I'm glad you think so, Cosmos

The next volume comes out next month D: I don't know if I can wait that long. Even though I know what happens to next I want to read the next part now ! >.<

So some bad news to report here. Amazon has temporarily taken off the first volume of PGSM.

http://britchan.tumblr.com/post/11046168185/amazon-has-taken-down-the-first-volume-of-pgsm

That is my post about it and it links to the Amazon page so you can see it for itself. I might make a screen cap incase it gets taken down. I don't want to see drama or bitching, I just want to see what everyone's opinions are about this.

And to quote myself from tumblr so i don't have to write up about it again:

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I don’t understand why its been taken down off of Amazon. The reasons
they are listing make no sense. I did hear about some people having
shipping problems with their order, but I don’t know if thats why. I
wish Amazon would be more clear about their reasoning and I wish
Kodansha would come out with an official statement or something. Like
fuck, I realize there are errors and stuff with this volume, and it
would be great if Kodansha admitted their mistake publicly, apologized,
and offered another print with the errors being fixed. But if its being
taken down off of Amazon because of it, I think this whole thing has
just gotten a bit ridiculous.

hmm that's odd for them take it off :/ I really don't think it's because of the errors. There has to be a real reason behind it.

Well and whats got me confused is that there are only 33 reviews on there. Is there lots of complaints behind the scenes or something..???? I just want to know whats going on!!

ookay... did anyone read the reviews on amazon about the manga??

I did. There are only a small amount of 1-3 star reviews compared to 4-5 star reviews. Many of them just said "well there are some errors, but nothing to major and i love it and must buy for any SM fan" or something to that nature.

okay i wondered, because I noticed the one that said the dialogue was terrible.

Yeah, i dunno. I'm thinking of rereading my Mixx versions and comparing them with the new versions.

Sorry to double post here, but I've seen on tumblr that apparently the take down on Amazon is due to some people saying that they are missing pages in their books. Its possible that Amazon got a messed up batch of prints and are waiting to get more. I don't know how truthful this is, but that's the hear say.

Does this affect the future volumes! I think the next ones don't come out until November, but I'm pre-ordering them this month, anyway. I have no complaints about the volumes I have, right now. What are the errors? I'm very happy with my products.

let me just say this. When I got both of my mangas in B&N, I found like a square sticky thing while I was reading Act 2.... idky it was there.

@ Aquarii: That was probably a poorly placed Security tag. I know that some stores use non-removable ones, but putting it inside the content is really rude.

@ Brit-chan: Yeah, one of the regulars on the SMObsess podcast said that her volume went from page 14 to much later in the book. Dunno where in the later chapters, but she wasn't happy.

I, too, would like Kodansha to actually make a response. They really need to update their website more often, in my opinion. I mean, sure, they updated on October 3rd, but the last news post before that was back in May. They only updated the Release Dates page recently, as well.

*shrug* The business world is a strange and scary place.

I'm not worry about not getting vol 2 in time. I rarely pre order books on amazon. I just go buy them at the book store.

I don't think it's going to affect volume 2 if its about missing pages. It sounds like a really bad batch of prints. I agree with Dragonicsoul, I wish Kodansha was more up to date with their news and more open with the public.

But keep in mind, Kodansha USA is a pretty new company and from what I understand they just set up office back in like January or something. I remember reading about it on Moon-Chase's website. So maybe they are just trying to get things together? I'm not sure, this is their first real majorly big release in the US, so there is bound to be some mistakes, but I hope they can make up for it.

Actually Kodansha USA is a corporate rebranding of Del Rey Publishing. Kodansha in general as a company has been around since 1911.

They aren't newbies to the business.

They should know better than to have these kinds of mistakes at launch for a HUGE title like Sailor Moon. =\

Chmia wrote:

Does this affect the future volumes! I think the next ones don't come out until November, but I'm pre-ordering them this month, anyway. I have no complaints about the volumes I have, right now. What are the errors? I'm very happy with my products.

If you read the reviews on Moonkitty.net, he pretty much covers all the issues in great detail. Some things that he talks about (like the use of honorifics) don't bother me, but some things I can totally get on board with and agree are just bad errors. There are typos and i think one or two spelling errors.

Some people also feel like the dialogue sounds too formal or is kind of blah and doesn't sound like 14 year old girls talking. I didn't really get that from the manga. Kodansha claimed that they wanted an as true to the Japanese translation as possible. So correct me if I'm wrong, I'm assuming that means they didn't want to try to westernize it or change how things are said. The way Japanese speak from what I understand at times can be formal. I don't know japanese though, so I don't know what its like in the original manga. I do have to say there are a few lines here and there that sound really odd, but i've only noticed like one or two in the PGSM vol 1. Also a lot of people don't like that Sailor Moon first says "for Beauty and Justice" and then changes it to "love and justice" later on. I'm unsure of what the original japanese says, so they may have translated her first line a bit too literally? I'm unsure of that one.

However I've also heard only two people worked on the translations. And to me its like they didn't have someone proof-read it before print. Also I think at the end of the volume a better translation guide is needed. They didn't cover some things like Japanese puns and jokes or the honorifics. Not everyone that reads these are going to automatically know what the honorifics are. Especially younger readers or newer readers to manga.

Quote :

Actually Kodansha USA is a corporate rebranding of Del Rey Publishing.
Kodansha in general as a company has been around since 1911.

They aren't newbies to the business.

They should know better than to have these kinds of mistakes at launch for a HUGE title like Sailor Moon. =\

I know that Kodansha has been around. I just knew that Kodansha had just set up office this past January in the States. I didn't hear anything about the rebranding of Del Rey. Curious for the source to that? Not saying your lying, I just like know about all the different companies involved, lol. If its a rebranding of Del Rey, then its odd that this release had so many problems. I've bought several Del Rey series in the past and have enjoyed them thoroughly without any major noticeable errors.

Quote :

I've bought several Del Rey series in the past and have enjoyed them thoroughly without any major noticeable errors.

I love Del Ray they're my favorite manga company. I love how they keep in the honorfics. What's nice about them is that every manga series that I read explain the honorfics even before the first chapter started. After the end of the vol they would have a lot of explanations about things that don't translate well into english.

Quote :

I didn't hear anything about the rebranding of Del Rey

I haven't either, but I did notice in the back of the manga it had same thing that Del Rey mangas have:
Tomare!
Stop!
Your're going the wrong way, ect.

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The way Japanese speak from what I understand at times can be formal.

Believe me, Usagi does not sound formal in the original Japanese.

Quote :

Curious for the source to that?

Sure thing, here are a couple.
In fact, Del Rey's publisher, Dallas Middaugh pretty much packed up house and moved everything over to Kodansha Comics USA, where he's now the head publisher.

So, like I said, corporate rebranding. All of the execs at Kodansha Comics USA are leftovers from Del Rey and a couple from Viz Media who were disgruntled.

Quote :

However I've also heard only two people worked on the translations.

Supposedly, William Flanagan alone did the translation, but considering the multiple inconsistencies in wording and the difference in style as you go through chapters, I think it's obvious that he had several uncited assistants who helped him. Either that, or the guy is just has like...a wildly different writing style every 50 pages. O__O

Quote :

Supposedly, William Flanagan alone did the
translation, but considering the multiple inconsistencies in wording and
the difference in style as you go through chapters, I think it's
obvious that he had several uncited assistants who helped him. Either
that, or the guy is just has like...a wildly different writing style
every 50 pages. O__O

Lol, sounds like the writers for the Cloverway Dub of SM. Like every episode an attack had a different name.

Elly wrote:

Quote :

The way Japanese speak from what I understand at times can be formal.

Believe me, Usagi does not sound formal in the original Japanese.

Quote :

Curious for the source to that?

Sure thing, here are a couple.
In fact, Del Rey's publisher, Dallas Middaugh pretty much packed up house and moved everything over to Kodansha Comics USA, where he's now the head publisher.

So, like I said, corporate rebranding. All of the execs at Kodansha Comics USA are leftovers from Del Rey and a couple from Viz Media who were disgruntled.

Quote :

However I've also heard only two people worked on the translations.

Supposedly, William Flanagan alone did the translation, but considering the multiple inconsistencies in wording and the difference in style as you go through chapters, I think it's obvious that he had several uncited assistants who helped him. Either that, or the guy is just has like...a wildly different writing style every 50 pages. O__O

Thanks, interesting to know.

I'm in favor of Kodansha of need to be more open to their fanbase. I wonder if they understand how huge of a base they have gained from the SM release? Regardless, I'm still very happy that it is out and I'll be able to own it all in its entirety. Despite that though, I still want to finish getting all of the Mixx/TokyoPop editions. I'm so close to having all of them! Lol

Elly wrote:

Quote :

However I've also heard only two people worked on the translations.

Supposedly, William Flanagan alone did the translation, but considering the multiple inconsistencies in wording and the difference in style as you go through chapters, I think it's obvious that he had several uncited assistants who helped him. Either that, or the guy is just has like...a wildly different writing style every 50 pages. O__O

Wouldn't it be rather difficult for one person to do the entirety of the translations? I assume that, as you said, there was ultimately a staff of people involved working in Flanagan's name. As for the errors, I'm surprised that the editors---whoever they may be---were not more vigilant in correcting mistakes such as typos and grammatical mishaps. I understand some mistakes slipping by, but the ones highlighted in the re-release are pretty egregious. It tends to make the whole affair feel a bit cheap. :/

Quote :

Wouldn't it be rather difficult for one person to do the entirety of the translations?

I dunno, I did the whole thing in the space of eight months with a full time job and a three year old. You'd think someone dedicating their full time job to the project would be able to do the whole series in at least that space of time, if not less. And certainly with less mistakes than we're seeing now...

Well, that is just because you are a goddess from an other world, Miss Elly.

Hush, Rebecca! You're just trying to win brownie points. although it is the truth

You do make a fairly obvious yet no less worthwhile observation, Elly, in that someone who is professionally tasked with the translations should be able to do it efficiently and effectively. And the Sailor Moon manga isn't terribly verbose, so it wouldn't be akin to translating an entire novel.

You two are adorable and hilarious. And sweet. TOO SWEET. Okay, now I sound like I'm on repeat again from this Friday...

I would say that translating Sailor Moon requires say...an 8th grade reading level. If one were to truly understand every reference to mythology, gemology, herbology, etc. - they would maybe need a 12th grade reading level. BUT with the advent of online / electronic dictionaries no modern day translator would need as much education to be able to decipher some of the unusual terms, references, or puns. So I'll stick with 8th grade reading level. xD

But yeah. Let's hope after volume three they either get their editing together or switch to another translator or something. I'm just really sad to see Sailor Moon being given such a shoddy once-over...D:

We aim to please, Elly.

Now, is that an English eighth grade reading level, or a Japanese eighth grade reading level? It may sound like a strange question to ask, but I think it is a relevant one. And the higher your literacy is in one language, chances are your proficiency in learning another language---especially one which is strongly related to your native tongue---increases.

Of course, Japanese and English are not very similar aside from some borrowed terms. If you need to scour a dictionary, however, knowing a variety of words for even one definition is extraordinarily helpful.

I'd say the equivalent of an 8th grade ENGLISH reading level. IE: Easier.

However, since Japanese is so different from English, increasing your literacy in one isn't going to help you much in the other. There are no cognates, similar grammatical functions, etc. You've pretty much got to start over from scratch.

My main gripe with William Flanagan lies less with the fact that he doesn't know how to properly research esoteric information (like the true origin of the word "Berthier", for example), but that he doesn't know how to translate simple things like sound effects and basic loan words of an English origin - which he should EASILY be able to do.

A beginner at Japanese is going to know the meaning of every single katakana word with an English origin, because they're basically reading English. That's why the "Sparkling Wide Pressure" thing ticks me off so much; he's a native speaker of English. He should be able to understand what it means even though it's being spelled in katakana letters. The pronunciation in English is roughly same as it is in Japanese for that phrase; it shouldn't take any effort to get it right.

For this guy to call himself a professional translator is an insult to those of us who have worked hard and studied for decades to *actually* become professionals. Consulting your Japanese wife and using a dictionary isn't the same thing. I just wish someone told Will Flanagan before they let him have the Sailor Moon franchise. =\

Elly wrote:

A beginner at Japanese is going to know the meaning of every single katakana word with an English origin, because they're basically reading English. That's why the "Sparkling Wide Pressure" thing ticks me off so much; he's a native speaker of English. He should be able to understand what it means even though it's being spelled in katakana letters. The pronunciation in English is roughly same as it is in Japanese for that phrase; it shouldn't take any effort to get it right.

OMG thank you! That annoyed me so much when I read that in volume 3. How the hell did he come up with Spark Ring Wide Pressure? Even with my elementary Japanese comprehension I know that's not it.

innocentvenus wrote:

OMG thank you! That annoyed me so much when I read that in volume 3. How the hell did he come up with Spark Ring Wide Pressure? Even with my elementary Japanese comprehension I know that's not it.

Spark Ring Wide Pressure?

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Spark Ring Wide Pressure?

Yup. According to the new Kodansha version, that's Sailor Jupiter's latest attack. =p