Illion
| Name: | Illion |
| Founder: | Claudio A., Jose M. Q., and Marcelo G. |
| Members: | |
| Dates: | 1994-early 2002 |
| Medium: | anime |
| Projects: | see list in article |
| Translating From: | Japanese |
| Translating To: | Spanish |
| External Links: | (no longer accessible, even on the Wayback Machine) |
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Illion was a fansub group that translated anime into Spanish during the VHS/early digisub era. They were a key part of the Chilean otaku scene for nearly a decade, not only fansubbing but also hosting showings, parties, and other events.[1]
History
Illion was one of the earliest and longest-running fansub groups working in Spanish. They were based out of Chile and would show their work to large audiences.[2]
The group started in 1994. Despite advertising by word of mouth only, membership grew quickly. They were able to host large showings and even sponsored the first Chilean cosplay and karaoke. They were based out of the Centro Cultural Valparaiso (Valparaiso Cultural Center).[1]
1997-1999 were the "Golden Age of Illion", when they picked up and fansubbed some of their most famous shows. For example, DNA^2 was fansubbed in neutral Spanish (rather than localized to Chile) to allow it to be shipped to multiple locations. Neon Genesis Evangelion was translated at great speed, only shortly behind the airings in Japan. Kimagure Orange Road was picked up and subbed despite a Spanish dub already existing in order to provide better quality and more true-to-original translations.[1]
After subtitling over 100 works, Illion fell prey to bankruptcy and the closing of their home, the Centro Cultural Valparaiso, in 2000. The group limped along for another two years, having lost one of their founders to marriage, but eventually closed in 2002. Marcelo continued to work to spread anime, and eventually a new group was founded in 2005 called IBlard-J, which included some of the old Illion members.[1]
Translations
Illion completed many popular series[3], including:
- Berserk
- Boogiepop Phantom
- Cowboy Bebop
- DNA^2
- Escaflowne
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou
- Kimagure Orange Road
- Mahou Tsukai Tai
- Nadesiko
- Nadia
- Utena
They also completed several popular movies, including Sailor Moon movies, several Studio Ghibli films, and the X/1999 movie.[3]
In addition, they fansubbed parts of the following popular series[3]:
Impact
Illion had a powerful effect on anime and manga fandom in Chile and across the Spanish-speaking world. They popularized many series and created a space for the newly emerging otaku to meet and connect, filling the role that anime clubs tended to in the United States and Canada.
Torrents of their subs can still be found on some trackers today.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d breve historia del anime en Chile Accessed Dec. 12, 2012.
- ^ ¿Qué es un fansub y cómo funciona? "En Chile uno de los casos más longevos y recordados es el ciclo realizado por la gente de Illion, comenzando en la V Región en el Centro Cultural de Valparaíso durante el año 1994. A principios de la década del 2000, Illion también instala un ciclo de animé en el Teatro Novedades ubicado en la avenida Cueto, en el centro de Santiago y que vio sus últimos ciclos en el Cine Arte Alameda en conjunto con la agrupación “Kodama”." Accessed Dec. 12, 2012.
- ^ a b c Fansub Database Accessed Dec. 12, 2012.
- ^ Not linking for obvious reasons, but search for "Illion" and any of their series to see. Obviously, these torrents are not sanctioned by the group, as many of their fansubbed shows are now licensed in Spanish.