No, this isn’t an essay on the importance of fansubs in today’s world, nor is it any form of crusade against low-quality subbers as a certain aniblogger seems to be infamous for. Quite simply, I propose to you a question; what do you look for in fansubs?
Truth be told, the idea for this post came about by chance as I was making a mental note of the fact that there’s disturbingly little discussion on ef – a tale of melodies across the internet. Of course the show isn’t as mainstream as Gundam or Clannad, but still, wasn’t the first season fairly well respected? And wasn’t the second season one of the most highly anticipated show this fall? All in all, it felt strange – and a little insulting - to me that I’ve been seeing far more Index and Abyss and Toradora than ef…but that was when it hit me.
There’s more to an anime than the anime itself.
Now, I’m not implying that ef has been receiving low-quality subs, nor am I saying that people aren’t talking about it as much as they ought to due to said subs; I’m simply using this as an explanation for how this whole thing came to mind in the first place. To my knowledge, the quickest and most reliable group subbing ef is Chihiro, which (correct me if I’m wrong) focuses mainly on speed and quantity over quality. It also appears as if Menclave, while a few episodes slower, is also working on translating the show, except to an allegedly higher standard. Personally, I think I would side with Chihiro’s approach; they’re the only group doing Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo, an obscure VN adaptation that aired back in 2007 but many people (myself included) were unable to watch due to the lack of subs. This isn’t to say that “quality” subbers like Menclave shouldn’t exist, but in my eyes, picking up obscure series and speedsubbing the shows that are currently airing is a respectable job, because really, who wants to wait weeks after the Japanese release to watch an episode?
However, this was where the thought crossed my mind; maybe everyone doesn’t think like this? Come to think of it, I recall seeing topics here and there on forums asking what the best fansub group for a particular series is. I never paid them any mind, because more often than not I had already downloaded the series anyhow, but perhaps this says something about the different viewing habits that people have? While I had no objections to picking up the NightSpeed Geass subs, maybe some others would have been willing to boycott the blogosphere and wait for a more reputable group to translate the episodes?
Ultimately, I think it all comes down to personal preference in the end. In my eyes, most any sub is a good sub; and when you think about it, you really don’t have any way of knowing just how accurate a translation is. As long as the grammar is good (which it always is), and as long as the entire internet isn’t flaming a particular sub group for doing a bad job (which hardly ever happens), then I think it’s safe to say that the subs are good enough to watch. Admittedly, maybe there are a few lines of dialogue here and there that were poorly translated without my realizing it, but in the long run, what does it matter? I’d much rather get my episode a few days early and put up with a slightly inaccurate translation than put up with the agonizing wait for so-called “professional” subbers to do their job.
However, maybe that’s just me after all. What do you like to do when it comes to subs? Do you grab the latest episodes the moment they’re out, or do you loyally follow one particular group over another? Do you like the karaoke and translation notes put up by fansubbers, or is your ideal the “official” translations done by the professional companies? I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned, fansubbers are good enough for our community to be self-sufficient – and if my alternative to speedsubs is waiting weeks for my favourite show of the season to be translated, then I’d support the speedsubbers without hesitation. After all, these people aren’t idiots; even anon speedsubbers know how to do a half-decent job, and anything is better than the agonizing wait for translations. Just look at what us non-moonspeakers go through in the visual novel community.
But ultimately, as I stated, it’s your choice. You’ve already heard my thoughts, and now I’d like to hear yours.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
