This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.
More reviews Sunday. Sorry for the delay.
Release format: MKV (327 MB, 10-bit)
Japanesiness: No honorifics. Japanese name order.
Group website: http://commiesubs.com/
8thsin’s translation critique: http://8ths.in/winter-2011-anime-subtitle-comparison/#Symphogear
Ji-hi’s screenshot comparisons: http://www.ji-hi.net/wi11/symphogear/
Karaoke.
The song translations tend to be grammatically and thematically consistent.
Insert #1. The colors on a line sometimes changed when the other member of the duet echoed a word. Nice touch. The colors work (and get more rainbowy toward the end) since the concert itself is super shiny.
Insert #2. I definitely appreciate that each Insert Song is slightly different than the rest.
Insert #3. This song isn’t in Japanese or English, so I doubt many groups are gonna attempt to TL this. (I checked with GetWet’s version to see and they didn’t do it either.) I’d really like to know what she’s saying here though, because the scene is kind of important. Can’t really hold it against them though. Knowing Japan, they might’ve just decided to have it sung in Ancient Sumerian.
InseRrt #4. ShoRt (~3 lines compaRed to the others). You may notice that the R’s aRe always capitalized heRe. That’s because the font pRobably has something fucked up display foR loweRcase R’s. Just an FYI on why that is.
Insert #5. This is the third time they positioned their karaoke in the corner of the screen. I would have preferred the center for at least one of these, simply because it’s easier to watch the action and the subs when you don’t have to drag your eyes from corner to corner.
Insert #6. It’s only one line, but it’s in English. Not kara’d. :(
Ending. I feel something plain like this would be suitable if there was something more interesting in the background, but having this solely in black and white is a bit dull.
Typesetting.
The white space really sticks out here. A bigger font would have alleviated the issue.
No article title translation? Awww…
Script.
Relatively minor complaint. The subs overlap the credits.
Actually, it’s “A reed before the wind lives on while mighty oaks do fall.”
Despite the difference in meaning between the two (the weak prevail where the mighty fall vs. the weak prevail as the mighty fall), the only recorded instance of Commie’s version of the phrase is in a Criminal Minds fanfic. Not the best place to be getting your idioms from, guys.
What? This is grammatically on par with “The translation can’t handle English.” It’s not the translation that can’t handle English. It’s the translator.
I think you mean “The suppressors can’t handle the rising internal pressure!” Second pic is of said suppressors.
“I used to want to” is just shit writing.
“I once wanted to sing with an empty soul and body.”
Cats tend to climb up trees, not on them. Semantics? Yes, but fuck you. This is how English rolls and the train ain’t a stopping.
“Um… This cutie climbed up a tree and couldn’t get down…”
The “again” just doesn’t fit well.
“Yeah, but I haven’t heard from her since then.”
I’m gonna call these things Preludes. They’re whatever phrases the girls say before they transform ala “Henshin, yo!” Unfortunately, it’s all in Sumerian, so they weren’t translated. Wouldn’t really expect it to be, but I figured I’d mention it.
Watchability: Definitely watchable.
Overall grade: B
Due to the show’s reliance on songs, I have a feeling that people are going to base their decisions primarily on the quality of the karaoke. Assuming you don’t care about Japanese in your karaoke, I found Commie’s karaoke to be quite suitable.
If you don’t mind the occasional troll (it’s Commie) and you don’t care about sugoi-kawaii-desu karaoke, I think you’ll find a great choice in Commie.
Next is GetWets version cant wait for that
Over at GetWet we came to the conclusion that the chants are in some sort of unholy combination of Japanese and old Norse, so translating them could be described as… quite challenging, as you might believe.
We deciphered two of the four but decided not to include them in the release since the other two were total ????? and it would have been inconsistent to only have some translated. But in the end, it should be quite clear that the chants are not meant to be understandable – the Japanese audience sure as hell won’t understand them, so not translating them will only make the experience consistent for the English audience.
Actually quite surprised you guys went with no honorifics with your release. I thought both your groups were keeping in the honorifics in your releases.
Yeah, those Rs during that insert song were out of place. Should have gone with a different font. My only other issue was that “climax” line.
Waiting for [GetWet] review. I was too hesitant to download their release.
I love your spirit (no homo), but they better get a good rating for a 3 group joint
That “climax” line is actually legit. That’s what the character actually meant in Japanese.
In fact, I probably would’ve went with “orgasms”.
Wait, isn’t she like 14?
8th must be trolling, 14 year olds can’t have orgasms.
No, I’m dead serious about this.
「クライマックスが百連発」 “100 consecutive climaxes” is definitely an awkward phrasing in Japanese if they were trying to use it as story structure climax. It would’ve been 「クライマックスの連発」, without “100” and slightly altered grammar.
This is at the very least an intended joke by the producers as a wordplay and any fluent Japanese speaker would get the joke (I’m actually not too certain that story climax is intended at all).
Also, this stuff is aired after midnight in Japan and it’s pretty graphic. I wouldn’t say this kind of joke is out of place. In fact, I was thinking of penalizing GetWet for being too liberal and killing the joke in this line, but as you said, I think it’s acceptable to try to keep it realistic for 14yo.
Oh course they can.
She was being facetious.
ok to those who didnt understend the timeline they show us now in this episodes is between hibiki death which will happen in the future and the even that happend 2 years ago where kanade saved her.so i guess the backtory will come later