Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2005-10-14]
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ChrisBeveridge
Posts: 162 |
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You can't be a smart anime fan without watching fansubs? That sounds silly. It's not like it's difficult to find out if a series is going to be interesting without watching fansubs. Lots of used to do it that way just by reading summaries. Nowadays there's plenty of articles in real magazines in English talking about what's airing in Japan and giving you an idea of what's there that may be up your alley. Then again, a lot of new fans seem to be of the mind that a show is only good if they've seen all of it and like it. |
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Karala
Posts: 43 |
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Hmm, but what about the fact that many people in Japan got to see the series for free? They didn't have an obligation to buy the series just because they enjoyed it.
I love anime series and I download them when they aren't licensed, and I'm not willing to pay closer to 30-40 dollars for 3 episodes of a series. Period. |
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10421 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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I'd take this as a legitimate complaint. I assume you're talking about the "Flake of the Week" correct ? Because Zac certainly didn't insult any of the the other people that wrote in (including the Berserk questioner). Honestly, when people are that dumb, I don't care if he insults them. I was uncomfortable with one of his Flake of the Week installments, but for the most part he really has been taking the flakes of the week from the absolute bottom of the barrel. I feel bad for the people that are insulted, but even Id insult them, and I'm a much more timid person than Zac is. (I'm a big huggable nice guy). If you feel that other readers were abused, please elaborate, perhaps I'm not getting your point. -t |
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ChrisBeveridge
Posts: 162 |
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This continues to be a fallacy. There are plenty of series that are on pay networks, which means you have to pay to see them. OVA series and movies obviously aren't free either. Blanket statements aren't the way to make a good argument.
Unless you're living in Canada and maybe about five or six years ago, this is just completely distanced from how 90% of things are released today. Especially when if you have an ounce of patience you can get an entire series for those prices OR LESS with the number of collections and smart shopping these days. |
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Karala
Posts: 43 |
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I know that, any TV for that matter isn't free. People record TV series all that time to watch at later dates and aren't thought badly of... are they going to go out and buy the series later? Maybe, maybe not. I don't understand why it's such a debate when it comes to anime. It's treated like it's something sacred.
I do live in Canada, and I can't buying things online. Any anime I see in stores range for 30-40 dollars when you add in the tax. maybe I could buy previously viewed anime and pay around 15 dollars, but that's not really "supporting the market", the thing that everyone's so adamant about. |
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belisarius
Posts: 203 Location: Concord, NC |
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Combined with the editorial on the mainpage, I'm fairly satisfied with the response. Framed another way however, if it's gotten so many of your readers riled up, I think it's worth examining his approach. The source of my issue was again, not the conclusions he comes to, but the method by which he presents his point of view. Consider this gem from flake of the week: "(and then being fansubtitled by 13-year olds who think adding a bunch of unecessary swear words is totally awesome)" Even IF this is hyperbole, it demonstrates both disdain and ignorance towards fansubbers. Do you know any non-native japanese speakers who are competent enough to fansub at age 13? And even if he's not being literal, he is certainly implying that the level of competency demonstrated by fansubbers is of a teenage level. How else can this comment be read? The stereotyping and condescending tone really rubbed me the wrong way, regardless of who it was directed at. Much in the same way that although I am not black, I object to people using racial slurs. I appreciate the editorial staff of ANN responding to our complaints and it has done much to restore my faith in you. Sadly, however, Zac's recalcitrant nature and belief that his journalistic integrity is somehow beyond reproach is cause enough for me to stop reading the Answerman section, which is too bad given how much I used to enjoy it. |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10421 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Umm, no, no anime is free in Japan. A good chunk of it is paid for by the viewer when they buy the DVD (for OAVs), go to the tehater (for movies) or pay the Pay Per View fee (for many TV series). The remaining series, the ones that appear to be free, are in fact paid for by advertisors. Imagine this, a little kid (A) goes into a candy store and sees a woman buy her child (B) some candy. Not having his mother there with him, the little kid (A) steals some candy. When he's caught, he explains that the other child (B) got the candy for free, so he should too. In this little parable, you're Kid A. Japense people are Kid B, and Japanese advertisors are the mother of Kid B. If no one is buying you your anime, it doesn't give you the right to go out and steal it.
Reasonable complaint. But anime costs $15 ~$25 after the typical store discounts. Also, if that's too much, try renting it, for what $3 a DVD ? If you don't live near a store that rents it, sign up at RentAnime.com. And finally, if you aren't willing to spend any money watching anime, go ahead and steal it. But at least recognize that you're stealing it, and for the love of god, don't run around making up pitiful stories about how you're entitled to see anime for free. -t |
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pythos
Posts: 127 Location: Denver, CO |
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Even the stuff shown on non-pay networks in Japan isn't "free." There are commericals run during those programs. And people are buying the products of the companies who advertise in those time-slots. Everyone who owns a TV capable of receiving a broadcast from NHK has to pay a monthly fee. (For those who don't know, NHK is the public TV of Japan.) In short, they really don't get to see it "for free." |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10421 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Honestly I can see how you would see it that way. Perhaps Zac meant it that way, you'll have to ask him. But the reason I had no problem aproving that article, including that statement, was that I see it another way.
That the fansubbers who do inapropriately translate things and add context, such as insults, that wasn't there in the first place, are acting like 13 year olds. It'd be one thing if they parodied the oiginal and made it clear that they were changing things, but when they're just adding in vulgar language because it's "cool," its extremely immature. And what's worse is that it promotes the belief among real 13-year-olds that the show is for adults because it had swearing in it. Zac and I have very different writing styles. My choice would have been to educate the poor misguided 13-year-old. The problem is that every adult reading would have been bored out of their skulls by my quiet, honest explanation about how "mature content" does not equate to "maturity." Which is why I'm not qualified to be writing that column. -t |
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shenlongmizuno
 Posts: 51 |
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Yeah and people have different tastes, the only way to guaranteed you never get burned is to preview yourself. I could give countless examples of how I bought series that all the fansites and animerica were raving about and was disappointed back before I knew about fansubs and days of $32 three episode vhs tapes. And there is also the issue of fansubs generating interest for normally obscure series, Princess Tutu being a favorite example. Does anyone honestly think it would seel without the fansubs? I believe the anime companies and answerman should cry more about the groups that rip anime dvds, and the bootleggers who put super cheap boxsets on ebay and amazon. Here is a little hint: the fansub babies who whine about liceansing companies.. you will never see a dime from them, even if fansubs didn't exist. Try focusing on the people who are really stealing money from you. |
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Kyouha
Posts: 4 |
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To Answerman: Actually, that wasn't the point, or at least not my point. My bottom line was that I just don't like reading the Answerman Column anymore. I also said, in more words, that I'd take the highroad and just ignore its existance, because as for the rest of ANN, I love it. I just wanted to express that the columns lately have gone way beyond simple satirical observations and fun-poking. They seem sarcastic and malicious. This kind of editorial is obviously to some people's tastes: You have plenty of people jumping to defend you. But it's also obviously NOT to some people's tastes as well. Of course, you can't hope to please everybody. And I suppose that from now on you'll be pleasing a lot less, if this forum response has any indication. If there was anything I was hoping to accomplish by these forum posts [being the first and probably some of the last I make here] it was just to call your attention to people who share the same opinion about the column that I do. I didn't make these posts to disagree with your opinions or to express my ideals. I could care less whether we agree or disagree. I just don't like the column anymore, and neither do a number of others. |
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Tempest
I Run this place. ANN Publisher Posts: 10421 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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I wish more people would see it this way. Obviously I want as many columns on ANN to appeal to as many people as possible. But obviously "you can't please all of the people all of the time." I appreciate your way of stating that you've decided not to read that aspect of ANN in the future. Hopefully most of the thigns we do will continue to please you. -t |
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Dagwood
 Posts: 222 |
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I found nothing wrong with this week's installment of Answerman; keep it up Zac. |
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pythos
Posts: 127 Location: Denver, CO |
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And you can preview them just as well by renting them. You don't need fansubs to preview them.
Some of the people making money from these things are using the fansubs to do it. I'm not blaming the fansubbers for this, but I think they need to be very aware of this fact and take steps to prevent it. It may mean not fansubbing, or only fansubbing stuff that's old and/or never likely get licensed in N. America. |
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Karala
Posts: 43 |
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Sometimes these comparisons just don't work. For example, I pay for unlimited bandwidth so I can download anime. It's just not seen in the same light as actually paying for the anime, so the comparison to me paying for anime doesn't work even though it's in fact why I have ADSL. Stealing in a store is just not seen the same as downloading something. There are different standards, even if the same laws apply, they're viewed differently by different people.
Actually, I have rented some anime movies before - mostly all that's in stores is Sailor Moon, .Hack//SIGN and all that other stuff that airs on TV. I've never seen it as a "real" crime before, while it is against the law, until there are things set in place to stop such actions, or the anime companies say "stop doing that!", I'll continue to download anime. |
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