Continuing to draw in viewers with the strength of its programming and command of all things anime, Anime Network has reached a new distribution milestone. America’s #1 anime channel is now available to 40 million homes across the United States and Canada-a 233% increase and more than three times its reach in less than two years. (more…)
Newtype USA, the leading anime magazine in North America, once again scoops all the other anime publications with the exclusive debut of Gothicmade, the latest project from The Five Star Stories creator Mamoru Nagano. With an eye-popping cover and an in-depth story about this innovative new anime, the September issue of Newtype USA is a must-read for any anime fan! (more…)
A popular theme in anime is to tap into the supernatural and unknown! Monsters and demons, magic, the spirit realm, mythology… all the fun stuff! So this week, enjoy a healthy dose of the supernatural with Manga Entertainment! Choose from great new titles like Karas, Noein, and Tactics! And of course, all your old favorites are also available! (more…)
Fans are flocking to Toonami Jetstream to get free on-demand, full-length streaming episodes of their favorite action and anime series. Toonami Jetstream, a joint venture between Cartoon Network and VIZ Media, achieved more than 9.5 million video streams since launching on July 14. In the first four weeks since the launch, Toonami Jetstream has attracted an average of more than 725,000 unique visitors per week. (more…)
Looking to buy from Ebay? Take a look at this article Ebay: Telling The Difference Between Bootlegs and Legitimate DVDs.
Who are we dealing with?
As Anime increasingly makes it’s presence in the United States, bootleggers and private individuals are finding many ways to seek profit and personal gain by taking advantage of people involved in this phenomenon.
So who has the right to release Anime?
To get things started, as many people already know, eBay is a great place to find deals unimagined compared to retail stores. But when is a deal too good to be true to make you suspicious of the credibility of the item you buy? If one was to type in and search “Anime DVD”, 95% of all the items you see are most likely bootlegs. For those who do not know what bootlegs are, they are DVDs containing content released by a person/company who/that does not possess the licensing agreement to distribute it. In other words, anyone who does not have rights or a license to an Anime, may not be allowed to freely take that content and sell it legally. Next, how can one tell the difference between bootlegs and legit DVDs?
One, Two, or Three? What is the correct number?
Most of the time an Anime DVD contains around 3 to 4 episodes. So in other words, if it is a 26 episode Anime, you would expect (generally) 6 to 7 DVDs. Most 13 episode Anime series contain 4 DVDs. This is one of the most obvious things to know when looking to buy Anime DVDs. When there are 3 DVDs for something that is 26 episodes or 1 or 2 DVDs for 13 episodes series, then most likely it is bootlegged. Although there are times where some DVDs contain 5 episodes. But knowing the Region Code of the DVD should be the next thing to understand.
There should only be ONE type of DVD…right?
There are 8 Regions for DVDs including Region 0 or Region Free to Region 7. For example, Region 1 is North America, Canada. Region 2 is Japan and so forth. The Region to look out for when trying to distinguish the different between bootlegs and real DVDs is “Region 0″ or “Region Free.” This is the Hong Kong Regional Code. When you see an Anime DVD that says Region 0 or Region Free, 99.9% of the time it is a bootleg. However, there are Region 0 films that are NOT bootleg (exp. Initial D:LA). But when it comes down to Anime, avoid buying any of them that has to do with Region 0/Free. So why is Region 2,3,4 brought in? That is because people may mistaken for example, region 2 and 4 as bootleg. For North American people, buy ONLY Region 1! Next subject is the language package.
A language barrier?
If there is Chinese subtitles in a DVD, then chances are it is a bootleg. Most simply it is because Region 1 DVDs are Billingual or sometimes Trillingual and subtitles are usually just English. Just remember to avoid Chinese subtitles DVDs. Next point is the artwork of the DVD.
“Covering” the truth
Most of the time, the company that license an Anime will have an artwork that is universally seen at all stores. To find what the REAL artwork looks like go to sites such as Deepdiscountdvds.com, Rightstuf.com, or www.animeondvd.com. So before buying the DVD, make sure you can compare the artwork the person is selling with a trusted store. Even Bestbuy’s website will help you with this because there are no stores (other than pawn shops and second hand stores) that will sell bootlegs. Also in most cases, bootleg DVDs do not copy the DVD artwork from legitiment DVDs. Final point is, be careful of the price.
Truth or a lie?
Most people have probably heard the saying, Iif it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. Well, it’s the same thing when it comes to eBay. If at any point you think the price is way too good, have your doubts in mind. If anything, ask the person who is selling questions about the item. Do not be afraid to be blunt with how to talk to them. Bootleg dealers will find any way to get you to think what they sell if real by saying “factory sealed” and such. But in reality, anyone can “factory seal” a set of DVDs with plastic wrappers and a hairdryer.
Main Idea of this Rant?! - Why am I writing all this? Because many people are not realizing that they are buying bootlegs. I have checked out many feedbacks of bootleg sellers to see how almost everyone thanked the seller but saying like “I didn’t expect it to be foriegn” or “DVD quality is bad”. These replies are from people who are ignorant of what they are really buying until it is too late. Thank you for reading all of this and I hoped it contributed to being part of something you did not know.
Closing Statement(s) - There are many ways to fight the spread of bootlegs, but it can only start with the next person: the person you inform.
Things are moving back in place as I post a review of Manga Entertainment’s Tactics Volume 1. Those who are fans of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok cannot miss this!
Synopsis
Meet supernatural sleuth and writer Kantaro Ichinomiya. Kantaro spends his days traveling the Japanese countryside, fighting demons and writing about his adventures in hopes of finding the resting place of the mysterious Demon-Eating Goblin. During a trip to the countryside, Kantaro finds himself face-to-face with the creature he’s been searching for since childhood. Will Haruka the Demon-Eating Goblin join Kantaro’s band of supernatural adventurers? Can Haruka peacefully coexist with fox demon Yoko, heiress Suzu Edogawa, Sugino the White Goblin and his wife Muuchan? Will Kantaro be able to solve feudal Japan’s growing demon problem AND finish his book by his editor’s deadline? Find out in Volume One of Tactics!
Review
I knew from the moment I pressed play that there was something familiar with this anime. Of course, I thought about just about everything that I have seen that has left a mark on me and it came to me that Tactics is very similar to Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok. From the way the characters look to the opening and closing themes. The similarities are visually there. So if you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok then you should enjoy Tactics as they flow alike (and the reason for the similarities was the results from Studio DEEN). We are still searching ‘mysteries,’ and the only major difference is that the time setting has a huge gap. But enough with the Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok comparisons as Tactics has its own unique aspects as well. For one, it manages to hold its own when it comes to characters that have a growing effect on you.
Kantaro Ichinomiya was a unique child growing up; he had the ability to see things other kids could not. Because of his ability he was almost an outcast. He tried to tell people that his ghoul friends existed, but nobody believed him. One day, as he and his spirit friends were playing and talking, the name Demon-Eating Goblin was brought up. It was said that the Demon-Eating Goblin was the most powerful of all, with that said, Kantaro was intrigued and from that day on has followed his path to find his Haruka.
As stated earlier, the characters have a growing effect on you. In the beginning, Kantaro’s character has a habit of making you assume that he is one of those silent type, keep everything to himself kind of characters, but as it turns out, he is actually quite the conversation starter. Yoko, the fox is the usual nagging, but cute ‘friend’ of Kantaro and the rest of the characters are unique in their own way, hence it makes this piece of anime that much better. I really liked the blend of personalities as it works very well when mixed up together. You pretty much get a little bit of here, and a little bit of there, never too much, and never to little. So it is quite hard to find yourself hating on anybody in the show, due to the fact that it is so balanced.
Since we are speaking about characters, then we might as well go into how great the designs are for this show. The lovely animation and details really bring out the life of Tactics. It is like one of the episodes that is featured in volume one where the mannequin comes to life, the characters come to life as the animation is one of the best I have seen so far. But please do keep in mind that animation is not all Tactics has to offer, in the acoustics department, the show slaps you with a few nice beats, and if both the animation and sound does not get to you (usually its not enough for the average fan :P) then the plot will definitely open your eyes and drag you into the world of Tactics.
The Breakdown
What is great about Tactics is that it is a joy to watch. It is a show that is balanced on all fronts and as a result of this balance the interest for the show never seems to fade away. If you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok and could not get enough of that show, then Tactics can pretty much fill your need for more.
Newtype USA, the leading anime magazine in North America, offers yet another incredible lineup of exclusive features, awesome inserts and in-depth reviews in its August 2006 issue. With eleven eye-popping features, including Fullmetal Alchemist, My-HiME, BLEACH and Gundam SEED Destiny, Newtype USA is the perfect way to beat the heat in these dog days of summer! (more…)