Anime (16)
Since fans have been pushing for digital manga distribution for so long, the last thing I want to do is complain now that it's finally here. On the one hand you've got Viz Manga which, in short, is poppin'. They've decked the whole thing out with community functionality, the all-powerful "Like" button, and they've even taken the very smart step of giving the first volume from select titles away for free. Get them hooked, right? You only have to purchase a title once and you can read it on any iOS or Android device as well as your own computer which means you have manga literally on the go. It might not be too convenient for people who use an e-reader for all things literary, but considering how slim an iPhone or any tablet device is, there's not much to scoff at.
Another year of Anime Expo has come and gone. Time goes by quick when you're busy running around the convention attending events, taking pictures, or buying goodies. Luckily, I was able to do all of that during the weekend including the first live performance of Hatsune Miku at the Nokia Theatre. If you were there to see it, what did you think about the concert? If you weren't there, we got your back, click here to view some of the highlights of the concerts. Well enough talk, this is suppose to be about Anime Expo LOOOT!!
Via Sankaku Complex today, it's been reported that the anime Fractale has been pulled from legitimate simulcast websites by the Japanese company because, wait for it, fansubbers have been releasing their own version.
Let's take a moment to put the pieces together.
An anime that is simulcasted, as in, it's released at the same time or earlier than the Japanese original, is being pirated.
We're not talking about an anime that's months or years late for its English debut, we're not talking about Amerian voice actor quality, and we're not talking about poor kids trying to save money. We're talking about a free simulcast being ripped and illegally distributed. Do you need to skip 60 seconds of commercials that badly? Are fansubber quality subtitles that much better than the professional version? There isn't a single legitimate excuse for this.
The issue of piracy is complex and it seems as though, barring a massive third-party economic investigation into the whole thing, we'll never get a complete and accurate picture of how much harm or good it actually causes. This, however, is blatant jackassery. In the case of Fractale, illegal fansubs provided no discernible benefit over the legitimate release, but piracy has directly and negatively impacted the American anime industry. As a cherished friend and industry professional once said, "If you don't pay for it, it goes away." Like I said, piracy in general is very complicated, but this incident is nothing but harmful.
One of the pervasive stances on pirated manga and anime from fans who partake is, "I don't care who distributes it, as long as I get it as fast and as free as possible." I imagine their dream world is a place where all the major manga and anime distributors outside of Japan have finally choked out and died, and all that's left are a handful of mega-sites dedicated to ripping Japanese pop culture. There they will provide translations that are chalked full of spelling, grammatical, and stylistic errors. Translations that are unregulated and unchecked, and possibly used to distribute viruses.
No, legitimate distributors aren't perfect and it would be ignorant to say our legitimately distributed manga and anime get by completely unscathed, but in my mind the benefits of legitimate distribution far outweigh the negatives. Before anyone accuses me of being on a moral high horse, let me say that while my position on pirating is largely impacted by the morality of it, more importantly, I just want my Japanese entertainment with some quality.
Is that really so wrong?
Anime Expo 2010 was over before I knew it! And with the conclusion of a convention, I wanted to share my loot to everyone. Probably not as impressive as some people, but I think I got some good stuff. Luckily all of the items fit in one image, which is included inside. As you can see, it's all sketches from various artists! From the left, we have Hitagi Senjougahara by Akio Watanabe, Nanael by Kuuchuu Yousai, Kirari Shiino by Shinji Katakura, and Mitsuki Hayase by Himukai Kyousuke. Thanks for viewing!? If you attended Anime Expo, show me your loot in the comments
My private email address was hacked earlier this morning around 9:40 AM PST leading to all sorts of spam emails sent to friends, business contacts, and affiliates. I have already notified all affected parties. Please do not click on the link within the email!
I have taken steps in order to prevent further problems, and am in the processing of creating a new account. I apologize for the inconvenience.
While working on the site and watching my routine television shows on the internet video site Hulu, a commercial featuring the different themes of Google's internet browser Chrome popped up. The commercial flashed through around 50 themes including the popular voice synthesizer idol character, Hatsune Miku. Chrome users can download this theme from Chrome's theme homepage here. As an added note, a Good Smile Company theme and K-ON! theme is also available.
Day 1: Akihabara Impressions (Japan Trip 2009)
Written by Theodore Mak
Continuing from my previous post, we headed off to Akihabara main street after stopping by Yodobashi. We visited the Taito Game Station and pleasantly impressed how the arcade business is still booming in Japan. First floor is mostly filled with UFO catchers, while the upper floors are devoted to games. As a quick note, most stores in Japan do not allow for photography apart from some larger department stores and company stores like figure makers Kaiyodo and Kotobukiya.
An adult adaptation of K-ON! was release recently by TMA titled Keion!, and oddly enough they recreated the ending credit sequence for the series and at least 15 minutes of other scenes from the series. Check out the videos inside.
Continuing our journey in the land of the rising sun, we couldn’t resist heading off the famed holy land, Akihabara. After a brief stop at bank to exchange more money and the local bakery for some breakfast goods, we ventured off on foot. Took us roughly 15 minutes to reach the eastern edges of Akihabara and realized that most stores do not open until 10AM or 11AM. We went inside the giant department store, Yodobashi (Akiba branch) and was quickly overwhelmed by all the electronics on the first floor. The building itself has about 11 floors of goodies including one floor that sold nothing but video games, model kits, puzzles, and gashapons.
More...
Wow, it's been quite a while since my last post and will probably be my last here in Tokyo. A lot has happened after August 17. The staff took a break and headed off to Kyoto and Osaka on the bullet train for a break. We ended up in 2 Madarake stores in Osaka, as well as visited their Super Potato, and Volks' store there. Came back to Tokyo on the 20th and went to see Tokyo Tower as well as the Odaiba Gundam. The 22nd was the first day of Animelo, and it was simply amazing. When the lights first dimmed, a sea of glowsticks lite up the stadium in harmony. It is definitely something you must see at least once in your life. We took over a thousand photos from Animelo as well as a photoshoot session with May'n (Sheryl Nome in Macross Frontier), and Miyano Mamoru (most recently Setsuna from Gundam 00). We also had an interview with them which we will have up later, and maybe a few surprises and treats for you readers out there. :p
Again, another short post and we know many of your are anxious to read our full reports, articles, and of course photos to all the events and places we went to this summer.
Comiket Day 3 and Beyond - The War Has Only Begun...
Written by Theodore MakI apologizing for not updating sooner, the staff was completely exhausted after day 3 of Comiket, and then immediately training for over an hour to Chofu in Tokyo for a press event. Essentially, Dwango, the parent company of Japan's largest video site, Nico Nico Douga, invited roughly close to about 100 of their premium members to a Billy Herrington event.
Goodsmile Company was also there to announce a few new Figmas of Billy. We'll have the full coverage report later with plenty of photos as well as some video we recorded of the event. We actually got lost a few times before finally finding the place by turning on the data roaming option on my phone and downloading a map.
As for Comiket itself, day 3 the entire staff split up and met back in the afternoon. Surprisingly, we got the chance to meet with artist Inu, who is probably best known for creating the original doujinshi, Hatsu Inu. Inu-sensei was very pleased to know that he had fans in America and thanked everyone who enjoy his works. Look forward to a future interview by us with Inu-sensei coming soon!
Today was a resting day, as half the staff woke up past 12PM. We dropped by Akihabara for a quick visit to see some of the stuff we may have missed at Comiket. To our surprise, the streets were packed with people carrying bags we saw at Comiket. Stores that sell doujins were fully packed with people pushing and bumping into each other just like at Comiket. There was even a line to gain entrance into the doujin floors of the anime store Toranoana complete with a person carrying a sign for the end of the line, again just like Comiket. We also went back to visit the floors we missed at the 2nd hand anime store, Mandarake, and surprisingly I finally found the item I spent a week so far looking for in Tokyo. Lets just say I am finished with my purchases and am not looking forward to figuring out how to pack everything back.
We will be heading off to Kyoto and Osaka for the next few days and will be back in time to cover Animelo's 10th anniversary and possibly the Gundam Big Expo. We are still working out the details currently on doing some coverage on the Ghibli's Museum. We'll keep you updated on that later. Until then, stay tuned!
Due to the general poor health of the staff after day 1 ( yes we got owned pretty badly) we decided not to attend day 2 and rest. The trip is quite gruelsome, and we have many pictures to show you later.
We ended up heading back to Ikebukuro around Sunshine City area and watched the Evangelion 2.0: You Can (not) Advance movie. The movie was simply amazing, and rekindled the Evangelion fanboy inside me. A quick summary without any spoilers, the movie is VERY different from the original series packed with lots of action and a twist near the end that throws the original Evangelion series completely into a new tangent. As most people already know about the new character Mari, she was an interesting addition to the cast. Rei has been given a bit more humanized personality and Asuka has become a more likeable character. I cannot wait for the final 2 movies that will wrap the series up. Just as a note, the theater and the screen was smaller than that what you would find at a typical theater in America.
Apart from that, after having experienced Comiket firsthand, we, the staff currently in Japan, have revised our battle plans and resupplied for the busiest day of Comiket, Day 3 (also referred to as boy's day). As an addition to the previous comment regarding the convention, Comiket is not a battlefield, Comiket is a war on an otaku level.
Woke up after arriving at Narita airport and met with a colleague from Seattle who flew in 10 minutes earlier. Apart from us, we brought along a staff writer, a photographer, and an editor. Spent roughly an hour at the airport exchanging money, working out how to make international calls, and of course figuring out how to get to our hotel with Japan's rail system.
Ride was roughly a little over an hour on the Keisei Line, and a brief transfer at Aoto arriving at Asakusabashi. Saw a rather odd poster of the Odaiba Gundam walking through Tokyo... Will upload that later. Finally got to the hotel, unloaded our baggages and went off to find a place to eat. Surprisingly, most of the food establishments all had the famed vending machine style ticket orders. Ended up deciding to eat at a beef rice bowl place. Spent 700 yen on a giant soup, and large bowl of beef bowl.
About to start Day 1, and it looks we're off to Akihabara! Will update more later today.