*sigh*
[Updates]
I have decided a few things on my blog after some disturbing scenes that are currently going on in the anime community of my country. As some may be aware, the crackdown and clamping on the distrubution of fansubs in sg is ultimately driving some of our bloggers either with anger or frustration. Faced with letters and such, it seems like the issue is getting pretty tense among the community. To cut my post short. Click on this link here to find out what is actually going on in my motherland (credit and source: lolicontrol).
I was thinking of a few things since I am on sick leave today, how do you support the local community when the fruits they distrubute are not of a quality accepted by the local community ?
Quality - I mean..look at the VCDs, resolution? 320×240, if I am not wrong for vcd (correct me if i am wrong). I am sure many of us watch movies/animes/whatsoever on a LCD tv, LCD monitor. The only thing I can find thats is compatible to watch a VCD at native resolution is a CRT TV (yes. tv, not monitor). I can imagine the pixelated horror at full screen on a resolution of 1280×1024 / 1024×768 / 1440×960…and for my case…it is worse at 1920×1200. Yes, there are DVD alternatives here but yea, the number of titles on DVDs are limited. The latest love I found was Shakugan no Shana DVD. The cover art is nice imo and yup..the price is the same as VCD (I was like.. huh? how can it be the same? ). I am hoping for more improvements from our local distro, Odex if the govt’s really clamping down on us and yea…more titles pls. And the boxart, the DVDs are ok but the VCDs really needs improvement (perhaps the cheap price). I wont mind paying if a title is available to me on the retail shelves at a acceptable price, which brings us to the next problem we are facing - availability.
Availability is something I have thinking as well, how many of us yearn to see your favourite titles on the shelves - AIR? SHnY? Kino no Tabi? Haibane no Renmei? Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni? (titles quoted are subjected as they are my faves). Do we ever see them? No. What is the likely reason ? I would assume this though (I am not into the contracts and licensing betweena distro and the company but I will make a best guess).
A developer gets its airing rights on japan tv, the publisher gets the rights to make it on retail platform. An overseas licensing company agrees to a contract with the publisher/developer on the title to sub and release on their country but only after certain time limit as not to affect the market profits ? bah..I am not sure but it definitely related to market share and the profits involved or perhaps even more imo and so by the time this process is finalised and confirmed, it will take a lot of time and not to mention, approval from the country and censorship takes time as well. Recently (or rather..some time ago), we have internet tv streaming. MioTV, anyone? I was wondering if this could prove an alternative if they can include in a dedicated anime channel or something (yes. raws or subs in HD, SD watever) with animes that was aired recently (say..3months ago? )At a fixed monthly price+ addon fee for recording and the channel itself..I still find it acceptable. This is possible one way that an anime could be available to our anime lovers. Whats your opinion?
Marketing - Perhaps our distro lacks the budget to even market their products but yea, if your quality is not even par, marketing will make it worse. Publicity and more awareness of the community and the interests are definitely necessary. Even I will be swayed if lets say…an advertisement of Kanon with a beautiful Ayu boxart is shown on the screen (you know what I am saying, dont you?).
Censorship -This is something that I cant really suggest to improve on. I bet animes like Higurashi will get censored until so much that it might end up becoming a just a mere loli anime.
‘Nuff rants from me if think it that way. It is just some random thoughts from a sick man here. It is either I forsee the whole community becoming bleachtards/narutards or the community dying off.
As for blogging of the animes, I guess I will stick to those that are not in the list stated by the authorities
On a sidenote, I have added a few blogs on my blogroll as well.
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August 1st, 2007 at 10:54 pm #suguru
It’s hard to believe anyone can sell VCDs these days at all–how many people really can’t play DVDs? Hell, in the US you can get a DVD player for $29 at Wal-Mart, which isn’t much more than the DVDs themselves cost. It can’t be that much cheaper to manufacture a VCD versus a DVD either…I can’t imagine what Odex is thinking. As much as I hate some of the crap R1 anime distributors pull, I genuinely feel bad for fans in Singapore that are stuck with Odex.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:10 am #TedFox
Apparently, from people who were fined and talked to Odex, the clampdown was insisted on by Tokyo TV. -shrugs-
And anime in japan is far from cheap either.
I think the biggest reason for availability, is that the Japan companies don’t allow for the release of the DVDs for new series until after a certain duration.
All in all, I find it hard to think of any good solution. the community is doomed.
August 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 am #Anya
First, I’m not from SG, but I believe my suggestion will be valid. There are cheap solutions for your ISP and other anti-piracy groups to become blind of what you’re downloading or who you are. You’ve heard of anonymizers, programs with revolving proxies that let you stay anonymous while surfing, but there are even better solutions, for example Relakks (https://www.relakks.com/?cid=gb) - a darknet service that gives you a new IP, hides ALL of your traffic info from your ISP, it even releases you from packet filtering (for example BT filtering) because of this. 6 EUR (13 SGD) a month if you pay with PayPal, 5 EUR if you pay with your credit card directly. It’s a great service if you want to stay anonymous all times, wherever on the net you are.
But just so you won’t think I’m pimping this out of my own benefit, no. I’m just kind of tired of all the whining on this ODEX issue when there are cheap workarounds for such obstacles. And let’s face it, even if they were offering anime at acceptable quality, speed and prices you wouldn’t be able to purchase as much as you watch with fansubs, nor would you be able to stay a hardcore anime fan.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:23 am #oOgA
hmmm…true if u are really hardcore anime fan but ya..the animes I watch myself arent much either. (subjective)so your last reasoning doesnt really hold true for me.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:21 am #KenMcGormick
there are instances when search wiki and found out that malaysia’s tv3 are showing some anime that even odex havent publish in Singapore… totally pissed me off…
August 4th, 2007 at 10:16 pm #xXMikotoNakadaiXx
Tis’ truely a sad time for anime fans in Singapore. ):
Luckily I live in California…
August 6th, 2007 at 2:36 pm #Hiyuu
This will only serve to keep Singaporeans UNexposed to culture.
Lets say we’re die hard fans willing to pay $. Then what? import DVDs from Japan (and pay Singapore Tax -.-) THEN what will those illiterate to the Japanese language do? If that’s the case, they might as well stick to watching IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT and re-runs of WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
Okay so ODEX has some stuff. Like you said, bad quality, unavailability, and more. If possible I’d GLADLY buy (1) Japanese voice (2) English subbed (3) R-21 the animes if they have to (like Higurashi no Naku Koro ni + Kai & Elfen Lied). THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A 5 second SHOT OF PINK N1P**ES. R-21 MOVIES SHOW MORE. speaking of which, i think it’s ok if hentai isn’t brought in. very little hentai (in %) is exported out of Japan anyway, compared to contemporary TV anime.
Honestly die hard anime fans & bloggers would be willing to buy the DVDs, I’m pretty sure of that. Those that only watch Naruto & Bleach “cuz-it’s-cool-to-watch” can go cry in a corner if they’re not willing to pay. If i had the means, I’d BUY DVDs of every anime i downloaded. Against copyright laws, I don’t see why that is a crime (it’s just like how u can buy mp3 off the net, then put it into your mp3 player. I’ll buy the DVD, then get the subbed version since subbers don’t mind doing work for free, and put it into my HDD. It’s the same thing. Where are the public rights lawyerS!)
Tsk. What a pain. ramble ramble, ODEX isn’t gonna read this anyway. Lets peacefully stage a protest.