Fansubs and Scanlations: Is It Piracy or Promotion?

If you are not a big Japanese anime or manga fan you may have never heard of these two terms before.  

Fansubs is short for "fan subtitling" Scanlations for "Scan Translations".  Both words refer to the act of fans editing and translating existing anime and manga products.  They reproduce them by adding text or subtitles to create new versions for for fans around the world, distributed through internet channels. 

They are produced quickly - the latest anime episodes of a popular series aired in Japan are generally available now for download after a two-day delay, complete with subtitles and karaoke-format opening themes.  And it is non-profit.  Absolutely free for the enjoyment of fans.  Duplicating these files for others is as simple as pressing Ctrl C and Ctrl V on your computer. 

Who would bother to wait for official DVD box sets which would be released a few months down the track?  

Below: A scanlated page of Smash!: scanlators are able to add humorous side comments that some professional products may not have originally intended

Why Fans Like It: Fans are able to compete with industries by taking advantage of time lags which industries might face, such as waiting for license agreements and for a season to be complete. 

During the premiere airing of a series or a when a chapter of a manga is published, the following episodes and chapters are usually still works in progress.   

With the internet fans can reproduce amended versions and distribute them at rapid speeds.  By networking online, individuals are able to work together even though they are in different parts of the world. 

Thus the rapid rise and popularity of digital fansubs and scanlations began. 

There are many groups which participate in this called fansubbers and translate various anime for niche audiences.  For popular series, there are multiple fansub groups which compete for the number of downloads of their projects by fans. 

Therefore, most groups work under very tight weekly deadlines and have to be highly organized.   

On average, there are 7 members in a group consisting of a translator, synchronizer, visuals, typesetter, source provider, and quality control (QC).   

Likewise, scanlators delegate roles amongst their members to ensure a highly efficient system.  Considering that fans do not get paid to do this, and sometimes have to dig out of their own pockets to pay for a translator, can this be considered as piracy? 

Is it Piracy?

Below:  A Fansubbed screenshot of the anime series Keroro:  fansubbed opening series generally have the English translation of the opening theme, the Japanese lyrics and the English pronunciations in the form of Romaji.

Unlike anime pirates and bootleggers, scanlators and fansubbers seem to constantly question the ethics behind their actions.    Their main goal seems to be to promote anime and manga to expand the fan base, not to steal profit from the industries.    When an anime or manga has been licensed, many drop the files from distribution to encourage fans to support their favourite series.    Also, there are frequent disclaimers within their products to discourage any profit-making.  All good, but how does this relate to badminton at all?   The badminton manga Smash! which I had mentioned in my last article has not been published outside Asia.

Why Scanlations and Fansubbing Can Be Good

Without scanlating networks, this manga would not have been able to be efficiently translated and distributed for badminton fans around the world. 

Badminton sadly isn’t taken seriously in the western world and the manga would not stand a chance in overseas markets.  This is where scanlators fill a gap in the market: to promote manga which are not mainstream and are overlooked by publishing companies. 

Although some translations in projects are not accurate, fans won’t complain.  There are fansub and scanlation groups though that strive to produce high quality products, and some of these can actually be better than the official products themselves.

Fansubs and scanlations definitely sit in a grey area of the legal system because they are using original material without the permission from the industries. 

Despite the connotations of piracy, I see this rise of fansubs and scanlations as a positive thing for both fans and the manga/anime industries.  Fans are allowed more freedom and innovation to spread their love of anime and manga, and in turn the overseas industries can easily tap into what fans want. 

However, the future of fansubs and scanlations is uncertain.  There has been a law firm in Tokyo which has contacted a fansub network.  On the other hand, overseas anime licensing companies are considering hiring fans to work on the legal side of the industry. 

One thing is certain though: with the help of the internet, fans have finally made a strong impact on the manga and anime industries.