Translation Review: [HorribleSubs] Space Dandy – 01

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


So we begin the translation reviews for the winter season with… this show.

Table of Contents

Release Information

Translation

Other Observations

Final Grade

Release Information

Episode details.

Release format: Hardsubbed MKV ( 632(lol)MB, 8-bit)

Wap Level: There shouldn’t be any room for wap, baaaby, but they tried their damnedest.

English style: American English.

Speed: Quick (<48 hours)

 

External links.

Group website: http://video.adultswim.com/space-dandy/index.html  http://www.funimation.com/shows/space-dandy/anime  http://horriblesubs.info/

IRC channel: #[email protected]

 

Translation

Karaoke.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_01.03_[2014.01.08_23.46.33]

A translated OP in MY official streaming anime? That’s unpossible! But I guess since this show was pretty much made for Adult Swim, the lyric translations needed to be cleared in time for American consumption. Also, too, TL is fine.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.57_[2014.01.09_00.38.05]

ED. They didn’t translate the  “nyaas” :(

Main Script.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_04.58_[2014.01.08_23.55.05]

 

All you aspiring translators out there, make note that jan yo = baby.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_06.03_[2014.01.08_23.57.05]

Nope, they’re saying he wants to visit every one of those breastaurants. Seiha here means “conquer,”  not “buy out.”

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_06.55_[2014.01.08_23.59.13]

They called it the “Pleiades parfait and Solar Flare dessert platter” in the dub. But here in the subs, they went for the weeb.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_07.14_[2014.01.09_00.00.56][HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_07.20_[2014.01.09_00.00.05][HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_07.26_[2014.01.09_00.01.20]

Sigh… Dub script:

Honey:  So then, Mr. Space Dandy, what do you do?

Dandy: You wanna know?

Honey: Do I ever?

Dandy: It’s a job that begins with “A.” See if you can guess it.

Honey: Starts with “A,” that’s a tricky one… “asteroid belt”!

Dandy: That does start with an “A,” but no.

Honey: So what’s the answer?

Dandy: It’s a doozy. I spend my days as an alien hunter.

See? Was it that fucking hard to translate and make it halfway intelligible? Of course, the only way his job starts with a “U” is if he’s an uchuujin hantaa. But purists will rejoice since they got their literalshit script.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_08.19_[2014.01.09_00.03.36][HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_08.22_[2014.01.09_00.03.42]

Try “mental issues.”

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_10.02_[2014.01.09_00.16.32]

Original line’s direct translation was something along the lines of, “That is not going to be a  squid fishing boat, is it not?” (そうはイカ釣り漁船じゃんよ) but luckily the translators decided to exercise a bit of creativity this time around.

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_22.26_[2014.01.09_00.37.09]

Tekitou here means “random, irresponsible” not “appropriate.”

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_24.16_[2014.01.09_00.40.41]

Apparently since there were two different translators for this series, we get two different titles for the next episode (for those keeping score, the right translation is at the top).

 

 

Other Observations

[HorribleSubs] Space Dandy - 01 [720p].mkv_snapshot_01.16_[2014.01.08_23.47.35]

Only professional licensors  will take the time to translate the names of the people who actually make our animu, apparently.

Final Grade: A-

Overall I thought it was a professional-grade script that really brought out the characters’ personalities despite all my bitching. Definitely recommend throwing your money at FUNimation.

 

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13 thoughts on “Translation Review: [HorribleSubs] Space Dandy – 01”

  1. One of the animators for Space Dandy put a post out on tumblr about the ujimushi line (it has since been removed, and archive.org doesn’t have a copy). Here’s the gist of it:

    The line should have been, in both sub and dub, “It’s a job that begins with an A” / “An ass?” The animator was upset because it provides a bit of characterization to Honey – it shows she’s intelligent despite her job. The dub makes her an idiot, and the sub just fucks over the joke.

    Reply
    • Not sure exactly how much is an original translation, but they fix all the mistakes mentioned above and use a few jokes from the dub (though I didn’t compare it too carefully, just a few scenes).

      Reply
  2. >A translated OP in MY official streaming anime? That’s unpossible!
    Actualy it’s not that rare for funimation simulcasts. I even thought they always have OP/ED translated.

    Reply
  3. Sorry but hate the Dandy English VA, his voice is overused in Dubs and he sucks with little range of emotion. Outside that the Catguy voice was too white the robot was too robotic and Dandy didn’t put off the delinquent boob chaser vibe at all, more like looser virgin vibe(there is a differnce), like all the other parts that VA plays in English dubs.

    Reply

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