Where do you get this stuff??!

[Kireihana]

Where do you all get access to all these anime titles - do most of you download them or buy them? Because it seems like a lot of you have seen so many titles that haven't been released in America yet. Do you get them online through eBay, or downloading them? Because all that torrent stuff is beyond me... I was just wondering where you got them, and if you bought them how much you typically spend.

Here are the titles I'm interested in:

Azumanga Daioh
Hikaru no Go
One Piece
Sakura Wars
Tokyo Mew Mew

[cbwing0]

I don't know about any of those titles, but I get my anime from Amazon.com, Ebay, and various smaller retailers if it is necessary. I don't download any anime, though.

[Reverie]

Tokyo Mew Mew anime is soon to be released in America (click here). If you are interested in the series, I highly suggest taking a look at the magna (each volume's retail price is about $10).

[ShiroiHikari]

Some of those titles have already been released in manga form, like One Piece and Azumanga Daioh. ^_^v

[SwordSkill]

my primary anime sources:

1. Animax (it's a TV channel dedicated to airing anime 24-hours a day, seven days a week, all subtitled //except for the kiddie shows, which are dubbed//...you can imagine how much anime you can get from that, and they have good taste, so i'm content XD )

2. AXN (another TV channel that airs anime for six hours a day, subbed)

3. Fansubs (i get mine mostly through Streamload or from any kind soul who can afford to keep a server to host those files)

...i don't have to spend very much, luckily. ^^

[Haibane Shadsie]

Most people (with fast DSL or Cable connections) download fansubbed anime.

As for me... I don't have a DSL or Cable.. I have a pokey modem. Downloading anything is a pain for me... and my ISP likes to cut off after a couple of hours of my using it...I can't even download a short Anime Music Video usually without it cutting off... so downloading fansubs for me is out of the question.

However, I do have some fansubbed anime. I get this from a third party... a friend of mine who has a DSL connection and who burns CDs for me... I just have a few titles this way, though, and the only one I've actually seen the whole series of that I have is Azumanga Daioh.

I think she got that one from someone at her anime club. Someone had copies of fansubs they got from somewhere and let her borrow for burning purposes.

That's how I get titles that are unrealsed in America... I'm lucky to have this online friend to snail-mail stuff with.

[lobsterbucket]

I actually heard that ADV is going to be releasing Azumanga Daioh this year! I'll be looking forward to it also!

-Daniel

[Rev. Doc]

I actually heard that ADV is going to be releasing Azumanga Daioh this year! I'll be looking forward to it also!

-Daniel

Volume 1 of Azumanga Daioh comes out April 27th.

I generally purchase most of my anime, mostly from Best Buy or Ebay.

[Pantakrator]

Fansubs (i get mine mostly through Streamload or from any kind soul who can afford to keep a server to host those files)

What exactly is streamload?

[Hitokiri]

I usually buy my stuff rom the internet (sadly most of my anime has been bootlegs without me kknowing it ).

I'm going to start buying stuff from AnimeNation (next series RahXephron)

I also get stuff at stores like Best Buy, Media Play and Target

[Kireihana]

Okay thanks. I have cable internet, so I could download, but I don't know how. I tried bittorrent but either I downloaded the wrong client, or I was doing something wrong... There are no anime channels where I live, and sadly there's a lack of intrest in this area. I read One Piece manga and liked it - that's why I was interested in the anime. I guess I'll wait for Azumanga and buy it... I hope the dubbed version is good!

*sigh* And as I've said in other posts, movie rental places here only carry the adult titles like Hellsing and a few other of the dark shows, and any store that sells them is extremely expensive. On a brighter note, my brother won a free Yu-Gi-Oh! dvd from Gogurt (we just had a great time laughing our heads off at Pegasus).

[SwordSkill]

What exactly is streamload?

about Streamload (http://www.streamload.com
):
Streamload is an online file storage, hosting, and delivery service. We offer free, unlimited storage. Seamlessly transfer all your data online with any web browser and enjoy fast, convenient access to your files - when you need them. Easily send files and receive files of any size. Cost effective and high capacity file hosting. Organized online storage accessible from anywhere. Secure offsite backup for all your files.

basically, what anime fans do is that when they get their hands on new fansubs from any sort of source, they upload those files into their accounts which they can easily send to other people. now if i wanted a certain series that i know a certain person has in his or her account, i just contact the person, tell him/her i want so-and-so series, then s/he will just send the files to my account and i would receive them in a matter of seconds. then i go off happily downloading them. XD Streamload's got pretty good servers and good customer service, since it's commercial. there are also a gazillion boards out there where people can trade or request anime goods.

you can opt for a free trial (which lasts for a month and gives you a download bandwidth of 30 or 50 megs or something //i forgot already how much// for that month...but after that month, your account is deleted and you lose all the files in your account) or for paid services, which start lowest at $4.95 a month for 1000 MBs of bandwidth and end highest at $39.95 a month for 60,000 MBs (and you get to keep your files too).

[Technomancer]

If there's an anime club on a local campus, that's always a good place to go. Also, a number of gaming stores rent anime as well (so not just the usual video stores), which is where I get most of my stuff.

[Kireihana]

Lol, remember that I'm 14 and don't really go to school on a "campus"... We usually go to Hollywood Video and they have a games section... but hardly any anime. On Streamload, do they have a search you can use to find anime?

While we're on the downloading topic, does anyone know of a program that plays .avi files? Because I downloaded some from AnimeTorrents, but K-Lite says that they're not even valid .avi files. I'm totally confused.

[SwordSkill]

lol, no, you have to find those Streamload anime files yourself. if you like, i can give you a list of boards where you can request anime since they also provide lists of the anime they have.

lots of players play avi...i use windows media player myself. if your player says the file's not valid or has the wrong compression, it's likely because you don't have a certain codec installed in your computer to decompress that file (since most avi files traded over the net are divx/xvid/whatever-compressed to save space). don't worry; codecs can easily be downloaded from the net and installed in a matter of seconds.

[Kireihana]

I downloaded the K-lite 2.0 full codec, but it still says that the .avi files I downloaded are invalid.

[Hitokiri]

do most video stores where you rent stuff have anime...last time I rented someething from a store was at least 5 years ago....It's so darn expensive

[blue elf]

Some stores where I buy anime are:
Amazon.com
AnimeNation
FYE(I don't reccommend them, cause they're usually expensive)
BestBuy(they have some pretty good prices on most series)
Wal-Mart(occasionaly)

As far as fansubs go I don't have a very fast connection so if I want to get any it would either be ordering them on cds from a fansubber(I haven't had any online friends to trade with yet) or ebay.
-BlueElf

[SwordSkill]

@ kireihana...no, the codec you might need is a different one. it's not restricted to any one player. i don't know what your file is so i don't know if it needs specifically divx or an xvid codec, but i would recommend you to d/l the filter called FFDSHOW. as long as you have that filter installed in your computer, you can automatically play divx or xvid files, depending on how updated your version of the filter is.

or if you really want to know which specific codec you need, you can d/l the TFO Codec Finder and use it to find out which codec your file needs.

[suoh12]

i used to get anime from bit torrent sites. you download a somewhat p2p software from the bit torrent site then choose from a wide range of titles. note that you need to have a fast connection to get these files faster. unlike me, i only have dialup so its pretty slow.^^;; what i do is i just leave the PC up all night and my download will finish in the morning.^^

forgot the other sites i use to go to but i do remember one, animesuki.com

[MyrrhLynn]

Lol, remember that I'm 14 and don't really go to school on a "campus"... We usually go to Hollywood Video and they have a games section... but hardly any anime. On Streamload, do they have a search you can use to find anime?

While we're on the downloading topic, does anyone know of a program that plays .avi files? Because I downloaded some from AnimeTorrents, but K-Lite says that they're not even valid .avi files. I'm totally confused.

Well I am really experienced at Bittorrent which is where I get all of my "new" anime. (new = just released) Which series did you try to download and what error are you getting? (well actually why don't you PM me and i will try to help) Because it may be that you just didn't download it all the way, and that is why it is erroring out on you.

Otherwise I also use KazaaLite but that is a much slower process. There is an anime club at my campus but I don't go because... the people scare me!!! And then of course my sister and I take turns buying anime.

Actually a place you could try that no one has suggested is the library. I know my library has a few anime titles. And it has as loan service with about 5 other librarys so I could borrow from them too. You should see if your library does something similar!