Plus all the translator notes explaining cultural norms and phrases that didn't really have translations. Also signs. Dear god I miss have signs get translated. It's a weird thing to miss, but it demonstrated the effort that was going into those early fansubs. Maybe I just miss the craftsmanship of it all in a world that seems determined to throw away craftsmanship.
Even more importantly, trans people didn't exist at all back then so you didn't have anybody who would intentionally vandalize a translation by making Nagatoro say sus.
Yeah the typesetting skills in some of those fan groups put official localizations to shame. I understand people wanting to throw money at the "official" version when there is an easy way to do so, but personally the effort and quality on official anime localizations are so piss poor compared to groups of dudes doing it for free as a passion project in their mom's basement in 2005 that it is hard for me to conclude that they deserve anything at all. Anyone who wants to support the show can buy the source material if they want; more probably goes to them than if you pay a monthly sub to Crunchyroll anyway.
The lettering always had bordering and the coloring was chosen with good contrast in mind so that it was never a struggle to read the subtitles, which is far more than can be said for every single official sub I've ever seen.
Plus all the translator notes explaining cultural norms and phrases that didn't really have translations. Also signs. Dear god I miss have signs get translated. It's a weird thing to miss, but it demonstrated the effort that was going into those early fansubs. Maybe I just miss the craftsmanship of it all in a world that seems determined to throw away craftsmanship.
Even more importantly, trans people didn't exist at all back then so you didn't have anybody who would intentionally vandalize a translation by making Nagatoro say sus.
Yeah the typesetting skills in some of those fan groups put official localizations to shame. I understand people wanting to throw money at the "official" version when there is an easy way to do so, but personally the effort and quality on official anime localizations are so piss poor compared to groups of dudes doing it for free as a passion project in their mom's basement in 2005 that it is hard for me to conclude that they deserve anything at all. Anyone who wants to support the show can buy the source material if they want; more probably goes to them than if you pay a monthly sub to Crunchyroll anyway.
The lettering always had bordering and the coloring was chosen with good contrast in mind so that it was never a struggle to read the subtitles, which is far more than can be said for every single official sub I've ever seen.