That guy at the anime convention who told me I was watching the wrong subs

I was at Anime Expo 2022 waiting in line for a panel, and this random guy behind me saw my Kill la Kill shirt and said I should be watching the 'fansub from 2013' instead of the official release because the translation 'has more soul'. He then pulled out his phone and showed me a side-by-side comparison of two lines from episode 3. Has anyone else run into people who treat subtitle preferences like some kind of holy war?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyf8820d ago

Oh man, it's wild how some people can memorize every single line difference between fansubs and official releases. Like, I get it, you're passionate, but pulling up a side by side comparison in line? That's next level dedication to a really weird cause. Honestly, those old fansubs had some hilariously bad translations sometimes too, people act like they were perfect. It's always the same few shows too, Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann are like the main battlegrounds for this stuff. At the end of the day, if I can follow the story and laugh at the jokes, I'm happy with whatever subs I'm using.

sagew501mo ago

Anime conventions are basically the only place where someone will corner you about a 9 year old fansub for Kill la Kill lol. Just nod, say "cool bro" and change the subject, they're usually just looking for someone to validate their niche opinion. If they keep going, ask them who their favorite Trigger animator is, that always stumps the copy pasters.

drew_park1mo ago

Man, I've been there too... it's always the Kill la Kill fans for some reason. I had a guy at a con years ago pull me aside to explain why the "original" fansub of Gurren Lagann was the only way to watch it, like I was missing out on some sacred experience. It's exhausting when people act like their personal preference is the one true path, you know? I just give a polite nod and try to change the subject to something more chill, like what other panels they're hitting up. Solidarity, friend... these subtitle warriors need to relax and let people enjoy things however they want.