Anime fans - You do it to yourself. Stop pirating!

Today I have decided to tackle an issue that has haunted both anime licensing companies and true anime fans alike, today I am going to plead to the internet community to stop pirating anime. Now, I know this may come across as hypocritical coming from me because I am a moderator of a very active forum that promotes illegal comsumption of anime, while I do support the messageboard and it's members, I DO NOT support the act of illegally downloading or streaming copywrighted material. I want to start off by saying that often times I read posts on various messageboards about how someone is upset that a certain anime series or movie has yet to be dubbed and is not available in the United States, one of the biggest reasons for this is that there are numerous websites online that offer illegal streaming and downloading of both previously licensed anime and fansubbed anime that has yet to be picked up by a U.S company. Often times people will resort to logging on to these websites to watch their favorite series and by doing this they are slowly killing major distributers of anime in the United States because they are not reciving any money or profit from these websites who offer this service. When fans decide to do this instead of checking to see if it's on a website that is legally streaming the anime it makes it so that companies like FUNImation, Viz Media and Bandai can't reach out and spend the money to dub the series and bring it to the U.S for distribution, and therefore the fans who spend their hard earned money on DVD's and other merchandise are left with a limited supply of new anime being licensed each year. It isn't fair to the anime companies and it isn't fair to the fans who support them, so if you're reading this blog and you're currently downloading or streaming anime illegally, I ask you to please stop. There are alternate ways to watch anime besides visiting sites that are hosting these shows and hurting the industry.



Some alternative methods of watching anime free and legally would be to visit websites such as VizAnime.com, Crunchyroll.com, Hulu.com, 4Kids.com, FUNImation.com, Bandai.com, AnimeNetwork.com and other legal streaming sites out there, you could also buy your anime through retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and F.Y.E, plus there are multiple online retailers like Rightstuf.com and Amazon.com that offer a massive selections of anime and for reasonable prices. Even more ways to watch anime for fairly cheap would be to purchase episodes through iTunes or Zune Marketplace, you can also get many different series through Netflicks and other mail away rental services, some of which will even let you stream your picks from their website if you are a member. There is still a ton of anime being aired on television in the United States as well, networks like Cartoon Network, Nicktoons, Disney XD, SyFy and The CW air anime throughout the week and offer everything from toyetic anime to adult oriented anime that airs later at night, so there is definitely something for everyone. With all of these different options to check out some of your favorite classics or to find a new series I really don't see why seeking out anime illegally is such a popular method, I understand that money can be tight and all, especially with the way the economy has been in recent years, but with the ammount of ways you can legally check out anime on the web I can't justify people wanting to screw over the licensing companies that helped to bring these titles to you in the first place.



If you are reading this and still plan to illegally seek out anime on the web when you're through then shame on you, it's people like you that caused Viz Media to layoff a ton of employees in 2010, it's people like you that is the reason why the United States does not air much in the way of anime anymore, and lastly it's people like you that are the reason why people are having a hard time finding something new to sink their teeth into. The more you illegally stream and download your anime, the less new anime gets licensed, dubbed and released in the U.S, it's that simple. Thank you so much for ruining it for everyone else, in the end of the day you can watch anime a million times over and you still will never be a true anime fan no matter what you do until you plunk down your own hard earned cash to support the medium. Period.

As always I want to thank those who took the time to read my blog, it's much appreciated and you can always check me out at www.twitter.com/manga4life as well as TZ and JD.

Take care,
***Manga4life***