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2009-09-02

The Heidi Fansub Project Needs Your Help!


Excellent news, everybody!  Heidi is being translated by the Minor Ja Nai fansub group.  Progress has been extremely slow, but the first four episodes have been completed.  And, as you can see by the first screenshot, they are in desperate need of translators.  Contact them on irc (#minor_ja_nai@irc.irchighway.net).

There are so many anime clubs and websites across America, that translating Heidi should be an easy task.  This remains the one major work from Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's career that is still not available in English.  And this is the motherlode, the crowning masterpiece, the landmark series that gave birth to the anime boom in Japan and throughout the world..

I have argued my case for Heidi (and Marco) fansubs, so everybody knows where I stand.  And many of you have offered to help.  Now I can direct you to the right people.  Don't forget that you can download the "raw" Heidi episodes, so you can get to work on the translations.  Do whatever you can to help.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Which language are they translating from?

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

They're translating from the original Japanese.

greentea said...

Hope this translation works out. I've become interested in seeing 'Heidi' because of all the mentions of it, and I looked for videos. I watched the song opening of the series, which I admit I found rather funny (Japanese yodeling!). Looks very childlike and happy.

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

I'll add the download links to the Download section later tonight.

Every Ghibli Freak should see Heidi. Everything that followed years later at Studio Ghibli was born in this series. That's true for both Miyazaki and Takahata.

greentea said...

Unfortunately, I'm having computer problems and can't seem to download stuff from the internet. I guess 'Heidi' will have to wait until I get this fixed.. and that song will probably be in my head for a while now.

signorRossi said...

Now that you mentioned the yodeling I instantly remembered the melody and had to yodel it loud... (fortuntely you can't hear me) :)

Regarding the story, I don't think it is that much rewarding to an older audience, altough I must say that I haven't watched any episode of Heidi for decades..

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

@greentea: Check Youtube. There are always Heidi episodes there, on and off. The Spanish-dubbed version was still online last time I checked.

@signorrossi: The Heidi theme gets stuck in your head all day long. I've been humming it in my head since watching episode #1 last night, heh heh. That Heidi song is as catchy and infectious as the Ponyo song.

Elchinodepelocrespo said...

Heidi and Marco are very popular in Europe. Both have been released on DVD in Spain, France and many other countries. It is by watching them that you get to understand what Miyazaki and Takahata have become later. Make no mistakes, this is not just kids stuff, it is much more than that. A bit too melodramatic sometimes, but great anime. Heidi is great, but I rather prefer Marco, one of the best anime series ever.

Off topic: Will ever get to see Glaxy Express Tv series fansubed?

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

It's hard for me to choose a favorite between Heidi Marco Anne. Each one is a masterpiece by any standards. Heidi has the boundless energy and sense of discovery. Marco has the character drama and the symbolic depth (it's a very Jewish story). And Anne has the emotional weight, and Maude Mongomery's original book is the best of the three.

This is why I always refer to the trilogy as a single set - Heidi Marco Anne. These are the true masterpieces of the Takahata-Miyazaki canon, imho. And that is why I have their screenshots at the top of the page, right column.

I'm not aware of the status of Galaxy Express 999, but I'm sure we could discover that quickly with Google.

Chris Sobieniak said...

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...
It's hard for me to choose a favorite between Heidi Marco Anne. Each one is a masterpiece by any standards. Heidi has the boundless energy and sense of discovery. Marco has the character drama and the symbolic depth (it's a very Jewish story). And Anne has the emotional weight, and Maude Mongomery's original book is the best of the three.

This is why I always refer to the trilogy as a single set - Heidi Marco Anne. These are the true masterpieces of the Takahata-Miyazaki canon, imho. And that is why I have their screenshots at the top of the page, right column.


The only thing that makes it harder for us is that neither of these shows found their way to the states, and it's rather a show that they didn't since we'd be having the same memories of them as our Latin American/European buds have.

I'm not aware of the status of Galaxy Express 999, but I'm sure we could discover that quickly with Google

As of last year, Toei Animation has provided both Galaxy Express 999 and Captain Harlock on Crunchyroll in subtitled form. This is why "Live Evil" hasn't provided more episodes of GE:999 due to the official release in this fashion (despite finishing up on Harlock).

Petran79 said...

On a sidenote, the U.S Christian Channel "Smile of a Child", owned by TBN, broadcasts (again) in English the classic WMT title "Little Women" three times a week. Probably the best show on their list and of the best in American TV regarding animated series from Japan.

http://www.smileofachildtv.org/watch/schedule_programs.php?p=222

Not Miyazaki and Takahata, but Y.Kondo and direction by Fumio Kurokawa.

Chris Sobieniak said...

Petran79 said...
On a sidenote, the U.S Christian Channel "Smile of a Child", owned by TBN, broadcasts (again) in English the classic WMT title "Little Women" three times a week. Probably the best show on their list and of the best in American TV regarding animated series from Japan.

http://www.smileofachildtv.org/watch/schedule_programs.php?p=222


A channel I still don't have yet (neither on cable or from one of their low-power repeater in town that is still analog). But I see they offer the channel online to view, so that's nice if I bother.

Not Miyazaki and Takahata, but Y.Kondo and direction by Fumio Kurokawa.

Had to think of another Kurokawa-directed show that was often seen on many Christian stations in the 90's, "Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli". I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for shows with talking animals, especially wolves!

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

That's good to know about those shows, but Pat Robertson is the antichrist. I do wish a respectable network would import the World Masterpiece Theater series.

On a side-note (oy vey!), TBN produced a pair of movies called The Omega Code. They're both the same Rapture revenge fantasy, but the productions are so cheesy and MST3K-worthy that they're worth the laughs. Imagine Battlefield Earth with tiny budgets and occasional Catholic bashing.

Chris Sobieniak said...

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...
That's good to know about those shows, but Pat Robertson is the antichrist. I do wish a respectable network would import the World Masterpiece Theater series.


We all do! And yes, Pat is the antichrist indeed (liked one guy's vid on YouTube where Pat's lines were redubbed with that of Underdog's Simon Barsinister and it worked). Pat however did give us some anime gems not seen in ages like Mazinger Z and Jungle Emperor Leo (the sequel to Kimba The White Lion)...
http://letsanime.blogspot.com/2007/11/anime-pat-robertson-mazinger-z-and-you.html

Of course, TBN is run by another set of wackos altogether, but let's not go further than that (the fact their phone number has been known to leave burn-in retentions on CRT screens is a testament to their staying power)!

On a side-note (oy vey!), TBN produced a pair of movies called The Omega Code. They're both the same Rapture revenge fantasy, but the productions are so cheesy and MST3K-worthy that they're worth the laughs. Imagine Battlefield Earth with tiny budgets and occasional Catholic bashing.

I'm only glad no theater in my hometown had the nerve to pick them up! They were so pimping out those flicks they had to scroll the show dates on the screen at all these cities like there was no tomorrow (oh wait, there is, my mistake). :-)

neo1024 said...

I've upped the complete Marco with English subs here:
http://www.bakabt.com/149166-marco-from-apennines-to-the-andes.html
Enjoy! :)

echoBlaster said...

Wow! Thank you so much for uploading Marco, neo1024! You are the best! :D

I've been dying to see this series after having watched the first 12 episodes from Live-Evil. Can't wait to begin downloading. This seriously made my day! :)

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

Neo, you rock! Yeah! Great job!

This is a fantastic series and it should be seen by everyone.

Unknown said...

I don't know how you guys can like Heidi. I was forced to watch it when I was around 10 years old (in Italy), precisely because I had nothing else to do. Given that I was a child, I thought that watching it to burn time would have been better than doing nothing - now that I am older I work very differently.

It's a grim. bland, and boring cartoon without magic and especially without that sense of wonder - I was literally dying watching it, hoping that they would broadcast more frequently Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā (truly memorable, I wish that anime were like this old cartoon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTNdevMwNy0 ) or even better, Galaxy Express 999.

Nausicaa in comparison is not only from another dimension, but transcends it too. Also Future Boy Conan by Miyazaki as well which is profoundly better than the mediocre Heidi, even though my favorite of all time will remain Nadia: the secret of blue water (italian dub, much more memorable than the japanese one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVylS9lqMnc&feature=related#t=4m09s , here is its intro in italian, the most beautiful I have ever heard http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09wwZBgw7cQ ).

Unknown said...

I've seen 5 Samurais (same name both in Argentina and Italy), Galaxy Express 999 and Nadia in the past...

I never liked 5 Samurais, I watched it to kill time also, but it seemed to me like some Saint Seiya clone for some reason (I can barely remember any of those now, I just remember how I felt about it decades ago, and I didn't like Seiya either).

Everything that involved Captain Harlock has always been somewhat boring to me, including Galaxy Express 999. But I know there's a lot of people that love it.

And about Nadia, I couldn't stand after Episode 3, maybe I'll give it another chance in the future.

I'm not a a big Heidi fan, but I don't find it mediocre at all, seriously I can understand you not liking it, but what about Heidi do you find mediocre?. Future Boy Conan is among my favorite series, maybe I prefer things more fast paced and action filled.

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be so absolute, there are different people and so there are different tastes.

indianvisa said...

can any one post the subs links we all are aware of the greatness of ghilibi here ok we want subs not history of ghilibi got that

Daniel Thomas MacInnes said...

There is now a Heidi fansub project underway. All 52 episodes have been translated into English, and it's only a matter of time before the complete series is available.

I still have some emails to send out to get the finer details, but rest assured that we are on top of things. Heidi in 2011 WILL happen, friends. Americans will finally discover what the rest of the world learned decades ago.

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