Updating the Pirate Anime FAQ

Joe Curzon writes "Over two years ago, I created what is now probably the most comprehensive and detailed guide to spotting bootleg and counterfeit anime/manga related goods - The Pirate Anime FAQ. A special version of the FAQ has also been published at numerous Anime Conventions around the USA. However due to commitments in the "real world" I have not been able to update FAQ almost a year. :( I would like to iron out any creases and update the whole thing in one go, so I was wondering what improvements would the Otaku readers of /. recommend? The DVD section and Fansub section are in need of the most attention and I plan to deal with that soon, but I was also wondering if there were any subtle changes I could make to improve the FAQ as well?"

Comments

Personally...

[NeoOokami]

I enjoy buying bootleg Hong Kong DVD sets. I'm not trying to justfy it, it's still a form of piracy. But so is just about every song and movie you download off the net. The primary difference is that I still get relatively nice packaging and sets at prices that are sane enough for me to afford. I can't justify spending $300 to watch an entire series. And some sets, like Maison Ikkoku that I've gotten don't have good US alternatives. Viz Video was once releasing it at $30 a two episode tape but stopped before they even finished. Even then this is a 96 episode series. Would anyone in their right mind pay $1440 just to watch a TV show? (Although I do believe Viz Video has recently started to release the show in a series of pricey boxed DVD sets - Unsure of how these will be)

Re:Personally...

[Chymaera]

The primary difference is that I still get relatively nice packaging and sets at prices that are sane enough for me to afford.

The difference is that you're spending money on it at all. Buying bootleg anime supports an evil industry that probably does a great deal of damage to anime studios every year.

If it's packaging you care about you'll get better packaging by buying the real thing. Instead of buying five bootleg DVDs for $30, go buy one legit DVD for the same price and at the same time support the artists that make such wonderful work. If you must have the entire series (which is understandable), go download the rest of the episodes off of IRC/DC++ for free after buying several DVDs. That way you'll

a) get better quality stuff
b) not give away money to an evil evil industry to which studios lose unknown but large amounts of money
c)support studios that will then have more money to make better anime
d) encourage US distributors to license more anime and bring more good stuff to the states.

Re:Personally...

[sasami]

Would anyone in their right mind pay $1440 just to watch a TV show?

You don't have any basis for making this judgment. A 26-episode anime series costs about $180 here, retail. Why is that "too much" but a $70 bootleg boxset isn't? Prices have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the market and what it will pay. Notably, DVDs in Japan cost twice as much as they do here, and they still sell plenty.

If I can't afford to pay that much, then I'll simply do without. Or maybe I'll save up for a while. These are concepts that seem to be lost on people these days. Worst case, I'll rent or borrow, but as a collector I prefer to plan ahead and budget for purchases.

Incidentally, the packaging you get on bootlegs is only "relatively nice" if you don't read Japanese. The printing on even the best reproductions is near-illegible compared to originals. The low-quality papers will also begin to degrade much faster.

--
Dum de dum.

Re:Too Expensive, Blu-Ray

[Fulcrum of Evil]

This is why I hope Blu-Ray discs and players appear soon. While they may not add to much for movies (full HDTV or something maybe) but for collection like series, they would probably reduce the cost a ton.

Don't hold your breath - DVDs cost less than a dollar to press. The price of a DVD has nothing to do with the cost of production.

Re:Adapting anime for a new feminist millennium

[Little Brother]

I'm sure this explains why so many Anime's have women heroines, whereas most American cartoons, especialy action cartoons, have stereotypcial male heros protecting helpless, or at best sidekick class women? Considering the Japaneese culture is less tolarant of woman's rights than the USA in most ways, it is IMHO amazing the positive image of women that many Anime's portray. Note, I'm not talking about the XXX rated stuff, XXX rated stuff in ANY format tends to be crude and potentialy offensive, that has nothing to do with the fact that some is Anime.

Taiwan's status

[AtariAmarok]

"Taiwan is not a signatory to the Berne Treaty Convention, it is, technicaly, part of China"

Taiwan is a separate country at this time from mainland China. Both call themselves "China" in their names: Republic of China, and People's Republic of China, which causes some confusion.

Everyone treats Taiwan as a separate country from what is typicalled called "China" most of the time (PROC), except when the PROC demands it. Then when the PROC turns its back, it is time to treat Taiwan as a distinct Asian nation, just as Japan and the Phillipines are.

Re:Elaborate

[Bagels]

Among other reasons, it is *fan*subbing, so typically it creates an installed fanbase in a newly-licensed country that, more often than not, will lap up the higher-quality licensed DVDs and merchandising. Also, in some cases, a series is considered so niche that it would never be released outside of Japan. In those cases, I suppose the companies don't mind fansubs too much because, short of importing the Japanese DVD and hiring a personal Japanese translator, there would be no other way for a foreigner interested in the series to watch it. Finally, sometimes the popularity of a fansub brings to light a new market for a series that the companies had previously thought would be profitless... and we all know how all companies jump at the chance to make a profit.

Re:Otaku

[Nogami_Saeko]

My Japanese instructor gave me the best explanation - that the commonly accepted Japanese meaning was someone who stays at home all of the time (presumably watching anime and playing with toys) - in other words, doesn't get out much.

The meaning took a more sinister undertone in the late 80s/early 90s when a self-proclaimed "Otaku" decided to start killing schoolkids in Japan.

Regardless, it's not exactly the cute word that some people seem to thing it is.

If you say that you're an "Otaku" to a Japanese person, it's basically the same as saying that you're a "fanboy with no life" in english, and although they may be polite about it, the perception will be the same.

Not a good thing.