Puella Magi Madoka Magica
| I've seen the Coalgirls version and thought it was pretty great, I loved the show, but I've heard that the Meguca subs are what all the cool kids are reading; I ask because I'm planning on showing Madoka Magica to a friend, and re-watching it myself to see how it holds up, and I want to get the most impact from it. Again, I know that Meguca is the most technically accurate, I've heard the fans collectively bust a nut over it, but accuracy only goes so far if it's mired down in wordiness. I'm looking for a sub that's clear and concise yet still manages to maintain the poignancy and extremes of emotion that we all love Madoka Magica for. Which sub achieved that [best] for you? |
| "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams "...but all these feels that are currently assaulting me don't seem to care. Conversely, I'm also aggressively erect at the moment..." |
| Definitely Meguca subs. Coalgirls version is pretty good, but Meguca (UTW) is top notch. |
 |
| I think most people here would recommend Meguca/UTW subs. That said, I personally find myself preferring other subs, mainly [GG]'s. On my first watch of Madoka I had Nutbladder subs for a couple of episodes, and GG subs for the rest. Comparing UTW with them afterwards, I come across examples like this from episode 7 (spoilers ahead): UTW: GG: I'm impressed with UTW's technical precision, but I really think GG's version is closer to capturing the feeling and intent of the dialogue. They have shorter phrases that don't sacrifice any parts of the conversation, phrase it in more natural layman's terms, and the dialogue appears to me to be worded in a way that delivers more of an impact most of the time. This doesn't mean the GG version doesn't have problems. I think some people don't like them because they act less professional in their subbing, the most obvious example being how they insert those ridiculous Morning Rescue commercials into the middle of their Madoka episodes. UTW also has the blu-ray version of Madoka while GG does not, so I'm pretty sure the UTW version has better graphical quality (though I'm not the type that can really tell the difference). The Nutbladder subs might also be worth taking a look at. After looking at some of the translation I kind of like GG's more on average, but I was pretty pleased with what I saw from episode 2. One major example from that episode (not really a spoiler): UTW: "Don't worry, Madoka. If she tries to do anything, I'll punch her lights out! We've even got Mami-san here." "That's right. Miki-san's ability to protect you aside, I'm with you, so everything will be fine. Don't worry." "Don't put me aside!" GG: "Don't worry, Madoka. If she tries to do anything to you, I'll smack her! Mami will be there, so..." "Indeed. I'll be there just in case. Don't worry." "Just in case what?" Nutbladder: "Don't worry, Madoka! If she tries anything, I'll smack her a good one! We've got Mami backing us up too." "That's right. I'm not sure how much good Sayaka will do, but I'm here for you. Don't worry." "What do you mean, you don't know how much good I'll do!?" This was a kind of strange piece of dialogue between Sayaka and Mami early in the show. I don't know Japanese, but I get the impression that UTW's translation is the one closest to the actual Japanese wording. Both GG and Nutbladder try to alter the conversation to make more sense in English, though in this case I think GG's version is kind of off the mark. I like Nutbladder's translation in this case because I think it makes good sense and understands the main idea of the conversation while rewording it so that it doesn't sound awkward in English. I guess it's kind of frustrating that I'm not giving a straight answer here. I like GG's subs the most in terms of the translation, but don't like those annoying commercials. I also think Nutbladder is able to sub some parts better, particularly episode 2, but on average there are more sections of the show where I think GG did a very good translation job (Madoka's conversation with her father in episode 3 is one instance that comes to mind). And of course there's UTW for the blu-ray and a more direct, technically accurate translation. I'd just like everyone to be aware of all the possibilities, so you can choose what sounds like your preferred style. |
daedroth4Jun 19, 2013 3:15 PM
| Thanks for the opinion of GG and Nutbladder's subs, but I'm not sure if I'm partial enough to either to get Madoka Magica from them [though GG is doing a great job with Attack on Titan]. I understand what you mean about it being hard to give a straight answer; I really don't care for a perfect translation if it's at the cost of each character's quirks, like Sayaka's valley girl style of speech. It's the little things, like Coalgirls' phrasing, "I am the ally of rationality and the enemy of needless conflict" in Homura's introduction to Kyouko that add a bit of color to the dialogue. At this point, it's really a toss up between getting Meguca and Coalgirls, which are the most technically accurate and one of the more liberal subs respectively. Basically, my question comes down to: Laurux said: Definitely Meguca subs. Coalgirls version is pretty good, but Meguca (UTW) is top notch. By "Top Notch," do you mean most accurate or most accessible? Because I'm looking for the latter. |
| "In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams "...but all these feels that are currently assaulting me don't seem to care. Conversely, I'm also aggressively erect at the moment..." |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )tsubasalover - Apr 21, 2011 |
1543 |
by Biisoo
»»
Apr 23, 3:47 PM |
|
Poll: » Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 )tsubasalover - Apr 21, 2011 |
229 |
by Biisoo
»»
Apr 15, 2:11 PM |
|
Poll: » Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )stevewiess01 - Mar 10, 2011 |
704 |
by Biisoo
»»
Apr 15, 1:41 PM |
|
Poll: » Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )stevewiess01 - Feb 24, 2011 |
627 |
by Biisoo
»»
Apr 15, 12:51 PM |
|
Poll: » Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )stevewiess01 - Feb 10, 2011 |
523 |
by Biisoo
»»
Apr 15, 11:18 AM |