Last month Japanese fans were relieved to see the subtitles in FotR DVD were repaired considerably to what they had been in the film version. Now they are tortured again.

“On October 18th, the new TTT trailer was released by the Japanese distributor on the Web. Dubbed version was good, but those who love the actors’ own real voices chose the other version with subtitles—and they found a familiar frustration. [Eowyn says] “Preparations? Warning?” No viewer can possibly imagine Eowyn here is really saying, “They were unarmed. They had no warning.”

Another example. Sam : Wonder if this is the way Gandalf meant? (Note that “We’re lost” is eliminated) Frodo: Everything is unpredictable. “This is a Zen dialogue, not a translation at all,” exclaims an ex-leader of Petition for Better Subtitles in FotR. What’s in Frodo’s mind here is the tragic fall of Gandalf, but these subtitles ignore it. Such were the lines that filled FotR when seen in theaters. And Nippon Herald, the distributor, declares that the same subtitler will stay in her position.

A group of fans have started preparing a new petition. “How we wish we didn’t have to do this,” says another leader. “All we ask is: Just show us what is being said. Why should it be so difficult?”