cacao kingdom was thriving before the Dark Flour War. Yes, the kingdom is a harsh and desolate place, but the Cacaoans are extremely capable of handling themselves, and because of their capabilities, have managed to push through for this long under misrule. However, it would be in poor judgement to say that they never struggled with the harsh landscape or that they do not currently struggle, given their circumstances. To paint them as an inpenetrable people is to completely deny the evidence given to us within the story, and one of the core narratives that Chapter 13 and 14 illustrates to us; even the strongest of people can be vulnerable and are vulnerable. Their kingdom suffered as time went on, and became increasingly poorer as a result of Cacao trying to manage resources, even before Affogato came along. It is not a reflection on Dark Cacao's capabilities nor his people's capabilities, and it never has been. Extrenuating circumstances happen to everyone.
Besides the... misreading and misinterpretations the fanbase has surrounding the narrative, coming from all sides, of course, and the mischaracterization that already happens because of the fans, there are issues to address within the English localization of Chapters 13 and 14 themselves. As a matter of fact, many of the mischaracterization problems stem from these translation issues, particularly relating to Dark Choco. These are not findings I have made myself, but instead the findings of (currently known as) @mantafae on tumblr and their Korean-speaking friend, who have decided to make a translation project for Chapters 13 and 14 to correct the mistakes made by the English localization team at Devsis. A huge shoutout and thanks to both of them, as I too felt dissatisfied with how Dark Choco was portrayed, and am glad to know it wasn't just me making things up and that my gut was, indeed, correct. I had more sources, but unfortunately, they were lost to the massive Twitter purge. I mourn not searching for things earlier. There is also evidence of them almost botching Cacao's character in the English translation as well.
Forewarning, I just figured out how to change image sizes and I don't know how to make them sit next to each other or expand when you click on them. They're just like that. Be prepared.
Surviving Sources
First, the more egregious Choco changes.
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Next, the changes to the final cutscene.
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All credits to @mantafae, of course
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I've been working on learning Korean to both confirm these changes and to catch mistranslations myself in the future, though it's not going too well. Not only do we not have any instances of mistranslations beforehand, but these translation issues seem to be targeted towards Choco and Cacao specifically, two of the darkest skinned men in all of Cookie Run. Yes, I do think these mistranslations were racially charged. These mistranslations in the English version make Choco out to be careless and heartless and cruel, unconcerned with the state of his kingdom or its people, when that couldn't be further from the truth. They have caused pervasive issues within the community and within the narrative as a whole and contrast with Choco's previously established character. This is, of course, a small page- I got to talk with mantafae about the mistranslations specifically and what they had to say was wonderful. That being said, I'm saving those updates for a later date. I hope what I have here is enough for now.
... however, I DO know that there is a stark difference between this and minor differences in the wording between translations that convey the same feeling, and, funnily enough, there are those who think that the two are comparable. I have an example given to me on my old blog of a minor difference in wording between languages, so let me show you that example, and explain WHY this only further proves an actual intent to change Choco and Cacao's presentation within chapters 13 and 14.
It is... interesting, how negligible the difference actually is- what is a claim of 'more nuance' is actually just an elaboration on what 'keeping them in the dark' actually means, which I thought was pretty clear from the original text- that Vanilla holds all his problems on his own shoulders and doesn't look to anyone for help. While this trait is normal in someone like Lily, who, as stated by Holly, was barely even there for them to make true bonds in the first place, we have evidence of Vanilla keeping in touch with his friends as much as possible via his letter artifact and other letters he's sent throughout the game. It's not even that he CAN'T tell them about problems he needs help with- just not ones that hit too close to home. Thus, with the elaboration, the second translation actually leaves LESS nuance on the table and less flexibility as to how it's read, and, quite honestly, is likely not as close to the original as the English text. While this proves that there may be other places to look into, it is also an example of WHY chapters 13 and 14 stick out.
Really frustrated with Rob Letterman, one of the creative heads at Eng. Devsis responsible for these mistranslations. If you're reading this, I have no idea why you decided to do this, but it's frustrating that you would intentionally mischaracterize Choco like this. Do better.
If you speak Korean and English and would like to verify these translation issues, it would be of much help! I also recommend talking to mantafae about Choco or at the very least taking a look at their stuff, as they've got quite a lot of valuable things to say and information regarding Choco specifically.
I hope I can keep in touch with mantafae about the translation project, but for now, as I myself have been struggling lately, I am leaving them to their devices. I'm not sure pestering them would do them any good, and this is a hobby project and never has to be seen through to completion.