About three months ago, UTW officially turned 4 years old, quietly, generally unnoticed, unlike its previous birthdays. A day before that, on April Fools, I made a quick announcement that UTW would be taking a season off, and that we would probably be back after that.
Now that the Summer 2014 anime season has officially started, it’s perhaps a little late for any announcements of the group’s plans, but it’s better late than never. Two of the shows this season are sequels to shows I’ve personally worked on under the UTW name in the past: Sword Art Online II, and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Ilya 2wei!
It is with regret that I announce that we will not be working on Sword Art Online II. Although we did put in a considerable amount of time and effort subbing the first season back in 2012 (it’s been two years! How time flies!), unfortunately the staff working on the show did not enjoy it very much. It wouldn’t make sense to sub it now either, with CR/HS providing releases within a couple hours of the show’s airtime in Japan and a few other fansub groups also jumping in on it. I apologize to those of you who were looking forward to follow the series with us once again, but I’m sure our absence will have little effect on your enjoyment of SAO in the six months to come.
As for the second title, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Ilya 2wei!, __ar has plans to push ahead with it and has already assembled a team for it; I will be assisting as a consultant but will not be directly working on the release itself.
As of today we have no plans for any other shows, but between CR/HS and other groups you should be pretty much covered.
What follows next concerns the group’s future plans, spoilered because giant walls of text are bad:
[spoiler]As I mentioned earlier in this post, how time flies! It’s been over four years since UTW was founded, and more years still since I began fantranslating. Along the way, I’ve worked on media including doujinshi, manga, anime, VNs, games, and more, and learned many, many things (most of which probably won’t be of much use in the real world!). Though I’ve lost an astronomical amount of time to and put in a great deal of effort into this hobby, looking back, I can definitely say I don’t regret it. Your appreciation and continuous support gave me the energy I needed to wake up in the dead of the night, toil over the releases for hours on end, and then deal with the lack of sleep and what the rest of the day had to throw at me, every week, every year, for the past four years. You guys were a big part of what kept me going.
When I first began fansubbing anime, the environment was very different. Already my memory is hazy, but at the time, simulcasts were very few in between, and when available were late and often of poor quality. CR I believe was just starting to take off, and fansubbing was thriving. Fansub releases were pretty much the only way to watch anime timely outside of Japan, and the fansubbing itself was done quite differently from now (it was generally much less efficient). Over the years, there have been many innovations to the craft, particularly in the areas of video and typesetting, as well as the methodology (the use of public pads, for example), and I’m glad to have participated in, pushed for, and witnessed these innovations.
In the past four years of working for and running UTW, my life too went through many changes. I was still in my college dorm room in the US when we excitedly founded the group and independently subbed our very first episode, and since then I have emigrated to Asia, held a day job (and an evening job concurrently at one point), and am now attending medical school. I went through a couple girlfriends and spent time with my family, all the while juggling this secret time-consuming hobby of fansubbing with my real life. And even after simulcasting companies started taking over practically every title each season, after the workload of medical school forced me to sacrifice even more of my free time in favor of fansubbing, it was your generosity, kindness, and unending support, as well as the joy of working with the wonderful and talented people I have the honor of calling my fellow staff, that kept me going.
Even so, I knew for a long time that this wasn’t sustainable. Even when I was working two jobs, I somehow managed because my free time was mine to control, and waking up in the dead of the night gave me more free time. That changed after I began studying medicine. It’s unbelievable how much time studying that stuff takes. It’s ridiculous how much you have to remember and be able to accurately recall without much prompting or clue. While my classmates locked themselves in the library and their rooms studying all day and night for our first ever finals, I was subbing the Evangelion 3.33 movie all day for the three days or so that it took us to release, then pulling all-nighters to catch up on the studying (of which I was already behind on to begin with from the weekly subbing I was already doing), along with my extracurricular activities, sports competitions etc… You get the idea.
The workload literally doubled this year, for Year 2, which effectively forced me to sit out from working on anything last season so I could pass my exams. And during this break, I was able to figure a few things out.
First, it’s that every show that isn’t virtually ignored by humanity in general has been simulcasted for a long time now, and so fansub groups like us aren’t really needed. For a long time I’ve told myself that the improvements I made here and there, the better video, the glorious typesetting etc. that we offered were worth the time and effort, even though, also for a long time, I didn’t believe it. At the same time, I felt duty-bound to deliver because you guys cared. It made the effort worthwhile. But after stepping back for one season, it only highlighted how unneeded we are as a group. I know full well that you guys still want us around, but you don’t need us. And that goes double these days, with the reliable simulcasting and more-than-acceptable quality, particularly for a niche medium like anime.
Second, and somewhat related to the first, is that I feel there’s plenty enough talent and skill in fansubbing (and even in some of the simulcasts, script-wise) that my departure won’t matter. It’s true that the extremely skilled and native translators of old that were around when I first started fansubbing are now a rarity, but incompetence was also rampant back then. The translators I’ve had the chance to work with recently more than make up for it with exquisite attention to nuance and detail, and a creativity with and sound command of the English language. Simulcasts have also upped the bar considerably; the best translators at CR rival our own, and their access to scripts gives them an incredible advantage. Thanks to CR, one does not even need a translator to start a fansub group now.
Third, it really hit me how much more free time and less stress I had from simply taking a season off. I didn’t have to schedule my life around the airtimes of the shows I work on, and I didn’t have to deal with all the crap that comes with working for and running a fansub group. It was like a load off my shoulders; it was liberating. I had time to concentrate on studying, and after my exams, I had the extra time to catch up on Game of Thrones, find a new girlfriend, and go wakeboarding. I wasn’t able to make time to follow any shows from last season due to the intense studying, but if I took this season off too I’d be able to pick up a few shows and truly enjoy them (subbing a show is pretty much the best way to kill it for you, by the way). I know this paragraph comes off as rather selfish, but I would never wish this on anybody, and I’m sure you wouldn’t wish it on me either.
I could keep going, but I’m sure you’ve heard enough about me. What remains is for me to say a few things about the future of the group itself.
First, about the F/SN remake airing next season. Believe me, I am extremely excited about it too and very much look forward to it. However, whether I will personally work on it or not is still up in the air. The quality and punctuality of the legal alternatives will be the deciding factor: if the simulcaster provides legitimate 720p video or above and/or the script quality isn’t completely unacceptable, I will almost certainly forego the opportunity of working on it, because, well, I think you’d agree that waking up at 3am in the morning and spending 5-6 hours to make a bunch of insignificant changes in an already decent script for a show that 90% of people have already watched because they couldn’t wait isn’t exactly a good use of my time and sanity… right?
What happens after that is anyone’s guess. Perhaps we’ll close up shop for good, but there’s still Evangelion 4.44…
Next, about donation money, a subject many of you will no doubt be interested in. As of today (July 8th, 2014), about a year after our donation drive, $1,127.43 remain. I still have a BD expense or two that I owe to some people, but as you can see I did increase our spending rate considerably (it’s not difficult to do that; most of it went into renting new shared servers). I did so because I didn’t (and still don’t) know what to do with so much money. However, I’ve cut the main server I’ve been using since UTW’s beginnings last month and moved our FTP to a server shared by a few other groups and individuals to minimize the cost, given that I probably won’t be subbing for much longer. The funds will go to contributing to that server for now… until we come back or start some other venture, who knows?
I know some of you will no doubt suspect me of embezzlement, and it’s true you have nothing other than my word for it that the money hasn’t been misspent, but I’ll take it upon myself to reveal some information I don’t have to reveal because I respect your generosity. The funds are still sitting in a separate bank account I opened in the US specifically for it. Transferring those funds to where I am now would require a lot of paperwork and fees and I have no intention of doing so. Even transferring those funds to my Paypal to pay for servers requires time, partly as a measure to keep the vast amount of donation money safe. To this day, I am proud to say that I have not spent a single cent from the fund for personal reasons. As for the stories of me using the money to pay for medical school that are apparently circulating around… please, 3.7k is about a month’s worth of tuition fees, and I’ve just passed my second year. I’m paying for that using student loans and scholarships, like every typical student.
What happens after the group disbands? Well, some of us will continue to work in other groups, for CR, in other ventures… and some of us will/have already moved on to greener pastures. Who knows what the future holds?[/spoiler]
At any rate, thank you for continuing to follow and support us even now, and let’s enjoy this huge season of anime!
What the fuck, Raze is back?
Such is life.
It’s going to be another sad year when we see great fansub groups and/or translators disappear. ๐
I think I can sum up everyones thoughts…..
*clears throat*
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Well that was the most depressing email I’ve gotten at 1 am ever. I’ve only been with following for 2 years but you’ve been my favorite group by far. My biggest problem I think is that I’m a quality whore and CRs image quality (bitrate mostly) is still pretty terrible. Almost every season I try to use them and it’s less of a translation issue but it’s like their translators suck at English or something. They so often use bad phrasing or awkward terminology. A lot of things are still too literal and others they take too many liberties on. This is why I still depend on fansub groups. UTW was/is the best of recent years. I hope the group will continue as long as possible even if it’s just one show a season or one a year.
I do understand your issues of course. I wish I could do something meaningful for the world like medicine, so I respect your decisions and hope you succeed in your career. I can only hope other people can pick up where you guys left off. Do know that even though there was other, poor quality means to view the shows you worked on, to many people you made the shows much more viewable and entertaining. To me, legal steams still have a very long way to go.
man, i hope you make more releases, i wish to you all the good of this world man, you are incredible, i read it all, and wow man, studying, working, subbing omg, man, i bow after you, damn, well keep doing a excellent job with the subs man, im waiting see illya with the [UTW] at the beginning of the file, take care man, i wish to you health, economic stability, happines, and all that stuff, have a nice day man
We’ve appreciated all the work you’ve done throughout the years. I wish you the best of luck with future endeavors, whatever they may be.
>Summer 2014 (and Beyond)
Well shit, RIP in Pieces, UTW.
It’s a shame that fansubbing is practically dead, some have to stand disgusting Funi rips, the video quality isn’t all that good, or maybe the subs don’t flow that well, but it still doesn’t give people a reason to put up extra work for the animu. There is still some room for the BD groups and the occasional show that doesn’t get any subs, like M3, an awful show, but I guess this is it. I wonder what will happen in 2015
Do what you feel’s right. I will always be of the opinion that fansubs are a privilege and not a right, and the amount of time it consumes is just not worth the way leechers treat fansubbers in general.
And to the leechers: suck it up whiny bunch of sissies. I’m 250% sure you will not learn anything from this because you will just move on and be a faglord on other fansubbing site’s comments space with your usual retarded pestering not giving a flying fuck about the guys behind the subs.
Godspeed, you amazing bastard.
Godspeed.
Just try and come back to the fansubbing realm from time to time if you can, okay? All that drama could benefit from your input.
Raze I’ve been following you guys since near the beginning and it really has been a long but wonderful ride. UTW was and still is the best group to date because of how high quality the releases were in the days of little to no simulcasts. It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t see this coming because it’s the only logical evolution for localized anime but it still pains me greatly to see such a valued group begin it’s descent into the sands of time. I just want to say that I’ve loved all of the releases by this group and extremely honored for everything you’ve done for us all these years. Specifically for you Raze, you are extremely hardworking and it’s amazing how you were able to min-max your life to such a degree while staying (somewhat) sane which is very commendable. Anyone that talks shit about you or the group is entitled to their opinion but as for my own opinion, I sincerely and wholeheartedly say thank you for everything and I look forward to the future of the group and it’s individuals, whatever paths are chosen.
With love and respect,
Himeko Tachibana
You efforts have been appreciated, if you continue to sub or stop entirely, it was great to get your releases. Don’t let the trolls get to you, they don’t understand what it is like to have to work, or do something productive with their lives.
Thanks again!!
I rarely post comments on websites, or even forums for that matter, but I wish you luck in your future endeavors as well Raze. The fact that you juggled both this and a medical degree truly astonishes me, considering that 2nd year med students have their attachments coming soon as well. Been following UTW for a better part of 2-3 years now as well so I wish the team luck and all that other good stuff as well wherever you guys may go. Its been a privilege watching your subs.
@leo@uhw, I agree with you as well that fansubs are a privilege and never a right, I remember scouring the net all those years ago looking for decent subs or even English subtitled animes.
I also rarely post comments anywhere on the web, but I also wish you luck in your future. I started watching UTW’s series back with Angel Beats and Amagami SS, and for me over the years UTW really set the bar for the level of quality that should be adhered to in the presentation of anime, as long and awkward as that sentence sounds. I still fondly remember UBW, SAO, and the many other great series from UTW.
Good luck!
@Raze Best of luck in your current and future endeavours.
@leo@uhw I agree with you, but seriously… I have not seen you post a single sub anywhere. Come down off your bloated ego and enjoy the ride with all of the other leech’s
UTW has been just about my favorite subbing group out there (along with frequent collaborator Mazui) for as long as I’ve been into anime. Admittedly, that isn’t very long, but I’m still melancholy to see this announcement. I understand that UTW isn’t necessarily closing shop for good, but that’s what it feels like. And that’s not an entirely bad thing, by any stretch. If anything, with simulcasting constantly evolving, I take it as an enormous compliment to simulcasting companies (mainly Crunchyroll) that the truly-great leader of UTW has voiced confidence in their newer releases. It means a lot to me that Raze himself is now comfortable enough with simulcasts that UTW may finally step down. I understand very well that Raze’s personal life had more to do with it than Crunchyroll’s increased quality, but the latter is a fantastic omen for the future well-being and sustainability of the anime community at large, and I think that’s a pretty good silver lining in the face of this sad news.
Thanks for all the releases, Raze and everyone else at UTW, and best of luck with your future paths, endeavors, and everything. This group’s bar for quality is the bar by which I compared all others, so thank you all for being there to set it. I’ll never forget UTW, and I doubt the fansubbing world will ever truly shake UTW’s influence and legacy.
Fan subbing dying is a damn shame. CR quality is still terrible compared to the original broadcast, and CR subs are half assed and generally terrible.
Take it easy, glad you’re going to sub 2wei
(Extra Chorus where?)
What is HS? I’ve never heard of it.
>I think youโd agree that waking up at 3am in the morning and spending 5-6 hours to make a bunch of insignificant changes in an already decent script for a show that 90% of people have already watched because they couldnโt wait isnโt exactly a good use of my time and sanityโฆ right?
I think we both know the answer to that, dear. <3
Going out with a bang (i.e. F/SN) would suit this fantastic group perfectly.
Other comments have already said quite beautifully what needs to be said, but let me too thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the work you've done for this sometimes very difficult to handle community. You truly are the best group out there, no question, and you, Raze, led UTW with a heart full of passion and dedication. I tip my hat to you, good sirs.
Does this mean we will never get the final half of the Shin Sekai Yori BD’s?
@Nananasu
We’ll try and get Extra Chorus out this month some time!
@Zatheyll
Shinsekai Yori isn’t dropped, it’s just as the FAQ says stalled at fnord playing Kancolle and atm watching the World Cup too. It’ll be finished (with or without him), that I can assure you.
This really does sound sorta like an obituary, eh? I wish you all the best! I agree with the above, in that it would be awesome to go out with a bang with F/SN, and the 3 or 4 almost finished projects (extra chorus, SYD*, Nisemonogatari… Nah don’t kill yourself on Nise :P)
Been following you guys for years, have never posted, but if there’s ever a time to post, now is it. I’m glad to see all our support, moral or monetary, have helped to build and support UTW for all these years!
CDB-Man
>Weโll try and get Extra Chorus out this month some time!
Amazing, thank you!
Wow… 4 years already… is that around the time GOSICK came out? Anyways, I like to thank you for all the subs you have done over the years =)… Still waiting on the last bit of SYD*, but… you guys rock! To be honest, I prefer fansubs as they have awesome karaoke compared to CR/HS…but nothing can be done about that…
Again, thanks for giving us 4 wonderful years of subs! ^_^
You shall be missed. I would argue though that there is valuable experience to be gained in managing a fansub group.
I do hope that you will occasionally find time to sub some Type-Moon stuff since that’s what UTW is (or was?) known for.
As you know Raze, even with as much of a lurker i’ve become i’ve been following you guys since the start and the FAKKU days before that. Times are changing in the Anime/Manga and doujinshi world(with FAKKU Books now out there), but I feel it’s a good change. It’s thanks to a desire and drive for timely high quality material from groups such as UTW that pushed the industry to this route and I feel we’re all better off for it.
Anyways, whatever the future holds for the group, thanks for the great work you guys have put out and I wish you luck with whatever you pursue ๐
Goodbye, thank you for your tremendously hard work these 4 years. Wish you good luck in the future
Thanks for all your work over the years, it’s much appreciated. I have to admit though that I do watch most of my stuff via CR these days, but I always looked forward to your releases (and if it’s just a matter of a day or two, I’ll happily skip streaming over downloading something high quality). I am looking forward to F/SN though >_>
Sad to see you go but completely understandable. You guys were always my #1 choice for subs and I would wait days, if not weeks for it. I hope you come back for F/SN and Eva, could always use good people like you. Good luck in Med School and life, and hope to see you again.
Been following you guys since you first formed, really appreciate all the work you have put into fansubbing. Thanks for everything man, and I wish you nothing but the best.
Where are the SYD subs? You said there would be SYD subs.
English isn’t my first language, but I always enjoyed the works done by UTW.
It gave me a topic I could share with my friends. Back in the days, I would share good animes I have downloaded and watched with other friends.
I wouldn’t have able to do that without having a good source, produced by the good translators and efforts the team has put into it.
Growing up means carrying more responsibility, staying true to our hobby and facing the real world require as much effort but we are but humans, there are things that prior to be done first before another.
Although the enthusiasm stays, it’s time to step back and pursue more important goals in life.
Never regret a decision you have done in the past, because it made you who you are today; never make one that you’ll regret in the future, since you are the one who’s living it.
Great job! Hope to see you again in other occasions!
I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for all the shows you’ve subbed, be they delayed or not, you were the best group around and, provided you don’t close shop any time soon, will still be. I wish you luck with your studies, I understand that it can be mighty terrifying to see the amount of work and effort necessary, especially for a subject like medicine. Godspeed lad, and remember that in our hearts you’ll be the only sub group people would choose without a second thought and with a smile on their faces, you brought us our chink cartoons for over 4 years, and I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we thank you sincerely for that, and that we’re also waiting on that stupid gohands studio show hahahahaha.
Came here just to say good bye, been following you guys since 4 years, thank you for giving us your free time and the work put into fansubbing. Wish you guys good luck in life and whatever happens, be happy.
Thanks again
This is very unfortunate, it’s been 4 years and I really enjoyed all of your releases. Toki-doki just disbanded recently and now you guys are gone too. Some of my favorites fansubs disbanding is really depressing man.
I’m also working and learning so I know how hard it is to do both things while fansubbing, but you have always put the fans above and did you best for us. Thank you for all the hard works, and if you guys still thinking about helping other fansubs, I hope to see you guys around in the future.
Again, it was a great 4 years, I’m still keeping most of your releases and you have subbed many of the better anime out there. Good luck in the future and live your lives to the fullest guys!
Thank you for all your hard work, and good luck to the future!
All good things must end, unfortunately; fansubbing is an expensive lifestyle, thank you for committing to it for so long. I sincerely hope that you do eva 4.44, if you still feel up to it. Regardless, thanks for all the good memories.
This question can be out of nowhere but, will you release Shineskai Yori BD’s? (the last 9 episodes)
Fuck this I have should use search function first ignore my previous post. Thanks
Return the money!
Wow.
Thanks for the 4 years though, you guys had the best quality fansubs out of all the groups.
Ganbatte
Fansubbing is fucking endangered now. I wonder what will happen to fansubbing in the next few years.
As a med student myself and retired translator from a scanlation group, I’m not afraid to say that I understand what you’re feeling. Along the years, your workload just keeps on increasing, and now that I’m going through internship I can at most watch 2 shows during a season, 12-hours daily shifts with 2 night shifts a week (meaning 108 hours a week x_x) drain you a lot, and it’s not uncommon to just get home and pretty much pass out then an there just to wake up to realize that you didn’t read about your patients’ cases and get destroyed psychologically by the visiting phisician in the morning… hobbies are hard to keep on going under such circumstances, but if we truly love’em there’s just no way to let them go, eve if it’s only 1 hour a day you can dedicate to it, if it makes you happy it’s worth it. Just keep up the great work in college, but never let your studies comsum everything out of you, that never goes right, even a little bit of free time for your brain can do wonders, take it as an advice from a soon to be M.D ๐ (Just 6 months left!!)
*sad*
moreover if fansubbing like this disappears completely and simulcasting groups like CR decide that they want money for their releases it’ll be a huge blow
Like a few other people, I don’t really comment. Though seeing as we’re approaching what seems to be the end of UTW, now is the most appropriate time. I’ve followed UTW since pretty close to the beginning, and I have to say that no other group has such high standards of quality. It’s amazing how much effort is put into these subs, and I’m grateful for it over these past few years. UTW has been like a part of my family, but like family there comes a time to let them go. I don’t fear the end of this group, I embrace it. With every ending there is a new beginning, and so I wish all of you well in whatever you decide to pursue. Raze, good luck in medical school. If you’re smart enough to balance subbing and studying, I know you’ll make it!
> Fan subbing dying is a damn shame. CR quality is still terrible compared to the original broadcast, and CR subs are half assed and generally terrible.
Original broadcasts are not always that great either. However, some fansub groups have excellent encoders and they somehow manage to turn crap into at least silver. Anime fansub community is very lucky to have them, the case isn’t really the same elsewhere.
Typesetting is a bit similar. I don’t think soft typesetting is used outside of anime fansubs that much if at all, hell SSA was invented for anime fansubs like 12 years ago (I know, it was a slightly slow to catch on back then due to OGM craziness, fortunately Matroska came along pretty quickly) and there still aren’t any serious contenders for it.
Best of Luck in your Career Raze…
UTW will always be the best fansub group that ever existed..
\m/ (^_^) \m/
UTW’s been my favorite. This is really sad. I was waiting for your plans this season. Never expected this. Otsukaresama desu!!
zanyou no terror please, FUNimation licensed it but seems their sub is just bad .___.
Please stay and do at least BD and movies.
I wouldn’t mind if you did series and posted em late like even a week after the airing.
We love you UTW
I do hope that FSN remake will still be done by you guys, even if you Raze cant completely immerse urself in it, much like Kaleid 2, and make it like THE last project of UTW.
But your life matters much more. Enjoy your RL.
I do hope that several leftover stuffs be finished though ^_^ like Extra Chorus or CP bd batch or the rest of SYD.
who gives a shit about CR or HS. Best two subbers right now would be UTW and Commie, and if Commie didn’t do SAO II, someone other than me would have punched you to do it. and ffs finish Shinsekai Yori.
Thank you so much for all these seasons of hard work and all nighters…
Also, hope you finish your medical school without any problems, I know it’s hard, my brother is on his 3rd year of medical school and sometimes he doesn’t sleep. That’s scary, very scary…
Take care Raze, hope to see your posts every now and then.
Cheers!
@Schezza
Good joke.
i guess this is it then, UTW brought me most of my first anime series that got me enslaved, and i can’t thank you enough for that. too bad to see fansubs slowly fading away in favor of CR/HS, i really prefer fansubs but it’s too late to start whining now, just don’t shut the site down like other groups, it makes it a pain in the ass to retain the amount of seeders.
goodbye and have a nice life, raze.
-a random admirer
Thanks so much for all of your efforts… I can’t say I’m happy cuz of this announcement, but I can see the reasons…
I will be sad to lose you as a group – I always loved your quality releases, and also due to my geographical location, I don’t have access most of the time (even if I wanted to) to some simulcasts…
But, then again, one can’t complain for free stuff… I’ll keep your archived releases, and just go and cry in the corner for SAO II and F/SN (maybe) and w/e else that I won’t be seeing from you…
I also hoped that the eventual iM@S II would be subbed by you guys (there is going to be something like that, right? T_T)
Cheers, mate, and good luck in life ๐
Thanks Raze!
A dignified exit for one the most memorable fansubbers and fansub groups! I’ll definitely remember you! It would be fun if you could come back now and then for a surprise release but regardless, it has been a good run!
Can’t remember which show led me to frequent UTW, but you guys have become synonymous with quality (and mostly timely) fansubs in my mind; eagerly awaiting your subbed shows and your seasonal plans has become a joy for me for the past few years. As a 2nd-year med student, I have an idea of the stress Raze is under; I have always been amazed that Raze and company have been able to dedicate hours upon hours of precious free time to working on subs, at the cost of sleep and sanity. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.
I’m not as eloquent as the previous posters, but I wish everybody at UTW success in their future endeavors. I also wish Raze a brilliant career in medicine; who knows, perhaps we’ll meet one day at a conference and not know it. ๐ So long, and thanks for all the subs!
(Yes, I know that they’re going to sub 2wei (and I’m looking forward to it), but I’ve always wanted to say that…)
i wont say goodbye yet.
see you guys when EVA 4.44 gets released~
good luck until then ๐
Thanks for your hard work all those years! And as others posted above i hope u enjoy your rl!!
Thank you for everything Raze.
Good luck with your med school.
I wanted to wish you luck in whatever the future may hold, but then I noticed that small detail in your post.
Having a girlfriend? A few? Really? In this time and age?
aww man, I feel old now that most of the fansub sites that I follow are now closing shop..
I remember going here the first time because of UBW, and I had the OP of carnival phantasm on a loop for months while I was waiting for your releases..
for what its worth, UTW always managed to churn out quality releases, and I always use it for archive purposes.
I hope you’ll return for 4.44, much like how eclipse went back to finish shana if I remember correctly.
Good luck with all your future endeavors UTW team!
I only started downloading 2 years ago and so far the best anime I have watched was Fate Zero and To aru Majutsu no Index 1 & 2. Compared to the other Fansubs you guys are the best, it’s sad that the good old days is about to reach its end. I’ve always been a fan and this is my tribute for you guys. It’s not finished yet and still needs a lot of work to do. And Raze welcome back!!! Free thy love! XD!
http://s103.photobucket.com/user/starfish2014/media/UTW_zps23aa478c.jpg.html
Thank you so much for your work over these last four years. I’ve been following you since the beginning, and I have never stopped enjoying your work, and the care that you put into it. Best of luck in your future endeavours.
Woa.
I’ve know UTW since 2010. And I’d like to say some things.
First and foremost, I’d like to say that your real life comes first, I already said that in Kusion’s semi-retire post.
Second, fansubbing is still an alternative? You can bet. But is all up to the ones making fansubs if it’s worth their effort.
Third, will fansub die? No. Past the years I’ve seen a lot of groups close, it somewhat sad, but I saw some other begging as well. And, though CR and others simulcast a great amount of anime, there’s still some that are uncovered, there are movies unreleased, there are BD content that won’t get an official translation.
Fourth, and it’s just a side note, but really, fansubbing an anime kinda spoil the fun, I fansubbed some way back, and I know what you’re talking about, but still can be enjoyable.
Fifth, my pal, enjoy your life!
Thank you for all your work these 4 years. Still hopeful that you will sub Prisma Illya and F/SN remake, you guys really release the best quality in fansub.
RL>Fansubbing. That is all.
You guys did well lasting over 4 years. Most groups don’t even last for a season.
Good luck in med school, Raze.
I wouldn’t normally make a comment, but I want to thank you for all these years of hard work you’ve put up to deliver animu tu us. I’ve been following you since the first days of the group and watched your first shows (I think it was Angel Beats and B-gata H-kei along with Summer Wars), and you have always been my fansub group of choice, no matter the waiting time. Again, I thank you for all these 4 years of effort for which I have enjoyed great animu in the quality it deserves. May you have a great and successful carrer with more tranquil days.
ใใใใจใใใใใพใใ๏ผ
As many others I’m sad to see an announcement about a potential closing of the group. Also like many others, having watched several of your releases, including SAO and Fate/Zero I’m a bit disappointed I won’t be able to enjoy UTW’s rendition of SAO II, but I suppose I’ll have to make due.
I do hope you guys will at least be able take on the new F/SN anime when it starts airing, regardless of the alternatives available and hopefully finish Extra Chorus. If you all decide to close up shop for good, you will be missed.
Having said all that, I do agree that real life takes precedence over everything else and I can only respect people who realize they simply don’t enjoy and can’t dedicate their time to something anymore. It’s better to quit while you’re ahead, than to force yourself until you start hating what you once loved.
P.S. While I’m not a fansubber, I can relate to “fansubbing ruining it”, as someone who did translations from English to my native language for several movies. It is not an easy job, if you want to do it right – it can be hard, cumbersome and nerve-wracking, but you do feel proud of your work when you’re finally done. The question is how big of a break from it will you need before you’re ready to do it again. ๐
Last year I wished UTW another 3 years. Time will tell whether it is possible or not.
Regardless of your decisions and real life matters (and they always take priority over our hobbies, most of us know that well), have a good luck in life and in everything you do now and will do in the future.
Finally, thank you for all the hard work and making fansubbing scene better.
UTW please stay ;-;
Thanks for the many years of great work and dedication. Yes cr will take over as the norm, but many of our older generation will remember how it all started.
Good luck and do your best in medical school.
Dood….. if you need people to keep this group alive, why don’t you post “Help Wanted”.
Some people might help you out
@XOXOXO
Keeping a name alive is pointless if the heart and soul is gone. Most of our translators have retired, and the rest of us are near retiring. We’ve had a good run, had fun times and that’s all that matters :>
Wait, someone at UTW found a job on CR?
That’s pretty cool if that’s the case, you are now paid for what was a hobby.
Also thanks for subbing Kaleid 2wei guys!
Good luck with your RL guys. That’s what matters, we can manage ourselves.
Was with you since 2010. Wish could be till 2100, best sub group ever.
I have see a great numbers of fansub retiring… this one enters in the good ending type. You have done more than every one of us could know, and your departure it’s no less than your victory over a chapter of your live… that’s why a great percentage of fansubbers are young people, it just take too much time, I know, in the past, I try to encode a BD-RAW, I that time encoding take looooong time.
It’s a shame we can’t express the gratitude, wait, we can’t even give enough gratitude to the effort you make, it’s just we cannot understand the work you put in it, and that can only measure by you… it’s really a sad think.
But don’t be sad, as I said, it’s your victory: every one will miss you, a lot of people, and that people knows it was because you now live a new, great challenge… medical huh? you better success on that too… WE’LL BE WATCHING YOU ๐
And now… am I see a end of a era here? the end of fansubbing! oh my, after 10 years watching all type of fansubs birth and die, millions of releases, dramas and fights… and now it’s going to end because of simulcast… I will miss the “It’s my first time posting a release, so be happy”… you know that thing… it’s a human that’s giving me this, not a business company, that feeling of be in a place where people as you it’s working for a success… I can’t express it… it feels that we will lose some thing more important than fansubbing itself, the feeling of the kindness gift of your work.. and that’s why we feel happy for you, you are not forced to leave because of someone, it’s because you must go on to a new phase in your life, and after that there is another one, and another and another.. that’s life, congratulations in your new level, you better enjoy it.
I’m not crying, I hope you do.
Thank you for everything you and UTW have done so far. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the quality that UTW consistently puts out, and you guys were always my #1, hands down, no questions asked choice for a show if you subbed a show I liked. Good luck with med school and all your future plans.
I wanted to thank you for the status update, and I’m ecstatic to hear you will be doing Zwei.
One question regarding SAO II: Is it possible the group might change their minds about subbing it if it turns out to be more enjoyable than season 1? I get that’s a low bar to set, but the arc being covered (GGO) is generally considered much better than the second half of season 1 (ALO). Again, I realize that’s another low bar.
I apologize if (and it probably is) this is a question you receive a lot. It’s just that I am such a fan of the quality of the work you guys do.
Thank you, Raze, and all of UTW for all of your hard work. I can quite honestly say that you guys have given me the best anime for every show you’ve done. I never cared if an episode was late, which in itself was a rarity, and I always waited to watch it through you. If you decide to continue, and I won’t lie, I hope you do, I’m sure that would make a lot of people very happy, including myself. However, if you decide to go your separate ways, I understand, and wish you all the best of luck. Thanks again for everything.
@ Nananasu
horrible subs fan detected rofl
Hi, I need to go to bed soon so I haven’t read through all the other comments but since I also know this group since 2010, I would also like to say something if I’m allowed and if it would be heard.
First and foremost: you’re indeed still needed by at least me. I can’t speak for anyone who likes to watch anime but at least for me, so I’ll only speak for me. Thus this might sound a little bit selfish: I still need you guys. Why? That’s simple: because CR won’t care about me while you do. CR just shits out some mediocre subs which are even hardcoded into the the video stream. This was the case for Noragami for example. They don’t put any real effort into creating subs and add type setting to the video stream. They won’t explain the humor, the signs of any kind to us. They don’t care for the exact font that will be used for the show and if it matches the mood of the show. They hardly translate any openings. You do. At least I appreciate this. This is a huge benefit. And CR needs this competition or they won’t improve. They won’t give us subs for BDs either. All they care about is making money. And they do this in a capitalistic manner. They won’t strive for perfection. All they care for is maxing out the revenue and profit while keeping efforts to a minimum. This is how capitalism works. I just see this unfit for anime / manga / the remaining genres. Therefore I just don’t agree with their business model.
These are just my 2 cents. Thank you very much for anything you have done for me. Thanks.
Thank you so much for all the work! UTW group is definitely a project to be proud of. Your translations and releases, especially Type Moon related, were always top notch. Raze, I wish you the best of luck in pursuing career in medicine, I can imagine how hard it is.
Thank you again and all the best!
You set a high bar with your work, and will retire into legendary status. I’ll be eagerly gobbling up whatever movies, specials, etc. come out with your stamp on them. I had been seriously looking forward to archiving your Nisemonogatari re-do, but I’ll reluctantly turn loose that dream. If your real lives give you even a fraction of the enjoyment you’ve made possible for so many of us, you’ll be a happy bunch indeed, and deservedly so. Thanks!
It would be great if u could keep BD releases.
How my picture got here? Because I didnt put it in my profile.
I think you should really concentrate on medical school. As a fellow translator, I agree with you that CR has taken their level up a notch in recent years. So instead of wasting time on something that is rampantly available, you should dedicate time to your own hobbies and your future. I do not think it is selfish for all the effort you have given to the fansubbing community. It is easy for leechers to say thank you, but to earn that thank you, you have to put in countless of hours. I would say, even philanthropy do not go this far.
Thanks for 4 years of great subs! And good luck in the future ๐
I remember bookmarking UTW when the group began work on the UBW movie. Probably the first time I camped a fansub group for their work. Then came Index II and Victorique subs, and after that it was me waiting before the start of each season “I hope UTW picks up (n) show”. I agree that the landscape of anime fansubbing has definitely changed over the years, what with simulcasts and CR/HR covering more shows than they used to, and I can see how it’d feel rather moot editing already decent, understandable subs.
As someone who only knows meager Japanese stock phrases, I can only say thanks. Thank you so much for working on the shows you did. Good luck in life, and definitely enjoy the coming seasons of anime ๐
As much as I would love to have the new FSN anime subbed by you guys, since having anything from TM that isn’t subbed by UTW just seems wrong at this point, I totally understand and respect your decision, and I must say that you have provided a great service in the time you have been properly active, so thank you very much! ๐ With that said, a great part of your post really bothers me…:
I really wish you would stop saying that CR and simulcasts are a “good enough” alternative to fansubs, because they sure as hell aren’t. That’s a preposterous claim as far as I’m concerned. You must not value quality very much if you think that.
1. I want my anime in bluray quality with the (where applicable) extra scenes, thank you very much, not just regular TV quality (HD or not), which also often happens to be censored and shit.
2. I want the subs and typesetting to be good, and I want the subs to be softsubbed. Mediocre subs that are hardsubbed is not an option. Mediocre to me does not equal good, ok, or watchable, it equals shit. Anything that is not good is shit when it comes to subs, especially in dialogue heavy shows, or in shows where there is a lot of humour with Japanese cultural references.
3. I want to keep my anime and archive it, not just watch it once, and then be done with it. I often rewatch good anime shows multiple times.
So yeah, simulcasts are NOT an acceptable alternative to fansubs for those of us like me who take our anime seriously. It annoys me when people start with the whole “fansubs aren’t really needed anymore, because we have simulcasts” thing. It’s rubbish.
Sad news but very understandable. I’ve had your page bookmarked since the beginning and I have greatly enjoyed most of your works. I have a few friends in medical school and they hardly have time to do anything other than study. I want you to know that I am one of the people who would wait for your release knowing I would be watching a quality product.
Here’s to all your works that I still currently have on my hard drive (in no particular due to a search for utw): Fate/Kaleid, Kara no Kyoukai, Suisei no Gargantia, Photokano, Ano hana, Evangelion 1, 2, and 3, Little Busters!, Fate/Zero, Carnival Phantasm, C3, Angel beats!, Tasogare otome x amnesia, Amagami SS, and Unlimited Blade Works.
I know you may not have even liked some of those shows and dreaded working on them but let me tell you I greatly appreciate all that you have done to provide their experiences to me and I wish you well in anything that you do. If I could be even more selfish I would love to see you sub the fate remake as well as evangelion 4 but I completely understand if you choose not to.
Keep it real Raze.
This comment will probably get buried under the rest, but just wanted to drop a thanks for all the hard work! I wish you luck in future endeavors.
Thanks for all the hard work and good luck in future endeavors.
I can’s speak for anyone else but if you spent the money I donated on your college I wouldnt care at all. You’ve more than earned it with all the hard work in my humble opinion.
p.s.(A brief reunion for 4.44 would be pretty cool. just sayin)
Thank you (all) for your hard work and dedication to quality releases. You helped set the bar that others (CR included, maybe especially) are judged by. o7 o7 o7
Best of luck in med school and future endeavors!
First Mazui died then……
I understand the situation. but this is so sad.
Good luck on your studies! I know it’s hard because I, too, is a med student. Wishing you all the best and thank you for all the quality subs!
Thanks UTW!
Von Voyage!
For all the years, for all the shows, for all the hard work and quality releases (including those still to come)
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
Thanks for everything UTW. You were the best and I was always happy to see you pick up shows. Heck, I often watched shows just because you were subbing it.
I was there, I know how hard it is to keep up. Thanks again, and if you can, give us some closure with Eva 4.4, all your fans will be there waiting for you.
I thank you guys for all the work you’ve done so far. I really do hope that you guys decide to stick around for Fate/Stay Night, and that the Eva fans following you also get 4.44. As plenty of others have mentioned I respect the fact that sometimes other things in life are just more important, and I’d rather you guys stop before you end up hating it. I may not have been part of the ride at it’s starting point, but I’m glad I got to enjoy some of it before it ends up packing up.
Thank you so much for everything, everyone in UTW!
You guys have been awesome. ๐ Good luck, I wish you all the best.
As many others, I have been following this group since the very beginning, it’s been a pleasure having you around, this’ll be the biggest loss since Eclipse shut down :/
@Rokudaime
If you only watch your anime in BD quality, then BUY them instead of archiving BD rips. People who only pirate anime BDs, and don’t give back are the scum of the anime community.
Holy crap. My heart was not ready for this.
Been a fan for a good two years. Doesn’t even matter if I wasn’t there for the former two years, still love you guys’ work and the dedication you have to fansubbing. You have my respect for the insane amount of things you had to juggle to make all of us happy.
So long, and thanks for all the anime
*starts downloading everything from UTW*
I love you guys and your top quality subs. Have fun in life and thanks!
You were the first fansub group that I ever followed and I can say that I was happy while it lasted. Good luck, future doctor!
Another subgroup bites the dust, I’m sorry to see you go. Thanks for all the hard work, it may not have been needed but it sure as hell was loved. Best of luck in the rest of your life.
Despite the many attempts there simply aren’t words to express the gratitude for everything UTW brings. Among the growing number of fansub groups this place was just the right mixture of personality, professionalism, quality, love, silliness and fun. All this time I was holding out for more Raze/Kusion karaoke posts and navigating backwards to find links to the Mikunopolis ustream recording and drama CD’s. Beyond the superb quality in anime subs you showered us with over the years it’s those other things, I think, that really made you all here special in regards to the fansubbing community — at least in my mind.
The best rides in life end so that we may have time to remember just how great they were. UTW, in every way, will be remembered as such a ride for many years longer than the 4 which it lasted. Looking forward to one of my favorite groups of all time going out with a bang however they choose to. Anything else just wouldn’t feel right!
As along time fan of the group, thank you for all your hard work UTW. Best of luck in your future o/
You guys will be missed! i wish you well with life school and monies. BTW do remember surgical lasers to the stomach tend to be bad for someone.
Thank for all you and staff’s work, UTW is 1 of many subs i honored deeply for their work. Wish you guys keep going, but life isn’t always the same. JBU all and i wish you all the best for what will come, GodSpeed
i suppose all we can say is so long and thanks for all the fish
All good things, eh? Thanks for everything, really. You guys were, are, the best. UTW subs were a prime influence in me really getting into anime, and UTW will always have the connotation of the utmost quality as far as I’m concerned. It’s been fun. God dammit, I’m really gonna miss you guys.
Well … I don’t really have much to say that hadn’t been said by others already, so I’ll just say that I understand what you are going through and I wish you good luck.
Because really, whatever you choose, sometimes it’s do-or-die and if the choice is between this or your studies then the latter is probably the correct choice.
Thank you UTW, for all the years of subbing with remarkable quality and speed, and the personal sacrifices you guys had to make to make it happen. Even though i don’t watch anime anymore today, I still remember the days where you guys delivered anime show with superb subs. All the best.
Love you guys. Stay classy!
Are you keeping your IRC channel alive?
Also, aside from Raze, what has the rest of the staff planned both individually and as a group?
Thank you so much for everything you have done over the years. UTW was always the beacon of quality releases not just in translations but in both audio and video. Groups like HS have such bad quality it is not even worth watching until the BDs come out. For services like CR it will always be a joke as long as it is streamed. However, UWE has thus far produced the highest quality anime experience of any provider in the history of releases. I hope that others will learn from this and that we will not fall into a dark are of crap releases but begin a new area where other groups evolve or are created to produce the level of high quality work we have grown accustom to.
raze pls
Woah. I’ve been following you guys since 2 years (a bit before SAO, I’m a bit sad to not see it here ๐ ), and you’ve been my favorite fansubbing team. Since that time, I almost picked up my animes depending on whether or not you would be doing it. Let’s say that last season has been a bit empty for me and your previous announcement foreshadowed the end for UTW.
However I can fully relate to your problems, still being a student myself, having to study, take classes, do some sports to be healthy enough and then stay awake at night to do both personnal and Uni projects …. I can only really appreciate anime, family, video game and social life during summer break (european calendar guys), and even during that time I always have something important to do.
As to whether CR and alikes are doing a sufficent job… I tend to disagree a bit, as it is your work that made them thrive for better quality subbing, and as they’re not doing BR. In some countries, buying BR can become really expensive due to import and such (you have to pay even more when it’s delivered at your home or you can’t find the right anime with the right subtitles on big online resellers), and locals official seller sometimes tends to do a shitty job (no subtitles, only terrible dubbing…) for an horrible amount of money (it’s not rare to see, in stores, a blu-ray for 3 episodes at 50โฌ). This problem about is what made me learn English btw, and it’s also one of the reasons I donate to fansubbing teams: I like their (and your) work and I know that the anime’s producers somehow get a bit of the money when you’re buying the BR.
Even though not all people are viewing blu-ray, most of the time we simply watch the anime when it’s airing and forget about it, and even though CR-and-alikes are doing a good job now, I think fansubbing is what made them doing a better job over the years, and I’m affraid that without fansubbing, they would just cares about how much they earn (in France, a “french CR” buys all the licenses and sue every fansubbers right after).
But I still think they’re will be some fansubbers to inherit your passion. Anywayn, thank you a fucking LOT for the time and patience you dedicated during these 4 years. I’m sure you’ll do a great job in medical school Raze (and the other UTW members too, in their own fields) and in your personnal life too.
Thanks again guys.
PS: Being curious, can we know where some of the crew’s remaining members who are still fansubbing went/will go? Maybe FFF, since you’ve been working with them on some of your shows?
TL;DR Raze have shit taste for liking SAO, and _ar is the fucking man.
Based _ar.
It’s been good. I’ve really enjoyed and appreciated a lot of your stuff, and it made my life a bit brighter.
Thank you.
Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. Thanks.
Perhaps you remember me, perhaps you don’t. But thank you for all the hard work throughout the years.
Unfortunately, real-life takes priority for most of us as we grow older.
Thank you.
So, now that CR picked up 2wei, what are you guys going to do?
it’s kind of sad to see another fansub group disband again specially when I’ve been following(leeching…) the group from the very beginning, but as they say everybody comes and everybody goes, all we can do is give a humble prayer of success and a little bit of pat in the shoulder saying “you did great, thanks for the good times and the bad times…”
It’s a shame that you won’t be there for us, but THANKS, I really looked forward to your releases and I hope you get relieved from the estress fansubbing causes and do well on your studies.
Well, thanks for all your hard work. We will miss you Raze.
Good luck and hoping for your return some day. Hopefully for FSN remake, I just don’t see CR translators doing justice to the Nasuverse rules and peculiarities.
I would still love to see UTW participate in the F/SN remakeโfor nostalgia’s sake?
But I wholeheartedly understand the reasons for calling it quits and kudos for doing it on good grounds; at least you didn’t stop in the middle of a series, everyone would’ve hated you for that. An appropriately sweet ending to four years of UTW. Voluntary fansubbing is a quickly and suitably dying breed. You’ve been an important part of the transformation of anime as an industry to the international audience.
I really appreciate that you made this post instead of simply disappearing without a word. Shows that you care. I followed your releases since the beginning and also watched your FMA Brotherhood translation and what I always liked about UTW is how you treated your leechers. With respect.
Wishing you all the best and if you can’t work on the new Fate anime, then NGE 4.44 would be the appropriate parting gift, I guess.
Thank you
PLEASE DON’T BREAK UP OR GO AWAY… YOU ARE STILL DESPERATELY NEEDED.
UTW has done quality subbing. There’s no reason to stop.
So it is also UTW’s destiny… To meet and fart with others…
Over and over… Forever…
Hoping for the BEST!! To stay with us… Like the origin of STILLNESS
Ergh… Don’t you mean “part” with others?
Thank you, and Good Luck.
So, it finally ends. I still have yet to watch Nisemonogatari because I liked you guys that much. Hell I followed you guys the moment fakku directed me there. I suppose this is fate saying that I should go get Nise blu-rays from another group. It’s all so sad, I’ll miss you guys.
On that note I don’t suppose anyone here could give some suggestions on what group did an awesome job on the BD’s of Nisemonogatari? UTW has spoiled me and I can’t help but desire quality. :p
I’ve been following you guys since the Index II days, and man time flies. I guess all things do come to an end, just like how I don’t really follow anime anymore haha.
Good luck with life post-fansubbing.
I dont see any other group subbing ilya beside CR. Isnt it sounds like a call? They dont subs that show because they knew a particular group will make it tremendous. Deep in their mind you can hear: ” when will they release this show? Why they hybernate so long? ”
Everyone who come to this web simply seeking salvation. Please Dont stop quench our thirst. Long live UTW
Well, for years I’ve always awaited for your releases since they are simply far far better, not just because of the far better video quality but because of the characteristic way you sub shows, I really appreciate your work and its a great shame to see my favorite sub group go.
I thank you for everything up until now, and yes your wor makes a huge difference, CR/HR won’t be able to fill that hole, and it’s gonna be hard for anyone else to do so since few have encodes that are nearly as good as yours and hardly anyone has subs that come close (certainly not CR with their casual friendly approach)
First of all, thank you so much for all the years of quality translations. I watched Fate/Zero and so many other great series with you guys and while I will miss the group as it slowly fades away, I wish you all the best. The fansubbing world has changed and now it’s time for you guys to actually enjoy your weekly dose of anime.
I do have a question, though. Is SYD still happening or is that cancelled? In this particular instance, your contribution is most definitely not unnecessary since it doesn’t seem any other group is interested in translating the rest of the series as far as I can tell. Well, whatever the decision is, I appreciate the work that’s been done on the series so far.
I have never posted on here before until now, but Raze, thank you for your amazing work in the fansub community.
I truley and wholeheartedly enjoyed the subs of UTW for Fate, Kyoukai no Kanata, Kara no Kyoukai, SAO, Anohana, the Eva Re-builds, Chuuni, Shinsekai Yori, Danganronpa, the FMA: Brotherhood movie, the Nichijou OVA, etc. You guys will always be the pinnacle of high-quality subs and video that most professional companies can’t even compare to.
It’s a great shame to see you go, but thank you for your tremendous efforts in subbing anime I really mean it.
Thanks a lot for all the time you spent, all the sacrifices you made to brought us great anime with an excellent quality.
Fansubbing takes a lot of free time and it’s understandable that you’ve dicided to move on. Thanks again for everything. Good luck with med school and I hope I would watch Eva 4.44 with your subs.
See you around
I’m relatively new to anime/knowing the existence of fansubbing groups. You guys were among the first I found and I had received the pleasure of many a good shows from you. My thanks for that.
Do please pursue your dreams and goals in med school first. You can always participate in fansubbing later in a variety of ways as and when you are able to.
Thank you very much for the update!
Please don’t think that what you did was unnecessary. You’re free to feel that you can be replaced, but what you guys did had an effect on fansubbing and most definitely Crunchyroll. You and those before you are what made CR possible and gave CR competition and forced them to improve themselves.
Fuck, I remember when CR was just another video streaming site like NWAnime and such back in ’06. I was sad when they removed all their content and started licensing shitty shows. I think some bike show and Tower of Something RPG show were their first releases, though I could be wrong.
I fear that all your and other fansubbers experience and knowledge will be lost overtime. Especially encoding and typesetting. Once fansubbers really start to disappear I also fear that CR will get lazy and extra liberal again. Once that happens we’ll probably end up in a similar situation we were in 10 years ago, but hopefully at least some fansubbers will be left that still have knowledge and experience to teach them so they’re not as horrible as the ones 10 years ago. Though in their defense, there weren’t all that many tools back then like we have now.
TL;DR
Banzai CR generation! Banzai liberal translations! Banzai things lost in localization! Banzai Horriblesubs for fast releases!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FAN SUBBING ALL THESE YEARS
YOU GUYS WERE THE GO TO FANSUBBERS. GL WITH YOUR PROFESSIONAL CAREER, PERSONAL LIFE, ETC! GODSPEED!
I always read everything people write on their posts, to show my respect, as they took the time to write the message and digitize their very thoughts and feelings. I came to lurk this website around 2012, I think.
I sincerely thank the group for keeping the selfless hard work of sharing the joys of anime for so much time.
I’ve started to take dips on manga waters and, the fact is, there are so many stalled projects (if not completely untranslated) compared to anime nowadays. I’m almost convinced that its optimal to learn to read japanese to keep reading those unpopular mangas with great stories.
Well, after that side-track, I give you all my best regards. I’m sure that by redirecting half the effort spent on fansubbing to anything you do, it will get you guys excelling results.
Words cannot express my appreciation and debt to you guys, I hope all these thank you comments and good wishes comments serve to show you even a little bit of it though.
You guys were more then we ever deserved.
This announcement depresses me, but I understand it so I will not complain.
I sincerely, and formally, bow my head to you all in thanks for everything you have done and subbed.
All the shows you have done will forever remain in my collection as one of, if not the, best damn fansubs one could ask for.
Good luck in your life endeavors, raze, and know I am forever grateful to you.
Thanks for all the hard work guys, I always appreciated it. I won’t lie, I am bummed out about Nisemonogatari not getting a UTW release, you guys are still the only ones who have translated lyrics for the first OP that make sense, but life comes first. Good luck in the future.
Man, time does fly. It seems like just yesterday I happened to stumble upon your B Gata H Kei release, and now I myself am in college and experiencing time-management problems just like you.
While I will miss your glorious video quality, typesetting, and sub quality, you area right. Crunchyroll has basically replaced fansubs and their quality has come to a point where it doesn’t make much sense anymore to put so many man hours into fansubs. It is sad to see that fansubbing as a whole is dying, I mean, without fansubbers, who the hell is gonna push h265 when it comes out, and who the hell is gonna put in fancy typesetting that moves along with the bottom advertising.
And while it pains my heart to see you go, I also understand that it is your prerogative to stop. I am eternally grateful for the service you’ve given us over these last 4 years, and wish you luck in your future endeavors.
Please, AnoHana movie, and in the far future, Eva 4.4
I just logged in my forgotten account just for this.
Thanks a lot Raze and UTW, really, thank you. I hope you enjoyed fansubbing as much as I enjoyed watching your subs.
I’m just a random guy who has downloaded some of the work you’ve done as a group, so I thought this was a good chance to say I’m very thankful for all the work you’ve done, for all the subbed anime you released for us to watch, for the time you’ve dedicated to this fansub.
I hope you enjoy anything you decide to do in the future, for at least I’ll be cheering you even when you don’t know me. I know these are really empty words, but I don’t know any other way I could say you guys how I feel.
Again, thanks.
An average, random leecher.
@Alex: Have you ever trhought that people can’t afford BD because they are expensive?
I guess when everything is said and done, sayonara UTW.
I live in Jordan; in a family gathering yesterday, one of my (many) cousins was staring at his phone and suddenly piped up “hey guys, have you heard? Raze is retiring”.
Nobody asked who Raze was.
First of, thanks so much for all the hard work throughout these years. Definitely will miss UTW as the ultimate subgroup in terms of quality. Hopefully it wouldn’t be the last time we’ll see you around working on something.
Now I know you’re stopping because of personal reasons. That is absolutely fine by any standards. Nothing we all say can change that. But I honestly don’t agree with the “CR manages most shows every season so fansubbing is not needed anymore” argument.
I do not believe for a moment that anyone who has ever watched your subs will choose CR over it. Ever.
And with CR being an actual company, why is it that they cannot spare the time and effort to typeset properly, seperate Intro/OP/Body etc among other misc tweaks. I
f fansub groups can do this, why can’t they? By comparison, they should be absolutely ashamed and strive to improve more (which they have, just not enough in my opinion).
If anything, UTW proved that there is a demand for quality over speed. Claiming to sub fast is such a pathetic argument as a advantage. Unless there is warning that says “Errors may be present” or your team is actually amazing, it should never be mentioned in a discussion of quality.
Don’t want to go on too much, but just to let you know something else. UTW, among other groups, is why I’m able to enjoy watching anime as of this moment. That extra effort is what makes my viewing experience better, and I can never get that from CR. Never.
Everytime you bring up CR being this corporate beast buying-out it’s competitors (figuratively speaking), I take that as an insult to the efforts of what you and other subbers have put into over the years.
Once again, thanks so much for everything and I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see you work on something.
As an ex-staff member of UTW, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity of working in such an amazing team as this one was. As a former group-whore, I confidently say that UTW was one of the most rewarding groups to work for, and not because of the satisfaction of having a million downloads or some stupid shit like that, but because I can say that the release was made from each and every one of our efforts to produce such quality in such little time. Being in a team didn’t mean that 50 people show up and edit a pad like what other groups do, but rather a close collaboration between each and every one of us to ensure that everything was met to all of our standards.
I still remember the first time I saw a UTW release. It was when Angel Beats, and you were the group of my choice. You did really great work, and I think I, amongst many other leechers, admired the amount of effort that went into every release each week.
The first time I subbed for UTW was when kusion asked me to fill in timing for Idolm@ster. I think back then, I wasn’t very good, but unusally enough, I enthusiastically volunteered. Shortly after, you had a blog post up recruiting timers and typesetters, and as soon as kusion let me know about it, I joined the recruitment channel and PM’d you immediately. I remember one of the was being “to fansub exclusively for UTW”, so I used one of my psuedo-nicknames and applied, though kusion already let you know about it and stuff happened, and there I was.
I remember my first official project was the second season of fate/zero, since comfag quit earlier than me. Honestly, I found a joy from my, at this point becoming increasingly boring, hobby. I woke up every Saturday morning each week looking forward to collaborate with you and your group each week, and though I’ve pissed you off more times than I can count, I always valued the faith you had in me doing my job. Occasionally my timing would be terrible, but instead of kicking me off the project and getting someone else to do it, you gave me a chance to correct my mistakes and improve my skills.
Never had I thought that fansubbing could actually be an enjoyable hobby, but as an ex-UTW fansubber, I was fortunate to realise that fansubbing should never be done because you want to “give to the community back.” If you have such an attachment to the community, speedsubbing will definately wear you out quickly. I truly felt a sense of satisfaction after each release, which definately kept me going for the rest of the season as I looked forward for the upcoming week rather than anticipating it.
I think I joined UTW at too young an age, so before I wrap up my wall of text, I’d like to make some apologies to a few people who really got irked from my immaturity.
Raze, sorry for the power abuse in #UTW. I was obviously too young to have any sort of operator status in a channel with a thousand people. I’m sorry for waking up late, or suddenly disappearing. I realise that you guys counted on me to do my bit on time like everyone else did, but I really did feel bad when I didn’t turn up.
fnord, sorry for babysitting me through all the homework I constantly bombarded you with. Your efforts and annoyance were certainly not wasted, however! I did get into university, if that counts…
__ar, sorry for constantly leaking logs of not just staff and bro channels, but also personal conversations. I think I was surprised that you actually kicked me out, since I’ve done it so many times, I didn’t really suffer the consequences. I knew it wasn’t nice, and what happened was most definately warranted. I don’t think I’ve apologised to you about this one yet, so I really want to get that off my chest now.
If you guys are still reading, moshi, 8thsin, kusion, sindalf, daiz, zir0h, bungles, kme and the guys above, it was a total blast working with you. I definately had fun times, and I hope you guys did too. Raze, i know you’re busy with med school and all, but I hope you can come back into the thoranime channel and have a chat when you’re free.
I definately enjoyed being part of UTW, so after UTW disbands, may your futures be blessed with luck and prosperity!
@fgghjjkll
Goddammit, get that bowl of onions away from me. ;_;
I have a separate UTW folder on my PC…
Thanks for the good years of anime!
Best of luck to you wherever the future sees you.
It’s sad to see fansub dying, but with CR around it’s not worth for people to waste their lives anymore.
Thank you for everything and good luck!
Although it is sad to see a fansub closing it’s doors, all i can say is: You did an awesome job, mate. I am extremely thankful to you and the other staff members of UTW for bringing us all these shows these past 4 years, and i wish you nothing but the best on whatever new venture you do. You guys are awesome, never forget that.
This is going to be a bit of a weird comment because it’ll probably sound as if I knew Raze well or something like that when I really don’t; it’s just that we share so much in common that I understand exactly all he’s been going through.
First off, I know this is beating a dead horse, but let me say it, too: as a former fansubber myself, I can testify to the insane amounts of work that it involves. Seriously, fuck doing that. You love doing it, but once you spend long enough away from it, you realize it’s the kind of shit you don’t want to do ever again. You may or may not regret having done it before, but you’ll want to stay away forever from that point forth. Kind of like doing drugs, now that I think of it. But back to what I was saying: never mind people nagging at you for absolutely fucking everything, it’s just retardedly tiresome work. It gets worse depending on how bad your OCD is, too.
The day that sees the death of a great fansubbing group such as UTW, or the retirement of a great fansubber such as Raze, is a sad day for anime fans. The alternative to fansubbing being still rather meh and fluctuating wildly in quality, even with it being much better than it once was, isn’t a helpful factor, either. But while it is a sad thing for the fans, it is a good thing for someone who gave his tears, sweat and blood for these very fans, so forget respecting, it is a decision we must celebrate, for freedom is being officially returned to one who had given it away for the sake of others. It’s unpaid, bothersome, irksome, tiresome, useless life-wasting work like no other, and the highest respects go to someone who gets sleep-deprived to do it just because some OCD folk wants their anime with pretty sparkles in the subtitles and fewer translation fuckups than CR can provide.
It is with the Abh military salute that I, along with many others, see you off, Raze, and any other fansubber who wishes to retire, and really any group that wishes to just die (unless they’re shit, in which case I don’t care either way). Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, best of luck forever, and all that stuff people usually say. You’ve helped make thousands upon thousands of people happy, and that isn’t something just about everybody can say about themselves.
“I know full well that you guys still want us around, but you donโt need us.” Yeah?
People will always find an alternative… even if it’s inferior quality. The fact that people still watch anime from other sources isn’t surprising, but the quality isn’t always there. Is anyone doing SAO II on the level of UTW? No. Will I still watch it? Yeah.
I can only hope that if most of the good fansub groups die off, it won’t cause the CRs of the world to start to slack off again due to a lack of alternatives. Unfortunetely, I’m generally somewhat cynical so I’m sure that’s exactly what will happen. Yeah…
With that being said, nobody blames you, and this post is NOT intended to dissuade you from your present course. You’ve done more than most already. But going back to the original point… will you be missed? Yeah!
New members are truly what keeps a Fansub group endure… When the times comes for the founder and/or most of the core members to go their own separate paths in life…
The next generation of TLs, Timers, Encoders, QCs, and Typesetters will continue onwards until their time comes as well…
Sadly… Such great groups cannot get good help these days… (โฅ_โฅ)
It’s somewhat sad seeing time pass by something you’ve enjoyed, and I have enjoyed every year and every season I’ve spent with UTW.
From Angel Beats to Amagami, from F/Z to SAO, you guys have been my favorite (and for the most part, only) fansubbers.
I thank you all deeply for all the time and effort you’ve put into this hobby. Best wishes in all your future endeavors.
Man, I’m going to miss you guys. Fate/Kaleid Liner really made my summer last year, and your work on it was fantastic. I looked forward to every release even more.
Best of luck with med school and life! Enjoy it!
This is really sad, although good for you. I’ve been sticking to your releases since I started watching fansubbed anime in EN (not my native language) and your releases are among the top ones, and this is the third group that I see closing doors like this. Life gets us all busy and we all need to lay off some of this stuff sometime. I’m very happy your med school is going great and you accomplished a lot of things while taking a season off, almost if I knew you personally even though I rarely even posted here haha.
I truly hope everything goes well for all of you and I want to thank you all for the hard work that resulted in all these wonderful subs and fun for you and for us.
MGS3_Salute.gif
It warms my heart to hear that so many people liked Angel Beats!. I poured my heart out working on that show, and I was really stressed out that I ended up basically forced by real life to flake out on the final ep.
I feel a little guilty reading all these comments, cause I can’t help but think I should have offered my help a bit more often. Raze was always the de-facto leader of UTW though, and that role was continuing on borrowed time for quite a while. Fansubbing is bad enough for someone with a normal job like me; for someone in friggin med school, it’s simply not sustainable.
inb4whowasthatguy?
You know, you guys from the previous generation really blew my mind. Growing up with groups like Anbu, A-Keep and Ani-Kraze and so forth busting their asses to provide us nobodies these shows… I don’t know how any of you did it and you want to know something crazier? I wouldn’t be who I am without these last 10 years of my life, and growing up in the internet age, plenty of the impact I felt was from all of you. Groups of such incredible quality and effort that I deeply respected you without even knowing your real names.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and all the others from this age of subbing who will follow you into retirement, the absolute best.
I pray that those who take your place can carry even a tenth of the weight you carried and work even a fraction of a percent as hard as you did. Because then that alone would be enough to guarantee quality. Is the mission over? Is CrunchyRoll here to save the masses and cater to all our needs? I doubt it, but they will improve, and hopefully enforce greater quality as they gain more competition from other streaming services. But I wonder if they will ever show the kind of loving detail to their series that some of the most amazing subgroups did as a matter of course.
Thank you for everything you’ve done Raze, and best wishes in all future endeavors.
– CN
P.S. I texted a good friend on the other side of the country when I read that you were retiring. He didn’t even ask who you were, he just said “Isn’t Raze in Medical School? He needs to retire.” You are probably more well known than you can imagine.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
I never got any fish, what a bummer!
Just another big THANK YOU from a long time fan. Picked up Index from you guys, just realizing that was your first years of fansubbing. The last piece of news that saddened me from you guys was when you dropped Steins, this would be the second that legit made me sad. Thank you to everyone who’s worked on all the shows you guys put out. Good luck to you Raze and once again thank you for everything!
I’m gonna go ahead and not be a dick this time just because all the feels. I had fun while I was in the group, even though you’re a dick Raze; but well done surviving this far. Even though a dick, you were a good leader.
And it is also the reason why I quit fansubbing, it takes too much of your time. Even though I haven’t read your TL;DR post, I know it must be something important to make you step down from fagsubbing. Good luck with whatever you have to do.
P.S. I couldn’t post because of my WP account on this account, and I can’t recover it either.
PS. Comfag stinx, but you’re still missed bro. Your hijinx were fun (most of the time!).
>>some of us will continue to work in other groups, for CR, in other ventures
That’s pretty sad for fansubbers to work for CR, given that they only exist in the first place because they stole the work of fansubbers.
It’s been a long ride. I’ve been here since the beginning, and I remember thinking UTW would just be a one-time thing. At the time most sub group names were rather short and didn’t blatantly reference one show. I thought after UBW that’d be it. The site was simple. The quality of the movie release and the subs with it was too high and surely too time-consuming on a weekly basis. Raze, you were working for other groups anyway.
Then you guys kept going, and did it again. And again. And again.
Thank you for all your hard work. I followed because of quality – but to be honest, other groups have at least come close with quality. But most that output that kind of quality die quickly, often mid-season. UTW alone offered that quality, weekly, on a timely basis, and with a few exceptions always finished the show – through multiple seasons if need be. And on the most part, at least for those of us on the outside, UTW was remarkably free of fansub drama. Even other groups at least respected you, and – above all – when talking to us you were polite and generally treated us as adults instead of 13-year olds, even when some really didn’t deserve it. You let us know honestly and clearly when deadlines were delayed. You were doing us a service, and you respected us. That is far more rare than it should be.
That combination of dedication and above all professionalism in a fan endeavor was inspiring. You are legend, guys. You’re right – we may not NEED you any more. Even if the alternative is inferior, we can watch and understand just fine. But we will miss you, and we will remember you. That donation amount was no fluke, and I have full faith that it was spent well. To have that amount left – If you were embezzling, you had enough to steal a coffee, and honestly you deserve it. Go buy yourself one if you haven’t.
Enjoy life, Raze. And to others departing for other groups – let us know where you’re going!
@A. Crush – what makes me curious, actually, is how CR translators are actually treated. In any case, I don’t think CR quality will get any better. There’s no real incentive for them to strive for quality beyond what is generally acceptable.
They’ve managed to capture a great portion of the market that merely needs to understand the show, and the remaining holdouts who really want quality aren’t a big enough market to be worth the extra expense. And speaking frankly, Raze has a point. I’ll never choose HS over UTW, but I’ve chosen HS for many shows covered by other sub groups. Frankly, despite ignoring honorifics and having trouble translating puns and references, CR ranks pretty highly at least in terms of grammar and flow. It’s at least proper English. And it must be said, they’re legit and pay the industry.
Thanks for all the hard work you’ve done in the past four years. With your retirement I believe that the best group out there is gone. I always chose your releases over all the others, because you made it fun to watch, with such awesome quality and all the little extras you did in your releases like the “moving” karaoke or signs and BG-voices, text and whatnot. CR is not even close to your quality and most likely will never be.
So I want to say a giant thank you for all the work and I hope, that you will return.
Nevertheless good luck in your life and with your studies.
Kind regards. ๐
@Seiryuu
that’s deep.
Fuck you __ar. You suck. ๐
Well, good luck Raze, its your life you decide, all I know is that we all gonna miss you.
Besides I would never choose CR/HS for your translations, in fact I never watch or read anything from CR/HS, if they are the only ones subbing the show I refuse to watch, CR started as a company by stealing from fansubers and profiting from it, they did that for years, they have no incentive of getting better and only think of monopolizing everything, to me they’re corrupt and I don’t trust them, I prefer to work and buy a DVD/BD or tankouban than giving them a cent.
@commander`A
Wow bro that’s just mean! Why you not on irc bro? Can’t say hi ,_,.
I still hope you guys would change your mind and work on SAO II.. T_T I, personally, don’t care if it doesn’t go out on time. You guys are simply.. the best. T^T
No, sorry we won’t be changing our minds about SAO II. None of us are interested in working on it.
@fgghjjkll:
I always thought that you were simply Kusion’s trolling account or something. Still remember your Nozoki Ana post where you trolled Japanzai without even knowing that said chapters weren’t translated by them. That was a bad move IMO.
@ar
Will UTW at least team up with Underwater once more for the iDOLM@STER film?
okay.. Thanks ar.. But still I’m hoping. ๐
@FRNZ
That’s upto Kusion. I have no part of IM@S.
@ar
Okay.
Thank you so much for everything you guys have done over these 4 years!!!!!
All I can say is thank you so loving much.
If you guys didn’t sub Evangelion so long ago, I would have never really gotten into anime.
Or at least not when I did.
So thanks for being the gateway to my anime addiction and thanks for the years of outstanding work.
So what about utw’s incomplete projects, like Shin Sekai Yori which nobody else will touch since you’re supposedly doing it?
I understand you’re hesitant to pick up simulcasted series, even though I can’t say I’m pleased to hear it, but there’s no reason to drop things.
By far my favorite fansub group ever. I refused to download anything less than your releases for anything you guys decided to sub, even if they were days later, it was worth it. You will be missed Raze but I am happy for you and wish you nothing but success in your future medical career and beyond.
@Milly
Do you even bother reading?
Thank you for all the work and effort you put in to bring us viewers quality releases. I respect the group’s future decisions of moving on to other aspects in life but nonetheless will be sad when that happens. As a person, however, I am happy to have followed, and may follow, the anime you did, and will do, and again appreciate everything Unlimited Translation Works has contributed to anime.
I remember that Angel Beats! was the first show I watched from you guys. Quite simply, the quality was second to none and is still one of my favorite series to this day. Thank you so much for your countless hours and sacrifice to provide high-quality subs for us week after week for free. You and only a handful of other subbers set the standard to which anime fans now expect to see. Your presence on the fansub scene will be sorely missed and I will wait with abated breath for any future projects you may decide to work on in the future!
Comments are disabled in the “Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Ilya 2wei 01 โ Status” post so I’ll leave my comments here
>> with CR streaming it within hours of the MX broadcast itโs pointless to do anyway
It is NOT pointless. UTW 10-bit video quality is vastly superior to CR! I know it isn’t possible, but I just want to let you know that I’d very much prefer to watch UTW’s Illya on the MX broadcast day ๐
This news is really a great shock to me that i have to witness another of my favorite fansubbing group close the shop for good. I’ve been following you guys for almost 4 whole year started when i start my college life and right now i have graduated. When i read your announcement it just like seeing my very dear friend go off and never gonna to see him anymore well you know that sort of feeling (T_T).
It’s true that fansubbing activity require a lot of time to work on and now you’re having it rough managing both your life and fansubbing at the same time and i can understand what are you facing right now, and what you decide is for the best for your future life. It’s good to know that you don’t regret that you’re doing this thing for us and i hope that in the far future you’re not going to regret what are you did in the past, and when the time come for you to reminisce about UTW i hope it would bring tears to you. This very group that you made with hardwork and sweat and these people whose you know and maybe you don’t that supporting you and make you keep going to give your best, the joy and sad moment you share with your staff member will always keep you strong and smile, because you know real life is harsh.
I will keep it in my heart that UTW work is always be my #1 choice, your good and easy to understand translation and good typesetting that wouldn’t made our eyes hurt seeing the text (^_^) that’s why i love you guys so much. i heard from my friend that simulcaster are still no good so i haven’t check it out yet.
And last thing i would like to thank you to all of the UTW staff member for bringing such a good refined quality of video and sub to us for more than 4 years. I hope in the future i can see you again perhaps on another occasion, or maybe you would re-establish UTW for once more ahahahaa…
Thank you for your hard work for these 4 years and i’ll praying the best for you Raze, have a good health and wealth and good luck with your studies and hope you find new girlfriend *lol*. I’ll be always rooting for you. THANKYOUUUU SOOOO MUUCCHHH !!
Thank you UTW for being the best fansub group out there.
It’s always worth the wait for your releases, always enjoying your work.
I will always remember you <3
Since it was asked about SSY, and not wanting to be a dick, but who/what is botes?
Thanks for all your hard work over the years, it has always been a pleasure watching your releases! Good luck to you in your future, and may you find great success in the world of medicine, Raze.
and thanks to the rest of the UTW team as well, it’s been real.
Thanks for al that you have done so far… (โฉ_โฉ) And hoping that you continue to show that CR how much they are lacking in so many areas…!
Until the time when… Nah! Never gonna happen…
Thanks for continuing to both new and old shows for us…! ฯ(๏พ๏ฝฐ^*)
Believed that should be All*
And ” Thanks for continuing to SUB both new and old shows for usโฆ ”
ใฝ๏ผ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃโ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ฟฃ๏ผ๏พ
Sry…
Thx for every show u gave us last years good luck whit ur life ๐ let us hear from u from time to time ;D
Raze. I am amazed at your workaholic ethic. You will slow down, on the day you die, and you’ll have few regrets, and even more reasons to be pissed off about your passing. This is a good thing. I’ve often said here and there that I was quite proud to meet a group of young people that had priorities straight. I’m a generation older, and I’m happy to see that there are some in the one behind me that can kick ass and take names and not give a fuck what others think. I for one, believe that you will be the most amazing doctor. Specialize in gastro. Move to my city. I’ve Crone’s and I need a cool doctor….
>fotc is sick
Too much School Idol-ing? Get well soon.
I appreciate all of the fine work you’ve done over the years. If there was a series I wanted to watch that was being done by UTW, it was your work that watched. It is sad that you have to leave, but completely understandable. Thanks for everything! ^_^
Will you make the last 2 Kyoukai no Kanata ONA?
It has definitely been a blast and joyful ride aboard the S.S. UTW headed by the captain Raze. You shall be missed and good luck with med school. I can definitely sympathize with how much workload you have to do after taking some classes related to med school.
Seitokai Bleep when?
Thanks for all the hard work these four years; I never said anything, but I’ve been around since that first sub of the UBW movie, and you guys have really brightened my day a lot over those four years. I haven’t watched anything for two seasons but I definitely owe it to you guys to say thanks here, at least.
what is this about you (raze) translating VNs? seriously I never read you in any of the readme that I already played.
All the great things comes to an end … wait no, this is not the official end yet.
Anyways, real life kicks in & yea, it sucks. Thanks for all the time & effort you put in in all these year for all of us. Fansubbing really changed a lot in these past few years. I always choose to wait & watch fansubs instead of CR/HS before, even now, I still prefer fansub. But to be honest, CR/HS is very good at what they do and it is completely fine to watch their releases. The reason I choose fansub is because of their attention to detail & the moral support I try to provide by downloading & watching their many hours of hard work just for us.
Raze, being a medical student is not easy, being in medical field your whole life may be even worse … but at least you will be rich. Just kidding, I don’t know if you are doing it because you really love the field or just doing it for money, but being in the medical field is something really to be proud of. Just hang in there for the next 4 (?) years of school & few more years of residency. Fansubbing will just be something to remember & have a few laugh when you think back in the future. Good luck on your next adventure and thanks for your contribution for the anime community. (Not that you are officially leaving, but still)
Aww its too bad that you guys wont sub SAO II. You did a really good job on the first season and I was hoping to see you do the same with the second one.
Anyway, thx for the heads up and the works you have done so far !
Well, thankyou for your work so far. I hope that this isn’t the last we see of UTW.
Thanks for all the awesome subs you guys have provided over the years, you were my goto group most seasons(well you guys and mazui who also seem to be gone or very inactive these days), go enjoy your life and pass those medical exams….anime will still be around waiting to be subbed the utw way whenever you feel like returning again ๐
Raze! You’re making my cry.
You were the best of the best, man. A scholar and a gentleman.
Godspeed.
UTW was my favorite fansubbers back in the day. I still have this website in my bookmark until now.
People move on with their lives. People come and leave, in the internet. Thanks for all the hard work,
Seeing how you go medic route, the experience and knowledge you obtained while fansubbing won’t be put to much use. How unfortunate.
btw what happend with the shinsekai yori bd version? will you finish it?
Always been and always will be my Fav Sub Group ;-; ty for all this time.
To Raze and all those that have worked in fansubbing in some way: thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I am not one to post comments on anime/fansubbing boards/torrents/whatever else, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the time and effort you put into your releases. I have been a fan of anime since I was 3 years old, and almost 21 years later I’m still a fan. I didn’t get into fansubs until I was 17 or 18, and it wasn’t all that long after that I found, and fell in love with, UTW back in 2010.
As a lurker who has long since been silent I feel it needs to be said a thousand times: thank you. All those late nights, all those tiny improvements to make the experience better, all those frustrating moments: they weren’t for nothing. They helped create something beautiful.
I have recently started adding subs Vocaloid songs that I fall in love with but haven’t been subbed before. I go out and find a previously done translation online, put through a small edit if the English is really awkward, then time/typeset it myself. It normally takes me 3-6 hours depending on the length and beat of the song to do the whole thing: finding a translation, editing it, timing it, typesetting, and doing the final mux. Although I have had one that took me 10 hours, oh man was that a ride. Before I started doing this I didn’t realize how much effort went into one episode. I honestly thought that it was probably 2-3 hours of work total per episode. Oh how was I wrong. I have a newfound respect for anyone that gets into fansubbing. You guys are amazing for all the work you put into this hobby. I don’t think I’d have the drive to go at it like you guys do. Thanks again, guys. I wish you all the best.
Wow. Med school is no small feat yet you take time off to fansub. That’s dedication. There wasn’t another subgroup where I’d push f5 constantly every season, waiting for the new release to be posted. I wish you and all the members of UTW a bright future in whatever you do.
Wow. Med school is no small feat yet you find time to create subs tirelessly and never skimping on quality. That’s dedication. There wasn’t another subgroup where I’d push f5 constantly every season, waiting for the new release to be posted. I wish you and the entire UTW crew the best of luck in future endeavors!
Thank you very much for the work you’ve done, even with all the load of work you have!! Your fansubs were always the one I would go to first.
after reading an essay I think the only words that are appropriate is, bye raze and to everyone else who is (or already) leaving. everyone saw this coming tho, but thanks for the announcement instead of dying silence. Wonder what will happen if the name will die and that’s that, or will someone take the throne? Anyway goodbye and praise our lords _ar and heavenly staff!
Is there a chance that we’ll get those remaining SYD episodes before the end of this year?
You promised them by the end of SPRING season!
I have been a quite lurker of the fansub scene for a while and followed you guys from the beginning. It pains me greatly to see such a great fansub group die. It was inevitable but like many other instabilities, I always pushed away the thought. Now that it is coming, I can not help but choke up. I have enjoyed the subs you guys brought, the commentary on posts, and the personalities displayed.
I know you said that Crunchyroll material is fine but I will never use their service. Among other gripes I have with their products, it is the fact that they are part of, and in some cases the main cause of, fansub groups deciding to disband. That the company, although not intentionally, makes groups feel like their work is not worthwhile just upsets me.
Thank you for the years of great content and goodbye.
Thank you for everything you’ve done for us and good luck with the rest of your life. ๐
Please include continuing with Seitokai Yakuindomo in your plans. Many people are so looking forward to it. Believe me, many won’t give up UTW for some half-ass fansub group :d
Thank you for everythings Raze and UTW’s staffs
I’m here since 2011 and you’re the best fansub group ever have.
Anyways is still sad for this group to disband but if there any probabilities for the reviving of the group I’ll be there waiting ๐
Ganbare Raze-san!!!
P.s. :Sorry for my bad English
Really felt my heart dropped when I read this.
Kinda saw it coming.
But I just wanna say is that I really appreciate the work UTW has done over the years.
UTW is the only fansub that I had followed so closely and look foward to.
Thanks. And Good Luck.
i’ll just leave my two cents here by saying THANK YOU for UTW… your hard work will be immortalized on many of our own personal computers, servers, DVDs, Blurays, etc for years and years to come
I don’t ever usually post or anything, but considering what’s happening… I figured it’s time to come out of my shell and thank you all for all the hard work you guys did over the past years. I really appreciate what you’ve guys done and I will be saddened to see you all go, but I can understand the circumstances. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!
First [DB], now [UTW] and [gg], man, pretty soon fansubs will be as dead as people said they were five years ago.
I guess I should be happy that CR finally has watchable subs, but I’m still salty with CR over shit that happened a long time ago.
I’ll miss you guys.
thank you for your hardwork
best fansub for me
You guys were my fav Fansubs…
another amazing fansub down… how sad. I’ll miss your work.
๐
This got me tearing up. UTW is my favorite sub team since i gotten into anime. I’m thankful for everything you guys had done for me and for everyone else. So again, thank you and i wish you the best of luck!!
wow although i didn’t know about UTW(it’s been 2 years since i become anime fans,and 1 year since i know UTW) i can see your hardwork and dedication here and there.
good luck on your med school
and everyone on UTW,good luck!
i wish CR will be as good as UTW soon
UNDED soon.
*downloading Kara no Kyokai movie again*
I had deleted it previously but that beautiful piece of anime needs to be redownloaded, rewatched, and honored, regardless of its size.
Thank you UTW for all the effort the past few years. You guys were my favourite group that I would always turn to first. Good luck in all your future endeavours!
As one that skipped GGO while reading, I feel compelled to admit that I am blown away by the anime. Blown the f#?$ away. Just sayin’. Best wishes in your futurely medical endeavors.
Raze… I’ve never commented a single time here, but I felt I should give my thoughts.
I, too, took a break from anime this past season, so I didn’t really have an opportunity to feel utw’s absence. I came here the other day to see what you were covering this season, because this group has been my go-to for the past 2+ years. It’s really gotten to the point where I will decide what I will watched based on what you’re covering, because you’re just that good.
When I read this, I felt overwhelming sadness while at the same time agreeing with you on its inevitability. Life happens at the same time that the world moves on. Nonetheless, I will sorely miss yours and the rest of the group’s contribution to the anime scene. Your work, particularly on Fate/Zero, Monogatari, and Shinsekai Yori, has been incredible and I refuse to watch anyone else’s translations of those shows because they just seem inferior. You’ve added so much life and character to those shows, which is incredibly important to Gen’s literary background in Fate and to Monogatari’s verbal gymnastics. I’ve seen other translations for those shows, including Crunchyroll’s, and while adequate I wouldn’t show them to a friend trying to figure out why I love those shows so much. I fear for what I and other fans will have to resort to for F/SN and the continuation of Monogatari.
That said, I do understand your decision and wish you the best going forward with life. Your work has meant an incredible amount to me, probably more than you realize based on this post. The fact that I’m this affected by the fact that you’re disbanding is evidence of that. Good luck and ganbatte, sir.
Thanks a bunch for all of your hard work over the years, I think we basically went through school together and started our post-undergrad at the same time. Anyways, thanks again and good luck with Med.
It is believed in some Asian cultures that you will only work 20 years of your total lifespan. I hope fan-subbing has taken a year or two off so you can spend more time leisurely in the future.
Thanks for all your hard work over the years on all the titles especially the Fate work. As with all things in life, nothing is permanent and we all move on to other things. Good luck in all your future endeavors!
Tonudhowc! That’s a really cool way of putting it!
Thank you sooooo much for all the dedication you’ve put into fansubbing all these years. I believe you are a great person one this world needs allot in these dark times we live in, i’m just a lurker a nobody tho cant do much i’m sincerely thankful to you Raze/and all UTW staff for everything you’ve done, hope you enjoy the doctor-path i’m sure it will help allot of people. Hontoniarigato ็งใฎๆฐๆใกใซ้ใใใผใ
P.S. hope g-translate didn’t butcher it teheee
Ja matane (๏ฟฃ^๏ฟฃ)ใ
UTW has long been a favourite sub group for me ever since you founded. All I can say is thanks for what you’ve done so far~
Didn’t know the forum rules allowed such brilliant posts.
Good things end sooner or later, that is why they are great and should be fondly remembered. I thank you guys for all the great shows you subbed and especially thanks for finishing the ones that you picked up now. Good luck in your life all!
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