Forum - View topicImporting DVDs from Japan. (A question on subtitle quality.)
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Turn A
Posts: 1 |
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Have any of you imported DVDs? Did they feature English subtitles? If so, were they of good quality?
The reason I ask, is because I'm thinking about importing Naoki Urasawa's Monster on DVD. (I don't think it will be coming to the States.) I noticed that, in many descriptions, the DVDs feature English subtitles. Although, I suspect that such an inclusion is the result of bootlegging. Anyway, the question still stands. But feel free to place any input on my pending decision. Thanks. |
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DKL
 Posts: 1995 Location: California, USA |
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The only release of Monster I know that has English subs is the Singapore DVDs (and VCDs)...
I'm assuming that all else is bootlegs... If they're not though, feel free to linkage here as I'd pretty much wanna get them myself... Anyway, people say that the subs for Monster are pretty okay... The focal problem is probably the fact that there's only ONE set... like, the market out there isn't all that good for DVDs, so maybe they ditched the idea of releasing the rest on DVD... (even though they finished the VCDs...) |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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Did a quick check: The Japanese release does not have English subtitles. Not only that, the DVDs are sold in box sets (5 released in 2004-2005) which are quite pricey. They're ¥24000 each. I suspect the contents are 4 DVDs (per box) with 15-16 episodes on them.
All in all I'd hazard a guess that the number or R2 DVD anime releases with English subtitles is very small. I glanced at my collection listed on this site and the only ones with English subs are Ghibli titles and "Ghost in the Shell - Innocence". |
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Deltakiral
 Posts: 3338 Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK) |
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I believe the R2 version of Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea) is going to have subs on both special and normal editions. Probably hoping to get people to import seeing as how the US can't have a release of this show until 2009 because of Sci-fi owning the inclusive rights for anything related to TfE in the US.
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Steventheeunuch
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I recently got Mind Game (R2JP) on DVD and it has English subtitles, and they're for the most part okay. There's a few grammatical quiffs (You're instead of Your, ore instead of Oar, etc). but none the less, the Japanese english subs on legitmate DVDs tend to be pretty okay. English subs on R3 releases tend to vary, with some slight Singlish (things such as Yap instead of yes, and occasionally ~la), to downright unreadable (official HKR3 release of Gits: Sac is damn near illegible, apparently).
Just research it out and hope for the best. |
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DKL
Posts: 1995 Location: California, USA |
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Oh yeah, somebody tell me about the english subs for the R3 release of ONLY YESTERDAY...
I wanna see that, but I noticed that the R3 is much cheaper than the R2... |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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I own a few R2 DVDs, the Street Fighter Alpha movie has no subtitles, but in it's special feature it does have the first episode of the US Street FIghter cartoon. In English, with no Japanese subtitles.
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7595 Location: Wales |
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The only R3/R2 imports I have with subs are Laputa (R2), Gatekeepers 21 (R3) and Brave Story (R2)
It's been a long time and I can't remember what the Laputa subs were like, but the Brave Story subs were disappointing (even with my poor grasps of Japanese I saw a number or errors, or at least very a very loose script - it was like reading dubtitles) and the GK21 subs were appaling (obviously translated from Japanese to Chinese then to English without referring to the audio or video tracks in the process, e.g. "open the gate" - which is in English originally - became something wierd like "open the door to the alien world" and Miyu's was misread as Miha or something despite her name being shown onscreen in English) |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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I got my R2 from amazon.uk for £8.49. Amazon tends to have some really good deals on their Optimum/Ghibli releases. The subs on it are actually quite good, and the quality of the DVD is one of the clearest I've seen. The DVD was transfered from film to PAL 576 without being downconverted to NTSC like so many R2 Europe discs. If you have a DVD player that can output 576 PAL, or convert it internally to HD you will be treated to an image that is clearer than an NTSC DVD. I recently watched it again and fed my external video processor the raw PAL signal which looked great when scaled to HD. If you have a television that accepts 50hz, you dont need to deal with the 2:3 pulldown and will have an awesome image. |
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EVA fiend
 Posts: 314 Location: Somewhere in the UK. |
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Japanese R2 anime DVDs do not have subtitles for the most part. I have a dozen or so Japanese R2 DVDs, & only the Studio Ghibli ones have subtitles. The rest are in raw Japanese.
There are exceptions of course, namely the Japanese release of Saikano, which have English subtitles, but that's the exception as opposed to the rule. A word about the Optimum's UK R2 releases of Studio Ghibli's movies. Their quality control is shocking. Out of the last batch of Ghibli movies I bought, I had to return 4 out of 5 back to the shop because they would not play properly in any of the DVD players I have in the house. I was not impressed to say the least. 
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Xlll
 Posts: 49 |
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To off with eBay and their never-ending "Mint Condition" box sets. |
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