I read an interesting article this afternoon regarding the crisis with anime sales in the United States, and finally some within the industry are beginning to shed some light on the problem. For those that are unaware of the situation, japanese manga and japanese anime have become wildly popular in the United States. Some argue that it's popularity is doing it in: Many viewers are turning to illegal sources in order to get their anime fix. Sites such as Veoh.com, Youtube.com and CrunchyRoll.com are streaming anime for your viewing pleasure. After all, why do I have to wait three years when I can see my Naruto episodes now?
Anime Piracy is a growing problem and it is beginning to kill the industry. With no way to stream manga (manga is streamed online by posting images of the content, but really it is much too difficult to sit there and scan every page of the manga volume), the manga industry has thrived in the United States, but DVD sales of anime titles are falling drastically. The Tokyo International Anime Fair Identified a few key problems:
- Pressure from Illegal Alternatives (Youtube, Crunchroll, Veoh)
- Lack of nimbleness from the Anime Industry
- Tighter security methods to stop illegal activities (stop streaming)
- Education on internet ettiquette
I think acknowledging a couple of the issues is a "positive step" for the industry, however I strongly feel that they are not understanding the ultimate impact illegal downloading has on the industry itself.
The pressure is very real from illegal sources. Why go to the store and buy Naruto DVDs when I can see the series for free? Also, why wait for Naruto episodes (wait three years) when I can go get it now? This is the key problem; anime is just not available as the world wide web. On the WWW, I can get anime anywhere at anytime I want. For DVDs I have to wait for release dates. It makes perfect logical sense that I would go get the anime elsewhere, and I think the industry is acting lethargic in putting pressure on japanese regulations to get the stuff "out of Japan" and into the world quicker. So one can really say that it is the fault of the industry that they are losing money, and I would agree. I would also agree that the industry is losing money because of pirates.
Pirates are those who are uploading (and sometimes fansubbing) anime content to sites such as Crunchyroll.com, Veoh.com and Youtube.com. This anime is then streamed and visible to every single person on this planet, if they chose to go look for it. I am less likely to go purchase Naruto DVDs if I have seen the entire series online. What makes matters worse is that I can download these videos from these streaming websites and have them for my 24/7 access. (For me personally, I want a high quality copy and you can rarely get those online, so I make an effort to purchase DVDs, whether Japanese or American). All of the blame cannot be put solely on the industry. Fans need to change their habits too if the industry is to begin to thrive again. I think people may be trying to change, but quickly give up because "when you poke the industry with a stick, it will not respond".
Should I say shame on downloaders? yeah you are killing the industry. I say shame on illegal viewers as well, but I wouldn't harshly criticize due to the industry's failure to distribute anime. I also say shame on the industry for stated reasons, shame on everybody for not making this all work. We still have a lot of work to do, and the starting grounds need to be laid by the industry.
Anime Piracy is a growing problem and it is beginning to kill the industry. With no way to stream manga (manga is streamed online by posting images of the content, but really it is much too difficult to sit there and scan every page of the manga volume), the manga industry has thrived in the United States, but DVD sales of anime titles are falling drastically. The Tokyo International Anime Fair Identified a few key problems:
- Pressure from Illegal Alternatives (Youtube, Crunchroll, Veoh)
- Lack of nimbleness from the Anime Industry
- Tighter security methods to stop illegal activities (stop streaming)
- Education on internet ettiquette
I think acknowledging a couple of the issues is a "positive step" for the industry, however I strongly feel that they are not understanding the ultimate impact illegal downloading has on the industry itself.
The pressure is very real from illegal sources. Why go to the store and buy Naruto DVDs when I can see the series for free? Also, why wait for Naruto episodes (wait three years) when I can go get it now? This is the key problem; anime is just not available as the world wide web. On the WWW, I can get anime anywhere at anytime I want. For DVDs I have to wait for release dates. It makes perfect logical sense that I would go get the anime elsewhere, and I think the industry is acting lethargic in putting pressure on japanese regulations to get the stuff "out of Japan" and into the world quicker. So one can really say that it is the fault of the industry that they are losing money, and I would agree. I would also agree that the industry is losing money because of pirates.
Pirates are those who are uploading (and sometimes fansubbing) anime content to sites such as Crunchyroll.com, Veoh.com and Youtube.com. This anime is then streamed and visible to every single person on this planet, if they chose to go look for it. I am less likely to go purchase Naruto DVDs if I have seen the entire series online. What makes matters worse is that I can download these videos from these streaming websites and have them for my 24/7 access. (For me personally, I want a high quality copy and you can rarely get those online, so I make an effort to purchase DVDs, whether Japanese or American). All of the blame cannot be put solely on the industry. Fans need to change their habits too if the industry is to begin to thrive again. I think people may be trying to change, but quickly give up because "when you poke the industry with a stick, it will not respond".
Should I say shame on downloaders? yeah you are killing the industry. I say shame on illegal viewers as well, but I wouldn't harshly criticize due to the industry's failure to distribute anime. I also say shame on the industry for stated reasons, shame on everybody for not making this all work. We still have a lot of work to do, and the starting grounds need to be laid by the industry.
original source- http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20080411TDY13002.htm
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