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Hentai_JP wrote:

Mister V are you using CoreAVC? If so update it, with version 2.0 everything works perfectly.

I'm using... whatever comes with a K-Lite codec pack. I guess I should really switch to CCCP, eh?..

It also sounds like we'll be hearing from a) the guy who throws vending machines and b) the black russian. At least, I'd wager they'll appear in the next episode (although the "sushi" might only be a catchphrase...).

Try SMPlayer instead.

Um, Mister V, why aren't you watching this on crunchyroll instead of illegally downloading it? Do you live in an unavailable region?

I was kind of skeptical about this after seeing the first episode, but the second really grabbed me. I loved the way the story from this episode and the first one liked together, and the Dullahan (Is her name really "Certy"?) is an immediately interesting character. Portraying her as potentially the most compassionate and thoughtful character in the series was an interesting move, as she could easily have been a "cool" kick ass female with no depth. I also loved the way she communicated by typing text messages into a phone.

I recently ordered Baccano from amazon. Can anyone tell me how it stacks up in quality to this?[/spoiler]

Penguin_Factory wrote:

I recently ordered Baccano from amazon. Can anyone tell me how it stacks up in quality to this?

Well, considering that only 2 episodes of Durarara! have aired so far, it's hard to compare the two series right now. However, having said that, Baccano! was a bit more confusing in the first couple of episodes because of the constant shifts in time, but after that it really started to come together and became one of the most delightfully insane and kinetic series I've ever seen. Like Durarara!, it has a huge cast of characters, but they all have so much personality that you'll easily be able to memorize most of their names by the second half of the series. It's also mind-blowingly violent and bloody, more so than Durarara! at this point, but who knows what's going to happen in later episodes. The one difference that jumps out at me the most right now though, is that Baccano! has no true main character: it is completely an ensemble piece, although everyone has their favorites.

vashfanatic wrote:

Um, Mister V, why aren't you watching this on crunchyroll instead of illegally downloading it? Do you live in an unavailable region?

I was sitting here thinking the same thing myself. I just smiled when I read about the joke subs and skipping and freezing. Glad I actually pay to watch it legally where its wonderfully clear and smooth and in their 720p version. It does get a bit depressing though when you cant see the other shows like Dance in the vampire bund and ookami kakushi (although I dont know if im missing out on much)

And to the previous post I think Baccano might be one of my personal favorites. If you dont mind a convoluted story (time wise like pulp fiction) then you are in for a real treat.

vashfanatic wrote:

Um, Mister V, why aren't you watching this on crunchyroll instead of illegally downloading it? Do you live in an unavailable region?

Though you weren't asking me, I'm not watching on Crunchyroll either, and I will not. I'm never going to pay for streaming video, and even less so for Crunchyroll's ridiculously bad translations. You don't need to speak Japanese to notice that grammar and spelling seem to be optional at Crunchyroll, and my Japanese is enough to notice their often "iffy" or at least clunky translations. If Crunchyroll was a fansub group, I'd consider them a group to avoid.

I already spend a ridiculous amount on importing Japanese releases, and I'm not going to tag on paying for Crunchyroll's substandard "product." That said, I'm rather annoyed that DVD releases for Durarara!! start in February with no BD release planned so far. As soon as a BD release is available for pre-order, I'll order. I may have to wait months or a year, but it'll happen.

Last edited by egoist on Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:50 pm; edited 1 time in total

Needless to say, the guy throwing vending machines is my favorite character so far. Why? Because I'd do the same if I could lift one of those heavy chunk of metal. I'm also watching it unofficially because CR fails at licensing, thus I can't watch it from here, China.
Mm, let's see. So, it's episode 2 so far, and nothing really outstanding happened besides the guy throwing the vending machine. It's still my second favorite this season, though I have yet to see my favorite's second episode to judge and come to conclusion.

Last edited by vashfanatic on Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:32 pm; edited 2 times in total

[totally off topic and I really don't care]

Not to sound so offensive, but why do you even take people complaining about their(CR) subscription so seriously? The man imports DVDs from Japan, so I suppose a mere $6-8 monthly would be nothing to even complain about, sincerely. I watch their videos whenever it's available for me; I pay their subscription even if not all of their anime is available here. Their subscription is nothing but a mere pocket change, hell, they really should charge more and give members more benefits instead.

egoist wrote:

Their subscription is nothing but a mere pocket change, hell, they really should charge more and give members more benefits instead.

Well, to me it wasn't mere pocket-change - for the last five months I've been working odd jobs with irregular pay, and $20 to stream all of Durarara!! made me a little leery. But I recently found a steady, albeit temporary, job, and this was my little reward to myself. I'm not sure what more benefits you'd like for more money, though; beyond getting to see episodes in high def and not waiting a week, all members get are some forum posts etc. and that's no big whoop for me; as of right now, the price seems a little too high, though admittedly it would be different if I were watching more than one show simulcast...

BUT! We're really not supposed to be here to 1) debate Crunchyroll or 2) swap tips on getting the latest CCCP and a better video player. No, those onlu cause contention. We're here to talk about how cool Durarara!! has been so far. I just finished re-watching Baccano! on DVD today, and other than reminding me yet again of how consciously D!! pays tribute to B!, it also made me think back on my experience watching B! back when it came out. You know what I mean: the agonizing, I can't wait a week, I have to know now! feeling you'd get at the end of every episode. D!! is giving me a little of that already. I have high hopes or it.

vashfanatic wrote:

While they do not always have the smoothest translations, as another viewer whose Japanese is enough to notice iffy translations, CR's for Durarara!! are actually quite good for speed-subbing so far, and they give very high video quality. Compared to the often painfully inaccurate and clunky renderings of, say, [gg], I'd GLADLY take what CR has given for Durarara!! so far.

I said if they were a fansub group I'd avoid them. They're around the same level as a speedsub, which I also avoid. Their English grammar and spelling is often quite poor, and they make translation errors. I've heard from multiple sources that they pay extremely low rates for translation, and it shows. Why should I support that? I expect more from a commercial venture than a fansub. On top of that it's streaming video. If it was download to own I might have some interest; as is I have none.

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So wait - you order your DVDs from Japan? Without subtitles? And your Japanese is only good enough to make smug fan judgments on whether subtitling might be "iffy"? I'm confused...

I buy domestic DVDs as well. What's confusing about it, and what level of Japanese is required? I've studied the language, I can read a fair bit, but it's obviously not native level, at least not the level of an educated adult. It's a lot more than the average fan, but should I lie and say I breezed through the JLPT 1 and don't need any sort of translation? If I've watched fansubs and want a higher quality release and want to support the industry, what problem do you have with my buying Japanese releases - particularly when many shows will never get a DVD or BD release here. It's far more supportive than paying for Crunchyroll, which pays a pittance back to the license holders.

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While I understand not wanting to pay an extra $20 to see a series you'll probably wind up buying (that was my initial hesitancy with signing up at Crunchyroll), you do know that they give some money to the studios in Japan for the rights to stream the show, right? And that Japan's anime industry right now needs every dime it can get, especially for creative shows like Durarara!!?

Oh please. I already invest thousands every year in the industry. You're going to tell me that I'm not being supportive enough because I don't support the least profitable distribution method of all? Screw that.

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If, in the long run, you wind up spending the exorbitant sums for Japanese DVDs (in a language you can't understand?!?)

You keep on harping on that. Language comprehension is not a yes/no, on/off, black/white thing. If I watch something oriented for younger audiences or without much difficult vocabulary, I don't really need subs. If I watch something like GitS, I obviously need a translation. What's it to you? Some people buy imports and understand next to no Japanese. Some never even watch them but just collect them. Why should that bother anyone?

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then I suppose you're doing your part, but understand that not everyone who uploads or downloads from you is going to be as responsible.

I put my money where my mouth is, and I'm not responsible for what anyone else does. I support the industry more than 99% of fans and have done so for nearly 2 decades now. After spending tens of thousand of dollars over the years I don't really need to be told I'm not doing enough.

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If you're getting this via torrents, some jackass out there who just wants to not have to pay anything is going to be getting the file from you or the server you're getting it from. The idea behind streams is to cut off the jackasses. It doesn't always work, of course, because of stupid region licensing laws, but it's trying. You can always watch Crunchyroll's stuff free a week after it comes out if you really loathe paying for it that much.

Like I said, I don't support Crunchyroll, nor will I support them. I have no interest in paying for streaming video of any kind, nor do I wish to encourage any scheme that does not involve ownership of some kind, whether physical or download to own. I have anime LDs that are close to 20 years old that play just fine. Will Crunchyroll even be around in 5, 10, or 20 years? I will not put a penny into anything that ties me to the fate of some company, particularly one as full of failed companies as streaming video.

As for stopping torrents, good luck with that. People who refuse to pay will always refuse to pay, and there will always be ways to get around paying. And don't kid yourself about how "supportive" you're being by subscribing to Crunchyroll. The return to the original license holder is pennies on the dollar, far less than buying any form of physical media. For non-paid members, Crunchyroll actually loses money for everything they stream since the ad revenue doesn't cover the bandwidth costs. They'll get their money out of me for Durarara!! eventually (as soon as it comes out on BD), and their cut will probably be worth hundreds of paid subscribers watching it on Crunchyroll.

Last edited by vashfanatic on Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

[totally off topic, came across way bitchier than I intended, all arguments on this seem meaningless to me at this point]

vashfanatic wrote:

Um, 'cause it's a massive waste of money that could be spent on more important things than buying anime you never watch...? I'm not going to reply to any of your other arguments (some valid, some spurious), because this thread will quickly be derailed if we do so. I'm glad you support anime, but I also hope as you spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on imports that you also take the time to text "Haiti" to 90999 or take other measures to help those in need around the world.

Um... who the hell are you to tell anyone what they should do with their money? You couldn't just gracefully step off the ol' soapbox without throwing that out there?

Anyways, back on topic.. You really can draw heavy parallels from Durarara to Baccano, but I don't think it's a bad thing in this case because Baccano turned out to be one of the most awesome and interesting methods of telling a story I've come across yet, and I love the fact that so many characters were introduced, and yet all of them managed to get fleshed out properly and well developed even in a short space of time. And Durarara looks like it's set to do the same thing, but with a different story. Like with Baccano, there's a lot of intrigue and mystery to it at the moment, and I can see myself easily getting sucked in. God damn though, the art is good. I love the character designs.

vashfanatic wrote:

hissatsu01 wrote:

Some people buy imports and understand next to no Japanese. Some never even watch them but just collect them. Why should that bother anyone?

Um, 'cause it's a massive waste of money that could be spent on more important things than buying anime you never watch...?

You do realize when I said "some people" I wasn't talking about myself, right? I don't personally see the point of just collecting, but it's none of my business how others spend their money.

vashfanatic wrote:

I'm not going to reply to any of your other arguments (some valid, some spurious), because this thread will quickly be derailed if we do so. I'm glad you support anime, but I also hope as you spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on imports that you also take the time to text "Haiti" to 90999 or take other measures to help those in need around the world.

And you called me smug? Wow. What a nice mix of smug, presumptuous, and holier-than-thou that statement was. Does buying anime preclude giving to charity? I do give to charitable causes, have for many years, and it's absolutely none of your business.

So aside from me being a horrible person... does anyone else suspect a connection between the girl Kida and Mikado bumped into during the first episode and Selty/Celty (the Dullahan/Black Rider). Aside from the scar all around her neck, she shows up in the OP directly after Celty and is the only character in the OP with no name given.

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