Fansub Comparison: [JnMBS vs Underwater vs Watashi] Patema Inverted (Movie)

Originally I was gonna have three separate posts, but then the monotony set in, so now there’s just this one.

Typesetting.

Watashi wins this section, hands down… cuz the other groups didn’t have any typesetting at all.

For the intro credits, as the Japanese floats up and off the screen, the subs do too.

I would webm this, but they’re credits, so who honestly cares?

 

 

Cryptic Intro.

For the first actual scene of the film, we’re introduced to the big bad, who’s talking to someone heavily implied to be

So the scene needs to make sense in that context, while also not explicitly revealing any of those details. Watashi managed the best.

 

Underwater:

You’re a different creature from the rest of us,
and yet, you voluntarily helped us with that.
What’s in it for you?
You are too tainted for us here.
Not a soul alive would consider you a fellow human being.
You’re a descendant of the sinners.
May the sky eat you.

This reads a lot like an editor handled this section before watching the rest of the film, and then never went back to fix it up. “You’re a descendant of the sinners. May the sky eat you.” only works within the interpretation that he’s threatening the person. Yet the rest of it’s so vague that it doesn’t provide the foreshadowing the scene needs. Ineffective, on the whole.

 

 

JnMBS:

We are different beings from you.
Yet you want us to cooperate with things like you?
What’s your objective?
Unfortunately you’re an impurity.
No one would want to live where people like you exist.
Descendants of the sinners, get devoured by the sky.

While I like the base of the translation (what they’re trying to convey makes a lot of sense to me), JnMBS often falters when it comes to the editing portion. It’s a one-man release, so that’s to be expected, but only a fuckwit would make their subtitle choices based on pity.

 

 

Watashi:

A world of difference separates our people.
So why would you help him?
What were you trying to achieve?
Unfortunately for you, you are a creature of sin.
You will be treated as an outcast forever.
The sinners will soon meet their end.
The pits of the sky await you.

Like Underwater, Watashi went with the “I’m threatening you” interpretation. But the rest of the foreshadowing was on point, and the English was solidish, so they win this round.

 

 

Classroom Speech.

In this scene, the Aigan leader gives a speech that gives the viewer important details about the nature of Aiga (its culture and interpretation of history are the main takeaways).

As eyes tend to glaze over during scenes like this, lines need to be descriptively intriguing yet succinct. Sadly, only Underwater understood this.

 

Watashi:

While Watashi gets across the right ideas, the phrasing is as stilted as a dock. A very stupid dock.

 

 

JnMBS:

What a mess.

Even if the other issues I point out in this post aren’t deal-breakers for you, this should be setting off whatever alarms you have that still work. To fuck up the world-building this badly indicates that either JnMBS didn’t understand the film, or that they couldn’t convey their understanding of it — and neither is acceptable.

 

 

Underwater:

The writing here feels weighty (especially due to the adjective abuse), but that makes sense for what is essentially indoctrination.

Not bad, Underwater.

 

 

Other.

I could do such comparisons for pretty much every scene and end up with similar results (a handful would favor Watashi, and a handful Underwater), but then this post would wear out its welcome sooner than my racist uncle. So let’s point out some recurring issues, along with examples.

 

Watashi has a number of mistakes and awkward phrasing throughout the movie.

Quite fool, indeed.

With the right articulation, these two would work well together in a dub. Unfortunately written and spoken speech aren’t the same, so the dialogue can get awkward.

 

 

Underwater‘s main problems stem from overzealous editing.

For example, the use of negative terminology to describe maintaining order.

The teacher would use something more neutral or positive here, since he’s in favor of the current social structure in Aiga.

 

And this seems quite extreme for a children’s film.

I don’t have a problem with the line by itself, but here it fits in about as naturally as a dick in a urethra.

 

 

JnMBS is just… Well, there’s a reason their full name is JnM BadSubs.

No.

They can’t even figure out the characters’ names. Stupid is as stupid subs.

An asset, indeed. If we ever need meat for the grinders, I’m sure JnM will be the first person we call.

 

 

 

tl;dr:

JnMBS is painfully tacky and unrefined, Underwater doesn’t know when enough is enough, and Watashi has spirit but often trips over it (a QC would have been helpful).

For my viewing of the film, I went with Watashi, cuz jhk and I go way back. But as far as recommendations go, I’d lean toward Underwater. Watashi is a fine alternative, but JnMBS should be avoided at all costs.

 

Since some of you may be wondering, the movie’s all right. 8/10, dragged down primarily by cardboard characters that do cop-style justice to the premise. Worth a watch, but you can do better.