[ComicGuy89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatoronfire4lord

For my second post, I make perhaps an equally unpopular post to saying not to worry about Purple Dricera yet.

The news of a subbed Zyuranger DVD US set has me...concerned. Hear me out.

As toku fans in the US, we have been SO LUCKY. We have a number of wonderful fangroups taking this foreign treasure, translating it for us, and providing it to us FOR FREE. I have no doubt whatsoever that Shout Factory will do an amazing job at the former. But they aren't gonna give it away for free.

No, they are going to charge a pretty penny. And having a license to provide that service for Zyuranger, any fangroup working on that show will be legally obligated to stop. TV-Nihon has already said that once this news goes on Shout's website, they will likely pull all torrents of Zyuranger they've done. Other groups will have to as well.

But we'll have official sources! You will be able to go out and buy the entire show! Yeah...for a price. That's the thing. It takes a show like Zyuranger that was available to anyone with an internet connection for free, and turns it into something that can only be experienced by someone with the cash to plunk down for an entire box set, or generous friends/family etc.

And I realize older shows like Zyuranger are inconsistently available, so having the entire series subbed is awesome. But is that where it ends? Do we just get Zyuranger? Many people have already said they hope this does well so we get other series. The closer we grow to current, the more concerned I become. What if we reach a point where Shout reaches some near-concurrent deal with Toei? Release a box set in the US near the same time as in Japan? The fansub community would just about die.

And I do say just about because I realize something become illegal doesn't stop everyone. But it makes you have to decide to do something "illegal" (quotation marks, in this case, for anti-emphasis) by downloading from sources knowingly violating a license. If you're the kind of person that downloads the latest Hollywood movies, this isn't going to bother you. Somebody will rip those things, get torrents online, etc. But right now, this stuff is free AND legal.

So ending this accidental essay of a post, I'm conflicted. I love the legitimacy that comes with an official DVD release in the United States, and the overall toku fan in me wants it do well. I just worry about what it means for fansubs, and the community of American toku fans that has formed thanks in large part to fansubbers.

(Disclaimer: Writer of this post is not a fansubber or member of any fansubbing group. Just a dude that appreciates him some fansubs.)

The worst part about this is that this is only licensed to the USA, so non-US places like Australia and the UK will lose their fansubbers with no legal alternative, as has always happened with things like anime.

I guess I can see the conflict here, but I think in the end, I think it should be okay. Official releases still didn't stop fansubs for those who need it in anime, especially those who don't have a local release.