On December 27, 2007 the popular anime fansubbing group Dattebayo effectively went on strike. A press release posted on their website stated that would be no more weekly episodes of Naruto and Bleach for fans to enjoy. The reason? Dattebayo repeatedly asked people who downloaded their fansubs not to post them on streaming media sites like YouTube. When the posting didn’t stop, Dattebayo said, “Enough!” This development is only the latest controversy in the troubled world of anime fansubs.
What are Anime Fansubs?
Anime fansubs are episodes of anime series and entire movies that have been subtitled in English by groups of fans. Fansubbers view it as a hobby and a way to share their favorite shows. Since many anime fans don’t know Japanese, they appreciate this chance to enjoy anime series long because they’re available in America. It can take months for a show to be released on DVD in the U.S. or given a television run on Toonami, Adult Swim, or another anime-friendly channel. Some fans also prefer the opportunity to listen to shows in the original Japanese instead of having to watch a dubbed performance. They often feel this is a more authentic viewing experience.
The Problem with Fansubs
Fansubs are illegal and infringe on a creator’s copyright. There’s really no denying this basic fact. However, they have long been accepted in the anime community as a way to enjoy shows that aren’t yet and may never be available in the U.S. In fact, Dattebayo’s request for fans to not upload their work to streaming media sites came from the group’s knowledge that they were walking a fine line legally. They were wary of the extra exposure these streaming sites gave their work.
Part of the problem with anime fansubs comes from a change in fan attitudes. Fansub groups began with the idea of only working on unlicensed shows, or shows that had not been picked up for a U.S. release. Yet that is increasingly not the case. For instance, Bleach and Naruto, Dattebayo’s signature series, have both been airing on American TV for over a year.
In the 80s and early 90s, fansubs were distributed on VHS and passed around from fan to fan on increasingly grainy tapes. Now digital technologies make it much easier for groups like Dattebayo to encode the subtitles and add digital effects to crystal-clear video files. For instance, one popular digital effect is the insertion of “karaoke subtitles” in the opening credits to allow viewers to sing along with the original Japanese music. It is also much easier to distribute the finished project through high-speed connections. Although licensors make periodic sweeps of sites like YouTube, they’re fighting a losing battle and fansubs of popular shows still abound.
The major issue stemming from these changes is that many fans are no longer using fansubs as a way to try out a series or to watch a movie that isn’t available in the U.S. They’re using fansubs as their only source of anime. Some fans even go so far as to deem fansubs the superior method of watching anime, feeling that the translations created by fans are more accurate than those created by anime companies.
What’s Next
It’s hard to say if Dattebayo will ever return to the fansubbing game. The site has kept past fansubs online, so viewers can still enjoy hundreds of episodes of Bleach and Naruto. An increasing number of anime distributors, such as Funimation and ADV, are offering free episodes as a sort of anime test drive and a legal alternative to fansubs. However, as long as fansubs remain an easy and cheap source for popular anime series, they’re likely to be available to anyone with a high speed Internet connection.
Reference:
- The Dattebayo Press Release – www.dattebayo.com/pr/58
