(I wrote this a long time ago, November sometime, forgot to post it)

At the risk of making this sound like a Coalguys rant about subbing techniques (maybe they don’t do this anymore, haven’t been to their site in ages), I’d like to take a line-by-line analysis of a Crunchyroll script (script courtesy of HorribleSubs):

Butler: Do you have any questions?
Yuuto: Well if not any, everything is questionable,
Yuuto: but…what should I do right now?

Now, that’s annoying because it’s unreadable. But don’t worry, it gets better (by which I mean that it gets worse):

Touka: When I say grilled fish, I mean Ma-Iwashi (true sardine)!
Touka: Why would you use Urume-Iwashi(imitation sardine)!?

TL note time: Ma-Iwashi == Japanese sardine; Urume-Iwashi == round herring. Both ma- and urume-iwashi are of the family Clupeidae, but while the Japanese sardine is of the genus Sardinops, the round herring is of the genus Etrumeus.

But what’s important isn’t scientific classification (please tell me if I’m wrong about this, by the way — I used Wiki as my guide) — it’s the fact that there’s no reason to leave ma-iwashi untranslated and *also* put a translation next to it. Even worse is the fact that CR calls urume-iwashi “imitation sardines.” Urume-iwashi aren’t imitation sardines, any more than cod is “imitation salmon.” Okay, well, that’s a bit further off, but you get the idea. (To my idea, the appellation “imitation sardines” implies the falsity that urume-iwashi are artificially processed, like imitation crab.)

But I think the thing that made me saddest about CR’s subbing this time was this:

Touka: Wh-who are you calling an underdeveloped pet tiger!?

Crunchyroll: please hire anime fans to do your subbing, and please treat us like we’re a bit more intelligent than fifth graders. We’d appreciate it.

Oh wait, this is an anime blog isn’t it — I’m supposed to talk about the anime. Well, in this episode, Ayase Yuuto takes the stocking off of a loli and touches her **** with a long stick. My brain was pretty much on loli-overload the entire episode, so I’m not actually sure what went on. (Speaking of which, NHNH has gotten more fanservice-y since last season, hasn’t it? I guess they have to compete with crap like Kanokon and such… Shame they’re stooping so low in the name of gaining a wider audience.) Sorry, guess you’ll have to stream the episode on Crunchyroll yourself (if you’re not from the United States of Manifest Destiny, guess you’re not blessed enough to watch it on their site — I’m sure you’ll find another way )

[Other translation notes: Khorosho (pronounced something closer to "khuh-ru-sho") is a Russian word that means, approximately, "good" or "fine", and is a word of praise (thank you to my linguist friend who helped me on that). A zanba-tou is a big sword (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanbat%C5%8D).]

You know, there’s something about Haruka’s personality that I don’t really like. I think it’s how she’s always saying sorry this and sorry that, and that “I’m so helpless without you, Yuuto,” blah blah blah. I understand that this show is supposed to be catering to losers who wish they had a girl who was completely submissive and dependent on them and all that, but, seriously, I get tired of it after a while.

Now, Haruna, on the other hand… is a mature, sexy lady who’s not afraid to set that lacrosse ball on fire with her well-executed shots. And that’s hot.

I’d like to note that Crunchyroll’s translation for this episode improved significantly. Good job guys, seriously.

In this exciting and slightly scandalous episode of Nogizaka Haruka’s Secret, Haruka and Yuuto… um…

(Haruka: “If you *** it ** so deep…”
Yuuto: “L-Like ****?”)

…Haruka and Yuuto attend a doujinshi fair! (TL Note: doujinshi are self-published works from amateurs and sometimes professionals primarily in the fields of manga and anime (note courtesy of CR)) Also, a couple tsundere from well-known anime make guest appearances, and… what else… Oh! You lolicons out there are going to love this episode. Just thought I’d mention that.

By the way, we all have a working understanding of Japanese sound effects, right? Koku koku.

[non-Haruka note: as a result of some poor studying choices I've made in the past couple weeks, I will not be able to work on Seto no Hanayome for the next month or so, unless I am extremely lucky. However, this does not mean the project is dropped.]

[semi-SPOILER/helpful note: "ireru" means to insert something; it can also be used in the context of coloring, to 'fill in' a space with ink or pencil or what have you.]

So, I was watching Haruka on Crunchyroll, where I have a one-year subscription, because I support the American anime licensing industry — after all, Crunchyroll has done everything we in the anime community have been asking for for years (“I’d stop watching fansubs if Japan would just give us legal subs as soon as the episode came out in Japan”, etc. etc.), and I have to respect that…

There’s a lot of steam in an onsen/rotenburo. I understand that. But it’d be nice if the steam didn’t cover the entire screen for minutes at a time.

Oh my, I’m getting ahead of myself. Anyway, in this first episode of the second season of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, Haruka and her friends (Yoshiko and Naha, and some others too) go to a hot springs to relax. Pretty typical episode, though we do have a new character (I think she’s new anyway — I didn’t finish watching the first season).

The opening and ending songs are pretty nice as well, if you’re lucky enough to know Japanese (since Crunchyroll didn’t sub the songs and all).

Also, lacrosse is the best sport ever (Haruna > Haruka).

P.S.: Sorry for the delayed blog post for episode 1. Episode 2 blog post should be very soon (within a day or two of Crunchyroll airing it).

xess edit: I love CR (This is just a screenshot of what I see from CR, not the actual video)