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Do you pirate the anime you watch? Do you feel guilty for it?

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Do you feel guilty for pirating?
Aug 2, 2019 6:00 PM
#1
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Jul 2018
564106
I recently stopped pirating anime. And now I only watch it legally on Crunchyroll or Netflix. The catalog is smaller and non-mainstream stuff such as Princess Tutu, Stand Alone Complex and many others which I enjoy/ed are not available anymore but the feeling of doing what's correct is compensating for it.

So I wanted to ask you MALers:
Do you pirate the anime you watch? And do you feel guilty for it?

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Aug 2, 2019 6:03 PM
#2

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Mar 2019
2478
I feel amazing pirating and screwing the system.

It feels delicious to know that the rights holders will not earn anything from me.


It is obvious that "obscenity" is not a term capable of exact legal definition; in the practice of the courts, it means "anything that shocks the magistrate".

— Bertrand Russell
Aug 2, 2019 6:03 PM
#3

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Jul 2007
4683
Most of the shows I want to watch aren't on crunchyroll or netflix. There is also the case of JJBA which censors most names in the official subs so I go for fan subs.
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However, compared to the difference between
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-Maria Ushiromiya
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Aug 2, 2019 6:05 PM
#4
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Jul 2018
564106
I use the legal services for what I can, buy the DVD's/BluRays if I like the series enough, and pirate whatever I can't find elsewhere.
Aug 2, 2019 6:08 PM
#5
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Jul 2018
564106
Mythologically said:
what clown would ever feel guilty about pirating lmao
+1
I’m a heartless bastard.......
Aug 2, 2019 6:09 PM
#6

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Nov 2017
427
Mythologically said:
what clown would ever feel guilty about pirating lmao

What other opinion could you expect from Kaiki?
Stay gold!
魔法よ魔法よ生まれておいで!
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Aug 2, 2019 6:11 PM
#7

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Jun 2016
810
No. Why would i feel guilty? The japanese can watch it on their tv for free when the episodes air but i can't.
Aug 2, 2019 6:13 PM
#8
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Jul 2018
564106
It's funny you should ask this. I actually don't pirate anymore.

I started an experiment this year, to see if not pirating anything would seriously impact my hobbies and overall entertainment.
That encompasses literally everything. Software, movies, books, TV, manga, anime... absolutely nothing illegal allowed.

And, so far, the results have been... interesting.

I still have more entertainment than I can realistically consume in my spare time.
Subscriptions to Crunchyroll and Prime Video give me access to more than enough anime, as well as some manga. The rest I buy on Amazon and Book☆Walker.

My conclusion is that, if I don't just focus on one thing (like only binge-watching anime, non-stop), I don't really need to pirate.
My time is limited. And I enjoy a lot of different stuff.
Aug 2, 2019 6:32 PM
#9

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Oct 2017
1556
If you give money to a streaming platform you're being lazy.

It's not a moral thing. That's ridiculous. If you wanted to spend money to support the industry you could keep pirating and buy merch which has many advantages over giving money to CR / Netflix etc.

And you'd be supporting the industry more directly.

I went to Japan this year and dumped almost 1k GBP straight in to the veins of the industry buying merch in Akihabara. No I don't feel guilty. If anything I feel superior to people that pay streaming providers. They give less money overall to the industry, instead lining the pockets of people who only profit off the industry like leeches. I also take pride in not supporting the popularization and globalization of a niche Japanese subculture which only serves to see it become watered-down and soulless.

Not pirating is lazy and ignorant. You're paying for convenience and harming the artisitc integrity of anime in the process. If you really care about anime you'll stop paying streaming services and spend that disposable income on merch.
“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Aggregate scoring is bad for the anime fandom
Aug 2, 2019 6:35 PM

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Jul 2014
1571
Honestly I really dont care. Recently I watch most anime on hulu and Netflix as Ive grown a liking to watching on my TV. But if I go back to watching on my computer Im pirating 100%.
Aug 2, 2019 6:36 PM

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Jul 2017
294
Nah I don't feel guilty. Why would I? It's not like I can afford streaming services. No pirating = no anime for me with my tight budget.
Once you realize that what others think about what you enjoy doesn't matter, you will finally be free

Aug 2, 2019 6:36 PM

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Oct 2017
2529
I sometimes have no choice unless I want to watch dubs for certain shows when the Japanese version is superior. For example I prefer subbed Digimon over the dub, but there are no official subs. Also some official releases are dogshit like the CR releases of Jojo (censored) and Hokuto no Ken (VHS quality in 2019 lmao), the Netflix release of EVANGELION, and literally any anime that Netflix picks up and takes 10 months to release cuz seriously WTF. Sometimes I have to pirate due to Crunchyroll Wii U glitches making episodes unwatchable, and the fact I do not have a premium account. I usually don't pirate niche series as they need all the support, but even pirating bigger series I feel guilty. It feels like I'm stealing from somebody. In some cases I feel no remorse, but I am mostly a whiny crybaby
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Aug 2, 2019 6:39 PM

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Oct 2017
2529
EndlessMaria said:
Most of the shows I want to watch aren't on crunchyroll or netflix. There is also the case of JJBA which censors most names in the official subs so I go for fan subs.



Some of the censored names are funny

Sticky Fingers= Zipper Man lol
This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place.
Aug 2, 2019 6:44 PM

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Jun 2014
22512
I used to buy everything, but I stopped, because it's just too expensive, and there's loads of stuff that I like that will never be officially released in my country anyway.

I no longer feel bad about pirating Anime. I'll still buy something every now and then if it's an Anime I really enjoy, just as long as it's not too overpriced.

Aug 2, 2019 6:44 PM
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Jul 2018
564106
YossaRedMage said:
If you give money to a streaming platform you're being lazy.

It's not a moral thing. That's ridiculous. If you wanted to spend money to support the industry you could keep pirating and buy merch which has many advantages over giving money to CR / Netflix etc.


I do both. Subscribing to Prime Video and Crunchyroll is 10 euros a month, I don't even notice it.

But I don't go to Akihabara.
I support the one and only anime-dedicated store that exists in my entire country. They deserve it.
And yes, I do spend quite a bit. Those 10 euros don't change that.
Aug 2, 2019 6:51 PM

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Sep 2010
6759
Only the shows that are not on Crunchyroll and HiDive. Netflix has a terrible library honestly I'm canceling after I watch the new season of Disenchantment next month. I don't really see the point in Hulu and well Amazon Prime I might be open to subbing so I can get free shipping and if I can stream anime on top of that and its not behind another pay wall I might actually consider it.

I can't afford physical media right now to watch some shows that are not on streaming platforms so I might go ahead and watch fansubbed.
"What has two arms, two legs, and is alive? Not your favorite character lol! xD"
Aug 2, 2019 6:55 PM

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Jun 2019
6600
It's as simple as typing "Watch Series X episode 16, English sub online" into a Bing search engine.

Takes all of 1.5 seconds. Why would I hesitate or feel guilty? I do the same for all TV shows and movies, anime and non.

I don't give a shit about anything besides my own life, a few people close to me, and being able to continue to learn and experience amazing stories as long as I'm alive. I'm not the type of person to ever feel remotely guilty or indebted over trivial things.

If I buy anything anime related, it isn't going to be for the temporary right to watch something you don't even own on some random server. It would be some random merch I feel good for having in my life as a tangible physical copy, like the Koi Kaze OST CD I bought a while back.

There's too much endless viewable content to consider worrying about paying for it.
WatchTillTandavaAug 2, 2019 7:00 PM
Aug 2, 2019 6:57 PM

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Aug 2009
11169
I've always had a "try before buy" code of ethics in regards to torrenting anime. If I like a show, I'll buy a retail release. If I don't like it, then I won't buy the DVD or Blu-ray.

It's a simple system.

Aug 2, 2019 11:45 PM
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Jul 2018
564106
Yes and no. They don't even give me an option of buying what I wanted (unless I spent £1000+) per series so why would I feel guilty?
Aug 3, 2019 3:48 AM

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Feb 2010
34607
I don't feel guilty. Crunchyroll is frankly not worth my support, with shitty quality and region locked shows as well as questionable company employees. Not to mention that I generally hate streaming and avoid it as much as possible.

I have Netflix, but if you think having a Netflix abo significantly supports the industry, I'm sorry to tell you but it's not really true. It's only good for your conscience if you randomly care about watching everything legal, which I don't. The aspect that makes me care about piracy is not the legality, it is suporting the industry and creators.

I have a fairly large collection of anime and manga and whenever I have some leftover money I basically pour it into growing that collection so I'm already maxing out my support as much as I can. My motto is as long as you support as much as you can, you can watch whatever you want and not feel bad about it. It just happens that how much I can watch is vastly more than how much I can buy because I'm not rich. If I were, it might be the other way around.
I probably regret this post by now.
Aug 3, 2019 3:50 AM

Online
Jul 2016
8888
Yes, I do, and no, I don't. I'm not a moralfag.
Aug 3, 2019 4:23 AM

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Oct 2014
2355
Yes, and no. I don't like supporting the bad business practices of 3rd party exclusivity monopolies and feature/technological stagnation.

Maybe the $30m investment from Japan to Sentai Filmworks the other day will facilitate something worthwhile.


I don't believe in the Devil.
You should. He believes in you.
Aug 3, 2019 4:27 AM
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Mar 2019
30
I only pirate anime that is supposed to be on crunchyroll, but isn't available in my region for some retarded reason, so no.
Aug 3, 2019 4:31 AM

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Jan 2009
100674
yes im a pirate and i do feel guilty at times (but not always) especially when i see news about japanese anime animators in average have lower wages than japans minimum wage thats why im fine if anime do more 3DCG shows since 3DCG animators are usually paid more better (due to less staff overall are needed) and longer working hours is rare for them (due to a lot of automation done by computers)
Aug 3, 2019 4:36 AM

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Oct 2010
21142
I feel guilty for not seeding enough for the poor guys with bad internet.
Aug 3, 2019 4:36 AM
*hug noises*

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May 2013
31684
Why would I feel guilty for that?

I mean I could stream it for free instead but that's just an objectively inferior experience compared to downloading it. But other than that it's still the same thing in practice since I usually just delete it after watching anyway
Aug 3, 2019 4:37 AM

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Jan 2019
188
All the anime I watch is online, but if I like the anime or I see a couple of episodes and I think it has potential I usually buy the manga so I don't feel guilty. I see as a way to discover new shows in an easy way


Aug 3, 2019 4:39 AM

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Jan 2018
33250
Do you want me to pirate your heart so I can flaunt it for whole world to see? No but I want others to watch Sword Art Online so that some people might be able to do something about it. I like books (now I can really admit it) but people would not like me if I ended up being smarter than them.
Aug 3, 2019 4:45 AM
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Jul 2018
564106
Mythologically said:
what clown would ever feel guilty about pirating lmao


hahaha i've been doing it for yrs and never got guilty.
Aug 3, 2019 4:53 AM

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Jul 2016
1105
As if I'd feel guilty about not supporting terrible business practices of both the distributors and the Japanese license holders. Legal streaming sites have poor selection and the ever-so-beautiful "this cannot be viewed in your country" message.
Aug 3, 2019 4:53 AM

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May 2017
332
Paying anime DVD's,Blu Rays and anything costs a money. If i was rich,i'd support anime industry by buying DVD and Blu rays of my favorite anime. Why i do i watch pirated anime? Because there are many airing anime that you can't watch and anime where you can't find on Crunchyroll,Netflix,Funanimation etc. Not to mention,subscribing to Crunchyroll and other sites where you have to pay is impossible if you don't own credit card,PayPal if you are poor man who can't afford credit card and if you are too dumb for that.
There is no bad waifu,only bad anime.
Aug 3, 2019 5:03 AM

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Aug 2018
931
I have prime video and Netflix, almost everything on Crunchyroll is not available in my region. If I want to watch something and it's not available I'll find other means.

YossaRedMage said:
If you give money to a streaming platform you're being lazy.

A ridiculous notion, it's not about laziness and even if it was there's nothing wrong with that. People pay money for convenience in many things in life.
Anyways I like Netflix originals and Prime I got for the other benefits. Prime barely costs anything here and Netflix is also affordable since I split the cost with friends. Once I started working and earning money I don't mind spending a bit for convenience. Also I wanna binge watch new seasons of shows I like as soon as it comes out.

I went to Japan this year

Did you go by boat or swimming? Anything else and I'm gonna call you lazy.
I suppose you were being satirical in your entire post, at least I hope so.
<Insert clever quote>
Aug 3, 2019 5:10 AM
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Mar 2016
23
I will watch stuff legally when it is available, but a lot of stuff isn't so pirating is the only option. I don't pay for Crunchyroll either since the choice is so limited in the UK despite the subscription costing more than the US version. I'm not paying more for literally half the content. Also I think buying merch is a better way to support the series you like.
Aug 3, 2019 5:20 AM
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Jul 2018
564106
I've always been a pirate, arr.

It's way more convenient to have my HTPC with Kodi than some shitty streaming platform. Back in the day I used my Xbox as a media center, it was so godlike but it can't play anything over 1080i :(

Being a pirate can be expensive unless you shit secondary memory storage, especially if you want everything in the best quality possible. Just bought a 10 TB HDD for $350 :/
Aug 3, 2019 5:31 AM

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May 2019
8
most of the stuff that's on netflix or crunchyroll isn't available in my region, so i just use other ways lmao
Aug 3, 2019 5:35 AM

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Nov 2018
5689
A lot of the time illegal streaming sites offer better service and a shitload more shows than legal sites such as Crunchyroll, Netflix, Amazon etc. Ads may be annoying, but a little bit of adblock will solve the issue.

I don't want to pay for 15 different streaming services because a) I don't have a job and b) I don't want to.
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Aug 3, 2019 5:50 AM

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Apr 2017
897
Catalano said:
I feel guilty for not seeding enough for the poor guys with bad internet.


I hate you. Even if I don't do it as well lmao.

Anyway not really. I don't feel very guilty. But actually I feel better if I watch fansubs without torrenting things from HorribleSubs (since those are the subs of Crunchyroll lmao).
Aug 3, 2019 5:57 AM
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Mar 2019
101
There are no working solutions.

If you buy every anime you watch on DVD/Blu-Ray then I wish I could be as rich as you are.
If you pirate you don't support the creators.
If you use streaming services then you still aren't supporting them with a single penny but at least you can say you don't feel remorse
Hello229Aug 8, 2019 2:26 PM
Aug 3, 2019 6:15 AM

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Oct 2015
5710
AyumiVk said:
No. Why would i feel guilty? The japanese can watch it on their tv for free when the episodes air but i can't.


I don't know much about Japanese television but don't they pay for the cable television providers?

OT: I do not feel guilty, no, but I do struggle in finding a ground for the justification of it. I can find multiple reasons that make it understandable why someone would do it but not one where it is warranted assuming the legal way is accessible.
Aug 3, 2019 6:28 AM

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Jan 2014
873
-InfiniteLoop- said:


YossaRedMage said:
If you give money to a streaming platform you're being lazy.

A ridiculous notion, it's not about laziness and even if it was there's nothing wrong with that. People pay money for convenience in many things in life.
Anyways I like Netflix originals and Prime I got for the other benefits. Prime barely costs anything here and Netflix is also affordable since I split the cost with friends. Once I started working and earning money I don't mind spending a bit for convenience. Also I wanna binge watch new seasons of shows I like as soon as it comes out.



Why would people pay for convenience when they can get the same thing(probably even better) for free?
The beauty of humans is that they say one thing then do another, but at the same time that can also be their ugliest side.
Aug 3, 2019 6:38 AM
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Dec 2017
3
I actively refuse to pay any of the 'legal' websites for anime. They are crap services and there's no way I am going to support them in any way, shape, or form.

Also, why would I pay for legitimately inferior services? All the legal places offer inferior versions compared to pirate sites of the anime available. Most of the time, the legal places have lower resolution than the pirates support, since pirated is almost always 1080p especially on recent anime.
Crunchyroll and Funimation both change subtitles and lines either due to copyright, or their employee's personal politics.

The legal versions are always, without fail, censored beyond belief. Why the hell would I PAY for censored anime? I'm paying for this, give me JoJo without the black ink blots across the screen whenever something graphic happens. It's absurd.

The legal services offer inferior versions of the anime, have less selection, have less features, have less resolution, have worse video loading codecs, have worse everything. Why... the ever living fuck... would I ever pay these websites? They're a blight on the industry and should be done away with and replaced with someone who's dedicated to providing an actual service worth buying.
Aug 3, 2019 8:02 AM

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Dec 2016
2052
i use netflix/prime whenever i can, but their selections are pretty poor. we need a good legal site to watch anime tbh, rather than whatever crunchyroll's trying to do.
AnimeFreak-San said:
is this a male gender issure...human issue...mental illness perhaps?
Aug 3, 2019 8:06 AM

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Sep 2014
7339
I do pirate it. And no, I don't feel guilty. If the industry doesn't provide a good, consumer-friendly way to consume the media, fuck them, I won't care. I might buy BDs for the few of the shows I love the most, but I'm not interested to go out of my way to support anything else.
Aug 3, 2019 8:10 AM
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Oct 2018
1436
Yes I pirate it and I don't give a fuck.
--
Aug 3, 2019 8:16 AM

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Apr 2016
2110
lol no I don't feel guilty for pirating. I am already giving enough to the studios of my fav anime through merch/LN,manga and other stuff.
Aug 3, 2019 8:22 AM

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Sep 2018
441
Ah yes, the another disscusion about pirating anime. It's not like this is a dead topic or something...
Jolyne Kuujou + Steel Ball Run Universe = Billie Eillish
Aug 3, 2019 8:28 AM
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Jul 2019
208
Both. Since whatever I can't Find on CR, Amazon & Netflix I will pirate.
& yes, i Occasionally feel guilty about it.
Aug 3, 2019 8:32 AM

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Mar 2012
8037
As much as possible I try to stick to official sources but I still resort to pirating when the series I'm looking for is not available. Then again I need to use a VPN to access Crunchyroll, so that's most probably still illegal.

I only feel a bit guilty while pirating if the anime is incredibly good.



「あなたのためなら世界中を敵にしてもかまわない」
"If it was for your sake I wouldn't mind even if I had to turn the whole world into my enemy"
Aug 3, 2019 8:56 AM
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Mar 2016
497
Yes, but I don't feel guilty. I spent probably about a few hundred on anime merch/manga anyway. And I'd rather not watch 6 minutes worth of ads on Crunchyroll (which has only a limited amount of anime)
Aug 3, 2019 9:02 AM
Lewd Depresso

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Jul 2008
2386
I'll start buying my favorite Anime once they decide to start selling BD digitally, with reasonable prices and even then probably wait for sales. (until then.. games/VNs on steam is where they get my money from +sometimes some misc merch that I actually have use for)

(same way I buy games on sales only)

But TV quality and streaming. Screw that...

Whatever in life I can get cheaper or free, I got for.. life is depressing enough...

And can't be bothered physical cluttering.. enough shit in my room and no space for anything..
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