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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?"
If you see it on eBay and they say it comes on CD-R, then I'd recommend avoiding it ;-)
Why slashdot? Why not?
It might help if you refrained from using the word "Otaku". To you, it may mean "enthusiastic anime fan", but to anyone who actually speaks Japanese, it means "pathetic loser with no life". If you're intending to inform people about a subject, you might want to avoid offending them.
"To you, it may mean "enthusiastic anime fan", but to anyone who actually speaks Japanese, it means "pathetic loser with no life"."
This reminds me of Star Trek fans who get hung up on the difference between Trekkie and Trekker. Once they start to care about this distinction, all hope of obtaining a life is gone with the wind (or, gone with a stream of tachyon particles, as it may be)
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
If its not licenced in America, its not illegal.
I see a need for a related article: the Ridiculous Justifications for Media Piracy FAQ. Here, I'll start it off:
Q: If I keep my pirated media for less than 24 hours, is it legal?
A: The answer is yes! Copyright law clearly allows for a trial period on any media!
Q: If I pirate a video game that is at least ten years old, is it legal?
A: Absolutely! Copyrights are totally dependent on the commercial availability of the work!
Q: If I pirate a game or movie, but call it a "backup," is it legal?
A: Of course! Consumers have the right to back up and own any media they can get their hands on!
Q: If I pirate media that is not available in my area, is it legal?
A: No question! Media corporations are legally obligated to release their product in all parts of the world, or give up all rights!
Q: If I cannot afford a movie or game, is it legal to pirate it instead?
A: Once again, the answer is yes! Media ownership is a right, not a privilege!
"...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
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.
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Dum de dum.
Freedom is not the license to do what we like, it is the power to do what we ought.