The Dubbing of Haruhi Suzumiya

[Setsuna Asuka]

One word 'Nakama'<_<

[Cloud05]

Originally Posted by Setsuna Asuka

One word 'Nakama'<_<

Call me stupid...but I don't get it...

[Setsuna Asuka]

Never mind...

[Skane]

Originally Posted by Vexx

The real question with "official" subtitles is whether they choose
1) to stay pretty literal (straight grammatical translation with no flair or slang) or
2) put it terms that would "spiritually equivalent" (harder to do but more satisfying results) .... or
3) localize it (usually a losing result aka "Have a donut" == "Please enjoy a mochi").

So far mostly in official subs I find choice 1 .... occasionally I trip across choice 3 (omfg kill it) but fortunately that is pretty rare and usually for genre I find uninteresting anyway. Fansub groups tend to hit the choice 2 more often ("gambatte" does have more than one translation after all depending on the context).

Actually, you can see all three in action from the Kanon fansubbers. Amongst the main three at least.

1. This would be [SS-Eclipse]. I was following them at first, but some of the translations threw me off, because it just did not flow well in my train of thought. You would need to think in Japanese in order to get some of the subtitles.
   
   On one hand, their translation is accurate, but on the other hand, it just feels weird when you try to compute it on an English train of thought. This additional computing detracts from the viewing experience, and breaks immersion.
   .
2. Meet [TWH][Sprocket]. I actually find it easier to follow their subtitles, because it just flows better in English. Some grammatical mistakes, but understandable due to their speed of fansubbing.
   .
3. Finally, we have [a.f.k.]. I decided to switch over to [a.f.k.] for better immersion. However, I do take some issue with their translator's habit of 'Americanising' some of the things in Kanon.
   
   Especially the names... I really don't like it when they arrange the names in the western order, especially when the spoken dialogue conflicts with what is written on the screen. I'm irked by this more because I'm Chinese, and it just feels weird to read a name in the western order, when it is meant to be the other way round.
   
   That said, most of their localisation are still believable, even in a Japanese context. Such as Yuuichi's comment on how Ayu can still order Happy Meals without feeling embarrassed( the others wrote it as Kid's/Children's Meals).

Cheers.

[CrowKenobi]

Originally Posted by Cloud05

Call me stupid...but I don't get it...

Nakama has so many translations (friends, co-workers, shipmates, etc.) that a-fansub-group-who-shall-not-be-named () still subbing One Piece stopped translating nakama because they couldn't find an english equivelant that they liked that matched the situation that Luffy and his crew were in.

That help?

[Cloud05]

Yes, thanks. lol

[Vexx]

Crow beat me to it... "nakama" translates literally as "companion" but has dozens of slightly different shades of meaning. Its even the name of a Japanese-English translation guide. Often there's an implied connection or "pun" between multiple meanings.

@skane: I'm flipping back and forth between liking a.f.k. and SS-Eclipse from moment to moment because of the translation issues you describe.
For me, I prefer having to think in japanese because it helps me "grok" the language (subtitles being a crutch more than a replacement). On the other hand, "spiritual equivalents" like Happy Meal for "Kid's Meal" don't bother me. "Yoshi!" (even if, a-ok, all right, lets do it, yes!). But westernizing names (last/first, etc) and dropping honorifics bother me, especially the latter when the change of honorific or change of which name is allowed to be used signifies a change of relationship. (-san --> -kun or -chan)

[Skane]

Originally Posted by Vexx

~ @skane: I'm flipping back and forth between liking a.f.k. and SS-Eclipse from moment to moment because of the translation issues you describe.
For me, I prefer having to think in japanese because it helps me "grok" the language (subtitles being a crutch more than a replacement). On the other hand, "spiritual equivalents" like Happy Meal for "Kid's Meal" don't bother me. "Yoshi!" (even if, a-ok, all right, lets do it, yes!). But westernizing names (last/first, etc) and dropping honorifics bother me, especially the latter when the change of honorific or change of which name is allowed to be used signifies a change of relationship. (-san --> -kun or -chan)

I'm watching all three of them.

I watch [TWH][Sprocket] first, so that I can participate in the discussions. I then watch the [SS-Eclipse] version for potential GIF making, and to correct any misunderstandings I may have made from the first viewing( especially since they translate so literally).

Finally, I watch the [a.f.k.] version for my own personal enjoyment. So I watch each episode of Kanon no less than 3 times.

I'm most probably going to keep both [SS-Eclipse] and [a.f.k.]. The former for image extraction, since [a.f.k.] has no .MKV version, and the latter for repeated viewing.

[Theclow]

May I ask are they actaully consedering dubing(like US naruto) haruhi and bringing it to the US, I hope not.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Theclow

May I ask are they actaully consedering dubing(like US naruto) haruhi and bringing it to the US, I hope not.

That's sort of an odd question, isn't it? I mean, yes, Haruhi has been licensed for North America, and as with most licensed anime, the DVD will feature an English dub track (that you can switch back to Japanese audio with English subtitles if you prefer). So they're not just considering licensing and dubbing Haruhi, but that's exactly what they (Kadokawa USA & Bandai) are doing. I'm not sure why this is a bad thing, though... if anything, it just means that people who like the show can now buy it on DVD in English (subs and dub).

[Theclow]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

That's sort of an odd question, isn't it? I mean, yes, Haruhi has been licensed for North America, and as with most licensed anime, the DVD will feature an English dub track (that you can switch back to Japanese audio with English subtitles if you prefer). So they're not just considering licensing and dubbing Haruhi, but that's exactly what they (Kadokawa USA & Bandai) are doing. I'm not sure why this is a bad thing, though... if anything, it just means that people who like the show can now buy it on DVD in English (subs and dub).

When will then learn...they should just sub not dub. It's bad because look at One peice in the US version they had to cut so much out and we had horrible(I don't know anyone why likes them)dubs it's the same thing with naruto, great animes but the dubs just ruin it.

[xris]

Originally Posted by Theclow

When will then learn...they should just sub not dub.

Sigh, when will you learn

Why should the U.S. anime company cut their own throats? The U.S. marketplace for dubbed anime is somewhere between 3 to 10 times larger than the subbed marketplace (depends on the series and a number of other factors).

Anime fans (such as those who frequent these forums) are clearly a biased minority (for subs) when it comes to DVD sales but the bulk of the people who purchase the DVDs are not interested in reading subtitles when they watch anime.

And please, this thread is not for discussion how much hate there is towards dubs. It's not as if you are forced to listen to the English track, if you don't like it then just switch on the English subtitles and the Japanese audio track. If the DVDs want to reach a wide audience then they have to include dubs.

[relentlessflame]

I should also highlight again (since this seems to be a stigma that never dies for some reason) that there's no way they'll edit the show the way they did to One Piece just because they're dubbing it. So there's no way it'll ruin the show; as xris said, just switch to Japanese audio with subtitles, and you'll never know.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I should also highlight again (since this seems to be a stigma that never dies for some reason) that there's no way they'll edit the show the way they did to One Piece just because they're dubbing it. So there's no way it'll ruin the show; as xris said, just switch to Japanese audio with subtitles, and you'll never know.

Yeah, people need to calm down. Only 4Kids pulls stuff like that.

[CrowKenobi]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Yeah, people need to calm down. Only 4Kids pulls stuff like that.

Besides, 4squids did that horrible dub to One Piece to air on Saturday morning network television, whereas the Haruhi dub will be an uncut DVD release with the possibility of an Adult Swim airing. So relax, buy the discs and watch it whichever way you prefer.

[rpgman1]

SHnY will possibly be on Adult Swim replacing FLCL. Of course, the series needs to be aired at an earlier time to gain the attention of the viewers. I enjoyed watching Trinity Blood, Bleach, and Eureka Seven. There were rumors about Witchblade airing on Adult Swim, but it is still unconfirmed.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by rpgman1

SHnY will possibly be on Swim replacing FLCL. Of course, the series needs to be aired at an earlier time to gain the attention of the viewers. I enjoyed watching Trinity Blood, Bleach, and Eureka Seven. There were ors about blade airing on Swim, but it is still unconfirmed.

Difficult to swallow. Needs some sauce.

[Mirrinus]

The English cast of SuzuHaru has been announced.

Haruhi - Wendee Lee
Mikuru - Stephanie Sheh
Yuki - Michelle Ruff
Kyon - Crispin Freeman
Itsuki - Johnny Yong Bosch
Ryouko - Bridget Hoffman
Tsuruya - Kari Wahlgren

Edit: For those curious, here's some other roles each person has played:

Wendee Lee (Haruhi) - Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop), Tatsuki Arisawa (Bleach), Kaolla Su (Love Hina)

Stephanie Sheh (Mikuru) - Orihime Inoue (Bleach), Eureka (Eureka 7), Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)

Michelle Ruff (Yuki) - Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach), Chii (Chobits)

Crispin Freeman (Kyon) - Holland Novak (Eureka 7), Rude (FFVII: Advent Children), Amon (Witch Hunter Robin), Alucard (Hellsing)

Johnny Yong Bosch (Itsuki) - Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach), Vash (Trigun), Renton Thurston (Eureka 7)

Bridget Hoffman (Ryouko) - Belldandy (Ah! My Goddess: movie), Shinobu Maehara (Love Hina), KOS-MOS (Xenosaga)

Kari Wahlgren (Tsuruya) - Haruhara Haruko (FLCL), Fuu (Samurai Champloo), Robin Sena (Witch Hunter Robin), Anemone (Eureka 7)

[darkchibi07]

Just to make a clarification. If you think that Crispin Freeman is only capable for dark, brooding characters, DO check out his role of Hideki in Chobits. He's a complete riot in that role which assures that he's very capable in comedy.

[Noppapana]

is it me or they change yukis VA ? in the vid its like a different person