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Fansub

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A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a copy of a foreign movie or television show which has been subtitled by fans in their native language. It is most commonly used to refer to fan-translated anime videos that are shared amongst other fans.

Evolution of the fansub

Fansubs originated during the explosion of anime production during the 1980s in Japan. Relatively few titles were licensed for distribution in foreign countries. This made it difficult for anime fans to obtain new titles. Some fans, generally those with some Japanese language experience, began producing amateur subtitled copies of new anime programs so that they could share them with their fellow fans who did not understand Japanese. In an attempt to avoid ethical and legal problems, fansubbers adopted the practice of distributing their works at zero profit. See below for further discussion of fansubbing ethics.

In the earlier days of fansubbing, the distribution media was VHS tapes. Such copies were notoriously low quality, time consuming to make, expensive to produce, and difficult to find. A limited number of copies were made and then mailed out or distributed at local anime clubs. Fans could purchase fansubs at a modest cost or could contact clubs who would record the material on their own blank video cassettes.

That all changed with the introduction of digital fansubbing. With the advent of widespread high-speed Internet access, desktop video editing, and DVD ripping, this practice has largely been abandoned in favor of digitally produced fansubs sometimes called digisubs. Suddenly, fansubbing transformed from a pricey, slow, tedious, and low quality preview of an attractive show to a cheap, easy, fast, and high quality alterative to an only-slightly-better quality DVD, although some groups release HD quality fansubs. Digisubs are now of such quality and free accessibility that the incentive to upgrade to a legitimate copy once a title is domestically licensed may be severely diminished.

Some in the anime community argue that digisubbing has distorted the original fansub culture and transformed it from a respected practice to nothing more than pirating for cheap entertainment, and consider it the anime equivalent of Zero day warez trading (and in fact some fansubs even show up on warez sites). Others defend fansubbing as a clear benefit to the anime community as well as a benefit to both the Japanese and domestic anime industries.

Early fansubs

Early or "traditional" fansubs were produced using analog video editing equipment. First, a copy of the original source material, called a raw was obtained. The most common raw source was a commercial laserdisc. However, a commercial VHS tape or even a homemade recording could be used as well, though that would entail a lower quality finished product. A translated script was then made to match the dialog of the raw video. The video script was then timed. Timing is the process of assinging a "start time" and "end time" for each line of subtitling; this determines how long a given subtitile would remain on the screen. Timing a script was usually done in conjunction with computer software designed specifically for that purpose. The person performing the timing would watch the source video and would assign the appearance, changing, and removal of the subtitle text using a computer. The two most popular programs used in this process were JacoSub and Sub Station Alpha. Once the script was prepared and timed, the next step was to produce one or more masters. A master was a high quality copy of the finished fansub from which many distribution copies could be made. The fansubber would playback the raw video through a computer equipped with a genlock in order to generate the subtitles and then overlay them on the raw signal. The hardware of choice was an Amiga PC as most professional genlocks were extraordinarily expensive. The final output of this arrangement was then recorded. The master was most often recorded onto SVHS tape in an attempt to maximize quality, though some fansubbers were forced to use inferior but less expensive vhs. Once completed, the master copy was then sent to a distributor.

Fansub distributors (who delivered videos to fans) were usually separate from fansubbers, who did translations and produced masters. Since most members of the fansub community did not want to profit from their activities, fansubs were usually not "sold". Typically, a fan who wanted copies of a given program would mail blank VHS tapes to a fansub distributor, along with a modest payment for shipping expenses. The distributor would then record copies onto the "customer's" blank casettes, and ship them back. Alternatively, a fansub distributor might sell copied tapes outright, but at a low price which was intended to be exactly enough to cover the cost of blank casettes and shipping.

This style of fansubbing was quite cost intensive for the fansubber and the distriubtor. The raw usually was purchased at a high price; nearly all Anime Laserdiscs (or tapes) cost more than $50, and many cost more than $100. It would not be uncommon for a $50 Laserdisc to contain just 30 minutes of video. Obtaining quality raws for a series of moderate length could cost over $1000. As well, many fansubbing groups paid professional translators in order to generate the script. Then, expensive video equipment was required: Laserdisc player, PC, genlock, and recording deck for producing the master; subsequently two or more video decks were then needed for producing distribution copies. Professional grade video hardware such as players, recorders, and editing decks was extremely expensive; easily into the thousands of dollars.

Despite the high cost, the video quality of early fansubs was not good. The high cost of equipment forced most fansubbing groups to use less expensive but inferior quality consumer grade electronics. Even when a high quality LD source and professional grade hardware could used, the final fansub was at best a third-generation copy. In reality, most fansubs in circulation were fourth or fifth generation copies--and were not made on professional equipment. Thus, in practice quality was usually very poor.

Modern fansub techniques

Modern fansubs are produced almost entirely on computer. A raw is still required, but this is generally obtained as a DVD rip (which might be downloaded at no cost) or copied from digital broadcast media. Some modern fansubbers use computers equipped with sophisticated video capture hardware to get high quality digital copies of older analog media (laserdisc or tape) to work with. Once the video is in the computer it can be editied and subtitles applied with no loss of quality, unlike the playback-recording cycle required in traditional fansubbing. A relatively inexpensive PC can perform all of the manipulation necessary, without the need for expensive and complex devices such as editing decks and a genlock.

The resulting fansub is a computer video file. It could be copied to CD or DVD media for hardcopy distribution, but is most often distributed using online file-sharing protocols such as BitTorrent. Therefore, modern fansub "customers" can simply download the finished product at no cost in many cases.

Fansubbers have traditionally held themselves to a common code of ethics. Historically, the key points have been:

1. Fansubs are made for fans, by fans, and not for commercial purposes. Therefore, fansubs should never be sold for a profit. They are either given away or sold for exactly the cost required to make them (usually, the cost of a blank cassette plus shipping expenses). Many fansubs contain subtitle text that reads "free fansub: not for sale or rent" that pops up during the video, in order to discourage bootleggers from violating this rule.

2. Most fansubbers only work with material that has not been licensed for domestic release in their country of distribution. If a domestic company licences a given title then fansub production and distribution of that title stops. An exception, for some, is made when the licensor intends to heavily edit the content without releasing an uncut version, as is the case with 4Kids Entertainment and all current American versions of Sailor Moon. As such, fansubs of Tokyo Mew Mew, One Piece, and Sailor Moon are still commonly distributed.

3. There is an expectation that if a given fan enjoys a show, then he or she should buy the official domestic release if and when it becomes available.

It is true that many fansubbers abide by this somewhat relativistic code of ethics when deciding what shows to bring over. Indeed, it can be justified as the free distribution of something that no one has claimed the right to sell (in a particular region and/or country). This is true for all unlicensed anime, but most predominently for anime that has not been recently released. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is one such anime and an enormously popular show in Japan. Originally airing in 1989, this show went on to have a 110 episode main series, a 53 episode OAV series, and three movies. Even still, the potential market for such an 'old and outdated' anime is understandably small. Many fans of anime are attracted by the bright flashy animation, smooth character design, modern themes, and current popular trends. Thereby, many fansubbers justify their distribution of several popular, but older and unlicensed titles by saying that they are not, and probably will never be, sold in the United States for a profit. Likewise, some fansubbers work with niche titles that are also unlikely to see a domestic release.

Not all fansubbers are guilty of hurting the anime industry. Certain anime shows haven't been considered for US distribution, for whatever reason, only to be licensed later when the enormous success of the fansubbing is uncovered. Such is the case for Azumanga Daioh, now released by ADV Films. At A-Kon 15 in the summer of 2005, an ADV founder admitted that they thought Azumanga Daioh would not be initally popular in America. ADV decided to license this title after witnessing its popularity in the fansub community.

There is still a dark underside to fansubbing that many fansubbers do not wish to admit exists. While it is true that many fansubbing groups stop outright illegal distribution of anime, many still continue subtitling shows long after they have been bought by US companies. Such is true of 4Kids productions as well as other very popular shows that continue to elude fans. This is usually only true for extraordinarily long productions like One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. Even after the official licensing of Naruto when episode 124 was released on Japanese TV, fansubbing groups still distribute the show. Cartoon Network is now airing the first few episodes while fansubbing groups release up to episode 160 and beyond. While it is still true that native language dubs of shows are usually more popular, especially for anime geared at younger audiences like Naruto, up to 250,000 people download the current Japanese episode every week online. Other shows like Sailor Moon and Fist of the North Star (a.k.a. Hokuto no Ken) have only been partially released in the United States. 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Stars', the final series in Sailor Moon, has never been released in the United States because of ambiguous sexual overtones that distributors fear would be 'offensive' to parents. Fist of the North Star saw an initial short release of its long series, stopping production at episode 36, but failed to release the other 73 episodes in the primary series, or even start the 43 episode sequel. These marketing concerns for distribution companies create a grey operating zone for fansubbers. While on the one hand it is true that Fist of the North Star are released and licensed products in America, only part of the series is even available. Even if a fan was willing to spend the money to buy the whole thing, it would be impossible, and assuming such, many fans opt out of supporting companies that do not fully back their own products.

In the end, there is no clear ethical resolution on the matter. Whether fansubs are now beginning to hurt the market cannot be judged for certain, though their past role as advertisement cannot be questioned. Based on the MFI example, it is clear that series without fansubs do tend to be ignored more by western markets, suggesting that fansubs are still important to generate anticipation for new Japanese releases in the US and Europe. On the other hand, growing resentment among fansubbers towards the professional community does threaten to imperil the once-comfortable gray area that fansubs occupied. As DVD rippers become more common, more and more US distributors are becoming decreasingly tolerant towards the fansub community.

While unlicensed distribution of movies and television programs is a clear violation of international copyright law, prosecutions are seldom. The reasons for this are two fold; firstly that there is no absolute legal precedence for such a case, and secondly because most distributors fear being riduculed by fans and losing the 'free advertising' they get as a result of fansubbing.

Technically, downloading illegal anime episodes is no more or less illegal than ripping the DVD or copying the VHS, however prosecution requires jurisdiction. The United States, Japan, and Europe all abide by commonly understood international copyright laws. This is in contrast, however, to countries like China and certain Middle Eastern nations that openly do not abide by international copyright. Situations like this are so rampant that more than 90% of all media and software in China and Hong Kong is speculated to have been obtained illegally. This system is put in place to protect intellectual and entertainment property but problems arise when foreign countries try to prosecute and intervene in domestic affairs. In order to not cause an international scandal most governments take a stance of apathy and non-intervention. Therefore most anime that is fansubbed gets distributed illegally but in a manner which is practically untouchable by Japan.

Dynamics of fansubbing

Although executives of domestic anime distributors have been vocal about their objection to fansubs,most do not want to gain an image as being hostile to their fans. Of special note, many in the anime industry started as VHS fansubbers themselves, although fansubbing as they knew it then has become profoundly different from fansubbing as it is known today. This is due to the shift from traditional fansubbing using VHS tape to modern 'digisubs' that are circulated on the internet.

Before the internet was considered the "end all be all" source for information, it was difficult for fansubbing groups to get the attention of their target audience. Even during the early to mid 1990s, groups still had to charge a nominal fee (usually $5 to $10 at most) for a VHS and shipping charges to get the anime to its destination. Many people in the general public were't willing to trust relatively unknown internet businesses, especialy during the primitive days of internet security. Most of the American and U.K. anime distribution companies were formed during the early 90s, and had little competition from such amateur groups. However, as the internet grew in availability and speed, fansub groups were able to host and distribute fansubs online easily. The development of new software and its newfound availability made it very simple to copy, subtitle, distribute, and play back fansubs.

Along with the change-over from VHS physical distribution to electronic distribution came a shift in mentality. The notion of internet anonymity became a primary motivation for many clients to start downloading the anime that they long wished they had. Without a physical paper trail or mailing addresses to track, many more people felt comfortable "committing the crime." It also eliminated the costly trial and error process that would be necessary for viewers to undergo if they were purchasing VHS copies. Many fans who previosuly did not obtain fansubs due to the expense or effort required now found themselves in a position where they needed no money and very little effort: now the options are as simple as "download and delete."

Now fansubbing has become a gateway for many anime titles into foreign homes long before it ever is shown on television. Many anime shows make their debut outside of anime shores in electronic format, and it is almost a rare sight that any popular anime will not have at least one, if not many, groups fansubbing it at the same time. From a rare phenomenon to an industry of thousands, an increasing number of people look to the internet, instead of their video stores, for their sources of anime. Recently, this has also applied to the tokusatsu fandom due to the fact fansubs are actually being done for Super Sentai (the source for Power Rangers), Kamen Rider (which is appealing to many fans; especially after what happened to Kamen Rider Black RX in 1995), Ultraman, and various Daikaiju Movies which were badly dubbed over the decades. In addition, J-Horror and J-Drama, as well as other Asian Shows have been fansubbed as many people are becoming more and more curious about Asian Cinema and breaking away from the Kung Fu, Samurai, Giant Monsters films that so many people were familiar with prior to fansubbing.

There is a persistent belief that there is an unspoken agreement between the fansubbers and Japanese copyright holders that fansubs help promote a product. However, this belief was challenged when in December of 2004 a Japanese copyright holder directly requested their works be removed from download sites.

Recent lawsuits

A Tokyo law firm representing Media Factory Inc., a Japanese animation company, sent letters and e-mails to the anime BitTorrent directory AnimeSuki and the fansub groups Lunar Anime and Wannabe Fansubs requesting that they halt the fansubbing and hosting of all current and future MFI anime productions. AnimeSuki and Lunar Anime complied, and shortly several other fansub groups distributing MFI series followed suit. Wannabe Fansubs and a handful of other fansubbing groups, however, continue to produce fansubs of MFI anime series. To date, this has been the only legal action taken by a Japanese anime company against the fansubbing community.

After MFI's requests, only Genshiken, whose fansubs had been completed before the notifications, was licensed. MFI's other major projects, including School Rumble, Pugyuru, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and Akane Maniax, have all been overlooked by American distributors. The lack of buzz surrounding these titles has been linked by fansub supporters to MFI's suppression of fan distribution. They argue that by cutting off this means of "free advertisement," MFI has alienated fans who would normally buy their products after they were licensed and kept the shows from being as widely exposed as they might otherwise be. The end result, say fansub supporters, is a reduced interest from American anime companies and a loss of revenue for the studio.

As a result, MFI's actions are currently used as an example in the fansub debate as a reason why other Japanese companies should not pursue similar injunctions. This argument is echoed by critics of the Recording Industry Association of America and Movie Picture Association of America, whose recent legal battles with pirates have caused many consumers to cease buying their products, costing them more revenue than they had been losing to the pirates originally.

Japanese licensors have reportedly grown discontent with fansubbers because the ease of access with which their works are obtained has not only begun to affect a foreign licensor's willingness to license a series, as evidenced by the Western market's sharp drop in new acquisitions in 2005, but also because anime fans in Japan have reportedly begun to turn to English fansubs which often appear days after a show's release, affecting sales in their home market. However, this decline can better be attributed to the declining economy of both nations. A recession is a known causal agent for retarding the growth of entertainment sales.

Fansubbers and their supporters feel their actions are justified due to the fact that many series never get licensed by Western distributors or are significantly modified to satisfy strict censorship requirements. While the latter argument is true of some, but not all, anime found on Western broadcast television, the majority of such shows are also generally available unaltered on DVD. A notable exception is 4Kids Entertainment, who have ceased distributing unedited versions of all their properties, which include Shaman King and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Additionally, fansubbers further justify their actions by stating that a fan obtaining a fansub does not necessarily equal a lost sale as it cannot be known whether that person would have purchased a copy of the show anyway. While this may be true, the legal counter to this argument is that neither instance entitles one to an unpaid copy even if one never intended to purchase a copy since that would nullify the consequence of not purchasing (that being the inability to enjoy the content), and especially if the person originally intended to purchase since the lost sale obviously results in lost revenue. However, it is the norm among anime fans (thanks to polling data) that if a fansub is downloaded and the show enjoyed, a fan will buy the DVD release.

Other considerations

Translation quality

Another argument of fansub supporters is that fansubs tend to be a more literal (and theoretically more faithful) translation of the original Japanese. While it is true that some fans (especially those with some knowledge of the language) might prefer strictly literal translations, this argument is not completely valid.

In the early days of domestic anime releases--even into the early 1990s--it was common for titles to be sold in edited form. Scenes were cut out and dialogue was rewritten not just for reasons of censorship but also whenever the editors determined that something "wouldn't make sense to a foreign audience". This offended many fans, especially those who could understand cultural references or those who wanted to enjoy a title in its original, unedited, format. For these fans, unedited and "literally correct" fansubs were much more desirable than edited and domesticated commercial releases.

However, Japanese is not a language that can be understood literally due to the large number of cultural nuances that must be carefully considered in a translation. While there have been instances of negligent professional translations in the earlier days of anime's domestic release, stricter standards among the industry and extensive script checking by native Japanese speakers and formal review by original Japanese licensors have widely made such instances rare in recent times. Most fans agree that more recent domestic releases lack the translation issues that plagued earlier titles. However, the argument popped up again. Prime examples are 4Kids Entertainment's handling of properties like One Piece, Tokyo Mew Mew, and Yu-Gi-Oh!.

Voice work

Some argue that while the scripts are accurate in commercial dubs, the English voice work is often subpar when compared to the Japanese. This is arguably because the Japanese archetypes associated with many characters in the original format are lost when filtered through foreign tongues, especially in terms of intonation and inflection. It is interesting to note that anime series with recognizable western influences tend to be received very warmly in dub format, possibly because the familiar cultural aspects allow for easier transitioning into English. Prime examples of this pattern are series by Shinichiro Watanabe such Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, both of which rely heavily on American musical genres to set their respective moods, and both of which are generally lauded by fans as having very respectable English voiceovers. While decent dubbing is often attributed to consistent work by a single production studio, Watanabe's series were handled by two completely different American companies, lending credence to the theory that the more western an anime is, the easier of a time English voice actors will have in adapting it to an American audience.

See also

References

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