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Well I just ran across this artical on CNet that talks about the fansubbing community, and needless to say there is some good reading in it. Also, since the artical was also linked off of the homepage Slashdot there are some good discussions going on in regards to the artical as well.

Anxious times in hte cartoon underground [CNet]
Fansubbers Under Fire [Slashdot]

Thanks for the link. Reading all the responses on Slashdot was fun, especially all the people that said "once there is a legal release the fansubs drop off the face of the earth" right... That's about the most naive thing I have ever heard.

Considering they talk about those who already saw it not buying the DVD's, it makes me wonder how well the titles that show on cartoon network sell. Obviously exposure should lead to increased sales, and I suspect those do not sell well are not a problem because of exposure because of fansubs, but lack of quality.

When ADV stops forcing titles like Sister Princess and Happy Lesson as being some great stuff to buy and focus on higher quality series, I'm sure sales will do a bit better.

That is an intersting idea. I would think that shows that you can see on TV would do better than those that you need to hear about through word of mouth. From my own experence I am very hesitent to put down money on a show that I have not seen (however, I do trust some of the ANN reviewers). For example the only reason that I bought Outlaw Star is because I had seen it on Adult Swim, had I not have seen it there I would not have bought the sereis.

I agree that quality has something to do with, but not everything. I know we recently debated this Godai, but I really think that more and more you will find people not buying series that they enjoy, simply because they don't want to pay when they have the fansub. The country is evolving more and more into a "gimmie now" and "what can i get for free (or cheap)" attitude. It sure would be nice to have some hard numbers either way. From my experiences with people I know to either buy series after seeing the fansubs or not, the buyers are outnumbered at least 2 to 1.