Mariel Raizza G. Argonza

The World of Fansubs and Otakus

Introduction

A fansub is short for fan-subtitled videos1 but are more identified with subtitles of Japanese animation2 or anime3. Fansubbing4 has been said to appear around the 1980s along with the anime production boom in Japan. Production companies like Studio Ghibli, Shueisha (Sony), and Production I.G (GAINAX)—to name a few—adapted many manga 5 serials into full-length6 anime TV series. Back then, however, only a small number of anime titles were licensed for distribution outside of the Japanese market7. This situation made it difficult for non-Japanese fans to obtain new releases8.

Fans that were proficient in Nippongo or had an interpreter, and most importantly, access to new anime titles, started to produce amateur subtitled (unlicensed) copies for the purpose of sharing with other fans9. We can call the process “sharing” because subtitled works are distributed with no fees whatsoever10. The concept of “made by the fans for the fans” eventually came into existence. The fact that early fansubbers11 wanted to avoid any ethical or legal problems might have also contributed to the “free distribution” outcome.12 The common rule (which is taken arbitrarily) in fansubbing is “download and delete”13. This means that when a fansubbed anime is finally licensed,14 it is expected that the fansub should be erased15 and the licensed version should be purchased.

For everything that it is, fansubbing is not an easy or cheap thing to do—it requires a handful of time, effort, and money from the fansubber’s point of view16. Translating a raw copy17, typesetting, timing, overlaying the sub and finally distributing the final product are just some of the techniques used in fansubbing. So the big question is: why do fansubbers do what they do? Why devote time and resources to an almost non-profitable activity?18 Surely, it could not be that they are more altruistic than the average person. Thus, my empirical research question: why do fansubbers engage in fansubbing despite its resource-based commitment19 and illegality20? This is driven by the theoretical research question: can the meanings that people derive from their activities explain acts such as fansubbing? In the next section, I will list possible reasons and answers to the empirical research question. I will also try to discuss any theoretical implications these explanations might have.

Why Engage in Fansubbing?

For the Fans by the Fans

As earlier mentioned, the main purpose of a fansub is to introduce a new and unlicensed anime title to fans outside Japan. But aside from being “of service to fellow fans”, fansubbers seem to do what they do because they simply love anime21. The majority of these fansubbers are financially and technically capable22 thus allowing them to purchase subbing software and equipments, and set-up websites23 for distribution of the finished product(s). What emerged from this originally small and tight-knit activity are numerous fansub groups of different languages and countries, and a burgeoning anime community that spans almost every genre of anime from mecha24 to shoujo-ai25and everything in between.

These groups eventually serve the dual purpose of producing the subs as well being the “guides” for anime newbies. When these newbies gain more experience in the fandom, and their interest heightened, they are more likely to join (even if temporarily) in fansubbing26. Even the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) recognizes this: “subtitling was necessary…so that newcomers could better understand and get into anime”27. Fansub groups are composed of people from different places and backgrounds and much more so for their followers. Astro-boy creator Osamu Tezuka (Dr.) once said that anime has become “…Japan’s supreme goodwill ambassador, not just in the West but in the Middle East and Africa, in South America, in Southeast Asia, and even in China”28. Perhaps it is fair to say that anime and of it being fansubbed has fostered and cemented friendships and relationships that transcend national boundaries. It is also good to note that most of the early fansubbing groups in the 80s ended up being official distributors of anime after gaining a wide fan base and support. Perhaps the most famous of these is ADV Films and AnimEigo in the US29.

Fansubbing as an Art Form

When fansubbing began, it was a pain-staking process to overlay the translated diaglogue30 as well as to produce copies in VHS form31 for distribution. There are issues in typesetting, timing, and translation32 which fansubbers are very meticulous of and thus consider subbing as an art form. For example, one must make sure that the viewer can easily read the text without leaving up words while characters aren’t speaking33. Some groups may even go through two rounds of timing, rough timing and fine timing, with a round of editing in between34. With the advent of digital technology35 and automation, however, the basic process of inputting the translations has become easier with the computer’s aid.

On the one hand, this does not imply that the quality of fansubs has decreased due to the automation, and hence lesser attention from the subber—the reverse is true. Fansub groups can now add “extras” and have more freedom over their subs. These “extras”36 come in the form of additional information or explanation for a certain word or phrase used in a scene as well as cut footages, official images, etc. I will use the series “Princess Tutu” as an example. One character is named “Ruu”37. During the first appearance of this character, there was a side-note above the screen which said: ‘note: Claire is pronounced as Kureruu (クルー) in Japanese’. Things like these are what fansub groups usually use (along with readability of the text) to differentiate their subs from each other.

On the other hand, the rise of digisubs has sparked debate among the more conservative and traditional fansubbers,38 and the newer generation as to what fansubs are now. Traditional fansubbers argue that the original values of fansubbing—careful dedication and craftsmanship in typesetting—has been diluted and degraded due to the ease-of-use of subbing software that automatically presets format and layout styles. Moreover, the online distribution, they say, has made fansubbing stoop down if not equal to the level of piracy39. The newer generation of fansubbers counter that digital techniques in subbing as well as online distribution has actually increased the efficiency in producing and spreading anime to a larger audience than before40.

An Authentic Feeling

There have been cases where fans consider a fansubbed version of anime is even better in translation quality when compared to a licensed version that has been subbed by a company (e.g. ADV Films, Manga)—the comparison bug41. Various fansub groups may provide different choices for those with very specific translation preferences42—a feat that licensing companies seem to have a hard time filling-in. That is, some fans may want a translation that stays close to the Japanese dialogue while others may want a complete adaptation to their native language. For the former, this means a “direct” translation of the dialogue to another language whenever possible. Part of the reason is that speech patterns and mannerisms of characters are, for fans, deeply intertwined with the anime if not the characters’ pasts and lives.

To give an example, one of the more popular titles, Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心) has its main character, Kenshin, referring to himself as Sessha (拙者)43 and has an odd speech pattern in the third person adding the honorific de gozaru (でござる) at the end of his sentences. This makes his lines very polite and humble in the Japanese language. So when he utters the phrase: Ato wa sessha no kokoroshidai (あとは拙者の心し), the closest direct-English translation would be: “It would all depend on this unworthy one’s heart, that it would”. Most licensors ignore these translation issues and will use normal speech patterns in their locality (i.e. the ADV English version was: “It will all depend in my heart”)44. In contrast, fansubbers place great importance (for one, they are fans themselves and are more zoomed-in to their projects unlike big licensing companies) on these matters and produce near-accurate translations which are perceived to be “more authentic” by fans.

There are also interpretation and, or information discrepancy issues wherein licensors are in the forefront of these mistakes. A famous example is ADV’s North American release of The End of Evangelion45. In ADV’s release, the character Misato mentions that “Adam was born from Lilith” implying that Lilith, not Adam, is the first Angel46 when the Japanese dialogue really meant: “mankind was born from Lilith in the same way the Angels were born from Adam”47 (not surprisingly, the fansubbed version got it correctly). For such a highly influential and controversial anime, the translation mistake was almost a sin. Many fans deeply criticized and attacked the licensor’s translation (in)competence. Needless to say, the comparison bug struck again.

Fansubbers vs. Licensors

Despite its illegality, fansubbing is somewhat tolerated by licensing companies. The reason partly lies in the fact that fansubs help to build interest in a show and generate income for the show’s producers: a “no harm, no foul” argument48. Seen this way, fansubs act as a form of advertising—hence a complementary relationship; and can be used to prove interest in order to encourage licensing outside of Japan49. Fasubbers usually use the above as a justification for their activities50. Also, they argue that once a title has been licensed, fansub groups cease the distribution of subbed copies, encourage fans to delete their subbed copies and buy the licensed version51. The licensing community does not share this view altogether; quoting from ADV’s DVD Producer and ADR Director, David Williams:

“I think it fansubs can both hurt and help the industry. It can help the industry in some ways because it can help build awareness of the titles. It can also hurt the industry. I have a classic example that I’ve used quite often. We had a show that was fansubbed very heavily for the first part of the show but the last part wasn’t. When that show was released in stores, the sales on the first part of that show were really low and the sales on the part that was not fansubbed, were really high. That’s backwards from the way a normal sale works out. It normally starts out really high and then gets lower on the later volumes. So there’s an example of where we can see that a lot of people that have seen the fansubs didn’t buy the first part of it but they went out and bought the last part of it because it hasn’t been fansubbed52.

The fandom however, is divided over the issue and has led to numerous and heated online “battles” and debates. One camp argues licensing companies’ lifeblood depend on fansubs:

In my opinion, I believe that fansubbing is, for the most part, a legal and harmless hobby that many dedicated fans participate in…To the people that think fansubbing is entirely evil and should not be done, well I'd have to say several things. Without fansubbing I am fairly certain the DVD purchases of anime would be significantly lower, because fansubs introduce people to the series, so they can get a good look at the title to see if it's worth purchasing or not. I also think it's a bit ludicrous to have to wait up to a year in some cases for an anime to be put on DVD with a dub that some people (including myself) aren't even going to watch53.

Another camp argues the other and contradictory way:

The licensing of anime is a GOOD thing, not 'screwing over the fans'. Is it preferable to have no anime industry at all? Is it better to go back to the old days of watching 10th generation VHS tapes with scripts in hand? The anime industry and fansubbing have a strange relationship that can't exactly be described as 'symbiotic'. While many series like Fushigi Yugi have become popular because of fansubs, it's also clear that fansubs can hurt series. Case in point: AnimEigo held back on releasing the Kimagure Orange Road TV series for a long time because they felt the anime community was over saturated with fansubs. In this day of digisubs and DVD boxed sets, there's something I think people forget. Anime is a privilege, not a right54.

The fansubbers-licensors relationship is multi-faceted if not elusive. Though one thing is for sure—differences in opinion and ideology this arena keep the anime fandom alive and buzzing.

Theoretical Implications

Social-exchange theory maintains that our interactions are guided by the “profit-motive”—maximizing rewards while minimizing costs55. Applying this to fansubbing, the premises are left wanting. As earlier mentioned, fansubbing requires effort and commitment from the fansubbers in terms of their time, money, and energy. Moreover, fansubbers do not gain any significant amount of money to cover their costs—at most, a thank you note or email is what they receive from fellow-fans in exchange for their work. Fansubbers are self-reliant when it comes to expenses and are sometimes assisted by other fans either directly in a project or through monetary and equipment donations. Whatever collection they have though, goes back to producing fansubs.

So if it is not about the profit motive (i.e. the utilitarian view), then what is? Social-exchange theory fails to acknowledge the meanings that people derive from their interactions—fansubbing included. I identify alternative explanations which take into consideration the subjective meanings people identify with in their activities and interactions with other people: cooperation and competition.

Cooperation is a pattern of interaction in which individuals, groups, and societies work together to achieve a common goal56. Fansubbers (and sometimes fan-non-subbers alike) pool their resources and technical knowledge57 with the goal of introducing new titles to fellow-fans. It does not stop at just “introducing” a new title though. Fansubbers see to it that their works closely resemble and render the original Japanese dialogue and information as accurately as possible. Subtle details such as speech patterns to them, are matters not to be taken lightly. Also, the highly-organized and interconnected fansubbing community makes it easier for new anime fans to “find their way through” such a massive network.

Another important implication of the cooperation theory in fansubbing is its own legitimacy—backed by the “download and delete” principle. It is an expectation that subs must be discarded after a title has been licensed. If the entire fandom does not cooperate to follow this expectation, fansubbing’s legitimacy as something that introduces anime might falter and eventually lose it altogether.

Competition is similar to cooperation58 but there is contestation for society’s prizes which are perceived to be in a limited supply59. In fansubbing, this means creating and dominating a certain amount of fanbase60. To attract the demand for a fansub group’s work, subbers usually compete and differentiate in terms of translation quality, typesetting readability, and extras61. However, the prizes are not in monetary form. More often, it is about the popularity of a certain fansub group as to whether they have the best subbing techniques available—a very important aspect as to why fansubbers consider fansubbing as an art form.

Design, Unit of Analysis and Data

The interpretive design will be used because it deals with the meanings that people create from their interactions with other people. In this context, it is the interactions and the meanings derived therein of the fansubbing community. Consequently, the unit of observation will lie in these interactions. Data will be qualitative in nature ranging from interviews with fansubbers, anime fans, the licensing companies, and other related parties. Archives whether in hard or soft versions will also be used for reference. Lastly, since I am already a part of the anime community and have experienced fansubbing firsthand, participant observation will provide an invaluable insight to the issue of fansubbing.

1 Usually a private party, as opposed to the work of an official licensor, . Throughout this context, a fansub and the process of producing one will refer to anime fansubs.

2 Leonard, S.,(2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation, .

3 “Anime” (uh-nee-mey) is the French abbreviation for animation, a word that the Japanese adopted to describe all animation (note that anime is originally not a Japanese word or term). In America, “anime” specifically refers to the Japanese product, and is used for both the singular and the plural. The anime industry has increased exponentially for the past decade with total sales of anime and related-goods reaching US$80bn in 2002 (Ibid.).

4 Fans who sub anime are called fansubbers; a group of fansubbers is called a fansub group.

5 Manga can be loosely considered as the Japanese counterpart to American comics. Manga are usually in black and white and one volume can be as thick as a telephone directory.

6 One episode may run from 20-25 minutes excluding commercial breaks. Also a series may have 20 or more than 100 episodes depending on the show’s popularity, ratings, original manga story (it is possible that some of the episodes in the anime—filler episodes—are not originally in the manga version of the anime), and budget.

7 Also anime production companies in Japan were reluctant to enter the foreign market (especially in the US) because they perceived that the barrier to entry was too high. These companies still tried but soon realized (entered in 1978, exited in 1982) their venture in the US was not successful. Part of the reason was Hollywood companies altering many of the anime titles’ story lines to “suit” younger children. (Leonard, S. (2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation, ).

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9 Ibid.

10 During the VHS days, a SASE system was employed, a fan would send a self-addressed, self-stamped envelop (containing a blank tape) to a fansub group that will make a copy of a certain title. However, some fansub groups (even now) require an “optimal” amount for their work. (The Fansub FAQ Part I-A, #whomakes ).

11 A fansub group traditionally consists of one or more translators, editors, typesetters, timers, and first-tier distributors. Fansubbers usually add credits or identifying marks to their works, although they almost always use pseudonyms for legal reasons. Fansubbers additionally will add titles such as “NOT FOR SALE OR RENT” and “CEASE DISTRIBUTION WHEN LICENSED” to their works, indicating that their works are not licensed, that no money should change hands for their fansubs, and that viewers should purchase the licensed products once they are available domestically (Leonard, S. (2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation, ).

12 The Fansub FAQ Part I-A, #whomakes .

13 This largely applies to the so-called “digisubs” which emerged along with developments in media technology (e.g. DVD ripping, video compression, etc.) making it easier to make and distribute fansubs over the (broadband) internet through platforms such as BitTorent, Warez, LimeWire, etc.

14 Generally, it takes a while before new titles in Japan are exported into the international market. Sometimes, it could take as long as two years after the first airing of a show in Japan. Within that time frame, some fans gain access to these new titles that then create the fansubs and later distribute them outside of Japan. Depending on a title’s popularity or demand, the licenses of these titles are bought by foreign production companies (e.g. ADV Films in the US and Manga Entertainment in the UK). So if an American viewer has a fansub of unlicensed title X, the moment ADV Films gets the license for distribution of title X in the US, the fansub has to be, de jure deleted and the original video purchased. De facto, this is not always the case.

15 Erased if it is digital format, VHS copies back then were mostly kept. However, a fan has the discretion whether to keep the fansub or not even if he already has the licensed version.

16 For a complete and specific description of the processes in fansubbing, check: Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 .. .

17 The original anime episode in Japanese language.

18 At most, a fansubber’s greatest reward is a thank you email/note from a fellow fan or the success (after license) of an anime that they have subbed.

19 By resource-based commitment, I am referring to the financial, time, physical, and intellectual commitment fansubbers devote to the production, promotion, and distribution of their fansubbed products, which, as mentioned above does not give them any significant financial gains to cover their expenses.

20 Fansubs are unlicensed versions of anime, the anime producer do not receive any payment whatsoever for its distribution.

21 In fact, most love all things Japanese. Otaku are not alone: Mainstream interest in Japanese culture has risen to the point that “business leaders and government officials are now referring to Japan's ‘gross national cool’ as a new engine for economic growth and societal buoyancy.” This love of anime drives the production process of fansubs. Fansub groups do not receive compensation for their efforts and often spend long hours subbing a series (Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 .. ); "LOTS of reasons you fansub. Mostly cuz you love it, though. The other reasons are just subdivisions. After all, if you hated fansubbing, would you do it anyway?" -Brian Doss, UGAnime (formerly of Newtype), The Fansub FAQ Part I-A, #whomakes .

22 The Fansub FAQ Part I-A, #whomakes

23 Example: , , etc.

24 Mecha (meh-ka) anime are those with giant robots and often futuristic/sci-fi themes. Prominent examples include the Gundam Saga, Macross, and the much-celebrated Neon Genesis Evangelion which is considered to have shaped the entire anime industry since its conception in 1994.

25 Shoujo-ai anime are characterized a certain “cute” style of drawing the characters (i.e. big heads and eyes, small nose, lips, and limbs). Examples include UFO Baby, Princess Tutu, Card Captor Sakura.

26 I have personally experienced typesetting some frames for a fansub project though I never fully committed to the fansub group before or after that. I was just a part of the community (online forums/discussion boards).

27 Leonard, S., (2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation, .

28 Ibid,

29 Ibid.

30 Which itself must be chosen/designed carefully for easy reading but should not be too prominent so as to distract the viewer from the scenes.

31 Such copies were notoriously low in quality, time consuming to make, expensive to produce, and difficult to find .

32 The last factor is to be discussed fully in another section.

33Kodocha, Kodocha Anime FAQ: Paying for Translation?, ; AnimeSuki Forums, Translators, .

34 Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 .. .

35 This same technology also allows relative behemoths such as and to organize massive amounts of anime-related data and commentary without detailed public input or significant control (Allison, B., (2005), Fans, Copyright, and Subcultural Change: A Review of Sean Leonard’s ‘Progress Against the Law’, Synoptique10, .ca/core/en/articles/allisonanime/ .

36 Hatcher calls this innovative fansubbing. Fansub groups do not have financial bottom-lines to meet, they can try new and different subbing techniques such as using a wide variety of typefaces and inserting extra information on cultural references…fansubbers want prestige within their community, they even have an incentive to be innovative in this area (Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 .. ).

37 The character’s name in full is “Claire”. According to the story, Claire is the human daughter of the evil Raven but she did not want to accept this and thus suppressed her memories, naming herself “Ruu” instead of “Claire”.

38 This is not to say they still engage in the VHS-type of fansubbing. The difference lies in their ideology as to how subs should be distributed and the degree of reliance on subbing softwares.

39 Axeon, (2004), The Ethics of Fansubbing, PointBlank Anime Reviews, .?ident13 .

40 Dan42, (2003), BitTorent: The Future of Fansubs?, Anime News Network, ?id39

41 Leonard, S. (2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation,

42 Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 ..

43 Literally meaning “this unworthy one”. The character’s speech pattern is connected with his past as an assassin of the pre-Meiji Reformists. Whereas a “normal” man will refer to himself as ore (俺), Kenshin refers to himself in the humblest form as a part of his atonement.

44 To some extent, changing the speech pattern also alters the character—because his speech pattern sounds just like that of a normal person, his purpose of humbling himself and atonement seems to be non-existent to one who is not familiar with the Japanese language.

45 For an extensive discussion on Evangelion, see: Chapter 6: Neon Genesis Evangelion. 6.PDF .

46 Angel (Neon Genesis Evangelion), (NeonGenesisEvangelion) .

47 Ibid.

48 Hatcher, J.S., (2005), Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551 .. .

49 Ibid.

50 Whether or not these fansubs actually prompted American companies to license these titles is a matter of hot debate. However, the plain facts are that anime companies in 1991 through 1993 licensed titles circulating in the fansub community with far greater frequency than non-fansubbed titles. If licensing of these titles were mere coincidence, import houses would have to have relied on the show’s popularity in Japan to predict popularity with the American public (Leonard, S. (2004), Progress against the Law: Fan Distribution, Copyright, and the Explosive Growth of Japanese Animation, ).

51 The truthfulness of this statement cannot be doubted because big-time fansub groups cannot risk their names if found they have a licensed title in their products for download. The problem, however, is that some fans who have a copy of the sub may not always abide by such expectations and continue to share his copy without the fansub group’s knowledge/approval. The worst scenario is boot-legging wherein subs are sold for profit by third parties.

52 AngelKing, (2004), Interview with ADV’s David Williams, , ?nameContent&pashowpage&pid722 .

53 Axeon, (2004), The Ethics of Fansubbing, PointBlank Anime Reviews, .?ident13 .

54 Chris, (2003), Letting go of Fansubs, Mechan Anime HQ Features, .

55 Homans (1961) as cited in Thompson, E., and Hickey, J., Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Allyn and Bacon, 4th Ed., 1999.

56 Ibid.

57 Software usage, Japanese language (for translation), etc.

58 Both the individuals and groups strive to achieve a shared goal (Thompson, E., and Hickey, J., Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology, Allyn and Bacon, 4th Ed., 1999).

59 Ibid.

60 Fansub groups compete with each other in maintaining a certain level of brand identification and even have “subsidiaries” that release other genres of anime, typically adult-oriented material, often called hentai, under a different label (Hatcher, J.S., Of Otakus and Fansubs: A Critical Look at Anime Online in Light of Current Issues in Copyright Law, (2005) 2:4 SCRIPT-ed 551) .. .

61 Materials such as storyboard scans, pictures and bios of character which they include in the subbed anime.

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