Or to be more specific, pirated anime DVDs. Wired has a short article about how US distributors are starting to go after people selling bootleg copies of anime DVDs. I personally think this is a good thing.
Eyes Wide Open Over Anime Piracy
Amid proliferation of counterfeit Japanese animation products, an American distributor fights back in court. Randy Dotinga reports from San Diego. [Wired News]
I've been slowly making my way through Madlax as it comes out. I'm still a few episodes behind but I just watched episode 13 and I'm amazed at how this show has evolved. The first episode was a little cheesy, but they've done a nice job of slowly layering mysteries and pulling a number of different storylines together in ways I didn't quite expect. I still don't know what exactly is going on, but it has become quite a fun ride.
There's a new online DVD rental service called rentanime.com that I've decided to give a try for their two week free trial. It's a neat idea, but I have a feeling Greencine will still have them beat (at least for me). Some issues I already see with the site. There are some very noticeable holes in their selection. No original Bubblegum Crisis. And they've only got the second OVA of Fushigi Yugi (I'd thought this might be a good chance to check out the series since I've never seen it).
So, the first marks against them are for selection, but I'm willing to cut them some slack since they first opened. Beyond that, the site itself feels like it needs a bit of work. the design feels a little rushed. And it' is missing features that other sites have. For example: Can I queue up a full series and get them in order? Doesn't look like it. Can I easily request things they don't have? The don't say. There are lots of little details that I think they need to look at if they are going to survive. Especially when there are services like Greencine that have a kickass anime selection and a great site overall.
I'll report back more when I've got my first selections from them.
Anime Expo is going on this weekend and there's some cool anime coming our way. Ones I'm most happy about: Midori no Hibi, Bakuretsu Tenshi, and Popotan. I'm most happy about Midori no Hibi, because it's one of my recent favorites. Also, it appears that TOKYOPOP will be releasing CLAMP no Kiseki: The Ultimate Collection. CLAMP's 15th anniversary, 12 issue collection. With each issue coming with pieces for a CLAMP chess set (with some interesting choices for the pieces).
I watch fansubs. I admit it. But I also make sure that I buy shows I watch when they come out. I've got a much too long checklist of DVDs that I'm slowly working on filling. Lately I've been re-watching Angelic Layer as I get it on DVD and I'm really happy with how it is showing up for another viewing. Some shows I buy I start rewatching and find I just can't get into them quite as much. The ones I watch and watch over and over again are the ones I'm most happy about owning.
What shows do other people find they love rewatching again and again?