Ask John: Is Anime a Right or a Privilege?

Question:
After seeing about the uproar among some anime fans on the licensing of Tokyo Mew Mew, I had to ask whether anime is a right or a privilege.

Answer:
I come from a generation of anime fans that pre-dates the American anime industry. To me, the opportunity to watch anime is a privilege that I try to always remain grateful for. Although the animation industry in Japan is now beginning to change a bit, Japanese animation is so called because it’s Japanese. It’s made by Japanese artists for Japanese viewers. The overwhelming majority of anime was never created for non-Japanese viewers. Since I don’t live in Japan, I’m watching something that I was never originally intended to see. (While I’m sure Japanese artists are pleased to see as many people as possible enjoy their works, foreigners are not typically the audience Japanese artists create for.) In effect, I feel lucky to be able to watch any and every anime I have access to. I’m glad that an American anime industry exists because it not only makes anime easier for me to acquire and watch, the existance of an American anime industry represents an acknowledgement of anime, an acknowledgement that anime is something worth devoting time and effort and money to supporting and sharing.

That the accessibility of Japanese animation to non-Japanese viewers is a privilege has nothing to do with dubbing and/or altering Japanese animation. If we consider imported anime a “gift” that’s been exported out of Japan and presented to Americans, I think that Americans ought to have some respect for this gift. Anime is the result of thousands of man-hours of dedicated work by devoted artists. It is hand crafted cinematic art in the purest sense. Based on that evaluation of anime, English dubbing is a necessary sacrifice necessary to introduce imported Japanese art to non-Japanese viewers, but heavy Americanization is simply a disrespectful vandalization of art.