Looking To Restore Some Dignity To Maison Ikkoku

Before I explain exactly what the title of this post means, I need to fill in some background info. I was introduced to Maison Ikkoku way back in 1992. I was a fan of Ranma 1/2 (Well, of the fighting games, anyway), and a friend of a friend who was a member of an Anime club at a university showed me a few episodes. I was instantly hooked. But, as he wasn't willing to part with his fansubs, and there was no other way for me to obtain the series, I had to wait until it was picked up by an American company.

Eventually it was (By Viz), so I started collecting the VHS tapes. I couldn't afford the outrageous $35-$40 for the subbed tapes, so I had to settle for the (Horrible beyond anything imaginable) English dub. However, Viz decided to stop doing the dub long before they completed translating the series, so I was left in limbo. That is, until I managed to get my hands on the aforementioned fansub. The difference from the dub was unbelievable. I came to treasure those DVD's, even making a "Maison Ikkoku Marathon" a yearly event in my household.

Sadly, the DVD's were stolen. Not long afterwards, Viz decided to release Maison Ikkoku on DVD, with subtitles. I admit I had reservations (Viz isn't known for their accuracy when it comes to translations), but what I saw when I watched the first DVD was a TRAVESTY. Viz did nothing short of ruining this series with their "Westernized" craptastic translation.

Since then, I have tried to give the Viz translation a chance to grow on me, but every time I watch MI, all I can think about is how much better the fan translation was.

So I have decided to take matters into my own hands and restore the original translated subtitles to Maison Ikkoku (Along with the missing Gilbert O'Sullivan songs), in an attempt to give the series back the honor and dignity it freaking deserves.

But 96 episodes is a lot of work. What I need is a team of eager volunteers. I will be doing the majority of the work, all I need is people who can TYPE. FAST. A general understanding of time codes and subrip is a MUST. Basically, I will send you a blank script for an episode with the time codes in place, and you will fill in the lines with the text from the fan translation.

Yes, I know nobody really comes here, and yes, I have en effing life, thank you VERY much. This is a serious project that means a lot to me (And to any REAL fan of Maison Ikkoku who has ever seen the Viz translation), so SERIOUS APPLICANTS ONLY.