It's getting to a point where fansubs do more harm than good. The end, end of story, that's all folks. It's generally only people that are already anime fans that download fansubs, therefore only people who would look into a show anyway are going to see the subs. People who go to anime clubs, go to cons, watch anime on TV - They are mostly people who are already anime fans. Fansubs are not making the fansbase much bigger, really. Think about it. Why would someone who has little or no interest in anime download a fansub of something? The only reason I can think of is that a friend of acquaintance told him that he should check it out. And if he has friends or acquaintances that are anime fans, chances are he has enough exposure in his life, especially if he hangs out with these friends IRL rather than just on the internet.
Final assessment: Fansubs don't grow the community. Fans do.
If you wanna know what a series is like before buying it, read a synopsis or review. There's plenty of sites and magazines that do a good job of that. If the review sounds good to you, chances are, you might like the show.
In the end, your argument is just more of the same old justification to make you feel less guilty. And if that's not the case, it's just another argument for the side you believe is right.
In any case, fansubs really only serve one purpose, and that's so fans can see the show when it hits Japan instead of when it hits the USA. And of course, in the rare case, fansubs serve the purpose of bringing over a show that will probably never come over here anyway. I know I'm still waiting for anyone to liscense Kodocha, Hana Yori Dango, and Flame of Recca. I dunno if it'll ever happen, but til then, I have my fansubs of those shows, and they're not doing a whole lot of harm, if any.
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