Bang Zoom to Cease Anime Dubbing in 2011 Without Fan Support

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Here is a bit o' news that probably doesn't surpirse anyone, but I think it's pretty important. Spend that money dub fans!

Eric P. Sherman, President and CEO of the anime dubbing company Bang Zoom! Entertainment, has posted an editorial on the AnimeTV blog on Saturday, urging fans to buy anime instead of watching it via fan-subbed videos. In the "Anime - R.I.P." editorial, Sherman wrote that if fans do not support anime by buying it legally, "I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won't be bringing you anymore English language versions of it."

Sherman added in his editorial, "If people don't resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out." Sherman cited the demises of Geneon Entertainment USA, Central Park Media, and ADV Films, as well as the January 2009 layoffs at Bandai Entertainment, as past examples. In a boldfaced statement in the editorial, Sherman wrote that "anime is going to die."

Sherman also wrote about the rise of streaming content online, but added that "so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content."

Here is a link to said Anime TV Blog and the blog entry in question:

You must have noticed by now that many of the publishers that brought anime to the West have been shut down or substantially down-sized. There are only a few places left still able to bring titles to our shores. This is a critical year for anime. There’s no other way to say it. And I realized this morning that it was time for me to sound an urgent alarm.

If people don’t resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out. It won’t be a big dramatic change at this point. Last year we saw Bandai fire 90% of their staff on one Monday in January, and two years ago we saw Geneon (neé Pioneer) shut their doors and auction off their wares to the highest bidder. CPM died a slow, painful death. And ADV fell hard and fast, the way mighty giants will. But from here on, it won’t be so exciting. Japan is already suffering and struggling to bring out quality titles. They can’t rely on everything being picked up by US distributors anymore. And little by little, it just won’t be here anymore.

You can’t find much anime at Best Buy now. In fact, where can you find it for sale? Think about that. There are fewer new titles coming out, and less and less stuff will be in English, because it’s just not worth the cost of dubbing it. It’s true that entertainment distribution models are going to be changing dramatically. DVD may be on the way out forever, and online TV is becoming a reality very quickly. But so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content.

Anime is going to die.


Unless YOU change. Right now. Stop stealing. If you have committed theft, robbery, shop-lifting, or just “downloading some stuff through torrent reactor,” then just stop doing it — now. You probably wouldn’t go into a supermarket and put a package of swiss cheese under your shirt and walk out without paying. Nor would you walk into Best Buy and try to walk out with Guitar Hero, bypassing the cash register. Why? Is it because you might get caught? Or are there other issues, such as standards of morality, that dictate how you live your life.

The net, for all it’s charms, is also a dark and dangerous place. When you’re navigating it, you need to ask yourself this question: Is this right, just because it is so easy? You need to understand that quality entertainment costs a lot to create. And if there is no one paying for this content, it just won’t be made anymore. If no one bought tickets to a Lady Ga Ga show, she would not do the tour. That’s just how it works. For some reason, people don’t mind stealing their anime. I’m here to tell you flat out: This is wrong. You are doing something bad. And you need to stop it.

I’m sure that some of you reading this will laugh, close this window, and go download some more torrents. Why not? Who’s going to know? Who’s going to catch you?

I think this bears repetition, so I’ll say it again: Not getting caught does not make what you are doing right. And I am pretty sure it doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. What you are doing is not only illegal, it is actually hurting many people. From the artists and creators, to the voice actors in the studios — all working to put food on their tables for their families. You can’t see them, and you can’t see the immediate results of your actions. But believe me, you are hurting people.

If what I’m saying resonates with you, then consider this a wake up call. A call to immediate and profound action. It’s very easy to do. You should support anime if you love it, by paying for it. Do the right thing. Plain and simple. Because if you don’t, I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won’t be bringing you anymore English language versions of it.

To all of those who support anime: a heartfelt thank you from all of us at the studio.

[ShiroiHikari]

1. A lot of the trouble the industry is facing is surely due to the global financial situation.

2. The R1 anime licensing model is broken and outdated.

3. Japan's anime business model isn't exactly great, either.

4. None of the US companies license half of the crap I watch in the first place.

[Nate]

Hey, Bang Zoom! I'd be glad to buy your dubbed DVDs! So where can I buy the English dubbed version of Kamen Rider W?

Oh, you don't have that? That's okay! What about Tensou Sentai Goseiger? I'd love to see the dub...

Oh, you don't have that either...well, okay, how about HeartCatch PreCure? I'm sure your dub staff is talen...oh...not that one either huh? Um...Kamen Rider Kuuga? How about Rescue Force? No Den-O or Decade either?

Oh, so basically none of the shows I've watched in the past year are your property, Bang Zoom? Okay then, quit trying to be the morality police. :l

EDIT: My post is directed at Bang Zoom, not you Doc. I'm not trying to get on your case. XD

[minakichan]

I was pretty bewildered that they said they'd cease dubbing anime if fans wouldn't stop downloading fansubs. I mean, if people are pirating oranges, why are they threatening to stop the production (?) of apples? Ever thought that those apple-stealing kids don't want your moldy oranges in the first place?

If this was a licensor and not a dubbing studio, then it'd be a point worth considering. It's also quite arrogant to say that the end of English dubs will be the end of anime-- because yeah, the couple fans who actually watch DVDs dubs totally drive this global economy.

But yeah, if Bang Zoom goes under, then maybe they'll make more sub-only anime DVDs won't cost so much to produce? =D And if sub-only becomes the main model, maybe the industry will be less prone to burning and dying.

[blkmage]

Man, I don't know where to begin.

Maybe that anime is already in the process of dying and this rant is probably too late to do anything? Maybe that a large part of it has to do with the Japanese market not being so hot, so why would they care about the American market? Maybe the hilarious assertion that Japan has been dependent on the US buying every terrible show it makes?

That this comes from a dubbing company is even more hilarious. Of course online content isn't monetizable, at least not by them. A-bloo-bloo-bloo, we can't continue our unsustainable business model. I've already read an incredible number of people who are living outside of R1 and have no sympathy for R1 distribution companies. Fansubbing is increasing the market in those territories in the same way it used to for North America. Unfortunately for North American distributors, they've forgotten that America is not the world.

And again, there's no way the North American market will boom with the Japanese market in danger.

Also, the classic argument:


I just bought the entire set of Clannad and Clannad After Story sub only, so I guess I'm the cancer killing anime dubs. OH WELL.

[Nate]

Oh yeah, I want to respond to this.

If you have committed theft, robbery, shop-lifting, or just “downloading some stuff through torrent reactor,” then just stop doing it — now. You probably wouldn’t go into a supermarket and put a package of swiss cheese under your shirt and walk out without paying.

This is a FALSE analogy. Torrenting an anime episode is NOT the same as stealing something from a store. For the analogy to work it would have to be, you go into a supermarket and copy a package of swiss cheese, so that now there are two identical packages of swiss cheese, and you walk out with the copy while leaving the original on the shelf.

Even this isn't a very good analogy but it's certainly a whole lot closer.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I'm kinda shocked by the collective negative reaction. I don't think the guy is saying that there aren't other problems with the industry. There are. He is just saying that fansubs are a problem and they are affecting the industry. I don't think that fact can be disputed.

I was pretty bewildered that they said they'd cease dubbing anime if fans wouldn't stop downloading fansubs. I mean, if people are pirating oranges, why are they threatening to stop the production (?) of apples? Ever thought that those apple-stealing kids don't want your moldy oranges in the first place?

I don't think that fansubbed anime and anime on dvd are apples and oranges. I think I can speak for the majority (not entirety) of fansub viewers (I used to be one) when I say I don't have any intention of buying the stuff I've seen fansubbed. Why, when I've already seen it and have the mpg video files? I believe he has this thought in mind and is claiming that fansubs directly impact the dvd market.

If this was a licensor and not a dubbing studio, then it'd be a point worth considering.

He cites that licensors/distributors such as ADV and Geneon USA have already tanked and Bandai is in a bind. The records are there.

It's also quite arrogant to say that the end of English dubs will be the end of anime-- because yeah, the couple fans who actually watch DVDs dubs totally drive this global economy.

He's not saying that. He claims that the dubbing studios will be the first thing to go, then, if things don't change, anime altogether will slowly fade away.

But yeah, if Bang Zoom goes under, then maybe they'll make more sub-only anime DVDs won't cost so much to produce? =D And if sub-only becomes the main model, maybe the industry will be less prone to burning and dying.

Sure, sub-only releases will cut costs. No quibbling about that. But if the licensors/distributors aren't making money, then cutting out dubs is only a temporary fix. Plus, I'd hate to see the English anime voice-acting industry fade away because people "have to" see their anime right away (*foot stomp*) and watch fansubs instead of waiting and buying the product.

@blkmage, you actually bought the product. I think you are quite exempt. And you are right about the business model.

@Nate: GET OFF MY BACK MAN!!! =)

Question: Would you buy all the shows that you've seen this year when/if they become licensed? And the cheese analogy thing: either way, the super-market is not getting their money. Surely this is the point of the (not fabulous) analogy.

[Wolf-man]

You know what I say to this guy.
I say how about if you want people to buy your Anime you...I don't know...lower the price! There's a radical idea.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

You know what I say to this guy.
I say how about if you want people to buy your Anime you...I don't know...lower the price! There's a radical idea.

To what? Five bucks? Anime on DVD is cheaper than its ever been. You can get the entirety of Baccano!, a newer top-quality title, for under 30 bucks. Even B-level titles like Pumpkin Scissors are only 20 bucks (for 24 episodes). Come on, man. These people gotta eat.

[Nate]

@blkmage, you actually bought the product. I think you are quite exempt.

He isn't exempt, though. blkmage specifically mentioned that because the Clannad DVDs he bought were sub only. Meaning, a dubbing company got no money from it whatsoever. Meaning, if people bought sub-only DVDs like he did, Bang Zoom still wouldn't be making any money and they'd still be complaining.

Would you buy all the shows that you've seen this year when/if they become licensed?

Ha HA! I have caught you in my web!

No, I would not, and the reasoning is simple. The shows I mentioned that I watch are not dependent on DVD sales. They are children's shows and they actually turn a profit on the toys that are sold from the show. Further, live-action Japanese shows have never done well in America, and when they get licensed they only turn into a base for an American show...like how Kamen Rider Ryuki got turned into the American Dragon Knight, or Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger was turned into Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

IF, and this is a big IF, Kamen Rider W was officially licensed and released uncut and subbed/dubbed on DVD, with no American changes to it? Then yeah I'd buy it! But it'll never happen, literally NEVER happen. So I do the next best thing. I buy the toys. I bought the Decadriver, Ridebooker, and K-Touch from Kamen Rider Decade last year, along with a bunch of the FFR figures. I probably spent about 500 bucks on Kamen Rider toys...I'd say that's more than enough of the share of money I owe them for watching 30 fansubbed episodes. :p

[TheSubtleDoctor]

He isn't exempt, though. blkmage specifically mentioned that because the Clannad DVDs he bought were sub only. Meaning, a dubbing company got no money from it whatsoever. Meaning, if people bought sub-only DVDs like he did, Bang Zoom still wouldn't be making any money and they'd still be complaining.

If lots of people do like blkmage and buy their discs, the studio that released sub-only stuff will go: "Ya know, we are making good money here. We can afford to have a couple of shows dubbed." Now, I am a die-hard subbie; however, there are people out there who the dub is important to. A market for dubs does exist, and anything that increases sales of anime is OK in my book. So, if people buy the discs, sub only or not, the studio makes money which it can then pay to voice actors to do a dub for another show in hopes that said dubbed show, in turn, makes money.

[blkmage]

And so now we have the downloaded copy != lost sale thing. In the absense of fansubs for a show, would that person have bought the DVDs? This is exactly the same question we've had to ask with respect to music, and the answer is that that line of argument is specious. And in fact, when you consider that new fansubbed shows are for currently airing shows and not those available on DVD, how would you monetize that? If you don't buy the DVDs, you're no worse than the equivalent Japanese person who just watched it on TV and didn't buy the DVDs. We forget that anime is TV. I don't buy every show I watch on TV.

And LOL at the death of licensees. All of those licensees died because of their own various mistakes or the mistakes of the Japanese licensors. These include initially pushing DVDs for loljapan prices and being forced to license crap that no one cares about in North America for ludicrously high prices.

The reason why the fact that this is coming from a dubbing company is significant is because he rules out online streaming. Of course he'd rule that out, it's a dubbing company. I don't care about the dubbing industry dying because I want to see my anime ASAP. I don't care about the dubbing industry because I don't care about dubs. Maybe the demand for dubs isn't there. Then the dubbing industry dying is a natural consequence of market forces. This is especially true considering the cost of dubbing on top of the cost of licensing.

Anime is clearly unsustainable in its current form regardless of the existence of fansubs. This entire article is your standard RIAA/MPAA circa 2003 propaganda garbage that attempts to appeal to those who have no understanding of how the industry works both here and in Japan. As much as you may not want to admit it, anime is a niche market, and the industry needs to act likewise, otherwise it'll just enter the unsustainability death spiral.

[Atria35]

I bought perhaps $300 worth of anime last year. Half of what I bought was subbed-only because they didn't offer sub/dub versions (not that I mind- the ones I have subbed-only I prefer subbed-only). I ended up buying the official versions of shows I downloaded. Why? Because I like watching it on the TV and the extras the DVDs come with. Did I keep my downloaded versions? Yes. I use them to make AMV's, and since I do travel a fair amount and can pack more eps on a burned dvd disk than the official versions do, I take those with me instead.

Will I continue this practice? Yes, when I have the money to. But right now I have rent to pay, and my babysitting hours are getting cut. At least I try to do my part.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

And so now we have the downloaded copy != lost sale thing. In the absense of fansubs for a show, would that person have bought the DVDs? This is exactly the same question we've had to ask with respect to music, and the answer is that that line of argument is specious. And in fact, when you consider that new fansubbed shows are for currently airing shows and not those available on DVD, how would you monetize that? If you don't buy the DVDs, you're no worse than the equivalent Japanese person who just watched it on TV and didn't buy the DVDs. We forget that anime is TV. I don't buy every show I watch on TV.

And LOL at the death of licensees. All of those licensees died because of their own various mistakes or the mistakes of the Japanese licensors. These include initially pushing DVDs for loljapan prices and being forced to license crap that no one cares about in North America for ludicrously high prices.

The reason why the fact that this is coming from a dubbing company is significant is because he rules out online streaming. Of course he'd rule that out, it's a dubbing company. I don't care about the dubbing industry dying because I want to see my anime ASAP. I don't care about the dubbing industry because I don't care about dubs. Maybe the demand for dubs isn't there. Then the dubbing industry dying is a natural consequence of market forces. This is especially true considering the cost of dubbing on top of the cost of licensing.

Anime is clearly unsustainable in its current form regardless of the existence of fansubs. This entire article is your standard RIAA/MPAA circa 2003 propaganda garbage that attempts to appeal to those who have no understanding of how the industry works both here and in Japan.

Aside from all the harsh rhetoric, I actually agree w/ most of this. Especially about Geneon and ADV really screwing themselves. I've heard horror stories. Your "anime is TV" argument is interesting, though I don't think the comparison of me to the Japanese TV audience is a fair one in this instance. I also do think there is a demand for dubs, and I think that fansubs do negatively impact the anime industry in North America. I just can't believe that each and every industry guest (Japanese and American) on the Anime News Network podcast for the past 6 months has been either wrong or mistaken about the impact of fansubs.

[ShiroiHikari]

The reason why the fact that this is coming from a dubbing company is significant is because he rules out online streaming. Of course he'd rule that out, it's a dubbing company. I don't care about the dubbing industry dying because I want to see my anime ASAP. I don't care about the dubbing industry because I don't care about dubs. Maybe the demand for dubs isn't there. Then the dubbing industry dying is a natural consequence of market forces. This is especially true considering the cost of dubbing on top of the cost of licensing.

This right here.

I don't care about dubbing. DO. NOT. CARE. And I feel no need to apologize to ADR directors and voice actors because I don't buy dubbed anime. Do you apologize to restaurant owners when you don't buy their food?

This ain't a charity; this is BUSINESS. If your business model isn't working, then fix it or find another job and quit crying.

Furthermore, why should I have to pay extra money for a DVD boxset just because it has an English voice track on it that I'm never going to listen to in the first frigging place?

[bkilbour]

I agree with the Subtle Doctor here. Honestly, is it so bad that somebody wants you to pay for something?

and yes, if people aren't buying anime because they could just watch a fansub/fandub/pirated-crap-off-the-internet, then the businesses that hire beloved voices like Mignona and Shemmel will tank, and eventually all we'll have is internet stuff.


But no, just listen to the people here who think that anime comes out of nowhere, and that there's no possible way that business could possibly affect the output of anime in the future... no... these folks know everything, don't they? And if they deny hardworking companies a profit (both the japanese and American companies), then what is that to them?

[Wolf-man]

To what? Five bucks? Anime on DVD is cheaper than its ever been. You can get the entirety of Baccano!, a newer top-quality title, for under 30 bucks. Even B-level titles like Pumpkin Scissors are only 20 bucks (for 24 episodes). Come on, man. These people gotta eat.

It is definitely not cheap. It may be for certain anime but there are plenty that are way overpriced.
The second part of Death Note is $52.49 for 17 episodes.

Tsubasa Chronicles is $62.99 each for both seasons then $89.99 for the whole series pack. That's almost border line 100 bucks for a 52 episode series!

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is $21.99 for one movie! That is ridiculous. Most new American movies don't cost that much.

I'm not saying that they should become bargain bin prices but $62.99 for 26 episodes is a bit much especially since were in a recession and people are trying to pinch pennies.

I am not saying that people should pirate anime but I am saying that I understand why people would rather do that then buy it.
Also I think the whole "this marks the end for anime" stuff way over dramatic. Just because people pirate anime does not mean that Japan is going to say "Ok that's it no more anime ever!!!!" If that were the case then Hollywood would have shut down years ago.

[Nate]

blkmage makes an excellent point. He said,

These include initially pushing DVDs for loljapan prices

I was around in the early days of anime. You mention that you can get all of Baccano for 30 bucks. Which is great! The problem is, these prices weren't the norm. I bought the box sets of Fushigi Yugi. 150 dollars for a 26 episode box set. And these were 1998 dollars. It cost me over 300 dollars for a 52 episode series.

Why? Because the companies knew they could charge them and get away with it. The internet wasn't as big then, I mean it existed, but you couldn't download a 22 minute anime episode on a 56K modem. Well, you COULD, if you didn't mind waiting a week to download one episode.

Then internet service got faster, and downloading single episodes was a lot easier. Fansubbing became a lot easier, fansubbing used to be a long hard process because you didn't have a simple media file, you had to deal with the original laserdiscs (remember, laserdisc format was huge in Japan, unlike America).

So now, people didn't have to put up with overpriced box sets. The reason anime has gotten cheaper is because it should have always been this cheap, but they charged ridiculous prices just because they could, just because they were greedy. You had companies selling DVDs with three episodes for 30 dollars. Why? Because they could. You had companies selling 200+ dollar box sets for 26 episodes. Why? Because they could.

Companies aren't going to sell their products at a loss...meaning that if Baccano is only 30 dollars for the whole series, they're still turning a profit. My point is if this was the late 90s or early 2000's, you wouldn't see that box set of Baccano for less than a hundred, I guarantee it.

It's taken a long, LONG time for prices to get as good as they are now, and it's not because licensors in America have suddenly become really nice, it's because they can't get away with the same crap they pulled in the earlier days.

[Radical Dreamer]

and yes, if people aren't buying anime because they could just watch a fansub/fandub/pirated-crap-off-the-internet, then the businesses that hire beloved voices like Mignona and Shemmel will tank, and eventually all we'll have is internet stuff.


But no, just listen to the people here who think that anime comes out of nowhere, and that there's no possible way that business could possibly affect the output of anime in the future... no... these folks know everything, don't they? And if they deny hardworking companies a profit (both the japanese and American companies), then what is that to them?

[IMG]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/RurouniKaoru/Forum%]

Well, I'd say it's about time to heed the words of our great president, Abraham Lincoln, and calm down if we're going to keep this discussion civil. XD Let's keep the harsh words to a minimum, please.

[rocklobster]

Actually, I have stopped looking at fansubs. Mostly because two of the sites I checked out were hacked into, so I got viruses. I watch anime online for one reason: I don't want to waste money. What if I buy an anime and discover I don't like it. By watching it online, I get to try it before I buy it. And I have bought two titles I saw online: Azumanga Daioh and Haibane Renmei.
OH, and not all dubs are bad. Some are really great! So let's not rip on the dubs, K?

[bkilbour]

Radical Dreamer, my apologies for expressing my frustrations that way. you are right in that the discussion should be kept civil.

I honestly believe that pirating is wrong. It's kind of my job to oppose pirates.
I agree with Bang Zoom's director, mainly because to benefit from the anime they help get to the States without paying for it, well, it's like eating free meals from McDonalds, but wondering why McDonalds isn't appreciating that very much.


but again, thank you for interceding, man.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

[quote="ShiroiHikari (post: 1390621)"]I don't care about dubbing. DO. NOT. CARE. And I feel no need to apologize to ADR directors and voice actors because I don't buy dubbed anime. Do you apologize to restaurant owners when you don't buy their food?

This ain't a charity]The concern I have is for the anime DVD market in general, rather than the dubbing companies specifically. Now, I do think it would be a shame to see something that many people do want in their anime go away because, believe it or not, there are people who don't buy sub-only stuff right now b/c they have a choice to get the dubs. Some might just get off the bus if anime goes all sub-only. At this point, with the current state of the market, any paying anime fan lost is one too many. The crucial point that the blogger is trying to make, though, is that the dub studios are going to be the first, not the last, things to go. Many people (including myself) don't care for dubs. That's fine, but we do care about anime as a whole. And, the point of the blog is that the industry as such is being negatively impacted by fansubs: the dubbing studios are just the current corner of the industry feeling the crunch.

Also: there is a difference in a business losing money on dual audio DVDs b/c sub-only discs outsell dual audio discs and a business losing money on dual audio DVDs because people are watching fansubs instead of buying the discs legally.

[Midori]

I don't know if this matters but anime DVDs are considerably cheaper to print than manga. One is just a sheet of plastic and a case. The other is a hundred pages of high-quality paper and ink. Many interested parties pretend like making DVDs is this big expensive process but...yeah, it isn't. The only significant cost of making anime is the once-only producing and localizing.

I could also rant about how when you buy anime in the U.S., a majority of the money you pay goes to the localizers rather than the original producers, but this has been talked to death elsewhere, I think.

[Wolf-man]

The concern I have is for the anime DVD market in general, rather than the dubbing companies specifically. Now, I do think it would be a shame to see something that many people do want in their anime go away because, believe it or not, there are people who don't buy sub-only stuff right now b/c they have a choice to get the dubs. Some might just get off the bus if anime goes all sub-only. At this point, with the current state of the market, any paying anime fan lost is one too many. The crucial point that the blogger is trying to make, though, is that the dub studios are going to be the first, not the last, things to go. Many people (including myself) don't care for dubs. That's fine, but we do care about anime as a whole. And, the point of the blog is that the industry as such is being negatively impacted by fansubs: the dubbing studios are just the current corner of the industry feeling the crunch.

I agree with you here, Doc. I am more of a sub person than a dub person myself but there are several anime that I would be very upset if they stopped dubbing. Such as Case Closed. I don't even watch the subbed version of that. I started watching it dubbed and it is a great translation and the voices are excellent. Plus I am a Risembool Ranger so to cut dubbing would put my favorite voice actor out of work which would not be ideal.

[Fish and Chips]

But no, just listen to the people here who think that anime comes out of nowhere

Anime. How does it work?

The problem with this thinking is Sherman's directing his appeal towards an unconcerned crowd. People who pirate Anime aren't suddenly going to come to some moral crossroads because a dubbing company asked them. They don't buy DVDs, they don't listen to the English track - the industry could collapse into the sea, but the torrents would still be keeping on time. Meanwhile, the actual consumers get guilt tripped into believing that, as much as they're already supporting the industry, they're just not supporting the industry hard enough. So the industry's still dying, pirates are still downloading, and consumers are moodier than ever over the state of their hobby.

[Nate]

The point is and blkmage has emphasized this, it's a dubbing company saying "We're not going to dub any more shows if you don't stop watching fansubs!" and the response is "We don't care about dubs anyway."

It's like if I said "Hey SubtleDoctor, I won't give you a full body massage if you don't stop posting in this thread!" Your response would probably be "I don't want a full body massage from you anyway so what do I care?" Now do you see what we're getting at? It's just a foolish empty threat.

By the way, the Japanese industry would probably be glad if the American anime DVD industry tanked. Just sayin'.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I agree with you here, Doc. I am more of a sub person than a dub person myself but there are several anime that I would be very upset if they stopped dubbing. Such as Case Closed. I don't even watch the subbed version of that. I started watching it dubbed and it is a great translation and the voices are excellent. Plus I am a Risembool Ranger so to cut dubbing would put my favorite voice actor out of work which would not be ideal.

I've staying out of this thread, because I'm terrible at debating and just prefer to watch, but you should know that very few, if any, voice actors in NA make all their money just from anime. Vic and Johnny Yong Bosch, for instance, are both musicians, and Yuri Lowenthal does work for other stuff. These are the people that jokes get made that they are in every new anime. I doubt less successful VAs make all their money from dubbing anime.

[CrimsonRyu17]

I watch plenty of online anime. That's pretty much the only way I watch my anime nowadays.

Thing is, I want to buy anime I find worthy of buying. Kind of like I'd go to the movie theater first and spend 5 bucks to see a movie instead of spending 25 bucks on a movie I probably won't like and be stuck with.

One of the things that anime dubbing companies does that I really hate is they expect you to play Russian roulette with most of their titles. They've kinda let up on this tactic but basically it's a "you can't watch this show until you buy the dvd!"

[Wolf-man]

I've staying out of this thread, because I'm terrible at debating and just prefer to watch, but you should know that very few, if any, voice actors in NA make all their money just from anime. Vic and Johnny Yong Bosch, for instance, are both musicians, and Yuri Lowenthal does work for other stuff. These are the people that jokes get made that they are in every new anime. I doubt less successful VAs make all their money from dubbing anime.

Yeah I know that. I was just saying "out of work" for emphasis. XD

[blkmage]

Also, remember that America is not the rest of the world outside of Japan.