Kiss Players Fansub Project Now Available

karyuudo

karyuudo

Member
Citizen
Hi Karyuudo fans,

We've got a new translation project which may bring shock or freak the hell out of the Transformers fandom... yes, it's the release of Transformers: Kiss Players.

For those who aren't aware, Transformers: Kiss Players is a Japanese Transformers franchise which ran from 2006 to 2007, and conceived by artist and writer Yuki Ohshima. The story takes place in the Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity, specifically in the five-year interval between The Transformers: The Movie and Fight! Super Robot Lifeforms Transformers 2010.

The series contains mature subject matter and is aimed towards a much older Japanese male audience. For this reason, this series is NOT recommended for children. Additionally, we have placed an 18+ Flag on the story portions of the Kiss Players YouTube videos. The opening, messages and interviews with Lyrian, Yui Kano, and Satomi Akesaka are available for everyone to view.

If you're unsure whether you want to dive into this series, we highly recommend Chris McFeely's Basics on Kiss Players which will explain things in detail.

In terms of this release, our team has spent an incredible amount of time translating, authoring videos and creating a presentation for fans to (hopefully) enjoy.

Firstly we would like to thank Toolala who "encouraged" our team to even consider doing this project in the first place. If there's ever someone who you want to blame for this release even being considered in the first place, it's him. Toolala also provided us with the instructions from his open set of toys for scans which were used in this project.

Next, a huge thank you goes out to Powered Convoy for sacrificing his 15 Go! Go! Book, and creating clean high quality scans for us to use, as well as photographs of the unopened toy boxes he owns.

Also, Gyumaoh who acquired the Audio Drama rips for us in a lossless format so we could work with the highest quality possible.

And finally, our translators Ume Murazaki (Audio drama translations) and Ki-chan (15 Go! Go! translations) for their time and effort doing this project. The material is definitely NOT something most female translators would even consider tackling in the first place. As Ume Murazaki mentioned to me after the translation was done, "Kiss players is weird for sure, but it was funny in some parts and also made me think about Japanese society in general... mainly what a lot of men think about women... having to be sort of an airhead, or cute, or dumb to be desired. Let's just say it was an interesting experience. I'm just so glad I live where I do now, where you can live however you want."

As a team, we also echo her statement. While we do appreciate Kiss Players for having some interesting ideas which help connect the dots to the overall Japanese Generation 1 story, we do hope that Takara-Tomy will refrain from going this route again in the future. That being said, we do hope that if you do choose to download and watch this series that you will appreciate the hard work that went into it over these past 2 years. This translation will hopefully finally set the record straight on what material is contained in Kiss Players.

What this set includes:

  • Transformers Audio Dramas - With visual presentations using various source material - Presented with Japanese Audio with English Subtitles
    - 41 episodes
    - 4 Messages from the voice actresses,
    - 2 TF Information Station discussions with Lyrian / Yui Kano / Satomi Akesaka
    - Bonus Transformers Kiss Players Version Opening Song

  • Transformers Information Administration Bureau Teletraan 15 (Ichigo) Go! Go! (English translated + Japanese original scans)

  • Transformers Kiss Players (Audio only) FLAC format

  • CD / Instruction scans

  • Box Sketches and Chibi Image Scans

  • Box Photos
For the links to download / view this release please visit our blog here: https://karyuudofansubs.blogspot.com/2022/07/release-transformers-kiss-players.html
 
Sabrblade

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
In the scan for the second-to-last page of the Kiss Players/15 Go! Go! compilation volume (Scan 97), there is a line of information missing from the English translation. I told Kary about it and he has uploaded a corrected version separately, for those who have already downloaded the torrent.

Here it is - https://mega.nz/file/q1tzGRLB#_-3RmJe3YbjHD0ClpSZmwiYQqoeo48DmM68jhKPkE_g

EDIT: the link has been switched to another, even more updated version.
 
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Sabrblade

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
Ooooookay, I've been making my way through the series going by the order giving in the "Kiss Players complete story list" shown here (as the actual numerical order of the radio series episodes are not in chronological order):

pdRr9Gn.jpg


However, there is a slight conflict of timelines between this list and an earlier one giving on the back of the Sparkbots packaging:

6ps6xnP.jpg


In the Sparkbots box timeline (which was made only after the first half of Kiss Players was completed in 2006), Episode 24 of the radio series is placed very early in the timeline, right before the first CD drama featuring Atari and her shrunken Autorooper.

In the other timeline (which was made later, after the entire 2006-2007 Kiss Players series was concluded), Episode 24 was moved much later in the timeline, right after the third chapter of the manga.

It is the earlier placement of Episode 24 in the Sparkbots box timeline that TFWiki has been going by all this time ( having gotten much of its Kiss Players coverage from this website, unaware of the change in the later-made timeline) and which the torrent files and YouTube playlist for this subtitled release use as well. But, after having listened to the episode in relation to most of the other episodes and the three manga chapters, I feel that the later placement in the second timeline makes much more sense.

In Episode 24, Atari finally realizes a sense of humanity within her Autorooper, now believing that it is capable of thinking and feeling like the living Transformers from Cybertron, and no longer just thinking of it and the other Autoroopers as mere machines and weapons. This matches up very well with how, in the third manga chapter, there is a moment where her Autorooper tries to cheer her up by giving her a flower, but she cannot yet fathom that her Autorooper was sincere in its gesture and struggles throughout the chapter to realize that her Autorooper really did feel sorry for her and wanted to make her happy again. The two finally reconcile and join together by the end of the chapter, which really makes Episode 24 of the radio series feel like an epilogue to this affirmation of their friendship and partnership.

So basically, the video titled "Episode 5 (#24)" in the files/playlist is better played later, right after the third manga chapter and before the video titled "Episode 24 (#14)".

EDIT: Found another difference. In the Sparkbots box timeline, the 15 Go! Go! "Mysterious Falling Stars" chapter is placed between radio episode 38 and the final CD drama that serves as the finale to the first story arc. In the compilation volume timeline, this chapter is placed later, after the Cassettron Set booklet story (which doesn't appear to be included in the download, but it's text can be found translated here) and before radio episode 39.
 
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Tuxedo Prime

Tuxedo Prime

Well-known member
Citizen
Well. Well, well, well....

I suppose that, as with Chris McFeely's Basics video, it's a river we'd eventually have to cross.

That said, I'm very glad to hear that your translators survived the experience. Hopefully you've agreed to pay for any therapy that may be needed....

PLEASE_MAKE_IT_STOP!.png


(I've said it before and I'll say it again, when a psychological thriller game where The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You somehow ends up being more wholesome than a manga designed to tie into a Y7/C8 rating action cartoon, somebody on the latter project needed to be taken aside....)

But as Coffeehorse said above, this is one of the official Transformers media pieces -- and as the live action films gave us a Devastator that can never have a show-accurate toy, Megan Fox getting leg-humped by a tiny Transformer, and John Turturro getting "peed" on, it's not exactly like North America can claim the high ground on content. So.... here we are.

Your quoted translator raised an interesting point, regarding expectations and messages in Japanese media. I've been thinking on similar of late, watching, reading and revisiting various old and new series. But that's for a different thread.
 
Galvatron77

Galvatron77

All Hail Galvatron!!!
Citizen
Man I've been wanting to thank you for some time. Thanks to you I was able to watch BW neo and II. I been curious about kiss players for years, when I purchased Rossana and the other tapes I learned about this audios. Really, thanks a lot for your effort
 
PrimalxConvoy

PrimalxConvoy

NOT a New Member.
Citizen
Such a shame that Takara Tomy didn't learn from their lesson and then included sexualised, adult content that objectified women and girls in their pack-in Legends comics in Japan. I really do hope that this was the last time they do that.

I'm actually in the process (on and off) of creating a thread about gender/sex/sexuality and Transformers. I've got a green light (of sorts) to go ahead and release it. When I do, I'll include a link to this thread too.
 
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