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REVIEW: Ghost Stories DVD 2


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AutoGyro



Joined: 13 Apr 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:27 am Reply with quote
I enjoy Ghost Stories in its dubbed version Very Happy. Has anyone tried to watch the dub with the faithful subtitles turned on?
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ANN_Bamboo
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:31 pm Reply with quote
AutoGyro wrote:
I enjoy Ghost Stories in its dubbed version Very Happy. Has anyone tried to watch the dub with the faithful subtitles turned on?


Yeah, it's not nearly as exciting. The original version is just really goofy and childish and takes itself waay too seriously for something that just can't be watched with a straight face.
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Zalis116
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:19 pm Reply with quote
I was anticipating this show ever since I first read the preview on ANN, and managed to pick up both volumes before their release dates at Best Buy--to answer the question, I always watch it in English with the Japanese version subtitles turned on--that way I can see just how much the story and the characters have been changed. The anime club at my school has enjoyed it quite a bit in that format as well. Here's hoping that volumes 3, 4, and 5 will be just as good. But why no artbox with this series, ADV? Evil or Very Mad

And btw, the Japanese script does suffer from many of the writing clichés that get annoying once you know some Japanese and/or have seen a lot of anime--the constant repetitions of names, for one--as un-PC as it is, I don't mind them changing Keiichirou's constant whinging of "Onee-chan!" to retarded babbling.


Last edited by Zalis116 on Thu Oct 29, 2015 2:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Maceart



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:27 pm Reply with quote
I saw the original Chinese subbed and Japanese dubbed about 2 years ago, and I just don't get all this hate and trite "cliche" complaints about this series. I don't see any place to put jokes in during episode 12, when they duelve on Satsuki's past. I don't know, this english dub joke thing seems superficial to me.
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one3rd



Joined: 28 Jul 2003
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:40 pm Reply with quote
Zalis116 wrote:
But why no artbox with this series, ADV? Evil or Very Mad


Probably because they weren't sure how it would do at the regular price. If they didn't get enough people to pay the extra $5-10 for the cardboard box, then they'd just lose money.
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deathbringer



Joined: 21 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:02 pm Reply with quote
I can't believe people would actually watch the dub. I saw the dub for the first volume and all the jokes were stupid and not at all funny. When in this day and age a studio can still screw up a series this bad I don't understand how it then goes on to win an award from this site. I was stunned when I saw all the people that voted for it. In my opinion ADV=subpar.
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Key
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:10 pm Reply with quote
deathbringer wrote:
I can't believe people would actually watch the dub. I saw the dub for the first volume and all the jokes were stupid and not at all funny. When in this day and age a studio can still screw up a series this bad I don't understand how it then goes on to win an award from this site. I was stunned when I saw all the people that voted for it. In my opinion ADV=subpar.


You're missing the point, deathbringer, as is anyone else who looks at the series as an attempt to do a straight dub; it's not screwed up, it's a deliberate parody. If the humor just doesn't work for you, that's fine; it isn't going to be to everyone's taste, as I more or less said in the review. Just watch the subtitled version only, then.

And although you might not care much for it, there are a lot of people that do. The Ghost Stories seminar at last weekend's Ohayocon, where two of ADV's English VAs hosted a special airing of an upcoming episode (#9, I think - the one with the tunnel) was probably the most heavily-attended event at the 'con after the cosplay show. There were well over 200 people in that room for that showing, and almost everyone was laughing certain body parts off at it.

And Maceart: of course it's superficial. It is a parody, after all. And if you see what they've actually done with the dub then you'll understand why it won't be a problem fitting in jokes in episode 12.
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deathbringer



Joined: 21 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:45 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
You're missing the point, deathbringer, as is anyone else who looks at the series as an attempt to do a straight dub; it's not screwed up, it's a deliberate parody. If the humor just doesn't work for you, that's fine; it isn't going to be to everyone's taste, as I more or less said in the review. Just watch the subtitled version only, then.


I'd much rather just have the translation stick to what is actually said and not try to get creative. That's my problem. I don't really care if it's a deliberate parody, I don't want a parody, I want to hear what they are actually saying. If you don't think a series will be enjoyable unless you rewrite the whole thing, then why the hell do they license it?
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Zalis116
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 7:47 am Reply with quote
If I remember the ANN preview, I think that ADV licensed this during a licensing binge back in 2004 when they were picking up tons of stuff. But, in the hongover the morning after, maybe they took a second look at the plot Ghost Stories and decided on their current course of action. I guess if one doesn't like "wrong" humor, like Leo asking, "How did kids ever get laid before the Internet?", then the GS dub won't be as appealing. Deathbringer is not alone is his opinion either, as the review at Animeondvd focused on the Japanese track and expressed dislike for the dub.

And to be honest, in my viewings of the dub with the faithful subtitles on, I have seen some good story points and reasonably sentimental moments like in episode 5, which had spoiler[Keiichirou throwing away the track medal to the ghost,] which was of course mercilessly satired in the dub Anime smile
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TheHTRO



Joined: 20 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:15 pm Reply with quote
Okay, I'm gonna try to make this as short and sweet as possible without any whining, complaining, or flaming to them or any of you.

No matter how "banal", "cliché", or "bland" it may or not be:

1. There was no excuse or justification for what they did (even if any of you think so).

2. It would have been bearable had they also done a proper English dub (like what they did with the [non-hentai] adult anime series Super Milk-chan), hence:

3. Only having a faithful sub (while having a parody rather then a proper dub) is not enough (when releasing a title DTV). There is no either or; it's all or nothing.

4. If they didn't like the show that much, then they could have done a faithful dub and sold it to the WB or something (even without any English sub, a release having just a faithful dub would have been much better than this).

5. In retrospect, they're actions make them no better than...Alfred Kahn's company (you know the one), the only difference being that "Matt Greenfield's company" has done the exact opposite of what "...Kahn..." normally does.

(I am not flaming ADV with this statement; it is an honest comparison).

In closing, I will give them (ADV) another chance. I was going to buy the Macross DVD, but I'm going to wait to see how the UFO Princess Valkyrie situation turns out. In any case, if ADV does this a second time, I'm never going to buy anything from them again (since merely buying any product from any company constitutes "support" of that company).

And that's all I have to say about that. Agree with me or don't, but this is how I genuinely feel about it (as such I'm not "trolling" or anything like that).
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Dachande



Joined: 21 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:49 pm Reply with quote
Quite frankly I love the dub. Every episode I've laughed hard at it. I even recently showed the first DVD at the anime club at my college and even the people who don't watch dubs loved the dub of GS. And if you ask me all the people who didn't like what ADV did just need to shut up and go away, I'm tired of hearing it.
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Necros Antiquor



Joined: 10 Nov 2004
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Location: Funny in a car crash sort of way
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2006 5:25 pm Reply with quote
TheHTRO wrote:
No matter how "banal", "cliché", or "bland" it may or not be:

1. There was no excuse or justification for what they did (even if any of you think so).

2. It would have been bearable had they also done a proper English dub (like what they did with the [non-hentai] adult anime series Super Milk-chan), hence:

3. Only having a faithful sub (while having a parody rather then a proper dub) is not enough (when releasing a title DTV). There is no either or; it's all or nothing.

4. If they didn't like the show that much, then they could have done a faithful dub and sold it to the WB or something (even without any English sub, a release having just a faithful dub would have been much better than this).

5. In retrospect, they're actions make them no better than...Alfred Kahn's company (you know the one), the only difference being that "Matt Greenfield's company" has done the exact opposite of what "...Kahn..." normally does.

(I am not flaming ADV with this statement; it is an honest comparison).

In closing, I will give them (ADV) another chance. I was going to buy the Macross DVD, but I'm going to wait to see how the UFO Princess Valkyrie situation turns out. In any case, if ADV does this a second time, I'm never going to buy anything from them again (since merely buying any product from any company constitutes "support" of that company).

And that's all I have to say about that. Agree with me or don't, but this is how I genuinely feel about it (as such I'm not "trolling" or anything like that).

Dude. "No excuse or justification?" It's not like this is some masterpiece of expression, the next Cowboy Bebop, or even the next One Piece. It's not like there's a lot of creative integrity here. This is the kind of anime that was made just to draw in viewers for commercial gains, not to put out a great show. Yes, there is artistic intent, and it's boring, and if you want to watch the original contents of the show, you'd be better served with other superior forms of the supernatural ghost story.

As pointed out, the only reason to watch the show as it was originally presented would be to learn about traditional Japanese ghost stories. Here, I do agree that an accurate dub would assist this for dub-only fans, but only the 1% who care about accuracy on this mediocre title will want it preserved, and they'll be watching it in Japanese anyways. It's not like Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.

And comparing ADV to 4Kids? ADV took this series they probably licensed by accident during the big licensing rush a year or so ago and improved it so that it wouldn't be boring, while keeping an original version to satisfy purists. 4Kids claims to improve shows when in fact they not only do their own story, but edit the animation and create their own terrible music, ruining high-profile, good, popular shows people actually care about. Then, they don't even release the original Japanese versions (unless you call a couple of Yu-Gi-Oh DVDs 5 years after it came out "released"). How is that an accurate comparison?

"Give them another chance?" While some may not like their dubs, they always put a lot of effort into them, not just translating, but minimally (emphasis on that word) adapting them so the original intent remains the same. When was the last time they pulled a Ghost Stories on another series? No, Super Milk-Chan doesn't count. In fact, their Macross dub is going to be the first accurate dub of the series ever, finally breaking away from its USA-released Robotech roots. There is no need to slam ADV on this one. Yes, that's your opinion. This is my opinion on all the ADV-haters ready to string the company up for taking a bad series and making it interesting (or at least marketable).
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Zalis116
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:32 am Reply with quote
TheHTRO wrote:
Okay, I'm gonna try to make this as short and sweet as possible without any whining, complaining, or flaming to them or any of you.

No matter how "banal", "cliché", or "bland" it may or not be:

1. There was no excuse or justification for what they did (even if any of you think so).

2. It would have been bearable had they also done a proper English dub (like what they did with the [non-hentai] adult anime series Super Milk-chan), hence:

3. Only having a faithful sub (while having a parody rather then a proper dub) is not enough (when releasing a title DTV). There is no either or; it's all or nothing.

4. If they didn't like the show that much, then they could have done a faithful dub and sold it to the WB or something (even without any English sub, a release having just a faithful dub would have been much better than this).

5. In retrospect, they're actions make them no better than...Alfred Kahn's company (you know the one), the only difference being that "Matt Greenfield's company" has done the exact opposite of what "...Kahn..." normally does.

(I am not flaming ADV with this statement; it is an honest comparison).

In closing, I will give them (ADV) another chance. I was going to buy the Macross DVD, but I'm going to wait to see how the UFO Princess Valkyrie situation turns out. In any case, if ADV does this a second time, I'm never going to buy anything from them again (since merely buying any product from any company constitutes "support" of that company).

And that's all I have to say about that. Agree with me or don't, but this is how I genuinely feel about it (as such I'm not "trolling" or anything like that).


1) So if we think there is a justification, there isn't, but if you think there isn't a justification, then there can't possibly be one? Who made your opinions divine?

2) Not feasible--financial limitations, and I don't think anyone's likely to release tri-audio discs unless it's Evangelion or FLCL.

3) The 23 people who care about the purity of this show will watch it in Japanese anyway.

4) If you don't like the dub so much, then don't watch it or download some fansubs.

5) 4kids edits One Piece to make it more suitable for kids. ADV alters Ghost stories to make it funnier for adults. Both have the reasonable justification of wanting to make more sales, and this is first and foremost a business. Similar actions, different results--the One Piece dub is a hackjob that distorts everything, etc., but with Ghost Stories, ADV is being completely upfront about it, and the result is an enjoyable entertainment product, provided that your sense of humor aligns with theirs. This seems to be the case for many people. Should they instead have made a faithful dub and seen their sales go nowhere?

Note: most of the time, things don't have to be altered to build sales, so it's not like I support dubs like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptors.
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deathbringer



Joined: 21 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:57 am Reply with quote
Zalis116 wrote:
Similar actions, different results--the One Piece dub is a hackjob that distorts everything, etc., but with Ghost Stories, ADV is being completely upfront about it, and the result is an enjoyable entertainment product, provided that your sense of humor aligns with theirs. This seems to be the case for many people. Should they instead have made a faithful dub and seen their sales go nowhere?


So if I were to translate a series but told you ahead of time that instead of translating it I would just be making it up as I go along that would be alright? Somehow I don't think so. I personally enjoyed the sub. I don't think their sales would have gone nowhere, I think it would have been an average selling show. I'd imagine they lost more viewers then they gained by changing the dub. It's a slippery slope. If this show sells what's to stop ADV from doing this more often? Eventually they may get a show that you like and completely ruin it.
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Shale



Joined: 04 Dec 2002
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Location: The Middle of Nowhere, DE
PostPosted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:19 am Reply with quote
So...sales would have been average at best with a normal release, but they lost more viewers than they gained, despite the fact that the dub seems to be more popular than the regular show would ever be? Right.

Also, it seems unlikely that they'll do this much anyway, because the novelty would wear off and the discs wouldn't sell. If you really think ADV would start doing the majority of their dubs as self-parodies, you're delusional.

Anyway, my opinion on Ghost Stories is simple:

1. This is, from all appearances, an anime version of "What's Up, Tiger Lily?", only without The Lovin' Spoonful.
2. "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" was freaking awesome. Except for Lovin' Spoonful.
3. Therefore, the Ghost Stories dub is awesome.
4. So stop bitching and have some fun with the dub. If you really, truly, deeply care about the purity of a generic, mediocre, Japanese-reference-heavy Ghostbusters knockoff, watch the sub. And remember, it's just a TV show.
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