WhenSpamAttacks writes: On August 1st, OneManga.com removed its viewable content due to mounting pressur from publishers. With anything in the same vein as OneManga, they constantly run the risk of being shut down. For many it’s a matter of when not if. It is a direct violation of copyright laws, but it doesn’t make it suck any less. Now its not as if OneManga was the only site online with viewable content of translated manga, for the most part places like OneManga are just a place for scanlation groups to upload their work for other people to enjoy. They weren’t the most comprehensive, but they did have an extensive collection, when a title was licensed into English they were removed, with a scant few notable exceptions. It raises the question, a constant familiar for those of us into anime and manga, is fansubbing/scanlating a bad thing?"
Seriously, there are some great shows I'd love to have officially subtitles/dubbed so that I can support the original creators...Japan (and Asia in general) needs to get on this and release a lot of these Kdrama's online or via DVD!
Are they bad? Yes... very bad...
Sure people will defend them and say it's ok for shows or manga that haven't been released in the US but the problem is that that stuff isn't the only stuff being fan subbed and scanlated. Plenty of groups do the stuff that has been out in the US forever and still don't care.
Then there is the issue of impacting sales before the show gets here. Sure someone may say that show isn't out in the US yet so we will fan sub it. But then when it comes out even if the fan subbers take it off their site it's still around it's still on the web on megaupload or the countless aggregates and it's already done the damage. Why would anyone buy it if they have already seen it for free in what is becoming higher and higher quality(Blu-ray level in some cases).
The days of fan subs and scanlations being a way to grow a fan base are gone. The fan base may grow but it means nothing if all those fans are leeches who don't add money back into the system which is what happens when people watch or read the fan subs and translations.
"I realize I get angry and hot headed when it comes to the topic of fan subs and scanlations but I have very good reason to. I have friends who have been layed off from Viz because of the hard times the company is having thanks to fan subbers and scanlators.(now they are doing everything they can to fight back which I applaud them for) People seem to think they are entitled and that it's SO easy and cheap for the companies to release this stuff quick. The fact is it's not and it's obvious why to anyone who knows a single thing about the business."
Your friends didn't get laid off because of fansubbers and scanlators, they got laid off because we're in a recession. The global economy is just now starting to recover. VIZ, FUNimation, Tokyopop, they all need to get with the times. People aren't going to pay hard-earned money for the original source as you suggested above if it does them no good. I'll gladly buy something if it's in my language, that's fine, but it's unreasonable to expect me to buy something that isn't. And they aren't going to lose money when I never intended to buy the original source "just to support them". They've been ripping us off for decades, hell, I remember buying anime for $30 and it only had 4 episodes. F-that!
When these companies pull their heads out of their asses and realize we'll pay good money if they treat us fairly, that's when I'll gladly support them. Until then, all I have is fansubs and scanlations. When I hear a series has been licensed, I proudly pre-order the first volume(s).
You make it seem as if I'm stealing money from these companies when in fact I'm not. But just to break down my point further;
Anime X is Japanese only. I'm not going to buy this because I don't know Japanese.
Therefore the company that makes Anime X was NEVER going to see my money anyway.
Now, when said company makes Anime X available in my language, THAT'S when they get my money. They aren't losing (very much) money to fansubs and scans because the media isn't available to us in a form that we can read/watch. It would be like saying "here's a hot dog" even though I'm vegetarian, "buy this now to support us and if/when we make tofu dogs you can but that too." Doesn't make much sense. But at this point we'll agree to disagree.