Green Is Blue: Difference between revisions

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However, even today, these two terms are not universally distinguished as would be understood in English. For example, forests are still 靑 ({{color|blue|blue}}). {{color|green|Green}} eyes are also confusingly 靑 -- they were known to traditional Chinese civilization because there were ethnic groups on the periphery of their civilization (such as the Tocharian and Turkic peoples) who often had {{color|green|green}} eyes. And even {{color|green|green}} traffic lights are 靑. But not all "natural" {{color|green|green}} things are 靑 and not all "modern" {{color|green|green}} things are 綠 -- for instance, gemstones such as jade and emeralds are 綠 ({{color|green|green}}). Perhaps most confusingly, even though forests and grass are 靑 ({{color|blue|blue}}), verdant flora is 綠 ({{color|green|green}}).
 
And now where this ambiguity becomes a ''[[Trope]]''. It is most easily noticed in Japanese entertainment that is in full color (such as [[Anime]] and [[Video Games]]), particularly with character eyes. (This is mostly irrelevant in [[Manga]], which is usually in black and white.) A character's canonical physical appearance may have 靑 eyes, but may be inconsistently portrayed as having {{color|blue|blue}} or {{color|green|green}} eyes within the same series, or sometimes within the same ''work''. Since the vast majority of Japanese people have {{color|brown#663300|brown}} eyes, this mostly affects Caucasian characters, or characters that are [[Kemono]] ([[Petting Zoo People]]) -- {{color|brown#663300|brown}} eyes in Japan are a predominantly ''human'' trait, and non-human animals in and near Japan commonly have other eye colors including {{color|blue|blue}}. Understandably, many viewers even in the West may not even notice this {{color|blue|blue}}/{{color|green|green}} inconsistency, as it is common to overlook other people's eye color.
 
In Japan, this may occasionally be a case of [[People Sit in Chairs|People Sitting in Chairs]] for obvious reasons stated above, where the difference between {{color|blue|blue}} and {{color|green|green}} is not always considered significant -- in the more distant past, this would have almost certainly been true. But this becomes far more noticeable to foreign consumers of Japanese entertainment, particularly to those people who are detail-oriented. Where this becomes more blatantly obvious, it can be considered a [[Language Tropes|Language Trope]]. And, as mentioned earlier, the difference between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}} is now well-known in Japanese culture, but it is the indigenous terminology that can be ambiguous.
 
Note also that, the world being a diverse place, the Sinosphere is not the only place where languages often muddle the distinction between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}}. This has also been observed in the modern Celtic languages ([[Ireland|Irish]], [[Land of My Fathers and Their Sheep|Welsh]], etc.), where there is not only some muddling between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}}, but also between {{color|green|green}} and ''{{color|gray|gray}}''. Similarly, older [[Italy|Italians]] lump {{color|#bb6600cc7700|orange}} in with {{color|red|red}}. BeforeAnd aboutprior to 1500 C.E., {{color|#cc7700|orange}} ''in English'' was lumped in with '''{{color|#aaaa00|yellow}}''' and {{color|#888800|gold}}.
 
Not to be confused with the (rather confusing) [[Dub Name Change|Dub Name Changes]] for the characters named Green and Blue in various ''[[Pokémon]]'' media.
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* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 3'', Big Boss' eyes are described as {{color|green|green}} in dialogue, but they appear {{color|blue|blue}}. Snake's eyes were also dark {{color|green|green}} in ''Metal Gear Solid 2'', but described in his bio in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'' as {{color|blue|blue}} and appear clearly {{color|green|green}} in that game.
* Fox McCloud from ''[[Star Fox (series)|Star Fox]]'' is one of the better documented examples of this [[Trope]]. In the 1993 comic, his eyes were {{color|green|green}} in the early pages, then {{color|blue|blue}} through the rest of the comic. They remained {{color|blue|blue}} in ''[[Star Fox 2]]''. ''[[Star Fox 64]]'' had a particular [[Art Shift]] that did not show eye color at all, but ''Farewell, Beloved Falco'' and ''[[Star Fox Adventures]]'' firmly established him with emerald {{color|green|green}} eyes. But this began to slip again in ''[[Star Fox Assault]]'', where most of the official art showed him with {{color|green|green}} eyes, but at least one picture not only showed him with {{color|blue|blue}} eyes, but the {{color|blue|blue}} faded to {{color|green|green}} within the same irises. They're {{color|blue|blue}} again in [[Super Smash Bros|Super Smash Bros. Brawl.]]
* Several [[Pokémon]] are listed as "{{color|teal|Bronzor}}" in the PokedexPokédex, when most Westerners would consider them {{color|teal|Bronzong}}: specifically, {{color|teal|Golett}}, {{color|teal|Golurk}}, {{color|green|green}}, and {{color|orange|orange}} are all listed as "{{color|red|red}}".
** There are several {{color|brown#663300|brown}} pokemonPokémon as well. But the pokedexPokédex ends up listing them as either {{color|green|green}} or {{color|blue|blue}}.
** ''Pokemon Green'' became ''PokemonPokémon Blue'' when released in the U.S.