For the time being...

I've been trying to spread the word about this site but in the meanwhile I've been working on a few projects myself.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: I'm up to the sixth episode now. The first two are already up on kitsunekko.

Cowboy Bebop: I've got the scripts for around 20 episodes, and I have someone who's already transcribed another episode. I'll start working on this after I finish with Evangelion (which looks like it'll take awhile...)

FLCL: Not yet started but the first three episodes' scripts are online.

If you'd like to help with any of these, I'd be really appreciative~

The projects I'd personally want to do are Friends (the Japanese dub, not the drama), Star Wars, The Matrix, and Samurai Champloo. The biggest obstacle I'm facing: transcripts! Well Star Wars does actually have them up online but I have to buy the Japanese DVDs first before I can do anything.

So we've already gotten a few suggestions but, like I said, these would have to be group projects since I've got my hands tied. Nevertheless, I plan to release tutorial videos to teach people the different steps of fansubbing. It's not difficult at all though, 約束するよ :)

So, what can I do?

There are different parts of the fansubbing process that range in difficulty.

1) Finding/making transcripts

Once you have the transcript, the rest is relatively easy. The only problem is, full transcripts are hard to find (but do exist) and take time to make.

As individuals, I don't think anyone of us would be able to handle transcribing an entire series. This is why the more people we have to contribute, the less work we all have to do, and we all benefit equally.

2) Timing/matching timing

This sound more tedious than it actually is because for many shows and movies there are already subtitle files on the Web that can we just paste the Japanese subtitles over. All that this really takes is matching the lines to fit properly, which I'll explain in video tutorial coming soon.

3) Double-checking

Watching the anime with the subtitles and making sure that there aren't any typographic or timing errors. This is probably the easiest of the tasks needed and does not necessarily need to be assigned.

So the fansubbing process is mostly reliant on transcripts. Thankfully there are a few sites that offer transcripts, but a main source is still lacking. I hope that through our subtitling efforts we can upload more as a resource for the online Japanese learning community.

So, interested in helping Baka Neko Subs out? Have a specific series in mind? Leave us a comment~

So, how will this work?

Fansubbing is much easier and takes much less time than you may expect, especially if you're working as a group.

There are a few programs you will need. The main one is Aegisub, which will allow you to create the subtitles. In order to display the subs, I would suggest VLC Player (make sure you tweak the options to display Japanese subtitles). There are other video players you can use, but I find VLC the easiest to use.

From there, all you need is the video file. While this group does not advocate piracy, for the purpose of creating subtitles I was thinking that we could share video segments that each person would be responsible for. This would be done through our Google Group.

The rest of the process depends on what we're working on and what role you choose to play. Full tutorials on each task will be posted soon.

So, how will this work?

Fansubbing is much easier and takes much less time than you may expect, especially if you're working as a group.

There are a few programs you will need. The main one is Aegisub, which will allow you to create the subtitles. In order to display the subs, I would suggest VLC Player (make sure you tweak the options to display Japanese subtitles). There are other video players you can use, but I find VLC the easiest to use.

From there, all you need is the video file. While this group does not advocate piracy, for the purpose of creating subtitles I was thinking that we could share video segments that each person would be responsible for. This would be done through our Google Group.

The rest of the process depends on what we're working on and what role you choose to play. Full tutorials on each task will be posted soon.

Wait, what if I'm not into anime?

Although the title of this blog may suggest an inherent オタクness of it all, Baka Neko Subs can create Japanese subtitles for just about anything if we can find groups of people willing to help.

Want exact subtitles for the Japanese dub of Friends? How about for The Matrix or Star Wars? Or how about リング? Making Japanese subtitles may take awhile, but as long as we are working together as a community we can accomplish anything.

So go ahead. Make suggestions for anything. Just know that the best way of assuring you get those sweet Japanese subtitles you've been dying for is to contribute. Once you take the initiative, everything else is downhill.

Why Baka Neko?

I chose the name for this blog because I figure "baka" and "neko" are in the basic vocabulary of anyone who's a fan of Japan, i.e. オタク.

But I also chose the slogan "Don't be a 馬鹿猫！”for the precise reason why these two words are so common. I always thought it was strange that a person could experience so much of the language watching subbed anime and in turn take away only a handful of words. In the same way that their inhibitions keep them from fully delving into learning the language, their misconceptions of kanji mislead them into thinking that  馬鹿 and 猫 look overly complex and incomprehensible. (credit to Heisig for proving otherwise) 

Though to be fair you commonly see both words as バカ and ネコ, the point is still the same: these fans of Japanese media go for years with constant exposure and yet no natural gain in language abilities for two reasons:

1) they tell themselves Japanese is too difficult/time-consuming/painful, etc. and give up before they even begin

2) use shoddy learning methods that lead to failure, and then blame themselves for their inadequacies to be "disciplined"

I didn't mean to single out otaku on this site or somehow aim to generate content with them as my primary audience, I just thought it would provide some food for thought for Japanese learners （笑い）

So don't be a 馬鹿猫. Join our community and help contribute to subtitling groups of your favorite shows and movies.

Suggestions needed!

Have an anime, drama, dubbed show or movie you want to learn Japanese from?

Can't find the Japanese subtitles anywhere?

Post your suggestions here!

While I can't guarantee every request be fulfilled, popular requests will garner bigger groups of people who will continue on to pursue other projects that catch their interest.