> From: Shadow6865@aol.com

>   I usually don't think a person should buy fansubs for stuff that will be
> comercially available in the near future but I think that for Kenshin if you
> can find a fansubber (good luck, I tried) that is still willing to give you
> Kenshin you should get the stuff from them and then e-mail me their URL and e-
> mail addresses. I am wary of the comercial release of Kenshin for several
> reasons.
>
>    1. Sony is releasing Kenshin under the title Samurai X. I have no problem
> with a company trying to make anime more mainstream or try to get more people
> into anime but they don't have to change the title to something stupid. I know
> the series as Kenshin and will always refer to it as Kenshin. By calling it
> Samurai X it makes me think that Sony is trying to make the series hip and
> more available for marketing schemes (I can see comercials with Kenshin doing
> some serious sword fighting than whipping out some soft drink and starting to
> gulp it down.)

This is still just a rumor. They may still release Kenshin as Kenshin.
Un-cut, un-edited, and with a new dub. Samuai X bombed when they tested
it in Asia, so there is a chance that they realize that it'll bomb here
too (of course, they could be complete morons and still release it as
Samurai X).

>    2. I think they are going to only release it dubbed. This is not ment to be
> anti-dub (I am a fan of dubs and a fan of subs) but if Sony is already
> retitling it Samurai X and is only going to release it dub I would suspect
> some pretty dubious translating. Like Sony would try to hip up the dialogue
> for American standards. I have no problem if a company releases something sub
> only but I think if they release something dubbed they should also release it
> subbed.

Yes, Samurai X is a horribly edited hack job (worse than Sailor Moon, I
hear) with pathetic dubbing (think early Animeigo and Urban Vision
stuff).

Well, unless they find a broadcast TV network to buy it (and this is
doubtful, due to the violence, blood, and heavy Japanese historical
setting) they won't be able to sell it to anime fans as Samurai X. They'd
have to leave it un-edited


>    3.  It's a huge series at 96 regular epiodes plus 3-4 TV specials and a
> movie and something else called the secret fighting collection. It is more
> economical to buy it fansubbed.

YOU DON'T *BUY* FANSUBS. You may pay for the cost of the tape/shipping,
but you aren't legally buying a copy of a commercial video. They are not
intended as a cheap alternative to a commercial release. The are illegal,
no matter how you look at it. THe only way you could legally defend
yourself if you have fansubs is if you had a legal copy of the original
Japanese version (VHS or LD). OF course, there's no one likely to pursue
legal action against you, but that doesn't make it legal.

Sorry to say that so strongly, but people who look at fansubs as cheep
alternatives to commercial releases are going against the spirit of
Fansubs. Most fansubberss (except for those bootleggers who do them to
make profits) make fansubs to give Americans access to anime that is
otherwise unavailable to us. Most conciencieous fansubbers and distros
will stop trading/copying fansubs once a commercial version is
announced/available. You are also expected (but not everyone does of
course) to erase fansubs after they are commercially available and buy
the commercial version (especially if you enjoyed the show on fansub). I
admit I still have the FY fansubs, but do plan on buying the DVD box set
when it is available.


BTW, there are some Kenshin OVAs as well, but they haven't been fansubbed
(and may never be now). The Fighting collection is a 'clip' special
showing the big fights in Kenshin (in fact most of the TV specials were
'clip' specials).


-=-
Jim Lazar

E-Mail - mailto:jimlazar@earthlink.net
FanFiction - http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime