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Anime Localization

I wasn't intending to stick my nose in this again, but. . .

I generally prefer dubs because I find reading subs to be a distraction to paying attention to the artistry, and I know I know I'm not alone on this viewpoint. Because of that, I will almost always watch an anime DVD dubbed on the first pass and subbed on the second. I also generally find the emotional elements of a well-performed dub to be more compelling than their equivalent in Japanese with subtitles. (Case in point: VODT)

That being said, at least 80% of the anime I watch I also see subbed.

As for the whole "purist" thing, when I use that term I am referring to diehard fans who exclusively favor subs and value the artistic integrity of an anime so highly that they won't tolerate even minor changes. These are the fans that will rarely or never acknowledge an English dub as measuring up to the quality of the original performances. Purist, by my definition, also tend to be elitist, though this isn't always the case.

I mean, if you would rather read than listen, you can go at your own pace with the manga, while with subs you have to constantly change focus between the bottom of the screen and everywhere else. For me, this can be quite distracting during an action scene.

I wonder if the sub-purists forget that- that these shows were not designed for subtitles- that they were intended for an audience that was listening to the dialogue and concentrating on the visual movements.

I mean, if you would rather read than listen (...)

Let's look at Initial D specifically; Tokyopop saw a growing North American drifting / import tuner market and realized that Initial D could appeal to them. A look at Initial D's sales numbers shows a certain amount of success in this market, frankly, Initial D is selling more copies than it ever would have if it were sold only to anime fans. David Williams believes strongly that it would not have sold as many copies had it not been “tricked out”.