Ask John: Why is So Much Streaming Anime Dubbed Only?

Question:
It seems like the vast majority of anime on major digital distribution platforms like iTunes and Netflix is dub-only. After years of seeing dual language anime releases on DVD as something of a standard, I had expected the same set of options to be carried forward when anime went digital. Why aren’t we seeing more dual language releases as anime becomes increasingly available for download-to-own or streaming?

Answer:
I’ve personally never been involved in commercial digital anime distribution, so my knowledge of the details and necessities is limited. I can only speculate. My theory is that much of the anime available via streaming is dubbed rather than bilingual because commerical digital distribution is still a relatively new technology, so distributors want to keep options simple for average consumers. Anime fans tend to be computer literate and familiar with navigating the internet. Streaming anime that is primarily targeted exclusively at net saavy anime otaku typically is available either subtitled (due to the necessity of simulcasting) or offered both subtitled and dubbed. However, just as much anime distributed online in America is distributed through mainstream, mass market sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Crackle. These sites strive to be convenient, intuitive, and easily accessible for average, mainstream users that may not be as familiar with carefully selecting playback options online or switching website settings. Furthermore, in the case of digital anime distribution that bypasses the conventional domestic anime industry, such as Crackle’s English language only distribution of Viper’s Creed and Ultraviolet, the original Japanese licensor may have stipulated or even provided English dubbed video due to a Japanese corporate assumption that English dubbing will make anime most appealing and accessible to the largest possible American audience.

Anime fans are fluent with the multi-audio capacity of AVI, OGM, and MKV video formats. Less tech saavy viewers, however, may find such digital technology confusing. Furthermore, the streaming protocols and video formats like FLV video used by many streaming sites doesn’t support multiple audio tracks. Practically speaking, America’s anime industry launched in the late 1980s, yet several years passed before bilingual anime releases were considered standard and obligatory in America. Commerical streaming video distribution has also been established for a number of years now, but it’s only relatively recently starting to become prominent. And there are still countless number of tentative and potential digital media consumers that haven’t yet adopted streaming and digital distribution and aren’t yet familiar and fluent with its possibilities and options. Otaku know very well that bilingual digital anime distribution is possible. Technology, in particular the current technology behind streaming Flash video, has some limiting effect on the availability of bilingual digital anime. But the biggest hurdle appears to be the consumer base that’s still being slowly introduced to digital video distribution. Start simple, with just one accessible language option, then eventually expand to offer more choices when the broad consumer base is tech saavy enough to demand and utilize greater options.