Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! - Region Lock Stock & Barrel
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nargun
Posts: 930 |
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Here's an interesting part of the australian copyright act.
But seriously, just watch Dennou Coil. It's awesome. Awesomer than everything you're missing out on. |
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Barachem
 Posts: 54 |
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Yep, streaming is the way to go for shows, but as long as they keep things region locked and rather have me not use proxies to watch their streams, why would i ever want to watch streams?
Especially if i can better entertainment on YouTube and other streaming sites where region locks are only occasionally a problem. Most underappreciated manga/anime title eh? I'd say that's Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru in anime form. While at times a bit dull and too odd, it had a refreshing tone and it was different enough for a comedy to stand out. Yes, it had to grow on me a bit, but once it did, i was hooked. I enjoyed the ride. Why underappreciated? Well, it didn't get the attention other series got at that time. Runner-up: Princess Jellyfish Was also a nice series, but it wasn't refreshing enough and was more in the picture. |
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ss-hikaru
 Posts: 269 Location: Western Australia |
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But you said spoil away!!! Ahh that question about proxies was mine, and I must admit I don't remember reading any previous answerman columns addressing it, anyone able to give me a link to it?
I plan to! Since I subscribe to Siren's streaming service, I think it'll be available to me as one of the 'catalogue titles' that are included in the package. |
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writerpatrick
 Posts: 685 Location: Canada |
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The most ridiculous region lock is the way broadcast US stations block their streaming in Canada, even though those stations and shows are legally available and watchable in Canada. They'll even block promos and clips of the shows. Most anime isn't a problem but there are a few such as Tiger and Bunny that are blocked.
If DVDs had English and French subtitles they were serve about 80% of the world so it's worth having them for international sales. Even those countries that don't have English or French as a primary language often have one of them as a second language. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population) Even if you want to ignore the 300 million in the US, there's over a billion in India (although I can't say they all speak English, but it is common there). French isn't quite as common. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_speaking_countries) The one thing that's always bugged me about Crunchyroll is the way they made their name by stealing fansubs. Although if they're now paying proper licensing fees one can't really complain about a fee. But the big problem now are all the download services that make their money knowing that it's coming mainly from people using their services for illegal material. We use to consider it a joke to say that so-and-so dies at the end. But it's because people want to avoid spoilers that they go to the midnight showings. |
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Farix
 Posts: 152 |
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I'm one of these few people who think that the number of actual spoilers is few and far between. And even most of those are short lived as they become part of the public conscious. In fact, knowing many such plot details actually enhance your enjoyment of the work. For example, knowing the people behind the screen names in Durarara! adds a whole new level to the chat room scenes than if you don't know who they are.
I also get annoyed with "spoiler warnings" and such. To me, these warnings are the result of a form of paranoia that has infested the internet were you cannot discuss a plot detail without giving such a warning. On top of that, the warnings act more to entice someone to learn about the plot detail then it does to steer them away from it. And most of the time, the plot details that is being reveled is innocuous, or slightly annoying at worst. But if someone's enjoyment of a story hinges on not knowing a particular plot twist, then that is an example of poor writing/plot construction on the part of the story's creator. |
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varmintx
 Posts: 1240 Location: Covington, KY |
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The fact that Japanese companies haven't jumped all over the chance to sell their over-priced blu-rays to North America with English subtitle tracks boggles my mind. Really, importing is so much easier these days, the subtitle tracks themselves don't cost all that much (relatively speaking), the discs are the same region, and there is a large contingent of fans eager for releases that won't be making their way over here.
The only thing I can think of is that they're hoping for a bigger pay day from the title getting licensed and they think selling their discs with subtitles could hamper that...which I find hard to believe. |
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Sceleris
Posts: 43 Location: Sweden |
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There is no such thing as a statute of limitations for [major plot/experience altering] spoilers. Anime fans (at least the good kind
 ) often watch older works, and through Daryl Surat et al we know that there actually are anime fans (or at least con goers) who haven't watched, say, Akira and Cowboy Bebop. It's not very nice to deprive newer fans of a fresh experience. Spoil responsibly, folks!
If it were someone's sole enjoyment perhaps, but it's not strange that elements of surprise, suspense and uncertainty play a large part in emotional responses even in well-crafted stories. A build-up can't really muster up tension when the result is known in advance, at least for me. (Then again, I'm a real wimp when it comes to spoilers. I even dislike to know how people feel about endings -- because saying that something is the "saddest ending ever" does put limits on possible developments...) |
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N.R.
Posts: 232 |
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Actually, in the last year or so I see more and more Japanese BD releases that have English subtitles in Japan! These are still few and far between but they are steadily growing in number. I can't remember all I saw but here are examples of Japanese BDs with English subtitles I know of:
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie - Black Rock Shooter - Gundam Unicorn - Read or Die - Garden of Sinners - Lucky Star Quite a nice collection, don't you think
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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gerbilx
Posts: 138 |
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I do not comprehend The Answerman's reaction to English subtitles on Japanese anime releases. Most fansub groups can subtitle an episode in a matter of hours, with less typos than your typical Section23 release. So long as a bilingual writer and speaker was on hand for a Japanese company, it would not be difficult to subtitle a show or movie.
Also, his American DVD analogy is a specious example. American DVDs/BRs do not have a plethora of languages on them because a large amount of the world can understand the English language. Just about every American buys DVDs/BRs. They are not a niche market, and have substantially less incentive to increase revenues by a small percentage. However, a very small amount of the world knows Japanese, and anime even in Japan is a niche market, and the extra revenues from importing would be a more notable increase. Basically, comparing all DVDs/BRs that all Americans buy and that many foreigners can understand against the small niche of anime DVDs/BRs that few out of Japan can understand is silly. While only a small amount of imports for the more obscure animes would probably happen if they did this, I certainly think that it would be enough to justify the week or so of work that it would take to subtitle a release in English. |
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varmintx
Posts: 1240 Location: Covington, KY |
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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I'm confused by Brian's answer to the subtitle question as well, but for a different reason. For example, there are subs for Nichijou made. They exist already. And Kadokawa owns them, or at least has easy access to them (I would assume), so they don't have to go out and pay to make new ones. Why don't they put them on the BDs? That's the part that annoys me.
Japan waits until they release 200-400 dollar box sets and THEN add whatever subtitles or dubs there are to entice importers, instead of putting them on the $70 a month singles. Hell, there were no preexisting legal subs for Dog Days, but that's getting a dozen different kind of tracks, but other companies can't use premade ones? Sheesh. |
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einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
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Re: the 3rd question, is it okay if I plug my project for creating a database of import anime releases with English subtitles?
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ljaesch
Posts: 299 Location: Enumclaw, WA |
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I would love to see all three Space Battleship Yamato series released on Blu-ray in Japan with English subtitles, because it's pretty much guaranteed that Voyager will never release the original uncut series in North America. My husband has said on several occasions that if this were to ever happen, we would find a way to get the money and import such releases for Space Battleship Yamato, since the US shares the same Blu-ray region code as Japan.
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Saturn
 Posts: 513 |
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The problem with Japan releasing titles with English subtitles (and expecting to draw the overseas fans) is that it would need to be older titles that are out of print/were never released in America. There'd be some interest in that, because people who have been waiting for 20 years for something would be more willing to fork over cash than someone who's been waiting 2 months. Super-niche shows would work too: things that would never be released here in a blue moon.
And the money in Japan to make fancy releases of these things? Not a lot. Series that are currently being released and are popular overseas, not so much: if there's a good chance it's going to be out here, priced more to American tastes, not that many people are going to bite. Take for example Tiger & Bunny: has a lot of super enthusiastic fans, has an English-subbed bluray release, but ask most of those fans and they'll say they're waiting for the American release so that they can save money (presumably to spend on Tiger & Bunny figures). On a different topic, the person who had a friend say "oh, [major character] isn't dead yet" about Geass reminds me of a former friend of mine: her: What Harry Potter are you on? me: Just started book 5. (*and totally avoiding all HP stuff on the internet, because I started reading after book 7 came out*) her: Oh, so spoiler[ Fred's ] not dead yet. -_- |
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