The Soul Business

The roly-poly salesman with the shark-like smile

comes strolling towards the camera, and in the unmistakably resonant tones of Oohira Tooru he introduces himself:

My name is Moguro Fukuzou.
People call me "The Laughing Salesman."
However, I'm no ordinary salesman, because I'm in the soul business.
Human souls, that is.
The world is full of lonely men and women, both young and old.
I'm here to fill the gaps within your lonely souls.
Completely free of charge, I might add.
A satisfied customer is the only compensation I desire.
And today's customer is...

Yes, it's time for another darkly comic ten minutes of Warau Salesman (Laughing Salesman), a show that seems more fitting today than when it was made more than 25 years ago.

The premise of Laughing Salesman is deceptively simple. Moguro Fukuzou is a traveling salesman who provides things that give his customers their heart's desire. Once his deals are made and their desires are satisfied, Moguro's customers are often left with terrible repercussions, especially if they break the rules of his deals. Yet despite his warnings, and against their better judgment, his "customers" just can't resist the temptation to do a bit more, grab a bit more, go a bit too far. Retribution is swift - sometimes violent, sometimes comic, always disastrous. Then the episode is over, and Moguro is off to fullfill the needs of the next lonely soul.

Laughing Salesman is nominally a joint project between Saizen and Live-eviL, but it's more like a collaboration of the old anime kairetsu. onibaba and tenkenX6 translated the first few episodes; kokujin-kun (who did Yawara!) has done all the rest. Eternal_Blizzard timed the first group of episodes; sangofe has been handling that recently. I've edited all but the first few episodes. zegond typeset the first twenty episodes; she was reclaimed by Real Life, so I've done all the rest, with occasional help from Eternal_Blizzard. QC has varied a lot but has included Calyrica, Skr, konnakude, Eternal_Blizzard, sangofe, pheon18, Mamo-chan, and at the start, our late colleague CP. Eternal_Blizzard did the initial encodes, BakaProxy took over when the project switched to HD raws.

The project started off using the released DVDs, which were fairly terrible - muddy, jittery, and cropped. Last year, high resolution remastered web streams became available, along with closed captions. That has greatly sped up the fansubbing process, in particular translation (because of the captions) and typesetting (because of the much stabler image). I don't know if the team will ever go back and redo the first 25 DVD-based episodes; there's a long way to go to finish the series.

Laughing Salesman is best taken in small doses. Marathoning it can be hazardous to your (mental) health. Instead, next time the nightly news leaves you steaming and ready to chuck a brick at your TV, spin up another of Moguro Fukuzou's adventures. You'll soon see that no matter how bad things seem to be now, they can get much, much, much worse - and probably will.

How Orphan Chooses Projects

[I'm republishing this because I keep getting the same questions.]

Orphan doesn't get a lot of comments on its releases, but along with the "thank yous" (always appreciated) are invariably requests of the form, "Can you translate or resub XYZ?" Just as invariably, the answer is no, so perhaps I should explain how Orphan selects projects to work on. The process is different for original translations versus resubs, so I'll describe them separately. 

Original Translations 

Orphan was formed to translate abandoned series, OVAs, and movies - shows that were abandoned by other fansub groups or stranded on obsolete media like VHS tape or Laserdiscs. That remains the group's core mission. However, it's not possible to do every incomplete or untranslated show. A couple of severe filters get applied to any project idea.

The most important factor is the interest and availability of a translator. While translators can sometimes be coaxed into taking on other people's ideas, mostly they want to work on what interests them. The Orphan team includes a number of translators, but they all have real life commitments as well as projects they want to do. Like everyone on the team, they are volunteers, and like everyone on the team, their time is precious.

A second factor is the availability of source material. Some shows simply have no original source or existing encodes. Over the years, I've become more finicky about the quality of Orphan's encodes, so there's more emphasis on original encodes from primary sources, like LaserDiscs, DVDs, or BluRays. (We have VHS transcription capability too.) But a viable source is no guarantee that a project can get done.

A third factor is length. The group's sweet spot is movies, specials, and OVAs or series with a maximum of a 12-13 episodes. Experience with Polar Bear Cafe and Stop!! Hibari-kun has caused us to steer clear of long series.

A fourth factor is the interest of the team as a whole. If the team is not interested in a particular project, that project is unlikely to get finished in a timely fashion, if ever. And if I'm not interested, well… you can imagine.

Resubs 

While translation is much less of a factor in resub projects, it still matters. Wherever the subtitles came from, they need to be checked. For fansubs, translation checking looks for errors in the original subtitles. For commercial sources, the focus is on excessive localization or script simplification. Sanctuary, Hashire Melos, and Chameleon illustrate the sort of problems translation checking will catch in R1 subs.

Source material is perhaps more important in resubs than in original translations. After all, there already is a subbed version; a new version needs to improve not just on the subtitles but also, if possible, on the video and audio quality. I'd be very reluctant to base a resub project on random Internet raws. This has led to some strange and expensive quests for rare LaserDiscs or DVD sets.

In addition, there has to be a compelling reason to do a resub. For Next Senki Ehrgeiz and Sanctuary, it was to improve the video and subtitle quality (LaserDisc softsub vs VHS hardsub). For Nagasarete Airantou, it was to have subtitles that were actually readable. For Yume Tsukai, it was to have a full resolution softsub version from DVDs of a show that was only subbed from TV captures.

Also, the show has to interest me (or another project leader). I like comedy, slice-of-slice, historical, sci-fi, seinen, josei, shoujo, and cats. I don't like sports, mecha, or shounen. And I don't have the patience for long series anymore.

Finally, Orphan will not resub shows that have active licenses in English-speaking countries.

Orphans and Orphan Fansubs 

I'll close by reminding my readers that the original purpose of Orphan Fansubs was to finish orphaned projects. These projects often mix resubs (the episodes that were completed) with original translations (the episodes that were never finished). True orphans must satisfy the criteria for both types of projects: a translator must be interested; there has to be source material (at least for the unfinished episodes); the team as a whole has to want to work on the show; and there has to be a compelling reason to complete the series. And there's one other factor: the project needs to have been formally abandoned by the original group, or the original group must have disbanded.

Many orphan series fail on one or more of these criteria. For example, Sanada 10 has source material but no translator. MapleStory doesn't interest the team very much. And Hiatari Ryouko has not been formally abandoned, even though the group subbing it has not released a new episode in nearly years.

[Revised 19-Oct-2018]

Hidamari no Ki, Part 1

In my look back at 2017, I said that Orphan would be undertaking two larger series this year. The first is the continuation of Stop!! Hibari-kun!, from 1983. And now, here is the second, Hidamari no Ki (A Tree in the Sun), from 2000. This historical drama has been on my wish list since I started pursuing orphaned shows. A fortunate chain of circumstances has allowed Orphan to bring it to you, at last.

First, the series appeared on streaming sites in Japan. This provided translation raws with reasonable video and audio fidelity. Second, the eleven volume manga became available online, both in Japanese and in (scanlated) English. Third, and most importantly, a new translator, Sunachan, joined Orphan. Sunachan had the stamina - and the experience with medical terminology - to undertake such a large project. And finally, an anonymous donor offered to purchase the Hidamari no Ki DVDs. This provided pristine material for generating final video and audio. Orphan will be presenting Hidamari no Ki in four "mini-batches" of six, seven, six, and six episodes respectively, with a full series batch at the end.

Hidamari no Ki is based on a manga by the legendary Tezuka Osamu. It tells the story of two young men during the Bakumatsu - the waning days of the Tokugawa Shogunate that followed the "opening" of Japan by Western countries. One is Manjirou Ibuya, a samurai raised in the strictest traditions of bushido. The other is Tezuka Ryouan, a doctor-in-training equally interested in women and the latest scientific discoveries. (Ryouan's last name is no coincidence; he is Tezuka Osamu's great-grandfather) Both have a penchant for getting into trouble. Ibuya inadvertently crosses an experienced samurai and is wounded in a duel. Ryousan ends up treating him. Then, Ryouan deliberately crosses the powerful official physicians of the Shogunate, who want to prevent Ryouan and his father from opening a smallpox vaccination facility. Ibuya ends up saving Ryouan from an attack by anonymous assassins. Ryouan goes to Osaka for further training and encounters both opportunity and tragedy. Ibuya exhibits exemplary leadership skills during the great Ansei-era Edo earthquake and is assigned to guard the new US consul to Japan. And that's just the first six episodes!

As the screencap shows, the male character designs are vintage Tezuka Osamu - large eyes paired with real noses, chins, Adam's apples, facial blemishes, and so on. The female character designs run more to type - either classic Japanese beauties, like Oseki, Oshina, and Okon, or dumpy matrons, like Ryouan's mother. This demonstrates Eguchi Marisuke's versatility as a character designer. The designs look nothing like his Adachi-inspired characters in Hiatari Ryouko and Nozomi Witches.

The Bakumatsu was a remarkably complex period, with factions promoting all kinds of views. The three most prominent were the bakufu - the military bureaucracy of the Shogunate, who wanted to defend their prerogatives; the neo-Confucians (Joui), who wanted to restore power to the Emperor as a prerequisite to expelling all foreigners; and the Westernizers, who wanted to embrace western scientific and political thought and modernize Japan along Western lines. Dividing lines were not clear-cut; for example, all factions wanted to embrace some aspects of Western military technology, for their own reasons. The eventual solution - the Meiji restoration - was a sort of "none of the above" answer and allowed Japan to avoid the fate of China.

The voice cast is stellar. Yamadera Kouichi (Ryouan) has had a spectacular career. Among his many roles are Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Sukeroku in Shouwa Ginroku Rakugo Shinju, Ryouga in all the Ranma 1/2 properties, Melos in Hashire Melos! (an Orphan project), and the nameless hero of Otaku no Seiza. He also dubbed all the Mike Myers characters in the Japanese versions of the Austin Powers movies. Miyamoto Mitsuru (Ibuya) has appeared in numerous series, from H2 to this year's Kekkai Sensen sequel. Orikasa Fumiko, who voiced their mutual love interest, Oseki, played Rukia Kuchiki in all the Bleach properties as well as the heroine Okonogi Yuuko in Dennou Coil. The late Nagai Ichirou (Ryouan's father Ryousan) appeared in numerous shows, including Nora and Gosenzosama Banbanzai! He also dubbed Albus Dumbledore in the Japanese versions of the Harry Potter movies. Matsumoto Rica (Okon, a prostitute in Osaka) played Jim Hawking in Outlaw Star, the hero Fuusuke in the Ninku properties, and Satoshi in the Pokemon franchise. The director, Sugii Gisaburou, has done many outstanding shows, including the Mitsuru Adachi shows Nine, Touch, and Hiatari Ryouko; Nozomi Witches (an Orphan project); and several recent movies. The music is by the jazz/fusion composer and keyboardist Matsui Keiko and works well to underscore the series subtly.

Sunachan translated the episodes. Beyond that, she re-checked the episodes through editing and QC to ensure that the nuances of the translation were not lost. Eternal_Blizzard timed the episodes. Juggen provided a subtle karaoke for the ending theme, Hikari no Mukou e by Charcoal. I edited and typeset (not many signs). bananadoyouwanna, Nemesis, and VigorousJammer did QC. Skr encoded the original workraws that allowed translation to get started, and M74 encoded the final versions from the DVDs. The DVDs themselves were purchased by an anonymous benefactor. The entire team is intensely grateful to him for investing in this show.

Hidamari no Ki is a dense series, and there are lots of people, places, and things that need explanation. I've tried to keep on-screen translation notes to a minimum, but there are a few. Here are some additional notes for this batch of episodes:

• Ep01. "Countless districts of Edo." Literally, the 808 districts of Edo. The number 808 is purely symbolic.
• Ep01. "...with its pay of 15 bales for two people..." The combination of bales and people provides the measurement of a samurai's rank; in this case, not very high.
• Ep01. "300 mon." An old unit of currency, not directly translatable to yen because of devaluation and inflation.
• Ep01. "Hokushin Ittouryuu" is a school of martial arts, founded in 1820, focused on sword fighting.
• Ep04. Ogata Kouan was a physician and scholar. His academy, the Tekijuku, taught medicine and Western learning. It was one of the foundations for Osaka University.
• Ep04. Ryousen twirls his pinky when talking indirectly about a beautiful courtesan. The pinky signifies love affairs or sexual liaisons.

Because of the long delays in releasing more of Stop!! Hibari-kun, some viewers may wonder whether Hidamari no Ki will suffer the same fate. I expect this show to go faster because it doesn't require translation checking. We've restarted Stop!! Hibari-kun, of course, but an experienced, dedicated translation checker is needed for the show to progress more quickly.

Meanwhile, dig into Hidamari no Ki. It's a treat, a true overlooked gem. You can get this mini-batch from the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Stop!! Hibari-kun! 7-12

As I said in my end-of-2017 summary, Orphan will be working on two relatively long series this year. One of them, of course, is Stop!! Hibari-kun!, the 1983 comedy series. It's taken a loooong time, but here are the next six episodes. I won't repeat all the background from my introductory post on the series. Nothing has changed - or does change, for that matter, because the show is completely episodic. Cross-dressing/transgender son Ozora Hibari is still the best-looking girl in the Ozora family; the family's adopted orphan, Sakamoto Kosaku, is still utterly confused about his feelings toward Hibari; and the rest of the family is still perplexed, apoplexed, bemused, or amused about the whole thing, often at the same time.

Moho Kareshi translated the entire series. Onibaba and tenkenX6 did translation checking on this second batch of episodes. Yogicat timed; I edited and typeset; Juggen styled the OP and ED; and Nemesis, konnakude, and VigorousJammer QCed. M74 encoded from a remastered DVD box. A few translation notes:

• Ep07. Kotatsu means "little dragon."
• Ep08. Utagoe Kissa means "Chorus Cafe." It originated in Japan around 1955 and lasted until the 70s. It's a "cafe" where people sing songs as a group, often accompanied by piano or accordion music.
• Ep10. Kosuke's rivalry with his childhood friend Daisuke is illustrated with historical events, such as the famous duel between 17th century swordsmen Miyamato Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, and references to the match between Rikiishi and Joe in Ashita no Joe, the fight between Amuro and Char in Mobile Suit Gundam, and between Take-chan Man and Black Devil Jr in Fuji TV's live-action "variety show" of the same name. (Thanks to Sunachan for tracking these references down.)

All of the episodes in this batch are canon, that is, they're taken from the manga, although episodes 8 and 9 are padded considerably.

The typesetting continues to be a PITA, and as with Polar Bear Cafe, I'm doing fewer signs as the series goes on. Episodes 10 and 11, in particular, have repeating signs that would require endless hand-clipping. At some point, with the scripts approaching 10,000 lines, I simply gave up. Feel free to do the rest yourself. ;)

When will the next batch be coming out? I don't know, so please don't ask. It's entirely at the mercy of the translation checking process. (Always looking for help there.) In the meantime, you can get this group of episodes at the usual torrent sites or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Toujours de l'audace (Audio Editing)

Over the years, I've discussed many of the skills needed for fansubbing: translation, timing, editing, typesetting, QC, and encoding. In 2017, I encountered a new one: audio editing. It's not often needed, but when it is, the situation is usually fairly dire.

I ran into two examples last year. The first case was in the fourth and final episode of Akai Hayate. For some reason, the ending song - and only the ending song - was horribly distorted on the laserdisc release. In comparison, the VHS version sounded much better, but it was only in mono. It was impossible to use the endings from the first three volumes, because the fourth volume's ending was unique. The second case was in the complete release of A-Girl. Due to an incorrect setting, tape stretch in the video resulted in bad audio, with the sound audibly dipping in tone. A second, audio-only rip, done with the right settings, sounded better but had different volume levels and slightly different playing times.

In both cases, the solution required splicing together different audio sources and then adjusting for differences in volume and tone. Enter Audacity, a full-featured, open source audio editor. Audacity can do almost anything, but its user interface is not particularly intuitive. Fortunately, the Internet has many, many write-ups on how to use Audacity for various tasks. Simply Googling "Audacity <do this task>" will find the right answer fairly quickly.

For both Akai Hayate 4 and A-Girl, the basic procedure was the following:

1. Load both audio tracks into Audacity.
2. Use the Time Slip tool to align the new audio track with the old one.
3. Splice an appropriate section from the new audio track over the old one.
4. Use the Amplify effect to adjust the volume of the new section to match the old one.
5. Export the spliced audio as a WAV file.
6. Use an external encoder to transform the WAV file to the audio format of choice.

Now, there are a couple of trivial and non-trivial annoyances in getting this done.

1. The Time Slip tool doesn't have a fine adjust. All aligning is done with the mouse, and the mouse doesn't have enough resolution to get to a sample boundary, even at really high magnification. It would help if the tool responded to the arrow keys for fine-grain motion.
2. Selecting a section of audio is clumsy. You can use the mouse to define the start - and even fine-adjust the start with the arrow keys - but the end is defined by dragging the start across the selection. Aegisub's system of allowing independent definition of the start and end points works better.
3. There's no straightforward "spice and replace" function. Instead, there's a complicated series of arrow keys to get back and forth between old and new. Aegisub has a "paste over" function for replacing sections of a script, and that works better.

Still, there's a lot that Audacity will do automagically to make things work. For example, when it was time to export the spliced audio track for Akai Hayate 4, Audacity noticed that the spliced area was mono and duplicated the track to create a 2-channel (but still mono) mix.

So if you're a fansubber looking to expand your bag of tricks, I recommend spending some time fooling around with Audacity. You never know when it will come in handy.