Ask John: Should Fans Buy Fansubs or Wait for Licensed Releases?

Question:
I was wondering if I should buy a fansub or a sub. There are many good anime out there that haven’t been licensed such as Flame of Recca and Mammote! Shugogetten, and I wonder if it would be better to just wait if the series gets licensed or buy a fansub which has low quality, not very good subbing, and isn’t legal. I am an anime fan and would probably prefer buying legal versions. What should I buy?

Answer:
This depends largely on how much you want to see a series, but really shouldn’t be any great cause for debate, and in fact, in some cases shouldn’t be any question at all. You should not be “buying” fansubs under any circumstances, as “buying” suggests for-profit trading. If you’re genuinely “buying” fan subtitled tapes you’re not getting genuine fansubs, you’re getting bootlegs. Honest, ethical fansubbers and fansub distributors go to great lengths to insure that they don’t “sell” tapes or make any profit from their tapes. Genuine fansubs are not provided as a item to purchase but are freely given as a favor. In return, you simply reimburse the distributor for his or her expenses. For that reason, a fansubbed tape should never cost more than about $6-$7- the cost of a blank tape, sleeve, postage, packaging and possibly a small donation for related expenses. If you’re paying more than about $7 for a fansubbed tape, you’re probably buying a bootleg sold for profit. Fansubs are provided free of charge to anyone that asks for them. You simply return the favor by making sure that the person giving you the tape doesn’t loose money.

Fansubs should never compete with licensed releases, nor are they intended to. A fansub is provided for free so that you can see a show that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see, or allow you to discover a series that you may not have otherwise known existed. Because these tapes are provided for free, it’s expected that if you like it, you replace the free copy with a legal, licensed version when such is released. That is part of the unspoken agreement which underlies the entire production and distribution of fansubs. If you really want to see a series and understand the spoken dialogue, fansubs may be your only viable option. But necessity doesn’t necessarily condone underhandedness.

Fansubs often get a bad rap for having poor picture quality or poor translations. This is mainly because “legitimate” genuine fansubs are often mistaken for or classified along with poor quality, Nth generation bootlegs sold for profit. Genuine fansubs are a labor of love created by devoted anime fans who cherish the programs they translate and want other people to see and love these programs as well. To that end reputable fansubbers do whatever possible to produce translations which are commonly much more accurate and more literal than streamlined “mainstream” translations used for licensed subtitled versions. Fansubbers also often put forth extra effort to record with top quality VCR decks and custom loaded made-to-specification blank tapes so that the copies they make for other fans are the best VHS copies possible. While fansubbers may not be professional editors or have background training in proper English grammar, licensed translations are not flawless either, as proven by typographical and grammar errors in releases such as numerous Media Blasters subs, AD Vision’s Gasaraki, and Viz’s Key the Metal Idol. If you use S. Baldric or Anime Labs Dragonball Z bootlegs as a standard for judging fansubs, naturally you’ll see poor copies and bad translations. However, fansubs such as Kodocha Anime’s Komodo no Omocha, Sachi’s Akihabara Dennougumi, and and Techno Gals’ Oniisama E… show more attention to detail, translation notes and explanation of cultural references and translation choices than any licensed domestic release save AnimEigo’s famous heavily researched and annotated liner notes.

Licensed, legitimate releases are worthwhile because they (theoretically) provide the best available image and sound quality, and directly support and encourage the anime industry in Japan and the production of more anime. Good fansubs provide a more accurate translation than licensed releases are able to (because licensed translations have to be marketable to neophytes while fansubs can be filled with Japanese references and culture); often times a more “authentic” Japanese presentation than “Westernized” licensed subs; and provide an opportunity for new fans to discover new anime, in turn creating an audience for legitimate, legal releases. Therefore both licensed releases and non-profit fansubs have a distinct place and purpose in American anime fandom. The role of fansubs should never overlap with that of licensed releases; therefore you should never have to debate acquiring one or the other. Anime is a hobby. Everything about it is voluntary. If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of fansubs, simply don’t watch them. If you’re excessively concerned about undermining the financial support of the anime industry by obtaining fansubs, make up for it by purchasing an extra licensed anime DVD that you hadn’t expected to buy. And replace your fansubs with licensed, legal versions whenever possible. You can find long lists of honest fansubbers and fansub distributors through the AnimeNation Links Page and the Anime Web Turnpike.