Recently a conversation about the effect of anime fansubbing came up on the IGN anime boards. It was a good topic that I just had to comment on. The following post is taken from my comments there.

Let me preface all this by saying that it is extremely important to financially support our Anime and Manga publishers and artists. If it’s available in the US, pay for it, please!

That said, one cannot deny that fansubbing is huge in the anime community. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though.

In some markets, the Anime market in particular, publishers have found ways to make piracy work FOR them.

Take for example the great series Battlestar Galactica. Some network analysts say that part of the reason for its early success was the fact that the mini-series and early episodes were leaked to the US audiences. Word of the series started underground, in a viral fashion. People who had seen the torrents started telling their friends to tune in. By the time the series was out sci-fi fans already knew about it and were dying to watch. Read How Battlestar Galactica Killed Broadcast TV

Anime, I think, is also one of those things that is actually helped by piracy. I know it sounds odd, but hear me out.

CNN Money/Fortune had an article about this very topic in December
at this link. From the article:

Companies in the industry watch to see what’s hot online — using the fansubbers as a first indicator to what might play well in the U.S. The more a show is being fansubbed, the more likely it is to be a hit.

The article also has a very good quote from Mike Kiley, cofounder of Tokyopop:

“Companies in this space live and die by their ability not only to produce quality product but to retain street cred with the audience”

Someone on the IGN boards mentioned that Bandai seemed to not care much about the obvious fansub watchers on their Gundam forums. I think this was intentional. Rather than go on a tirade and piss off their fans, they look the other way and make sure that fan loyalty is on their side above all else. Then you can pitch them all types of merchandise and make your money that way :icon_cool:

Bandai did, however, file lawsuits against companies that were making profit off their work. That of course, is a different story.

If fansubbing (and I am saying IF, as it is arguable) increases the chances of an anime or manga series seeing a lucrative U.S release then it may be worth it to everyone in the long run, artists and publishers alike. Not all of the series that are huge in Japan automatically equate to a huge US standing (Hikaru No Go, for instance). US networks are much more likely to grab a series if it already has a die-hard fanbase here, it’s much less of a gamble for them. Especially if they can guarantee good dubs or better subtitling. Professional product over amateur.

I have a friend that had first seen the Cowboy Bebop movie on fansub. When the movie saw a limited release in theaters here, he was the first in line. When the DVD came out , he bought it. His reason? “The sub sucked.” So here we have a consumer who is familiar with the product, but wants a more professional version. Instead of having to spend marketing dollars to convince him to go see it, he’s already on board. The fansub, it can be argued, got them the sale.

I am not advocating fansubbing here. I am simply offering a different, rational view of the situation strictly from a long-term business perspective.

Tags for this posts: Anime, Manga, Cowboy Bebop, fansubs, fansubbing, Battlestar Galactica

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