I'm doing being rude, nor am I simply voicing 
opinions.  I'm concerned with the facts of the 
situation-- I'm simply not buying that fansub 
translations are superior to pro ones.  My 
experience has been completely the opposite, and 
I'm not seeing much in the way of compelling 
evidence otherwise.  

I could also question how some of the folks here 
think that a perceived inconsistency in 
translation justifies theft of the anime, but 
that's really a whole other can of worms.

I'm behaving just fine, thanks.  And to prove it, 
I have not made this personal, and you have.

[snip]

they certainly haven't convinced me that they 
care about me as a fan and want my business.

What would it take to convince you?  These days, 
anime is almost always being offered with 
translations far superior to every other genre of 
foreign film, at lower prices, and with quality 
that is sometimes superior to the original 
Japanese releases.  So what's the deal?  What 
else do you need?

[i]DVDs are all well and good, but I don't have a 
DVD player. etc[/i]

DVD decks and discs are very, very inexpensive-- 
especially compared to how VHS prices were just a 
few years ago.  A decent DVD player can be had 
for less than $100, and most discs can be had for 
about $25 or less.  Compare that to anime on VHS 
costing $30 for fewer episodes, and only in a 
*single* language.  

quality anime should be available to me just 
as much as the next person on the street. 

Very funny.  Like other luxury items, anime is a 
privilage, not a right.

With your corporate rhetoric etc.

You've got to be kidding me.  Maybe this is news 
to you, but the folks who run the corporations 
that publish anime in the west are fans 
themselves, and they're selling anime to other 
fans.  It's in their best interest to give the 
fans what they want-- and they do just that.  If 
they didn't, they wouldn't be in business.

If everyone in the 
anime industry LUVS anime so much and they're 
*such* big fans, then why not make a serious 
effort to make anime available for everyone?

What constitutes a "serious effort"?

You can order thousands of titles from any 
retailer, almost all of them bilingual and 
uncut.  You can even watch anime on television.  
How is it NOT available to everyone?

I believe that you should be able 
to make a profit and still give back to the 
community that allows you to stay in business in 
the first place...

The companies give plenty back.  A good example 
is a disc I just watched-- Sherlock Hound.  It's 
a wonderful series, a 26-episode kids show 
directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  5 years ago, it 
wouldn't have been commercially viable to release 
the show in any version.  But Pioneer not only 
released the edited Japanese version, they went 
the extra mile and included the uncut English 
dub.  Five episodes for $29.95.  I paid $22.99.  
If I wanted the Japanese release of the show, I'd 
have paid $45 per volume, for EDITED episodes.

The companies release the shows fans want, uncut, 
at prices comparable to regular Hollywood fare.  
The companies visit conventions and take 
suggestions, respond to complaints, and mingle 
with the fans.  Reps from every single company 
post on the message boards on animeondvd.com and 
talk on #animedvd on DALnet, because their 
business DEPENDS on making fans happy.

With all that in mind, what else is there?  Where 
are these bad translations you're talking about?  
Why can't anyone supply me with any examples, 
other than vague references?  It's awfully 
telling, that's for sure.