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(New page: This is the ADTRW FAQ, version 2.2. :'''WARNING''' :'''If the year is later than 2005 and you are still posting on ADTRW you are almost certainly a faggot''' If you have any addition...)
 
(First update on ADTRWiki. Lots of horrible shit deleted.)
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This is the [[ADTRW]] FAQ, version 2.2.
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This is the [[ADTRW]] FAQ, version 3.
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:'''WARNING'''
 
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:'''If the year is later than 2005 and you are still posting on ADTRW you are almost certainly a faggot'''
 
  
 
If you have any additions, feel free to edit them in due to wonderful Wiki technology.
 
If you have any additions, feel free to edit them in due to wonderful Wiki technology.
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===What's the history of this FAQ?===
 
===What's the history of this FAQ?===
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It started out as a forum thread.  At some point, ricequeen HTMLized it and put it on his webspace while he was moderator.  He has since stopped maintaining the FAQ and through the magic of archive.org, I (hannibal) rescued the FAQ and put it here.
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It started out as a forum thread.  At some point, ricequeen HTMLized it and put it on his webspace while he was moderator.  He stopped maintaining the FAQ and through the magic of archive.org, hannibal moved it to Raspberry Heaven. In the year 2009, the FAQ was moved to the ADTRWiki to further seperate the forum from that dark era.
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===Where is Shii's FAQ, I like it better!===
 
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[[ADTRW_FAQ_Shii|Right here]], faggot.
 
  
 
==Anime Questions==
 
==Anime Questions==
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If you want to see more, your best bet is to visit an anime forum like ADTRW, [http://forums.animesuki.com AnimeSuki], or [http://forums.animeondvd.com AnimeOnDVD] and see what shows are popular. The typical format of these forums is that each show gets one thread. If a thread has many pages, you can be confident that it is worth watching. As much as elitist fans like to disparage [[Naruto]] and [[Bleach]], there's a reason they have thousands of fans.
 
If you want to see more, your best bet is to visit an anime forum like ADTRW, [http://forums.animesuki.com AnimeSuki], or [http://forums.animeondvd.com AnimeOnDVD] and see what shows are popular. The typical format of these forums is that each show gets one thread. If a thread has many pages, you can be confident that it is worth watching. As much as elitist fans like to disparage [[Naruto]] and [[Bleach]], there's a reason they have thousands of fans.
  
−
Shows discussed on these forums are typically easily availble via Bit Torrent, IRC, or Usenet. Distribution methods are discussed later in this FAQ.
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Shows discussed on these forums are typically easily availble via Bit Torrent, or IRC. Distribution methods are discussed later in this FAQ.
  
 
===What is fanservice?===
 
===What is fanservice?===
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===What is ecchi?===
 
===What is ecchi?===
 
Common usage: ecchi is like a mild version of hentai. It is rarely explicit and can translate into something like ''dirty''. Like hentai, it can also mean pervert.
 
Common usage: ecchi is like a mild version of hentai. It is rarely explicit and can translate into something like ''dirty''. Like hentai, it can also mean pervert.
−
 
−
Begin pedantic mode.
 
−
 
−
The word itself is derived from how 'H' (the first letter in hentai) is pronounced in Japanese. Ecchi was a word used to describe sexual content in anime, games, manga, doujinshi, etc. This is as far as its connection with hentai goes. Notice that ecchi does not connote weirdness or bizarreness. Ecchi games can be perfectly normal, boring games, with no tentacles or rape or underaged characters being raped by tentacles.
 
−
 
−
Your average Western anime fan will tend to clump all anime pornography together, label it "weird" and call it all hentai. Urotsukidoji is no different from Futari H, Mahou Shoujo Ai is the same as Tsukihime, and a doujin by Waita Uziga is the same as one from Mitsumi Misato. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with this (just as otaku has gained a meaning all its own), it's nevertheless good to note the difference between hentai and ecchi.
 
  
 
===What is ero?===
 
===What is ero?===
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===What is moe?===
 
===What is moe?===
−
Moe is difficult to explain unless you already know what it is. Watching many seasons of mediocre anime will teach you.
+
Moe is terrible.
−
 
 
−
It is a sort of pure, idealized, one way love an anime fan has for a character, usually female, usually young, and usually disgustingly cute. Images of youth and innocence come to mind. It is NOT sexual (usually). [[Ichigo Marshmallow]] is moe. [[Hajime no Ippo]] is not moe. [[Kokoro Library]] is moe. [[Full Metal Alchemist]] is not moe. [[Ninin ga Shinobuden]] is. [[Bible Black]] is not. And so on. These are shows that are so innocent you might think they were targeted at kids, until you learn they air at around one in the morning on weekdays.
 
−
 
 
−
Moe has become a noticeable subculture in Japan. A majority of anime (and a good deal of manga and eroge) being produced currently is targeted towards moe fans. Popular voice actresses who voice cute characters have large fanbases, large enough that radio drama CDs are profitable.
 
−
 
 
−
If you enjoy reading stilted english, [http://www.sky.sannet.ne.jp/ma1919/moetry.html this] site offers more musings on moe culture.
 
−
 
 
−
For a detailed analysis of moe, its usage, laws thereof and how moe imagery is classified, read this article at [http://heiseidemocracy.net/2005/12/07/the-moe-image/ HeiseiDemocracy]
 
  
 
===What is otaku?===
 
===What is otaku?===
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''-dono'' shows up sometimes. It's like an antiquated version of -sama and isn't heard much anymore. In terms of level of respect, I'm going to say it hovers between -sama and -san, depending on context.  
 
''-dono'' shows up sometimes. It's like an antiquated version of -sama and isn't heard much anymore. In terms of level of respect, I'm going to say it hovers between -sama and -san, depending on context.  
−
 
−
===What's up with the censorship in Japanese porn?===
 
−
: [[User:Albert|Albert]] note: a lot of this is really conjecture pulled from reading postings across the internet. i can't assert its veracity, finding some citations would be nice.
 
−
 
−
Long story. I'm going to paraphrase a lot of what I've read in usenet discussions so I can't cite my references, but I'm fairly confident what I'm about to say is true. Back when Japan was defeated in World War II, one of the clauses MacArthur included in the unconditional surrender was a censorship on pornography. It basically boiled down to "don't show pubic hair". Of course as Japan developed so did its sex industry, but those pesky censorship laws were in place. So pornographers came up with creative methods to circumvent it. The infamous mosaic. You can then make conclusions that things like tentacle rape and bukkake were methods to circumvent this censorship law but that's beyond the scope of this FAQ.
 
−
 
−
: [[DDP|DDP]] note: a better speculation is that they're keeping it around for the protection of the japanese porn industry, since japanese porn is (usually) less focused on the genitalia than most overseas porn. it's hard to jerk off to a bunch of 32x32 mosaics. and the law may have started during japan's "modernization" in the early 1900s, and is probably not MacArthur's fault.
 
−
 
−
===So what about all these pictures of Japanese girls where I can see uncensored pubic hair?===
 
−
This is where things get a bit tricky. Awhile ago, sometime in the 80's I believe, a Japanese photographer made "artistic" nude photographs. The government filed an obscenity case on him but the photographer claimed that his works were not pornographic. In the aftermath, the courts decided in favor of the photographer and he was unmolested. Thus the hairnude revolution was born in which thousands of photobooks featuring nude women with bushes were released. Mind you that the censorship laws were still very much in effect; you will NEVER find anything amounting to a close up in any legit photobook. As far as hardcore porn goes, it's way too easy to see too much so they still use giant blocky mosaics for the most part. And the courts still occassionally press charges on people who step over the line, thus keeping most everyone in the industry in check.
 
−
 
−
===So what does all of this have to do with anime and hentai?===
 
−
Hentai is a bit of a grey area. Hentai anime is still very much mosaiced. Sometimes the uncensored masters will be released to US studios so that's why you can buy an uncensored version of Bible Black, but you'll never find an uncensored hentai anime in Japan. The same is true for hentai games. Doujinshi...is an interesting case. You probably know of the infamous black bars. "Jeeze, if this is what they call censorship why do they even bother?" you may ask yourself, and that's a very good question that's hard to answer. My personal conclusion is that it's a combination of factors: the government cracking down on those who really skirt the line, and a kind of decades old tradition amongst doujinshi artists that's hard to break. But it's not all that hard to find explicit uncensored doujinshi (Lolita Girl being a prime example). Who knows. I can't answer this question adequately. Sorry.
 
−
 
−
: [[User:Saoshyant|Saoshyant]] note: The doujinshi author "Beauty Hair" decided it was time to break such silly laws and was arrested, charged with tremendous bills and humiliated in public television as a porn author... His work was called Missitshu Chyoukyou released somewhere around 2001. On January 2004, the court took the final stance. So, as anyone can see, going against the tide in Japan will get you on bad side...
 
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===Well can I uncensor anything?===
 
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The blurry mosaic that is used on the vast majority of censored Japanese porn can not be reversed. Information has been lost and can never be restored. Though for most porn videos uncensored masters do exist in a vault somewhere. On the rare chance you come across a picture that uses another masking scheme, look for a program like GMask or FLMask and figure out how to decode it by yourself.
 
  
 
===How do I pronounce ''anime''?===
 
===How do I pronounce ''anime''?===
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===What are some of the big name IRC networks and channels?===
 
===What are some of the big name IRC networks and channels?===
 
irc.enterthegame.com houses most of the major fansubbing groups. ETG has a strict policy about licensed anime though, so any group who does a licensed show will not be found on this network. Instead chances are you'll find them on irc.aniverse.com and irc.rizon.net which houses pretty much everyone else.
 
irc.enterthegame.com houses most of the major fansubbing groups. ETG has a strict policy about licensed anime though, so any group who does a licensed show will not be found on this network. Instead chances are you'll find them on irc.aniverse.com and irc.rizon.net which houses pretty much everyone else.
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===What is Direct Connect?===
 
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Direct Connect is a peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol. You have a Direct Connect hub that someone runs, and people connect to it. You can chat on the hub or you can download stuff from other people connected to the hub.
 
−
 
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===What Direct Connect clients are available?===
 
−
The best one for Windows is [http://utrum.dyndns.org:8000/ BCDC++].  The best one for Linux is [http://dcgui.berlios.de/ Valknut]. The best one for OS X is also Valknut, but if you don't want to mess around with Fink/X11, use the shitty official [http://www.neo-modus.com/ Neo-Modus].
 
−
(Note: if your software installing thingy doesn't have "valknut", it may have "dcgui-qt", which is the same thing)
 
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−
: [[User:Albert|Albert]] what about the java client
 
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===What are some good Direct Connect hubs?===
 
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You can find more information on the following hubs by clicking on the links. The link will provide the address as well as the rules for joining.
 
−
 
−
Raspberry Heaven: http://www.raspberryheaven.net/rules/
 
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===What is Usenet?===
 
−
A huge network of discussion groups where people talk about various topics. Usenet also has binary groups where people can post files. Usenet is a very good way of obtaining digisubs if you have a good provider.
 
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===What are some good Usenet clients?===
 
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http://xnews.newsguy.com is popular. So are http://www.forteinc.com/main/homepage.php and http://www.newsbin.com.
 
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===Are there any free Usenet providers?===
 
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Any free one will mostly specialize in text-only discussion groups and will be worthless for binaries groups. Try calling your local ISP to see if they offer usenet.
 
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===What's a good paid Usenet provider?===
 
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I use Easy News and like them, though they are expensive. Other people use http://www.giganews.com, http://www.altopia.com, and http://www.airnews.net.
 
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===What are some good Usenet groups for anime?===
 
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* alt.binaries.anime
 
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* alt.binaries.multimedia.anime
 
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* alt.binaries.multimedia.anime.raws
 
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* alt.binaries.multimedia.anime.reposts
 
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* alt.binaries.multimedia.multimedia.erotica.anime
 
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* alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.anime
 
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* alt.binaries.sounds.anime
 
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* alt.binaries.sounds.jpop
 
  
 
===What is BitTorrent?===
 
===What is BitTorrent?===
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===What are .rar, .r01, .ace, .a01, .001 files?===
 
===What are .rar, .r01, .ace, .a01, .001 files?===
 
Download WinRar (http://www.rarsoft.com) or WinAce (http://www.winace.com).
 
Download WinRar (http://www.rarsoft.com) or WinAce (http://www.winace.com).
−
 
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===What are PAR files?===
 
−
PAR files accompany binary files, usually on Usenet. If you are missing one or two RAR files, for example, as long as you have the same number of PAR files as you have missing RAR files, you can automagically restore the missing files. The best utility to automate this (it does corruption checking as well) is fsraid (http://www.fluidstudios.com/fsraid.html). More details can be found on that page.
 
−
 
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===What are PAR2 files?===
 
−
Essentially the same thing as PAR files but more flexible. Instead of downloading chunks of PAR files, you only download as many blocks as you need. Visit http://www.pbclements.co.uk/QuickPar/DownloadingGuide.htm  for more information on PAR2 files.
 
  
 
===I'm missing the last five kilobytes of an episode.  Can I watch it anyway?===
 
===I'm missing the last five kilobytes of an episode.  Can I watch it anyway?===
 
DivFix: http://www.divx-digest.com/software/divfix.html
 
DivFix: http://www.divx-digest.com/software/divfix.html

Revision as of 05:57, 20 January 2009

This is the ADTRW FAQ, version 3.

If you have any additions, feel free to edit them in due to wonderful Wiki technology.

Contents

About this FAQ

What is ADTRW?

ADTRW stands for Anime Death Tentacle Rape Whorehouse, and is the anime subforum at the Something Awful Forums. Lowtax came up with the name when he created the forum to keep the anime crazies out of GBS.

What? I don't want to pay 10 bucks to read ADTRW!

Tough.

What's the history of this FAQ?

It started out as a forum thread. At some point, ricequeen HTMLized it and put it on his webspace while he was moderator. He stopped maintaining the FAQ and through the magic of archive.org, hannibal moved it to Raspberry Heaven. In the year 2009, the FAQ was moved to the ADTRWiki to further seperate the forum from that dark era.

Anime Questions

What are some good shows to watch?

Most people are introduced to anime via broad-appeal shows like Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Akira, Castle of Cagliostro, Ninja Scroll, Dragonball Z, or perhaps Sailor Moon. Most of these are readily available on DVD and your anime watching fans will probably have some you can watch.

If you want to see more, your best bet is to visit an anime forum like ADTRW, AnimeSuki, or AnimeOnDVD and see what shows are popular. The typical format of these forums is that each show gets one thread. If a thread has many pages, you can be confident that it is worth watching. As much as elitist fans like to disparage Naruto and Bleach, there's a reason they have thousands of fans.

Shows discussed on these forums are typically easily availble via Bit Torrent, or IRC. Distribution methods are discussed later in this FAQ.

What is fanservice?

In its most common use, fan service refers to things like panty shots, upskirts, walking around in lingerie, shower scenes, hot spring scenes, bouncing breasts, breast gropings, and so on. It is never explicit and is just a way for a show's creators to add mild sexual content to a show.

What are those tear drops that show up beside a character's head?

These can have a variety of meanings depending on context. But in general, think of it as the character breaking out in a cold sweat. They are suddenly nervous, or in a bizarre, undesireable situation. These usually occur in comedic situations. Once you see enough shows, you'll come to understand when and why they appear.

What is an OVA or OAV?

A fancy way of saying direct-to-video release. OVA means Original Video Animation and OAV means Original Animated Video. Sometimes it's a completely new show and concept. Sometimes an OVA is a supplement to an existing show. It could be a sequel, a prequel, a side story, or the same show in a completely alternate universe. It really is different per show; the fact that a show is an OVA doesn't really tell us anything, except that it can get away with stuff that would normally be censored on broadcast television.

These days, OVAs are typically also broadcast on satellite channels.

Where can I buy anime DVDs?

TRSI regularly has specials. Deep Discount DVD is also popular and has fair prices.

Where can I order DVDs, CDs, or other merchandise from Japan?

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp has a good list of new albums and DVDs. http://www.jlist.com specializes more in the porn end of merchandise, but they sell some oddball items too. http://www.amazon.co.jp offers a nice discount on import DVDs, but they charge a flat $20 for shipping.

Where can I buy manga? (Comics)

For domestic releases, you can buy manga at popular retail chains like Barnes & Nobles and Borders. You can also order online from Amazon, AnimeNation and many others.

For importing, you can try Sasuga, Kinokuniya, or Amazon JP. There are also many more doujinshi-orientated sites such as Mandarake for new titles, and Book-Mart for used titles.

How can I buy stuff off Yahoo Auctions Japan?

A number of deputy services have popped up that will order practically anything for you (for a fee of course) in case a store won't ship internationally. Examples include Akadot, M-World Service, Rinkya and Shopping Mall Japan.

Where can I find out the latest anime news?

http://www.animeondvd.com is good for R1 DVD news, though their reviews aren't very good. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com is basically the same thing but more diverse. http://www.manganews.net is a new site that keeps track of scanslations. http://www.tokyotosho.com and http://www.animesuki.com both keep track of anime bit torrents.

Where can I find out about shows being currently broadcast in Japan?

http://www.animedaisuki.net is updated irregularly. The premiere Japanese site for anime news is http://www.moonphase.cc.

There are plenty of bloggers who also cap and describe new anime episodes. You can find a small list of them here, under Japanophile Blogs.

Is every serious anime fan majoring in computer science?

Yes.


What anime have they shown on the Sci-Fi Channel (US) Saturday Anime features?

  • 8-Man After - Dark and gritty 4-part OAV sequel to the original cheesy 60's TV show, also known as "Eighth Man", edited together into a single feature
  • Adieu Galaxy Express 999
  • Akira
  • Appleseed - can anyone else confirm this?
  • Armitage the Third: Poly Matrix
  • Casshern: Robot Hunter
  • Demon City Shinjuku
  • Dominion Tank Police OAV - they showed OAVs 1 and 2 and then OAVs 3 and 4 as separate features
  • EYES of Mars - also known as MOTHER, amusing heavy-handed sci-fi environmentalist fable
  • Fatal Fury The Motion Picture - the really crappy one
  • Galaxy Express 999
  • Gall Force: Eternal Story
  • Green Legend Ran - the OAV episodes cut up and spliced together into a single feature
  • Iria: Zeraim the Animation - in two parts, 3 OAV episodes per part
  • Lensman - apparently the first they showed
  • LILY Cat - that horrid alien ripoff/homage with tentacles
  • Odin Photon Space Sailor Starlight - no human has ever been able to stay awake for the whole thing, consequently, it is not well remembered, and apparently this is after 45 minutes were edited out, it seems the original cut is even more boring, aka "Odin: Starlight Mutiny"
  • Project A-Ko - the first one, including the classic line, "it's the colonel!"
  • Project A-Ko: Battle 1 Gray Side & Battle 2 Blue side - cut up into one movie
  • Record of the Lodoss War - the first 3 OAVs only
  • Robot Carnival - I think they skipped a segment, can anyone remember which one?
  • Roujin Z
  • Tenchi Muyo In Love - the first movie
  • Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer - one of the best movies they showed, hands down, even if the dub could be better. Mamoru Oshii!
  • Venus Wars - yes, that movie with the motocycles with weapons on them
  • Vampire Hunter D

Yes, they edited everything they showed. Even EYES of Mars was cut for time if nothing else. And of course all dubbed.

No, apparently they didn't show Ghost in the Shell, that was on STARZ!


STARZ! Encore Action Channel Showings

  • Ayane's High Kick
  • Ghost in the Shell
  • Patlabor movies 1 & 2
  • Blood: The Last Vampire
  • Perfect Blue
  • Street Fighter II V
  • Fist of the North Star TV series
  • Black Magic M-66
  • Macross II: Lovers Again
  • Macross Plus OAVs 1-4
  • New Dominion Tank Police
  • Shadow Skill OAV
  • X The Movie

They've showed a few things that SciFi US has not, and people seem to be getting the two confused. While a premium channel, they've had free preview weekends where anime could be seen and confused with SciFi.


Sci-Fi UK showings

I can't be sure if these have or haven't been shown on the US variant, but I am positive these have been on the UK Sci-Fi channel. Dubbed, of course.

  • Ghost in the Shell
  • Lensman
  • Monster City
  • Orguss 02

Bootlegs

What are bootlegs?

Bootlegs are illegal copies of an original manufacturer's product. This can include DVDs, CDs, art books, manga, almost anything.

Why should I care?

There is no quality assurance with bootlegs. You may get a high quality knock off of the official DVDs. More likely however, you will get crappy video quality with Engrish subtitles that make virtually no sense. Buying a bootleg is a gamble and most times you'd be better off saving for the official release.

And there's a moral issue. If you enjoy a work and wish to support the creators, you should not hand your money to shady criminals who care little about the work and are only interested in profiting off the efforts of others. When you buy a bootleg, rest assured that none of your money ever benefits the creators.

When are bootlegs justified?

Sometimes a show just never makes it here and there's little hope that it ever will. Even getting the original R2 DVDs may be impossible since they are out of print. In such cases, you may have little option other than to buy bootlegs.

How can I identify bootleg DVDs?

There are several warning signs that should tip you off.

The DVD is Region 0 
This means that this DVD will play regardless of what region your DVD player is set to. Very, very few legitimate DVDs are Region 0. They will most likely be Region 1 (North America), Region 2 (Europe and Japan), or Region 3 (South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.) Visit http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews/index.php for a better idea of how regions work.
The DVD has Chinese and English subtitles 
Very few legitimate DVDs have Chinese subtitles. Think about it. If a DVD is being released in the US, why would it need Chinese subtitles?
A very high episode count 
Bootlegs usually cram as many as 8 or 9 episodes a disc, which will obviously degrade visual quality. This means a 26 episode series can be fit on 3 discs. Most legitimate DVDs will be far more spread out, anywhere from 3 to 5 episodes a disc. One exception to this are older shows which have lower visual quality to begin with, so many companies won't mind sticking as many as 12 episodes a disc sometimes. An example would be Pioneer's DVD release of Pretty Sammy.
It's disgustingly cheap 
If it's too good to be true, it is. If a retailer bought a DVD box set for $300, they should be extremely reluctant to sell it for $50. Such huge markdowns are signs that you are not getting what you're paying for.
No copyright information 
This one is a bit harder, but bootlegs offer no legitimate contact information or physical address beyond maybe a hotmail address.
It was made by a known bootlegger 
Companies like Anime Cartoon, Manga International, Animation Japan International, FX, Indian International, and Anime International are known bootleggers and are not likely selling legitimate versions.
You're buying from Ebay 
Ebay is filled with bootlegs and often it's impossible to discern the genuine from the fake. Be extremely wary when shopping on auction sites like this. Despite the illegal nature of bootlegs, Ebay does nothing to delist bootleg auctioneers.
It's not licensed 
http://www.animeondvd.com/licenselist/ maintains a fairly well updated list of what shows have been licensed, and who is distributing them. If a show isn't even licensed, you can rest assured you're buying a bootleg.
It's actually a VCD 
No anime comes out on VCD nowadays. VCDs will almost always have horrific quality as well, worse than VHS even.
Realize there are exceptions 
There are legitimate Region 2 DVDs that are encoded for Region 0. Some companies offer bargains for DVDs, such as the entire Nadesico box set now only going for around $70. Don't take these guidelines as law.
When in doubt, ask the forums 
Because it's better to look stupid with $50 in your pocket than to look stupid without $50 in your pocket.

How can I identify bootleg CDs?

Most all bootleg CDs are manufactured by Son May (SM) or Ever Anime. Same rules for spotting bootleg DVDs apply however: no copyright information, unusually low price, Chinese rather than Japanese (look for hiragana/katakana).

Where can I find more information?

http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/piratefaq.html has some good information.


Japanese Culture and Language

What is manga?

Japanese comics. A person who writes manga is called a mangaka.

What is hentai?

The common understanding of the word hentai in America/Europe/Australia is explicit anime pornography. It is a catch-all term used to describe everything from tentacle rape to erotic doujinshi to erotic anime, and anything else considered sexually perverse.

Begin pedantic mode.

Hentai has a different meaning in Japanese anime fandom, however. The word itself roughly translates into weird or abnormal. It was never used to describe (serious) erotic anime. This is one small point of contention Japanese anime fans have concerning the usage of the word in Western anime fandom.

Sources:

What is ecchi?

Common usage: ecchi is like a mild version of hentai. It is rarely explicit and can translate into something like dirty. Like hentai, it can also mean pervert.

What is ero?

Hentai and ecchi are both somewhat out of date in Japan (although they are still used in anime). Ero is yet another word describing erotic content and is synonymous with ecchi. Eroge for example refers to games that have sexual content in them.

What is moe?

Moe is terrible.

What is otaku?

Usually it refers to anime nerds, although you can also have military otaku, sports otaku, etc. In that sense it might better be translated as "fanatic" or "maniac".

In Japan, otaku is typically not a compliment. The common stereotype of the otaku is someone who doesn't bathe, lacks social skills, lives in their parents' basement, has never dated a girl, and fantasizes about having sex with cartoon characters. Even in anime, "otaku" is often used as an insult.

Western anime fans have taken up the term to mean any generic anime fan. If you want to be elitist and snobby, you can make fun of them and tell them being an otaku is nothing to be proud of in Japan. That will surely earn you lots of RH Cred.

If you're interested in the etymology of the word, try visiting http://www.otakuunite.com/politicsofotaku.html. Pulled from that site: "We should first note the etymology of 'otaku' (courtesy of Volker Grassmuck in his seminal otaku-studies article 'I'm alone, but not lonely': Japanese Otaku-Kids colonize the Realm of Information and Media, A Tale of Sex and Crime from a faraway Place). Literally and originally, it means 'your house', and more generally it is also a very polite (distancing and non-imposing as opposed to familiar) way of saying 'you'...In 1983, the first published report appeared on the usage of 'otaku' amongst fans. Akio Nakamori wrote a series of articles called 'Otaku no Kenkyu' (Studies of Otaku) in Manga Burikko. He called those hard core fans who called each other 'otaku' the 'otaku-zoku' ('zoku' meaning tribe). His was perhaps the first article stereotyping otaku as being anti-social, unkempt, and unpopular..."

So how did otaku get stigmatized so much in Japan? Well, from the same site... "The 'otaku panic', as described by Sharon Kinsella, didn't really occur until after the infamous Tsutomu Miyazaki incident in 1989. Miyazaki (who was 26, and in no way to be confused with legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki [emphasis mine]) kidnapped and murdered 4 little girls. When he was arrested, the police found a huge collection of various anime and manga, some of it pornographic, in his apartment."

So there you have it. Use the word otaku all you want, but you should be conscious of what it really implies in Japan.

What is doujinshi?

Albert todo: include etymology, i forget it at the moment

Fan made Japanese comics. More commonly it refers to hentai doujinshi, which are pornographic fan made Japanese comics. Doujinshi can be 10 page parodies of Asuka getting raped by George Bush, or they can be 20 volume works full of tender emotion and lengthy stretches without any sex. http://www.aestheticism.net has better defintions and more terms if you're curious.

What is yaoi?

Shorthand for yama-nashi ochi-nashi imi-nashi, which roughly translates to "no climax, no resolution, no meaning". Basically it's highly effeminate gay hentai. The background behind yaoi is a fascinating topic and you should visit http://www.aestheticism.net for more information. The short version is that female mangaka write yaoi doujinshi, featuring bishounen (effeminate, beautiful men) and lots of raunchy gay sex with some pretense of romance thrown in somewhere. Of course the characters aren't always pretty boys and a lot of yaoi emphasizes romance, so it's just a rule of thumb.

What are honorifics (san, chan, kun, etc)?

I could fill an entire book discussing honorifics but for anime purposes there are only a few you need to be familiar with. An honorific is something attached to a name or a person to denote a level of respect (or lack thereof).

-sama is about the highest you'll hear in anime. It denotes great respect; it's something you'd use for emperors, the president of a company or school, or on a smaller scale, a master or elder of a family. You might translate Shishio-sama as Lord Shishio.

-san is a general term of politeness, roughly equivalent to Mister or Miss in English. Tanaka-san wold be Mister Tanaka.

-sensei means teacher or doctor.

-sempai usually refers to upperclassmen or the president of a school club. A role model or leader of sorts.

-kun is what you would use with a classmate, or with a younger person you don't know well, or a male close to your age.

-chan is very intimate. Two close (usually young) friends may use the -chan suffix with each other. To indicate an even closer relationship, the -chan is dropped entirely and no suffix is used at all.

-dono shows up sometimes. It's like an antiquated version of -sama and isn't heard much anymore. In terms of level of respect, I'm going to say it hovers between -sama and -san, depending on context.

How do I pronounce anime?

If there ever was a more bullshit question... Pronounce it however you want. Most people will pronounce it just like animation, minus the "tion" part.

I want to learn Japanese. How do I start?

Your best bet is taking actual classes. Look for a community college that offers some. Once you get a good foundation, live in Japan for a year or two. Change your name to Otaking and star in some obscure Gainax flick about anime fans.

If you can't have access to classes, your second best bet is ordering a big hulking textbook like Nakama and combining it with a tape/CD program like Pimsleur. Watching lots of anime can help with basic pronunciation but try not to go around exclaiming "DOKI DOKI! ANTA BAKA?" to every vaguely Asian person you meet.

Getting Digisubs

What is IRC?

Internet Relay Chat. It's like one huge network of networks of chatrooms. http://www.mirc.com/ircintro.html has a good introduction, and mirc is a decent client if you're using Windows. It's a good way to get all the latest releases from fansubbing groups, after you check http://www.envirosphere.com of course. Once you get into a chatroom most people will explain things to you. If you're at all computer literate, you'll figure out how to use DCC and XDCC very quickly.

What are some of the big name IRC networks and channels?

irc.enterthegame.com houses most of the major fansubbing groups. ETG has a strict policy about licensed anime though, so any group who does a licensed show will not be found on this network. Instead chances are you'll find them on irc.aniverse.com and irc.rizon.net which houses pretty much everyone else.

What is BitTorrent?

BitTorrent is a Peer-to-Peer Filesharing program created by Bram Cohen. It is a protocol for distributing files. It identifies content by url and is designed to integrate seamlessly with the web. Its advantage over plain http is that when multiple downloads of the same file happen concurrently, the downloaders upload to each other, making it possible for the file source to support very large numbers of downloaders with only a modest increase in its load.

How can I use BitTorrent to download anime?

You can get the Bit Torrent client here: http://www.bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/download.html. Then head on over to http://www.tokyotosho.com or http://www.animesuki.com and download away.

I have more questions about BitTorrent...

Fully explaining Bit Torrent is beyond the scope of this FAQ. Consult the wonderful FAQ over at Animesuki for more help.

Technical Questions

I'm missing a video codec. Where can I find it?

First off, if you've installed Nimo, uninstall it and reboot. Then install http://hellninjacommando.com/defilerpak.

What is a good program for viewing lots of images?

http://www.irfanview.com is small, spartan, and free. http://www.acdsystems.com has more features but will cost you money. CDisplay is also popular.

What are .rar, .r01, .ace, .a01, .001 files?

Download WinRar (http://www.rarsoft.com) or WinAce (http://www.winace.com).

I'm missing the last five kilobytes of an episode. Can I watch it anyway?

DivFix: http://www.divx-digest.com/software/divfix.html

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