There are times when I wish that I didn't take such hardline stands on things--pirated stuff for example. Once I thought about the full implications of buying cheaper anime CDs at the expense of my personal morals and beliefs, I decided that I would never knowingly buy unlicensed CDs again. I say unknowingly because I think that since that time I purchased pirated CDs under the misconception that they were legitimate. ^^;;
Anyway, I am very vocal in my belief that buying pirated CDs is wrong. I mean, no matter how you try to turn the matter into an issue of who's trying to rip who off, or who you are or are not hurting, I think that if people really thought about it, they would realize that you can't condone pirating material without undermining the entire foundation of Western society. For anyone who's studied Western history, philosophy, or even political science, I'm sure you've heard that our society is based on the acceptance of the fundamental principle of the inviolable right to private property. This means that people have the right to say that something is theirs, and that others don't have the right to take what belongs to someone else.The only exception that I would make to this rule would be if a person lacked basic necessities like food or water. Since anime definitely does not fit into either category, there's no justification for stealing from the rightful royalties/copyright, etc. holders. Anime is a luxury, and as such, those who produce it have the right to charge as much as they would like for it. If someone can't handle the price, then that someone will simply have to learn to do without.
This is not something that I say lightly, either. It's not as if I'm a mere "dabbler" in anime, so that I don't, or can't understand the desire to have anime stuff. I spend 40% of my income (from work, gifts, etc.) on anime in all forms--DVD, manga, artbook, CD, etc.--and you what, I'd be able to get a lot more for my money if I bought HK or Taiwanese versions of things rather than the Japanese. Not to mention I only recently started to like some very old series for which the merchandise, like CDs, is extremely hard to find and out of print. If I am so lucky as to be able to find a retailer who can special the Hana Yori Dango: Encore Piece from Tsukushi CD, for example, it will probably cost me between $60 and $100 Canadian (when you add tax, shipping, etc.), and again, that's assuming any retailer could actually find it for me. So am I tempted to buy the SM or EverAnime version of the soundtrack which is both readily available and considerably cheaper? Of course I am! But I can't do so without totally compromising my beliefs and becoming a complete hypocrite, so now I have to learn to do without, or be prepared to pay a ridiculously high price for a single CD. Oh, and did I mention that HYD is one of my ultimate favourite anime for all-time? And that I love the soundtrack and find myself humming "Ordinary Sunday" all the time? You can bet that it was a hard decision for me. Just think about it.
Ah, this heat wave is a killer! Not only because I hate the heat and would rather freeze than be too warm any day, but also because this type of heat reminds me of summer, and sends me into summer mode. I so don't want to go back to school, much less to write exams!
Then too, I went to the library today to return some books, and, of course, couldn't help but to pick some up as well. Bad idea. As I've mentioned before, given a choice between doing what I'm supposed to and doing leisure reading, the latter wins hands down almost every time. ^^;;
At any rate, the temptation that books provide me aside, I was quite lucky today. I just happened to see Mercy by Julie Garwood and picked it up. Although I usually keep on top of her new books and manage to place holds on them fairly early on, this one must've slipped by me completely because I totally forgot about it until I saw it today. I mean, I remember seeing it as a new release in bookstores, or at least I think I do, but I never placed it on hold, so I must've forgotten about it shortly thereafter.
Anyway, the heat is getting to me, so I'm going to turn my computer off soon. It's been on all day so my room is reaching the sweltering point. Ick. I hate it when my room is too warm; I can never sleep. Later!
Woohoo!!! I just came back from watching LotR: Fellowship of the Ring for the third time and I couldn't be happier!! Actually, I would have been content with watching LotR just two times if the Two Towers trailer hadn't started. At first I was worried that I had made some mistake, or that Cineplex really sucked because I didn't see the trailer, and was planning to watch the movie for a fourth time, but at the Paramount (Famous Players). Of course, by the end of the movie I realized my mistake; it's not called a trailer for nothing! You'd think an English major would be able to understand the difference between the words preview and trailer. =Þ
At any rate, it was good!! I saw Treebeard, and Wormtongue (was that his name?), Faramir...I'm so excited! The trailer managed to make the movie seem, well, exciting, even though the book was such a trial. Honestly, if I didn't have the promise of the third and final book ahead of me, I wouldn't have made it through. As it was, it took me two days to finish Two Towers compared to the one day it took for the Fellowship of the Ring, and the one night it took for Return of the King. At any rate, I suppose that's what trailers are supposed to do--make movies seem interesting, that is. Still, I was really impressed.
Now I feel like reading the entire trilogy over again! And maybe the Hobbit again as well, with Simarillion--which I just bought--thrown in to boot. Too bad I have exams coming up. Can you guess what'll get done first, between reading LotR and studying? ^^;;
All that I have to do now is wait for August 6th, when the DVD comes out! I swear, if it's available for pre-ordering, I would be one of the first in line!! It's quite ridiculous, my LotR mania, actually. Can you believe that the first time I tried to read the Hobbit, maybe in grade six or seven, I only made it about a third of the way before I got bored? And for the Fellowship of the Ring, which I tried to read in grade eleven or twelve, I didn't even make it past the prologue--the first twenty pages! Then again, I didn't exactly make it entirely through the prologue this time round either. When I found myself getting bored once again at the twenty page mark, I skimmed through the rest. I've since learned that it's best to skip Tolkien prologues if you ever want to make it to the actual story. ^_~
Well, as I've told all my friends, three summers from now, I'm going to have a nine-hour LotR marathon, when we'll only stop for bathroom breaks, and maybe, just maybe, food. ^_^ Hope to be talking about it three summers from now!! Later!
I stumbled on a new web comic on Saturday called Everything Jake. It's part of the Keenspot line-up along with Avalon and Real Life. Actually, interestingly enough, yesterday wasn't the first time that I had seen the comic. I know that I followed a link to it much earlier in my online-comic-reading career, but after I read a couple of strips I decided that it wasn't really "my thing."
See, I thought that it was going to be just another college/university strip featuring drug and sex jokes, but I was wrong. There actually *is* a plot, and it's quite intriguing. I won't spoil it for you, but I'd say that in parts it's definitely a mind-bender. ^_^ The art is also superb. I used to read Gen13, Danger Girl, and other comics of that ilk, and the style of Everything Jake reminds me of those "good old days."
Of course, there is a great deal more "mature" subject matter, especially sex, than I'd normally like to see in an online comic, but it's not totally gratuitous, so I can deal with it.
What really impresses me is that Everything Jake updates daily--and not just in theory either! Considering the difficulties that I have posting to this blog everyday, I can't imagine keeping on top of things well enough to be able to words combined with art daily.
Another thing that struck me was the 9/11 fifteen day story arc. I thought that it was very well written in that it dealt with some of the emotions involved in the aftermath, without trivializing or oversensationalizing them. It was also well adapted to the continuity of the story.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on Everything Jake. I'd say that you should at least check it out; you might not like it--as was the case for me the first time I read it--but if you do, I hope you'll agree that it's a unique comic, and one worth experiencing.
