toy_brain said:
Dont get me started on the whole sub/dub debate and how people somehow think that watching anime in Japanese (which most of them cant understand a word of) makes them 'hardcore' or 'purist'.
If you like your anime subbed then thats fine by me, but dont go looking down on me just because I watch my anime dubbed.
Dubs have come a long way in the past 6 years.......
Anyway, moving on from that, I read an interesting fact which was bought up at an anime convention last year.
Apparently the US anime DVD market is larger than the Japanese market. Which means there are more anime DVD's sold in the US than in Japan - wierd huh?
Apparently the overall revenue in each market is about the same, due to the much higher price of DVD's in Japan, but its still pretty amazing.
Hey man to each their own on the SUB/DUB thing, but you have to understand that some of us who are more or less
the fading light of another era of Japanimation {the 80-mid 90's, I came into it about '89 but really kick started it in '91 even helping Animeigo as an outbound rep w. persmission by then Pres Janice Hindle for BGC, Maddox01, Riding Bean} we had to fight for everything we bought/had. It was a time when the term ANIME was already there but more often than not it was called JAPANIMATION not to be slandering but because it was a combonation of the word "Japan" and "Animation". Back then mostly what was to be had was either English Subbed via the Fans or the few companies doing it professionaly... or of course in Japanese without Subs.
...but that's the thing man. *It forced someone who wanted to watch quality animation to either bite the bullet and watch something in a foreign language {which after awhile became "cool" since hearing your own native tongue was boring} that added the mystique to it's already foreign origin. From there people were more likely to dive into the culture itself, which a lot of of us did. Literally from 91-96 we {the Japanimation fans} got to see the change in distribution policy. It went from a
"Cult" market of rabid fans to the foundations of present day TOONAMI Rush Jobbed Dubbing and the presentation to the masses where suddenly
Japanimation was now the cool thing to do and be seen watching. Shows me and thousands of others clamored for were being put on the market but at the expense of us having to see more dubbed crap hit the market place... not to mention end up always cheaper than the Subbed stuff. Sure with the advent of DVD, fans can have it both ways, but that says little about people truly getting into something for it's cultural difference.
I admit the Dubbing isn't as atrocious as the 70's or 80's dubs, and at least they keep the names the same where a Yoshiro isn't changed to "Johnny" something or other, but the voice ppl will never {rarely anyhow} be able to match the fever pitch or emotion of the Japanese voice cast. Maybe it doesn't piss you off, but it did me. When I was promoting Japanimation from 91-95 literally from 8th grade til my Junior year in Seinor Highschool most were like:
"Man we don't need those stupid CHINESE cartoons!" ...and that was seeing the adultness of BGC, Wicked City, Riding Bean, M.D. Geist, Area 88 etcetera... but now those same lame asses are the ones who have entire houses filled with wall scrolls, 1300 DVDs and claim to have always "Been Down With" the movement.
YEAH RIGHT! 
This is the same story with Hong Kong flicks. When people like me tried to get others into it we got slammed, accused of being in "The Nerd Herd" and all kinds of shit... funny how a decade + 3 years later it's suddenly
COOL and the people who scoffed at it are worst in their enthusiasm than I ever was in my main Otaku days from 91-96. So while you may prefer DUBBED and have the right to, please understand that for a lot of us, it's a double edged sword when it comes to Anime/Japanimation. *One one hand we're greatfull it's so pleantiful and that it's getting the respect it deserves. On the other, we're a bit ticked off that it's lost the "Mystique" it once held due to every upstart company trying to be JOE FUCKIN' COOL with their latest licenses and then every bitch ass kid suddenly speaks broken Japanese everywhere. The pukes today coming up will never have to endure hanging out with some truly unsavory people {usually fans at the time were body odor smelling late 20 somethings to early 30s who had the VHS tapes and imported goods} at a Japanimation Meeting at some Apartment Complex Community Room... never had to just accept the subs in order to watch good animation. And for that, all the titles in the world just don't have the luster they once did. It's all washed out and bullshit now. There's no heart in it at all. I understand that it's a commodity like anything else, but when you more or less rode in with the pioneers it's hard to be "With" the masses who never once got slammed for it.
MERCENARY X99
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