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REVIEW: Hiiro no Kakera Blu-Ray




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rheiders



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 1137
Location: Colorful Colorado :)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:37 am Reply with quote
Ew, the dub leaves in all the honorifics? Does Sentai do that often? It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

I only watched the first two episodes when it was airing, and even those were a chore to get through. It's not openly offensive like, say, Amnesia, but it is really, really boring.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23770
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:06 pm Reply with quote
Ah, poor Theron. I assume he drew the short straw and was thus forced to review this dreck. I hope ANN offers reviewers a bonus - mental hazard pay - for having to watch something like this.

Full disclosure: I watched both this season and the sequel season to completion.

...

I am insane.

Quote:
...though the inclusion of a very busty woman who practically flaunts her cleavage seems incongruous for a series clearly aimed at female audiences; if it is intended to be an attempt to draw in male viewers, its drawing power pales compared to the repulsion effect that those episode-ending scenes has on straight male viewers.


Laughing

It's funny 'coz it's twue...


Last edited by Blood- on Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4082
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 12:07 pm Reply with quote
rheiders wrote:
Ew, the dub leaves in all the honorifics? Does Sentai do that often? It's one of my biggest pet peeves.


It has been happening frequently; Kamisama Dolls features Monica Rial adding chans and sans left and right. It's really annoying since she's the only one doing it as the rest are usually close enough to skip honorifics all together. And then there's Space Pirates who may or may not be Bodacious but they're definitely very formal on occasions...

I'd rather have everything translated as well and it's not as if it's impossible; I thought Karen's "Mr. Mike" in place of Miike-san from Please Twins was kind of cute, not to forget the classics "little Washu!" and "Lord Tenchi".

Ah, the show. Yeah, I'm staying away from guy gaggles which is tough as Sentai seems to really love them. I've tried a number of them but they just don't know how do a female lead. Or plot. Or resolution.

Like many regular harems without the comedy interaction between leads.
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noigeL



Joined: 14 Feb 2012
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:13 pm Reply with quote
rheiders wrote:
Ew, the dub leaves in all the honorifics? Does Sentai do that often? It's one of my biggest pet peeves.


Unfortunately, yeah. Pretty often.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18189
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:14 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
Ah, the show. Yeah, I'm staying away from guy gaggles which is tough as Sentai seems to really love them. I've tried a number of them but they just don't know how do a female lead. Or plot. Or resolution.

Like many regular harems without the comedy interaction between leads.

I suggest trying out Hakuoki (if you haven't already), then. It has definite plot, definite resolution in its second season, and a closely-aligned historical context which can give it a draw well beyond the pretty boys. The female lead is even somewhat more useful, although admittedly that's not saying much. A review on the second season of that is also pending; and yes, I had the wonderful experience of watching it back-to-back with this one. Rolling Eyes

My next few reviews will be decidedly different fare, though, so it all evens out.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23770
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:34 pm Reply with quote
I kind of enjoyed Hakuoki. It always cracked me up how in the first season the lads were constantly assuring the heroine that they might kill her at any time when they clearly adored her. Too bad that HnK didn't offer up as much fun.
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:55 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
not to forget the classics "little Washu!" and "Lord Tenchi".

People used to complain about that. A LOT.
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:37 pm Reply with quote
I watched the first and am currently watching the second season pretty much agree with this review. However, the second season is much better, though still flawed in places. The plot thickens with internal conflicts (and Shinji's secret meeting with Fiona/Vier from the first season is explained) to form some drama not reliant on the harem of bishies.

rheiders wrote:
Ew, the dub leaves in all the honorifics? Does Sentai do that often? It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

I think that's great. If I recall Funi's Samurai 7 dub leaves it in too with the -dono and all, giving it a more authentic flavor. And German dubs do too: http://youtu.be/lUPvtZsU9Z0?t=19m45s

Honorifics, name order, ways of addressing people should be kept in any translation, sub or dub, from the in-universe setting. For example, dubs and translations of Spanish films should and do keep the Spanish honorifics of Senor or Senora, and are used in English native films as well. I never hear people complain OMG, my ears! Spanish honorifics! Didn't Gunslinger Girl keep the Italian word fratello? So likewise Italian honorifics, German honorifics etc. should be kept
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jymmy



Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:05 pm Reply with quote
I don't know why I finished this series, much less its sequel (although season 2 was much better - only a bit less than average, I'd say). I disagree with the statement that the episode-end scenes had a "repulsion effect ... on straight male viewers". I didn't find that, and without them being overtly sexual I don't see how they're actively repulsive. Beyond that, I think I'd criticise the action scenes just a bit more - they were some of the laziest fight scenes I've ever seen. I wanted them to get back to long shots of the boys staring at Tamaki one after the other to make things more engaging and dynamic. Beyond that, I agree with the review - this was an interminably dull series that went around in circles with no real redeeming qualities. Although the art, especially in the opening and ending sequences, was nice.

configspace wrote:
Didn't Gunslinger Girl keep the Italian word fratello?

I agree with what you're saying (to a degree) but "fratello" is just as foreign in Japanese as it is in English, so it'd make no sense to leave it out.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:25 am Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:
Animegomaniac wrote:
not to forget the classics "little Washu!" and "Lord Tenchi".

People used to complain about that. A LOT.


Yeah, I remember those days.

Sentai does use honorifics more often than ADV did in the past, but the majority of their dubs don't use them. However, several of the shows that did so only did so when there was a plot point or device that revolved around them, like in ef A Tale Of Memories.

Honestly, I'm a bit torn on whether to leave them or translate them. It seems awkward either way. I suppose it really depends on the show. I was fine with it in ef, but some past shows like Ai Yori Aoshi (Geneon), came across a little awkward. But for instance, Daisuki constantly saying Miss Harada to girls his age also came across weirdly.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:02 am Reply with quote
I watched the whole thing. I watched the WHOLE THING!!!
26 episodes... WHY THE HELL DID I WATCH THE WHOLE THING?!!!

It's boring, contrived, and absolutely meaningless.
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getchman
Space Cowboy



Joined: 07 Apr 2012
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Location: Bedford, NH
PostPosted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:29 am Reply with quote
the bizarre thing about EF's dub was hearing Brittney Karbowski's character calling Greg Ayres character big brother in both English and Japanese, as if Chris Ayres couldn't decide which to go with.
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rahzel rose
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Joined: 19 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 2:34 am Reply with quote
I forced myself to watch more than just the first episode to give it a fair chance, and only made up through half of episode four. I am all for otoge shows. I LOVE Hakuouki, for example. But Hiiro no Kakera is just plain boring.
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