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Oh dear, it has been hard to escape the news of Funimation’s botched simulcasts. Opinions are many, and moral outrage even more plentiful than ever, but after a page or two, I just feel desensitised to it all. Jumping from one crisis to the next, people launch into their biased diatribes, repeating the same old rhetoric, again and again.

I realise why they are disappointed, or rather, I can understand why residents of the US and Canada are disappointed, but personally, I couldn’t care less, because I live in the UK, I wasn’t even invited to this party in the first place. Hence, it seems stupid that while the industry likes to pretend that large swathes of the world do not exist, many of these people are so offended that fansubs still prevail. We do exist, obviously.

So, what this comes down to is a ridiculous game of brinkmanship between the anime industry and the anime fans, and for all of their cease and desist notices, I can’t remember Funimation ever taking a fansubber to court; I don’t think they even have the money to waste on legal fees in the first place, so when I read their statements, I just see empty threats. I expect fansubbers feel the same way.

Funimation are in a hopeless situation right now, their credibility shot to pieces by technical incompetence,  while an inability to open dialogue with the fansub community at large means that every time they send out legal notices, they create new enemies. It’s a stalemate. Trench warfare.

I really like that these global simulcasts are so close to reality, it’s long overdue, so I’m happy that my fellow anime fans in the US and Canada can enjoy free, legal anime like this, but if it’s going to last, the industry needs to stop being so aggressive, listen to the fans and, if just for my own sanity, accept that fansubs aren’t going to disappear overnight.