Ask John: Why Don’t More Japanese DVDs Include English Translations?

Question:
Why don’t animation companies in Japan put more subtitles in their Region 2 DVD releases. In my opinion, Japanese animators can make more money if they release a Region 2 DVD with English subtitles. They wait 4 years and then have a company in the US claim the distribution rights and dub it with English. I’m willing to pay the price of a Region 2 with subtitles if it’s hot of the press rather than wait a year or two for it to be distributed in the US.

Answer:
There are a number of practical reasons why more Japanese release anime DVDs don’t contain optional English subtitles, all of which relate to financial considerations. While Japan is a multi-lingual country, typical Japanese natives and anime viewers don’t speak English. In practical terms it’s simply not necessary to include an optional English translation on Japanese release anime DVDs because the vast majority of Japanese consumers don’t need it and won’t use it. In some cases, such as the Japanese Animation Runner Kuromi DVD, English subtitles were included specifically to make the DVD more attractive to foreign consumers. But also consider that the Animation Runner Kuromi anime and DVD was produced by a small, independent Japanese studio that specifically knew of foreign customers and intentionally marketed to them. Generally bigger studios and bigger releases aren’t concerned with potential sales to a few dozen, hundred or maybe even thousand foreigners that buy Japanese DVDs because they include optional English subtitles. My suspicion is that the time, effort and expense of producing and including an optional English translation on Japanese DVDs for the benefit of a relatively small number of overseas sales just isn’t cost effective.

Furthermore, a Japanese DVD producer must consider the potential of compromising future international sales for the benefit of a small number of immediate overseas sales. Presumably international customers that purchase an expensive Japanese DVD that includes an English translation will not re-purchase the same DVD when an official North American or European or Australian version is released. In effect, Japanese DVDs with optional English subtitles compete with far more lucrative official foreign releases. Japanese distributors may choose not to include optional English subtitles in order to encourage foreign customers to buy their native DVD releases instead of importing the Japanese version. Japanese producers may also choose not to include English translations on Japanese DVDs in an effort to encourage a foreign license. For example, the anime film Arete Hime has an existing English subtitled print which was screened at international film festivals; however the official Japanese DVDs contains no subtitles, perhaps in an effort to encourage an American or European investor to license the film for official English language release.

For trivia, only one anime TV series has ever been released on Japanese DVD with original English subtitles: Saishu Heiki Kanojo. (The Japanese DVD release of Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 also includes English subtitles because the Japanese DVDs are just the American DVDs with their price increased for the Japanese market.)