The Revolution Is Here, The Revolution Is Online

Piracy is killing the entertainment industry! That's what we constantly hear nowadays, with file sharing and illicit downloads being cited as the prime reason why the entertainment industry is losing money hand over fist. It's reached the point where companies are now lobbying governments to ignore civil rights and snoop on internet users to see what they are doing, and cut off those they deem as acting illicitly. It's one reason why digital content is so loaded with DRM and copyright that companies practically dictate what you watch or listen to, and how you do so. At the same time, the same companies are still making billions in profits, and some even claim that file sharing helps in terms of word of mouth advertising.

It's hard to know what to believe. But one place that piracy has a visible effect is in the anime industry. In recent years the downturn has been tangible, with companies pushed to the edge and even going out of business. It looks rosy right now, with more anime available than ever before, but that masks an inherent decay at the heart of the system, a sign that the good times are coming to an end. The reasons for this are manifold, with a rapid expansion at the start of the decade seeming ill advised in hindsight, as the anime DVD boom just hasn't maintained. This hasn't been helped by inflated prices for new licences by Japanese companies looking to cash in on its Western success. The DVD distribution model has significant problems, leading to the knockout combo of fansubbing, time to market, and a significant fanbase that sees no inherent value in the commodity.

It's ironic that fansubbers who practically started the anime industry in the West, the people who would find new shows, painstakingly translate and subtitle them, and distribute them on VHS and spread the news through word of mouth, are the same people who are now knocking a nail into the anime coffin, but fansubbing has changed. Fansubbers now get the raw video hours if not minutes after first broadcast, and there will be a fansubbed version of a new episode online not long after. The difference being that whereas originally it was just a few videos changing hands, now it's millions of people clicking on the internet. That compares with the DVD production cycle of up to a year. Companies have to negotiate for licences, set up contracts, hire a cast and crew to dub the show, and author the DVDs. We in the UK will see the shows a year or more further down the line, if at all. With such proliferation of anime on the Internet, and most of it for free, it's unsurprising that fans think of anime as a right, rather than a commodity. Why pay for something that is only a click away? It's telling that a show like Naruto is considered a success in the UK if its DVDs sell into the five figures. Compare that to the new Naruto Shippuden series. When the series debuted in Japan, the first episode was quickly fansubbed and online. Within 24 hours it had attracted more than 10 million hits. It becomes clear that if the people who solely download anime bought the DVDs instead, it wouldn't be a niche interest.

Western distributors cottoned onto the problem quite a while back, and have been selling anime digitally for some time now. Companies like Funimation offer free streams of first episodes to serve as tasters for their series. But it isn't enough. There needs to be a sea change at grass roots level, in Japan. Contrary to popular belief, anime isn't ubiquitous in Japan. In fact it's almost as niche as it is here. The difference of course is that fans get to see their shows on television, can sample them before buying. Even still, said shows will be aired in the middle of the night at graveyard spots, and companies get their money back from the sales of overpriced DVDs and merchandise targeting the hardcore collectors. £30 for a two-episode disc is the norm rather than the exception, and it puts UK prices in perspective. Japanese entertainment industries are like sleeping monoliths, slow to change and set in their ways. It's only recently that they have realised that their income stream from overseas sales needs to be protected. And now moves are afoot to change the face of anime distribution forever. Gonzo Digimation, the studio behind shows like Samurai 7 and Gantz, Trinity Blood and Basilisk, is taking a step into the brave new world of online distribution. There have been legal anime available online before, but what makes this so exciting is that for the first time it is instantaneous, beating the fansubbers at their own game. The minute that the show airs in Japan, it's online for non-Japanese audiences, with English subtitles. No more waiting, no more searching for bit-torrents.

Right now it's a bold experiment, with just two shows being distributed in this way. You can watch the shows streamed for free, or you can buy the legal downloads. Taking a leaf from Radiohead's book, you can specify your own price as well. It makes a pleasant change from those companies that rely on litigation to protect their product. The idea is that the creators get some recompense for their work through downloads and advertising, fans get to sample the shows that they may eventually purchase on DVD, and everyone's happy. What's absolutely stunning is that Gonzo are in effect working with the 'enemy', offering multiple channels to access their shows. One of those channels is through Crunchyroll, a website that has flourished through hosting fansubbed material.

The two shows are The Tower of Druaga -the Aegis of URUK- and BLASSREITER.

The Tower of Druaga -the Aegis of URUK- English site
Youtube
BostTV
Crunchyroll

BLASSREITER English Site
Youtube
BostTV
Crunchyroll

So support your global anime industry. Keep it legal! And remember to keep an eye out for subsequent episodes.