I not only agree completely, but what adds insult to injury is that this didn’t use to be the case! When I was a kid, the Dutch translations were fine. No Heroix to be seen. I knew the guy as Abraracourcix! (Not that I got the joke.)
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The US versions are different (and not for the better IMHO) than the OK ones. They even changed some of the jokes. Getafix was inexplicably changed to Magigimmix! Which is kind of funny but not as snappy. Cacofonix became Malacoustix, Vitalstatistix became Macroeconomix. The only possible upgrade may be Unhygenix to Fishstix.
Plus this one beautiful joke in Asterix in Britain should never have been changed.
Original: “Oh, so this melon’s bad, is it?” / “Rather, old fruit!”
New and “improved”: “Oh, so this melon’s a lemon, is it?”
Speaking of names, though, ones like Marcus Ginantonnicus, Caius Fatuous, Caius Preposterous, and Raucus Hallelujahchorus … well, if they’re funnier in the original, I am very curious indeed.
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