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Chicks On Anime - Fansubs (Pt 2)

the other thing shooting companies in the foot is cost per DVD when they expect the average purchaser to shell out 50-70$ for 45-90 minutes of anime they can pretty much expect sales to suck on those particular DVD's. the DVD right next to these which offers 120 minutes of anime and is priced around 25-30$ will see better sales even though the series is actually less popular.

the other big issue with DVD's is a large percentage of the series being dub'd are altered from the original stories (4Kids adaptation of one piece as an extreme example) where they simply suck afterward in comparison to the fansubs made directly from the raw episodes. reduces sales.

there are lots of factors killing DVD sales its not just that fansubs exist. the companies who sell anime are responsible for a lot of lost sales themselves.

Oh, and those "ugly yellow subtitles"? Uh, that's been that way for a long time, and do you know WHY yellow outlined in black in Arial is the most common font?

Because for one, Arial is a very easy font to read (no serifs or fancy trappings). And yellow has been scientifically proven to be the color that most immediately attracts the eye, hence why it keeps your attention on the subtitles. It's not about the companies trying to deprive you of fancy text; it's about SCIENCE! (TM)

I'm not asking for anything super-fancy - I just want something that doesn't clash with the anime so badly. Also, would it really be too much to ask for some antialiasing on that sub text?

EDIT: Here's a screenshot of what I think looks good for subs. It's simple, easily readable, but doesn't smack you in the face and clash like hell:

http://iindigo3d.com/screenshots/subex2.png

The biggest problem I have with DVD vobsubs is not the style used itself (I don't mind the simple yellow subs) -- it's the lack of positioning, and also the lack of multiple fonts/colors that's critical when you are displaying subtitles for multiple things at once on screen (simultaneous lines and signs). The R1 subs can become an utter mess in this regards.

configspace wrote:

Zalis116 wrote: And in regards to "being charged extra" for the English dubs...I don't see fans of Star Wars or the Simpsons complaining about additional French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc. audio tracks on those DVDs, so why is this such a particular complaint to anime fans? Because R1 anime is already more expensive than domestic shows and dubbing can add a significant amount to the retail price depending on how much they think they can sell. The point would be moot only when the price of anime comes down to the price of the Simpsons.

The trick isn't so much the dubs adding to the price as it is that widely broadcast shows, like the Simpsons, receive healthy funding from the networks that air them and advertisers and not needing to use DVD sales for primary funding.

they have barely released 50 episodes that puts them nearly 3 years behind the series sorry don't feel like dieing of old age before they decide to get to next weeks episode.

it took fansub fans totally bashing the 4kids series all over the internet before funimation decided to.

ADV and AnimEigo for sure have repackaged some series in ways they become deceptive. there are others as well and your probably mistaking the term rename to mean changing the name instead of altering the way it reads so it looks different.

covered or not if the fansub releases the original format of the series and the licensed release is only an altered version I'll support the fansubers because I want to see what the original artists produced not some watered down version because some bean counter felt it was more marketable.

dragoneyes001 wrote:

they have barely released 50 episodes that puts them nearly 3 years behind the series sorry don't feel like dieing of old age before they decide to get to next weeks episode.


But of course you still bought those Funi 50 eps since you fully support One Piece done right, right? Very Happy


dragoneyes001 wrote:

it took fansub fans totally bashing the 4kids series all over the internet before funimation decided to.


Oh please, 4Kids couldn't care less about fansub fans - or even just anime fans. 4Kids dropped One Piece because they couldn't sell merchandise licenses of it for children's products. FUNi just picked it up afterwards. Let's see how many fans actually support the DVDs like they say they would. Razz


dragoneyes001 wrote:

ADV and AnimEigo for sure have repackaged some series in ways they become deceptive. there are others as well and your probably mistaking the term rename to mean changing the name instead of altering the way it reads so it looks different.


Besides altering the looks for repackagings (such as combining 2 previous volumes into one volume or into thinpaks), there's also a business reason for re-issues. Some stores like Wal-Mart simply will not re-stock "old" SKUs. In order for those retailers to even just put your product on the shelf --the same product that you released 2 or 3 years ago-- you have to make it seem like a new product.

Stop with the conspiracy, please.


dragoneyes001 wrote:

covered or not if the fansub releases the original format of the series and the licensed release is only an altered version I'll support the fansubers because I want to see what the original artists produced not some watered down version because some bean counter felt it was more marketable.


I think that's not a problem for people here. Fortunately, that doesn't happen much nowadays.

So, let's say everything in the next two anime seasons was made available as a same day stream. While that would make the fans happy, where would the money for the companies come from? Do ads make that much? If it means a delayed or lack of R1 release, would Japanese sales alone be enough? I've heard that some coapnies consider overseas sales and calculate them in when making a show. Would an R1 licensor want to touch it if it was already available for free on the internet? So far we haven't seen any of the legit streams on crunchyroll get a DVD release. Would we see the amount of anime being made shrink dramatically?

I don't know the answers, but I wanted to toss out some food for thought. What do you guys think would happen with that scenario?

iindigo wrote:

LordRedhand wrote: So you got into fansubbing becuase Adult Swim had to wait for their next batch of episodes of a series you knew was continuing? That reeks of entitlement there. I don't understand why thinking I should be able to watch episodes on a schedule somewhat close to the original broadcast is "entitlement". The only differences between a Japanese viewer and I are: 1) They speak Japanese, I don't 2) I live on the other side of the big puddle, which makes absolutely no difference in the digital age.

3. They pay for the anime when they watch it on TV, you don't.
a. They pay through subscription fees to some channels
b. They watch broadcasts that are supported by advertising -- usually products for Japanese consumers.

4. They buy merchandise by the truckload, we don't' (though arguably we WOULD if given the opportunity).

5. They buy DVDs and other media at a much higher price point than we do here.

In short: You are not entitled to a product just because you WANT it, and you aren't entitled to get it for free just because someone ELSE does.

4. Therefore a dub in my native language (English) is as close as possible a viewing experience as I can get to the Japanese.

LordRedhand wrote:

4. Therefore a dub in my native language (English) is as close as possible a viewing experience as I can get to the Japanese. On TV it's even better prospect.

Sorry, readibility isn't the only factor here. Also, many Japanese broadcasts have the option of closed captions that are very useful for Japanese themselves when it comes to anime with weird terminology.

1)you quoted something mistakenly it was about bleach only having about 50 eps.

2) 4KIDS was getting huge bad press with youtube parodies of their one piece release getting hundreds of thousands of hits <<< kind of thing their PR people notice. yes they do buckle to public ridicule when the numbers are big enough.

as for funimations release isn't it also dubbed? don't think I could handle a new voice for lufy after nearly 400 eps. here try looking at this it sounds horrible: http://www.onepieceofficial.com/movie/

3)conspiracy? repackaging something in a manner it can be deceiving is fraudulent not conspiratorial.

4) if your in R1 then it is happening here because its companies like 4kids who make junk of good anime to market it

Uh, not 4Kids. Anime fans have been ridiculing them to hell and back for years. They don't care about anime fans. They only care about kids whom they could sell licensed merchandise to.

I know for a fact that kids seeing one piece on 4KIDS were barely able to understand the story line it was so distorted since people I know who's kids watched it said so themselves also from people posting about it online and those people were not watching it for long because it was so disjointed. so its kind of hard to sell stuff to an audience that's not watching the show.

Ummm I can tell you as being a kid once, I didn't particarly care for the story of series like Sailor Moon, Voltron, He-Man and The Masters of the Universe or TMNT. Most kids wouldn't notice or care about the changes to the series or the story. All they care abnout is entertainment value, and if they can watch One Piece and say "I was entertained." then the show did what it was suppossed to.

Unit 03.5-ish wrote:

Again, I'd love to see solid proof that fansubs are the deciding factor in what is and isn't licensed.

They are most likely not the deciding factor, but they are one of them. Funimation and Media Blasters representatives have stated so on Otakon 2008 Fansub and Industry panel.

:crymoar: