Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Waiting For Their Parents' Permission
Based on ICv2's two-part interview (via Dirk Deppey) with Viz Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dan Marks, it sounds like digital manga downloads are coming — sometime. First, though, Viz needs to do more research on how best to offer digital downloads of manga; and whatever method they decide on, it needs to be something agreeable to their Japanese parent companies. So legally downloading the most recent chapter of Bleach may still be a ways off. Oh well, at least they're working on it.
One of the things I found most interesting about the interview is how delicately Marks skirts around the issue of illegal downloads. He clearly thinks it's illegal and impacting Viz's business, but his attitude still comes across as rather gentle (almost admiring at times) towards the fansubbing and scanlation communities. I can appreciate that Marks doesn't want to offend potential customers, but it's still strange to me to read an interview with a VP who doesn't come out and directly tell pirates "STOP STEALING OUR PRODUCT ALREADY!!" Perhaps his "hate the sin, love the sinner" message will prove more effective than simply shouting at offenders, though: By praising them as eager fans who love the material so much they simply can't wait to get it, you flatter them and build up the work as irresistible; and by repeating the message that they may be angering the original creators, you hopefully appeal to their admiration/respect for the manga-ka to abide by their wishes in how the material is presented and distributed. (An approach which strongly reminds me of Tom Spurgeon's main argument against illegal downloading.)
Based on ICv2's two-part interview (via Dirk Deppey) with Viz Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Dan Marks, it sounds like digital manga downloads are coming — sometime. First, though, Viz needs to do more research on how best to offer digital downloads of manga; and whatever method they decide on, it needs to be something agreeable to their Japanese parent companies. So legally downloading the most recent chapter of Bleach may still be a ways off. Oh well, at least they're working on it.
One of the things I found most interesting about the interview is how delicately Marks skirts around the issue of illegal downloads. He clearly thinks it's illegal and impacting Viz's business, but his attitude still comes across as rather gentle (almost admiring at times) towards the fansubbing and scanlation communities. I can appreciate that Marks doesn't want to offend potential customers, but it's still strange to me to read an interview with a VP who doesn't come out and directly tell pirates "STOP STEALING OUR PRODUCT ALREADY!!" Perhaps his "hate the sin, love the sinner" message will prove more effective than simply shouting at offenders, though: By praising them as eager fans who love the material so much they simply can't wait to get it, you flatter them and build up the work as irresistible; and by repeating the message that they may be angering the original creators, you hopefully appeal to their admiration/respect for the manga-ka to abide by their wishes in how the material is presented and distributed. (An approach which strongly reminds me of Tom Spurgeon's main argument against illegal downloading.)
Labels: Illegal Downloading: Threat or Menace?, Manga, Viz
11:08 AM | |
Monday, October 01, 2007
Delayed Satisfaction of My Immediate Gratification
A follow-up to my post last week wondering when downloadable digital comics will become a standard: As I noted in the comments over at David Welsh's post discussing the idea, I think the concept of digital comics applies to more than just superhero comics. In fact, given how prevalent illegal downloading of manga scanlations seems to be, I think manga publishers might benefit from offering digital downloads even more than superhero publishers would. And I'll admit, I'd love to see the big manga publishers step up to the plate and leapfrog past Marvel and DC in this regard. Given Viz's success rolling out anime downloads and Tokyopop's interest in providing digital content, it seems like a natural extension of their strategies to provide legal downloads of their manga content. If manga publishers could make such downloads available quickly and cheaply, I imagine it would help reduce the number of people making and consuming unlicensed scanlations. One reason cited by fans for downloading such scanlations is that they just can't wait for the latest chapter of their favorite series to come out. If, for example, Viz could quickly turn around high-resolution translations of the latest chapters of Bleach and Naruto, perhaps even just rough translations of the material that would later be reworked for "official" publication in the magazine and eventual collections, it might be a nice alternative to scanlations for fans who really want their latest manga fix now. Of course, this wouldn't address those who download scanlations for other reasons, such as simply wanting things for free or objecting to the official translations offered by the publisher, but it would at least be a start.
My only caveat is that I would hope publishers offering comics for digital download all agree upon and use a single standard (preferably the .CBR format, but even PDF would do if that's seen as more universal). I'm sure each publisher would like to lock users into their proprietary format, but I really think that's a nuisance from the customer's perspective, and it would reduce the ability for publishers to offer their books through multiple venues, such as Amazon.com.
Related: Steve Rude has made the first two issues of his self-published Nexus series (the Free Comic Book Day offering and #99) available for free on Wowio. Said Rude in an interview:
A follow-up to my post last week wondering when downloadable digital comics will become a standard: As I noted in the comments over at David Welsh's post discussing the idea, I think the concept of digital comics applies to more than just superhero comics. In fact, given how prevalent illegal downloading of manga scanlations seems to be, I think manga publishers might benefit from offering digital downloads even more than superhero publishers would. And I'll admit, I'd love to see the big manga publishers step up to the plate and leapfrog past Marvel and DC in this regard. Given Viz's success rolling out anime downloads and Tokyopop's interest in providing digital content, it seems like a natural extension of their strategies to provide legal downloads of their manga content. If manga publishers could make such downloads available quickly and cheaply, I imagine it would help reduce the number of people making and consuming unlicensed scanlations. One reason cited by fans for downloading such scanlations is that they just can't wait for the latest chapter of their favorite series to come out. If, for example, Viz could quickly turn around high-resolution translations of the latest chapters of Bleach and Naruto, perhaps even just rough translations of the material that would later be reworked for "official" publication in the magazine and eventual collections, it might be a nice alternative to scanlations for fans who really want their latest manga fix now. Of course, this wouldn't address those who download scanlations for other reasons, such as simply wanting things for free or objecting to the official translations offered by the publisher, but it would at least be a start.
My only caveat is that I would hope publishers offering comics for digital download all agree upon and use a single standard (preferably the .CBR format, but even PDF would do if that's seen as more universal). I'm sure each publisher would like to lock users into their proprietary format, but I really think that's a nuisance from the customer's perspective, and it would reduce the ability for publishers to offer their books through multiple venues, such as Amazon.com.
Related: Steve Rude has made the first two issues of his self-published Nexus series (the Free Comic Book Day offering and #99) available for free on Wowio. Said Rude in an interview:
If you're thinking about giving me a shot, I'll make it as easy to buy my books as possible. If it just so happens that you like them, well, then everybody wins.And that's why he's known as "The Dude," ladies and gentlemen! I look forward to buying the eventual collections of Rude's self-published Nexus work, but for now I'm grateful it's made it so easy for me to keep up with the individual installments. ("The Dude" also makes it easy to buy individual issues directly through his website, in either digital or print format, so I might have to buy some actual floppies to show my support for his forward thinking and customer focus. Or maybe one of those signed Nexus Archives editions, on sale for only $34.95!) [Hat tip: Tom Spurgeon, who doesn't provide permalinks for his "Quick Hits" linkblogging posts.]
Labels: Idle Dreaming, Illegal Downloading: Threat or Menace?, Putting On My Pundit Hat
12:19 PM | |
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Waiting For The (Digital) Floppy
After playing around with Amazon's new MP3 store for the past 24 hours (and purchasing far too many singles as a result), I find myself pondering that age-old question that perpetually haunts the blogosphere: When will comic publishers provide a legal means for digitally downloading their product? Just as MP3 downloads make the single a viable format again, digital comic downloads could save the floppy (AKA, single issue) from extinction. One of my main beefs with the floppy format is how awkward it is to store, but digital downloads would eliminate that issue. I imagine I'd be much more willing to try out comics I wouldn't otherwise read if I could download them quickly, conveniently, and cheaply. For example, I've heard good things about DC's new The Brave & The Bold series, and that's something I'd be willing to sample for a fair price (somewhere under a buck). As it is, I don't have convenient access to a comic shop, so it's not something I'm going to actively seek out. I suppose I could always check out the eventually collection from the library, but by then the buzz on the book may be gone and I'll probably forget about it. Which brings me to another point: allowing for digital downloads would be a great way to capitalize on fans' tendency to impulse buy. I know back when I did make regular trips to the comic shop, I always ended up leaving with more than I planned on getting when I went in, because who can resist all those colorful covers? Imagine how wild comic fans would go if a huge library of titles were only a mouse click away?
I'm sure there are several thorny issues that give publishers pause, but after gorging myself at Amazon's MP3 buffet, I really think the benefits would outweigh the risks.
After playing around with Amazon's new MP3 store for the past 24 hours (and purchasing far too many singles as a result), I find myself pondering that age-old question that perpetually haunts the blogosphere: When will comic publishers provide a legal means for digitally downloading their product? Just as MP3 downloads make the single a viable format again, digital comic downloads could save the floppy (AKA, single issue) from extinction. One of my main beefs with the floppy format is how awkward it is to store, but digital downloads would eliminate that issue. I imagine I'd be much more willing to try out comics I wouldn't otherwise read if I could download them quickly, conveniently, and cheaply. For example, I've heard good things about DC's new The Brave & The Bold series, and that's something I'd be willing to sample for a fair price (somewhere under a buck). As it is, I don't have convenient access to a comic shop, so it's not something I'm going to actively seek out. I suppose I could always check out the eventually collection from the library, but by then the buzz on the book may be gone and I'll probably forget about it. Which brings me to another point: allowing for digital downloads would be a great way to capitalize on fans' tendency to impulse buy. I know back when I did make regular trips to the comic shop, I always ended up leaving with more than I planned on getting when I went in, because who can resist all those colorful covers? Imagine how wild comic fans would go if a huge library of titles were only a mouse click away?
I'm sure there are several thorny issues that give publishers pause, but after gorging myself at Amazon's MP3 buffet, I really think the benefits would outweigh the risks.
Labels: Idle Dreaming, Illegal Downloading: Threat or Menace?
5:17 PM | |
Thursday, August 30, 2007
By reading this post, you are expressly and impliedly agreeing that this is the Best Bleach Blog IN THE WORLD
Thanks to Chris Mautner, here's another suggestion on how to pass the time between Bleach volumes once the release schedule starts to slow down: Play one of the many Bleach video games! (Of course, none of the games are available for my console, the old Xbox. Although it's a moot point, because so far the games are only available in Japan. Although come Oct. 9th, lucky owners of Nintendo systems will be able to play Bleach on either the Wii or DS. Lucky bastards.) Let's see: manga, anime (both episodic and feature-length), musicals, novels, and video games. Is there any medium Bleach isn't available in? (Please, if there are H-doujinshi for Bleach — and I'm sure there are — don't tell me about them.)
Of course, if you don't mind engaging in questionable moral / ethical behavior, there is another way to keep up with Bleach: keep reading it via scanlations. I thought most scanlators stopped working on a series once it was licensed, but apparently not. A Google search on "Bleach scanlations" turns up 484,000 results, and the first two links I spotchecked both offer scanlations of the entire series, so they're not even retiring chapters that are readily available for purchase. In fact, the first site even has scanlations through chapter 288, which I believe is the most recent installment published in Japan as of this writing.
I'm surprised to find so many scanlation sites up and running (searching for "Naruto scanlations" returns even more results), mainly because I would have expected the publishers to be much more aggressive in protecting their cash cows. Trying to chase after ever-changing BitTorrent sites and seeders might well be an excercise in futility, but these are sites dedicated to putting out bootleg versions of licensed material, and most of the sites I checked even ask visitors for money to help support their operating costs. Why are they allowed to stay up?
I attempted to find statements on several of the scanlation sites explaining their stance on the ethics / legality of their actions but couldn't find anything. I did find this, however, which I found hilarious:
[By the way, I like that background image you have on your site, so I think I'm going to take it and use it on my blog from now on. You're cool with that, right?]
I also thought this attempt at legalese to avoid criminal prosecution was amusing:
(And I know Google is just providing links without making judgements about the content of those links, but I find it a little insulting that several of the links on their Book Search for Bleach point to scanlation sites. Way to promote book sales, Google!)
Finally, I caught this Bleach-related story by Heather Crabtree of the Corvallis Gazette-Times via Google News and wanted to comment on a couple things in it:
» Regarding how Ichigo gains his powers: I know this is nitpicking, but saying Rukia "accidentally transfers" all of her shinigami powers to Ichigo makes it sound like the whole incident was due to Rukia's incompetence. "Whoops! Silly me! I accidentally gave you all of my powers! Oh, well!" I probably would have phrased this more along the lines of: "Due to Ichigo's own supernatural abilities, he unintentionally absorbs all of Rukia's powers."
» It's Hollow, not Hallow. (Only misspelled once, but it's still sloppy.)
» It's Tite Kubo, not Tito Kubo. (Although I'll admit the idea of a manga-ka named Tito is intriguing.)
» I'll admit, I assumed that the shinigami concept had its roots in ancient Japanese mythology / folklore as well, but according to Wikipedia, it was "imported to Japan from Europe during the Meiji period." Upon learning this, Crabtree writes that she was "sadly disappointed at this little discovery," which struck me as odd. Why does it matter how long the concept has been a part of Japanese culture? "Oh no, the concepts I'm reading about in this fictional manga featuring superpowered teens wielding mystic weaponry aren't authentically Japanese enough!" It's like being crestfallen upon learning that Christmas isn't "really" a Christian holiday because it borrows so much from earlier pagan rituals. (To be fair, Crabtree does go on to say she's impressed by how effectively Tite Kubo integrates the "borrowed" shinigami concept with things that are essentially and exclusively Japanese, like sharp swords.)
» Usage question: "Episodes 64 through 109 divert from the manga with original story specific to the anime." Shouldn't that be "diverge from the manga," or is that an acceptable use of "divert"?
» Regarding the anime, Crabtree writes:
After years of witnessing the "mainstream media" get things wrong whenever they'd cover comics, you'd think I'd be indifferent when it comes to this sort of thing. But it still irks me that someone can get paid to write such a poorly-researched piece and have it see print. Crabtree even admits that all of her sources are the same online sites any poor blogging schlub could cite. "Shucks, I was unable to locate any scholarly reference material, and my deadline is looming. What to do?" This is what passes for journalism nowadays? Leave the lazy online research to bloggers like me and get out there and pound the pavement to drum up reputable sources! I can look up Wikipedia; I certainly don't need a paid journalist to tell me what it says.
OK, to leave things on an upbeat note, startingtomorrow today you can download individual episodes of the Bleach anime from TotalVid or Direct2Drive. (Well, at least you can buy the episodes from TotalVid today; it looks like Direct2Drive is waiting for the officially announced 8/31 launch date.) Personally, I plan on renting the DVDs through Blockbuster Online, but I do think it's nice (not to mention smart) to see companies like Viz offering their fans legitimate means to download digital content. (I also think it's funny that TotalVid lists three pages of Bleach anime downloads but there's nothing on page three. There is no page three!!)
(Yeah, I totally stole that image from the TotalVid site. It's my new blogging M.O.! Unattributed image theft!!)
Thanks to Chris Mautner, here's another suggestion on how to pass the time between Bleach volumes once the release schedule starts to slow down: Play one of the many Bleach video games! (Of course, none of the games are available for my console, the old Xbox. Although it's a moot point, because so far the games are only available in Japan. Although come Oct. 9th, lucky owners of Nintendo systems will be able to play Bleach on either the Wii or DS. Lucky bastards.) Let's see: manga, anime (both episodic and feature-length), musicals, novels, and video games. Is there any medium Bleach isn't available in? (Please, if there are H-doujinshi for Bleach — and I'm sure there are — don't tell me about them.)Of course, if you don't mind engaging in questionable moral / ethical behavior, there is another way to keep up with Bleach: keep reading it via scanlations. I thought most scanlators stopped working on a series once it was licensed, but apparently not. A Google search on "Bleach scanlations" turns up 484,000 results, and the first two links I spotchecked both offer scanlations of the entire series, so they're not even retiring chapters that are readily available for purchase. In fact, the first site even has scanlations through chapter 288, which I believe is the most recent installment published in Japan as of this writing.
I'm surprised to find so many scanlation sites up and running (searching for "Naruto scanlations" returns even more results), mainly because I would have expected the publishers to be much more aggressive in protecting their cash cows. Trying to chase after ever-changing BitTorrent sites and seeders might well be an excercise in futility, but these are sites dedicated to putting out bootleg versions of licensed material, and most of the sites I checked even ask visitors for money to help support their operating costs. Why are they allowed to stay up?
I attempted to find statements on several of the scanlation sites explaining their stance on the ethics / legality of their actions but couldn't find anything. I did find this, however, which I found hilarious:
Bleach7.com does not claim to be the creator of the BLEACH manga or anime series. We had absolutely no part in any creation of the series, and are just dedicated fans of this series who have taken their time to create this website. Although we did not create the BLEACH series, we did create this website to be as original as possible. We ask that you respect the originality of our work, and not take anything without expressed written permission by the owners.Now, I understand that the work on creating and maintaining a website isn't trivial, so there's certainly some justification for feeling protective of the content of your site. But that entire site is built off the work of others, and somehow I really doubt they obtained the express written consent of Tite Kubo or his publishers when putting it together
Bleach7.com and all of it's original content and images are the sole property of the webmasters of this site. Furthermore, Bleach7.com is protected by the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Unauthorized use of any original pieces originating from the Bleach7.com are subject to criminal and civil penalties. If it is found that you have taken original work from Bleach7.com, you will be asked to remove it peacefully within 24 hours, or risk possible legal action against you or your website.
[By the way, I like that background image you have on your site, so I think I'm going to take it and use it on my blog from now on. You're cool with that, right?]
I also thought this attempt at legalese to avoid criminal prosecution was amusing:By not agreeing to these terms, you can not threaten Bleach7.com or any company hosting and storing any files related with Bleach7.com with legal action. You also may not prosecute any person(s) affiliated with Bleach7.com including, but not limited to, family, friends or individuals who maintain or visit this website.You hear that, Viz and Shueisha? By not agreeing to the terms of this site, you forfeit the right to go after us! And if you do agree to the terms of this site, they expressly prohibit you from suing us as well! So either way, you're powerless to prosecute us! Burn!!!
(And I know Google is just providing links without making judgements about the content of those links, but I find it a little insulting that several of the links on their Book Search for Bleach point to scanlation sites. Way to promote book sales, Google!)
Finally, I caught this Bleach-related story by Heather Crabtree of the Corvallis Gazette-Times via Google News and wanted to comment on a couple things in it:
» Regarding how Ichigo gains his powers: I know this is nitpicking, but saying Rukia "accidentally transfers" all of her shinigami powers to Ichigo makes it sound like the whole incident was due to Rukia's incompetence. "Whoops! Silly me! I accidentally gave you all of my powers! Oh, well!" I probably would have phrased this more along the lines of: "Due to Ichigo's own supernatural abilities, he unintentionally absorbs all of Rukia's powers."
» It's Hollow, not Hallow. (Only misspelled once, but it's still sloppy.)
» It's Tite Kubo, not Tito Kubo. (Although I'll admit the idea of a manga-ka named Tito is intriguing.)
» I'll admit, I assumed that the shinigami concept had its roots in ancient Japanese mythology / folklore as well, but according to Wikipedia, it was "imported to Japan from Europe during the Meiji period." Upon learning this, Crabtree writes that she was "sadly disappointed at this little discovery," which struck me as odd. Why does it matter how long the concept has been a part of Japanese culture? "Oh no, the concepts I'm reading about in this fictional manga featuring superpowered teens wielding mystic weaponry aren't authentically Japanese enough!" It's like being crestfallen upon learning that Christmas isn't "really" a Christian holiday because it borrows so much from earlier pagan rituals. (To be fair, Crabtree does go on to say she's impressed by how effectively Tite Kubo integrates the "borrowed" shinigami concept with things that are essentially and exclusively Japanese, like sharp swords.)
» Usage question: "Episodes 64 through 109 divert from the manga with original story specific to the anime." Shouldn't that be "diverge from the manga," or is that an acceptable use of "divert"?
» Regarding the anime, Crabtree writes:
Some of the English-version season-one episodes are available to rent. The episodes are being released as volumes instead of seasons; episodes one through 21 are out on DVD. The last disc with season-one episodes will be released Sept. 25.Again, this is nitpicky, but:
- All of the English-version season-one episodes are currently available to rent (or buy, for that matter). The first season (really, more of a story arc than season, but still) lasted 20 episodes and all of it has been released on five DVDs as of July 31st.
- Episodes 1 through 20 are currently out on DVD. Episode 21 won't be available until the sixth DVD (which starts season two — note the different DVD coloring scheme!) comes out on Sept. 25th.
- Although the anime is being released as individual DVDs containing only four episodes per disc, it's also being collected in a season one box set coming out on Oct. 30th.
After years of witnessing the "mainstream media" get things wrong whenever they'd cover comics, you'd think I'd be indifferent when it comes to this sort of thing. But it still irks me that someone can get paid to write such a poorly-researched piece and have it see print. Crabtree even admits that all of her sources are the same online sites any poor blogging schlub could cite. "Shucks, I was unable to locate any scholarly reference material, and my deadline is looming. What to do?" This is what passes for journalism nowadays? Leave the lazy online research to bloggers like me and get out there and pound the pavement to drum up reputable sources! I can look up Wikipedia; I certainly don't need a paid journalist to tell me what it says.
OK, to leave things on an upbeat note, starting
(Yeah, I totally stole that image from the TotalVid site. It's my new blogging M.O.! Unattributed image theft!!)Labels: Bleach, Blog Entries That Go On Much Too Long, I'll Write Poorly Researched Articles For Money Too, Illegal Downloading: Threat or Menace?, Rants, Scanlations
4:34 PM | |
