Curtain Call

Let’s be honest: we all knew this project wasn’t bound to last forever. Nothing is infinite. Except for the rewatchability of Matsumoto’s Haunted Hotel. I’d watch that shit for all eternity. Too bad I won’t be able to live that long.

I could give you lots of reasons for why I can’t do this anymore, but I’ll only give you one: time. Long story short, I don’t have a significant amount of spare time as I used to back then. Even writing and posting this thing here took me an absurdly long time, I was planning to post it several weeks ago but I just couldn’t do it.

I’ve been working as a freelance translator for more than a year by now, and I have lots of projects I’m working on and many others I can’t wait to begin and even find out about. Subbing Gaki used to be a hobby to me back then when I had different (mostly part-time) jobs and used to be an university student. I really enjoyed spending some of my free time translating and subbing content I really care for and – most importantly – people actually appreciated.
I haven’t lost interest in Gaki no Tsukai (even if, lately, I haven’t been following the latest eps) and it’ll always have its special place in my heart. It kept me motivated during my student years and made me even more passionate to learn and translate this language I love so deeply it’s ridiculous.

But, as of today, I’m working as a translator. I can literally say it’s a dream coming true (18-year-old me wouldn’t believe me if I’d tell him I’m translating stuff from japanese for a living). I do also occasionally work with subtitles, aside from other types of translation (such as novels, articles, etc.), and, at times, I’m not left with much spare time for my personal life. And, you know, how can I see subbing Gaki as a hobby if it’s translation again, something I do for several hours on a daily basis?

Not only that. The pandemic hit me pretty hard in a crucial moment of my life, and I can feel it made lots of things harder for me. Now that my job is literally doing what I used to do for free throughout all these years and that I’m left with not much spare time which I don’t really want to spend by staying behind the same ol’ computer screen, I think it’s the right time to call it a day. [update: and now there’s also a potential global war around the corner, oh geez]

This project gave me a lot, but now I want to focus on getting back something else, or something I don’t even know yet.
I don’t want to let it all slip by with the usual “ok, I’m taking a break, I’ll eventually post again, yadda yadda yadda” stuff, it’s stupid. I’ve never been that much active in the Gaki community nor even on the internet (seriously, I have no idea why I opened that facebook page I barely even used), there’s an infinite list of project I’ve promised to complete (Remember Isho Project? Or the Manzai Skits? What about Soramimi Hour?) but I’ve left behind, but I can see there are many talented subbers who are still bringing tons of subbed content online. You’re all in good hands.

And now, completely contraddicting what I just spat out, who knows! Maybe, one day, if my life will be different and I’d feel like subbing Gaki again, who knows, you know? Who knows. But I can’t put the effort I used to put in this website the way I did some years ago anymore, I just can’t force myself to think of it as some kind of duty I have to fullfil.
Of course, this website isn’t going anywhere: everything will still be available, and you can always reach me out (on twitter please, that’s the best way to grab my attention) for anything, from dead links reports to simple chitchat.

But this time, I made up my mind and I’m resolute with it.
After 8 years of activity, this is going to be the last year for Shion no Tsukai.

I want to thank everyone who watched and enjoyed the content I’ve subbed, everyone who donated on my ko-fi or subscribed to my patreon (by the way, feel free to unsubscribe), TofuPanda, WD Project, Team Gaki, Shappuri Agemasu Subs and every other Gaki project I’ve worked with, and of course all the typesetter who helped me bringing you all lots of content: Tiny_Paw, GakiDave, Amria, RIDDELL, Mattee53, WA and, last but not least, Kedomas, who helped this website so much I just can’t thank him enough.
Thank you so much for following, guys!!
I hope you’ll enjoy your life to the best of your possibilities.

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Oh, by the way.
Pending stuff won’t be left pending. There are few episodes I still have to bring you before I’ll be done, They were kindly typesetted for me before I took this decision and I won’t let the typesetters’ efforts to go to waste.
So, within this year (2022, for those like me who can’t remember it), there are still going to be few new subbed episodes, but I don’t really know when I’ll release them (could be in a month, could be in 10 months). They’re definitely coming out, that’s for sure.

Let me spoil them for ya:
– Downtown trip do Amagasaki (short, coming most likely within this month)
– Impromptu Shinkigeki (24 min. ep., TBA)
– More Gottsu Ee Kanji (few skits, TBA)
– Bikkuri Grand Prix pt. 2 (24 min. ep., TBA)

So… see you next time, I guess?
It’s not really the best way to end a LOLBYE tearjerkish post, but it is what it is. Gotta sub the stuff I promised I’ll sub. Gotta deliver. Gotta go fast. Gotta catch em all. Gotta no Tsukai.

Love love love love love love, my sweet, sweet gakifolks.

– Shion