Vol. 14 (Translation thread now)

[Sam]

As you all know now, volume 14 will be released in Japan november 19th.

You can now see a little picture of the cover of this volume in the japanese version of yukito.com.
Maybe a better version will be released on the site soon.

[Gallygun]

I really don't like that volume cover. It reminds me of the 3D renders he did for the Gunnm Tome books, which just weren't as attractive as the 2D designs. It just doesn't have the dynamic, exciting nature his covers usually do.

And a Deckman on the cover? It's just very ugly and boring from what I can see, though I am glad Alita is in purple again.

[Cailon]

My crappy screenshot.

So now we know what YK did last month, when he went on hiatus.
Hm, don't know, but won't this volume "only" cover up the chapters for the battle-preparations? Zazies flashback, a pondering Alita and Sechs... So the cover is somewhat fitting. I kinda like the long shot in the background and the memorial for the first astronauts (which appeared in one chapter, too). But the robot with the vending machine-head is toooo BAA-ish.^^ Thos crappy, crazy designs fit into the Scrapyard but into Tiphares/ Ketheres?
Ah well, I'm already exited of what the next cover will be

[Sam]

Maybe we have to wait to tell if this cover is really ugly or not. The definition is really too low. I think a cover can be improved by lot of details and light effects.

Firts approach is that it's not that we thought it will be!!

[D-Scape]

I got flashbacks to the original BAA volumes for some reason. The use of colors maybe...

The upper half looks a little undeveloped. That's where the title should have been placed.

[Sam]

This cover is the reproduction of page 120 from vol.12.

[moooV]

Vol14, Vol14... I'm still waiting for Vol13!

[vilma21]

oh yes im phyced i cant wait, the cover is a bit boreing but oh well.

[Cailon]

This cover is the reproduction of page 120 from vol.12.

Argh you're right! So that was so long ago already!
Uh, my last post was totally out of chapter order

SO! Why no Olympe, Taraba, Alduína or Gargantua on the cover? (in an actual scene, not as a band) hm. Well now I share your slight disappointment. I'm curious of what YK will write on his website for this one.

[Burning Angel]

We're still waiting for Volumen 13.

[Sam]

The vol.14 cover is now present in a better def. on the yukito website http://jajatom.moo.jp/album/gallery.cgi?mode=view&no=68

[vacendek]

The vol.14 cover is now present in a better def. on the yukito website http://jajatom.moo.jp/album/gallery.cgi?mode=view&no=68

Thx!

I like the cover. Finally the main act is back in the picture.
Her new outfit is great too!
Do I remember correctly that Yukito "is" Deckman?

Last Order 14 from amazon.co.jp
http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-langu ... uage=en_JP

[Dream]

I like this cover better than the one with cat Gally in fighting pose. the proportions don't look off.
But somehow I pesonally prefer the covers up to volume 10. Dunno, it lacks of something recently. can't point what, but it's not there.

[Megan_Gale]

Ah, it's fine. I gotta say those cheesecake pinup covers kinda grind my gears, especially with the moronic titles Viz gives the volumes. Try to imagine the spectacle of telling yer sig other, "No, really! It's incredibly an intelligent, well drafted comic with a sophisticated worldview and tons of obscure philosophical/scientific name-checking! It's a masterwork!!" and then they look at it and go, "...'Angel Cake', huh? Nice ass-shot." And then you're back at square one....
(I can't be alone in this experience.)
Ah, it's fine. I gotta say those cheesecake pinup covers kinda grind my gears, especially with the moronic titles Viz gives the volumes. Try to imagine the spectacle of telling yer sig other, "No, really! It's incredibly an intelligent, well drafted comic with a sophisticated worldview and tons of obscure philosophical/scientific name-checking! It's a masterwork!!" and then they look at it and go, "...'Angel Cake', huh? Nice ass-shot." And then you're back at square one....
(I can't be alone in this experience.)

[Burning Angel]

Ah, it's fine. I gotta say those cheesecake pinup covers kinda grind my gears, especially with the moronic titles Viz gives the volumes. Try to imagine the spectacle of telling yer sig other, "No, really! It's incredibly an intelligent, well drafted comic with a sophisticated worldview and tons of obscure philosophical/scientific name-checking! It's a masterwork!!" and then they look at it and go, "...'Angel Cake', huh? Nice ass-shot." And then you're back at square one....
(I can't be alone in this experience.)

Two words: Masamune Shirow (mangaka of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Black Magic M-66, and Dominion: Tank Police).

In fact, in many aspects Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita (the original and Last Order) and Masamune's work are very similar.

[BeastSoulEyes]

Two words: Masamune Shirow (mangaka of Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed, Black Magic M-66, and Dominion: Tank Police).

In fact, in many aspects Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita (the original and Last Order) and Masamune's work are very similar.

Except that most of the time Masamune Shirow work is so obscure, confused and full of 'eye candy' that you have to have other people come to make something out of it. The perfect example of that are the SAC series, they take a lot from the manga, but thanks to the fact that they actually make sense they become just glorious.
At least Kishiro don't fall into the trap of trying to sound intelligent by being cryptic, ohhh and the trap of booby ladies too.

[Burning Angel]

Except that most of the time Masamune Shirow work is so obscure, confused and full of 'eye candy' that you have to have other people come to make something out of it. The perfect example of that are the SAC series, they take a lot from the manga, but thanks to the fact that they actually make sense they become just glorious.
At least Kishiro don't fall into the trap of trying to sound intelligent by being cryptic, ohhh and the trap of booby ladies too.

I love Stand Alone Complex, too. Major Motoko Kusanagi kicks ass. But what I meant is that they are similar in plot, themes and style:


- Shirow's work and Alita are both cyberpunk/post-cyberpunk.

- Ghost in the Shell and Alita are both protagonized by powerful and attractive cyborg females that kick ass. In fact, many characters in Shirow's work and Alita are cyborgs.

- Appleseed and Alita both have a post-apocalyptic Earth with a utopian city.

- Shirow's work and Alita are filled with heavy dosage of socio-politics, philosophy, psychology/sociology and science/technology. And there are also many references to Transhumanism and Posthumanism.


The only major difference between Shirow and Kishiro is the delivery. Shirow's work is extremely obscure and filled with fan-service, while Kishiro is closer to more mainstream shonen (but, I am not comparing Alita to Naruto or Bleach).

[Sergio Nova]

I would never say that Shirow is obscure. Such an approach soubds simplistic to me.
Anyway, Ghost in the shell is quoted several times in BAA. It is clear that Kishiro appreciates the work.

[Burning Angel]

I would never say that Shirow is obscure. Such an approach soubds simplistic to me.
Anyway, Ghost in the shell is quoted several times in BAA. It is clear that Kishiro appreciates the work.

By obscure, I don't mean vague or unclear, I mean inconspicuous. For example:

- Section 9 is named after real-life German counter-terrorism unit GSG9 (Border Guard, Unit 9).

- Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution: the infamous disarmament order of Japan's new constitution after WWII. Given that Section 9 is an unofficial paramilitary unit, I'd say it's played for irony.

- In Stand Alone Complex, Prime Minister Kayabuki's surname is a reference to Margaret Thatcher - the kanji used translates as 'reed thatch'.

- Again in SAC, the bitten green apple at the end of season 2, which is supposed to show that Kuze was left-handed implying many things.

- Again in SAC, the locked car door at the end of the first season, which has been interpreted as a cyber-brain hack, a bomb, and simply indicating that the guy's car was broken into.

- Or when "Rhizome", a 20th century cognitive philosophical concept is mentioned in passing in SAC.
(The concept was developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in their Capitalism and Schizophrenia (1972-1980) project. It is what Deleuze calls an "image of thought", to describe theory and research that allows for multiple, non-hierarchical entry and exit points in data representation and interpretation.)

- Or in the Ghost in the Shell films when the Puppet Master quotes two consecutive Bible verses:

Firstly 1 Corinthians 13:12 from the King James Version, "For now we see through a glass, darkly."

At the end of the film a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child. Now that I am a man I have no more use for childish ways."

[Sergio Nova]

Thus, I misinterpreted your words. I apologize.
But you must agree that even Kishiro implies different meanings in his text.

By the way: to quote Maggie Tatcher is lack of creativity - or excess, I am not sure.

[Burning Angel]

Thus, I misinterpreted your words. I apologize.
But you must agree that even Kishiro implies different meanings in his text.

By the way: to quote Maggie Tatcher is lack of creativity - or excess, I am not sure.

You're right. For example, the names of some of the members of the Genome Kingdom team:

- Homme-du-feu

- Bigorne

- Chicheface

- Arduina

- Gargantua

They are all references to other works.

[^Ripper]

Volume 14:

I just got the scans from Sergio and heard that Lemonlol will be editing those.
Ultrajump -> Volumewise
Phase 86 -> 82
Phase 87 -> 83
Phase 88 -> 84
Phase 89 -> 85
Phase 90 -> 86
Phase 91 -> 87

So that is 6 phases in this volume release.
The index page nicely starts from 82 so phase counting is ok.
I have the edited pages from crazyankan phase 89,90,91. (Do you have 88 too?)
So that leaves 86,87,88 editing from scratch.
I'll start with 86 completely.

Also there is the font thingie i'll be talking about later.

[Lemonlol]

Uh, what??? 3 chapters to edit? Oh god...

86: uncleanable.
87&88: not too hard, but the raws are a little overburned.

I won't be able to do it right now, but I'll do it in a few days, I think.

[Sergio Nova]

SO! Why no Olympe, Taraba, Alduína or Gargantua on the cover? (in an actual scene, not as a band) hm. Well now I share your slight disappointment. I'm curious of what YK will write on his website for this one.

Olympe! Forget about the others. I do require a cover having Olympe as the only motif (no, do NOT include that gruesome Homme-du-Feu.

[^Ripper]

Here is finally a RC of volume 14...(My absence to blame)
It requires a final check for spelling and other errors.
http://stuff.rippersanime.com/Gunnm_LO_ ... eading.rar

Also the omake needs a translation see added files.
I hope these can get translated.

Lemonlol did an awesome job editing!

Also on another note.
The recent trend in dropping raw's, translations by various groups.
We all seen how site after site went down or stopped offering manga's completely.
Complying to the outcry of publishers to stop pirating.

Now its to nobody's surprise that we are really in the dark DARK GREY area when it comes to BAA LO
Especially since it IS licensed in the the US (and several other countries)
One part of me want to honor the work of Yukito Kishiro and just stop.
The other part of me craves BAA as if I'm addicted to cocaine and don't want to wait months/years for it to come out.
Drop the project <-> continue BAA while being in the dark anthracite colored area of the legality.

What do you think about this subject?!

Myself am inclined to make volume 14 the LAST volume release.
Stopping with volume releases to make people WANT/NEED to buy it to get all the extra's.
I'm only slightly faster then Viz...slightly
With manga getting easier to get online it should not be too much of a problem.
ebay, paypal account, online manga stores etc can make it all easy depending on where you live.

Stopping with phase releases? Probably not as i will get burned by the forum natives. Still debatable.

Stopping with the translation itself? NEVER! This forum will always be available for translating and discussions.

Ideally we would buy ultrajump and then read the translation on the forums.
Ideally != the most practically.

I probably should make a separate forum thread about this topic.
Probably if it gets debated enough
What are your thoughts on this matter?
Should we call it quits?
Are the publishers overreacting?
Am i too slow releasing volumes?

Speak up you mind!