User:Jump Guru/Jump translation reviews!

I have just recently started reviewing the translated Jump manga/anime. I normally hate what America does to manga these days, so instead of breeding my hatred for disrespectful jerks like Cartoon Network, I will put them to the test by reviewing them. I started with reviewing Mr. Keiji's two series he wrote, and I will start on reviewing the old and going up and seeing on how they have improved over the years....or if they have become worse.

Barefoot Gen (1980 - 2000)
Barefoot Gen should be rated as one of the greatest manga of all time up there with Slam Dunk and Akira. Loosley based on Keiji Nakazawa's own personal experiences as a Hiroshima A-bomb survivor, all his real experiences are chock-full in the one-shot manga I Saw It. Barefoot Gen has inspired so many people enough to create the translation group "Project Gen".

Overview
The manga is a very touching story as Gen Nakoaka stands up for himself and his mother's life as they suffer the horrific truth of World War II. Of course if Gen can try to stand up for his mother's heath and safety, can the manga stand up for it's heath in quality? The manga is currently being published in the U.S. by the underground publisher Last Gasp, and formerly by New Society Publishers, and before that Educomics under the title Gen of Hiroshima. To put it first the manga is flopped from it's original Right to Left format in all versions of the series, although uniquely the artwork of the manga is not altered, as they switch the panels back around to it's Japanese direction. Although this sometimes causes them to change dialogue Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go in the Last Gasp version. The Last Gasp version has been left uncut unlike it's former publishers, for example: in the NSP version of Barefoot Gen, a very mild sexual reference when Kimie Nakoaka (Gen's mother) was trying to get a job, has been taken out of the version, although this was left alone in the Last Gasp publication. Something that can be found annoying is the fact that they replace the Japanese sound effects with English, in my eyes, it is proper to put a tiny note at the bottom of the panel saying, "Viiiiiiin (Shooooooom)", and some publishers put that in the middle of the panel, which is could be considered altering the artwork.


 *  + : Great story, artwork is good, artwork left partially un-altered in LG version.
 *  - : The manga is flopped form original format. In the NSP and Edu versions, the text in the panels are all written in and sometimes go offline, and just seem messy! They replaced Japanese FX.

Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go (2008)
On the back it specifically says, "Painstakingly restored". Is this true? let's find out. A one, a two, a three, *chomp* (just kidding).

Overview
First off, how they spell the title is incorrect, the Go's should not be separated. It is correctly spelled as Mach GoGoGo. Overall, this is actually a really good translation although it does have a few bugs. It keeps the original Japanese sound effects, but it puts the translations of the sound affects into the panel covering the beautiful artwork. They can at least put it in a nice font at the bottom of the panel. "I think he's becoming one heckuva driver!" this drives me crazy! One new york cab--I mean race-car driver at the beginning was saying this to Gō (Speed in English). They've been watching too many bad dubs, now they're trying to put that same essence in manga? Please, NO. Also they called the characters by their dub names, I think they should've called them their Japanese names (kind of like Yu-Gi-Oh) and give note at the bottom of the panel. Above all, this trans doesn't really bug me at all.


 *  + : Great translation, good art. The series is kept in it's original format.
 *  - : Effects trans alters original artwork, Japanese names aren't used. The boxsets materials can too easily be damaged.

Hikaru no Go (2000)
Leave it till the review.

Overview
This is a terrible translation. A for All Ages? that just makes me sick. A man in the second volume put a cigarette onto a go board, which for some weird reason turns magically into a piece of gum, and then back into a cigarette. I call it the magical morphing cig. This is a very bad edit which alters the artwork making this translation a load of crud. They made the manga very childish, also putting a A rating and taking out that very, very, very bad D-word. The pages smell like silly putty, interrupting my reading. All Japanese sound effects are taken out altering the artwork. The closest thing to something actually good is that some American loser took out the Japanese sound effect on the second page and actually drew it in, instead of using their Windows XP to stretch and paste a cheesy sound effect over altering the artwork.


 *  + : It creates some good laughter with friends.
 *  - : Everything I just said.

Karakuridôji Ultimo (2008)
Karakuridôji Ultimo is a historic collaboration between Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei. Marc Weidenbaum said "We are absolutely going to publish this is Shonen Jump" and yes they did.

Overview
Did Viz choose to retain a "histrorical collaboration", typical Viz Media, no they didn't. Viz Media decided to butcher Ultimo and put it in crap they call Shonen Jump (a disgrace isn't it?). The instant the big fat guy in the offices saw a robot with something that sorta' looks like a penis he said, "I need to put a loin cloth on these guys". Okay so a robot in the making has a loin cloth while he's inside big tube? Logic, LOGIC! Think of lOGIC! They also took out "Spawn" Masked Creature's butt crack. LOOOOOGIC! You can completely tell that did these edits. You wanna' know why I have a problem with this...it alters the artwork. They also took out.....the D-word. |:O Learn Japanese folks.


 *  + : Good for all the 3-year olds who watch Spider-Man and 4Kids TV.
 *  - : The Japanese one was much better. They didn't alter Takei-san's artwork.

Viz Media: Anime Trailers (2008)
In this review I will be reviewing the trailers on the Viz Media website. Have fun.

Overview
As I said, I will be review the trailers on the Viz Media website--all of which seem to be Weekly Shōnen Jump for some reason. Forget Inuyasha and Maison Ikkoku which use to be on there. I will start with Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody. Nice logo with the Shonen Jump crap at the top. The acting is terrible:

ICHIGO: {going through puberty} Huuuang on!

FAT LADY: UUUUUIIIICHI GO!

ICHIGO: DINNER!!

ANNOUNCER: {very serious voice} Bleach...the Movie...Memories of Nobody. Look for it on D-bi-di from Viz Media.

Hear that painfulness with Black R&B in the background, cuz that's Japanese. Now time for Blue Dragon. Just the first bit was enough for me as the acting was so terrible. It has some childish music in the background, makes sense a bit because it's in the Viz Kids line. On the other hand that doesn't make sense because Blue Dragon is a T-rated game for the Xbox 360 which is primarily an adult system. All I have to say for Hunter x Hunter is that it has very unfitting music and I hope it's not going to be dubbed. As for Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel it has very terrible acting and a cheesy announcer. They butchered the whole movie just by the preview and everything seems very childish. At one part you see Naruto get punched in the chest and he flies in the air. You can totally tell that blood was edited out, nice choice for the trailer. For Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Cresent Moon Kingdom Viz shows off their good acting skills by making the main character screech as load as they can. The announcer is the same as the others, just as bad.


 *  + : At least in Hunter x Hunter preview they don't ever talk.
 *  - : The announcer sucks. You never get used to the acting. Pretty much everything is bad.