AnimeSuki Forums

exedore · 2009-07-17, 13:43

In a stunning display of up-to-the-minute coverage, the article referenced in this year old thread and the interviews conducted as a result of it have FINALLY made it into press in the current issue of British anime magazine NEO #61. Of course, along with a look at fansubbing destroying the industry, there's also a bit on Chi's New Address (last month it was on Shin Mazinger) and never-to-be-licensed-in-a-million-years OVA To-Y.

Arm · 2009-07-18, 18:05

Any links or scans?

exedore · 2009-07-19, 04:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arm

Any links or scans?

I don't have a scanner, but once things are less hectic on my end I can try to get it typed up.

checkers · 2009-07-19, 05:07

no camera either?

exedore · 2009-07-19, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by checkers

no camera either?

Not a decent one, and the text is pretty small.

windstar!~ · 2009-07-22, 16:01

Quote:

along with a look at fansubbing destroying the industry

I think they're actually supporting it - half of those licensed shows wouldn't be licensed if it wasn't for fansubbers helping to build up a western fanbase.

DryFire · 2009-07-23, 00:31

Wow, 3 years? Even I write reports faster than that.

A scan would be nice.

~~Prons~~ · 2009-07-23, 00:47

Three years wow I hope one of the questions is like:

"So do you think h264 will ever catch on?"
"Nah, h264 and the mkv file format are just a fad" :P

cyth · 2009-07-23, 03:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by DryFire

Wow, 3 years? Even I write reports faster than that.

Quote:

2008-06-01, 15:07

I would like to read the article, though. I remember sending in some answers. :v

DryFire · 2009-07-23, 09:09

Late at night, can't read etc... Silly me.

Scab · 2009-07-31, 12:52

http://bayimg.com/cacoLAACp
http://bayimg.com/DacogAacP
http://bayimg.com/EacoAaACP
http://bayimg.com/EaCoIaacp

Starks · 2009-07-31, 16:23

My country for a transcription.

I hate tilting my head or rotating images.

Daiz · 2009-08-01, 12:10

Personally I find it quite funny how mention "What fansubbing allows people to do is pick and choose various aspects of the process that they consider to be their ideal combination, whether that involves video or audio encoding, subtitle fonts or editing the subtitle track itself." Then in the end they say "on what could render fansubs moot - the explosion of licensed online streaming." while these two are pretty much completely incompatible with each other right now.

Vide · 2009-08-02, 21:36

(Transcription of the scans provided by Scab.)

Part 1 - True Fans?
Industry Exposé

The Sky is Falling?
It could be the end of the anime world as we know it, but Matt Kamen feels fine. Here, in the first of two features, we look at the state of the industry and the spectre of fansubbing

To quote the sage of our times, 1984's Ghostbusters, the end of the world will be heralded by "Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats LIVING TOGETHER - mass hysteria!"

Comedy genius aside, going on any anime forums nowadays - or at times, NEO's own letters pages - is to invariably expose yourself to such panicked proclamations foretelling the apocalyptic end of the industry. But are things as bleak as they appear, or are we just seeing shifts in the way anime companies do business that take us out of our comfort zone as fans?

State of Play
The last couple of years have been interesting ones for the anime industry. As the wider economy has atrophied to the point of recession, the housing market has stumbled and high street retail has shrunk, those involved with the production or marketing of anime have faced a number of unique problems that other industries aren't quite as susceptible to, particularly with regards to piracy. "The problems are the same as those faced by major software companies, Hollywood studios, etc.," says Stephen Cryan, consultant to GDH KK / GONZO, "but the difference is that anime is not a business (excluding major kids' anime producers) on an equivalent scale and is thereby less able to fight piracy."

While every player in the home video field has to deal with the risks of piracy and bootlegging, anime also faces the dual-edged sword of fansubbing - unlicensed distribution of anime series that have been translated by committed fans and made available online. We last examined the impact fansubbing had on the industry almost four years ago, in NEO issue 10 - but has anything changed?

"I think it's having noticeable effects in a number of ways," Andrew Partridge of Beez tells us. "In the west, it's far more noticeable in the number of companies being forced to cut hard-working people loose to make a more efficient profit. The rapid changes in the marking you are seeing is also a way of the industry trying to adapt as quickly as they can to the changes happening around them too. There is a strong segment who will download fansubs and never pay for a product. That said, just now there is likely an audience who would love to buy the DVDs but can't afford to and pay general life expenses."

"This is obviously a hot topic," Mr Cryan adds. "I think it can be generally acknowledged that fansubs have done a lot for anime, especially in the early years when there was limited international awareness of and access to anime. I remember going to my university anime club meetings in the early '90s and being very grateful to the people who took the immense time and effort to put together the fansubs that allowed me to enjoy programs like Giant Robo and Rurouni Kenshin at screenings. However, probably from about five years ago, fansubs went from being a good thing to being a predominantly negative thing and a contributing factor to a rapid increase in piracy leading to the current worrying state of affairs in the anime industry."

Behind The Scenes
Fansubs are, at present, an inescapable facet of the anime industry. We've all been exposed to them, whether we actively download them ourselves or have seen them at University anime societies or even at a mate's house. Very few of us are actively involved in producing fansubs though, so what is the motivation for those who are?

Fansubber 'editor' of the group Pseudonym, or sudo, tells us, "One might be inclined to believe that the individuals fansubbing are people who genuinely want to help others enjoy anime and increase the popularity of the medium outside Japan. I'll be the first to say that ideal is a load of shit. There's very little glamour involved in the practice. There are different kind of people who fansub in their free time. The majority can be extremely arrogant, stupid, or difficult to tolerate for a variety of reasons. That said, there are a select few who somehow manage to find a way to exasperating the hell out of you within a week, are knowledgeable at what they do, and become more than someone who takes care of a certain aspect of the process Those people are ultimately what makes life 'on the inside' worth it."

Another fansubber, Exedore, adds that his group, Anime-Classic, prefers to avoid the typical motivations of other teams. "We sub classic titles (hence the group name), which by our definition means nothing newer than 10 years old, or in more practical terms, nothing newer than Evangelion. We have made exceptions in the past (Afro-Ken, Guardress) but everybody else subs the hot new thing, so we'd rather put our efforts elsewhere. In the past, [subbing] definitely helped to bring titles to the attention of the industry. Nowadays, a lot of it is rather pointless. If anybody honestly thought that Code Geass or a new Gonzo series wasn't going to get licensed, they're entierly out of touch."

Subbing the 'hot new thing' is often the rallying point for many subbers, and Anime-Classic are one of an exceedingly small number of groups that shy away from new shows. The old clarion call was that subbing series as they debuted each season in Japan helped bring them to the attention of western companies. Mr Partridge believes that is no longer the case. "I think that it was once, but nowadays? With the increasing speed of licensing I think the whole point is being missed. It's no longer about garnering attention of fans for amazing licenses or reassuring companies a show will sell, be it on DVD or TV. That's not to say a sizable portion of fandom will not still buy series they loved on fansub, Haruhi and Gurren Lagann are proof of that. However, it has created a breed of fan that would never pay for anime because they do not rate it above free entertainment but nonetheless enjoy it and would spend to attend conventions."

Available Now, or Never?
The 'ethics' of fansubbing has long been a thorny issue. While it is undeniable fact that the activity is an illegal infringement of international copyright (and one prohibited under the Berne Convention, which commits signatory countries to protect copyright on behalf of co-signatories), it is also a fact that not every title is marketable outside of Japan. Older anime often struggles to find an audience regardless of quality, while fans of other forms of Asian media - drama series or tokusatsu superhero shows to name but two - find themselves almost completely unable to legally buy content even if they wanted to. British fans of iconic Japanese hero Kamen Rider have the option of importing one moving, Kamen Rider The First, from the US, while Ultraman has been served slightly better with two complete series seeing American DVD release, though both are now out of print. Desire for these kind of titles is a niche that fansubbing files that, so far, industry has been unable to provide for.

Traditionally, fansubbers adhered to an unspoken code that once licensed, they would cease work on and distribution of a title. While all the subbers we spoke to agreed with this view, a look at any torrent directory online will show that many still do not.

Could this just be a shift in the 'point' of fansubs though? Where before they served as an indicator of the content viewers want, are they now offering companies a view of the delivery method they should be aiming for? High quality video files, quickly available with no playback restrictions seems to be the order of the day. Freelance fansubber 'LytHka' offers that, "Fansubbers distribute anime in English and other languages at a pace that legitimate distributors are currently unable to match. So far there hasn't been an anime distribution service more convenient to the end consumer than fansubs. The role unauthorised anime distribution plays is offering a service that is better than what any present legal alternative has to offer to demanding fans. Fansubbing wouldn't exist in this form if legitimate anime distribution was efficient."

As Exedore says, "The digital fansub explosion has revealed the massive weak point in the western anime business model: Not every show is worth buying, and people don't want to buy something without rewatch value. Companies have spent years attempting to act hip and cool and send their voice actors to cons and wave the 'we're all fans here' banner so much that they believe their own hype and forget that the fans who squeal over actors and prostitute themselves for Pocky don't actually spend money on DVDs."

Subber LEG agrees, saying "[It's] playing an extremely important role in the anime industry. Companies are realising their business model is flawed, and fansubbing is the alternative until these companies fix them."

As fansubber 'editor' explains in greater detail, "There are certain things that aren't present in retail DVDs that are available through fansubs. Karaoke effects and embedded signs that blend into the scenery may come to mind immediately, but the growing popularity of softsubs allow anyone to edit the subtitle tracks as they see fit. What fansubbing allows people to do is pick and choose various aspects of the process that they consider to be their ideal combination, whether that involves video or audio encoding, subtitle fonts, or editing the subtitle track itself. Retail products can't offer much in terms of flexibility but I'm under the assumption that license holders are given access to the source material of a show - episode scripts, unedited audio and video. Access to these materials should allow license holders to present a better product in comparison to those who don't have access to them."

Changing Times
Companies are now adapting to a shift in viewer dynamics, and Gonzo was one of the first to test the market with a large-scale effort. Spring 2008 saw them debut the series Tower of Druaga and Blassreiter online, with English subtitles, concurrent with their Japanese airings. Available to view for free on dedicated YouTube channels, Crunchyroll and BOSTTV.com, viewers could also download restriction-free copies for a nominal fee per episode. Newer series, such as Linebarrels of Iron, have since followed. Mr Cryan explains Gonzo's plans, saying "[Those series are] online to a) enable international fans to access new programming at the same time it is released in Japan, b) offer a legal alternative to pirated content, c) enable fans to assess and embrace product and, as was the case in the early days of fansubbing, inform local market packaged goods distributors (and fans) as to which shows they want to see released on DVD, Blu-Ray, or whatever comes next."

LEG also thinks fansubs have shifted the anime economy. "Fansubs are also increasing anime fandom exponentially. Cons are bigger than ever nowadays." But is increased convention attendance offsetting potentially lost DVD sales? Mr Partridge points out that, "I would say that speculatively, yes, convention attendance has risen while anime sales have at very lease not risen, though I debate any fall. Merchandise sales in the UK are almost irrelevant as most people are importing the goods to sell, not acting as a legitimate third party reseller. This is not to say any of the sellers are illegal, it just means that the amount that makes it to the licensor may not be that much. So, at least in the UK, merchandise sales don't help too much."

With alternatives to fansubs becoming increasingly viable and more accessible, and the industry moving in line with newer technologies and fan demands, is it time more was done to control the distribution of fansubs?

Mr Cryan opines "I'm not sure 'controlled' is the right way of putting it. At this stage fansubbing needs most to be actively discouraged or refused by fans and replaced with a fair alternative by industry. If not, the outcome could be native for fansubbers in terms of future legal repercussions and will most likely be negative for the industry, the creators, the fansubbers, and the fans in that there will be less creativity, less production, and less work / content to consume in the very special world of anime."

Next month, we'll continue with a greater focus on what could render fansubs moot - the explosion of licensed online streaming.

Picture captions
Haruhi's internet success may have contributed to DVD sales rather than hindered them.

As a high budget show from Sunrise and CLAMP, Geass was guaranteed to be licensed.

How much of Gurren Lagann's appeal is down to positive word of mouth?

Beez's policy of offering special extras with limited edition DVD sets seem to have paid off, as titles like Haruhi are popular both online and on the shelves.

Code Geass is another series to add value to the DVD release with exclusive collector's items.

This year's Kamen Rider Decade series is an anniversary special for long time fans but unlikely to be released outside of Japan.

The Gurren Lagann movies have now been fansubbed - but is there any doubt at all they WON'T licensed?

Another anniversary project, Ultraseven X is a dark reimagining of its 1960s namesake.

Classic tokusatsu shows such as Kamen Rider Amazon are only available in English via fansubs at present.

2009-07-17, 13:43	Link #1
exedore Zentradi Archivist Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: #anime-classic@zirc	Article re: fansubbing in NEO In a stunning display of up-to-the-minute coverage, the article referenced in this year old thread and the interviews conducted as a result of it have FINALLY made it into press in the current issue of British anime magazine NEO #61. Of course, along with a look at fansubbing destroying the industry, there's also a bit on Chi's New Address (last month it was on Shin Mazinger) and never-to-be-licensed-in-a-million-years OVA To-Y.

2009-07-31, 16:23	Link #12
Starks I see what you did there! Scanlator Join Date: Apr 2004 Age: 36	My country for a transcription. I hate tilting my head or rotating images. __________________ My list of garbage anime

2009-08-01, 12:10	Link #13
Daiz Pioneer in Fansub 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007	Personally I find it quite funny how mention "What fansubbing allows people to do is pick and choose various aspects of the process that they consider to be their ideal combination, whether that involves video or audio encoding, subtitle fonts or editing the subtitle track itself." Then in the end they say "on what could render fansubs moot - the explosion of licensed online streaming." while these two are pretty much completely incompatible with each other right now. __________________ "A good user is remembered from his posts, not from his 160px tall animated 'pink flying unicorns' signature picture." --- The Guide for best H.264 playback

2009-07-18, 18:05	Link #2
Arm Member Fansubber Join Date: Jan 2008	Any links or scans?

2009-07-19, 05:07	Link #4
checkers Part 8 IT Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Western Australia Age: 35	no camera either?

2009-07-23, 00:31	Link #7
DryFire Panda Herder Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: A bombed out building in Beruit.	Wow, 3 years? Even I write reports faster than that. A scan would be nice.

2009-07-23, 00:47	Link #8
~~Prons~~ Disabled By Request Join Date: Sep 2004	Three years wow I hope one of the questions is like: "So do you think h264 will ever catch on?" "Nah, h264 and the mkv file format are just a fad" :P

2009-07-23, 09:09	Link #10
DryFire Panda Herder Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: A bombed out building in Beruit.	Late at night, can't read etc... Silly me.

2009-07-31, 12:52	Link #11
Scab Saizen Fansubber Join Date: Jun 2004 Age: 39	http://bayimg.com/cacoLAACp http://bayimg.com/DacogAacP http://bayimg.com/EacoAaACP http://bayimg.com/EaCoIaacp

2009-08-02, 21:36	Link #14
Vide Lurker Join Date: Jun 2004	(Transcription of the scans provided by Scab.) Part 1 - True Fans? Industry Exposé The Sky is Falling? It could be the end of the anime world as we know it, but Matt Kamen feels fine. Here, in the first of two features, we look at the state of the industry and the spectre of fansubbing To quote the sage of our times, 1984's Ghostbusters, the end of the world will be heralded by "Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats LIVING TOGETHER - mass hysteria!" Comedy genius aside, going on any anime forums nowadays - or at times, NEO's own letters pages - is to invariably expose yourself to such panicked proclamations foretelling the apocalyptic end of the industry. But are things as bleak as they appear, or are we just seeing shifts in the way anime companies do business that take us out of our comfort zone as fans? State of Play The last couple of years have been interesting ones for the anime industry. As the wider economy has atrophied to the point of recession, the housing market has stumbled and high street retail has shrunk, those involved with the production or marketing of anime have faced a number of unique problems that other industries aren't quite as susceptible to, particularly with regards to piracy. "The problems are the same as those faced by major software companies, Hollywood studios, etc.," says Stephen Cryan, consultant to GDH KK / GONZO, "but the difference is that anime is not a business (excluding major kids' anime producers) on an equivalent scale and is thereby less able to fight piracy." While every player in the home video field has to deal with the risks of piracy and bootlegging, anime also faces the dual-edged sword of fansubbing - unlicensed distribution of anime series that have been translated by committed fans and made available online. We last examined the impact fansubbing had on the industry almost four years ago, in NEO issue 10 - but has anything changed? "I think it's having noticeable effects in a number of ways," Andrew Partridge of Beez tells us. "In the west, it's far more noticeable in the number of companies being forced to cut hard-working people loose to make a more efficient profit. The rapid changes in the marking you are seeing is also a way of the industry trying to adapt as quickly as they can to the changes happening around them too. There is a strong segment who will download fansubs and never pay for a product. That said, just now there is likely an audience who would love to buy the DVDs but can't afford to and pay general life expenses." "This is obviously a hot topic," Mr Cryan adds. "I think it can be generally acknowledged that fansubs have done a lot for anime, especially in the early years when there was limited international awareness of and access to anime. I remember going to my university anime club meetings in the early '90s and being very grateful to the people who took the immense time and effort to put together the fansubs that allowed me to enjoy programs like Giant Robo and Rurouni Kenshin at screenings. However, probably from about five years ago, fansubs went from being a good thing to being a predominantly negative thing and a contributing factor to a rapid increase in piracy leading to the current worrying state of affairs in the anime industry." Behind The Scenes Fansubs are, at present, an inescapable facet of the anime industry. We've all been exposed to them, whether we actively download them ourselves or have seen them at University anime societies or even at a mate's house. Very few of us are actively involved in producing fansubs though, so what is the motivation for those who are? Fansubber 'editor' of the group Pseudonym, or sudo, tells us, "One might be inclined to believe that the individuals fansubbing are people who genuinely want to help others enjoy anime and increase the popularity of the medium outside Japan. I'll be the first to say that ideal is a load of shit. There's very little glamour involved in the practice. There are different kind of people who fansub in their free time. The majority can be extremely arrogant, stupid, or difficult to tolerate for a variety of reasons. That said, there are a select few who somehow manage to find a way to exasperating the hell out of you within a week, are knowledgeable at what they do, and become more than someone who takes care of a certain aspect of the process Those people are ultimately what makes life 'on the inside' worth it." Another fansubber, Exedore, adds that his group, Anime-Classic, prefers to avoid the typical motivations of other teams. "We sub classic titles (hence the group name), which by our definition means nothing newer than 10 years old, or in more practical terms, nothing newer than Evangelion. We have made exceptions in the past (Afro-Ken, Guardress) but everybody else subs the hot new thing, so we'd rather put our efforts elsewhere. In the past, [subbing] definitely helped to bring titles to the attention of the industry. Nowadays, a lot of it is rather pointless. If anybody honestly thought that Code Geass or a new Gonzo series wasn't going to get licensed, they're entierly out of touch." Subbing the 'hot new thing' is often the rallying point for many subbers, and Anime-Classic are one of an exceedingly small number of groups that shy away from new shows. The old clarion call was that subbing series as they debuted each season in Japan helped bring them to the attention of western companies. Mr Partridge believes that is no longer the case. "I think that it was once, but nowadays? With the increasing speed of licensing I think the whole point is being missed. It's no longer about garnering attention of fans for amazing licenses or reassuring companies a show will sell, be it on DVD or TV. That's not to say a sizable portion of fandom will not still buy series they loved on fansub, Haruhi and Gurren Lagann are proof of that. However, it has created a breed of fan that would never pay for anime because they do not rate it above free entertainment but nonetheless enjoy it and would spend to attend conventions." Available Now, or Never? The 'ethics' of fansubbing has long been a thorny issue. While it is undeniable fact that the activity is an illegal infringement of international copyright (and one prohibited under the Berne Convention, which commits signatory countries to protect copyright on behalf of co-signatories), it is also a fact that not every title is marketable outside of Japan. Older anime often struggles to find an audience regardless of quality, while fans of other forms of Asian media - drama series or tokusatsu superhero shows to name but two - find themselves almost completely unable to legally buy content even if they wanted to. British fans of iconic Japanese hero Kamen Rider have the option of importing one moving, Kamen Rider The First, from the US, while Ultraman has been served slightly better with two complete series seeing American DVD release, though both are now out of print. Desire for these kind of titles is a niche that fansubbing files that, so far, industry has been unable to provide for. Traditionally, fansubbers adhered to an unspoken code that once licensed, they would cease work on and distribution of a title. While all the subbers we spoke to agreed with this view, a look at any torrent directory online will show that many still do not. Could this just be a shift in the 'point' of fansubs though? Where before they served as an indicator of the content viewers want, are they now offering companies a view of the delivery method they should be aiming for? High quality video files, quickly available with no playback restrictions seems to be the order of the day. Freelance fansubber 'LytHka' offers that, "Fansubbers distribute anime in English and other languages at a pace that legitimate distributors are currently unable to match. So far there hasn't been an anime distribution service more convenient to the end consumer than fansubs. The role unauthorised anime distribution plays is offering a service that is better than what any present legal alternative has to offer to demanding fans. Fansubbing wouldn't exist in this form if legitimate anime distribution was efficient." As Exedore says, "The digital fansub explosion has revealed the massive weak point in the western anime business model: Not every show is worth buying, and people don't want to buy something without rewatch value. Companies have spent years attempting to act hip and cool and send their voice actors to cons and wave the 'we're all fans here' banner so much that they believe their own hype and forget that the fans who squeal over actors and prostitute themselves for Pocky don't actually spend money on DVDs." Subber LEG agrees, saying "[It's] playing an extremely important role in the anime industry. Companies are realising their business model is flawed, and fansubbing is the alternative until these companies fix them." As fansubber 'editor' explains in greater detail, "There are certain things that aren't present in retail DVDs that are available through fansubs. Karaoke effects and embedded signs that blend into the scenery may come to mind immediately, but the growing popularity of softsubs allow anyone to edit the subtitle tracks as they see fit. What fansubbing allows people to do is pick and choose various aspects of the process that they consider to be their ideal combination, whether that involves video or audio encoding, subtitle fonts, or editing the subtitle track itself. Retail products can't offer much in terms of flexibility but I'm under the assumption that license holders are given access to the source material of a show - episode scripts, unedited audio and video. Access to these materials should allow license holders to present a better product in comparison to those who don't have access to them." Changing Times Companies are now adapting to a shift in viewer dynamics, and Gonzo was one of the first to test the market with a large-scale effort. Spring 2008 saw them debut the series Tower of Druaga and Blassreiter online, with English subtitles, concurrent with their Japanese airings. Available to view for free on dedicated YouTube channels, Crunchyroll and BOSTTV.com, viewers could also download restriction-free copies for a nominal fee per episode. Newer series, such as Linebarrels of Iron, have since followed. Mr Cryan explains Gonzo's plans, saying "[Those series are] online to a) enable international fans to access new programming at the same time it is released in Japan, b) offer a legal alternative to pirated content, c) enable fans to assess and embrace product and, as was the case in the early days of fansubbing, inform local market packaged goods distributors (and fans) as to which shows they want to see released on DVD, Blu-Ray, or whatever comes next." LEG also thinks fansubs have shifted the anime economy. "Fansubs are also increasing anime fandom exponentially. Cons are bigger than ever nowadays." But is increased convention attendance offsetting potentially lost DVD sales? Mr Partridge points out that, "I would say that speculatively, yes, convention attendance has risen while anime sales have at very lease not risen, though I debate any fall. Merchandise sales in the UK are almost irrelevant as most people are importing the goods to sell, not acting as a legitimate third party reseller. This is not to say any of the sellers are illegal, it just means that the amount that makes it to the licensor may not be that much. So, at least in the UK, merchandise sales don't help too much." With alternatives to fansubs becoming increasingly viable and more accessible, and the industry moving in line with newer technologies and fan demands, is it time more was done to control the distribution of fansubs? Mr Cryan opines "I'm not sure 'controlled' is the right way of putting it. At this stage fansubbing needs most to be actively discouraged or refused by fans and replaced with a fair alternative by industry. If not, the outcome could be native for fansubbers in terms of future legal repercussions and will most likely be negative for the industry, the creators, the fansubbers, and the fans in that there will be less creativity, less production, and less work / content to consume in the very special world of anime." Next month, we'll continue with a greater focus on what could render fansubs moot - the explosion of licensed online streaming. Picture captions Haruhi's internet success may have contributed to DVD sales rather than hindered them. As a high budget show from Sunrise and CLAMP, Geass was guaranteed to be licensed. How much of Gurren Lagann's appeal is down to positive word of mouth? Beez's policy of offering special extras with limited edition DVD sets seem to have paid off, as titles like Haruhi are popular both online and on the shelves. Code Geass is another series to add value to the DVD release with exclusive collector's items. This year's Kamen Rider Decade series is an anniversary special for long time fans but unlikely to be released outside of Japan. The Gurren Lagann movies have now been fansubbed - but is there any doubt at all they WON'T licensed? Another anniversary project, Ultraseven X is a dark reimagining of its 1960s namesake. Classic tokusatsu shows such as Kamen Rider Amazon are only available in English via fansubs at present.