[AniDB](https://anidb.net/anime/3325) | [BGM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFEk6Y8TmM) | [DDL](https://t.me/futari_no_lotte) | [Latest version of subs](https://github.com/Perevodildo/Perevodildo-softsubs/tree/master/Watashi%20to%20Watashi%20-%20Futari%20no%20Lotte) Video is [this ancient 2004 encode](https://nyaa.si/view/275202) of TV-airing, recorded on VHS - DivX 5 (h263) / 640x480 / ~1500kbps / 119.880 (24/30) (I beg your pardon?) FPS and Mp3 sound in .avi container. Moreover, there's not a single episode with both the OP and ED present. Even more detrimental is the fact there are a good deal more of those with the ED present (which is mid beyond belief), and only a handful of those with the OP (which is a banger). Some episodes are also missing the first few seconds of the recap part. Timings from Arabic subs by Sub-RoRo. Translation by me. So, apparently I decided not to linger on it and used up my vacation to push this series out in under a month. Because after all, those 29 episodes also cover the events of approximately 1,5 months in total. Admittedly, that was something I'd rather never do again. Usually, I'd not take such a massive detour when I have another humongous show burdening me already. But as of late, Tarutuuto-kun is stuck in Marty's QC anyway, so might as well. As a matter of fact, research for Taruruuto brought me to read some of the sickest pedo-doujins ever; research for Futari no Lotte brought me to listen to some of the world's best operas. My priorities and allegiances here are rather lucid. Preface, published previously with the episode 1: Some call this show a disowned sister of the World Masterpiece Theater series. But because the only video I have is such a dross, I figured there's no reason to even try offering it to anyone as a joint. I mean, who in their sound mind would wanna get entangled in that, right? Long story short, I proceeded to dying on this hill by myself. Some proper names are left intact in German, because they don't have English analogs, or said analogs sound like a nail screeching on the glass, when you also hear them pronounced in Japanese, corrupted in a cardinally opposite direction. Some I borrowed from the English translation of the book. As a matter of fact, said English translation was so verdammt 🔥, I ended up copy-pasting some lines directly from it. New notes for the rest of the series, in which I artificially attach credibility to my work through throwing at you the boring results of my shallow research, knowing all too well you'll be too lazy and uninterested to check any of them (essentially turning a goofy torrent description into a thesis): [Linz on Danube](https://goo.gl/maps/8mCyXRFRWfqAPVSq5) (from episode 2) where the girls were born is located midway between their two respective residences, so you'd probably think the lake Bühlsee and the village of Seebühl (should I even start on this?) where this story starts, are also located somewhere in this area. And you'd be correct, as later they depart on train from [Egern](https://goo.gl/maps/2NJaHjpCmGUj37KW8) (episode 4) which... [doesn't really even have a train station](https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?style=standard&lat=47.686134676302196&lon=11.781892776489258&zoom=13) which is kinda dumb.😒 Aside from that, most geographical designations in Munich and Vienna are real and precise, although not always correct. [Here](https://goo.gl/maps/e21dPZV7DKPhszVk8) is the supposed location of Ludwig Palfy's atelier, as described by Louise in episode 4 (Courtesy of Darkonius, because I knew there there's a Ringstraße and there's a Kärntnerstraße but I never figured out you could combine the two). Right next to it - Hotel Imperial. The exact address of Palfy's house on Red Tower (aka ) street is never specified, but the straße itself is rather easy to find in the vicinity, and even if we assume the house is on the [southern tip of if](https://goo.gl/maps/YdpQtNGyqzeLSz137), right next to St. Stephen's, it's still a good kilometer to cover on foot from both the atelier and the opera house. That probably explains dad's reluctance to come home for dinner, erupting in Lotte's new plan in episode 20. Huber's butchery from the same 4th episode supposed to be on the corner of Max Emanuel Street and Prince Eugene Street. Whereas the latter is [easy to locate in Munich](https://goo.gl/maps/V8eC6mYb8uJ2541M6), it only has a corner with one street, and it's not Max-Emanuel-Straße. Finally, Oberpollinger and Karlstor on the Neuhauserstraße (episode 4 as well) are [still there even today](https://goo.gl/maps/rPWW441TCpRLEt3F7). Unfortunately, starting from episode 5, the anime took a completely independent course, so the usefulness of the book for me has been reduced to nigh 0. Even when there's a new character/address introduced, I have to consult the original Deutsch edition for that, since they use names from that. Later on, most of the characters introduced are original to the anime. Those I have to look up in the Japanese Wikipedia. So much for an eloquent translation, I guess. You would be likely to find my own translation for future episodes dull and bleak, compared to those few. Episode 6 features two lines from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. I took the translation for those from [Harvard University Memorial Church version](https://memorialchurch.harvard.edu/files/thememorialchurch/files/orfeoedeuridiceprogram.pdf) of libretto. I personally prefer the "Louise" spelling, but alas, in episode 8 they make it explicitly clear it's the German (Who would've thunk!) variant of "Luise." Choosing wrong spellings for names had bitten me in the ass too many times before. I'm glad I've decided to release this series as one big blob. All in all, the show is pretty consistent and accurate in depicting the actual places. However, in episode 10, albeit just for a second, we see a modern air control tower in 1920-30s Austria. Not to mention the map of Europe () which we see in Lotte's class on multiple occasions, with post-WW2 borders on it, and even FRG/GDR demarcation mapped, which is... interesting. Oh, and should I even start about having a phone in every house? But other than that, the series has to it a very genuine and meticulous impression of 1920s Europe, the spirit of sophisticated music, good literature and slightly snobbish people. In episode 11, Resi refers to the "The Magic Flute" opera by Mozart. The opera has been originally written in German, which accounts for why Resi was able to read the libretto. However, in the entirety of [said libretto](http://www.murashev.com/opera/Die_Zauberfl%C3%B6te_libretto_German_English), I haven't been able to locate the exact line Resi is reciting. You can correct me though, in case you know better. By the way, Resi's name is a shortening of Theresa. In episode 12, the VHS audio was borked in multiple spots for about 10 seconds in total. Went ahead and replaced left channel with right for those segments to prevent earrape. Consequently, the audio in episode 12 is now flac. Sorry. 😘 The rest is untouched mp3. 🤮 [Park by the canal from episode 13.](https://goo.gl/maps/NDWG9BbqfGXSR8dC7) Needless to say, the canal there is nowhere near as clean/fast/wide/deep/equipped for swimming as is depicted in the anime. It is even more sad if you consider the fact the whole scene that revolves around said canal is a braindead throwaway drama sequence, apparently written in at the last minute. 😟 Frau Gerlach's villa, in turn, is located well into Vienna suburbs, so, provided the address is correct, Lotte covering [that distance](https://goo.gl/maps/y3aWWtjXF6zg1KRU9) even on tram in ep22 is quite the feat, and contrary to her words, anything but quick. In all fairness, Sub-Roro's translation had gotten much better towards the end of the series, and the episodes past #20 only had an average of 1 line in 10 guessed wrong, which is almost pushing the "decent" tier for regional subtitles. Excerpt from Pavarotti's "Le sette ultime parole" in episode 22 transcribed with the help of alucardnoyuuutsu. o7 Used [this](https://www.opera-arias.com/mozart/don-giovanni/libretto/english/) translation for excerpt from Mozart's Don Giovanny in episode 26. Now this is where the constructive part of the description effectively ends and I proceed to pour out my own takes on this anime, aka a subterfuge intended to convince you it's actually a masterpiece, all as a part of one big laughable attempt to fight my depression and because I hadn't been granted a faculty for being concise. As rightfully observed by someone, this series will stay in the copyright limbo until 2044, which is one of the reasons I started it, aside from that of me being the VHS supremacist. At some point it reminded me of... Proust's Lost Time, of all things! While no possible similarity can be traced between initially, both make you tumble to the fact, the childhood is, in fact, the best part of one's life. Everything that comes after may be safely considered a mere bitter aftertaste. Interestingly, the twins have different VAs, but still, both fit in well and you can tell the difference between the girls only if you pay attention to details. However, while in the book you could read, for example, "the dad's tone had changed, Lotte no longer felt like he was talking to his own daughter," in anime much of this change had to be depicted in... animation! With only subtle details in dialogues helping you understand the context directly, such as him using "ano ko" instead of "kono ko." As a matter of fact, all the actors did great, although the the one who really went to town is dad, voiced by Tomiyama Kei, the voice of Yang Wenli, even if aniDB thinks it was by Toyama who voiced touchan in Sasuke (1968). In alternative universe, had there had been a DVD remaster, supposing it would contain those fancy interview with the crew, would someone have assumed responsibility for the trainwrecks that are episodes 13 and 29? I sure wonder.