Fansub Review: [WhyNot] Robotics;Notes (Episode 01)

This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.

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Hopefully this show winds up more Steins;Gate than Chaos;Head.

Table of Contents

Release Information

Visual Quality

Script Quality

Results

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: MKV (289 MB, 10-bit)

Japanesiness: No honorifics.

English style: American English.

Encoding details: http://pastebin.com/XtfR72Dv

Speed: Quick (<48 hours)

 

External links.

Group website: http://whynotsubs.com/

IRC channel: #[email protected]

SubCompare screenshot comparisons: http://www.subcompare.com/robotics%3bNotes/

Commie’s fansub reviews: http://notredreviews.wordpress.com/autumn-2012-reviews/

 

Visual Review

Karaoke.

Oh, look. It’s WhyNot’s famous rainbow karaoke.

Rating: Terrible

You can’t just throw a generic cursivey font on the ED and call it a day. This looks horrible.

Rating: Bad.

 

 

Typesetting.

Is it so hard to copy and paste the previous screen’s typesetting over here? I didn’t even know it was possible to be that fucking lazy.

I know I focus much more on quantity than quality when it comes to typesetting, but goddamn are these signs bad.

 

Other.

Placement could be better managed and the subs should have a secondary text here.

 

Script Review

Karaoke.

Nothing to bitch about here.

 

Main Script.

This is completely wrong. It’s “Gunvarrel”, like it is everywhere else in the main script. And it’s also something the creators of the show wrote in English in multiple scenes.

Yes, it’s pretty clear. Get it together.

Well, it’s not confirming voice recognition. The system is trying to confirm this guy is who he is THROUGH voice recognition. “Initiating voice recognition sequence.” would be a better line to use, although it may need a TLC to check considering the voice is referring to the sentence written on the tablet.

Oh no. “IRUO.” is the name of the system? My mind is imagining all sorts of possible lines with fucked-up grammar. Dammit, Japan. Why do this to me?

Thank you for not translating “pinchi” as “in a pinch”. I fucking hate that.

Why the fuck is italicizing so foreign a concept these days? The lines should reflect natural speech with natural stresses. Show the stress with italics.

“Hell, this is really well done.” That’s how it would be pronounced were someone to say it.

This whole section needs a rephrase.

“I’m one of the best, so it’s not like I haven’t heard it all before, but I didn’t expect the creator to act like that.” {I’d drop “like that” for something like “so jealous” but this guy’s too apathetic to come out and say something like that directly.}

This a damn good way to reflect intentionally stunted phrasing.

“Somehow” needs to be cut from fansubbers’ vocabularies. As a generitranslation for “nanka” (or whatever that word is), it’s fucking terrible. Just drop it and replace it with something else.

“You know, it kind of feels like time left this place behind.”

Love that top line. “Yay, Skal!” just wouldn’t have the same ring to it.

Close. You were looking for “It’s too long.”

And no, I’m going to resist saying it. That fruit’s hanging way too low.

“First of all, do we even have a hobby robot?”

Don’t be afraid to inject flavor here. This fits his character better.

 

 

Results

Watchability: Watchable.

Visual grade: C-

Script grade: B+

Overall grade: B

If you like your subs to be pretty, WhyNot isn’t the group for you. But a functionally sound script, along with some of the clever phrasing you’ve come to expect from Vale’s translations, ensures you probably won’t do too bad by picking up their release.

27 thoughts on “Fansub Review: [WhyNot] Robotics;Notes (Episode 01)”

  1. Ah, I used to do rotations like that before I learned the \fax tag existed.

    Also, “I don’t know whose eyes they are stop asking”?

    Reply
      • While it’s understandable that you don’t review official releases, it would be a lot of fun to see how they hold up against the fansubs. But only if you have time to spare, of course.

        Reply
  2. I humbly request a re-review. First episodes of animes are never perfectly subbed and I believe fansub groups need a bit of time to figure out all the proper nouns specific to the show. The kara has also been changed.

    Reply

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