Talk of anime downloading and the hurting industry is all over the place. It has hit home a little more to me seeing Geneon dropping out, NewType being bought over, and then just noticing how small the anime selection has become at Best Buy... (though it looks like they're carrying more boxsets which I think is the way to go). Now I download fansubs as much (or more?) than anyone, but I'd also like to support the anime industry.... The truth is, just laying the blame on fansubs and anime downloading and doing NOTHING about it isn't helping any, so I was very surprised and pleased finding out that the publisher Gonzo is trying something new.

Gonzo (publisher of titles such as Rozen Maiden, RomeoXJuliet, Full Metal Panic, Hellsing), is taking a step forward and joining with popular streaming sites such as youtube, crunchyroll, and BOST. They are simultaneously releasing two new series (subtitled of course) for free to watch online as each episode airs over in Japan. Meanwhile, you can download the high quality episode for a donation amount of your choice (download also comes with versions for iPOD and PSP!). If this actually works out for them, I think this could be a revolutionary idea for the anime industry.

Though they do look really good so far, I don't even care if I didn't like the two anime they are testing this out on... I think this is a concept worth supporting just so more anime follow in their footsteps. And though I usually won't wait around for a DVD to EVENTUALLY be released in America and then have to pay over $20 for a dvd with only 4 episodes... I would happily pitch in a dollar or so for an episode as it came out if I liked it enough to download.

I was curious about what the anime fans on DA thought about this and the state of the anime industry in general. Do you think it is a good idea? Would you be willing to donate for a legal anime episode download? (Remember you can still watch it for free to see if it's worth it). I think Gonzo is pretty much addressing the reason why fansubs exist... they're immediate and free access for everyone outside of Japan. I think taking "donations" for episodes rather than charging an outright fee to see what fans are willing to pay is also a great idea.

You can find Gonzo and the anime (the two series are "The Tower of DRUAGA" and "BLASSREITER")...
on BOST at [link]
on crunchyroll at [link]

Interesting or relevant Articles:
[link] - GDH open-priced online distribution
[link] - ANN Open Letter to the Industry


Oh on a side note, has anyone else gotten a hold of the new PIQ magazine that is replacing NewType. I'm still bummed that after subscribing for the first time to NewType for the year I only got one magazine before changing to PIQ. Does anyone else have any thoughts on it? It IS half the price of NewType (though of course smaller and less content). I just wish it still had it's focus on anime and Japan pop culture. PIQ includes US comics, gaming, and some sci-fi or other entertainment.

[link] - PIQ magazine website