2021 in Review

The world continues to go to hell in a handbasket. The pandemic continues to rage. The world supply chain is borked. Inflation is rampant. Windows 11 is out. In spite of all these disasters, Orphan Fansubs has soldiered on, and a lot of projects got done. This was almost a record year in terms of number of projects, although not in terms of released files, because there were no series at all, only OVAs, movies, and TV specials. Well, variety is the spice of life.

In addition, there has been a deliberate effort to clean out accumulated cruft. As a result, Orphan released a fair number of raws that are unlikely to be translated and restarted a few projects that seemed hopelessly stalled.

Orphan Fansubs

Orphan's projects for 2021 were:  

1. Milky Passion: Dougenzaka - Ai no Shiro. A quirky rom-com set in a love hotel.
2. Nine: Original-ban HD. Adachi Mitsuru's early baseball series, in high-definition.. 
3. NIne 2: Koibito Sengen HD. Second episode.
4. Nine: Kanketsuhen HD. Third episode.. 
5. Chiisai Sensuikau ni Koi wo Shita Dekasugira Kojira no Hanashi (The Tale of the Ginormous Whale That Loved a Little Submarine). A Sensou Douwa special, about an oversized sardine whale that mistakes a small sub for a potential mate, with results that are first comic and then tragic..
6. Coluboccoro 2019. An expanded version of a rather standard eco-fantasy tale..
7. Ohoshi-sama no Rail. A story about Japanese colonists in Korea and their flight to safety at the end of World War II.
   
8. Megami Paradise. Valiant shrine maidens battle dark goddesses to save Paradise. Most notable for its frequent pantsu shots..
9. The Green Cat (Midori no Neko) v2. The first Lion Book OVA, based on a sci-fi tale by Tezuka Osamu, about a lonely boy's dangerous companion: a green cat.
   
10. Rain Boy (Amefuri Kozou) v2. The second Lion Book OVA, about a lonely boy's imaginary companion: an animate umbrella.
11. Lunn Flies into the Wind v2 (Lunn was Kaze no Naka). The third Lion Book OVA, about a lonely boy's imaginary companion: a pretty girl on a coffee poster.
    
12. Yamatarou Comes Back v2 (Yamatarou Kaeru). The fourth Lion Book OVA, about a lonely bear cub's unusual companion: a steam locomotive..
13. MAPS: Densetsu no Samayoeru Seijin-tachi. A "wide-screen baroque" sci-fi yarn about a boy who is supposedly a living map to an enormous treasure.
    
14. Call Me Tonight. The first Pink Noise OVA, a sci-fi yarn about a young man who becomes a literal monster when he's sexually aroused.
15. Tabi Suru Tobi Neko. Live action segments about cats playing, sleeping, eating, and generally ruling the roost..
16. Boku no Boukuugou (My Bomb Shelter). A Sensou Douwa special, about the long-term trauma war can impose on children..
17. Gude Crest. A sword-and-sorcery flick feature two powerful women warriors.
18. B.B. Fish. Set in the world of diving, both free and scuba, this beautiful short OVA is better appreciated for its images than its plot.
19. Hashire! Shiroi Ookami. A young boy tries to guide his pet wolf to safety in the wilds of rural Wisconsin in the 1950s.
20. Sangokushi Daiichibu Eiyuu-tachi no Yoake HD. The first movie covers the period from the start of the Yellow Turban rebellion to the death of Lu Bu.
21. Maris the Choujo. This sci-fi OVA, about the perils of being a Girl of Steel in a Kleenex world, is a hoot from start to finish.
22. Blue Sonnet. ESPers with strong psychic powers battle for supremacy and survival.
    
23. Kaitei 3-man Mile HD. A Toei "all ages" movie about conflict between the underground and undersea kingdoms.
24. Kasei Yakyoku v2. A melodrama for adults, about life and love in Taishou Japan.
25. Kiku-chan to Ookami. A Sensou Douwa special. A Japanese girl and her family, fleeing after the fall of Machuria, become separated. The girl is succored by an elderly she-wolf.
26. King Fang. The offspring of an escaped European wolf and a Japanese hunting dog must fight for survival and supremacy in the wilds of Hokkaido..
    
27. Tobira o Akete. Three Japanese ESPers are mysteriously transported to a fantasy world, where they campaign to liberate an oppressed people.
28. Chameleon ep3. More adventures of pint-sized wannabe hood Yazawa Eisaku.
    
29. Kageyama Tamio no Double Fantasy. A "double feature" of fantasy tales, one comedic, one horrific..
30. Sangokushi Dai Ni Bu Choukou Moyu! HD. The second movie covers the period from the falling out between Cao Cao and Liu Bei to the Battle of Red Cliffs..
31. To-Y HD. A story about the lead singer in an indie band, who is trying to balance girlfriends, his career, and life in general.
    
32. Cat-Eyed Boy (1976) ep 1. The first episode of Umezz Kazuo's horror series. This is a "one-off"; Orphan is not subbing the rest of the series.
    
33. Shin Takarajima. A very early Tezuka Osamu anime, retelling Treasure Island with animal characters..
34. Sangokushi Dai San Bu Harukanaru Taichi HD. The third movie covers the period from Liu Bei's expedition to Shu to the death of Kongming..
35. Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve. A sci-fi movie about the extraterrestrial origins of humanity..
36. Alice in Cyberland 2. The second episode of what I thought to be a one-and-done OVA..
37. Bakumatsu no Spasibo. The story of the first Russian expedition to modern Japan..
38. Yuki 1080p and 720p. A fantasy about a young snow goddess' visit to an impoverished village in rural Japan and her efforts to better the lot of the villagers. 
39. Aoi Hitomi no Onnanoko no Ohanashi (The Tale of the Blue-Eyed Girl). A Sensou Douwa special. A young girl, offspring of a Japanese woman and an American man, relocates to the countryside during the closing months of World War II, where she encounters both prejudice and friendship.
40. Chameleon ep4. Yazawa Eisaku marches on, to no great effect.
    

One personal highlight was finishing the Sensou Douwa series; the specials are an important body of work, expressing anti-war sentiment that is increasingly rare in Japanese political circles. Another was subbing Shin Takarajima, the earliest Tezuka Osamu show that Orphan has done. Other personal favorites included Maps, Double Fantasy, and Yuki, and among the resubs, Call Me Tonight, B.B. Fish, Maris the Choujo, To-Y, and the Lion Book OVAs.

A big shout-out to Intrepid for his ongoing work in media acquisition, transcription, and encoding. I also want to thank the Arutha foundation, which has hosted all of Orphan's releases on IRC. On a sadder note, Erik of Piyo Piyo Productions has dropped out of the fansub scene. He is sorely missed.

The Audio Side

Orphan released some additional music this year. The sources were CDs and were ripped by Intrepid.

1. Haruka Naru Toki no Naka de 3 - Owarinaki Unmei OST (FLAC)
2. B.B. Fish OST (FLAC) 
3. Bakuen Campus Guardress Music Collection (FLAC)
   

Work for Other Groups

Much the same.

• Frozen-EviL. I continued to edit the Blu-Ray version of Yawara! The project reached a significant milestone by getting to episode 59, where the FroZen-EviL DVD project began.
  
• Saizen. I continued to edit and typeset Laughing Salesman. It too reached a significant milestone, with the entire TV series released in HD and batched. Many (too many) specials remain.
  
• Soldado. All the Ninku TV shows are released, but there are some bits-and-bobs still to be done.
  
• Inka. I typeset a few shows, to thank that team for their help on our joint projects.
  
• CPP. I edited a few episodes of Manga Sekai Mukashi Nanashi.
  

 At the pace some of these series are going, I wonder if I'll be around to see the end...

Favorites of 2021

I'm not an anime critic, so I don't try to compile a "best of" list for the anime year. Instead, I'm listing my favorites of the year and why they kept me interested all the way through.

In alphabetical order:

• Blue Period. Great drama, marred only by Netflix' delayed English release schedule.
  
• Godzilla S.P. - great hardcore sci-fi, and the first NetFlix anime series I've actually been able to watch all the way through.
  
• Horimiya - a wonderful modern rom-com, with terrific chemistry between the leads. Too many side characters; it needed more ruthless pruning or a longer run-time.
  
• Kai Byou Ramune - a quirky supernatural tale. The stresses of modern life express themselves as mystery diseases, which the equally mysterious Dr. Ramune treats.
  
• Kemono Jihan - an intense supernatural tale, which held me enthralled throughout, despite the high amount of violence.
  
• Kobayashi-san no Maid Dragon S2 - a feel-good comedy and a welcome antidote to the real world. There was more emphasis this time on Kobayashi-san's entourage as a family.
  
• Mairimashita! Iruma-kun S2 - another feel-good comedy with some serious thoughts on its mind. A shounen in disguise, but the disguise is more than good enough for me.
  
• Non Non Biyori Nonstop (S4) - yet another feel-good comedy. The comedy is gentle and character-driven. Is it different from the previous seasons? No, but it doesn't need to be.
  
• Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid - another romantic comedy, with somber overtones. The CGI is off-putting, but the story is gripping. Continued next year.
  
• Super Cub - a coming-of-age story that's an homage to motor scooters. There's not much drama (when it happens, it seems forced), but the heroine's growth and development are presented well.
  

Ousama Ranking would have been my number one choice, if it had actually finished this year. Regardless, Bojje and Kage win Couple of the Year.

The year included more than its fair share of guilty pleasures and over-the-top ecchi-fests, but I'm not going to admit to watching any of them, now am I?

Looking Ahead

More than half of Orphan's 2021 releases are resubs, either of our own shows or of other groups' work. Three factors account for this. First, Orphan is short of translators and, in particular, translation checkers. That hampers the team's ability to do original projects. Second, new, higher quality source material keeps appearing. That makes it tempting to revisit past projects that suffered from second-rate (or just lower resolution) video sources. Finally, the analog ripping technology continues to improve. This provides better encodes from seemingly hopeless source material.

Another driving factor is time. I'll be ransacking the back catalog - and Orphan's backlog - to find shows that the team can bring to a conclusion in a timely fashion. After all, I'm turning 75 in 2022, and I need to get a move on.

So Orphan Fansubs will continue to work on The Shows That Time Forgot™, with a focus on movies, OVAs, and short series. There's no shortage of good material, and interesting raws are more abundant than ever; but qualified staff is in short supply. If you're a translator, encoder, editor, typesetter, or QC with an interest in the back catalog, please get in touch with me on irc.rizon.net. I even show up on Discord occasionally, under duress.

Thanks, everyone - both team members and fans. Have a happy and safe 2022.