Shirakura's response to the fansub issue

[takenoko]

https://www.nihonhero.com/post/shinchir ... test-tweet

“It was like ‘If the pheasant didn't ring, then it wouldn't have been hit’”

Hmmm, while I guess it's true, it makes it sound like he's placing the blame on the situation on the fans for complaining. Toei's ignored the group for 20 years, not sure why this is something they care about now

Oh yeah, and they never responded to the e-mail even to acknowledge that we took down the torrents, sooo.... What's up with that?

[Tokyo]

The pheasant is clearly us, the fans. I believe the fan stepped on some employee ego while stating the (very much true) fact that the fans do a better job than the professionals when it comes to subtitling stuff. Then the letters came. Maybe they realized that the competition here is quite unfair since fansubs offer a much higher-quality work with no price, while the official thing is expensive and of a much more questionable quality. And, instead of doing what a truly edgy business would do, which is higher up the quality of your work to never before heard standards, they decided to try to get rid of the competition, since it is, for all intents and purposes, illegal.
With that said, I still believe the letter are nothing but a bluff. They won't really sue anyone over this.

[takenoko]

Yeah, that's what I figured too. Which is like, an annoying response? It's real cool that the people with the power blame it on the fans that are the ones who enjoy their work.

"You brought his on yourselves"

Maybe, but also, let's not wash your hands totally clean of responsibility in this matter. Someone made these decisions after all. Toei is a big boy corporation

[starofjustice]

The hell of it is, if they just asked for the people who are already translating these shows just out of love of the material to do that kind of higher quality work for them officially, wouldn't most of us say yes?

I don't know international labor laws, but wasn't there something when Toei started putting up its old shows on youtube about outsourcing the subs? Honestly I remember thinking that might legitimize fansubbing.

[Grunfox]

Wow, Shirakura's response is kinda crappy... Would I be correct that this is stemming from the fandoms outrage of the quality for Agito's and 555's "official" subs?

[Tokyo]

The hell of it is, if they just asked for the people who are already translating these shows just out of love of the material to do that kind of higher quality work for them officially, wouldn't most of us say yes?

I don't know international labor laws, but wasn't there something when Toei started putting up its old shows on youtube about outsourcing the subs? Honestly I remember thinking that might legitimize fansubbing.

They take advantage of that and basically hire fans as free labor. I honestly don't think that's a bad thing, because no one is forcing nobody to do anything. But the irony here is, that those who profit from these shows are apparently allowed to take advantage from piracy in may ways, be it hiring free labor, downloading pirate stuff to make Power Rangers teasers, sell toys overseas and get money from meet & Greet in the west. The only people who can NOT take advantage from piracy are fans, who are supporting all this business machine. And I'm not even talking just about the companies. Many fans think like that too. Like that idea that if you pirate something licensed in the west, you're not "supporting Tokusatsu in your country". Yeah, right. Like that's the only (or even the best) way to support it. Everyone benefits from piracy, but only fans are pointed at as the bad guys. Even by themselves sometimes.

[dryedmangoez]

^^I'd like to co-sign this if I can!

Shirakura has every right to be annoyed by people apparently cursing at him. But the larger issue is accessibility.

They're the only ones making money off of fans' hard work. Which is fine because fansub groups are doing it obviously because they want to. Overseas fans buy their toys and figures and other merchandise partly because they like the show they are able to watch thanks to fansubs.

But they don't like piracy? Okay. Then where's the official way to watch? Open up TTFC to people outside Japan, for example. Fans will subscribe to get all that extra content and on demand episodes. That's more moneys in their pocket. But that would mean actually putting in some money and effort to subtitle episodes themselves. Why do that when fans are doing it for free already. Oh... wait.


ETA: Also, there's some very pretentious "fans" generalizing all other fans and lumping them in with the random people tweeting obscenities or whatever at Shirakura and other Toei staff. Save me your faux outrage over the faux outrage.

[Gokider]

^^I'd like to co-sign this if I can!

Shirakura has every right to be annoyed by people apparently cursing at him. But the larger issue is accessibility.

They're the only ones making money off of fans' hard work. Which is fine because fansub groups are doing it obviously because they want to. Overseas fans buy their toys and figures and other merchandise partly because they like the show they are able to watch thanks to fansubs.

But they don't like piracy? Okay. Then where's the official way to watch? Open up TTFC to people outside Japan, for example. Fans will subscribe to get all that extra content and on demand episodes. That's more moneys in their pocket. But that would mean actually putting in some money and effort to subtitle episodes themselves. Why do that when fans are doing it for free already. Oh... wait.


ETA: Also, there's some very pretentious "fans" generalizing all other fans and lumping them in with the random people tweeting obscenities or whatever at Shirakura and other Toei staff. Save me your faux outrage over the faux outrage.

They are putting up subbed episodes on the TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL YouTube channel, but only the first 2 episodes of each series they've decided to do so far.

They are definitely going to really reduce their overseas orders for merchandise unless they get everything out fast in an accessible way or if Kamen Rider starts getting adapted continuously like Super Sentai and Power Rangers (which could happen what with Hasbro now shwoing Power Rangers through Netflix - you never know).

They've definitely prevented me from getting into it. I've watched only Gokaiger and Zero-One properly with everything else just being clips and the like and just as I was about to try and get into Kamen Rider and watch the Heisei series, they pull this and I can't watch all of the series properly (which for me means, not at all) or even finish Zero-One with the 3 follow up films.

[zero00]

in the end, toei knows the existence of fansubs now, but i'm not sure if they're done about it or not even after stating "we came to know about the existence of illegal video sites and got deleted one after the other."

separating black from white do come in big consequences

[HenshinDai]

His attitude puts me off supporting official releases of things, not that the quality of the official stuff was doing them any favors as it is.

[dryedmangoez]

His attitude puts me off supporting official releases of things, not that the quality of the official stuff was doing them any favors as it is.

Sadly, it's true. Just like he might be turned off by the people hurling obscenities at him, his tweets kind of turned me off too. It's a vicious cycle lol

Like, sorry for not living in Japan and having to rely on fansubs and then being worried that the big bad company starts implying they're going to wipe the internets of fansub groups. lol

[dryedmangoez]

They are putting up subbed episodes on the TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL YouTube channel, but only the first 2 episodes of each series they've decided to do so far.

Potential Fan: "Oo! I like these two episodes I got to watch on YouTube. Where can I watch more?"
Toei: "NO! "

[MagusKaiser]

so wait let me get this straight this whole bloody damn shit show is because someone bitched about the subs quality of the youtube subtitles for Faiz and Agito and then pointed out the fan subbing groups who were doing better and essentially got them shut down............. so this whole mess is because some freaking idiot bitched about subs quality of one version versus the fan sub version ffs I need a strong drink

[dryedmangoez]

in the end, toei knows the existence of fansubs now,

Well, they've always known the existence of fansubs.

so wait let me get this straight this whole bloody damn shit show is because someone bitched about the subs quality of the youtube subtitles for Faiz and Agito and then pointed out the fan subbing groups who were doing better and essentially got them shut down............. so this whole mess is because some freaking idiot bitched about subs quality of one version versus the fan sub version ffs I need a strong drink

Nobody knows that for sure. It's just people on the Twitters making assumptions and then using those assumptions to negatively generalize every toku fan.

[dragon996699]

I honestly wish Toei would contract you guys here at TV-Nihon for official subtitled releases, you guys put out some of the absolute best subs I've ever experienced Toku or otherwise. If I were you guys I would perhaps try contacting Shout! Factory to see if they could use your expertise since they are now doing something with Rider. Your work has been such a driving force in bringing more western fans to the world of Toku that it would be a shame if this is how it ends.