SF Saiyuki Starzinger II – Episode 2 (66/73)

Monster! Fight, Princess Aurora

The Cosmos headed for the second planet in the Golgore system. Kugo descends in the Starcrow and is mistaken for a god by the inhabitants who worship the Great Planet. Their village appears peaceful at first glance, but in fact it is ruled by a monster named Big Mar, who forces them to produce food. Kugo and the others head for Big Mar’s cave in pursuit of a young man who is trying to rescue his girlfriend, but he has all of his weapons taken away by the monster’s whip. Moreover, even Princess Aurora is taken prisoner!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

Hakka says this word a couple of times:

けしからん
Keshikaran

It means “outrageous”, “unforgivable”, “inexcusable”, things like that. You can hear it at 6:35 when he says this funny line:

他の事ならいざ知らず食い物の事となっちゃ許せねぇぜけしからん
Hoka no kotonara izashirazu kuimono no koto to naccha yurusenee ze keshikaran
I don’t care if it’s about other things, but when it comes to food, it’s unforgivable! Outrageous!

Every time Assistant Professor Dodge wants to say “stupid”, he says どじ doji (which sounds like his name), and he never uses a different word for it. It’s really funny! He has always done this since the first episode. He says at 13:35:

これは人また何かどじやらかしたんじゃん
Kore wa hito mata nanika doji yarakashita njan
He must have done something stupid again

And in 14:23:

このどじどじ
Kono doji! doji!
You idiot! idiot!

Those little things always get lost in translation.

At 15:33 Dodge says:

どっちじゃないどじだ
Docchi ja nai, doji da
It’s not Dodge, it’s Dork!

He got confused this time, and Kugo says:

この方が答えた
Kono hou ga kotaeta
What this person replied

That’s the direct translation, but you can tell it’s like saying “Whatever you say” or “As you say”. Kugo is laughing at it, obviously.

You might notice several characters say バビンの木 BABIN no ki, which means Babyn wood, or Babyn tree, depending on the context. There’s an example at 16:37:

みんなバビンの木を削ってやりを作るんじゃ
Minna BABIN no ki o kezutte yari o tsukuru n ja
Everyone, carve Babyn wood to make spears!

They don’t explain what “Babyn” is, but I think from the context of the whole episode that these trees are native to the planet Babylon, where they are, and have a poisonous sap that can hurt the Golgore monster.

Since that’s my assumption, I added a translator’s note in the episode because I know not everyone is going to come to this website to read these notes. This is the first time I’ve done it on this show.

Hakka breaks the fourth wall in this episode!

SF Saiyuki Starzinger II – Episode 1 (65/73)

Big Transformation! Jan Kugo

Kugo and his friends are called back to the Great Planet and reunited with Princess Aurora. They are asked by Professor Kitty to rescue the people of the Golgore system, a remote star system where Galaxy Energy cannot reach, from the hands of monsters. Princess Aurora, who sees her own past in Golgore’s princess, Frene, sets off again on the Cosmos to bring peace to the people. Arriving at the first planet, the group is attacked by the Golgore monster Dragon. Kugo confronts this unknown enemy with new powers given to him by Assistant Professor Dodge!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

A new series! If you can call nine episodes a series. You could also say it’s the final arc of the whole series.

There’s a new opening and a new ending. If you watched Spaceketeers in the US or El Galáctico in Latin America, you would immediately recognize this opening because it was the one that was used in both versions. Although in Latin America the opening was mirrored for some reason, the scenes were not in the same order and also contained some scenes from the ending as well.

Isn’t it ironic that Princess Aurora, even with the help of three very powerful cyborgs, took 64 episodes to reach the Great Planet, but Professor Kitty and Assistant Professor Dodge managed to get there in half an episode by themselves with no help whatsoever?

You can see that the Queen of the Great Planet is still alive since she talks to everybody at 16:37. That’s why Aurora is still a princess, and not Queen Aurora.

The new star system is called ゴルゴア GORUGOA, which sounds closer to “Golgore” in English. But it might well be “Gorgoa”. I thought “Golgore” is a better English adaptation, so that’s what I used.

Now Kugo has a new skill called アストロ・変身 ASUTORO henshin Astro Transformation. From now on, he’s pretty much the only one who can fight the Golgore monsters, and the other two won’t help too much. Also, the Princess can now use Galaxy Energy as a weapon with her new helmet. That makes her more helpful than Hakka and Jogo.

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 64

Fly! Towards the Great Planet

The Cosmos, which is about to reach the Great Planet, is chased by a mysterious black cloud and escapes to the Great Planet’s moon. The black cloud turns out to be an electrical energy particle monster, but it is a great struggle for our heroes against such an elusive opponent. Kugo is reunited with Bellamis during the battle, and they take a temporary truce to confront their powerful enemy. The only way to defeat the particle monster is to destroy its core with electromagnetic energy. Bellamis risks her life to face the monster, carrying the wishes of those who have lost their planets!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

And we have just reached the final episode of SF Saiyuki Starzinger! But don’t leave just yet; we still have to watch the nine episodes of SF Saiyuki Starzinger II to reach 73 total episodes of this show.

But if I’m being honest, I would’ve preferred if the show ended in this episode, around the 23:15 mark. The remaining nine episodes weren’t necessary. And I wonder, why were there just nine episodes?

Once again, Kugo is giving me headaches. I’m not really sure of what he says at 3:35:

なんだなんだ、もうすぐじゃねえかよ! きちまったら吐けねえもんだな! え?
Nanda nanda, mousugu ja nee ka yo! Ki chimattara hake nee monda na! E?
What? What? We’re almost there! I can’t throw up once I’m there, right?

He obviously says something nasty because of Hakka’s reaction to the comment, but I’m really not sure that’s what he says there. I’m 50% sure.

At 15:28, Princess Aurora says:

あれは光粒子のモンスターです
Are wa kou ryuushi no MONSUTAA desu
That’s a monster made of light particles

But then she says:

あれは電気エネルギーを持つ粒子のモンスターです
Are wa denji ENERUGII o motsu ryuushi no MONSUTAA desu
That’s a monster made of electrical energy particles

So what is it, Aurora? Because it’s not the same thing, you know. Is that energy made of photons (light particles), hence light? Or is it made of electrons (electrical particles), and it’s electricity?

Here’s something I totally forgot to talk about back in Episode 40. At 16:10, Bellamis says:

クーゴ、私の剣は電気剣なのだ
KUUGO, watashi no ken wa denji ken na no da
Kugo, my sword is an electric sword

The only time Bellamis have referred to her sword before this was in Episode 40, at 13:37. At that time I thought that “electric sword” was lame and that “electronic sword” was weird. So I deliberately changed the translation to “electromagnetic sword” because it sounded cool. To be consistent, I also used “electromagnetic” in this episode. But if you want to be a purist, keep in mind that it has always been an “electric sword”.

Bellamis says at 16:32:

たった1日、いや1時間でもいい、私は
Tatta 1-nichi, iya 1-jikan demo ii, watashi wa
Even if it’s just for a day or an hour, I…

And at 17:04:

たった1日、いや1時間でもいい。平和な時にあなたに会いたかった。
Tatta 1-nichi, iya 1-jikan demo ii. Heiwana toki ni anata ni aitakatta. 
Even if it was just for a day or an hour, I wish I could’ve met you in peacetime.

Yes, that means what you think it means.

At 20:09, Princess Aurora says:

そして大王星の女王はこれからいつもそばに
Soshite daiou sei no jou wa kore kara itsumo soba ni
And the Queen of the Great Planet, who will always be by my side from now on

Are you sure, Aurora? Because that’s not how it works! The Queen will die, and you will become the Queen of the Great Planet.


SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 63

Beyond the Space Storm!

Kugo and his team had passed through the Atlantis system. However, their relief was short-lived, as they were informed by Assistant Professor Dodge that the remaining amount of Galaxy Energy they had been radiating toward the sun was running low. They have two days of sunlight left. After that, they don’t know what will happen to the solar system. Kugo and the others rushed to the Great Planet, but they encountered a tornado in the gaseous nebula and had to flee into an asteroid to weather the storm. As the group takes a brief rest, an amoeba-like object looms ominously over them!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

We’re getting close to the end of Starzinger. One more episode to go.

Remember that after that, we have to watch nine episodes of Starzinger II.

At 7:55 Kugo says:

渦が激しくなっただけですよ
Uzu ga hageshiku natta dake desu yo
The vortex just got more intense.

I didn’t like the word “vortex” but he says that. Kugo means they are inside some kind of gas whirlpool.

Now that I think about it, I could have used “whirlpool”.

Eventually, it gets worse and turns into a gas tornado. Jogo confirms it at 8:14:

すごい渦さ いやこれは竜巻だ
Sugoi uzu sa… iya kore wa tatsumaki da
It’s an amazing vortex… No, it’s a tornado!

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 62

The Undersea Planet Atlantis

Kugo followed the Cosmos, but its whereabouts were unknown. The Cosmos crash-lands on the undersea planet Atlantis and destroys a statue of its guardian god. The Princess is taken by surprise by soldiers and becomes a captive. Hakka and Jogo are also taken captive, held in prison, and in desperate straits. Gills, who has been controlling Atlantis with his earthquake generator, decides to put Princess Aurora on trial for witchcraft and have her drowned in the sacrificial pit!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

The planet Atlantis is basically a hollow planet whose atmosphere is water. The city is underground. To get into the city, the Cosmos has to go through the water surrounding the planet and then through a crack or hole in the ground. It’s confusing at first. Jogo tries to explain it, but I think he falls short.

Obviously, the writers of the show got the name Atlantis from the Greek island mentioned in some of Plato’s work, which some believe to be under the water somewhere.

At first, I got the following line wrong: Prince Gills says at 11:36:

魔女でなければいかなるすいせんめにも耐えられるはずだ
Majo de nakereba ikanaru suisen-me ni mo taerareru hazu da

The problem here is the word すいせん suisen. If it’s 水煎 suisen then the translation would be “Unless you’re a witch, you’ll be able to withstand any boiling water”.

But after watching the episode, you realize that the water is not hot. So the correct word is 水洗 suisen which means “being flushed or rinsed with water”. That way, the direct translation is “Unless you’re a witch, you’ll be able to withstand being flushed with water”.

Then at 14:38, Prince Gills says:

もしお前が本当に魔女でなければ溺れ死ぬことはないはず
Moshi omae ga hontou ni majo de nakereba obore shinu koto wa nai hazu
Unless you’re a witch, you won’t drown.

Now this makes no sense at all since there’s no way a human can withstand that amount of water, and the Princess is definitely going to drown. She literally says so immediately after that:

それは理屈に合いません
Sore wa rikutsu ni aimasen
That makes no sense!

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 61

Launch! Kitty’s Laboratory

Monsters reanimated from dinosaur fossils invade the Kitty Research Institute. Kugo and his best friend Mori protect Professor Kitty, but their last hope, the Galactic Antenna, is destroyed. Professor Kitty has no choice but to launch the entire laboratory into space, where she can radiate Galaxy Energy toward the sun. Kugo and Mori patrol the evacuation center and fight the reappearing monsters. However, Mori loses his life in the process.

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

I’m never 100% sure of what Kugo says, especially when he’s angry or agitated. I know I’ve said this too many times. The same thing happens with Hakka.

I believe Kugo says at 5:27:

化石のくせにちょこまか動くない
Kaseki no kuse ni chokomaka ugoku nai
You’re a fossil! Don’t move around!

It’s something along those lines. He’s saying that fossils are not supposed to move but to be still.

Mori says at 7:24:

とて伏線切れません
Tote fukusen kiremasen
I can’t foreshadow it

He’s saying he can’t guess how many dinosaurs are out there. I changed that line a little bit; I didn’t like the word “foreshadow” in this context.

Here’s a line I know I should have changed, but I didn’t. A little later, Mori says:

キティ博士は絶対死なせてはならない人なんだ
KITI-hakase wa zettai shina sete wa naranai hito nanda
Professor Kitty is someone who should never be allowed to die

A professional translator would have said, “That sounds weird in English. We should change it to «We cannot allow Princess Kitty to die at any cost.»“. Maybe.

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 60

Here it comes! Earth’s Last Day

Solar heat began to decrease because of the decline of the galaxy’s energy. As a result, abnormal weather occurs all over the world. Cities are destroyed by the sudden appearance of dinosaurs. Princess Aurora learns of the abnormalities and fears for Professor Kitty’s safety, while Kugo heads for Earth with Princess Aurora’s consent. In an effort to suppress the decline of solar heat, the institute rushed the construction of the Galactic Antenna. Meanwhile, dinosaurs attack the laboratory. Can Kugo protect the antenna, the last hope for mankind?

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

At this point, I’m sure you know that Kugo always calls Professor Dodge (ドッジ Dojji) a dork (ドジ Doji). The word ドジ Doji can be a noun, like “dork”, or it can also be an adjective, like “clumsy”. ドジやらかした Doji yarakashita means “to make a stupid mistake”.

In this episode he makes a funny pun with both words at 2:12:

またドッジ助教授がドジやらかしたんじゃねーのか
Mata DOJJI jokyouju ga DOJI yarakashita nja nee no ka
Did Assistant Professor Dodge screw up again?

Assistant Professor Dodge even calls his employees like that at 10:26:

お前は何をやってんだこのドジめ
Omae wa nani o yattenda kono DOJI-me
What the hell are you guys doing? You dorks!

And this exchange is pure comedy gold:

早く大事なアンテナなんだ
Hayaku daijina ANTENA nanda
Hurry up! It’s an important antenna!

あったら助教授あっち行ってくださいよ
Attara jokyouju atchi itte kudasai yo
In that case, Assistant Professor, please go over there

どうして
Doushite
Why?

てそこでギャーギャー言われると気がついてダメなんですよ
Soko de GYAAGYAA iwareru to kigatsuite dame nan desu yo
Because if you’re over there you won’t scream at us!

The word ギャーギャーGYAAGYAA is an onomatopoeia that means “scream”.

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 59

The Mystery of the Ancient Planet

The Cosmos receives a signal for an SOS. It seems that there is a ship trapped on some planet. Since the Cosmos needs to correct its orbit in order to get there, Kugo heads for the site in his Starcrow. Kugo is attracted by the planet’s gravitational pull and is suddenly attacked by a group of strange soldiers. He escapes the attack and is reunited with Bellamis, who tells him that the strange soldiers are foreign troops of Gyuma’s army who are being hypnotized by a divine statue called Mandragon. So he and Bellamis set out to exterminate Mandragon!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

I think this is the episode where Kugo and Bellamis interact the most. It’s clear that Kugo has some feelings for Bellamis, and he doesn’t really want to fight her. Bellamis, on the other hand, has decided to fight Kugo and beat him one day. That’s what she always says, but looking at her eyes when she looks at Kugo makes you think she might want something else.

It’s time for you to decide who should end up with Kugo:

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At 12:44 Hakka says:

うな丼3超大至急
Unadon sanchou daishikyuu
Three bowls of eel and rice, ASAP

うな丼 Unadon is a popular Japanese dish.

Hakka doesn’t like when the Princess worries about Kugo, and he said that he was hungry, so that’s what he says on the radio when he’s supposed to call Kugo.

At 16:40 Kugo says:

ベラミス、残りの異星は俺の麻酔光線で眠らせてやるか
BERAMISU, nokori no isei wa ore no masui kousen de nemura sete yaru ka
Bellamis, should I put the rest of the aliens to sleep with my paralyzing beam?

This is the first time Kugo says “Paralyzer Beam” in Japanese. He says 麻酔光線 masui kousen, which means “paralyzing beam”, or maybe more accurately “anesthetic beam”. He always says “Paralyzer Beam” in English.

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 58

Edra, Queen of Illusions

Princess Aurora receives a message from the Queen of the Great Planet. But is it really from the Great Planet? The group heads for the queen’s palace, unable to shake off their doubts. Then, Princess Aurora disappears right in front of Kugo and the others. Sure enough, the planet was not the Great Planet. The queen’s name is Edra, the ruler of the planet Argo. She has lost her home planet in the battle against Gyuma’s army, and in order to restore it, she enslaves Princess Aurora and tries to monopolize the Galaxy Energy!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

In this episode, you can see Princess Aurora defeating an enemy using her Galaxy Energy. I think it’s the second time I’ve seen her do that, the first being on episode 18.

Kugo says at 7:35:

着陸態勢に入るぞ
Chakuriku taisei ni hairu zo
We’re going into landing gear.

I struggled a little with that line, and I didn’t like the final result. It literally says “We are entering into the landing posture”, or something along those lines. You could translate that to “Let’s get ready to land”, or “Let’s begin the landing”.

At 14:05 Professor Kitty says:

オーロラたちは幻の大王星を見せられたに違いありません
OURORA-tachi wa maboroshi no daiou sei o miserareta ni chigai arimasen
Aurora and the others must have seen a phantom Great Planet

The word 幻 maboroshi means “illusion” or “vision”. The title of this episode uses this word (幻の女王 maboroshi no joou), but I couldn’t find a way to use it to describe that this Great Planet is a fake one, an illusion.

The problem is that the word for “illusion” in Japanese is an adjective, so it can be used to modify nouns. In English, the word “illusion” is a noun, so you have to come up with some similar adjective to modify the noun “Great Planet”:

  • Phantom Great Planet
  • Fictitious Great Planet
  • Unreal Great Planet
  • Fake Great Planet (this one isn’t that bad, actually)
  • Deceptive Great Planet
  • … et cetera.

The best I could come up with is “phantom planet”. But it doesn’t really mean it’s a ghost planet, because that may sound like it is haunted. Just keep in mind It’s just an illusion.

SF Saiyuki Starzinger – Episode 57

The Ghost Monster’s True Identity

While eating, Hakka is struck by an invisible ghost. Moreover, an energy pipe is broken, and the Cosmos loses power. As soon as they switch to infrared lighting, Hakka sees the ghost for what it really is: a gaseous monster with phosphorus-like properties. They must get rid of it as soon as possible, but Kugo cannot use the Astro Pole for fear of damaging the ship’s interior. Soon after, the monster rushes into the Princess’s room in search of the Galaxy Energy!

You can download the torrent file from Anidex or Anirena, or get direct links from AnimeTosho.

Translation Thoughts

There’s so much dialogue in this episode. It was exhausting!

In this episode, Jogo and Kugo really bully the poor Hakka, and they should be over that by now. As expected, the Princess is pissed off about it. It pissed me off, too!

Jogo teaches kids that watch this show a lot about phosphorus and its properties in this episode. Phosphorus exists in two major forms: white phosphorus (also called yellow phosphorus) and red phosphorus. As Jogo mentions, when white phosphorus is exposed to oxygen, it produces a very faint glow in the dark, between green and blue. Also, the odor of its combustion has a characteristic garlic smell.

The heads of modern strike-anywhere matches usually contain phosphorous sulfide, produced only with red phosphorous. The most common matches that you strike on an abrasive strip in the matchbook do not have phosphorus sulfide in the head; the phosphorus sulfide is actually in the strip. These are safer than the strike-anywhere kind.

Like Jogo says, white phosphorus is extremely toxic to humans.

I’m sure one or two of you will learn something new about phosphorus if you watch the episode!

At 1:53 Hakka says:

これだから姫は話せるんだよね
Kore dakara hime wa hanaseru nda yo ne
This is why Princess can speak, isn’t it?

That’s a correct translation without any context. But you shouldn’t translate this line like that in this case.

The meaning of 話せるhanaseru (can speak/can talk) comes from 話す hanasu (speak/talk). But 話せる hanaseru can also mean “to be understanding” or “to be sensible”. It is still the potential form of 話す hanasu (potential form of the verb “to speak” is “can speak”) but depending on the context, it can mean “to be understanding”, like in this case.

This episode looks like a showcase for Japanese insults. Here are some new ones that I haven’t covered in previous episodes. At 2:01 Kugo and Jogo say:

くいしんぼう
Kuishinbou
Glutton

It can also mean “gluttony”. Another example, at 5:19 Jogo says:

何を言ってるんだこのねぼすけ
Nani o itteru nda kono nebosuke
What are you talking about, sleepyhead?

A ねぼすけ nebosuke is a person who’s always sleepy, or who over sleeps.