Regarding Manga Translations: So it has come to my attention that the Sailor Moon manga will be re-released in North America starting in September 2011. That kind of puts a damper on this project. Or does it? The Japanese manga (and text therein) has always been copyrighted, so this has always been an unlicensed derivative work. Thus, the legality of this project hasn't really changed, except for the possibility that now I'd be competing with an official product, which is not my intention.
If you really want to read Sailor Moon in English, I would recommend buying the official new English releases. If there are errors in the official translations, you can check against my scripts for the correct line(s), assuming I didn't screw it up too. I'd also recommend importing the Japanese books, regardless of whether or not you want the new English books. Support the series in some form, and use my scripts in addition to that.
Also, the new English releases are based on the 2003 reprint volumes, which have a number of changes from the original tankoubon. But I can now do scripts for both versions of the manga here, as well as track all the major changes between them.
This project has been a way for me to practice Japanese (and CSS styles) with a subject I'm very familiar with. I plan to continue it as long as Kodansha, et al., will allow me to do so. Eventually, I also plan to include other translation projects (like music lyrics).
Translation Progress:
Manga Acts: 55% (30/52, 33/60)
PGSM Revisions: 96.3% (26/27)
Manga Extras: 10% (1/10)
Latest Sailor Moon Updates
Acts 29-30 (32-33)
Act 28, 21-23 Revised
Act 27, 19-20 Revised
Act 26, 15-18 Revised
Act 25, 12-14 Revised
Act 24, 10-11 Revised
Act 23, 6-9 Revised
Act 22, 1-5 Revised
Act 21 Script
Act 20 Script
May 1st, 2012 at 12:02 AM
First attempt at a double is a success, because both Act 29 and Act 30 are up! Also their reprint versions, Act 32 and Act 33! I guess it's not a huge surprise, because I've done double-length chapters before, but time is a precious commodity. And there are comparisons for both of them, but there are surprisingly few changes considering the amount of exposition in these two chapters. There were a lot of minor atashi/watashi changes, but not nearly as many as there could have been.
I did break one minor thing with the RSS feed last month, and fixing it might cause a double post, so apologies if so. This should be the last of all that.
I did break one minor thing with the RSS feed last month, and fixing it might cause a double post, so apologies if so. This should be the last of all that.
Act 28, 21-23 Revised
April 1st, 2012 at 12:04 AM
Despite the date, this is a completely genuine update. Act 28 is done! As is the reprint version, Act 31! Also, Acts 21-23 (23-26 in the reprints) have been revised and given separate scripts. And it all has comparisons, of course. With this, the gap between the old stuff and new stuff is now gone, and everything I've done so far has comparisons and separate scripts.
So from now on, it will be all Death Bastards all the time (at least until the arc is over). After a whole year of doing things once a month, I want to try bumping the pace up to two Acts per month. That would still include separate scripts and comparisons, of course. So that means 29-30 (reprint 32-33) is the goal for next month. But we'll have to see how that works out in practice.
Also, I apologize if this update breaks the RSS feed. I've done my best to avoid it, but I'm currently setting up a new site-wide news system and changing stuff around. You can leave comments now!
So from now on, it will be all Death Bastards all the time (at least until the arc is over). After a whole year of doing things once a month, I want to try bumping the pace up to two Acts per month. That would still include separate scripts and comparisons, of course. So that means 29-30 (reprint 32-33) is the goal for next month. But we'll have to see how that works out in practice.
Also, I apologize if this update breaks the RSS feed. I've done my best to avoid it, but I'm currently setting up a new site-wide news system and changing stuff around. You can leave comments now!
Act 27, 19-20 Revised
March 1st, 2012 at 02:18 AM
March is here, and so is Act 27! And the reprint version, Act 30! This marks the actual halfway point of the main story, which is reflected better in the PGSM structure. As for the older stuff, I now have Acts 19-20 revised and page number'd, which is more than it sounds because that's 20-22 in the reprints. Of course there are script comparisons for all of this stuff, too. The revision/comparison gap is nearly closed now, and then I can put more time into 100% new stuff.
You may or may not have noticed that I skipped Chibi Usa Picture Diary 1 this time. (It comes after Act 19 in the old tankoubon.) I wanted to get the main story re-done ASAP, so I'm leaving the book on my desk until after the Black Moon arc is fully revised. Maybe I'll wait and do it at the same time as Picture Diary 2, which comes after Act 33 (end of the third arc) in the old tankoubon. The reprints group all the side stories together, after all.
You may or may not have noticed that I skipped Chibi Usa Picture Diary 1 this time. (It comes after Act 19 in the old tankoubon.) I wanted to get the main story re-done ASAP, so I'm leaving the book on my desk until after the Black Moon arc is fully revised. Maybe I'll wait and do it at the same time as Picture Diary 2, which comes after Act 33 (end of the third arc) in the old tankoubon. The reprints group all the side stories together, after all.
Act 26, 15-18 Revised
February 1st, 2012 at 08:15 AM
I'm (sort of) halfway done now, because the script for Act 26 is done! Along with the reprint version, Act 29! I forgot to do the reprint script until last night, but luckily for me there were very few changes. Also, I have revised and compared Acts 15-18 (16-19 in the reprints), which means I'm finally done cleaning up the 2006-2007 stuff. So now it's just a matter of getting comparisons done for the rest of the 2011 stuff.
Act 25, 12-14 Revised
January 1st, 2012 at 11:58 AM
New year, new month, and new script: Act 25! As well as the reprint version, Act 28! I've also finished revisions of Acts 12-14 (13-15 in the reprints), and of course comparisons for all of it. The Dark Kingdom arc is done again, and the rest of the old old stuff should also be done very soon.
Act 24, 10-11 Revised
December 1st, 2011 at 10:08 PM
The day is almost over, but I do have Act 24 ready! And its reprint counterpart, Act 27! Also revisions of Acts 10-11 (10-12 in the reprints), and comparisons for both the old and new stuff. (Farewell, Street Fighter and Terminator references...) It may not sound like it, but everything combined amounts to roughly the same amount of pages as I did last month, so I guess I'm still keeping a pretty consistent pace.
Act 23, 6-9 Revised
November 1st, 2011 at 05:55 AM
It's only taken, what, four years? But the Black Moon arc is complete with this script for double length Act 23! At least I'm consistent now. And I've also revised Acts 6-9, with separate scripts for each version (and of course comparisons) and some much needed clean up work. One tankoubon a month is a lot slower than I expected for this sub-project, but I think it will speed up when I get to the stuff I did in 2011.
Speaking of the revisions, one thing I didn't mention before is that things are more colorful now. If a character has colored manga art somewhere, their name is in color. But at the same time, attack names won't be colored anymore, because I now think it's a little obnoxious. And I've also been de-Wapanizing things a little further, like removing a lot of old quirks ("GC") and reducing the amount of in-story translation notes. Names are now written in Western order (Usagi Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba, etc.), and certain honorifics (oniisan, senpai) are now translated. I remembered it's a plot point that they don't know Motoki's name at first, so that's something you definitely can't omit or change to his name. You can find more details about this and other stuff on the notes page.
The next act is double length in both versions, so it would certainly be a fitting/annoying start for simultaneous double script releases.
Speaking of the revisions, one thing I didn't mention before is that things are more colorful now. If a character has colored manga art somewhere, their name is in color. But at the same time, attack names won't be colored anymore, because I now think it's a little obnoxious. And I've also been de-Wapanizing things a little further, like removing a lot of old quirks ("GC") and reducing the amount of in-story translation notes. Names are now written in Western order (Usagi Tsukino, Mamoru Chiba, etc.), and certain honorifics (oniisan, senpai) are now translated. I remembered it's a plot point that they don't know Motoki's name at first, so that's something you definitely can't omit or change to his name. You can find more details about this and other stuff on the notes page.
The next act is double length in both versions, so it would certainly be a fitting/annoying start for simultaneous double script releases.
Act 22, 1-5 Revised
October 1st, 2011 at 04:48 PM
October is a relatively big month. First, here is Act 22! This is the penultimate chapter of the Black Moon arc (at least in the older books), and I've already made a lot of progress on the final chapter (which is double length), so yay.
Second, I've finally started a related sub-project that I've always wanted to do: separate scripts for both versions of the manga! Here's the indexes for the old books and the new books, and another page for comparisons between them. I acquired copies of the reprints a couple months ago, but I wanted to finish the Black Moon arc before I started on them. I'm close enough now that I decided to go ahead with it anyway, but so far I've only managed to do up to Act 5.
With those separate scripts also comes a lot of translation revisions I've been meaning to do for a while, which is part of why I haven't gotten many separate scripts done yet. I've also been reformatting the pages to include page numbers from the corresponding books. Act 22 doesn't have most of these changes, and neither does what I have done of 23, but ideally everything will be updated to have all the new changes before it's time to start the Infinity arc.
Second, I've finally started a related sub-project that I've always wanted to do: separate scripts for both versions of the manga! Here's the indexes for the old books and the new books, and another page for comparisons between them. I acquired copies of the reprints a couple months ago, but I wanted to finish the Black Moon arc before I started on them. I'm close enough now that I decided to go ahead with it anyway, but so far I've only managed to do up to Act 5.
With those separate scripts also comes a lot of translation revisions I've been meaning to do for a while, which is part of why I haven't gotten many separate scripts done yet. I've also been reformatting the pages to include page numbers from the corresponding books. Act 22 doesn't have most of these changes, and neither does what I have done of 23, but ideally everything will be updated to have all the new changes before it's time to start the Infinity arc.
Act 21 Script
September 1st, 2011 at 12:20 AM
A new month, and Act 21 is ready. Very close to the end of the Black Moon arc now, with a certain character making her "debut." It seems pretty obvious who she is in context, which is why I used the relevant color codes all throughout. But her name is treated like a big reveal, so I left her unnamed through the whole chapter. Do spoiler-phobes agree? Or does everyone already know the story well enough anyway? You can give your thoughts at the site Twitter or something. (Until I come up with a news comment-y system, anyway.)
Act 20 Script
August 1st, 2011 at 09:33 PM
On schedule again with Act 20! As I mentioned last month, this is double length, so it spans two Acts in the reprints. Now the different numbering will be even harder to keep track of... There was one line I really hit a snag with, and it should be obvious when you get to it. Hopefully I'll be proficient enough to fix it one day soon.
This chapter also has a bunch of flashbacks, which brings me to something I've always wanted to explain. When there's a flashback to a scene we've seen before, they often contain identical dialogue to the original scene. But there are also many times where the flashback dialogue differs from the original dialogue. I always go back to the original scene and compare the lines. If the dialogue is the same, it's a matter of copy and paste, but if it differs, so does my translation. So if you've ever noticed flashback dialogue differing from the original scene, that's not an inconsistency on my part; that's a reflection of the original text.
This chapter also has a bunch of flashbacks, which brings me to something I've always wanted to explain. When there's a flashback to a scene we've seen before, they often contain identical dialogue to the original scene. But there are also many times where the flashback dialogue differs from the original dialogue. I always go back to the original scene and compare the lines. If the dialogue is the same, it's a matter of copy and paste, but if it differs, so does my translation. So if you've ever noticed flashback dialogue differing from the original scene, that's not an inconsistency on my part; that's a reflection of the original text.
