Translation Review: [HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season – 01

This post was written by kokujin-kun. He is not Dark_Sage.


I guess I’m too fucking hipster for the Monogatari series.

Table of Contents

Release Information

Translation

Other Observations

Final Grade

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: MKV (232MB, 10-bit)

Wap Level: None (unless I’m forgetting an extra honorifics track or something, there are no honorifics and they use Western name order for this VERY Japanesian show.)

English style: American English.

Speed: Quick (<48 hours)

 

External links.

Group website: http://www.daisuki.net    http://horriblesubs.info

IRC channel: #[email protected]

Fansub.co screenshot comparisons:

Subbusu screenshot comparisons:

 

Translation

Karaoke.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_01.40_[2013.07.25_17.46.38][HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_23.15_[2013.07.25_19.37.54]

No shitty karaoke or even lyrics for obvious reasons.

Main Script.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_00.36_[2013.07.25_17.40.17]

Hanekawa says kamoshirenai at the end of this line, which of course means “maybe” so the entire line is “A large reason why I haven’t been able to face myself till now is maybe the fact that I did not acknowledge my name as something of my own.” It may or may not be important, depending on your mileage.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_00.51_[2013.07.25_17.42.37]

She actually says “a saint or Holy Mother” (seijin ya seibo). Once again, whether it’s important or not depends on how you feel.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_04.45_[2013.07.25_23.52.06]

 

I think “sexual” assault is too strong of a phrase to use here for boukou (although I admit it is one of the definitions) and I would have just went with simple “assault”.

 

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_06.27_[2013.07.25_18.08.33]

Nope, that goddamn pre-WWII writing says, “(even though) If I run I will be safe.”

Edit: I’ve just been informed that this mistake may be the result of the guys at Horriblesubs dicking around with the script. Here’s what Daisuki is currently streaming the line as.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_16.09_[2013.07.25_19.45.22]

Because Shaft uses pre-WWII Japanese writing for stylistic purposes (I guess) a lot of the signs have to be read backward horizontally instead of forward. For example here, us western barbarians would read the first fine print below the vertical writing as 宮ノ星 (Miyanohoshi), and the fine people at Aniplex decided to go with that. However, there are two things which make me think that it should actually be read 星ノ宮 (Hoshinomiya) instead. One is that the two scene changes before this you have this sign and it was clearly written backwards (民 tamikurasou [boy, I hope I have the right old-fashioned kanjis, lol]), and two, take a look at what happens when you google that word both backwards and forwards.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_16.11_[2013.07.25_19.00.38]

Aniplex only does All The Important Signs™, this obviously not being one of them. It’s supposed to be “201” or “102,” depending on Shinbo’s mood at this stage.  Since he decided to use old legal kanjis in place of Arabic numerals here, I’ll bet my baby daughter’s virginity that he wants us to read it backwards as “201.”

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_17.08_[2013.07.25_19.03.26]

Another sign that didn’t get any love. It’s something about being so tired you want to have sex with your blanket. Okay, just kidding, it just means you want to wrap yourself around with a blanket. However the dakarete part DOES mean both “being embraced” and “being fucked” so it does have that kind of sexual connotation, especially considering the fact this is the part where Senjougahara does her little strip show for Hanekawa (see following screens).

Edit: This also appears to be a mistake on Horriblesubs part. Here’s what Daisuki had this title card as.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_17.58_[2013.07.25_19.12.33]

Did this line make you think of a Power Ranger or a kung fu action hero making a heroic Praying Mantis pose before the Bad Guy Of The Day? If not, then they have failed miserably. (Yes, the Japanese SFX Senjougahara used is shakiin and it represents sword blades being crossed, but even so this line still looks retarded.)

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_19.23_[2013.07.25_19.26.47]

Would have went with “this is starting to feel iffy” for the word fuon instead of implying that Hanekawa is in some kind of physical danger, but that’s just me.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.08_[2013.07.25_19.36.42][HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.12_[2013.07.25_19.36.26]

These lines are actually supposed to be “I’ll ogle your nekkid body twice over for both me and Arararagagi-kun,” and Hanekawa saying, “Just ogle me for yourself!” Aniplex apparently noticed that these lines sound awkward, to say the least, in the original Japanese and attempted to slightly adapt the line and… you can see the results for yourselves.

 

Other Observations

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_05.18_[2013.07.25_18.05.19]

In case you haven’t noticed, this entire Aniplex release reads like ass, just like most other releases I’ve encountered from them. Since the whole I guess you would say “appeal” of the series is the fact we get to watch a bunch of talking heads rattling off about whatever random stupid shit that enters their brains (and I guess they fight some spooks also, too) you need to have a script that keeps us at least halfway entertained.  Even if you think the dialogue is entertaining in the original Japanese (I’ve always find it hit and miss) this piece of dog waste script doesn’t reflect that at all.  Would it kill them to hire a fucking editor or something? A real one?

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_06.39_[2013.07.25_18.09.39]

They went with “apparitions” for kaii. If that bothers you in any way, and you’d rather see the word “oddity” or “aberration” for whatever autistic reason you have, then don’t watch this release. You’ve been warned.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_06.41_[2013.07.25_18.10.25]

I like where they were going with this (白い [shiroi, white] vs 白々しい [shirajirashii, baldface as in lies]) but thanks to the genius writers at Aniplex, the execution is shit.

[HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_14.59_[2013.07.25_18.46.34][HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_15.04_[2013.07.25_18.52.48]

Ignore what the two girls are saying and focus on the top lines. If I were to come up with a literal translation for those Shafty silent movie title cards, it’d be “A persistent night of no sleep, in short an accomplishment [Bear with me, they took two characters in the previous phrase to make another word, geddit?] //By the way, since she completely stayed up through the night, the correct way to say it is  ‘a sleepless night’ [again they took two characters from the second line to form another word]” So look at this godawful mess I just wrote and look at what Aniplex came up with. Even if they were attempting to adapt it into something intelligible, were they even trying?

Final Grade: B-

Once again, even if they were 100% accurate (which they were actually very close to, btw) Aniplex script still reads like garbage. I heard the people who did Nisemonogatari last season for Crunchy were actually competent, can’t we call them up? Next up is Commie.

 

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14 thoughts on “Translation Review: [HorribleSubs] Monogatari Series Second Season – 01”

  1. Thank you! Was an interesting read, especially the part about the numbers and the reading direction. Why are there so many kanjis for numbers to begin with? 貳, 貮, 二, 弐 …

    >I heard the people who did Nisemonogatari last season for Crunchy were actually competent, can’t we call them up?

    CR is going to release this one month late (guess they had a hard time even achieving that), so maybe the same people will be working on it?

    Reply
    • One reason why there are multiple ways to write numbers (at least one of which is fairly complicated) is that if, for example, you write a check to someone for 一万 you don’t want them changing it to 十万 just by adding a stroke before they cash it (and of course, it applies to other contracty things too).

      The other reasons are probably historical.

      Reply
      • That’s practically the only reason. There are varieties nonetheless because the creation of Chinese characters was not spontaneous and not systematical; different characters were in use in different ages. The same goes for the different legal characters. Legal characters are not kyuujitai, by the way.

        There is an element of traditionalism attached to legal characters. Old newspapers are liable to use legal characters even though there is no need to prevent forgery of the document in question.

        Reply
    • I don’t see them providing a new translation for this show when they’ll already have the Aniplex subs provided for them.

      Reply

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