27th
SEP
Odex’s Translators goes A.F.K
Posted by tsubaki | Filed under Anime
Top picture: AFK fansub. Bottom: Odex subs
Tell me, why aren’t we surprised at this?
Some local anime fans (I got my sauce from Sekai wa、 Utsukushii deshou?) managed to catch the airing of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu on StarHub’s Channel 56 yesterday. As we all know, Odex (unfortunately) holds license to this legendary anime. What’s infuriating about this, is the similarity in translations from A.F.K’s subs.
This isn’t new, and I do know Odex uses fansub translations from time to time, especially when their mandarin transcripts are not readily available to them. Already, there’s a flaming thread started on the Odex’s community forum (how convinent at a time like this) where forumers are condemning the action and calling sorts of things like getting A.F.K fansubs to sue them.
I Lol-ed.
Just today I was having a masterclass in Media Law, where Samuel Seow, a leading lawyer in the media industry gave a talk on Intellectual Property Laws. Based on what I’ve learnt, the law protects the form and not the idea of a work. So basically, if you have it written down and published, you get automatic copyrights to your work. So in that sense, A.F.K fansub owns the rights to that translation completely. While translations doesn’t sound very much like a big deal of a work, it is still protected under copyright laws. Just like how simple things like roads and even the yellow pages are considered Intellectual Properties.
However, I remembered there was a similar incident that happened a few years back and the legality of it has been discussed to death on animesuki forums. I can’t seem to find it anymore, so I cannot be quote for reference, but I’m pretty damn sure they said something within the lines of this. While it is true that A.F.K owns copyright to that translation, due to the gray area that fansubs are in, it is very hard for any fansub group to launch a suit. Legal cost and a possible counter suit just doesn’t make it worthwhile.
So what exactly can we do, other than suck our thumbs?
Well for the start, now that you’re aware that Odex is a pot calling the kettle black, suing people for infringement of copyrights when they themselves aren’t any better, do what any typical person would do- Boycott.
I don’t even need to call for a boycott. It’s pretty damn obvious anyway that Odex won’t get a single cent from most of the local anime fans anyway, but this incident simply tightens the purse string any further. Compassion purchase of their product?
Dream on.
But on a side note, Suzumiya Haruhi on local TV? You gotta be joking. This show doesn’t appeal to ordinary anime fans or casual viewers. You need a degree in anime to appreciate this film! Episode 00 is probably going to get pan by those people. Awhile ago, I was talking to some regular human being who was telling me about Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu.
She told me, that she watched it, and sorta like it but didn’t understood it.
And when I asked her how she felt about Episode 00, she told me-
“Oh I didn’t watch it because my friend told me it’s pointless to watch it.”
I think I snapped her neck. Dumped her body somewhere in the Kallang River. This is downright blasphemy. Episode 00 contains all of the hints to SHnY, you narutard!
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September 27, 2007 -
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lol odex is definitely cripping the anime scene so bad but yet whatever they do seems so much like a joke
Also, looking at the quality of Odex’s video as compared to fansub’s, it’s -_____-
Odex may you die for reducing the Hare Hare Yukai Dance to a small box for your credit insertion.
How can you claim SHnY doesn’t appeal to “ordinary anime fans”? It’s the most popular show of 2006 by a landslide, a MOUNTAINslide.
“This show doesn’t appeal to ordinary anime fans or casual viewers.”
Not true. I actually introduced someone to the wonderful world of anime through The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Previously, all the anime he’d seen had been one or two Ghibli films. Needless to say, he absolutely loved it, and got incredibly addicted, and I think has now watched it more than me. :D
I agree, though, they you need to be fairly sharp in order to keep up with it. Most people just aren’t interested in anything other than spoon-fed entertainment, it would seem.
@Random Visitor
“I agree, though, they you need to be fairly sharp in order to keep up with it. Most people just aren’t interested in anything other than spoon-fed entertainment, it would seem.”
This probably sums up the whole argument. Most ‘ordinary’ anime fans tend to fall into the whole category where they want the plot to be spelt out to them. I’m being biased here but if your friend had bothered to watch Ghibli films, I believe that he’s probably ’sharp enough’ as you call it, to understand SHnY. You can’t deny that Ghibli films are so multi-layered that they appeal to the non-anime fans to the most hardcore of us.
LOL Channel 56 isn’t even ‘local’ enough man… I don’t even have that channel because augh cable is expensive.
Hahah, if I see some random body floating around the monsoon drains I know what happened.
Odex strikes again…
I chose not to watch bcos…. it is chinese dubbed; it always horrible.
[...] Haruhi/Odex Related Posts Sekai wa、 Utsukushii deshou? Anime Banzai! – アニメ万歳! Anime Desho Desho? [...]
I do believe that by typing the corresponding Japanese dialogue into JWPCE, the handy tool for translators, you more or less get the same words. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some 1/100 chance that two separately translated lines happen to be similar.
Just get over the whole fiasco already, it’s freakin’ old and boring.
@Tsubaki I want more pork.
The A.F.K. subs are illegal; they can’t claim copyright over their subbing. (Not that I think Odex is right)
The guy who mentioned about video quality above.. are you retarded? Because that picture was obviously taken using a camera on the TV screen. Or something to that effect.
But it’s interesting that Odex actually adds a grammatical error onto AFK’s subtitles. Or maybe they just translate the same way. But it’s not really such an issue because we all know if someone has been done, where do it again? It’s like doing homework, most people just copy the smart ones’ anyway.
legendary anime? lol. Okay. Well, Odex just shows their true colors once again.
>>Episode 00 contains all of the hints to SHnY, you narutard!
It is SHnY in a microcosm, you harutard!
It’s nothing more than a concentrated version of the shit known as the other thirteen episodes. >:(
Actually it’s quite hard to get this kind of coincidences in translation, But I guess it may bd one if a million if that’s the only line…
And while A.F. dOds &,t h`ve the right to distribute the translated videos, the translation itself definitely belongs to them.
and the Odex heresy continues. you might have thought they would be gaining some sort of moral high ground by going against downloading anime but no, they degraded themselves further by copying fansubs!!!
Odex, please die, burn in hell or whatever it is leave this world for good!!
Ep. 00 doesn’t contain all of the hints, the making of ep 00 (i.e. vol. 2 of the novel) contains all of the hints. Of course, that part of the novel wasn’t animooted.
Isn’t a.f.k. litterally afk right now? Maybe he’s enjoying reality while we sit on the computer noticing people steal his translations.
Odex takes no pride in their work. Damn, I got nothing else to say.
wwwwwwwwwwwwww…. , well i don’t exactly fault them from a practical standpoint. After the whole Big Tree translations, it’s not hard to see why they have to copy fansubs. Nevertheless, they are retards not to rephrase it. Burn their house! Beat their modars! LOLZ WWWWWW.
wwwwwwwwwwwwww…. , well i don’t exactly fault them from a practical standpoint. After the whole Big Tree translations, it’s not hard to see why they have to copy fansubs. Nevertheless, they are retards not to rephrase it. Burn their house! Beat their modars! LOLZ WWWWWW.
What is even more interesting than the translation itself is the way the subs are spaced out….notice the errie similarity in where one line ends and the next begins.
sorry for the double post.
Hell, Odex, if you’re gonna steal fansubs, go all the way and steal the damn karaoke and the typesetting, too… Licensed subs fail miserably on this…
@exaltdragon: Big Tree wasn’t by Odex. ^^
Hi. I think it can be noted that Odex has also seriously ripped off Triad’s sub for the Nanoha series. Hope the images doesn’t break your blog. =X
Odex:
Triad:
Odex:
Triad:
Odex:
Triad:
These are just a few since I don’t screencap the entire Nanoha series. >_>
Funny how your preview allows images but they don’t appear in the real thing. Here are the links then..
Odex: http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/odexsubsucks/Odex%20Bad%20Subtitle%20Evidence/Magical%20Girl%20Lyrical%20Nanoha/Episode%202/vlcsnap-160035.png
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/odexsubsucks/Odex%20Bad%20Subtitle%20Evidence/Magical%20Girl%20Lyrical%20Nanoha/Episode%202/vlcsnap-160125.png
Triad: http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l94/lyrical2/nanoha55qx.jpg
Odex: http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/odexsubsucks/Odex%20Bad%20Subtitle%20Evidence/Magical%20Girl%20Lyrical%20Nanoha/Episode%204/vlcsnap-700780.png
Triad: http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l94/lyrical2/nanoha59x.jpg
Odex: http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee213/odexsubsucks/Odex%20Bad%20Subtitle%20Evidence/Magical%20Girl%20Lyrical%20Nanoha/Episode%203/vlcsnap-339038.png
Triad: http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l94/lyrical2/nanoha65qx.jpg
*crosses fingers*
Odex ripped Nanoha subs too….
After reading about Xedo having a possibility of ripping off Haruhi’s (A supposedly really popular anime. I haven’t watched it meh.) subtitles from the fansub which subbed it. It reminded me of a similar incident a while back. Over at Xedod…
Score for Odex’s PR drive!
this sounds rubbish. the dub was horrible and episode 00 last night spoiled my appetite for dinner. I’ve a million and one things to rant at them but they’re all probably dumb-mutes anyway. The way they replaced Hirano Aya was blasphemy! They should have allowed native Jap audio…
The reason why people who recommend SHnY and tell them to skip episode 00 in the first place is to prevent them from being turned off by the seemingly pointless-ness of it all. But it’s true, they didn’t tell them to watch episode 00 AFTER they had watched the whole anime.
*sigh*
Odex never stops the self-pwning.
I’m trying to figure out from the pictures if the intentionally incorrect aspect ratios of the original Episode 00 were again stretched out in the broadcast, or if there’s some other factor in play.
i’m giving them the benefit of the doubt for the aspect ratio, as aspect ratio is a troublesome area to play with.
for example, there is dar and sar which could be different. dar could be 2.35:1 and sar 16:9, and since most local tv studios plays their film back at 2.35:1, naturally the video gets resized badly. add that to the wide screen aspect ratios of currect HD-TV’s 16:10, results in real badly resized video.
not defending them though, i have a strong disdain for their actions in the past months.
channel 56 doesn’t have japanese audio, that’s why it $()X…and it’s very coincidental.. =_=;;;
I don’t know how long it would take to produce translations for an anime and the time to put everything together, but I’ve a strong feeling this was done BEFORE the current hiatus.
i’m not surprised. Odex is always doing slipshot work la
…as expected…
I watched SHnY on ch56 for 5minutes yesterday.
And i have to say that their subs are like 95% similar to AFK subs.
Actually its nothing suprising knowing that odex dl fansubs too. We all know that already.
What suprising is that, why the hell does odex not bother to change the subs and just use AFK’s sub just as a reference.
Do they not know that their public relation is bad enough now?
A 97% similarity in subs is seriously ridiculous.
Its like giving the anime community another chance to pin point and dive into another loophole of theirs.
Odex seriously has to be more careful in everything they do now.
Anyway Haruhi voice sounds terrible too. I was expecting that to happen.
Chinese dubs rarly makes it.
I think its the same chinese seiyu as Shana?
Am i right?
What’s new?
Wonder if Google-bombing still works.
I really hope this isn’t another one of Odex’s ego trips–that they can “pirate” these subs and the fansubbing community can’t do anything about it. Whatever their reasons, they’ve lost my respect for them, not just as an anime distributor but also as a business.
sage goes in every field.
Now u all know why Odex latest so called “compromise” says that they will not send out letters for those who stop d/l b4 a certain date.
If they dun do that, how are they going to cover their ass, kinda stupid that one of the director even openly admitred that they used fansub for GS Seed in the open media … meh… such cockyness
[...] of the show "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" for their own releases… article; Odexs Translators goes A.F.K Anime Desho Desho? Not that surprising perhaps, as they have done similar things in the past, see for yourself; (from [...]
dunno if u guys read but the synopsis on odex’s website on the series Seto no Hanayome is excally the same as the plot summary for the same anime on wikipedia….i think they jus copied it word for word……>.
I thought that at the time [afk] was doing their fansub work, it was legal since it wasn’t liscenced?
Both animesuki and [afk]’s scarywater site removes Torrent links (it’s removed now, it sure was there sometime last year) whey they get liscenced, right? Something about legality of distributing those stuffs…
Ionno, I never was much of law person.
[...] screen is stretched (read f*cked up). The subs you see are those subs of A.F.K if we should believe anime desho. Subs stealing from fansubbers aren’t new and aren’t that bad. Fansubbers almost [...]