I know, I know. You came here looking for a fight. Expecting this to be one of those rants about how pirates are literally killing the anime industry. Well, I’ve got some news for you.
This isn’t one of those rants.
Unless you are some kind of modern saint in the Church of Thicc Thighs and Oppai Anime, it is likely that you obtained anime through less than upstanding means at one point or another. That would be downloading or streaming from one of those sites. You know the ones.
And that’s fine. At least, if you are a kid or otherwise have no disposable income. Young anime fans do what they must or sit at the mercy of the likes of what Toonami or Adult Swim can secure for broadcast. Even for adults, pirating in the past was better than buying bulky box sets that you would literally watch once and never again. I know, I have whole drawers of it gather dust because I don’t know what to do with a bunch of box sets. And also, I love some of them. :<
But we grow up, and times change.
No longer do you need to buy box sets when you can support the anime industry by paying to use streaming sites. You can enjoy a series and not feel bad about immediately moving onto the next. It can be Crunchyroll, HiDive, Funimation, and even Hulu and Netflix have a decent selection of anime to watch now. On most of these streaming sites, you can even watch anime for free if you can put up with ads.
With more legal ways than ever before, you should be at least paying for some anime as an adult with a job. Here’s why!
Why Buy Anime?
It Funds More Anime
This is the most obvious reason to pay for your hobby. The money goes to paying more story writers, animators, and voice actors to make more of what you love. Even if it is done in horrific conditions. Some of those shows may be just terrible, but at least they exist. For those who believe that the money somehow isn’t going to the creators, it is paranoid to think it isn’t while sites still provide content.
It is Pretty Cheap These Days
Ten dollars for a Cruncyhrolll subscription is better deal than that random $15 season one box set of Naruto, especially when you can watch all of Naruto. Not a better deal than free, of course. However, you are paying for a service that has a reliable upload schedule and reliable quality.
The Videos Always Work
How many torrent sites for anime have you had shut down on you? How many pieces of malware have they given you? A lot? A lot. Pay for your anime and you no longer have to worry if a file has seeds or getting a video to buffer without having to close 15 ads that all pop-up in new browser windows.
You Are More Likely to Find Your Favorite Shows
Are you the only fan of Hot Blooded Justice Robot Gekiganger III? (It’s a real anime.) Well than good luck finding it on one of those illegal sites, much less with subtitles. The more obscure the anime, the less likely you are to find it. Fan subs typically only cater to shows that have some sort of fan base. Although, realistically, Gekiganger would probably be a rare find on legal sites too.
On the inverse of this, I fully knowledge that sometimes a series is just impossible to find on legal sites because of licensing issues.
It Makes Anime Look More Mainstream
“Anime? You mean Japanese cartoons?” or “It’s just porn, right?” – Remember those days? Horrible days, full of tired sighs. When you are “invisibly” enjoying anime, you are making it seem like it is not a big thing in the West. Yet, when you have 100,000 people tuning in for an episode of One Punch Man, it is hard to say that anime is still a fringe genre of entertainment.
* I wrote this article in 2016, and am updating in the great website audit of 2021. It is legit crazy to think of how much more popular anime is just five years later, not to mention compared to when I first started watching in the 90’s. Streaming, and people paying to see anime, has done amazing things.
You Get More Dubs
I know there are some mixed feelings about dub watchers, but just let them enjoy a series their own way. You ever watch anime while typing something and type subtitles? I can tell you that doesn’t happen with dubs, man.
Anyway, if you are even a casually enjoyer of dubbed series, paying definitely has an effect on how many dubs will be produced. Recently even simul-dubbing has becoming a thing. That is how you know anime has grown quite a bit this side of the Pacific.
You Can Watch Anime on Your Couch
Sure, sure. You can connect your laptop to your TV with a simple cord, but why bother? It is such a pain. Just pick a service and use their streaming app. Free yourself from the computer chair and wear a butt-shaped dip into your couch instead.
There Aren’t As Many Fan Subbers As Their Used to Be
Fan subs have their place. Sometimes they do a better job and often point out cultural things that other subs or dubs do not. Unfortunately, with anime so easily available from other sources, there are less and less fan sub groups out there. There simply isn’t as much demand. Downloads are down and if no one is watching, why bother? Less fan subbers, less shows to watch.
Interestingly enough, fan subbing may be coming back around again if companies like Crunchyroll keep inserting western slang into their dubs. Remember when Nagatoro said “sus” in Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro and everyone lost their mind?
It is the Right Thing to Do
If you think it is your right to get your entertainment for free, then I bet someone has used the word “entitled” at least once to describe you as a person. People work hard to bring you that anime. Too hard, in many places. They work long hours to meet their deadlines. Just watch Shirobako and you will get a glimpse at it. Do you expect these people to work for free so you can slip out of your reality for 30-minute intervals?
+1 for legal anime support!
+1 for legal anime support! Seriously, not enough places support that.
Ain’t it the truth. Back when I started watching, I could understand it, but it is so widely available legally for very little money now it is kind of ridiculous not to pay for at least some of it.
I agree that it is good to support legal ways of getting anime, but to promote it by spreading lies is just ignorant.
This line is 90% lie
“How many torrent sites for anime have you had shut down on you? How many pieces of malware have they given you? A lot? A lot. ”
BakaBT & Nyaa (Actual Anime Torrent Sites) have been up for over 10yrs, and never gotten malware from them. Now if you got your anime from Piratebay or Kickass (Public Torrent Sites) you could make the claim to malware.