Saturday, August 27, 2011

SooShoo to Delay!



Edit: What a nasty storm!  A few days without power, and a ton of fallen trees later, and we're ok.  Cleanup has been a pain, but relatively easy so far.  Thankfully we didn't get any flooding like a lot of New York did.  Thanks for your well wishes here, and on Facebook and Twitter.  We should be releasing new episodes very soon!

Hurricane Irene is barreling down on us here in the US.  And by us, I mean ME...  aka, Steel A. Jeeg.  So for the next few days, I'm going to be holed up in my apartment hoping that my car doesn't get crushed by that crooked telephone pole (not pictured, but just to the right!) and getting some water wings for my rabbit.  My other animals are sugar gliders, so they can carry us to safety.  Wait, what was I talking about...?
Oh yeah...  so as a result, expect some delays in this week's episode.  Look for it around Tuesday or Wednesday, once this whole mess blows over.

FORTUNATELY, the more important members of the group, aka Sky79 and UK Windom, are perfectly fine in their respective countries.  Far away from the buckets of rain on our already saturated ground, here in the eastern US.  And it just so happens that both of them are hard at work getting 1st and 2nd draft scripts together for upcoming releases.  Check out the status bar for more info!

Everyone, stay safe out there.  If you're in a safe place, and you've got your laptop (or portable media player of choice!) charged, then now would be the time to stock up on Rider 1 and Skyrider episodes and have yourself a little marathon!

See you soon!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Kamen Rider Episode 19 and Net Movies AVIs!


Hello again!  This episode was actually released a little early for all of our friends on Twitter and Facebook.  If you haven't signed up already, then go ahead!  I plan on doing more early releases like that, in the future.  And I've been brewing up a contest for a while now that you guys might be interested in.  Plus it's great to interact with fans.

In this episode Shocker plans to attack Japan with...  you guessed it...  an earthquake.  Underwater earthquakes this time, to be precise.  I swear, we didn't plan it like this.  Unfortunate coincidences aside, this is a great episode.  We get to see some actual character development between Hayato and the rest, and some great fight scenes as usual.  The ending of this episode will bring a manly tear to your eye.  And correct me if I'm wrong, but this episode might be the debut of a new Rider attack...

Kamen Rider episode 19:
MKV
Script
AVI

But that's not all!  Here are those those two AVI batches I promised for the Net Movies.  I've also updated the release posts for both of these batches to include the new links.  HUGE thanks to LobsterHime on #SHT for helping me learn how to encode these properly.  You are a gentleman, and a crustacean.  You've cut my work time in half.  If you already downloaded the first 1-10 batch, you should get these anyway.  They fix a lot of mistakes with the encoding.

Let's Go Kamen Riders! Net Movies AVI batches:
Episodes 1-10
Episodes 11-20

While we're thanking people, let me also thank Kou, from J2E-Pro, for helping with the Rider 2 episode.  She's an amazing translator, and she really does great work.  It feels like a waste to use her considerable talents on something like TL checking a finished script.  We have some episodes in the works right now, but we'll definitely be getting some help from her again, in the future.


Also, in extra bad timing news:  After we released that Skyrider episode last night, there was a small earthquake here in the US.  Nothing major, but still ironic timing.  Hopefully this will be the end of these disaster episodes, for a while!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Kamen Rider Skyrider Episode 15!


This week's episode of Skyrider raises the stakes.  Things are getting more serious for Hiroshi Tsukuba's battle against NeoShocker.  And now he must face the particularly gruesome PenicilliuMan.  His plot is a little more direct than the previous NeoShocker monsters, and his attack is a lot more ferocious.  And all the while General Monster is plotting his big move...

The bike stunts in this episode are of particular note.  Another example of why Showa era stunts can be more exciting than their Heisei counterparts.  Also, Skyrider's last battle with PenicilliuMan turns pretty brutal, and desperate.  But my favorite part of this episode is the sound effect that PenicilliuMan's mold makes when it melts someone.  Ah, so satisfyingly bizarre...

Skyrider episode 15:
MKV
Script
AVI

The timing of this release is kind of unfortunate, as it is another Shocker plot to attack Japan with earthquakes.  There are a lot of these episodes in the Showa era, and are seen by many experts to be a way of coping through media and entertainment.  Much like post-WWII era Japan had a lot of stories that dealt with the coming of the atomic age, and the repercussions of war.  In a country where many creative minds can take a great tragedy apart, and deconstruct it at a human level, it will be interesting to see how recent events in Japan present themselves in their movies, music, and TV over the years to come.

So we're getting closer to Skyrider's part 1 climax.  Things are getting more serious, and a final showdown is getting ready to take place.  But that's not the only release we have for you this week!  Keep your eyes out for an extra special release, soon!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Let's Go Kamen Riders! Net Movies 11 - 20!


These took a little longer than I had originally planned, I'm sorry!  We'll have the next batch out sooner, I promise.
This batch is pretty great.  We've got KickHopper menacing General Shadow, PunchHopper depressing everybody, Decade being a jerk, and ZX serenading us...  well, almost.  The next batch won't take as long, I promise!

Let's Go Kamen Riders! Net Movies 11-20:
MKV batch 
AVI batch

The AVI batch is going to come out later on, along with V2s for the first batch, because the fonts came out looking like absolute garbage.  That is, unless I just have access to more fonts on my computer than I thought, and that's why the MKVs look fine to me...  oh well.

And speaking of fonts, a brief note on translations:  Some people have been asking why we only translate SOME of the on-screen text in these episodes.  It might seem selective, but it's actually really simple.  Some of that text is just the dialogue that's being spoken at the time.  These seems to be common in Japanese humor, having big bold text flash onto screen whenever something funny happens.  To avoid screen clutter, I've only translated the text that needed it.

Also, puns.  Yes, there are some tricky puns in these episodes.  I covered it when I first released the original FLV encodes of Net Movies 1-8, but some Japanese puns just don't translate well into English.  For some of these puns, I've done my best to make them funny, while still retaining the original intentions of their literal translation.  BUT, if you'd rather see the more accurate puns, I've included them in the scripts.  Just wait until we release those, and you can choose a more literal version of those jokes.

Thanks for watching, everyone.  The AVI batch will be coming in a separate release post.  And tomorrow night we have another double-feature special for all of you.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Kamen Rider Skyrider Episode 14!


Things have started to change around here.  In Skyrider's story, and in real life at KITsubs.
In regards to Skyrider, anyway, the story has started to shift in tone.  Last episode we saw the begining of Skyrider's "after-image transformation," something he will become known for in the future.  This episode we see a small change in the cast, and a story that doesn't try to be an homage to the original Kamen Rider, so much.  From here on out, things will start to change more and more.  Especially after the finale of the first arc, in a few episodes!

This episode itself is fantastic.  We have a particularly dangerous fight scene on top of a roller coaster, and another dangerous looking fight on ice skates.  It's a climactic episode with a lot of great action.  There's really not a lot more than can be said.
But pay attention for Hiroshi's "TOH!" after he transforms!

Skyrider episode 14:
MKV
Script
AVI

To in preparation for that finale, we're going to release more Skyrider over the next few weeks.  We're not dropping any series, just concentrating more on our first project!  We should be caught up to Kamen Rider in a few weeks.  Speaking of Kamen Rider, did you know that today is Takeshi Hongo's birthday?  So why don't we have a Kamen Rider episode for the occasion?

We recently lost our translation checker for Kamen Rider 1.  He was an integral member of that team, and when he left the group, the project kind of fell into chaos.  There was no drama involved, as is the case with a lot of sub groups.  He just stopped communicating with us.  Don't worry, he's all right.  Whatever his reasons were, they're not known to us, and probably important to him.
Right now, a helpful volunteer (who will remain anonymous until he gives me the OK to mention him by name!) has offered to help out with some scripts.  Whether or not he will do so regularly is yet to be seen.  But our first draft scripts are getting better and better, so the TL checker's job shouldn't be that big in the future.

That said, we are looking for a dedicated TL checker.  It would be an enormous help with projects like Kamen Rider, Hibiki, and the Net Movies.  If you can help, or know anybody that can, please drop us a line here or on the forums!
And speaking of those Net Movies, we have more coming soon.  As always, thanks for watching!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Kamen Rider Skyrider Episode 13!


What good action series would be complete without a bomb defusing episode?  This episode is pretty tense, even if you know that everything is going to turn out all right in the end.  And the monster is particularly interesting.  He's supposed to be an antlion, but I think he looks more like...  a bat with lobster claws.

Skyrider episode 13:
MKV
Script
AVI

For the next couple of episodes you'll notice a trend in the naming of the monsters.  The Japanese names, anyway.  This week's monster is AntlionMan, and just like the name says, he's an antlion.  His Japanese name is "ArijigokuJin."  Jigoku is Japanese for "Hell," meaning that antlions have a pun built right into their name!  They're named this way because, well, they're scary looking.  "Arijigoku" is a term that can be used to describe fear, specifically fear of an impending doom, in Japanese.  So they must be PRETTY terrified of these guys.
I don't think he's so bad...  personally, I think he looks like Lou Bega.  All he wants is to mambo, at least 5 times.

The next episode features a monster based on a venus flytrap, and his Japanese name is "Haejigokujin."  Notice the pattern, here?  It only lasts for two episodes, but it's worth noting.  Personally, if I saw an antlion I wouldn't think much of it.  But a venus flytrap really does look like hell itself started growing into our mortal plane.  Yikes!

Thanks for humoring my rambling.  Next week is more Skyrider, along with more Net Movies, Hibiki, and those Super-1 v2s.  And don't think we're done with Rider 2.  We're working on something special, in regards to that!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Let's Go Kamen Riders! Net Movies 1 - 10


I told you that we would be returning to this project!  Now with DVD quality video, thanks to "Frumix, or somesuch."  This set includes the first 8 episodes we already released a few months ago, now with better video quality, and improved scripts...  and two new episodes.  Learn the truth behind Shin's charisma as a Kamen Rider, and watch Urataros use his silver tongue to reel himself in a SpaceJoker Fish.

And while we're thanking contributers to this project, be sure to thank AbareAnon for helping with the translations.  This is a project by her, Sky79, and me.  We're like Charlie's Angels, except...  oh, who am I kidding.  We're EXACTLY like Charlie's Angels.

Let's Go Kamen Riders! Net Movies 1-10:
MKV batch
AVI batch (v2)



(scripts coming soon, look for a full batch after the rest are released)

I hear you saying "Hey, Steel A JERK, you promised us more Skyrider!  What happened to that, HMMM?!"
First, cool your horses, man!  Second, it's coming VERY soon!  There were some timing errors with the old scripts for Net Movies 1-8 that I didn't catch in time, and fixing those took up most of my time.  Skyrider is coming very soon.  If not tonight (as in, in a few hours) then tomorrow afternoon.  I hate releasing after midnight, because the episode tends to get lost in the quiet-time of the internet!

Watch out for more Net Movies coming over the next couple of weeks.  We have all 48, and we will post them in batches of 10 as they're ready.  We've also got some big rumblings going on with our Rider 1 project, and more Skyrider.  So keep your eyes on the blog!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Kamen Rider Hibiki 02


While visiting family on Yaku Island, the shy and reserved Asumu Adachi met a man that just so happened to be a superhero.  Or is he?  Maybe he's just a regular guy that seems to have found his niche in life, no matter how exciting that niche may be.  Contemplating this development will have to wait, because there is nothing more terrifying than a giant spider chasing after you in a creepy forest.

Hibiki episode 02:
MKV
Script
MP4

This episode had a lot of corrections from the existing scripts.  One of which might not seem very significant on the surface, but adds a whole level of subtext to the show.  Granted, it was one that was assumed for the most part, but now it's more clearly acknowledged by the script.  Very neat stuff.

When I say "a lot of corrections" that might seem like an understatement if you've been in contact with me for the past week.  This is an EXTENSIVE project.  I've done more work on this episode than any of the Skyrider or Rider 1 episodes that we've released.  But I'm happy with the results.

I feel like I should offer a disclaimer.  This show is a scrub project.  I am re-translating as much as I can, when I see that there is a mistake.  But I am not the main translator for KITsubs, and my Japanese is very out of practice.  Improving, yes!  But rusty all the same.  As it is, consider this project to be in beta.  So to speak.  If you notice ANY translation errors, please feel free to let us know!  This can be a community project, as I can always go back and improve the scripts.

And big thanks to everyone that's helped out with this project so far.  HeatMetal, Frumix, FortMax, and MaskedShuuyu.  Thanks everyone!  (If I forgot a name, it's because I'm an idiot.  I'll fix it, I swear!)

Monday, August 1, 2011

M.D. Seester


In this episode, Ichimonji pulls another masterful trolling of Taki and the gang; we learn some questionable facts about the anatomical makeup of a living fossil, and Mari prances around in short shorts while singing the Japanese knock-off of My Darling Clementine.
It's getting harder and harder to dislike her with each new episode...

This is a fun episode.  I always love these secret base infiltration missions.  Plus, the noises that the monster makes are absolutely terrifying.  I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Japanese band Dir en Grey...  but imagine if one of their songs turned into a monster and started chasing you around.  Yikes!
Also, the end fight scene at the waterfall is particularly impressive.  I always enjoy these older fight scenes, because they weren't afraid of getting rough and tumble in unpleasant terrain.

Kamen Rider episode 18:
MKV
Script
AVI

And SPEAKING of that monster... (JeegRant after the cut)