@xyzzy
I can only really speak as a 'fan'
I despise official releases, more often than not they get made for the lowest common denominator, so they will have no issue removing anything distinctly japanese if it makes understanding something easier for the youngest person they think will buy it.
Names get changed to be something easier for the west to understand/say
They typically cost 3-7 times more than they would in japan
and the final kick straight between the legs is the japanese manga/anime industry actively ignores the international sales, so even if something does good in the west, its still up for being canceled if its poor in japan.
Personally I want to pay the author/creator, and buying a figure gives them a far bigger cut than me buying an entire series from the western side of the industry.
not only all of the above, but they ignore fan scans at almost all times, so they are several volumes to several years behind in catching up to where we are. its very rare that I even want to buy something that comes to the west, but that's a massive demotivation factor knowing its going to take half a decade to catch up if it ever does catch up, certain stories like the 12 kingdoms, while its stalled in japan, there are 8 books but only 4 ever came over.