Fansub Review: [FFF] Witch Craft Works (Episode 02)

January 14, 2014 by Dark_Sage

This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.

Figured I’d get a review out of the way if I was watching the episode anyway. But don’t expect my logic here to hold up anywhere else. That’d be effort.

Release Information

Visual Quality

Script Quality

Results

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: MKV (668 MB, 8-bit)

Bold encoding strategy.

Japanesiness: Honorifics. “Onii-chan” used.

English style: Some fucked-up combination of British English and American English.

Encoding details: http://pastebin.com/GYjKCeqL

Speed: Quick (<48 hours)

Translation style: Original TL.

External links.

Group website: http://fffansubs.org/

IRC channel: #[email protected]

Visual Review

Karaoke.

Opening. Solid color choices combined with a decent font.

Rating: Good.

Ending. Though they fucked up the positioning in that second screen, the karaoke generally made sense.

Rating: Good.

Typesetting.

They caught everything and did it competently. I’m sure the script will match the effort put forth here. FFF would never let anyone down, after all!

Script Review

Main Script.

Some might object to the use of “furry” in the dialogue to refer to a catgirl, but you gotta understand that the main character here is modeled after fansubbers, and fansubbers generally don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.

All in all, I’d say this is an excellent bit of characterization from the quality team over at FFF. You’d never guess their editor was ESL.

You guys need to work on your collision detection.

What’s been “set up”? Do you even know what the term means?

FFF, where do you pull your staff from? Abortion clinic dumpsters?

The poor phrasing indicates Kagari is also going to return to Takamiya’s previous life. I’d like to know how FFF thought that would be possible.

“In order to get things back to normal for you, we’ll need to take the initiative.”

These lines are only halfway linked as-is.

Switch the second one to “Other than with family, that is.”

Reasonable subs, if you’ve given up on all expectations.

Pick one comma and drop the other, depending on what you want to say here.

Needed to catch your breath there?

Is your editor homeless or something, FFF? I get the feeling he’s never set food inside a restaurant classier than a Burger King.

“I-I’ll have one of these.”

Find who? “them” refers back to nothing. Change it to “your parents” or “your family”.

You’d do far better with an “I gotta hand it to myself.” (I wouldn’t mind handing it to her if you know what I mean.)

Hey editor, assuming you’re trying to edit in American English, we don’t use “revised” in this sense.

That sure is a mouthfucked way to say, “Mind explaining why it took you all morning to bring him here?”

The timing is broken for this scene. Judging by the comments in the script, they knew this was an issue, but couldn’t figure out how to fix it.

Results

Watchability: Watchable.

Visual grade: A

Script grade: C

Overall grade: B-

A low-quality script combined with excellent visuals raises this release to the heights of mediocrity. Hopefully Crunchyroll fares better on the script side.

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31 thoughts on “Fansub Review: [FFF] Witch Craft Works (Episode 02)”

Solaristics

January 14, 2014 at 7:35 pm

I think the line with Mario should’ve been: “Are you Mario in star mode or something?!” That’s just my personal opinion, though.
Reply
- Anon
  
  January 14, 2014 at 8:32 pm
  
  God mode is definitely wrong (God mode typically refers to a cheat, not a power up), but I don’t think picking up a Starman is ever actually referred to as star mode. Better than God mode for sure though. Best would probably something along the lines of picking up a star or picking up a Starman, or just calling it invincibility.
  Reply
  - OtherAnon
    
    January 14, 2014 at 8:45 pm
    
    I thought it was talking about the Fire Flower mode. Cause, you know, fireballs.
    Reply
    - Dark_Sage
      
      January 14, 2014 at 8:47 pm
      
      She says “star”.
      
      http://www.crymore.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/FFF-cant-translate.mp3
      Reply
      - FalseDawn
        
        January 15, 2014 at 9:08 am
        
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ1Syrcep24
        
        Phrase confirmed as “getting/got a star.” Being a veteran of old 80s/90s games, I’m not even sure where they got God Mode from. It was always known as Invincibility when it appeared in platformers :x
        Reply
Qrius

January 14, 2014 at 7:43 pm

Is it me or are the spaces between words a tiny bit too wide on those screenshots?
Reply
- Solaristics
  
  January 14, 2014 at 7:53 pm
  
  That’s what D_S was pointing out. Some of the screenshots show double spacing.
  Reply
  - Dark_Sage
    
    January 14, 2014 at 8:30 pm
    
    I think Qrius was talking about the font in general rather than those two screens.
    Reply
    - Qrius
      
      January 14, 2014 at 8:37 pm
      
      Yeah, although I don’t know if it’s exactly font-related (a style perhaps? I don’t know shit about how Aegisub works).
      
      I wonder how that affects readability? You didn’t seem to notice, so it doesn’t seem like a major issue…
      Reply
      - Dark_Sage
        
        January 14, 2014 at 8:46 pm
        
        I’m quite forgiving when it comes to timing/fonts, so it didn’t much bother me. Can’t speak for people with more discerning eyes, though.
        Reply
    - Solaristics
      
      January 14, 2014 at 8:50 pm
      
      Oh, I see.
      Reply
- Dark_Sage
  
  January 14, 2014 at 8:30 pm
  
  Now that you’ve pointed it out, yeah, it’s a bit different from what you usually see in sub spacing.
  Reply
Anonymous

January 15, 2014 at 12:08 am

where’s the watakushi subs review?
Reply
- Dark_Sage
  
  January 15, 2014 at 12:29 am
  
  Aren’t you a bright one? Yes, I have already written the review as you have surmised. But I have hidden it somewhere deep in this site, where only the boldest may tread.
  
  If you wish to find it, you will need a combination of moxie, poor decision-making skills, and a lack of morals. I wish you luck on the quest; may you reach your goal safely.
  Reply
  - sjoe
    
    January 15, 2014 at 1:10 am
    
    He lies Gollum, he liesss. They hid it from us- sneaky tricksy little hobbitses. Where is my presiousssss?
    Reply
blah

January 15, 2014 at 12:18 am

Does HS have a better script?
Reply
- Dark_Sage
  
  January 15, 2014 at 12:29 am
  
  I don’t know. I haven’t reviewed it yet.
  Reply
- sandoe41
  
  January 15, 2014 at 10:34 pm
  
  It has some minor derps in it, but overall follows the eng. TL manga very closely. Probably the best script available for the show.
  Reply
NakkiNyan

January 15, 2014 at 5:46 am

“Pick one comma and drop the other, depending on what you want to say here.”
It should be workshop witches gathering in towns to stop bitches. Axe the first comma.

Or, because of the conjunction “and,” this:
We Workshop witches build workshops in towns where witches gather and watch over the town to ensure magic isn’t misused.
Reply
- NakkiNyan
  
  January 15, 2014 at 5:58 am
  
  To be fair, depending on the format and level of confusion for dropping it, you could still use that comma before the and if dropping it makes the 2 clauses confusing.
  
  I still think “Workshop witches” should be “Workshop Witches”, the mouthful is their title while lowercase “witch” is their ability/occupation.
  Reply
Nevreen

January 15, 2014 at 10:59 am

Almost all the criticism here is pretty fair (I don’t quite share D_S’s revulsion at the use of “furry,” but most everything else is correct). Having QC’d the episode, I feel pretty bad about it. I don’t really care for the show, so I kind of half-assed it, and the result is mediocre. I’m only the substitute QC on this show, but I’ll step up my game when/if I end up doing another episode.
Reply
- NakkiNyan
  
  January 15, 2014 at 11:48 am
  
  Furry is an upright animal with paws, snouts and other distorting features. Basically a bestiality wet dream, that is why it is looked down on.
  
  A catgirl/wolfgirl is a human with minor traits like ears, tails, though not always, and some minor coloring. Noses, hands, feet and arm/leg to body proportions are normal for a human and rarely is there any non-human body hair.
  Reply
  - Nevreen
    
    January 15, 2014 at 12:29 pm
    
    Furry is used disparagingly by the general netizenship against pretty much anything that has to do with humanoid animals. While catgirls and the like aren’t usually referred to as furries by the anime community, I have most definitely heard the term used that way on multiple occasions by people who don’t get “anime fags.”
    
    Considering the MC isn’t an otaku, I could definitely see him not knowing/caring about any difference between the two (which is a rather arbitrary distinction anyway). It’s probably not the terminology I would have gone with if I was editing because it’s not my style, but I disagree that it’s wrong.
    Reply
    - Dark_Sage
      
      January 15, 2014 at 3:09 pm
      
      I know a lot of people who can tell the difference between a girl with cat ears and an anthropomorphized fox. Where do you hang out, an old folks’ home?
      
      Also, furry is a neutral term.
      Reply
      - Nevreen
        
        January 15, 2014 at 3:37 pm
        
        Furry is neutral in the same way that a term like “gamer” is. It has no negative connotations if you’re educated about it or part of the scene, but it’s used belittlingly by outsiders. And it’s not so much about being able to tell the difference, it’s about caring to make that distinction. You of all people should know how quick and giddy people on the internet are to insultingly dismiss people with differing opinions or interests or to make sweeping generalizations.
        Reply
      - NakkiNyan
        
        January 15, 2014 at 3:46 pm
        
        But a neutral term with a lot of baggage that it really does not deserve. Not my thing but I don’t care if it fap material for others.
        Reply
        
        Nevreen
        
        January 15, 2014 at 5:40 pm
        
        I’m not arguing for or against its usage that way. I’m just saying that it’s a reality. And this is getting away from the original point, which is that using “furry” in this context, while not my preferred choice, is fine as a dismissive shortform for “weird chick with cat ears.”
        Reply
        
        Fuwaa
        
        January 15, 2014 at 8:13 pm
        
        You know what’s fine as a dismissive shortform for “weird chick with cat ears?” Catgirl.
        
        Or even “weird chick with cat ears” since it’s not like that line went by too fast to read…
        Reply
- sandoe41
  
  January 15, 2014 at 8:22 pm
  
  There is an excellent TL source for this show, it’s the eng. TL of the manga that’s on mangafox.me. I’ve read it, and almost every scene, and the dialogue in the show, is straight from the manga.
  Reply
Corin

January 15, 2014 at 6:50 pm

So, anyway you could hold off on Watakushi’s review? We kinda dropped the ball on the first couple. Episode 3 should hopefully be a drastic improvement.
Reply
- Dark_Sage
  
  January 15, 2014 at 6:52 pm
  
  Sure.
  Reply