The Doraemon syndrome

Tadik gi tengok wayang... merasalah korang mesti tak caya gi tengok cita Thailand animation.

Truth is sebenarnya gi tengok the sequel to Khan Kluay yang meletop blockbuster di Siam tuh. Sini namanya Jumbo Gajah Biru (amik ko kreatif gila title dia... enam hari enam malam tak makan minum tidur dok nak pikirkan title kerana cita ni focus pada Jumbo... seekor gajah berwarna biru)

Versi tempatan ni, menampilkan suara Akim dan Mila. Tuh yang Jumbo warna biru tu Akim, dan kaler pink yang bini dia si Mila.

Tak caya? Hah... ni pic yang blur sebab lighting haus dalam panggung lepas tayangan Jumbo Gajah Biru.

What did I think of it.

Well, the actual animated movie itself, susah nak say anything bad about it.

Even though the animation takde tahap Pixar ke Disney, but seriously, the storytelling, the pacing of it all, the plot (though not that original, but what is in cartoons and animated features) - sungguh bagus.

I mean, when it comes to Thai films or full length features, the scoring, the storyline memang mesti tangkap leleh punya la.

I loved all one and a half hours of it.

Now here's the downside. For me at least.

Benda ni dubbing dalam Bahasa Malaysia.

Sorry lah.. but for me bab ni fail! Tiap kali ada benda dubbing masuk BM je, mesti salah kepit jadik sora ala Doraemon.

I mean, bukan tak patriotic ke apa. Kita da sedia maklum ni filem Siam. So biar je la dalam bahasa original. Subtitles, baby!

Ada member sentap ngan aku kata aku tak pikir orang yang tak suka atau tak reti baca subtitles.

Jawapan aku senang je.... learn to read.

Tak prihatin aku lak pada bebudak yang nak tengok kan? Well, all I have to say is kalao ada yang kata camtuh, then the kid in question should worry about their future more than what a talking elephant is saying. Umo berapa? Tak reti baca? THAT'S what's wrong with our education system! Literacy hado katanya.

It's not the same bila da dubbing. The emotion and intonation of speech lain. Even if you don't understand it, you feel it (merasalah ala Avatar - I feel you!). Bayangkan korang dulu tengok Nang Nak - bayangkan kalao alihsuara. Will the impact be same?

I grew up learning languages that were not my mother tongue. English, Bahasa Malaysia. So what's the problem.

Kalao da bahasa korang lemah, learn, bitches! Aku dulu belajar English pon layan min Your Language ok! Walaopon orang gelak haram aku paham memula. Lama-lama pas berkawan ngan kamus baru paham. Bahasa Malaysia lak aku belajar ngan layan lagu ok! Lagu the late Sudirman and then later masuk Febians and Gersang (matilah)

Jangan harap dok suap je. Ni la masaalah orang kita. Semua demand nak disuap je. The creativity gets zapped out. People get callous and unfeeling.

Tu yang bila tengok wayang kena have that bitch-slap effect. Intelligence is seconded to slapstick, and drama remains cliched.

Korang tengok drama Melayu biasa tau je skema kan? Orang kalao mati biasa sebab leukimia/kanser/sakit jantung. All rich Datuks and Datins wear suits and fancy dresses and an expensive date is one where dok kat kelab yang serve multicoloured drinks. No? Tengok agik...

This is all the beginnings of a bigger problem.

I remember watching the movie Caramel, a Lebanese production. Ok jer aku ngan kengkawan menghayati filem tuh walaopon layan subtitles. Selama ni korang tengok filem Hindustan, bayangkan sora Shah Rukh Khan digantikan pelakon sini? Feel tak? That's how I feel bila layan Spongebob Squarepants versi dubbing. EEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

Sapa tak paham aku meroyan apa, takpe.

Walaopon aku tak paham Mandarin ke Cantonese (cause aku cakap Hokkien je... lain ok!), aku tengok cita Cina pon layan subtitles gak... ok jek.

So I really hate this dubbed shit.

But if you wanna numb yourself, go watch this movie. The movie itself is SO WORTH watching, just sabar je la bab dubbing (kecuali kalao korang memang tak kisah then leh layan la). Me? I just heaved a sigh of relief when Akim and Mila stopped singing (bukan sebab tak bagus tapi tak feel) and enjoyed when the Thai version of the song came on.

Unlike many, I am looking online for the translation so enjoy it more AFTER the movie.

Ok ok.. cukup meroyan. Pas abih layan wayang, gi ler ngan kengkawan makan kat Uptown. Slalu Hartamas, Bangsar, Rasta... ni tukar angin sikit. Port lama aku sejak zaman abih skolah.

Tapi tak penah perasan signboard ni lak.

Tuh dia kata ko... THE TASTE CAN KILL U. Ko sanggup makan? Aku tanak!!!!!

But honestly kalao korang try Western kat gerai ni - memang can kill you. Yucks!

Kalao korang nak makan Western ko carik kedai Yazid (dekat je ngan si lanun ni). THE BEST!

Sodap... and bigger portions. Mintak black pepper sauce dia lebih ok, meka tak kedekut. And memang sedap. Rugi tak rasa.

Ok la... I need to call it a night. Layan...

PS - Yang tak paham tujuan entry ni simple je - go watch a good production like Gajah Jumbo Biru, but learn that reading subtitles is not that bad as you should be listening to emotions within the context of delivery, as well as knowing what words are delivered.

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