Planet Rinda

What is Anime? Part Four

      Today my continuing post on anime will discuss where you can find your anime. Finding quality anime can be a problem faced by everyone from the seasoned otaku to the anime newbie. Collecting anime is an expensive hobby. Lack of licensing in the US can be frustrating. Downloading fansubs is compounded by legal issues. Despite these obstacles, access to Japanese anime is better these days than it ever was. There are many sources to choose from. So let’s explore a few of them.

     American fans can find a varied assortment of anime in the comfort of their own homes via their televisions. Anime Network is a cable and satellite channel devoted to anime. It’s available in both a standard channel and VOD (video on demand). Cartoon Network is a cable channel that incorporates anime along with more standard cartoon fare. It’s offerings run the gamut from anime geared towards children like Pokemon to more adult, and often more violent, shows like Bleach. SciFi Channel recently stepped into the anime playground with it’s new Monday night programming called Ani-Mondays, offering some classic animes and movies. You can even find anime alongside Saturday morning cartoons with shows like Teen Titans.

      While some fans prefer to own and collect their favorite anime, it is possible to rent titles. Sometimes you can find a good selection at your local library or video store. This is especially true of the anime movies, like Akira or all the great films by Hayao Miyazaki. Granted the titles available are generally limited locally, depending on where you live. You can increase your selection incredibly if you’re willing to expand your video rental to online video stores like NetFlix or Blockbuster. Both sites have a large selection of anime movies, series and OVA’s. Another source of online anime rental can be some of your favorite online merchants. Many actually rent anime, as well as sell it. For example, AnimeNation rents anime DVD’s through RentAnime.com. Also, Anime Takeout provides anime DVD rental as well as manga rental.

     Now for most hardcore Otaku, the selection and dubbing of cable TV just doesn’t cut it. And rental is good but they want to own it! There are numerous sources for buying anime. Local comics and collectible stores often carry anime merchandise and popular titles. Some will even special order whatever you want. There are also countless online merchants out there selling both licensed anime and imports of anime available only in Japan. Some of my personal favorites are AnimeNation, JList and AnimeCastle.

     Another option is for building your own personal anime collection are fansubs. Fansubs (short for fan-subtitled) are downloadable files of episodes and movies that you can watch on your computer or burn to disc to view at another time. With anime, these are Japanese versions that have been translated and subtitled by fans. These are made by fans for fans. They are not designed for sale by bootleggers. To discourage this, most will contain subtitles warning, “This is a free fansub: not for sale, rent, or EBay.” Titles available are usually those only licensed in Japan. Most fansub sites follow an unwritten code that says once an anime has been licensed in this country, distribution should stop. Despite this, fansubs are technically illegal. This is a complicated and lengthy discussion for another day. If you’re interested, my advice is investigate more on your own.

     Another grey area of anime viewing is streaming video. There are numerous sites available online to view episodes as well as anime movies. The same legal issues apply to most of these streaming videos. But if you’re interested, YouTube is great place to look for anime. Another good site is Anime Fever, which has both anime and manga online.

     Lastly, another source of anime is local anime clubs and conventions. Many anime clubs collect anime. They make it available to members as well as sponsoring anime nights with special viewings. Conventions, both anime and scifi/fantasy, oriented are great places to find anime as well as merchandise. Finding either a club or convention is fairly easy with the internet! Additionally, a great thing about both these options, is that they allow you to meet and mingle with other fans.

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