In the beginning
In the beginning...
(There are no names in this post, mainly because I don't want to draw attention to people mentioned in the group. But if you know us well enough, you don't need much to tell who I might be talking about.)
It's very hard to pinpoint how. It's even harder to pinpoint who. All I remember was that I was a part of it, and seeing it progressed the way it has so far is refreshing.
It started with a group of people. We had an idea to start our own subbing team using Arashian.com as the "headquarters" to our "operations". It was not out of spite against other subbing teams, though admittedly I knew very little of them at the time. It was all excitement, and we didn't think of the possible headaches and mendokusai (translation troublesome) controversy and drama that could occur; we were all focused on one thing - to share our love for Arashi.
In the beginning, some of us were 100% gun-ho about this. The Subbing Team (as unnamed as it was then) was all we could think about, even though it was final exam time and most of us were in our post secondary education stages. I, for instance, was on a downward spiral and Arashi and my online friends were my form of escape. They provided a subtle understanding real life could not offer me. Therefore, I dedicated almost all my time, whether it spare or not, and my brain, whether asleep or awake, to the subbing team that was then yet to form.
There were many minor conflicts in the process. Most of it was due to hasty assumptions or stupid hysteria. There were a few people whom we assumed at the time would no doubt be joining our team where in reality they were hesitant and eventually decided to quit. Another was the moment in time in which we decided to first announce our formation. At the time, YouTube.com deleted a considerable amount of Arashi videos, subbed or unsubbed, off of their server, which made some wary of the repercussions of fansubbing, making it hard for us to find raws with unidentified "owners". To counteract this fangirl reaction, someone in the team proposed an action to nullify the negative energy that had been circling around the fandom. This, and the subsequent success of CM releases greatly elevated our moods and the team's prospects of becoming a fansubbing team.
There was one assumption that, thinking back on it, I was glad we made. At the time of formation, the Subbing Team composed of a few close, tight-knit group of girls who shared with each other their lives, worries, goals and problems. Through a third-party chatroom, we were able to see each others' strengths and weaknesses in a way a forum could not provide. We saw who was a natural leader, who liked to take action and assert their viewpoints, who would do anything and everything for the team, and who were just so busy that they don't really have much time to invest in the team. Our leader was not discussed and voted on, although I think if we did, she would still have become our leader. Because of her natural abilities and experiences on and off line, I thought that it was natural for her to take the position as our leader. As a self-professed "technology idiot" (lit. translation of "IT-baka"), she does not participate in the technical aspects of fansubbing, but merely oversees the operation as what a dictator might do. I am not calling her a dictator however, because there are no rules to dictate. I think it's due to this unique organization that AST can function, well or unwell.
At the time, most of us were newbies at subbing, and even a minor release like one AU CM would ignite our flailing of happiness. Soon after, we had a few minor releases that we were adding to our list of releases. So excited that we were saddened to find out that Arashian.com had been put down under maintenance. For the first week or so, we were scattered everywhere across the globe, no longer connected by our common thread, and until we had a major online meeting, many things seemed gloomy and downright depressing (at least to me lol). We decided on many things then and there, that subbing was voluntary, and that there were no deadlines. If feels like "the rule is there are no rules". That in itself is a paradox, but the majority of us are motivated enough to produce subbing projects steadily and surely. I myself, have to admit that I am not among those people. lol.
That was around May and June of 2008. Since then, many things have happened. People joined, people left, people disappeared and people lived. People went on vacations, people traveled to Japan for school and/or play, and people generally went on their merry way. We expanded beyond my imagination and we have friends in the fansubbing network who we work with here and there. When the Arashi Subbers Meme began a few months ago, I was absolutely shocked to find out that Arashian Subbing Team had many supporters. Even people who I have admired for their fanfictions and other contributions to the fandom. I am honoured, as I am sure my teammates, for them to thank me for my work as a member of the team. It goes to show that if you try, your efforts will affect others and in turn, they will appreciate your work.
Lastly, I want to mention that I do not regret spending the time and effort I have for AST. It's all worth it. I hope you, from reading this, realized this as well.
Much love,
Yours Truly.