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REVIEW: Hell Girl Season 2 DVD Collection 1


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Prede



Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 388
PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2010 11:47 pm Reply with quote
Nice review here...I'll be checking this out for sure. However I am a little worried now, because what I loved so much about the first series was that it was not campy, it wasn't goofy, and it was dead serious. I feel the entire show could turn to crap real fast if they go to far with the humor. I guess I'll see for myself, but it is comferting that you liked it at least.
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chrisb
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 613
Location: USA
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 6:11 am Reply with quote
^ Trust me they don't go far with the comedy. In fact the show gets way more dark than the last season as it goes along.

Sigh. Sentai why of all titles to have typos does Hell Girl 2 have to have them? It's a quality show it deserves quality subtitles.

I'm looking more forward to the 2nd half of the series when it goes from dark to just infuriating and tense. One of the few anime to really make my heart race because of the suspense.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:23 am Reply with quote
"Two Mirrors"? How does komori (籠) mean "mirror"? A komori is a cage-like basket, so you could call it "two baskets" or "two cages" or "two prisoners" even, and it would make more sense than "two mirrors."

chrisb: I disagree that the second half is darker than the first. I didn't find it anywhere near as compelling as Enma Ai's back story and the drama of guilt and forgiveness that played out between the father and daughter in season 1.

And if you find any of the camp in season 2 unappealing, do not under any circumstances watch season 3. If season 2 was unnecessary, than season 3 was beating a dead horse, and it turned into full-blown stupid self-parody. I could only tolerate half a dozen episodes, and prefer to pretend it never existed.

I really need to go back and re-watch the first season. I assume Funimation's release wasn't as typo-ridden as so many of Sentai's seem to be lately? Seriously, Sentai, do you need a quality checker? I did work in a fansub team in the past, pay me a little and I'd do it for you. Wink
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bayoab



Joined: 06 Oct 2004
Posts: 831
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 10:09 am Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
"Two Mirrors"? How does komori (籠) mean "mirror"? A komori is a cage-like basket, so you could call it "two baskets" or "two cages" or "two prisoners" even, and it would make more sense than "two mirrors."

As explained by the translator: http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1731794&postcount=143
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 10:40 am Reply with quote
Okay, exactly how bad are the subtitle errors? Really, a few every episode really isn't a big deal for me, yes it's a deal-breaker for some, but not me. Now if it's every minute or so, yes, that would be annoying.
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hissatsu01



Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 963
Location: NYC
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:02 am Reply with quote
Just how do you expect them to catch those typos? I mean, if there existed some form of automated system to help catch those errors, call it a "spell check," or even a human "editor" there might be a some possibility of preventing these typos from sneaking into the subtitles, but that's in the realm of fantasy, I think.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 11:28 am Reply with quote
The mistakes are pretty on par with most anime releases. So you're looking at one or two every three or four episodes. I've watched the first disc and only noted two or three errors, and they weren't significant enough to cause any problems with flow or comprehension.

I think ANN blows them out of proportion on Sentai releases. Typos in subtitles are pretty common, even among major Hollywood releases. It's pretty much to be expected since everyone has cut staff and is trying to curb costs.

Considering how much cheaper anime is than it was two years ago, I don't understand how people can always expect the same level of quality. Sales are declining and prices have fallen pretty significantly, so some things are going to give.

Also, it appears some people think proofing subtitles is as simple as doing so in Microsoft Word. Well, it's not. These aren't text files, they are graphic overlays. There really isn't a spell check for most of the systems out there. True, they can and do spell check the scripts, but mistakes do happen when people reenter them for the subs.

Back in the day, ADV use to have two or three people to review each disc before it went out. Now most companies only have one or two people to go over them, and much less time in which to do so.
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jmfsilenthill



Joined: 31 Aug 2009
Posts: 1863
Location: Chinese cartoons are srs biz
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 3:53 pm Reply with quote
I haven't seen the first series, but this review definitely makes me want to go out and buy the entire thing. Too bad only the first season is dubbed at the moment, but hopefully Sentai can get this one dubbed later on.
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Takeyo



Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 736
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 4:08 pm Reply with quote
dragonrider_cody wrote:
Also, it appears some people think proofing subtitles is as simple as doing so in Microsoft Word. Well, it's not. These aren't text files, they are graphic overlays. There really isn't a spell check for most of the systems out there. True, they can and do spell check the scripts, but mistakes do happen when people reenter them for the subs.

Wait, so the software packages that generate DVD subtitles don't generally have import functions? An employee has to enter them by hand? That seems strangely low tech for professional level software.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 7:57 pm Reply with quote
Takeyo wrote:
dragonrider_cody wrote:
Also, it appears some people think proofing subtitles is as simple as doing so in Microsoft Word. Well, it's not. These aren't text files, they are graphic overlays. There really isn't a spell check for most of the systems out there. True, they can and do spell check the scripts, but mistakes do happen when people reenter them for the subs.

Wait, so the software packages that generate DVD subtitles don't generally have import functions? An employee has to enter them by hand? That seems strangely low tech for professional level software.


I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were a professional subtitler and worked for Sentai; not to mention being well aware of the software packages they were using and how they function.

My point is, if Funimation, Paramount, Nozomi, Media Blasters, Warner Brothers, Sony, First Look, Geneon, Image, Weinstein, etc, can all make mistakes in their subtitles, it can happen to anyone. With all the downsizing in the anime industry, and the fact that you now have 1 person doing what 3 people use to do we're lucky we don't get "Chinese Ghost Story" level subs.

The same thing has been happening with newspapers and magazines. The industries are struggling, so positions have been eliminated and consolidated. The net affect: less content and more typos.
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Takeyo



Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 736
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 8:20 pm Reply with quote
Ease off on the snark, there, friend. It was an honest question. As someone who has worked as a software developer and am familiar with free, community-developed software like Aegisub (that can do this handily), I am legitimately surprised by the suggestion that profession-grade software doesn't have the functionality to import a some kind of plaintext script. From a development standpoint, reading a file is pretty simple.

I have no doubt that Sentai and other video distributors are trying the stretch that George, nor that to err is human. I was simply looking for conformation from someone who seemed to have firsthand knowledge on the subject. If you took that as some sort of personal attack, I apologize.

So, let me try asking again, is that actually the case? Do you in fact know if most authoring packages do not import script files and that subtitle are typically entered by hand?
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Sentire



Joined: 21 Apr 2008
Posts: 981
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:20 pm Reply with quote
Nice review Carl. I'm glad you commented that focusing on the changes from season one to season two can be a bit of a disservice. Depending on what the changes are, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes I think it's necessary in order to hold the viewer's attention through the new season. Sometimes the same ol' same ol' gets tiring. Guess I won't know until I watch the second season, which I still plan to do.

As for the dark humor interjected here and there, I look forward to it. Restrained campy-ness is fine, I just don't want it thrown in my face constantly. At least not in this type of series.
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hissatsu01



Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 963
Location: NYC
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:22 pm Reply with quote
I'm no expert, but the DVD authoring software I played with years ago allowed for importing subtitle scripts, and a Google search seems to indicate that it is a pretty common feature.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 9:31 pm Reply with quote
Takeyo wrote:

So, let me try asking again, is that actually the case? Do you in fact know if most authoring packages do not import script files and that subtitle are typically entered by hand?


I never implied they did one way or the other, and I honestly don't know. It really had nothing to do with my point.

Even with a spell checker and someone to look over and review the material, mistakes slip through. My DVD of The Orphanage has two or three typos in the subs, and it's from a major studio. Look what happened with Funimation with Darker than Black and Paramount with the Saving Private Ryan bluray. Paramount even sent out "screener" copies of Ryan and no one caught the audio problems in time.

I was just saying from what I've seen, the mistakes were not massive or frequent, and were pretty in line with what I've seen on DVD releases from Funimation, Nozomi and Media Blasters. They are certainly not as bad Clannad or even Princess Resurrection.
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Parsifal24





PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2010 10:29 pm Reply with quote
It was a good review but I liked the first season of Hell Girl most when it was more like a dark character study of the people driven to call upon Hell Girl. It kind of fell apart for me when Ai started trying to get revenge on Hajime Shibata. Maybe season two will be better.
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