Pirating Anime (for translation purposes)

Quote from the Sega Genesis game, Zero Wing... now a meme

I came across this article today on the tech site Ars Technica about anime fans who pirate anime shows and alot of the points mentioned I can totally agree with. Although I would have to say that I don't condone the illegal downloading of copyrighted material. (for those who know me, you know I just had to say that) I can see why fans of the genre do resort to such activities.

From Ars Technica:

But the bigger issue is the quality of these translations, which are crucial for enjoying a foreign-language series.

"As for why I continue to pirate anime that I can get legally," said Otaku2, "the main reason is because I strongly prefer fansubs over professional subbing. The fansub groups tend to keep more of the cultural idioms intact whereas professional subs just Americanize the sh*t out of everything."

"Fansubbers do a better job striking a balance between cultural references," agreed Otaku1. "And when something is obscure, they'll flash a half-second explanation on the screen you can pause later to read."

This, I would have to say, is the number one reason that someone like me might resort to downloading anime from Bit Torrent sites or other sources. Most American translations of anime are crap. At least those done professionally by the studio. They either translate the material wrong, or as was quoted, they Americanize the content. You see, I want to see the original Japanese words put into the right context. There have been many instances where you can tell that something is left out, or where they're supposed to reference Japanese culture but exchange it for American.

Continued from the website:

Otaku3 chimed in. "Fansubs also go out of their way to point out cultural stuff in the video itself, whereas 'official' dubs or even subs just try to pretend it doesn't exist. Some fansubs even go so far as to have screenfuls of text at the beginning or end to explain the cultural context of a particular episode."

On top of the subtitles, alot of times when anime is released in America they tend to cut or censor it. Which makes it necessary for die-hard fans to find the originals online and download subtitles from sites like Open Subtitles or Subscene.

I think they should just start adding multiple subtitles to these shows/movies when they do release them on DVD or stream them online.

My (Current) Obsession with Star Blazers

I had previously blogged about Japanese artists and anime... and truthfully, I've never been one of those kind of fanatics, at least not in the conventional way. When I say those types, I mean the kind that cosplay or are fanatics about a specific series. (seriously, what the hell do people like about Pokemon so damn much?) I never wanted to be put into that group, but it's really hard to differentiate yourself when outsiders see them all as being those kinds of people.

Another variation on the name

I've always really liked the art of anime but for some reason I could never get into the storylines. Alot of the series' tend to be really long and complicated. On top of that, it's hard to catch any on tv and if you happen to, they're usually edited for mature content or cut to appeal to kids. When I was younger I was really getting anime and manga but back then there weren't alot of places to see them. Unless you were willing to pay a premium and special order them from comic shops or video stores, which was out of the question when you're 15 with no job.

Recently though, I somehow stumbled upon the art of Leiji Matsumoto. Considering how much previous knowledge I had of anime, I had never heard of him. But I was fairly familiar with his work. Alot of sci-fi and/or anime fans (or just fans of 1970s-80s era nostalgia) would remember Space Battleship Yamato, better know in the U.S. as Star Blazers. Ill spare you my explanation on the series and how he revolutionized the anime genre, you can read about him and the series in the previous links.

There's actually a live action movie from Japan that came out in 2010, but I really have no interest in it. Images of Tokusatsu, (Japanese live action film or television that predominantly features special effects) like Power Rangers and Ultraman, come to mind whenever I think of Japanese live action

Space Battleship Yamato

I recently downloaded the Japanese first season with original Japanese language voice acting (not the goofy ass English voices) and English subtitles. I'm trying to pace myself and not watch them all in one night. Even though the animation is a little crude, and you can sometimes see scratches from what looks like the animation cell, I can't stop watching it. On top of that the music is great. I love background music from old cartoons, preferably anything from the 1960s to the mid 80s.

While watching the first episode about a week ago, I noticed a familiar tune in the background. (And yes, I did create and upload the video myself.)



The music is sampled by MF DOOM on his album of instrumentals and beats, Special Herbs Vol. 3&4. The man's voice at the beginning is from the American version's audio. I don't have that version of the series, so I used the original Japanese.



It was pretty interesting to hear that, but not unexpected since I've heard other things he's sampled from. He samples alot from old movies and tv shows, and considering that I'm a fan of sci-fi and comic related material, it's not too hard to spot the samples.

One of Leiji Matsumoto's most recent works which really captures his graphic style and shows you how it's evolved is from a movie called Interstella 5555. And the music, well the music is another thing. There's no dialog at all but it features music from Daft Punk's album, Discovery. All of the scenes coincide with the tone of the music. The complete movie can be found below.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem


He also worked on a music video for Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The characters are taken from his new (2009) manga, Out of Galaxy Koshika. The music starts at :20.