From Buyer to Downloader

As an anime and manga fan I've found myself spending less and less on the "legit" goods. Now I'm not putting my money into bootlegs, I'm simply moving it to other areas. Funds that were once marked "Anime only" are now buying things like movies and music.

Big deal, right?

Sure interest in hobbies fluctuate (that 60$ game could translate into a complete anime series from Rightstuf), I'll give you that, but this feels more like a full on drought. It doesn't help that Funimation has began offering series pretty much "as they air" for a cheap price online. While I've always been one for physical media as my DVD collection shows, why pay for a show twice? Then again maybe I'm in the wrong, do most anime fans consider anime to be a cheap experience i.e. downloads?

 I guess if I knew that answer to that question I could make millions in marketing. For as long as I've been an anime fan I've bought the DVD's of a series I enjoyed. As naive as it may sound, I felt that it was my way of "giving back" to the creators and companies that brought my favorite shows ever. For example Geneon was my favorite R1 company with their show selection. Even with a slightly higher MSRP then other companies, I gladly paid a little more for the notch in quality and niche series I enjoyed.

If you asked me that same question today I might have a different answer. It's an odd thing being an anime fan through the "bubble times" until now seeing the debate about fansubs gradually die down. The industry has embraced the release method as mentioned earlier. I'm not bitter about it, whatever makes them money. We forget too often but they're in the business of making money and turning a profit. Funimation has become a juggernaut with cheap series sets (even if they're things you could of bought ten times over for cheaper prices...), with a wide selection.

In the end thats what it comes down to, show selection. Would I buy Library Wars or Kurenai even after watching them via fansub? Sure I would, they're great shows and I'd gladly support them. But until some company makes that possible I'll stick to clicking on a torrent link and watching them on my computer. I'm sorry R1 companies, telling an anime fan not to watch a fansub of a hit new show that you have no license to or don't intend to license is a little hypocritical.