My Girl [R1 DVD, YA Entertainment]

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myrmidon
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My Girl [R1 DVD, YA Entertainment]

Post by myrmidon » Feb 3rd, '07, 06:01

Wiki entry: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Girl

Title: My Girl (SBS TV Series)
Publisher: YA Entertainment
Region code: 1 (North America)
Screen format: Full-screen format, standard (4:3) aspect ratio
Languages: Korean (Dolby 2.0)
Subtitles: English (soft)
Extras: Sandglass ep.1; Shoot for the Stars ep.1
MSRP: $99.99

Review equipment: emachines T6524, ViewSonic VA1912wb monitor
Purchased at: www.yesasia.com (not available through global.yesasia.com)

Comments
Picture and sound quality are excellent, and the English subtitles are very understandable. However, song lyrics and on-screen text are usually not subtitled, which may annoy some. The entire series consists of 16 one-hour episodes, which are spread out over 6 DVD-9's. Each DVD contains 3 episodes except the last disc, which contains just episode #16 and the 'extras', which unfortunately are just the first episodes for two completely unrelated k-dramas (Sandglass and Shoot for the Stars). By comparison, the Korean region 3 release had very similar specs (full-screen, Dolby 2.0, 6 DVDs), but included some extras which were actually related to My Girl (mini-documentary, NGs, etc). Also disappointing is YAE's failure to subtitle the cast "Thank You Message" that plays during the ending credits of episode 16; however, they later uploaded a subtitled version of this final segment on YouTube:

Overall, although the lack of any real extras is disappointing, this is a fairly solid release by YA Entertainment. If all you really care about is getting the actual show itself in English-subbed format, you will likely be satisfied with this DVD set.

sabriyahm
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Re: My Girl [R1 DVD, YA Entertainment]

Post by sabriyahm » Feb 3rd, '07, 19:54

myrmidon wrote:Wiki entry: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Girl

Title: My Girl (SBS TV Series)
Publisher: YA Entertainment
Region code: 1 (North America)
Screen format: Full-screen format, standard (4:3) aspect ratio
Languages: Korean (Dolby 2.0)
Subtitles: English (soft)
Extras: Sandglass ep.1; Shoot for the Stars ep.1
MSRP: $99.99

Review equipment: emachines T6524, ViewSonic VA1912wb monitor
Purchased at: www.yesasia.com (not available through global.yesasia.com)

Comments
Picture and sound quality are excellent, and the English subtitles are very understandable. However, song lyrics and on-screen text are usually not subtitled, which may annoy some. The entire series consists of 16 one-hour episodes, which are spread out over 6 DVD-9's. Each DVD contains 3 episodes except the last disc, which contains just episode #16 and the 'extras', which unfortunately are just the first episodes for two completely unrelated k-dramas (Sandglass and Shoot for the Stars). By comparison, the Korean region 3 release had very similar specs (full-screen, Dolby 2.0, 6 DVDs), but included some extras which were actually related to My Girl (mini-documentary, NGs, etc). Also disappointing is YAE's failure to subtitle the cast "Thank You Message" that plays during the ending credits of episode 16; however, they later uploaded a subtitled version of this final segment on YouTube:

Overall, although the lack of any real extras is disappointing, this is a fairly solid release by YA Entertainment. If all you really care about is getting the actual show itself in English-subbed format, you will likely be satisfied with this DVD set.
What do you mean by very understandable? Are the complete with proper grammer and spelling? Or are they just good enough for me to tell whats going on. I am very picky about my subtitles and this is a set I can't rent first so please be more specific. Thanks.

myrmidon
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Re: My Girl [R1 DVD, YA Entertainment]

Post by myrmidon » Feb 3rd, '07, 20:49

sabriyahm wrote:What do you mean by very understandable? Are the complete with proper grammer and spelling? Or are they just good enough for me to tell whats going on. I am very picky about my subtitles and this is a set I can't rent first so please be more specific. Thanks.
The reason I used the term 'understandable' is mainly because I don't feel comfortable saying if subtitles are good or bad, since I don't understand Korean and therefore can't judge their accuracy. In terms of grammar and spelling, it's a fairly professional job, so you won't be distracted by a bunch of annoying typos (although it's been a few months since I watched it, so I can't guarantee that it was 100% mistake-free).

As for completeness, as far as I can remember every spoken line was translated, except the cast "thank you message" that plays during the ending credits of episode 16 (though, as I mentioned earlier, YAE later uploaded that on YouTube). They also didn't subtitle any of the songs... unfortunately, there's a scene where Yoo Rin performs karaoke, and because the song isn't subtitled, Gong Chan's later comment about the song is a bit confusing. YAE did put a subbed version of this scene on YouTube also:

kobe23
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Post by kobe23 » Feb 4th, '07, 07:03

lol they might as well put the entire series on youtube

Annessa
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Re: My Girl [R1 DVD, YA Entertainment]

Post by Annessa » Feb 7th, '07, 07:16

Thanks for the review! Here are my thoughts:

YAE normally does not sub songs or text onscreen (like signs, etc). Personally, that doesn't bother me... I think too much becomes a bit distracting. Also, I agree about the lack ofextras on this set. However, I'd like to mention that YAE had a difficult time obtaining rights to any extra shows, NG scenes, interviews, etc. related to My Girl. I recall there was a discussion on soompi before the dvd was even released, and a member there even wrote to Tom Larsen and inquired about extra features. They tried, so I'll give them credit, but couldn't get anything for My Girl ... they know we want extra features, so I think they're probably working on it for future dramas. I believe Goong is the first, and only YAE release so far to have any extras at all.

ladyroake
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Post by ladyroake » Feb 7th, '07, 07:50

I think subbing the drama's songs is pretty important. If I'm gonna shell out that much money I want to be able to enjoy the whole experience. Music is a very important aspect of any movie/drama. The lyrics of songs makes me really feel for what's going on in the drama. Music isn't an extra but an integrated part of a drama. Having said that, I think I will pass on the version and wait for a better one to come out.

Thank you so much for your review... I was having a hard time making a decision to buy or not. You made the decision easy cause I won't pay that much money for a set with no real extras or sub for lyrics and on-screen text.

Thanks again.

pokute
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Post by pokute » Feb 7th, '07, 15:40

I think ladyroake has the right attitude. These are supposed to be professionally produced subtitled dvd's. Somewhere along the line the concept of "professional" lost it's meaning. The total amount of time required to sub and typeset a dvd is not huge. Fansubbers manage to do it in their spare time (however, it does take a LOT of spare time!!), people who are getting paid WELL to do it (and my suspicion is that most are paid POORLY), should be able to do at least as good a job without driving the production costs through the roof.

Bruno
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Anh?

Post by Bruno » Feb 7th, '07, 16:05

Wtf u said? 4*3 fullscreen?
this is a shame
':cussing:'

pokute
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Re: Anh?

Post by pokute » Feb 7th, '07, 16:12

Bruno wrote:Wtf u said? 4*3 fullscreen?
this is a shame
':cussing:'
Was it originally widescreen? I was wondering whether a widescreen version of Full House exists, because there are scenes that look to me like they were intended to be wider.

kobe23
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Post by kobe23 » Feb 7th, '07, 23:08

Subbing text on screen is absolutely crucial - it could make the difference between a viewer understanding what's going or being totally bewildered. Fansubbers have done this quite well by subbing stuff like notes, signs, banners, caller id etc. But professional subbers tend to omit these details (from what I've seen in movie DVD's anyway) and gives the viewer the impression they don't care and don't enjoy the title very much, as opposed to the fansubbers who pour their heart and soul into their work.

pokute
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Post by pokute » Feb 8th, '07, 00:13

A neighbor of mine dubbed voices for cartoons - he said that they weren't even given the chance to see the show that they were voicing... They had a script and had to guess about the mood. He said he just did everything with the same ditzy manic voice. Sometimes subtitles look like they were done the same way.

Bruno
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Location: Brazil

yes

Post by Bruno » Feb 8th, '07, 04:01

Yes, My Girl sure is 16*9 widescreen
They made a 4*3 standart DVD version is a shame 4 me
I'll never buy something with this kind of encode

Shineeee YA Entertainment
¬¬

myrmidon
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Joined: Jan 3rd, '07, 03:19

Re: yes

Post by myrmidon » Feb 17th, '07, 18:10

Bruno wrote:Yes, My Girl sure is 16*9 widescreen
They made a 4*3 standart DVD version is a shame 4 me
I'll never buy something with this kind of encode

Shineeee YA Entertainment
¬¬
Unlike my nitpicks with the subs, I'm not sure it's entirely fair to blame YAE for the encode, since they basically had to work with whatever transfer the licensor provided them. It probably would have been difficult for them to demand a widescreen version when even the korean R3 release was full-screen (1:33.1). Here are the specs for the Starmax release (taken off some website, so I can't be sure if they're 100% accurate):

subtitle: English, Korean
audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
company: Starmax
country: South Korea
aspect ratio: 1.33:1
case: Digipack

Region Code: 3, NTSC
Single Side Dual Layer

Special Features:
- Hot My Girl
- Characters
- Happy Virus, Lee Da-hae
- Super Rookie, Lee Jun-gi
- NG cuts
- Oops cuts

Bruno
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Location: Brazil

hmm

Post by Bruno » Feb 17th, '07, 18:32

well, so the best version is the tv-rip
that is 16*9 at least
~_~

veracious
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Post by veracious » Feb 17th, '07, 18:39

I watched My Girl on the Korean DVD set... It was fairly well-done, though it was clear that the subber was not fluent in English and had to rely on a dictionary with some words - thus leading to odd, sometimes difficult-to-understand word choices. Like "impudent" - not an English word you hear every day - seemed to pop up in the subs all the time!

They weren't truly terrible per se. But in one scene Yoo-Rin tells Gong Chan "I'm sorry for making you hard alone". I was like, "Wait, did she just say that?" - but then I figured it meant "to stress somebody" or "to annoy somebody" (it was the scene before the "Absolutely!"-song, by the way).

My point is - to anybody who has seen both versions, or just the YA one, are the YA ones good in terms of understandability? I'd say bad subs are when you have to translate something into understandable English before you can grasp its meaning. I'm getting the Goong YA set and My Girl is my second favourite drama so I'd love to get the best DVD of My Girl, as well.

Annessa
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Post by Annessa » Mar 5th, '07, 18:28

ladyroake wrote:I think subbing the drama's songs is pretty important. If I'm gonna shell out that much money I want to be able to enjoy the whole experience. Music is a very important aspect of any movie/drama. The lyrics of songs makes me really feel for what's going on in the drama. Music isn't an extra but an integrated part of a drama. Having said that, I think I will pass on the version and wait for a better one to come out.
Do you think a better version from YAE will be released eventually? I already bit the dust and ordered this set, only because yesasia.com marked several dramas for sale... not a huge markdown or anything, but i only paid $54.99, which is probably the lowest i'll see this set go for the time being.

from what i've heard about the official Korean version, the subbing leaves a lot to be desired. i don't think they will release another version, but i could be wrong... even if they did, the quality of subtitles usually is mediocre at best (other SBS Productions dramas include Happy Together, Seo Dong Yo Vol. 1-3, which I've heard had terrible subs).

for myself, i don't mind extra translations only because i have been learning Korean for a few years now... but i guess, coming from non-speakers of the language, it is understandable to want the extra subbing. has anyone e-mailed YAE regarding this? i'm sure they appreciate the extra feedback.

Auty
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Post by Auty » Mar 5th, '07, 18:38

I got the boxed set a week ago.. I really love it. The subs are excellent and understandable and seeing it on the big screen is a plus obviously.. but you know, when watching the video the quality is sorta different than what I remember seeing in the HQ TV versions..

Of course the lack of extras is dissapointing, but I really wanted the series so it didn't matter too much in the end. Thankfully I got it while it was on sale for 55$ instead of 99$.

Annessa
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Post by Annessa » Mar 14th, '07, 09:16

^ i also got my boxset recently... my parents are currently watching it. imo, the subs are very good... however, i do prefer the work of fansubbers because they do a better job to convey the feelings and emotions the characters are expressing.

Annessa
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Post by Annessa » Apr 4th, '07, 18:22

alright, i finally got around to watching some of the discs... i'm so glad i kept the HQ widescreen tv rips, because it was somewhat disappointing to watch this in full screen... otherwise, i can't complain too much. i loaned the set to my sister, and sat through a couple episodes with her... i just have a few comments about the translation. translation is very accurate, but awkward usage of words/expressions.

examples:

the scene where Yu-Rin receives a cell phone from Jung-Woo-- she says something along the lines of... "it must be very expensive" but it was translated as "it must have cost an arm and a leg." i suppose if English isn't your native language (like my parents), they don't understand it's a figure of speech. it seems like they aim for more "fancy" translations than fansubbers. i honestly prefer the work of fansubbers overall... it's concise, yet conveys the meaning well (for the most part). it's not a big deal, the translations are accurate, but i just thought i'd mention it.

another scene where she was walking with Jung-Woo... she was saying a bunch of things about Gong-Chan's character... they used the word "niggardly" and my sister had to pause the disc just to ask me what it meant. i rarely hear or see this word used, perhaps controversial because it resembles a racial slur... but it means "miserly." why couldn't they just use that?!

it seems like they try to translate certain expressions into slang used in American English or references that would make it easier for us to understand. for me, personally, learning Korean is so much more helpful in watching dramas because i feel like much of the feeling/emotions are often lost in translation. there are plenty more examples, but i can't remember them all at the moment.

veracious
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Post by veracious » Apr 4th, '07, 18:26

Yeah, I got this recently and rewatched about 40% of the drama and yes, the translations are full of English idioms - in both good and bad. Good in that they made some bits far more understandable than the very literal translations on the Korean box. Bad in that some expressions were just a tad too unordinary to fit the characters mouth..

But I've no huge complaints. Love this show, very glad I own the box set now. :D

theedqueen
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Post by theedqueen » Apr 15th, '07, 19:11

I have the set too, and I don't mind the subtitles as long as they're not chock full of misspellings or grammar mistakes I'm ok. The only complaint I have about the dvd is that I much prefer having WS instead of FS presentation. I don't understand why SBS didn't give it to YA to work with in the first place, but oh well. Maybe one of these days they will get them, plus extras and put out a special dvd set. And hopefully by that time I make enough money to blow on all the drama sets I want :whistling:
Last edited by theedqueen on Dec 31st, '07, 04:24, edited 1 time in total.

kablz
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Post by kablz » Jun 20th, '07, 11:59

have the episodes been cropped to make the aspect ratio 4:3?

pokute
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Post by pokute » Jun 21st, '07, 17:33

kablz wrote:have the episodes been cropped to make the aspect ratio 4:3?
Yes.

Rasckita
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Post by Rasckita » Nov 24th, '07, 03:31

have the episodes been cropped to make the aspect ratio 4:3?
Yes.
OMG really?
So no letterbox or widescreen option?

(is this version director's cut? Or better asking...is there a director's cut version of "my girl"?)

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