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It has not been released on the US so downloading the movie files using Torrents is not illegal.

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I don't think this is correct. I'm pretty sure US (and international?) copyright laws protect intellectual property regardless of its current marketing situation. Unauthorized sources are unauthorized sources regardless of where you are downloading from. The fact that the video in question isn't marketed in the US does not mean it's not illegal to download it. It simply means that there are likely no US-based parties with enough vested interest to care, and it's probably not worth the original creator's time and money to pursue such small damages internationally. Of course if enough people download it, it could ruin any incentive for it to ever be marketed in the US, since anime is a niche market to begin with.

On the other hand, I wouldn't put it past some saavy corporation to put their own video on such a site for "illegal" download as a way to guage interest and marketing potential before risking a well marketed commercial release.


 

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Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
 
It is illegal. However, it is unlikely to be pursued, due to being part of a detente situation between japanese content producers and international fansub/dub groups on the status of content not yet licensed for distribution in the US.

The link should still be removed.

Karl: that's the work of a fan group that did the translation and subtitling. These fansubs are frequently circulated online with little or no requests for takedowns (there've been some on youtube recently) so long as it has not been licensed for US distribution. Once that's happened, the fansubbers and distribution communities generally take them down themselves, and for remaining copies requests are made.

Information on downloading popularity and the like is actually mined by US licensing companies, and its the ones that are being downloaded more often that are licensed and brought to the US .
 

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Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
For the record, I'm not chastising anyone. I was just trying to correct a perceived inaccuracy.
 

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Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
 
I'm not sure if the link is really infringing any copyright laws since you cannot actually download the file. Isn't that the whole point of YouTube?
Besides, it's only a trailer and aren't those supposed to get you to watch the whole thing? Whatever the case, I will buy the DVD set and have it sent to me from Japan, I don't mind paying expensive shipping fees for this series, since it's probably my most beloved.

EDIT: And by the by, the characters are cute and all, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is just some other magical girl anime with the main character being some stupid schoolgirl that always gets in trouble. The main character, Misuzu, is a school girl and she is clumsy, but her story is very deep and the viewer is allowed to see why she is that childish.
 

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Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
 
You can download the file from youtube, in fact. More importantly, you are downloading it every time you watch it. Even if you stream something you're downloading it. Otherwise it couldn't appear on your monitor.

A trailer is intended to get people to watch the whole thing, but its still copyrighted. If you can find a place the official company has made it available (the website for the series?), link to that. Otherwise remove the link.

Since its popular, it'll make it to the US in a year or two and you can buy the DVDs then if you want, or import it now of course.

Interestingly, Air is based on a porn game, but is not itself pornographic. This usually goes the other direction. The basis in a porn game might hold up US distribution, at least if the Japanese company tries to bundle the properties.
 

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Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
 
It's unlikely that it ever makes it to the US since the franchise is rather old. The game was indeed hentai, but many fans complained to the company since the game did not need the hentai parts in order to get the story across. Later, a clean version of it was released.
Aside from the game and the OVA, which is what the trailer is for, there is also a movie and a manga.

Official OVA Site:
http://www.bs-i.co.jp/anime/AIR/

Official Movie Site:
http://www.air2004.com/

Both sites are on Japanese, so have fun translating,

I'll remove the link, just to make you guys happy.
 

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Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
 
The anime isn't too old, lots of stuff older than that is still being brought over. It was very popular in Japan and is very popular in the US, too.
 

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Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
 
Don't really think Air TV should get the title of, "If there is one anime you should watch its...."

I mean I watched Miyazaki's "Mononoke Hime" (Princess Mononoke) and thought, man what a great movie, everyone should see it (I've seen it 5 times).

But if you are a fan of say Inuyasha or Bleach, you might not like alot of Miyazaki's work, and only the more action oriented stuff.

Coincidentally I saw Nausicaa just last week for the first time finally and I LOVED it. What a great movie.
 

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Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
 
Yep, Nausicaa is one of the great classics of anime, as is Grave of the Fireflies.

I would also put some anime above Air, even if we're just talking anime series and setting the movies aside. Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Seed, and Crest/Banner of the Stars for some more sci-fi anime. Haibane Renme or Scrapped Princess for something a bit different. Azumanga Daioh for the most endearing anime. Planet ES for an amazing vision of humans (in space, but that's a detail in many ways).

Those aren't necessarily what I'd call the best anime, though they're all pretty darn good and some of them would be competitive for the title, but they're extremely accessible. Some anime I think are amazing that are rather less accessible include Genshiken, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Deathnote (edit: and Gankutsuou, and Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu!).

edit: and I'm just not sure where to put a few anime, like Hikaru no Go. Its one of the best coming of age stories I've ever seen, with tight casting, pacing, and plotting, it has some of the best animation, and its extremely accessible, but I wouldn't call it an anime everyone should watch.
 

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Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
 
I actually love Miyazaki AND Bleach. I'm also really enjoying the anime adaptation of Death Note.

I watched the first episode of Air and I don't know if I'll continue. The animation isn't my style and none of the characters seem all that engaging.
 

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Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
 
AzuManga is ok, but it's not really my type of anime. I find the characters too linear and rather bland. It's good for a few laughs but after that it seems repetitive.
I personally do not like characters that I don't really care about. For example: Spongebob. If I heard he got runned over by a train, I would just shrug, but if I heard that it was Misuzu, then I'd cry for all eternity.
The same thing happens to Azumanga. I like the characters, but I just don't have that emotional bond to them.
I hope you guys get my analogy.
 

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