Kurokami Blu-Ray: No Big Deal

|235x262px|Kurokami cover imageSo, a while ago Bandai announced that the American Blu-Ray release of Kurokami would contain only the English dub, no Japanese dub or English subtitles. Others have explained the likely reasons (Japanese fears over reverse importation; Japanese otaku will buy the much cheaper American release).

American fans raged and ranted about this English dub release. I understand and appreciate their frustration; I like Japanese dubs, too.

However -- and I don't know how to put this kindly -- have we really become so spoiled that we won't tolerate a dub-only release of a show? That we aren't willing to watch an English dub if that's the only thing available to us?

(And in this case, you can buy a Blu-Ray release of Kurokami with the Japanese dub; you just have to buy a Japanese disc. And yes, it'll play in your Blu-Ray player.)

Have we forgotten the time when a lot of anime was only available with an English dub? Have we forgotten that the bubble's burst on the American anime industry? That American companies can't afford to work the way they did 3 or 5 years ago?

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And is it really worth worrying about on a middle-of-the-road show that got practically zero fan attention when it was first released?

If you're really a fan of a show, you'll watch it in whatever form you can get your hands on. You'll undoubtedly prefer certain versions, but the point is to get what you can.

And I'm not talking about folks who respectfully register their disappointment and frustration with this. Make your voice heard. I'm talking about the tone: that this is completely unacceptable, as though Bandai is violating our rights with this release.

Again, I like Japanese dubs. I wish this Blu-Ray release had the Japanese dub and English subs. But I don't think Bandai's evil for doing this, and I'm perfectly willing to live with this situation. If a show I like came out dub-only, I'd still buy it. I've had to do it in the past. It's really not that big of a deal.

What'll be really interesting to see is whether this is done on higher-profile shows. Kurokami itself has garnered minimal attention among American otaku. If Bandai repeats this with a bigger show, well, that's when I'll raise an eyebrow.