The Anime Industry

[watchersprout]

This is an article that was passed on to me via Facebook. As a fan of anime, and a friend to many people who work in the anime industry, I urge you to read this and if you feel so inclined, pass it on. And for those of you who think that voice actors are rollin' in the money...that notion is so laughable I can't even begin to tell you how NOT

Comments

[jonjonxd]

I didn't even have to read this. This is a well known issue and people don't seem to understand that piracy does hurt a lot of markets severely

[racheyrae]

I could not agree more. Like the above, I did not need to read the letter to know that this is a very serious problem.

As the president of my university's anime club, I strive to show things that I (or other club members) own on DVD or shows that have not aired, been dubbed, or even licensed in America. Especially since I'm a huge supporter of and someone who aspires to work in the anime industry in the future.

Also like the above comment, I am guilty of torrenting in the past. My boyfriend and I just had a conversation the other day about how he plans to stop torrenting anything once he has a job. I could not agree more with his decision.

Torrenting is something that needs to be stopped. Not just for the sake of the anime industry, but for gaming, movies, music, and other industries in America (and the world, at that)!

Thank you for sharing this letter.

[sayuri2023]

But there's one more beast; one of the biggest reasons why people download anime, 'fansubs'.
Fansubbing is such a two way tool, a vast majority of fans become aware of the animes because of fansubs, we all do not understand the language and since all animes dont get lisenced... not to mention Dubs are considered substandard as well..
Plus as long as they exist,people will be reluctant to buy animes in stores.

[watchersprout]

... not to mention Dubs are considered substandard as well..

That is a matter of opinion, not fact. There are plenty of dubs that are bad and plenty that are amazing. The same goes for the original Japanese. Some is really good...some is absolutely horrible.

To call dubs "substandard" is sub-elitist.

[ifreet]

You've seen my media shelves, so you know I agree: if you like it, support it.

But I think Mr Bang Zoom is missing his mark a bit. The problem isn't that anime fans are unaware that stealing is wrong. The problem is 1) watching an illegal download isn't the same as stealing a physical good -- it's a seriously flawed analogy, that many of us (innocent and horrible pirates alike) are sick of, and 2) we are used to a model where we often pay for media through our attention alone (tv). I think anime fans assume that anime -- particularly tv series -- are paid for through advertisers, with dvd sales a nice bonus and overseas sales the icing on that. If that's not the business model, which clearly it's not for anyone trying to earn a living via anime in the US, that's the message that needs to get out: If you like it, support it, because otherwise it won't survive. If you want this particular art form to exist, find a way to support it

[the_silent_army]

I hope you won't take offense to my post... just throwing in my sentiments on the issue

[the_silent_army]

Well, I would never be able to afford anime. In fact, I never got into it at all until I was able to pirate it. If the anime industry falls apart, well then, at least I was able to enjoy it while it was around. I wasn't and would not be able to otherwise. Nevertheless, I believe you are overdramaticizing the issue as people often do. To be honest, in either case, I can't help it. It's one of two choices: 1) enjoy anime, 2) do not enjoy anime.

[zombietang]

"My downloading anime is not going to stop the Japanese from making anime