saw Stage 4

[Da_Bagel]

I finally saw the first episode of stage 4. So far it looks pretty sweet

[xXRyCe_R0CkEtXx]

It looks so much better ^_^ and the music changed alot....but still good. im gonna see the 2nd episode today ^_^

[joebowlr21]

Just finished watching episodes 1 & 2 of 4th staged subbed correctly.......just amazing.Animation is alot better then that of 1st an 2nd stage but would say that 3rd stage looks a little better. Just seems like they made the cars in a few (just 2 or 3) scenes seem a little to cartoonish.Reminded me of Automodelista.
Music is still awesome and story line is amazing! Can't wait for the next few episodes......1 month......too long of a wait....AHHHH

[drftk1d]

Where'd you get them from?

[xXRyCe_R0CkEtXx]

Do not link to fansubs of Initial D. It is a licensed series, thus making fansubs illegal bootlegs. This is a bannable offense. Signed; Layla's Keeper.



it has a link there ^_^....but yea i when i heard it was coming out i was like OMG thats sooo cool ....then it said like in 2 months an i was like nooooo....torture...

[joebowlr21]

Fansubs......man i remember the days when i SASE those things for years. Even with that i still got BS because people couldn't understand i wasn't selling them, but distributing them freely for people to see the raw versions of these shows that we never got to see. But now we have DVDs with both version....much better then before.


But seriously, if you are a fan but against bootlegs wouldn't u still be interested in seeing the series as it came out as opposed to waiting years for it? just a question that i ask.

[Layla's Keeper]

I don't like waiting, and watch fansubs of unlicensed series as well as fansubs of series that are unavailable in an unedited format (as was the case for shows like Cardcaptor Sakura), but once a series is licensed fansubs become bootlegs and as such illegal.

A year ago, there was a great controversy that sprang up between the digital fansub group Anime Junkies and the anime distributor Urban Vision. The series in question was Ninja Scroll TV. Urban Vision financed the production of Ninja Scroll TV, making it their property before pencil hit paper. There was an assured American release and quality translation in both the dub and sub as Urban Vision was producing the series. Anime Junkies fansubbed Ninja Scroll TV and Urban Vision asked them politely to stop, as it was their property. Anime Junkies representatives refused in a public and profanity laced e-mail. After that, Urban Vision threatened legal action, which lead to Anime Junkies ceasing fansubbing of the series. The event has led to a very public crackdown by the larger anime distributors on fansubbing of licensed series.

The hit list includes Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Bandai), Inu Yasha (Viz Entertainment), Gundam (Bandai), and several ADV properties. Action has been everything from public requests, to the shutting down of whole websites, to the beginning of legal action.

Fansubs, back in the VHS days, were a labor of love to get series that didn't stand a chance of being licensed into the hands of fans. Shows like Violinist Hamelin, Rose of Versailles, and (until very recently) Revolutionary Girl Utena were considered verboten by distributors and as such fans worked over time to put out a hundred odd tapes so that people they knew would be interested could watch. Now, digi-subbers are wholly concerned with getting the hottest series subbed first, series that are 100% likely to be licensed if they aren't already. It's stopped taking years for series to be released and it's down to months. In fact, just this month ADV pulled off what was once unthinkable: the simultaneous Japanese/American release of an anime, namely the series Grrl Power.

I'll gladly support a group that takes the time and effort to fansub a series like Shakoten Boogie or L Gaim, but the bootleggers who're on Initial D, Inu Yasha, and Gundam Seed are on my personal S-list.

[drftk1d]

I agree with ya, but I have all of first and secons stage fansubbed. Now i got 1st stage way before tokyopop had plans to release it, and i got second stage over spring break. I dont really see how that was wrong condsidering i had no prior knowledgge that there was to be an american release of this series.

Oh btw i saw 4th stage 1&2 as well.

[joebowlr21]

same here. I actually purchased all of intial D, up to 3rd stage before the series was even being considered by tokyopop. But keep this in mind, Tokyo pop doesn't mind fansubbers as much as you might think. Hell, i know for a fact that there scripts for the jap version of initial D are partly from a select few fansub groups that already did initial D. They contacted them and asked for their persmission for a few of the scripts.The company also asks anime fans for their opinions on another anime that they are considering.

[MR2Driver]

I happen to love the way the cars look now, but I dont like the drawings. The car engines look crappy, and I HATE what they did to Keisuke. He looks fresh outta DBZ

[joebowlr21]

well obviously he had to be almost as good as Takumi so he charged up an turned into a super saiyan! lol

[Layla's Keeper]

You're right that the sub scripts for Initial D came from a HS fansub group, namely Anime Nation.

Tokyopop is a very fan conscious company, but they're also a company without much money that's been screwed over by the networks. They were counting on a big TV deal with a national network for Initial D, and were asked to make the changes to the dub by the interested networks. They did so, and the networks backed out, leaving Tokyopop with a hugely expensive license (Initial D is incredibly pricey due to the car licensing, and the music, and the series' popularity in Japan) that they had just guaranteed poor DVD sales of with no time left to redub it.

Tokyopop has also been screwed over twice by Cartoon Network. Firstly, Cartoon Network ran roughshod over Reign: The Conqueror, saddling it with edits that really did some screwy things to the story and giving it a poor timeslot that let it sit and gather dust while Inu Yasha and Cowboy Bebop reruns cashed in on the ratings. Secondly, Tokyopop's new series Rave Master was scheduled to debut this month with much fanfare, but for undisclosed reasons Cartoon Network pushed back the debut to a tentative June date while big series like Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf's Rain, and Gundam Seed (all Bandai titles) get the attention and ratings.

It's tough being Tokyopop, and the fans who're out there downloading First Stage fansubs instead of buying the DVD's aren't helping the situation at all.

[-The Stig-]

[joebowlr21]

Originally Posted by Layla's Keeper

It's tough being Tokyopop, and the fans who're out there downloading First Stage fansubs instead of buying the DVD's aren't helping the situation at all.

I agree with you on that one.I myself am buying the new DVDs as they come out mainly because The bootleg dvd's of first stage have an echo sound to them, and it gets anoying as hell.

[1viadrft]

I haven't seen them.... someone post some pix!