Marmalade Boy Project In Retrospect Back to MB Guide Home and Links Page Some people may mistakenly think that passionately falling in love only happens between humans...uh, USUALLY men and women. Ah, but that's a misnomer. Ya see, it can happen between a human and a concept or a feeling...in this case a Marmalade Boy world. Ack! I've been caught! Maybe such things are destiny. When MB walked into our house, there was no escape. I'd dated other anime series, many of them...but this was different. This was love. I was stuck with these feelings even though we couldn't communicate. But hour after hour I would watch and re-watch each episode even though at the time I didn't speak the same language. I have to laugh when I think back on that time because recently an anime friend said amazingly that I'd probably watched each episode at least 5 times! "Ha!", said I, "Try multiplying that by 10! I watch each new episode 3 times a day for the first few days alone! When I get exhausted from subbing MB, I go to the TV to watch MB!" A dear person was amazed at my fervency. He decided since he already had a tutor for Japanese, he would change his lesson plans over to translating the Marmalade Boy series. (This was fairly early in 1994) This was a VERY SLOW process. Every line had to be discussed on how it was formulated and how the words were pronounced. These were lessons, not straight translations. Suffering to know each new line and any new information I could get, I couldn't wait until the translator left so I could find out what they came up with. But sometimes a single script could take months! Finally, going crazy, I began to ask the translator to work for me. I hired her. We would sit in front of the TV and I would write everything out in long hand then go to a computer in another room and type it out. All I really wanted was to know what was going on. But secretly I wished I could find someone to sub it. Somebody out there might be interested if we handed them the scripts. Around about last January, I came to Bruce and told him that I wanted to get subtitling equipment. I was going to sell off my small hobby of 21 years and if he would move his stuff into the outer office, I would completely redo and redesign the other office into a subtitling room. I used the money from selling my stuff to do that while Bruce took care of getting the equipment. Later after we'd been subbing quite a while, Bruce told me that when I came to him and wanted to do subbing, he thought it was crazy. But then, he told me I was really smart. Ha ha, I try to keep these things secret! By the middle of January 1995, Bruce took to the subbing computer and began subbing the first volume. I hadn't been taught the system yet. But seeing Bruce first subtitle line come up on the screen for the first time gave me quite a rush! By sometime in February, I twisted Bruce's arm until he wrote down everything I needed to know about using the subbing equipment, and I started work. From that point on, the subbing computer and I have been inseparable. I often tell people that Bruce chains me to the computer. (not quite) It certainly is difficult, tedious work but I love the show and seeing Miki, Yuu and the others talk for the first time so that I can understand it is compelling! I begin in the morning and tend to force myself to stay up to all hours of the night. If awaken in the middle of the night, I go back to it. Am I a fanatic? YES! As it was, I began subbing Marmalade Boy for me. I'm a fan. I chose to release the preliminary work because I thought others might enjoy them. And you know what? It's difficult to enjoy something by yourself. Imagine, no one to talk to when something exciting happens! I'm glad because I think all of you must understand how I feel. Thank goodness we didn't wait until the LD's came out. By the time the first LD's came, we had already released the first 32 episodes! And the translated and yet unmastered subs were much further ahead than that. In October, the next set will be out. But again, releases will be ahead of the LD's (49-52 will already be mastered for release on Nov.1, probably about 1 weekafter the LD's arrive). Only by the next LD release after Oct. will the LD's be ahead of releases- finally. Because Bruce is re-timing the first three volumes (eps.1-12) that were his work in the first place, that gives me time to finish translating the series without having to worry about those. I HAVE TO FINISH THE SERIES FIRST ...it's written in blood. And if you believe that....you know me! (^_^) I CAN'T go back to the old already realized TV versions to REDO to LD versions until I've finished translating the last 3 episodes (DAMN! They're late getting here!!!!!)! And I'm anxious to keep a schedule so that you don't have to miss any monthly MB fix you may be on. I hated that myself! Yep, sometimes I didn't get my episodes on a regular basis...We had a date, and my love didn't show up! By the way, you may have wondered why on occasion I released 3 volumes at once and at other times 1. I didn't want to release heavy volumes, like 4 (13-16, Meiko gets expelled, loses her boyfriend, hurts her best friend's feelings, etc.) and volume 6 (33-36, Miki and Yuu have jealousy problems, fight and break up), and leave fans on a downer for a month. I went through some of those downer volumes without lighter ones to pick me back up and so decided that I would prefer to avoid that by releasing some picker-back-uppers. (^_^) During the time that I've been waiting for the last of the MB's to come in... Hey! Maybe it'll be today! Uh...what was I saying? ...oh yeah, I have had a translator to pay with no new MB's. Native born translators are difficult to come by. Now, we couldn't risk losing him, could we?! So Masatomo and I have worked on Tobira O Akete. Whew! That took 5 sessions to complete the translations on (AKA $180 out of my pocket to translate!). And I also started Fushigi Yuugi volume 1 after playing with some fonts. (^_^) Well, the durned fonts talked me into it!!! Fushigi may be a life saver. I'm feeling as bad as anyone who's forced to break up! we're talking total withdrawal symptoms! Fushigi's getting me on the rebound. But I like Fushigi. In common with Marmalade Boy, it has a fast pace, a developing story, it develops separate personalities to the fullest. And has a complex plot. It has always been my first choice IF I even decided to sub anymore. I'm glad that I have Fushigi to look forward to. The fun of subbing is in seeing the characters talk for the first time. At the time they come alive, then all the hard parts are worthwhile. So when MB is finished...AND if the those last 3 episodes come in today...I could have them finished by the end of next week...I'll have SOMETHING to look forward to while I'm mastering MB episodes you haven't seen to TV versions and re-mastering vols.4 up to LD versions. There's LOTS of unfun work ahead! I'm not sure I should have brought my love affair with MB out into the open. The whole sordid story is out of the closet! Now people will know the truth about me! (^_^) At least I don't have to apologize for being a man liking a shoujo show like Phil! HA! Gotcha Phil! (^_^) I would like to give a special thanks to those who have been encouraging me lately, especially James, who's pushed, pulled, and teased me all along about my "possible" decision to do Fushigi. Without your help, I'm not certain I would have had the guts to see it through. To everyone: You're the best. KD Epilogue 10/26/95: Translations of the entire series were completed on 10/12/95. Fushigi is a go for now! (^_^)   The Marmalade Boy Project in Retrospect   Pages with directories for their sections... KD's Corner Home Page The Original Marmalade Boy Guide Page The New Marmalade Boy '99 Addition For those who linked in from exCel Animation Art and need to return: exCel Directories excel@ncn.com or karen.duffy@bbs.chemek.cc.or.us ________________________________________