Air Gear manga coming to the U.S.

[MrProphet]

DelRey has acquired the rights to Air Gear, so you may soon see this in a Barnes and Noble near you.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/pressre ... hp?id=1469

As for the obvious question of edits, well, Del Ray did once threaten to edit Negima, but after some serious pressure from the fandom, they relented and released it uncut in a shrinkwrap.

So, it bodes well for the fans of mindless shounen extreme sports.

[Asunder]

Hmm...interesting.

I hope they get better translators than the ones working Negima.

[moyism]

I feel pretty confident that Del Rey will do a fine job on Air Gear. I think minus the beginnings of their work with Negima, the company has done a top-notch job on all their releases.

Now we just have to wait another 6 months until the 1st volume comes out!

[Hollowshingami]

There's always the scanlations and the raws.

[Asunder]

What happened to Tenma, moyism? That was an amusing avatar.

[jimmy1200]

awesome. i can go spend ten dollars on a crappy watered down, probably poorly translated version of air gear, or i can just keep downloading scans and wait to download the anime. hmmmmmm. im sorry. with the internet, there is no reason for them to continue releasing manga all late. i mean. most of the crap they bring over, is already done with in japan. on top of the fact that they take a lifetime just to drop the series and get it done.
if they dropped air gear twice a month, kept all the xxx stuff, and translated it well, then i would most indeed spend my money on it. im only to chapter 44, so i wouldnt mind, because the scanslations are taking time, but then again, by the time it drops and i realize my hypothetical wants from this manga are not going to come true. ill probably be on chapter 50 somethin and i wont give a damn about spending my few bucks on manga.
if they wanna make money off of manga, then they need some scanslators and a website, where they can sell this to us and we can just download it off the net, for a reasonable price. cheaper than 10 bucks or else i will never be buying manga.
it makes no sense. well to support the artist, but im sure they get enough support(as much as they can get at least) in japan and other countries, that dont do a piss poor job on getting out the manga on time and getting it translated, AND NOT BEING YEARS BEHIND JAPAN IN TRYIN TO RELEASE SOMETHING, ONLY TO TAKE YEARS TO NEVER CATCH UP WITH JAPAN, WHILE JAPAN IS DONE WITH THAT MANGA OR ANIME, AND HAS LONG SINCE MOVED ON!!!
f that. im impatient and so are most people. thats why we download stuff. i dont mind supporting stuff, but prices are high, money is tight, and it comes waaaaaay to late.
plus. if your like me. i like increasing the size of the pages and reading them on my computer screen and sometimes making wallpapers out of them. stuff i wouldnt do if i had the manga, because i would not take the time to scan pages. thats why im hands down, so grateful for the scanslators
well, whatever. i know air gear wont come fast enough to please me enough to spend money on it. especially when im 44 chapters ahead of the game. no way. these dummies need to pick up on the new stuff and get it over here quick and pick up the old stuff, and drop those bad boys in the stores like theyre going out of style.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

im annoyed. excuse my anger

[MrProphet]

LOL

COMMA SPLICE ATTACK!

You want some cheese with that whine?

Really, dude, if $10 is too much for you, then don't read manga. You don't have a RIGHT to read it, only a priviledge. You are priviledged to read manga in a translated form before others get to read it, so shut up and say "thank you".

And anyway, what's the big deal? Don't want to buy it? Then don't. Nobody's forcing you. But please be so kind and stop ranting. Nobody really cares about people who are angry about such non-problems.

[Hollowshingami]

Thanks Jimmy, for wasting 30 seconds of my life. I think it's time to get a job if 10 bucks is too much for you.

[FuguTabetai]

im sorry. with the internet, there is no reason for them to continue releasing manga all late.

Why, there's hardly any reason for the Japanese to keep making manga even!

[jimmy1200]

i know im privaledge. thats why i said i appreciate the scanslators so much, and ten bucks isnt outrageous, but its outrageous to spend ten dollars on something i already have, unless it was coming out fast enough, that it would surpass where i am at in the manga, but that wont ever happen. ive spent money on manga i couldnt otherwise download, but the main ones that i love, i can only download at this point and any point of buying it now, would be a waste of money. especially tenjou. that watered down crap in borders is garbage. i would never spend money on that and the same will probably go for air gear.
bleach also for example is out, but its so far behind, why would i waste my time, wheeeen, i can download it and be up to date, like everyone else.
i have a job. im 23. its about getting me what i want, fast enough for me to be pleased enough to spend money on it. if you cant please me, then you get nothing. basics, and thats the way it will be for many others. thats why we download. like i already said. i wouldnt mind spending the money to support the scene, but if you cant get it to me in good timing, not to leave me behind on the latest chapters, and not to have anything cut out, then f it. ill spend my money on my internet connection, and my time on downloading and just paypal some of the websites i use.
i understand some mangas come out weekly and monthly, but thats why you need that website with the scanslators, to get me what i want, when it comes out, if it obviously isnt already being scanslated somewhere else for free, but if not, then $4 woud be a reasonable price per chapter to get what i cant get otherwise and i get the benefit of being up to date with everyone else. i like to be up to date. i just love it . plus, with a website, i could download alot of mangas i would otherwise not even know about, or that or long gone and you can only really find in japan. same for anime too. there should just be a website to legally download and pay for this stuff for good prices, so we get what we want and they can make money, or they can continue to lose. rather than try to play the game. im sure alot of us wouldnt mind spending money to help the artist and the scene grow a bit. aaaaaaaaaaaaaah ranting

i have a right to be pissy at corporate america. why? because i can, and we are usually getting screwed one way or the other anyways.
whatever. im done, and it was not a wasted 30 seconds. it was 35. hmph

[miyagiCE]

So jimmy1200...
You are trying to say that you won't support the scene cause OTHERS in OTHER countries do it already?
Because the money the manga-ka gets from them is enough for him?
Obivously you don't need to do it, there's always OTHERS who'll do it for you.

Seriously man, you are acting like a retard. If you respect scanlators that much then shut up and buy the real thing to respect the original creator, too.
Nobody is telling you to read it. Just buy it and put it on your shelf.
10 Dollars is nothing, especially if you have a job. You said you wouldn't mind paying 4 dollars for a chapter.
How many chapters do you think are included in a volume? Around nine.
Now think of the people who translate and edit that manga. They are LIVING off the money that you consider wasted. All the people involved in the project need to be paid by the company in order to publish the manga. Other than these expenses the company still needs to somehow cover the costs for the paper and ink they print it with.
So... Isn't 10 goddam dollars an insanely cheap price if you think of it like that?
After all you are willing to pay 36 for something that is not even printed instead.

I know, you said you'd do it in order to be up to date, but what do you think is the reason for why publishers are so slow?
The answer is money.
Heck, if a 5-head team of college/university students can manage to release manga at a fast and steady rate, don't you think it should be possible for a company which is paying it's staff which is working on it full-time too?
Of course it should, but because there's stingy idiotic kids like you they don't see a reason to spend even more money on something that does not sell.

In conclusion I have to say:
Scum like you makes me want to stop scanlating manga immediatelly.


miyagiCE
Head of the group that
translates Air Gear


[Edit:]
To all the idiots who say that they don't like the translation in US releases:
HOW can you even DARE to judge the translation of something which's orginal language you don't even speak?
As a matter of fact, YOU would NOT notice misstranslations or changed contexts if there weren't people who pointed it out to you because they know both languages.

[Hollowshingami]

That's true Miyagi. However, there's also the cases, such as the cmx case with TT, where they totally change the dialogue of some characters. In order to appeal to an US audience. >_> That's why I buy the JP version. In the end the only thing to do is get off your ass and learn japanese, instead of bitching all day long about it.

[jimmy1200]

blah blah blah. then dont scanslate bitch!. im just saying my point of view and you can continue to take things out of context to make me sound stupid, but i already said how i feel. its basic.
drop it fast and with the original quality. then i will buy it, because that way i can support the scene and stay up to date. wann open a website and charge 4 a chapter for new scans and other scans you cant get on the net, then so be it, or charge 20 a volume to profit(good deal) so be it. whatever. the fact of the matter is. im not gonna pay for stuff thats already being scanslated and that would otherwise take a million years to catch up to the scanslators anyways. yeah i could. just to take up space in my room and look at it and feel better than others, but i wont. thats stupid.

whatever. you have your point of view and i feel how i feel. ill pay for what i want and youll spend your money on what you want.

but its still stupid to bring something over here so late, as if most people into manga and anime arent already blazing through the net downloading shit and could care less about you getting me a volume a month at my local borders, if im lucky. psssh,, but there are tons of manga out there that nobody has or will scanslate anytime soon or at all, that im sure many of us wouldnt mind paying some reasonable bucks for chapters and volumes. 4 dollars was just a figure. obviously it might be cheaper or you get a better deal if you download a whole volume. whatever.

either way. the point is. make us want to pay you, then feel like it would be nice to pay you. there are plenty of mangas im sure i would enjoy, that arent getting scanslated or at least as fast as i or anyone else would want them to be, but if you have a site(legal), with paid people, who will get volumes and chapters to you, quick, ontime and up to date with whats out in japan and other countries. then i think there would be mass profit and people would rather spend there allowance or money on getting what they want faster, than waiting for a few scanslators in college, to get around to it when they have time.
there are a few exceptions, with some series that are up to date every week, but there are many mangas to be scanslated and or brought up to date.
this isnt just japan either. what about some korean comics too. i would like the capcom vs snk comic scanslated, and alot quicker than it already is. you gotta get it out and fast, to keep people interested, because once we are done or get tired of waiting. we're over it, but at least if you get them out in a very timely order, than people will always be ready to buy new manga, because generally, the people into manga and anime are into it, and probably wouldnt mind spending money on it, but do mind waiting and eventually would probably forget about a series or two, because they have to wait so long, and move onto something else.

blah blah. peace until later

[MrProphet]

either way. the point is. make us want to pay you, then feel like it would be nice to pay you. there are plenty of mangas im sure i would enjoy,

Jimmy, I'd appreciate it, if you'd get the hell out and "enjoy" some other manga.

Unlike some immature children like you, some of us buy the japanese manga, enjoy scum-scan's work and will buy the translated manga. We appreciate their work and support them in any way possible.

So, be so kind, STFU and go "enjoy" some other manga. I still want S-S to keep working on Air Gear. If you don't, then find some other place to vent your juvenile frustrations that don't concern either us, Del Rey, Kodansha or scum-scans.

That's true Miyagi. However, there's also the cases, such as the cmx case with TT, where they totally change the dialogue of some characters. In order to appeal to an US audience. >_> That's why I buy the JP version. In the end the only thing to do is get off your ass and learn japanese, instead of bitching all day long about it.

That's true, but, honestly, it's quite rare for an American company to blatantly mistranlate a manga. Changed artwork - sure. Softening of language and sexual innuendo? Sometime. But rarely do they miss it because they didn't get it.

And honestly, it doesn't happen much nowadays.

My main gripe with the US companies is not the translations of the main text, but rather their attitude toward "japanisms", little cultural items that don't translate well into English.

The most obvious point here are the honorifics. It's a tricky point and not all companies (or all scanlators for that matter) manage to strike a middle ground. Sometimes it's better to put "Mr. Whatever" instead of "Whatever-san". Other times I really cringe when I read about "Senior Sister Whatever", when "Whatever-oneesan" would have "flowed" much better.

Some companies are better at this, some are worse. So, my point to Miyagi, it's not that these companies mistranslate stuff because they don't know Japanese, it's that often their command of English is not sufficient to translate a literary work in an adequate manner. Sometimes people are too literal, sometime they are too americanized. Translator is not just a person who knows Japanese. A translator must be adequate first of all in a language into which he is translating. Either that, or such a translator requires a good editor.

I don't translate manga, but I do translate books sometimes (into and from various languages), so I too know what I'm talking about.

I am sure that as a scanlator, you know these things and it is equally true for commercial companies.

[miyagiCE]

either way. the point is. make us want to pay you, then feel like it would be nice to pay you. there are plenty of mangas im sure i would enjoy,

You do know that that's illegal to no extend right? Not only releasing the creator's comic for free, but even making profit from it. By selling it we would gain nothing but hurting the US publisher. You ask why? Well, why do you think publishers are "allowed" to release translated manga? They buy the liscense rights from the japanese publisher(sometimes even the manga-ka him/herself). So, if we'd happen to sell our manga, the people who bought it from us most probably wouldn't buy the US release anymore which would lead to A- hurting the economy, B- hurting the publisher and his underlings and C- hurting one of the next artists who was hoping to get his manga sold to some big foreign company. Of course, there are plenty of moral aspects to add to that, but I don't expect a simpleminded moron like you to understand that, so I'm cutting it out.

However, there's also the cases, such as the cmx case with TT, where they totally change the dialogue of some characters. In order to appeal to an US audience. >_> That's why I buy the JP version.

Let me quote something I said on that note.

Nobody is telling you to read it. Just buy it and put it on your shelf.

What I am trying to say is: It doesn't matter in which way you support a manga-ka. What matters is that you do it. Which version you choose (japanese, english, whatever) is of no importance. I wish there'd be more people like you who even go through the trouble to buy raws.


As for MrProphet, well, there's absolutely nothing I can add to your excellent description of the problem. There's only one thing you haven't thought of:

So, my point to Miyagi, it's not that these companies mistranslate stuff because they don't know Japanese, it's that often their command of English is not sufficient to translate a literary work in an adequate manner.

You say they don't translate in an adequate manner, but you have to consider that the companies aren't aiming to keep the amount of people who like manga always the same. They want profit, thus new readers and therefore they "americanize" a lot of things to get even people who are not fond of japanese culture at all to be interested in manga.

They do not care who buys it, who hates it and who is pleased by it. All they care for is money and they'll go pretty far to get it. If you want to change the "more desiring", capitalistic nature of humans, you will have to go back in history.

[MrProphet]

They do not care who buys it, who hates it and who is pleased by it. All they care for is money and they'll go pretty far to get it. If you want to change the "more desiring", capitalistic nature of humans, you will have to go back in history.

Oh, sure they care. That's the nature of business: finding out what people need and sattisfying those needs.

The thing is: there are many groups of consumers, whose needs are sometimes contradictory. A company like CMX has to calculate well, whose needs are they going to try to sattisfy:

1) The 18+ crowd who are main fanboys of Tenjou Tenge and who read it for sex and violence (simplified, but true).

2) Or the younger teen crowd, who buy their manga under the watchfull eyes of soccer moms. This demographic is sattisfied with shounen fighting and just a little bit of fanservive.

So, CMX figures they can get more money from the second group, because they figure that this demographic is larger and thus more profitable. They do risc alienating the hardcore fans, but they think that it's the risk worth taking.

So now we are stuck with a censored manga because of a business decision and because the 18+ crowd is somewhat marginal as far as manga sales go.

It's not fair or unfair, it's just a fact. Some companies just don't care about you, they care about other kind of reader. Other companies are more responsive to the core fandom.

I think Del Ray is the latter and we'll get a good release of Air Gear. To bad the manga kinda sucks untill volume 7-8.

[miyagiCE]

Isn't your way just a different way of putting it?
I mean, when it comes down to the point, it's basically the same I said.

They try to aim to the biggest group available. The fact that the group we are in, the more experienced readers, feel insulted by the way they "cripple" a manga-ka's orginal work does not interest them. And as you said already it's a perfrectly normal thing. They cannot get all the money they want from us, so they are going for the larger crowd to get it.

[jimmy1200]

im a moron, but your the idiot who cant read. i said a LEGAL website to scanslate the manga and sell it to us. you fucking schmuck. call names after you read a persons post


either way. the point is. make us want to pay you, then feel like it would be nice to pay you. there are plenty of mangas im sure i would enjoy, that arent getting scanslated or at least as fast as i or anyone else would want them to be, but if you have a site(legal), with paid people, who will get volumes and chapters to you, quick, on time and up to date with whats out in japan and other countries. then i think there would be mass profit and people would rather spend there allowance or money on getting what they want faster, than waiting for a few scanslators in college, to get around to it when they have time.
there are a few exceptions, with some series that are up to date every week, but there are many mangas to be scanslated and or brought up to date

adding to that. im sure a few wouldnt mind paying for weekly bleach or naruto scans. even though they can get it for free. not many, but maybe a few. better than none(or the very few who go buy the volumes from stores) , and they would still benefit from the other mangas old and new, that arent scanslated or still a ways to go, because the scanslators just dont have time or enough time.

your so lame.
"duh. they would lose money because making people pay for manga is illegal and blah blah"

duh. i already said it should be a legal site and was never wanting it to be anything else. thats why i kept saying that "they" could make more money doing that and keep their audience around longer and even gain more. who did you think "they" was implying to. a freaking snow bunny. loser

ps. you call me names, i call you names. [/quote]

[Hollowshingami]

Do you think the publishers in Japan would agree to that?

[miyagiCE]

Hollowshinigami, he doesn't understand it.
Why would a publisher work on digital-basis when he knows that doing that makes it utterly easy to pirate his work? You think any party involved would agree on a system like that? Nope, I don't think so.

Other than that...
Scanlation is meant to be free. It's something FROM fans FOR fans. You are not supposed to profit from something that is not your own work. Of course you could charge somethinf for the translation and the editing it undergoes while being turned to english by us, but definitely NOT without the original creator having a say in this.

[jimmy1200]

hmmm. true true. but they would also still reach more people then they do now, but the fact of you downloading and then printing out chapters to sell to your friend, would pose a problem, but then again. you have people scanning chapters and scanslating chapters now, and the fact that im sure many manga and anime fans already share between each other anyways and some stores let you rent anime and in that case they are making more of the profit by renting anime out.
well. i dont know all the details of how a company could work this out. it might be worth the risk. there would have to be some extensive research into the matter, before anyone could truly say whether its good or bad. like i said, it might be worth the risk, because they would reach more people worldwide and have more people getting into the scene and bringing in more money and hopefully with that, they might be able to start a new moral about the scene. like those of us into the real hip hop scene, we will spend money on a cd from the store and we will help support the scene more when we can, but thats still sort of apples and oranges, because i dont want to stack my room with manga and anime, when i would rather stack my hard drive with them and then burn them to cds/dvds to conserve space and be able to keep them around longer and transfer them easily and back them up easier. sounds silly, but its true. i dont want boxes of that shit in my house. im sorry, but i dont and im sure many others would appreciate being able to do that , especially those with A LOT of manga and anime in their room or house and are throwing it away or giving it away, because they just dont have space for it, and dont feel like lugging it around anymore , and like i said, it can be more convenient sometimes to have these things for quick access on your computer or on a cd. anime dvds you can obviously still store like that, but you cant get all the subtitled anime you want like most of us would want to, thats where the site comes in, and if you still like the books, go get em, but for some of us who want to conserve space, find some new manga, find up to date new/old scanslated manga, new/old anime and want it quick, then we would love a site like that.
its a new generation. we will eventually get tired with this book crap. might as well start a switch over now with manga . i can see it now. watching anime on your ipod or pda. reading manga and watching anime on your laptop. people do that now, but in the future you will probably see that a whole lot more. with computers, pda devices and music/video devices becoming cheaper and being able to hold more memory and do a lot more in general.


so whatever. i see your point on the pirating, but the manga/anime community tends to be loyal. although you all seem to believe otherwise, i have already stated that i would spend money on manga (specifically), if i could get it quick, and scanslated like the original, no xxx stuff taken out, and i would preferably want to download it, because i dont want a bunch of comics sittin around in my room, if i already have it on my computer. especially since when im done, its probably never gonna get read again, and is just gonna take up space in my room in boxes and on shelves. f that.
anyways. i dont know if its worth the risk or not, but its an idea and its not that outrageous, since pirating will go on no matter what. might as well try and reach a bigger audience and get more people into and respecting the scene. which will bring in more money. of course not everyone has a computer with internet, but thats where the books come in for them, and there are internet cafes, friends houses, whatever, to still download from and if they at least have a computer, they could download and burn it somewhere else and then take it home and enjoy it.

well anyways. like i said, its an idea and no one knows the risk of making a site that large, but it would obviously take some big heads to put all that money into the employees and servers, and thats a risk i think worth taking. especially with anime creeping into cartoon network and fox and what not, nowadays. more people are becoming aware of the japanese scene of comics and cartoons.
if they wanna go for a big cash in and the risk dont seem so bad, then i say go for it, i think it would work. if they market that shit and spend some time into it, it would work.

well its a thought. only time will tell

[moyism]

hmmm. true true. but they would also still reach more people then they do now, but the fact of you downloading and then printing out chapters to sell to your friend, would pose a problem, but then again. you have people scanning chapters and scanslating chapters now, and the fact that im sure many manga and anime fans already share between each other anyways and some stores let you rent anime and in that case they are making more of the profit by renting anime out.

I'm sorry but comparing sharing scanlation work done for free versus renting anime from a store is not valid. Comparing apples and oranges here my friend.

well. i dont know all the details of how a company could work this out. it might be worth the risk. there would have to be some extensive research into the matter, before anyone could truly say whether its good or bad. like i said, it might be worth the risk, because they would reach more people worldwide and have more people getting into the scene and bringing in more money and hopefully with that, they might be able to start a new moral about the scene.

New moral about "the scene"? Please, give me a break. Having a place that allows for legal translated manga to be download at a price will not change anyone's morals. It will simply just be another means for people to get the material. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'll admit while the idea of downloading legal translated manga sounds appealing, it's a pipedream at best. I can sort of see something comparable to iTunes but honestly, I don't think there will be much profit in selling manga chapter by chapter. Maybe by volume but it is still iffy. And you know it will only be a matter of time before some cracks whatever security has been put into place, thus making the whole process a big waste of money.

like those of us into the real hip hop scene, we will spend money on a cd from the store and we will help support the scene more when we can, but thats still sort of apples and oranges, because i dont want to stack my room with manga and anime, when i would rather stack my hard drive with them and then burn them to cds/dvds to conserve space and be able to keep them around longer and transfer them easily and back them up easier. sounds silly, but its true.

BS. Burning and HDs do not necessarily last longer than having the actual product. And actually comparing buying a music CD to buying manga to support the artist(s) is NOT apples and oranges. They're the same thing but just different types of media.

So are you saying the hip hop scene is more justified than the anime scene in spending money on? Or that because anime and manga are more "bulky", it is better to move to digital to save space? In either case, there shouldn't be a difference. So anime and manga takes up more space than a CD? Big deal. Go cry me a river for your lack of living space. Hip hop and anime are totally different genre but that does not mean one is more "worthy" than the other for spending or shelf space. If you enjoy either or both, you would support "the scene" as best as you could.

i dont want boxes of that shit in my house. im sorry, but i dont and im sure many others would appreciate being able to do that , especially those with A LOT of manga and anime in their room or house and are throwing it away or giving it away, because they just dont have space for it, and dont feel like lugging it around anymore , and like i said, it can be more convenient sometimes to have these things for quick access on your computer or on a cd.

This is only your opinion. If people were truly having problems about anime and manga taking up space, there would be a bigger outcry. Also, not everyone likes to sit in front of their computer 24/7 to watch anime and read manga. I would think most folks like to be in a comfortable place (i.e. watching/reading in bed) than stare at monitors.

I don't know about you, but I for one like having manga in physical form. It is a lot more convienent and comfortable to be able to read manga while relaxing in bed or bringing some along for a long trip. No way in hell that could happen if I had to read manga via laptop/ipod/pda/whatever.

And I don't know anyone in their right mind who would *throw away* something (i.e. manga, anime dvds, etc) they have bought before trying to re-sell it or give it away to someone else. That's just plain stupid, period.

anime dvds you can obviously still store like that, but you cant get all the subtitled anime you want like most of us would want to, thats where the site comes in, and if you still like the books, go get em, but for some of us who want to conserve space, find some new manga, find up to date new/old scanslated manga, new/old anime and want it quick, then we would love a site like that.

Once again, only your opinion. I'm a big subtitle fan but that is not the majority of the anime community. There are plenty of people who enjoy the dubs as much as any subtitle fan enjoys the Japanese. Also quality wise, unless everyone has high-speed internet connections, to download the quality DVD have would take a long time for the average fan. No one would want to waste their time downloading something that'll take hours to get and was paid for; when they could instead just get the DVD and not worry about accidentally deleting the anime or whatnot.

its a new generation. we will eventually get tired with this book crap. might as well start a switch over now with manga . i can see it now. watching anime on your ipod or pda. reading manga and watching anime on your laptop. people do that now, but in the future you will probably see that a whole lot more. with computers, pda devices and music/video devices becoming cheaper and being able to hold more memory and do a lot more in general.

Yes yes, it is happening now but slowly. No one wants to jump in and potentially lose money without looking at all the angles.

so whatever. i see your point on the pirating, but the manga/anime community tends to be loyal. although you all seem to believe otherwise, i have already stated that i would spend money on manga (specifically), if i could get it quick, and scanslated like the original, no xxx stuff taken out, and i would preferably want to download it, because i dont want a bunch of comics sittin around in my room, if i already have it on my computer. especially since when im done, its probably never gonna get read again, and is just gonna take up space in my room in boxes and on shelves. f that.

Yet again, that's you. Not everyone else. I think the problem is you're looking at this whole thing from a fan's point of view. Not from a company's prespective. Many people have already mentioned this and you seem to skip over, but companies are out there to make money. period. Some companies are better than other about catering to the fans, but at the end it's all about the almighty dollar. I do see some companies are starting to getting into the more tech side of things, like ADV if I remember correctly, offering bittorrent downloads of samples of upcoming releases but this is a slow process. Legal manga avaliable will not happen over night and for some strange reason, it seems like you think it should.

anyways. i dont know if its worth the risk or not, but its an idea and its not that outrageous, since pirating will go on no matter what. might as well try and reach a bigger audience and get more people into and respecting the scene.

"The scene". Please stop using that over and over again. I still don't understand how allowing downloads of anime and manga will help people "respect the scene". It doesn't. Once again, as I mentioned before, all it does is allow for greater access to the material.

So yes, it will reach a greater audience but that's about it. Scanlations will always be around and the average joe, once realizing s/he can get manga for "free" instead will most likely stop paying for it. You mentioned it yourself how you're tight for cash, so how many other people do you think are the same? Not everyone will be willing to spend their money when they know they can get it for free... even if it is illegal.

which will bring in more money. of course not everyone has a computer with internet, but thats where the books come in for them, and there are internet cafes, friends houses, whatever, to still download from and if they at least have a computer, they could download and burn it somewhere else and then take it home and enjoy it.

Not necessarily true. I already stated above the positives of having manga in physical form so I will not bother saying it again. Don't forget, not everyone is a "hip and cool" early teen to college age anime fan. The demograph is pretty wide and there are plenty of individuals who are not totally computer compentent nor want to constantly stare at their screens to enjoy anime.

well anyways. like i said, its an idea and no one knows the risk of making a site that large, but it would obviously take some big heads to put all that money into the employees and servers, and thats a risk i think worth taking. especially with anime creeping into cartoon network and fox and what not, nowadays. more people are becoming aware of the japanese scene of comics and cartoons.

To me, it seems to be a high risk with little gain. The profits are just not going to be there unless full volumes of manga are offered. No one will want to pay chapter by chapter for a series.

if they wanna go for a big cash in and the risk dont seem so bad, then i say go for it, i think it would work. if they market that shit and spend some time into it, it would work.

I would agree with you slightly on this if you had better constructed your agrument or had any type of evidence to back this up.

At the end, I'm not saying your agrument is completely wrong but the way you have presented this to (at least how I'm reading it) everyone on the boards was rather gun-ho. Look, if you're not happy that manga and anime are being licensed and becoming more widely avaliable to the US then are you really an anime fan? I would think most anime fans would be rejoicing how now is a type of "Golden Era" for anime in the US as it is a heck of a lot more easily accessable than say five years ago. Would you rather that anime and manga was NOT licensed and released legally at all?

I can understand you want companies to be "fast and furious" like the fansub and scanlation communities in offering the latest and greatest, but that will just not happen. No company of any type has that kind of turn around... ever. Personally I'm just happy that Air Gear got licensed *at all*. More so by Del-Rey who has been a great company that will no doubt do justice to the series, unlike CMX with Tenjo Tenge.

To sum it up, I simply say this: If you're not happy about AG being licensed then stay with illegally downloading the series. If you somehow think companies licensing manga and anime is a bad thing, then go have fun fighting the powers that be. Just be more civilized about it if you're going to whine and b*tch about it



.... to get somewhat back on topic, miyagiCE I just want to say your crew is doing a fine job in keeping us AG fans happy while awaiting for the US release of AG. Keep up the great work!

[MrProphet]

.... to get somewhat back on topic, miyagiCE I just want to say your crew is doing a fine job in keeping us AG fans happy while awaiting for the US release of AG. Keep up the great work!

Hear-hear! It's so nice to see Sc-scans release 2 or 3 chapters a time. Good work, guys!

[protocol7]

on a serious note i wonder what the us release of air gear will be like.

how will they censor or modify guys like agito, he's not exactly kid friendly.i starting to wonder if he may become a girl might possibly before i shout out hallejuiah for the us release i want to see what the finished product will be like.

will it be a us translation of air gear or an america's version of air gear if you get my drift.

[miyagiCE]

Hear-hear! It's so nice to see Sc-scans release 2 or 3 chapters a time. Good work, guys!

Ha, chapters 47 through 49 are hot off the internet presses.

[Hollowshingami]

how will they censor or modify guys like agito, he's not exactly kid friendly.i starting to wonder if he may become a girl might possibly before i shout out hallejuiah for the us release i want to see what the finished product will be like.

will it be a us translation of air gear or an america's version of air gear if you get my drift.

I don't there's any need to worry. Del ray does a pretty good job, from what I hear, in staying true to the original manga. I don't think it will 'american air gear' like you say. A word might be changed here and there, but I think that'll be about it. I'm sure AG will come in shrink-wrapped like Negima did.

[kidneo66]

For that Jimmy dude. I'm all for freedom of choice and right now you have two choices.

1) Just leave and stop making trouble dude. It's totally not cool. miyagiCE and his crew have totally destroied your argument. I doesn't matter how many paragraphs you write it still doesn't change the fact that you don't sound very bright. Stop while your ahead

or

2) Just keep putting your foot in your mouth. Don't buy it. That part of being a consumer, but don't be a pick about it. If you don't support it. I and millions of others like me will. And before you say your not gonna buy the book because of what happened to "Great's" works do your home work. Del Rey is know for NOT cutting their manga up, unlike DC. So don't knock it before you try it. You no clue what's going to happen. If your going to act like a troll, then you have no reason to post.

miyagiCE. Keep up the good work man. I really like the work your staff puts in to the translations. I know how much you say no one appreciates the work you put in. I do bro. Not to sound like an ass kisser, but your credit pages were dope.

[Starakin]

jimmy no one is forcing you to buy nor read anything. Even if everyone here were to agree to your argument that'd never influence the US publisher, you know it.

The discussion here has been dragged by your argument (please format and indent, I don't want to read your posts and never did) for longer than necessary.

[miyagiCE]

Thanks for the heads up kidneo66, but don't bother messing with that jimmy guy. His sole argument consists of manga not being brought to him fast enough whereas he doesn't understand that manga will only be released faster if people buy it.

[kidneo66]

No worries guv. I didn't plan on it, at least too much. It just sucks is all. Kats like you and the Fuu give those of us on the other side of the language barrier a chance to have a look at a culture and for that respect must be shown, is all. It like when the Prophet(sorry for the name shortening mrProphet) mixed words about TT. I may not like TT but it's for OH Great! and I felt he had earned my money...

It's just being prideful and no one likes an over groom lion, if ya know what i mean...

sorry i'm a bit long winded....

[Hollowshingami]

Not nearly as long winded as Jimmy.

[jimmy1200]

fuck off. i made my intial post and some fag decided to call me out because of my own opinions. i didnt call anyone here out on there points of view. im not debating manga queers anymore.
everyone has made their points and none are anymore valid then the next, because there are those who feel like i do, and there are those who feel like you guys do, but dont come at me and act like i started this shit, when you all have been antagonistic towards me with your post.

didnt know that about that company. well thats a plus.

but in the real world. generally most customers want what they need or want, in a timely fashion, and up to date. especially in the manga/anime business. where shit can be easily uploaded and downloaded in no time. so since thats the case. then they need to work harder on getting us what we need. i mean us here in america. the ones who fiend for this stuff more than they do in japan, because we cant just walk to the book store and pick up the last 11 volumes of tt or a manga you read a chapter of and thought was interesting.
we have to wait for scanslators or if you can read japanese, import in from japan.
so thats why i feel, if they wanna make more money with anime/manga, then they need to do a better job of getting us what we need, because just like those in the fashion industry, dont want to be wearing what was hot last year, i dont want to be reading what was hot in japan in 2000. i would like to be up to date with everyone else and i would be willing to pay to be updated on many mangas that are not as up to date as a few ive already mentioned.
i would also like to get my hands on more anime too. ex.. fist of the north star was released here with i believe 35 episodes on dvd, but it goes to 152 episodes that have yet to be brought over here, even though that anime is older than dirt. you might argue its not here because its not hot shit anymore, but if you create a way for me and others to get the new hot shit now, and the hot shit of the past that we cant find, then you can make a lot more money. common sense, but there are risk with such a venture, but whatever. im done

well anyways. its over. thats my last post. figured id do one more

[Hollowshingami]

Common sense goes a long way. What you are suggesting will NEVER happen. If you want to keep up to date learn the language. But that's redundant at this point since you're done. >_>

[jboncha]

God damn you're an ass.
Yeah we all like scanlations but I think we should also support the licensed releases in any way that we can.
I download a lot of scans of manga but if I really like the book I will try to at least buy the first volume of the licensed release.




J B

awesome. i can go spend ten dollars on a crappy watered down, probably poorly translated version of air gear, or i can just keep downloading scans and wait to download the anime. hmmmmmm. im sorry. with the internet, there is no reason for them to continue releasing manga all late. i mean. most of the crap they bring over, is already done with in japan. on top of the fact that they take a lifetime just to drop the series and get it done.
if they dropped air gear twice a month, kept all the xxx stuff, and translated it well, then i would most indeed spend my money on it. im only to chapter 44, so i wouldnt mind, because the scanslations are taking time, but then again, by the time it drops and i realize my hypothetical wants from this manga are not going to come true. ill probably be on chapter 50 somethin and i wont give a damn about spending my few bucks on manga.
if they wanna make money off of manga, then they need some scanslators and a website, where they can sell this to us and we can just download it off the net, for a reasonable price. cheaper than 10 bucks or else i will never be buying manga.
it makes no sense. well to support the artist, but im sure they get enough support(as much as they can get at least) in japan and other countries, that dont do a piss poor job on getting out the manga on time and getting it translated, AND NOT BEING YEARS BEHIND JAPAN IN TRYIN TO RELEASE SOMETHING, ONLY TO TAKE YEARS TO NEVER CATCH UP WITH JAPAN, WHILE JAPAN IS DONE WITH THAT MANGA OR ANIME, AND HAS LONG SINCE MOVED ON!!!
f that. im impatient and so are most people. thats why we download stuff. i dont mind supporting stuff, but prices are high, money is tight, and it comes waaaaaay to late.
plus. if your like me. i like increasing the size of the pages and reading them on my computer screen and sometimes making wallpapers out of them. stuff i wouldnt do if i had the manga, because i would not take the time to scan pages. thats why im hands down, so grateful for the scanslators
well, whatever. i know air gear wont come fast enough to please me enough to spend money on it. especially when im 44 chapters ahead of the game. no way. these dummies need to pick up on the new stuff and get it over here quick and pick up the old stuff, and drop those bad boys in the stores like theyre going out of style.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

im annoyed. excuse my anger

BTW
This is what I think should happen to this guy if he keeps being an ass.

[Natsume Maya]

My comments on volume 1 of the Del Rey version:

Nice to see a translated Oh! great work without the artwork censored.

The first 8 colour pages in the Japanese edition are reproduced twice in the Del Rey version: firstly exactly as it is in the Japanese edition, including with text untranslated (presumably so as not to mess up the colour art), secondly in black and white with text translated and touching up. I like the fact that Del Rey have gone to the extra trouble of doing that.

I've only performed a very quick comparison of artwork and text. Translation on the whole is fine, though personally I prefer a more literal translation. Sometimes the translator may not see links which the author intended, and a less literal translation can destroy that link. It seems to me that a loose translation is the reason for a number of my following comments.

(Note that the page numbering adopted for the Del Rey edition matches the Japanese edition.)

Page 14 panel 4
Japanese edition: Chako says "I've bought the Inoki omnibus!!"
Del Rey edition: Chako says "Hee hee, I wanna see *all* your tricks, Itsuki!"
Given that there's later reference to Inoki in the Del Rey edition, and that that reference was given a translation note, it's strange that the same thing wasn't done in this case. It's even stranger because at page 58 panel 1 there's a picture of Chako holding the Inoki omnibus (translated by Del Rey as the "Inoki Yearbook") - the reason why she's holding the book is lost to the reader of the Del Rey edition without the first line.

Note also that the only art edits in this volume (that I found) were to replace Japanese signs with English signs. Apart from page 58 panel 1, this also occurs at page 91 panel 3, page 103 panel 7 and page 117 panel 2.

Page 25 panel 1
Rika is holding a bottle. The label is untranslated. It says "MSG - miso flavour". For some reason, this label is untranslated in the Del Rey version, when other signs in the volume are translated. Not a big deal story-wise since the reader will the gist of what's going on in the following panels, but strange.

Page 27 panel 1
In this scene, the girls are eating meat, while Ikki is given some tiny fish and a mouthful of rice. Mikan is holding a piece of meat in her chopsticks and says-
Japanese: "Here Pochi. (It can't be helped.)"
Del Rey: "Eat my shorts- it's what you get."
In the next panel, there's a picture of Ikki with dog ears and tail - a reference to Mikan calling him Pochi (for Japanese, "Pochi" is a stereotypical name for a dog). This reference is lost in the Del Rey version. Why not just translate it as "Here Spot/Rover"?

Page 63 panel 1
In the Japanese edition, there's reference to Higa-chu (presumably short for Higashi-chugaku or East Junior High). The Del Rey edition starts by referring to "Eastside" but this panel then refers to Higashi, which may confuse readers. There are also references to Higashi on page 96 panel 1, page 144 panel 1 and page 181 panel 5. Just inconsistent IMO.

Page 70 panel 5
Japanese: "and that outfit.."
Del Rey: "...and with the naughty ski instructor look going and all..."
This kind of translation is just too loose for my liking.

Page 80 panel 4
Japanese: Mikan calls Ikki "Chicken boy/jerk".
Del Rey: Mikan calls him a "wuss".
In most cases, I'd just say that translation is subjective and as long as the meaning is conveyed, that's the main thing. But in this manga, there's a theme of Ikki being linked with birds (see for example page 110 where Ikki is compared to a hawk with a broken wing). This is the sort of thing I mean when I say less literal translations can sometimes miss things which the author may have intended.

Page 94 panel 1
Japanese: reference to 5,000 yen.
Del Rey: reference to 500 yen.
Clearly just a typo since there's a note in the Del Rey edition that this amount is equivalent to about US$40.

Page 95 panel 4
Japanese: "That would've been Chako's first time"
Del Rey: "But who knows what could happen to us next time!!"
Censorship IMO. (Does this mean Air Gear makes it into the manga edits forum?) The implication is that Chako's been violated. Given that Del Rey has rated this book OT, I would've hoped they didn't feel the need to do this. The Japanese line also helps explain Ikki's look of shock in the next panel. Note also that at page 109 panel 4, Kazu says (in the Del Rey edition) "Chako says not to blame you... It's not anybody's fault she says and... and well..." The meaning of this line is lost without a literal translation of the earlier line.

Page 101 panel 1
Japanese: "The disciples of the skull will sleep in the forest."
Del Rey: Ringo says "Those who follow the mark of the skull will meet their end... in the forest."
The less literal translation lessens the link to the team "Sleeping Forest".

Page 109 panel 4
Del Rey: "You know you don't wanna keep hating on us anymore either!!"
Seems to be some syntax/grammar error there.

Page 132
Japanese: Next to the picture of one of Shiraume's dolls is an arrow pointing to the doll's hair and the word "eels".
Del Rey: States "This hair is actually made of eels".
I don't think Oh! great meant that the doll's hair is *actually made* of eels, but rather that the hair is supposed to *represent* eels (ie the doll looks like a medusa).

Page 144 panel 1
Japanese: "If you swear not to mess with Higa-chu again, I'll let you off today with a firecracker up your dick/urethra."
Del Rey: "Let's end this all now... If you swear to never show your face at Higashi again, then I'll forget about everything that you did here."
Dialogue toned down (and a split infinitive ).

Page 144 panel 4
Japanese: "Do it!! Come on!! I won't resist!! Take my fingers, my di__, whatever you want, come on!!"
Del Rey: "Bring your shit, bitch! You can't stand up against me!! You wanna lift a finger against me, just do it!!"
Dialogue toned down (and seems to have been changed from Magaki saying he won't resist to Magaki saying Ikki can't stop him). In general, though, I don't think the language in the Del Rey version has been toned down (as shown by the use of the words "shit" and "bitch" in this panel).

Page 161 panel 2
Japanese: side comment "There's your interest. Now get lost, idiot." ("Interest" as in 'to pay someone back with interest'.)
Del Rey: this side comment was omitted.

Page 183 panel 3
Japanese: "Dosukoi, dosukoi, little Koni(shiki)."
Del Rey: "Oh, that's sexy... yeah, baby... Like a little Konishiki..."
"Dosukoi" is the cry that sumo wrestlers (and sumo audiences) make when preparing for a bout. Del Rey's edition changes this to a sarcastic remark, but it's strange because Del Rey inserted a translation note about Konishiki (the sumo wrestler). If you're going to put in a translation note at that point, I would've just kept the "dosukoi" and added a translation note for that at the same time.

Page 191 panel 1
Japanese: "I mean... did some girls pass through here!? A group of 3...."
Del Rey: "Actually, have you seen a group of girls come by here? Should be four of them."
Translation error - the numeral "3" somehow got translated as "four"

Page 192 panel 2
Del Rey edition refers to "Koro-jii" (Old Man Koro, Grandpa Koro) but the translation note on honourifics at the beginning of the book does not explain "-jii" (only other suffixes like "-san" etc).

The Del Rey edition mistranslates "onushi" to mean "Master" when it means "you", which results in the relevant sentences being mistranslated, as follows:
Page 194 panel 3
Japanese: "To the world you seek."
Del Rey: "To where the Master will decide about you."
Page 197 panel 3
Japanese: "The ones you seek are just ahead!!"
Del Rey: "The ones that the Master sent to decide about you are just in front of you now!!"
Pages 198 & 199
Japanese: "Your wings are crying!!"
Del Rey: "I can hear them now... the Master's wings screeeaaaming!!"

[MrProphet]

Thanks a lot for the heads up, Natsume Maya. Good to hear that Del Rey aparently did the right thing and stayed true to the original.

Not that AG required a lot of censorship, compared to TJTG, but it's the thought that counts.

[kidneo66]

true true, but it's because of that, i'm much more willing to spend money on ag than tt.

[miyagiCE]

Mmh, to tell you the truth, I still cannot live with that. I think it's sad to see we've come to a point in time where we are dulled down due to the general censoring in manga so much, that we appreciate "less" censoring. To me, that change of the rape scene for example is in no way different to all the rewriting DC:CMX is doing. Defintely not a pro-point.

[Natsume Maya]

Dallas Middaugh of Del Rey has now posted to the Anime on DVD forums that the second print of Air Gear volume 1 will be uncensored.

The cover of volume 2 will be edited, but the unedited image will appear inside the book, though in black and white.

See this post for more info.

[ShinHitokiriX]

how annoying i've already bought the first volume, manga in new zealand isn't cheap $20nzd a pop just wen i though they were doing a ok job *sighs*

[Hariel0079]

How long is the Manga and how many chapters have been released in Japan?

I've only read up to Ch. 72 Vol. 9