Scanlation FAQ
I'm not 100% sure of the usefulness of having a FAQ here, mostly because I assume very few people stop by and any questions asked (not that there have been very many to start with) will be left as comments on my posts in kakairu. Still, you never know, and stranger things have happened, so. :P
I've heard you do doujinshi scanlations, but I can't find where to download them from. Where do you host them?
My scanlations are released exclusively to kakairu, under members-only locked posts. This means you'll need to be a member in order to download them; it's not uncommon for communities to keep their goodies under friends-locked posts, and I do this to deter leechers. Although the files are now hosted permanently on a free hosting service, I do have limited bandwidth, thus the files are usually also mirrored to the Kaminari Group FTP Archive, which also requires community membership to gain access to.
The link to one of your scanlations has expired and I've missed it, can you re-upload it?
Some of the older releases were uploaded to free services which expired after a certain time period - provided the original upload was pretty recent (i.e. within the month), sure, I'm more than happy to reupload it for you! :) However, after this please check out the FTP archive; sorry but I don't want to continually be uploading year-old (or older!) links.
I'm making a KakaIru website and I'd like to host your scanlations; may I?
Sorry, but I would rather keep scanlation distribution limited *waves "support the artists" banner*. XD
I've seen this doujinshi posted on kakairu and I really, really want to know what they're saying; can you scanlate/translate it?
I no longer check kakairu on a regular basis (or pretty much at all), so it's more than likely I've missed the download. Secondly, more often than not I'm busy (or lazy, depending on which way you look at it *grins*), so it may be the case that I don't have time to take on any more projects than the ones I have already. However, if I don't have much planned I may choose to add it to my scanlation list at my own discretion, provided I have the original scanner's permission. Additionally, if I run out of things to do (which is unlikely, but you never know), I will make a requests post, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)
Do you have a translation for [insert doujinshi title here]?
Generally I don't translate anything I'm not already working on (check out the scanlation release log!) If I happen to own a copy of the doujinshi in question and I have a little time on my hand, I may be able to give you a one-paragraph summary, though. ;)
You haven't replied to my post/comment! Are you even alive?
Nowadays, the most reliable way to contact me would probably be by e-mail: lunatic_seas[at]yahoo.com. I really don't frequent communities much anymore, and I'm nowadays I'm also pretty slack at getting back to comments. ^^;
Where do you buy your doujinshi from?
Part of my doujinshi stash I accumulated when I was in Japan; the rest I procure from two places:
JPQueen
This online store stocks quite a large selection of second-hand doujinshi (as well as manga, magazines, anime goods etc.), and they do a good job of staying up to date with the releases of the more popular artists. Compared to the prices you'll pay in Japan they can be pricey (especially for the more popular artists), but sometimes it can work out cheaper than buying off Yahoo!Auctions Japan through a proxy bidder (see below). Plus, I think there are very few places who'll ship outside Japan like they do. They're very prompt with answering any questions and shipping your goods; so far I've no complaints.
Yahoo!Auctions Japan
Provided you can read Japanese (unless you're willing to rely on the gobbledygook that Babelfish and the like churn out), this is an excellent resource for sourcing doujinshi! You can even find the older releases from some of the popular artists, although in most of these cases the price ends up being very hefty. Unfortunately you need an account to bid (not to mention knowledge of the Japanese language in the event you win your item), and very few sellers will ship outside Japan. This is where proxy bidding services come in!
Proxy bidders deal with the sellers for you, and typically charge a service fee according to the final price of the item won. They will also charge you the bank transfer fee for paying the sellers, and the postage fee within Japan to ship the items from the seller to them. All proxy bidders require you to deposit at least part of the amount you intend on bidding.
Shopping Mall Japan
The best part of this service is that they allow you to place your bid in real-time! Their site is also relatively well-designed, with help readily available and links to useful translation services etc. Their service fees are reasonable relative to others I've seen, and their exchange rate isn't too bad either. Furthermore, you're able to log in and see the status of your items (e.g. in storage, seller paid etc.). They require that you pay a maximum deposit in advance, from which your bids for all your auctions are subtracted until you pay them off. Unfortunately at busy times they tend to be a little slow with sending out their invoices (though this could be the fault of the sellers), so if you intend on bidding a lot you'll probably need a large deposit. :P They also do special orders, though depending on how much you buy from the same online store, the overheads can be a little pricey.
Celga Japan
The major downside to this service is that they don't have an automated bidding system - you need to specify your maximum bid at least 24 hours in advance, and they'll place it for you. (I suppose the upside to this is that you don't get sucked into bidding wars and pay more than you planned.) They are very helpful and quick at replying to queries, and as a bonus you sometimes get little gifts with your orders. Their system requires that you pay 50% of your maximum bid; the rest is due when they receive the item. A major plus about their service is that you're able to direct-order from a number of Japanese websites! So, rather than buy second-hand off auctions and hope that the seller was being honest about their product condition, you can order things brand shiny new!! :P This is very useful, as most Japanese websites don't ship outside Japan (again).
If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment! I always love talking about my favourite doujinshi, and I'll do my best to answer them to the best of my ability!
I've heard you do doujinshi scanlations, but I can't find where to download them from. Where do you host them?
My scanlations are released exclusively to kakairu, under members-only locked posts. This means you'll need to be a member in order to download them; it's not uncommon for communities to keep their goodies under friends-locked posts, and I do this to deter leechers. Although the files are now hosted permanently on a free hosting service, I do have limited bandwidth, thus the files are usually also mirrored to the Kaminari Group FTP Archive, which also requires community membership to gain access to.
The link to one of your scanlations has expired and I've missed it, can you re-upload it?
Some of the older releases were uploaded to free services which expired after a certain time period - provided the original upload was pretty recent (i.e. within the month), sure, I'm more than happy to reupload it for you! :) However, after this please check out the FTP archive; sorry but I don't want to continually be uploading year-old (or older!) links.
I'm making a KakaIru website and I'd like to host your scanlations; may I?
Sorry, but I would rather keep scanlation distribution limited *waves "support the artists" banner*. XD
I've seen this doujinshi posted on kakairu and I really, really want to know what they're saying; can you scanlate/translate it?
I no longer check kakairu on a regular basis (or pretty much at all), so it's more than likely I've missed the download. Secondly, more often than not I'm busy (or lazy, depending on which way you look at it *grins*), so it may be the case that I don't have time to take on any more projects than the ones I have already. However, if I don't have much planned I may choose to add it to my scanlation list at my own discretion, provided I have the original scanner's permission. Additionally, if I run out of things to do (which is unlikely, but you never know), I will make a requests post, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)
Do you have a translation for [insert doujinshi title here]?
Generally I don't translate anything I'm not already working on (check out the scanlation release log!) If I happen to own a copy of the doujinshi in question and I have a little time on my hand, I may be able to give you a one-paragraph summary, though. ;)
You haven't replied to my post/comment! Are you even alive?
Nowadays, the most reliable way to contact me would probably be by e-mail: lunatic_seas[at]yahoo.com. I really don't frequent communities much anymore, and I'm nowadays I'm also pretty slack at getting back to comments. ^^;
Where do you buy your doujinshi from?
Part of my doujinshi stash I accumulated when I was in Japan; the rest I procure from two places:
JPQueen
This online store stocks quite a large selection of second-hand doujinshi (as well as manga, magazines, anime goods etc.), and they do a good job of staying up to date with the releases of the more popular artists. Compared to the prices you'll pay in Japan they can be pricey (especially for the more popular artists), but sometimes it can work out cheaper than buying off Yahoo!Auctions Japan through a proxy bidder (see below). Plus, I think there are very few places who'll ship outside Japan like they do. They're very prompt with answering any questions and shipping your goods; so far I've no complaints.
Yahoo!Auctions Japan
Provided you can read Japanese (unless you're willing to rely on the gobbledygook that Babelfish and the like churn out), this is an excellent resource for sourcing doujinshi! You can even find the older releases from some of the popular artists, although in most of these cases the price ends up being very hefty. Unfortunately you need an account to bid (not to mention knowledge of the Japanese language in the event you win your item), and very few sellers will ship outside Japan. This is where proxy bidding services come in!
Proxy bidders deal with the sellers for you, and typically charge a service fee according to the final price of the item won. They will also charge you the bank transfer fee for paying the sellers, and the postage fee within Japan to ship the items from the seller to them. All proxy bidders require you to deposit at least part of the amount you intend on bidding.
Shopping Mall Japan
The best part of this service is that they allow you to place your bid in real-time! Their site is also relatively well-designed, with help readily available and links to useful translation services etc. Their service fees are reasonable relative to others I've seen, and their exchange rate isn't too bad either. Furthermore, you're able to log in and see the status of your items (e.g. in storage, seller paid etc.). They require that you pay a maximum deposit in advance, from which your bids for all your auctions are subtracted until you pay them off. Unfortunately at busy times they tend to be a little slow with sending out their invoices (though this could be the fault of the sellers), so if you intend on bidding a lot you'll probably need a large deposit. :P They also do special orders, though depending on how much you buy from the same online store, the overheads can be a little pricey.
Celga Japan
The major downside to this service is that they don't have an automated bidding system - you need to specify your maximum bid at least 24 hours in advance, and they'll place it for you. (I suppose the upside to this is that you don't get sucked into bidding wars and pay more than you planned.) They are very helpful and quick at replying to queries, and as a bonus you sometimes get little gifts with your orders. Their system requires that you pay 50% of your maximum bid; the rest is due when they receive the item. A major plus about their service is that you're able to direct-order from a number of Japanese websites! So, rather than buy second-hand off auctions and hope that the seller was being honest about their product condition, you can order things brand shiny new!! :P This is very useful, as most Japanese websites don't ship outside Japan (again).
If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment! I always love talking about my favourite doujinshi, and I'll do my best to answer them to the best of my ability!