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Summary

Fansubs are foreign animated television shows or movies that are given translated subtitles by fans. Fansubs are incredibly popular and are known for controversy, spanning from from legal copyright issues to various quality debates amongst fans.

Origins

Since the beginning of the modern Japanese anime market, a couple of the anime companies would invest in having English speaking voice actors or professional translators come and help rework their cartoons for foreign audiences. During the decade of bad music and bad hair (the 1980s), these works gained lots of popularity and a major fanbase started around the world. Due to the low amount of new titles, people with experience with Japanese started to produce their own subtitled versions. Though, not very popular in its founding age due to the costs, fansubs skyrocketed in popularity once the internet and digital means of production came to be.

Current status

Fansubbing is more popular than ever. There is such a large number of groups fansubbing that all new animes get translated, not only into English, but into various other languages such as Spanish, French, Italian and etc. Though older works are still hard to find, various groups have set out with the mission of fansubbing the lost and forgotten.

Fansubbing vs. Professionals

A huge argument rages as of current about the quality of fansubbing in comparison to the quality of professionals that companies hire to subtitle/voice over the anime. It is proven that all professional subtitles/voice overs are better in accuracy and in quality than all of the works made by any fansub groups. Despite this proven fact, hardcore fansub fans will argue this citing the opposite, avoiding the fact that the only reason they defend it is because it's free. If you're caught up in an argument with a fansub supporter, it's recommended you just stop and ignore them, because nothing you prove will change their view.

Destroying the Industry

Japan's anime companies have noticed a common trend between the popularity of fansubbing and their recent loss of profits. As fansubbing gets more popular and more frequent, their profits get lower and lower. Over the past couple years, numerous companies have been filing for bankruptcy due to the bad condition of their finances, most of which can be boiled down to being because more people are focusing on downloading the free fansubs instead of actually giving money to the rightful makers.

Facts

Images

Flunk English? Come translate and subtitle Japanese shows!	Must be Lent time	I'm sure whomever she was talking to was ok with this	Flunk English? Come translate and subtitle Japanese shows!
I bet he's faking it	I'm sure whomever she was talking to was ok with this	Nothing like the taste of prunes in the morning!	I bet he's faking it
I have no witty line for this one	Nothing like the taste of prunes in the morning!	But, "Nyan" means "Meow"	I have no witty line for this one
Looks like something you'd expect from gg	But, "Nyan" means "Meow"	Haven't we all?	Looks like something you'd expect from gg
That's why you never got presents as a child	Haven't we all?	Rayleigh scattering has never been explained so easily before	That's why you never got presents as a child
Too be fair, it's probably somewhat difficult to make a giant robot lift individual fingers.	Rayleigh scattering has never been explained so easily before	Now we're going to have more comics made on lined paper and markers.	Too be fair, it's probably somewhat difficult to make a giant robot lift individual fingers.
Dat mornin' wood, mang	Now we're going to have more comics made on lined paper and markers.	The elbow?	Dat mornin' wood, mang
Oh, those jolly African Americans	The elbow?	"Your resistance only makes my penis harder!" - Who the hell buys this stuff?	Fansub21.jpg Stay classy Japan
A comparison between two popular fansub groups	Oh, those jolly African Americans	An image typically used by people wanting subs	Who the hell buys this stuff?
And, some people really think these are better than profesionals....	A comparison between two popular fansub groups	....:V	And, some people really think these are better than profesionals...
An image typically used by people wanting subs	An image typically used by people wantin subs	Documentary Part One	Documentary Part One
Documentary Part Two	Documentary Part Three	Documentary Part Four	Documentary Part Five
Tutorial			Fansub Wiki
Who can forget?	Wikipedia page on Fansubs		Halo has an anime?!
Eatherpoop.jpg True love knows no bounds	I'm pretty sure that's the left	Halo has an anime?!	Which seat can I take?
I'm pretty sure that's the left	Just give her a tampon, she'll be fine.	Which seat can I take?	Must be Lent time
Just give her a tampon, she'll be fine.

Videos

Related Pages

Anime

Weeaboo

External Links

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