Irritated with Hasbro and Shout! Factory >:(

[Sabrblade]

I have become really steamed with Hasbro and Shout! Factory as of late. I recently watched a scene from the third episode The Headmasters, and the subtitles used in this new DVD release are WAAAAAAY off with several parts of the dialogue!

It's the part where Alpha Trion revitalizes the Matrix and restores Hot Rod to his Rodimus Prime form, and then Rodimus and Optimus team up together for the first time.

Here's a comparison between the three different subtitled versions of this scene:

Metrodome DVDs

Alpha Trion: "Rodimus, lift up Matrix!"
Alpha Trion: "O Almighty Matrix, resurrect yourself with cosmic wisdom and power!"
Unspecified voices: "Rodimus Prime!"
Another voice: "Rodimus has come back as a Commander!"
Narrator: "Behold! A dramatic moment in history! The birth of Double Optimus Prime!"

TV-Nihon fansubs

Alpha Trion: "Rodimus... Let me return the Matrix to normal!"
Alpha Trion: "Use the energy to recharge the Matrix! Revive the power surpassing the Wisdom of the Cosmos!"
Unspecified voices: "Rodimus Convoy!"
Another voice: "Rodimus has become a Commander again!"
Narrator: "Did you see it? The most dramatic scene of the century! The birth of the dream! Double Convoy!

Shout! Factory DVDs:

Alpha Trion: "Hot Rod, lift up the Matrix!"
Alpha Trion: "May the Matrix of Leadership light out darkest hour!"
Unspecified voices: "Hot Rod!"
Another voice: "Hot Rod has been reborn as Rodimus Prime!"
Narrator: "Behold! A dramatic moment in history! The combined strength of two Primes!"

That second line of Alpha Trion's resembles nothing of what he really says, being nothing more than a case of fanwank forced in as incorrect translation. Not to mention the typo of "light out darkest hour".

And it most certainly is not stated by the narrator to be the "combined strength" of "two Convoys/Primes", but rather that it is the "dream-like birth" of "Double Convoy/Prime".

And what's more, this isn't the only case of this kind of change. Fortress was given the name "Cerebros" in the subs, when he is an entirely different identity from G1 Cerebros. He's as much Cerebros as Ginrai is Optimus.

Sixshot's title of "Decepticon Dinobase Ninja Staff Officer" is renamed "Phase Six Decepticon officer", using a term from IDW G1 that has no place in this show.

All cassette Transformers are subbed as "Deployers", which isn't even a G1 term!

The unspecified energy that was recharging the Matrix directly referred to as Plasma Energy, thus removing any mystique and wonder behind the unknown energy that would help to empower the Matrix. Not to mention that this is well before any of the character even hear about Plasma Energy.

Episode titles become wonky in the translation. "Four Warriors Come out of the Sky" is subbed as "Warriors from Space". "Behold the Birth of Double Convoy" is subbed as "The Rebirth of Rodimus Prime". "The Great Cassette Operation" is subbed as "Operation: Autobot Deployers". And so on and so forth.

"Scrap" is used as an expletive, over any typical choice like "darn", "blast", "curse", "drat", etc.

Slang terms such as "Autojerk" and Decepticreep" are used where nonexistent.

The meteorite named Metemorphose is subbed as "Metamorphosis" And its magnetic properties are redefined as gravitational properties, which is utter nonsense given the context of that episode, since it deals with it having an influence on metals.

In some later episodes on The Headmasters DVD set, they actually CUT OUT some lines of dialogue, none of which were even slightly offensive. So much for these being uncut releases.

Even later episodes in The Headmasters feature subtitles that make mention of such non-G1 subjects as the "Pit", the "Inferno" (early name for the Pit), and even the "AllSpark", which does not exist in the G1 cartoon (the one from Beast Machines was spelled "Allspark" with a lowercase S. The uppercase S spelling specifically deviates the two from each other).

And, according to the Evolution of Transformers animation panel at SDCC 2011, there will be even more changes made to Masterforce and Victory.

They're gonna be using the English names for characters in Masterforce who are entirely different characters from their American counterparts. Like, the Decepticon Pretenders Blood, Gilmer, and Dauros are gonna be subbed as "Bomb-Burst", "Submarauder", and "Skullgrin". Though they said that some like Ginrai and Minerva (who do have Western counterparts) will be keeping their Japanese names, but there's no telling where they'll draw the line with the others.

Though, I'm not even sure they're gonna even get Ginrai's names right. In the slideshow, super Ginrai was called "God Ginrai" and the real God Ginrai was called "Super God Ginrai".

And they're renaming the Godmasters as being "Powermasters", which is an entirely different concept whose only similarity lies within aesthetics rather than function. #-o

For Victory, Deszaras is using his "Deathsaurus" name, which is still irksome considering how he's not even a dragon or dinosaur! He's a bird kaiju!

And then there's the Breastforce. *facepalm* Since they're too paranoid to use this term, they've crafted a cover up term in the form of "Chestforce".

As you can see, I am very disappointed in this. Regardless of the flaws of Metrodome's and Madman's DVDs, or even those of the TV-nihon fansubs, at least they tried to adhere to artistic authenticity (TV-Nihon especially). This, however, is just sad.

[ironrod prime]

oh for bootin up slag saber you sound like the kid who wanted prime for christmas but got megatron instead

[Sabrblade]

oh for bootin up slag saber you sound like the kid who wanted prime for christmas but got megatron instead

I happen to have an appreciation for artistic authenticity. Why Shout! and Hasbro felt the need to rewrite the subtitle script to say entirely different things than that what being is said by the dialogue both baffles and irks me. What is so wrong with keeping the subtitle script faithful and accurate to the dialogue?

[ironrod prime]

maybe they wanted to update the dialog

[Sabrblade]

maybe they wanted to update the dialog

How is botching it updating it? By not adhering to the original dialogue script, they're basically making the subs lie to the audience.

[ironrod prime]

if your gonna put it like that then you mine as well call every actor in the world a liar as well

[Sabrblade]

if your gonna put it like that then you mine as well call every actor in the world a liar as well

How? The point of these subtitles is to tell us what the characters are saying. And these ones aren't doing that right.

[ironrod prime]

but what if the translations arent interesting or compelling

[Sabrblade]

but what if the translations arent interesting or compelling

What does that matter? If the translations aren't interesting and compelling, then that would mean the dialogue isn't either. Simple as that.

And in this case, when the dialogue says one thing and the subs say another, the subs don't make sense:

Alpha Trion simply beckons for the Matrix to be revived with new energy and wisdom. He does not say anything about it "light[ing] [their] darkest hour".

Metamorphose has warping effects on metallic properties, not gravitational properties. That's why Daniel wears the traditional astronaut space suit instead of his robotic exosuit.

The Decepticons Headmasters wanted the Autobot Headmasters to surrender their Transtectors to them, not teach them their "transforming technique".

Scorponok says that the Plasma Energy released by Cybertron's destruction is a more valuable energy source than anything on Earth. He does not say that Earth is a source of Plasma Energy for his plans.

"Shireikan" (meaning "commander") is translated as "Rodimus Prime" a few times, leading to such lines referring to him as "the Rodimus Prime" instead of "the Commander".

A bomb's countdown is changed from "minutes" to "cycles" and then later to "clicks". Make up your mind, DVD. Is it one or the other?

When Scourge and Cyclonus don't believe Scorponok's claim of having been appointed "acting Emperor" (which here was subbed as "Deputy Commander") by Galvatron himself, Soundblaster was originally pleased with Scorponok being in command and tells the other two that they simply have no choice but to follow him. In these new subs, however, Soundblaster makes some nonsensical claim of representing Galvatron himself and orders Scourge and Cyclonus to serve under Scorponok.


These changes make less sense than what is said by the very dialogue spoken on screen.

[ironrod prime]

to you maybe but to someone who never saw the original subbed episodes they might work just fine

maybe this is hasbros way of mixing it up a bit