Anime

[Kyouma]

You'll like it

Or else

[Dandy_Sephy]

Anyone else actually use crunchyroll? I see they are releasing the remaining eps of some of their Toei licenses across the weekend instead of sticking to x eps per week. So far FOTNS and Slam Dunk have been released, the coming soon column suggests Captain Harlock will be next. However, my proxy has "expired", so it's rather handy that Funimation aren't locking it No GE999 on Funi though.....

[LaParka]

Has anyone watched Tytania? I'm about 20 episodes in and I want to claw my eyes out. Horrible series, but because i'm so far through i'll have to watch it to the end. Gah.

[Asura]

So, are there currently any good ways to download episodes of anime series legally, available in the UK, without needing any proxies and whatnot to mask one's IP? I'd use such a service if it existed and was well priced.

[Mr.Jeff]

Has anyone watched Tytania? I'm about 20 episodes in and I want to claw my eyes out. Horrible series, but because i'm so far through i'll have to watch it to the end. Gah.

If you're expecting some kind of awesome conclusion, you're in for a disappointment. Shame really. For all they hinted at awesome space battle tactics at the start it turned into silly politics and Fan's adventure of the week.

[JohnC]

I quite liked Tytania. It reminded me of some kind of old space opera rather than a big action show with lots of shooting. I liked that about it.

[LaParka]

It's just so bloody slow, and nothing happens. Or when it does its illogical. Plus there was the dancing on the mountain scene

[Dandy_Sephy]

So, are there currently any good ways to download episodes of anime series legally, available in the UK, without needing any proxies and whatnot to mask one's IP? I'd use such a service if it existed and was well priced.

Download - no. Stream, yes.

Crunchyroll won't need proxies and such for shows that it is showing alongside the japanese broadcasts, they have fairly global rights for those. It's the "catalog" shows that are region locked.

Funimation have some of Crunchyroll's catalog shows region free and also their own licenses.

[Kyouma]

Fucking funimation C&D'ing all the FMA fansubbers, Shinsen are now being forced to stealth release it while everyone else quit. Or so i've been told.

[JohnC]

Eclipse released FMA as normal today. Just watched it. Bit of a horrible episode (as in, the events which occur)

[Asura]

Crunchyroll won't need proxies and such for shows that it is showing alongside the japanese broadcasts, they have fairly global rights for those. It's the "catalog" shows that are region locked.

Funimation have some of Crunchyroll's catalog shows region free and also their own licenses.

Hmm, well, Galaxy Express 999 would need a proxy, Voices of a Distant Star is no longer available, Angelic Layer would need a proxy, Fist of The North Star would need a proxy, and all of a sudden I feel I've tried enough.

What actually CAN be viewed in the UK? I.e. what do you watch?

[Dandy_Sephy]

Voices was a limited deal, FOTNS can be viewed on Funi.

As I said, all the shows that are being currently broadcast in Japan, that Crunchy are offering, are viewable here "simulcasts" (and stuff like gintama is getting old episodes every week while they do the newer ones too). Plus anything that recently finished that they were offering alongside the japanese (like Linebarrels). If ADV licensed it, it's US only. Asking me what I watch on there is not going to be helpful for you as I watch locked stuff more then unlocked (I just need to find a new proxy now mine has expired)

[Dandy_Sephy]

Ahh, my proxy still works. Excellent

*watches GE999*

[Kyouma]

Is there actually a decent case against fansubs? All they're doing is enabling people to watch Japanese TV, it's not like they're stealing DVDs of said TV programmes and selling them for their own profit. They're just taking a file someone uploads onto the internet, sticking some words on it, and passing it on. And it's global thing not contained to any one country, and the fansubbers aren't even a professional company. It's just a load of guys from different countries on the internet. How can Funimation have the legal authority to threaten people with legal action if they're not 1) doing anything wrong, and 2) not even in the same country as funi?

Anime aired on Japanese TV are walking adverts for the DVDs and other merchandise, I don't see how fansubs aren't the same. I highly doubt that the Japanese would want to buy a £100 DVD boxset without first seeing some episodes on TV and actually being a proper fan of said series. The same way most people who download fansubs in the first place wouldn't buy DVDs if they saw it on TV. Furthermore, fansubs are amazing advertisements that make people who've seen them go out and buy the DVDs, figures, posters etc and some studios have picked up on this and and pro-fansubs.

[Dandy_Sephy]

One word: copyright

You can come up with all the justification or discussion points you want, but that one word will seal the deal. Give the movement by the japanese and the american companys in providing quicker, legal subs, we should be saying "oh, fair enough". Say what you want about Dattebayo's trolling, but they had it right on the money - if legal versions exist for free, why sub?

Some companys are happy to let subbers do what they want (Viz for example), but other companys aren't (funi and ADV). Boxtorrents for example, won't host ADV or Funi licensed titles, and will do the same if they are contacted by others.

Theres also some confusion over licensing that i mentioned before, just because Funi are american, doesn't mean they only have american rights. And one of the "founding principles" used by subbers (at least, in the past) was that they would stop as soon as what they were subbing was licensed "in english". Shinsen seem more interested in their own fame then doing what most fansubbers have done since year dot.

[Kyouma]

Copyright as in the thing that technically makes it illegal to tape shit at home but no-one cares and everyone does it anyway, or the same copyright that technically makes most car boot sales illegal? I mean, does fansubbing actually lose these companies any money? I wouldn't never have gotten into anime if it wasn't for the existence of fansubs, and now quite a few companies have my money in their pockets because of it.

if legal versions exist for free, why sub?

Several factors come into play here. I would get it if:

- It wasn't streaming

- Not on Crunchy Roll

- It was released in decent quality in the right format with things such as softsubs, matroska container, etc.

- The subs themselves were of decent quality

- It's released promptly, as close as possible to the airing

- Doesn't install dodgy stuff on my computer that makes things delete themselves after a certain time period

[Dandy_Sephy]

Copyright as in the thing that technically makes it illegal to tape shit at home but no-one cares and everyone does it anyway, or the same copyright that technically makes most car boot sales illegal?

Several factors come into play here. I would get it if:

- It wasn't streaming

- Not on Crunchy Roll

- It was released in decent quality in the right format with things such as softsubs, matroska container, etc.

- The subs themselves were of decent quality

- It's released promptly, as close as possible to the airing

- Doesn't install dodgy stuff on my computer that makes things delete themselves after a certain time period

- Theres nothing wrong with streaming. It's quick, the video quality is more then adequate (Crunchyroll completely changed their process to fix what problems they did have)

- Why is "not on crunchyroll" a issue? Crunchyroll works very well. That aside Funimation have a streaming site - FMA2 is there

- "decent quality" is subjective. I've not had any quality issues with anything (although, I do mostly watch old shows atm), the videos are perfectly watchable, and I watch them on a 37" screen. "right format" is also subjective. Softsubs are by no means the be all and end all, few people are actually going to be making animated gifs.... Crunchy use H264

- Your mileage may vary, but I would say they are no different from fansubbers. Certainly not enough to make it an issue

- 4-7 days on average for free viewing, or 1hr after japan for paid members on Crunchyroll.

- Really not sure what that is all about - it's no different to youtube

Taking offense to any of this will just suggest to me you are completely spoilt (and I say that as someone who has started watching more HiDef anime)

[Meh]

Does Crunchyroll offer 1080p stuff at all, or is it all SD?

[Dandy_Sephy]

sd, but hd is an option to subscribers. But then, not many shows are broadcast in 1080p anyway. Nor is sd suddenly unwatchable just because a hd version might exist. I'd argue the benefits aren't as significant as with live action. I'll take hd if it's on offer and is native, but I wouldn't refuse sd for the sake of it.

As I said a few months ago, I don't think fansubs should suddenly die out, but streaming is definately the way forward (you only need to look at the responses from japan to prove that they are seeing the benefits of not fucking us about). My "issue" with Shinsen is that they are objecting to what almost every fansubber has done since the early 90s, seemingly for their own fame. Free, legal FMA2 is available for all, they have no "moral" stance at all here.

[Meh]

Watch 1080p Macross Frontier. Your eyes may explode.

[Dandy_Sephy]

I will do if I ever get to rewatch SDF, but was it actually broadcast at that? I'm under the impression it wasn't. But again, it doesn't make the sd version unwatchable for existing.

[Meh]

Well, I've got the gg 720 rip, and the 1080 one of episode 11. The 1080 version looked a ridiculous amount better, but that might be because it was 100mb or so bigger.

Still, I was impressed.

Curse you for editing your post!

Sure, the SD version's perfectly watchable, but why would you watch that?

[mr_woo]

One word: copyright

You can come up with all the justification or discussion points you want, but that one word will seal the deal. Give the movement by the japanese and the american companys in providing quicker, legal subs, we should be saying "oh, fair enough". Say what you want about Dattebayo's trolling, but they had it right on the money - if legal versions exist for free, why sub?

I understand were you are coming from but for me I just don't like/trust streaming at all. Also I don't want to rely on any sort of online connection and like to be able to convert my episodes to whatever I want if I want to be able to carry them on my psp or something like that and watch on the bus. Also, I usually watch files on a harddrive connected to my Popcorn Hour and am not restricted with any time limits or anything of that nature, can go at my own pace so to speak.

Also been trying to find the original Gundam and it's a pain in the arse for either the series or movies. I was even thinking about buying the movies but now out of print. Hopefully the series will finish being subbed soon.

[Dandy_Sephy]

Or do what I do and do all three

I've got shows for streaming (GE999, Harlock, Naruto Shippuden, and some stuff I need to go back to later), stuff for putting on the iphone for work, and stuff for watching from hd. Of course, I use the same mac mini for both streaming and running from hd (either fansubs, dvd rips or dvd isos). And anyone worried about buffering should note that 50% of the crunchyroll stream buffers before the opening theme finishes (and it's been 75% sometimes)

[mr_woo]

Or do what I do and do all three

I've got shows for streaming (GE999, Harlock, Naruto Shippuden, and some stuff I need to go back to later), stuff for putting on the psp for work, and stuff for watching from hd. Of course, I use the same mac mini for both streaming and running from hd (either fansubs, dvd rips or dvd isos). And anyone worried about buffering should note that 50% of the crunchyroll stream buffers before the opening theme finishes (and it's been 75% sometimes)

Well I say convert for portable but mostly I tend to fall asleep on the bus and never watch anything

If I was to stream anything it would be GE999, what episode they up too and are they subbed well ?

[Dandy_Sephy]

33-34 are being released on Friday (2 a week, so the series will finish at the end of the year). It took live-Evil several years to reach that point, these have been uploaded since january. The subs are good, they were subbed by Toei. You WILL need a proxy though, it's region locked (not a problem with a proxy if you go about it right). It's possible funimation will start it soon, they just started Captain Harlock, which is also on Crunchy. Before Crunchy started it, the only way to watch was to pay per episode

[Mr.Jeff]

Bost had a good system before they got crushed by Crunchyroll and the cunt that runs it. Streaming but you could pay from a dollar upwards to download the episode in better quality. I dislike streaming mainly because I prefer the freedom that MPC offers with 5/10 seconds skips and play and pause being tied into the space bar. I'd only really accept a streaming site with a monthly subscription if it offered legal unlimited downloads of the show in question in a non shit quality.

At any rate, re-watching Crest of Stars and Pani Poni Dash. Both very enjoyable. Way behind on the new stuff but fuck it.

[Dandy_Sephy]

Have any of you actually properly looked at or even tried streaming?

Mr Jeff, Crunchyroll already offers a subscription if you really must have it right away and in HD. So far peoples comments are "Streaming LOL, quality LOL, I want my stupidly high def, softsub, moon on a stick subs". Stuff downloading them when it's available elsewhere, do people actually really ever use archives on regular basis? I know most of you have trouble keeping up with the stuff you haven't watched, nevermind keeping it incase you want to watch it later

Sorry, but theres too many "excuses" based on perceived requirements that aren't necessary to enjoy the actual content. I don't mean to rant, it makes no odds to me how you watch your stuff, but some of the stuff I'm reading makes me wonder if people actually watch anime for enjoyment of the content or how shiny it looks. No one cared enough to base their viewing around softsubs or codecs 3 years ago, why start now? Files have jumped 50mb on average for SD content, for little quality gain

[Mr.Jeff]

I like downloading stuff. At the very least it offers me a nice load of stuff should my internet fuck up or if I'm not near a connection at all. Fair enough that streaming quality may improve but that's only if your connection can handle it going in the first place. Even if it can, I still prefer being able to wtach it mpc because it's far easier to skip around a lot quicker. The point of having an archive is that even if you don't get round to watching everythng you ever have on a routine basis, it's the knowledge that it's there somewhere much like having a dvd collection of game collection does.

As far as people bitching about wuality, it's all to do with people actually caring. Go to the games folder and you'll see the same inane "not available for 1080p dmi cable jazz monkey tv with the sub-prime tit humper? This game is shit". It's the same business. You can argue about the ridiculous complexities of which of 2 "hq" files is actually the ultimate but in comparison to SD versus some of the proper hd encodes, the difference is amazing.

I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm a filthy fucking pirate but if people are going to want to download, at least allow them the oppurtunity.

P.S; The emergence of more and more reasonably priced dvd boxsets is awesome.

[Kyouma]

I grew out of streaming years ago. Also, lol CrunchyRoll.

Some common arguments against streaming seem to be (other than those mentioned so far):

Why watch some stream that makes you wait 5 minutes for buffering with ads when you can your choice of subbers, your choice of file format, your choice of media player, so much more choice?

The bitrate and the framerate aren't the same.