The Fansubber Issue

This post got me thinking about another issue in Anime concern, fansubbing.

Now I used to be all “Fansubs are bad because you can get viruses from downloading them”, but really with the right Anti-Virus software this problem can be solved easily. What was a deeper moral concern was the issue of piracy. Now here’s a problem:

1: I like to pay for stuff, CDs, DVDs, videogames, etc, because I like to support artists being one myself.

2: Stuff like Kaiba isn’t out in Australian distribution on DVD, and the only way I can get it is to download a fansub, which is, pretty much, illegal.

OH NOES, THE WOE!

But at the same time, if you pay for DVDs of Anime as well as watch fansubs of Anime that won’t see local distribution in a million years, this is a good compromise. For every fansub you download you buy the DVD of that fansubbed series if it ever comes out. Also, if you can as this new method of distribution develops, download legal Anime fansubs as this new media format hatches.

But aside from the legality of fansubs, which I’ve already addressed here in as much length as I have to, there’s the issue of the quality of fansubs. I’m quite picky when it comes to fansubs and I’ll search for a better fansub version of the same show if one version is crappy. An example of crappy, in my sense of the word, is the fansub of True Tears which has such bad syncing and timing that Noe’s words are coming out of a boy’s mouth, when Noe hasn’t even appeared on screen yet. This is no minor complaint about karaoke subs in the opening and closing sequence, this is a genuine complaint.

HOWEVER! There are good fansubs if you look hard enough. This may mean you might have to look harder than the first fansub torrent you see of a show you want. It’s hard work but it’s worth it. Especially if you find one where Noe speaks her own words instead of a boy mouthing her dialogue in her voice, which is quite disturbing to watch.

Then there’s the whole Otaking video debate, which was a video I found funny in parts, but it was less informative than I had hoped. The beginning was really informative, then it just got ranty. But as long as Noe can speak her own dialogue, I’m happy. Take Kaiba for example, there are wonderful fansubs of that show with minimal pretension in their translation. This is a show with universal appeal and not many Japanese references, only the Superflat/Osamu Tezuka aesthetic gives it away as purely Japanese, as well as the mood of the Anime itself. So full marks for Kaiba fansubbers who respect the show enough to not plaster their names all over it. Translated credits as well, so extra points.

Fansubbers fill a need in Anime fan society to expose an Anime show to a Western audience who may not be fluent in Japanese. To complain about them would be to ignore their importance. I’m really more concerned about Anime directors getting their royalties eventually than fansub fonts, as some fansub fonts can be simple and effective as keeping to the mood and aesthetic of the show itself.