Translation isn’t always an exact science, but there are certain conventions that translators seem to implicitly agree on. For example, look up gakuen in a Japanese dictionary, and it’ll tell you it’s another name for gakkou, or “school.” However, the more sophisticated, traditional ring that gakuen has to it means that it’s almost always rendered in English as “academy.”

Likewise, dictionaries define kyojin as “a person with an extraordinarily large body.” Nine times out of ten, kyojin gets translated as “giant,” which is also the term one of Tokyo’s two professional baseball teams, the Yomiuri Kyojin/Giants, goes with.

But if you spend more time watching anime than sports, you might favor “titan” as a translation, seeing as how the monsters from Attack on Titan are also called kyojin in Japanese. Since they’ve already got a linguistic link, the baseball team and manga/anime franchise are joining forces for four games this summer as part of a special campaign with its own exclusive merchandise.

Just like Attack on Titan is a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut in the world of Japanese animation, the Yomiuri Giants are one of the major powerhouses in Japanese professional baseball. The team consistently outpaces its rivals in the win/loss columns and outspends them in recruiting players, and the Giants have captured 22 Japan Series championships (no other team has more than 13), making the club by far the most prestigious in the league.

Still, the Giants are always looking for ways to draw in even more fans, and the latest plan is the Attack on Titan –Attack for Giants- promotion. July 27 marks the premiere of the second of two animated Attack on Titan recap movies, and Giants executives hope fans will still be pumped up enough that they’ll purchase special Attack on Titan tickets for four games being held in Tokyo and Osaka.

▼ Poster for the upcoming film, Attack on Titan-The Wings of Freedom

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In addition to Attack on Titan characters appearing in silhouette on the ticket itself, purchasers will also receive an exclusive towel muffler in the same maroon as the scarf worn by female lead/titan-slayer Mikasa.

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The first two games will be held on July 7 and 8 at Tokyo Dome, the Giants’ home stadium, where they’ll take on the Yakult Swallows (who also claim Tokyo as their home turf, but brave the elements in the open-air Meiji Jingu Stadium). Fans looking to score more Attack on Titan goodies than the towel can also get exclusive items by completing a quiz being held within the Tokyo Dome Concourse.

The final games of the promotion will be played against the Yokohama DeNA Baystars during a special series at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome on July 29 and 30. Unfortunately, Kyocera Dome won’t be holding an Attack on Titan quiz, but at 2,800 yen (US$24) its Attack on Titan seat tickets are cheaper than those being offered for the Tokyo Dome games (2,900 or 4,400 yen, depending on seating section).

Tickets for the games against the Swallows go on sale April 18, while tickets for those versus the Baystars can be purchased starting May 23.

Source: Comic Natalie
Insert imagea: Attack on Titan official website, Yomiuri Giants official website