From: rang@laputa.ics.uci.edu (Roger P. Ang)
Subject: pirating was Re: LDTO: Better Off Dead
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Reply-To: rang@ics.uci.edu (Roger P. Ang)
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Irvine, Info. & Computer Sci. Dept.
Date: 28 Jan 93 22:33:27 GMT
Distribution: usa

In article <Jan.28.09.45.40.1993.12771@remus.rutgers.edu> pearl@remus.rutgers.edu (Starbuck) writes:
>In article <2B661AC9.10420@ics.uci.edu> rang@laputa.ics.uci.edu (Roger P. Ang) writes:
>> But then again, how many of us can afford an LD player, and say,
>> the KOR TV series set or the the Nadia set right now?  It would be a
>> shame to say, "Forget those series, if you can't afford them."
>> Also remember, Streamline is charging $15 for 30min. of badly dubbed
>> video (e.g. Nadia), and USMC wants about $35 for their garbage titles.

>Join an anime club!  Anime Hasshin (among others) has a list of tape
>traders that will copy non-licensed anime for you.  Many local clubs
>also do the same.

This is not really a solution to all problems.  I'd say most clubs don't
have large bankrolls, so they won't likely pay to get LDs or orginal
tapes.  How about it club presidents?  How much of your library are
original, official Japanese releases (not a dupe)?  The result being, a
lot of the tapes out there are in really sorry condition.  Some so bad it
seriously detracts from enjoying the video.  I also figure many clubs
rely on people's private collections and those people aren't going to
loan their babies to just anyone.  Also, I doubt most clubs can bankroll
many of the series out there.  Nevermind the box sets like KOR and Nadia,
what about 13 episodes of Gundam 0083 and Lodoss War, how many clubs
bothered to buy those?

I hope everyone realizes how much anime fandom owes the fan
translators and subbers distributing stuff out there (take a bow all
you people [applause]).  Without them many of us wouldn't even be
familiar with most of the titles discussed here.

>There is no reason to pay pirates for copies.
>besides, if an anime fan pays a pirate for a copy of something, they
>are less likely to purchase an original copy later on, feeling that
>they shouldn't have to pay twice.

I'm not defending pirating.  But I also think it won't go away *and*
it'll probably get *worst* now more than before.  Streamline is putting
out stuff so bad that many of us would probably say to others, "Forget
it, try to see the original Japanese".  And where does one get the
original?  Do you have it on hand to loan them?  Or did you see a friend's
n-th generation copy?  So, when this person happens upon a pirate and
sees a copy of the original LD being sold for less than the Streamline
abomination, which do you think will win: their otaku-ness or their
morality?

However, pirating of fan-subbed tapes is a different story.  If anyone
out even considers buying a pirated fan-sub, I hope you realize the
original subbers would rather give you a free copy than have you buy it.

                                        Roger P. Ang (rang@laputa.ics.uci.edu)
Irvine? Where's Irvine?                 Grad student at the
In the heart of the Orange Curtain.     Dept. of Information & Computer Sci.
Oh no! The poor fool.                   Univ. of California, Irvine.  USA