Fansubbing/Scanlating, Is It Bad?

You clearly AREN'T paying attention. The problem is if the SOURCE material hasn't been translated, and therefore DOESN'T exist in my language, how can I possible import it? I'm not going to import something that is only in Japanese when I can't read/watch that language. I've already stated I have no problem importing, buying if it's in my language and/or officially subtitled.

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If the property you wish to see or read is not in your language YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO IT!!! it's as simple as that.

Simple and elegant solution to this problem is one a good friend of mine in teh anime industry came up with.

If you want to see or read something that you cannot get and you cannot wait until it is legally available you simple import the original Japanese and go ahead and read or watch your fan translation. Why? Well even if you are still doing something illegal in watching or reading the translation you have at the very least put money into the system and supported the creator and that is something is that quite easy to do and understand.

Why would I buy it though when it's not actually something that will benefit me? I want something dubbed/subbed (officially). If I buy the original Japanese, it's then useless if/when they release the English version. I see no reason why I should have to double-dip when the Japanese don't.

To touch on another topic; in this day and age, there's no reason why these companies can't hire 1 (one!) translator and have them subtitle a show and have it air online (there's plenty of other sites that could host as well). Or they could sell it. I'd gladly buy an officially subtitled DVD over free fansubs. The point is, if we pay the companies now for doing nothing (for us English consumers), then they aren't going to change their ways. Honestly, only fools or people with too much money to waste would buy the Japanese language-only DVD and then watch fansubs.

It's all about pleasing the consumer, not padding the wallets of companies who aren't doing anything for me. I'm not saying I'm entitled to anything, I'm simply saying I'm going to put my money towards something that will actually benefit me, aka, officially subbed/dubbed DVDs.

Honestly seeing as how you don't work in the anime industry(and trust me I have quite a few friends in the industry on the US side)

It is not nearly as cheap and easy as you think it is to release something sub and quickly.

Firstly your idea of simply hiring 1 person to sub something is nearly impossible for MANY reasons. On the Japanese side of things there are very few fluent English speakers that work in the anime and manga Industry and as such their services in the realm of translating are in quite high demand and on top of that the shows are not a single episode so this one person would be tied to that show for a extended period of time and seeing as there are limited English translators in the Japanesee anime industry that is a bad thing as there are other show that need a translator as well.

On the US side of thing's it's not as simple as hire a single person and have them translate and sub. The companies in the US need to BUY the license rights before they can do anything. Without those rights(which are very expensive by the way) They can not dub it, sub it, stream it, make dvds or anything. The cost of the LICENSE itself is the main issue with anime coming out in the US.

To many people don't put their support into the industry. If someone watches fan subs instead of the legit product it hurts the companies and if they cannot make back their money they obviously cannot release more content. Many fan sub supporters use the excuse of "but this show isn't available legally so I watch the fan subs" When the fact is there is more often then not already a legal way to watch it.

Need a example? Ok then. This anime season Funimation has had legal streams for very popular shows such as Kuroshitsuji II and Seikerei season 2(and many others as well) and yet that didn't stop fan subbers and people alike from watching them illegally. That's the exact problem I speak of. You could go to ANY anime Con or forum and ask people who were keeping up and watching those 2 shows mentioned above where they were watching them and a very small percent would actually say Funimation.com with the legal streams. The majority will go for the fan sub. Why people do this when the legal product is EASIER to obtain is the thing that pisses me off.

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.

Therein lies the key factor. Being that it's a business they are in it to make profit. If people BOUGHT the product instead of downloading it illegally the companies would be releasing faster. Supply and demand would kick it. They would hire more people to release things faster and in turn license more shows. But when so few people are putting money into the system they instead have to work slower and cut jobs and in some cases go out of business permanently(Geneon anyone?)