Crunchyroll
I've signed up with Crunchyroll for their paid anime membership, meaning I get to see subbed Naruto Shippuuden one hour after it airs in Japan.
For me it's good, for a number of reasons...
I watch a lot of fansubs, and to be honest, I've never felt overly guilty about it. If the American distributors or Japanese original creators decided to shut them down, they'd be gone in a flash. They're still there everyday on the Internet, so unless I'm missing something, there's a certain amount of deliberate look-the-other-way going on here. In a similar vein, there's Comiket twice a year, at which thousands of doujinshi writers and artists violate the copyright and licenses of numerous anime and manga properties right in the middle of Tokyo, where all the production studios are, and no one in the industry does anything. There was a great article in Wired magazine about this issue last year, in which anime producers openly stated that an active fan base (including the doujinshi creators) builds support for the product, and that a certain symbiotic relationship exists between creators and fans.
I'm not trying to justify watching illegal fansubs by saying the above. But recently I was thinking about whether I've been supportive enough of the industry as a fan, and I realized that I've probably been freeloading more than I thought. I watch a lot of fansubs, but only own a few anime DVDs (the only complete set I have of anything is Mirage of Blaze and its OVA). So the most expensive anime product, the one the producers in Japan and the distributors in America hope I will buy - DVDs - I haven't bought too many of.
What do I buy? Mainly ancillary stuff - posters, T-shirts, stickers, all the stuff in the dealer's room at conventions, some of which I can tell is licensed, and some of which I can equally tell is completely unlicensed. My Fullmetal Alchemist wall scroll is licensed, as is my Saiyuki Reload 2009 calendar - imported from Japan and purchased at Kinokuniya - but the other posters I have (Ouran, Code Geass, Hikaru no Go, Bleach)...? who knows?
I've also purchased all of the Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga volumes from TokyoPop, four FMA soundtrack CDs from Japan, FMA and Bleach calendars from Viz, and other clearly licensed merchandise. It's unlikely that I would've purchased these items if I hadn't become a fan... through watching fansubs.
Which brings me to Crunchyroll. When they announced this deal, $6.95 a month to be able to watch Naruto Shippuuden and other currently-airing series only one hour after they air in Japan, and with English subs, I figured this would be a way to right the balance a little. So I signed up. I've watched Naruto Shippuuden eps 91 and 92 so far on Crunchyroll. The subs are decent, the resolution is gorgeous - I think it's high-def? - and I'm helping in my little way to support the concept that fans will pay for near-simultaneous legal viewings of subbed anime. It's a start.
For me it's good, for a number of reasons...
I watch a lot of fansubs, and to be honest, I've never felt overly guilty about it. If the American distributors or Japanese original creators decided to shut them down, they'd be gone in a flash. They're still there everyday on the Internet, so unless I'm missing something, there's a certain amount of deliberate look-the-other-way going on here. In a similar vein, there's Comiket twice a year, at which thousands of doujinshi writers and artists violate the copyright and licenses of numerous anime and manga properties right in the middle of Tokyo, where all the production studios are, and no one in the industry does anything. There was a great article in Wired magazine about this issue last year, in which anime producers openly stated that an active fan base (including the doujinshi creators) builds support for the product, and that a certain symbiotic relationship exists between creators and fans.
I'm not trying to justify watching illegal fansubs by saying the above. But recently I was thinking about whether I've been supportive enough of the industry as a fan, and I realized that I've probably been freeloading more than I thought. I watch a lot of fansubs, but only own a few anime DVDs (the only complete set I have of anything is Mirage of Blaze and its OVA). So the most expensive anime product, the one the producers in Japan and the distributors in America hope I will buy - DVDs - I haven't bought too many of.
What do I buy? Mainly ancillary stuff - posters, T-shirts, stickers, all the stuff in the dealer's room at conventions, some of which I can tell is licensed, and some of which I can equally tell is completely unlicensed. My Fullmetal Alchemist wall scroll is licensed, as is my Saiyuki Reload 2009 calendar - imported from Japan and purchased at Kinokuniya - but the other posters I have (Ouran, Code Geass, Hikaru no Go, Bleach)...? who knows?
I've also purchased all of the Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga volumes from TokyoPop, four FMA soundtrack CDs from Japan, FMA and Bleach calendars from Viz, and other clearly licensed merchandise. It's unlikely that I would've purchased these items if I hadn't become a fan... through watching fansubs.
Which brings me to Crunchyroll. When they announced this deal, $6.95 a month to be able to watch Naruto Shippuuden and other currently-airing series only one hour after they air in Japan, and with English subs, I figured this would be a way to right the balance a little. So I signed up. I've watched Naruto Shippuuden eps 91 and 92 so far on Crunchyroll. The subs are decent, the resolution is gorgeous - I think it's high-def? - and I'm helping in my little way to support the concept that fans will pay for near-simultaneous legal viewings of subbed anime. It's a start.