eMagi.co.uk

Staff members from left to right: NeoBlade, TaroTard, Chiisuki and Ovii-sama

We’ve had this feature bubbling along for some time where eMagi staff members gather together and discuss topics to gather opinions and views regarding the world we’re in, anime, manga, videogames and much more.

Today we will roll out the first of many features of which I hope to run on a monthly basis as we discuss and debate often on our eMagi forum about topics. This debate though concerns the long debate about anime fansubs and its effects on the industry.

NeoBlade: Fansubbing is nothing new… It is a process of translating something into one’s native language so more people can appreciate the media more. Back in the day, animé would be fansubbed and then put onto VHS for distribution which is expensive and time consuming. With the advent of digital distribution though almost anyone, anywhere in the world can obtain such files with a few clicks of the mouse. With a much lower barrier to get such files and with trends moving into where media is on demand whenever the consumer wants it, do you believe there is still a place for fansubs to exist? Don’t forget that fansubs are illegal for distribution as well but because they are so widespread, that message gets lost. For many people, they would not pay for a series when they can get the same quality in terms of video and audio for free.

What do you believe can be done to help reverse this trend while still making sure that artists and companies can still create animé that we all know and love?

TaroTard: Ok this is something that I think about quite often…
Fansubbing is definitely/ has definitely had a negative affect on the anime industry in America/Europe unfortunately. Because fansubs are readily available it is exactly like you said more often than not people don’t bother to buy the animes they want to watch, they download them instead. Because it is so easy to do and so easily available and everywhere I think people often forget it is illegal.

In the end the reason fansubs have a place to exist at the moment is people are impatient and want to see their favourite shows as soon as they’re available and because fansubs are pretty much ready to download as soon as the eps are released in Japan these days, people are going to continue to do it.

As for reversing… it will/ would be a difficult task! There would have to be a crack down on anime download sites for a start. In the end how effective would that be? It would help but we already know that the music industry suffers greatly because of it and this is an industry that is much more main stream than anime.
Publicity - I know that articles on this topic have been posted already on the net warning people of what will happen if it continues, whilst this has a positive affect on some anime fans, there are still others who will completely ignore this.
Faster release of animes - DVD wise this is not realistic (though I am sure many would agree it would be nice =D) however they could take a leaf from the music industry’s book and start making animes readily available to download with subs officially for a fee (to go to the producers/ creators/ whoever gets the money from these shows). This way animes could be available as fast as fansubs are now and it would be official and legal.

That’s just my 5 cents, maybe my ideas are too naive/ optimistic, perhaps when I have my degree in business my 5 cents will be worth more

Chiisuki: Personally I am for fansubing, mainly due to being a fan of certain anime genre’s that are often not licensed commercially for western distribution. I know the industry like any other is primarily run on money and unless a title is deemed marketable then a license will not be purchased as there is too much of a possibility of money loss etc. Unlike with commercial companies fan subbers are there for fans, they work not for money but for the benefit of other fans and they take what they enjoy (i.e. anime or manga) and make it accessible to all. I agree that the anime industry in the western world is losing profit due to this but at the end of the day the fan subbers are gaining nothing in return for their efforts and yet they work a lot harder and faster it seems than actual industry insiders. The whole debate to me is more passion vs. greed.

If the anime industry wished for people to stop using fan subbers for one they need to bring the prices of their DVD’s down as it is extortionate especially in the UK where pricing close to £20 per 4 episodes is not uncommon. I am aware the price of DVD’s sold here is due to the cost of purchasing title licenses from Japan but I can’t see how they would be that costly. The anime industry is a tiny part of the DVD industry as a whole and often I see fans being ripped off left right and centre by these large companies due to the lack of suppliers the prices are kept high and there is no competition or at least it seems that way to keep the prices down.

If the industry wants to please fans and stop fansubbing they need to start thinking more like an actual anime fan, after all what would make people buy DVD’s of their favourite shows if they already have a fansub? Personally I believe companies have the right idea when they bring out collectors boxes which include Limited edition items that can’t be found elsewhere. Anime fans as a whole love collecting and these editions make people want to shell out the extra cash to own the genuine article. Anime companies need to approach the market as a collectors market and make it so people have to buy their products.

The companies could also reduce the wait by producing an iTunes style release system per episode (I am aware a few companies are currently trailing this) where a small amount is paid per episode download which are in fact just subbed rather than dubbed, this could also be used as a way to tide fans over until actual DVD release dates, which currently from announcement of licensing take months. I know this is due to arranging dubbing etc (which many fans aren’t bothered about anyway) but it would be more efficient if the companies released two titles one which is just subbed and a second released later with a dubbed track if the title is deemed successful.

TaroTard: Fansubbers are indeed there to help the fans as there IS a lot of anime that they have never released. To be honest a lot of the stuff I want to see is not released as it is Shojo (think it’s getting better now though, in America at least) and there is not as big a market for at it as the shonen stuff eg. Naruto, Bleach (etc.) which are good animes btw… well I think

But without money these animes cannot be made and yes you’re right I think they are definitely way too greedy with what they ask for. I haven’t brought any new anime in a longtime and a big part of it is because I cannot afford it! At 20 quid a DVD you’re looking at a lot of cash for an entire series.
Hence why I also thought the download option was a good idea. They have TV series readily available on itunes for just over a pound an episode, if they did this for anime I would be up for purchasing a lot more as I am sure many others would. Not only is it cheaper but it is a lot easier too.
Not sure how much they need to make a profit on these shows to be fair, but I’m sure if big budget shows can live on it anime can too.

Oh and I agree with the limited edition boxset thing, I thought the Haruhi limited edition sets were amazing <3 Haven’t got my hands on them though >< would like to at some point! (I have the normal DVDs as it is one of my fave shows)

Ovii-sama: Fansubbing…I don’t really know what to say on the subject. Seeing as I don’t watch fansubs that much.
I used to watch Bleach, D.Gray-Man and Claymore fansubs. But since then I’ve stopped.

All I can say is, I honestly think it should stop somehow. As convenient as it is to be able to watch our favourite shows before they come out. It IS going to ultimately do nothing but destroy the industry. It’s the same reason that I refrain from downloading music nowadays unless I promise myself I will buy it sometime.

It is uneven ground, though. As some anime is never released to us. In that case, I agree with fansubbing: Otherwise, we’re missing out.

So…I’m kinda stuck in the middle to tell the truth. :/

NeoBlade: Some good opinions there with many valid points. We shall continue this though in Part Two as we evolve the topic further discussing Fansubs and the translation methods used as as a certain Professional Translator has recently been outspoken about this…

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