.The Anime Industry.

It has brought us the anime we have come to love, starting for many of us with Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and other anime. For many of us, this was at a young age when we would sit in front of the TV and watch this favorite cartoon of ours even before we knew it was anime.

As for myself, I dove into other anime that came on TV such as Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, InuYasha, Gundam, and other anime that came on Toonami and Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network channel. That was all I had growing up was a TV and cable. My family couldn't afford internet access until I was in the eight grade. (I did have a computer, lmao.) I never thought that merely watching something on a site like youtube (and others of the like) would harm anything! It was free. It saved my family money. It was anime. So, what is the big deal?

When you watch programs on the TV, the money that you or your family pays for the TV service is taken and distributed out to the program providers. That is how they earn their money, as well as selling merchandise. However, when someone is watching something on a free website like YouTube (and of the like), no money what so ever is circulated back to the industry, thus they do not make any money at all.

So, what if it's a website that asks for money in order to watch anime? I can almost guarantee that you are not paying money that will circulate back to the industry. On top of that, why would you waste money to watch something on the computer when you can just go out and buy it and watch it over and over again at your leisure?

Back to money circulation. The Japanese anime industry feeds off of our (American) industry as well as their own. They make money when our industry makes money. All this means is, when you buy anime the money is circulated to the American anime industry, but also to the Japanese industry. So, if our industry doesn't make any money, then neither does the Japanese anime industry.

No one ever said you had to actually buy the anime to keep for yourself (dvds/boxsets), especially if it's something you've never seen before. As we have probably all experienced, anime can be a little weird sometimes. Previews are essential! That does not mean go and watch the entire anime series on YouTube. That is not a preview. That is stealing. Yes, stealing.

So, how does one preview anime without stealing it? Movie rental stores carry more anime now than they used to that you can rent for a small price. Places like Netflicks are a really good places to rent anime, too. You don't even have to get out of your computer chair to do so! Isn't that awesome? You can even buy anime episodes from iTunes. Since we're talking previews, have you ever thought about borrowing anime from your friends? That is one way to preview something. In the extras section of most DVDs there usually is a preview option, but most people skip over that part. In the first Fullmetal Alchemist DVD, in the extras section you could watch the entire first episode of Spiral. Unfortunately, with the lack of funds, it is rare to find a full episode like that. Even fun stuff like commentaries and bloopers have to be cut out because of the lack of money--I can not stress enough.

Many complaints I have heard is that anime is "expensive". I really actually wonder how many of these people have actually seen the prices. Full boxsets that used to be about $100.00 are about $50.00. Individual DVDs that used to be about $20.00 are about $15.00. Some stores that sell online too, will sell for a little cheaper if you buy online. You don't even have to leave your comfortable chair to buy it. How about that?

Look at this! [link]
$5.00 for Ah My Goddess. There is NO excuses for anime being "expensive".

Buying online is simple, quick, and easy to do, however certain sites that sell anime shouldn't be bought from. Ebay, for example. Most of the anime they sell is bootleg. Meaning it's not the real deal, and the money you are giving the seller does not go to the industry. Sites that are good to trust are:
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Other huge complaints are:
"My anime won't come to the States."
"English dubs suck."
"America screws everything up! Look at One Piece!"
(Shall, I add any more?)

Your anime may not come to the States, but that doesn't justify watching it illegally. If anything, you can go into a karaoke shop and buy one of those Region Free DVD players. (You can get one at: [link] Then buy your anime directly from Japan. (Is there is an "English subtitle" option on most Japanese [anime] DVDs? I think there is, but I want to make sure.)

Your opinion is yours to keep, but dubbing is so much better than it used to be in the 80's and 90's. If English dubs "sucking" to you, is your opinion, then you can always just change the setting on your DVD to Japanese with English subtitles. On every anime DVD that I own, there is that option.

[I need a lot more information before I try and answer this complaint.]

[b]Here are some sources that I used to find this information:[/b]
Active Anime:
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Anime News Network:
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This entire thing was inspired by my love of anime, but most of all by Greg Ayres: the person who brought all of this to my attention at MTAC Infinity (2008).