My opinion on the Manga Rock debacle

I got out of retirement precisely because of this, so you know I mean business.

SCANLATIONS HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE AT LEAST THE 90S. THEY HAVE ACTUALLY HELPED POPULARISED MANY SERIES JUST SO THAT A FOREIGN PUBLISHER COULD JUST SNAP THE LICENSE AND RELEASE THE MANGA OFFICIALLY WITHOUT HAVING TO DO ANY OF THE MARKETING THEMSELVES.

EVERY TIME PUBLISHERS AND OTHER COPYRIGHT TROLLS DECIDED TO MAKE A FUSS WHY SCANLATIONS ARE BAD IN THE PAST (REMEMBER ONE MANGA), THEY HARDLY EVER FOLLOWED UP WITH A DECENT ALTERNATIVE.

WHY DO YOU THINK MANGA ROCK GOT SO BIG IN THE FIRST PLACE? BECAUSE THE "OFFICIAL" ALTERNATIVES ALL FAILED TO COMPETE AND SUCK MAJOR ASS.

"BUT THINK OF THE ARTIST!" - THEY SAID. EXCEPT PEOPLE ABROAD WOULD HAVE NEVER EVER HEARD OF THE TITLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF SCANLATIONS. SO I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT THERE WAS NO MONEY TO BE MADE HERE.

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE CHEAPSTAKES. THEY WON'T EVEN PAY RENT. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THEY'LL SPEND MONEY ON MANGA? IF THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A MANGA TITLE OR A MANGA SITE, THEY'LL JUST MOVE ON TO SOMETHING ELSE. THE WORLD ISN'T JAPAN.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THESE CONCERN TROLLS ARE HYPOCRITES. CRUNCHYROLL WOULD NEVER BE THIS BIG TODAY IF THEY DIDN'T FIRST START OFFERING UNLICENSED FANSUBBED ANIME FOR FREE. THIS IS HOW THEY CONSOLIDATED THEIR INITIAL USERBASE.

AND MANGA ROCK IS FOLLOWING THE SAME PATH BY VOWING TO GO LEGAL. SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU? MAKE SURE YOU USE SCANLATIONS AND FANSUBBED ANIME TO GET YOUR START, THEN GO "LEGAL".

AND THEN RAIL AGAINST THE VERY SCANLATIONS AND FANSUBBED ANIME YOU INITIALLY EXPLOITED FOR YOUR OWN GAINS. MANY FANS WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY ON THEM DIDN'T DO IT FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY, THEY DID OUT OF ADORATION FOR A PARTICULAR TITLE.

WHILE SOME MANGA ARTISTS MIGHT BE AGAINST SCANLATIONS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, IT IS NOWHERE A UNIVERSAL THOUGHT. THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLES THAT SHOW THE CONTRARY HERE.

WANT TO KNOW WHY THOSE COUNTER VIEWS EXIST? BECAUSE THEY AREN'T ROBOTS. THESE ARTISTS HAVE THEIR OWN VIEWS AND MOST LIKELY UNDERSTAND THE FUCKED UP WORLD OF MANGA (THE LOW PAY, THE LONG HOURS ETC) BETTER THAN ANY OF THE COPYRIGHT TROLLS.

THEY ALREADY KNOW WHO ARE THE REAL VILLAINS IN THIS STORY. PROTIP: IT'S NOT THE SMALL TIME SCANLATOR.

If you agree with my ramblings, consider sending a personal fuck you to the people who will try to guilt-trip you into buying manga. More importantly, also tell them you don't need a moral guardian and they can fuck off. If you disagree, you can fuck off as well.

If you want to buy manga as I do, do it for your own or if you wish, the artist's sake, don't do it because you want to "support the industry". Industries that constantly fail to modernise to a reasonable degree and scapegoat others for their own personal failures aren't industries worth supporting in the first place.

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://cryptotsuki.com/2019/09/07/my-opinion-on-the-manga-rock-debacle/

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