Note: Images and Videos are of their respective owners to the Team: “Found in Translation”, not mine. All credit goes to them. I am here to share their amazing work.

There was a time when watching Anime in North America wasn’t easy. Before streaming platforms, simulcasts, and Anime becoming a global billion-dollar industry, fans had to work together just to experience the stories they loved. VHS tapes were copied by hand, subtitles were created by passionate fans, and communities formed through pure dedication to the medium. Discovering Anime felt underground. Episodes were shared through conventions, IRC chats, tape trading, and word of mouth.

One of the people at the center of that movement was William Chow, a pioneer whose work helped shape early Anime fandom outside of Japan.

Recently, I came across a documentary project called “Found in Translation,” a film focused on William Chow and the early days of Anime fansubbing in North America. The project immediately caught my attention because it tells an important part of Anime history that many newer fans may not even realize existed. Before companies, streaming platforms, and official localization pipelines, there were passionate fans building the foundation themselves.

Back then, official subtitles were rare, and access to Anime was limited. But for fans like William Chow, that wasn’t going to stop the passion. Through fansubbing, he helped introduce Japanese animation to audiences across North America long before Anime became mainstream through platforms like Crunchyroll, Toonami, and Adult Swim.

So who is William Chow?

William Chow is widely known as the “Grandfather of Fansubbing.” During the 1980s and 1990s, he pioneered the underground translation and distribution of Japanese animation in North America, helping Anime reach Western audiences years before the industry fully existed outside of Japan. His work didn’t just help people watch Anime. It helped build the early foundation of Anime culture in North America itself.

What also stood out to me about this project is the team behind it. You can tell this documentary is being made by people who genuinely understand Anime culture and what it meant to so many of us growing up.

Director James Chung is a documentary filmmaker and video journalist whose work focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices and celebrating Asian identity and culture.

Producer Collin East, a lifelong Anime fan, shared how he used to tape over family VHS recordings just to save episodes of Gundam Wing and Dragon Ball to watch later. Honestly, if you grew up during that era, that story alone probably hits hard.

Producer Peter Chanseyha comes from both scientific and filmmaking backgrounds, bringing experience from major productions while pursuing passion-driven storytelling.

Associate Producer Coral Rucker also shared how Anime like Outlaw Star shaped his creative lens growing up in the Midwest, influencing how he approaches storytelling and marketing today. That connection matters.

This doesn’t feel like a documentary being made from the outside looking in. It feels like Anime fans preserving an important part of Anime history before those stories disappear.

Full credit and information about the documentary project can be found on Seed&Spark:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/found-in-translation#story

You can also learn more about the team here:
https://seedandspark.com/fund/found-in-translation#team