Fansub Review: [gg] Aku no Hana (Episode 01)

A-Tier, Fansub Review — By Dark_Sage on April 5, 2013 11:07 pm

So I guess we *are* starting the season off right.

Table of Contents

Release Information

Visual Quality

Script Quality

Results

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: MKV (266 MB, 10-bit)

Japanesiness: No honorifics.

English style: British English in my gg subs? The takeover is now complete.

Encoding details: http://pastebin.com/2S2FXSPN

Speed: Quick (<48 hours)

 

External links.

Group website: http://www.ggkthx.org/

IRC channel: #[email protected]

 

Visual Review

Karaoke.

Opening. The font choice is solid, but the placement of the subs leaves much to be desired. As you can see from the second screen, gg only takes use of the bottom left of the screen, ignoring the blank space at the top when the leaves start interacting with the subs. This would be less of an issue if the font weren’t so thin, but current placement affects readability.

Rating: Okay.

Ending. White text, black background is easy mode. Not even going to attempt playing with red?

I thought the font style was an interesting choice, and in retrospect, was a good call. Unfortunately, gg runs into the same problem they did with the OP — subs tend to run into the credits. It’s a little harder to avoid with this font, and it’s not nearly as unreadable though, so it’s not altogether as big an issue.

Rating: Okay+.

 

Typesetting.

I don’t have a problem with any of these. Not saying they’re perfect signs, but they serve their function in a quality manner. Not bad.

 

The signs that weren’t typeset are not what I’d call high priority. However, due to the limited budget of the animation, they were definitely more prevalent than you’d think. There were a few signs that I wouldn’t be surprised to find out took up 40 seconds each, just based on lingering shots being repeated throughout the show.

Because of the signs’ relative prominence, gg isn’t fully off the hook for avoiding them. I’d have liked the first one done at least since I have no clue what the fuck it signifies (maybe it’s symbolic, I don’t fucking know).

 

Script Review

Main Script.

Not a bad joke. I like it. I’m not gonna say it’s perfect (thick and thin are opposites, true, but thigh and thin aren’t), but gg was working with what they had and this was an acceptable alternative.

At times when the book is quoted, the translator/editor aren’t using an original translation, but rather pulling the lines from various translation sources on the internet.

This is a good thing, because most fansubbers aren’t rocking master’s degrees in poetry. (FalseDawn actually has one, but I think he’d agree that handling a poetry translation like this one would take much more time than is typically allotted for an edit.)

One of the more noticeable things about gg’s script is how they handled character interactions between the bros. Though, that’s probably because half the script is them throwing stunted dialogue at each other (let’s face it, the script isn’t winning any awards for complexity or depth).

gg does well by giving appropriately juvenile dialogue to the characters (except for, generally, the self-styled intellectual protagonist). You get a lot of cursing (though, from an American standpoint, it felt a bit understated) and a lot of quippery. I could see a group of friends talking like they do, which is a good way to create a believable environment.

Coming off the previous section, I guess my main complaint would be that the subs felt a bit stifled. Craptastic’s version was right in your face with the dialogue — it gives you a clear indicator that this isn’t going to be your average series. As a reader with not a lot of time, that’s the kind of thing that makes me stop and think a series deserves further analysis.

But gg’s didn’t give me even close to the same reaction. I know the anime doesn’t inspire much… well, anything, but I was expecting something less muted for arguably the most important scene in episode 1.

 

 

Results

Watchability: Solidly watchable.

Visual grade: B+

Script grade: A (It’s not a strong A, but it’s definitely an A-tier script)

Overall grade: A-

This is about as good as it’s gonna get for this show. When you factor in the poor reception of the anime itself (preventing much competition on the show), gg’s reputation for speedy releases, and the top-quality script from gg’s 01, I doubt I’m going to have a recommendation for another release above gg’s.

Maybe for those of you who despise gg, there’ll be another group that can achieve similar quality over a longer timeframe (perhaps an edited version of Crunchyroll’s delaycast), but for most people, I think you’d be best off just sticking with gg and calling it good.
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Tags: Aku no Hana, Fansub Review, gg, Spring 2013