Import Anime Forums

[ This is the fixed version of the one posted above. I edited it back to it's original state ^_~]

I've spoken with JJ and Shibo at length about this, along with many of the users in IRC chat.. The fact of the matter is that readership on the boards here has really declined. Nobody takes our boards seriously any more, because when they try to post, their threads get hijacked. Hell, even most of the mods and the admins don't like reading the forums much any more.. This is not a good thing. We love you guys, and all the other posters, but that does not mean that we want to see a response from you to every single post on these boards. If you have helpful info to answer a question, or something valuable to say, great. That's what the boards are here for. If you dont, well, then don't post.

And please, in the name of god, if someone asks a question and you don't know, don't post! The poster will figure out that you don't know by your lack of posting, you don't need to inform them of your ignorance. General babble is your forum to use for any purpose. Spam away, that's what it's there for. Shibo and I will be doing some heavy cleanup, deletions, etc, to get this general discussion board back to the point where it can be considered useful and taken seriously. I need all of your help on this one. We don't want to have to delete and move posts, but that's what needs to be done at this point.

All we ask is that you think before you post. Don't hold conversations in these threads. We have an IRC link for that, and there's ICQ for that purpose as well...let me outline these points for everyone again, in an easier to read format

1. Read the main page’s FAQ
2. Whenever you have a question or want to make a post, do a quick search (the board function, not with your eyes) and see if it has been asked/discussed previously
3. Don’t reply to posts if you have nothing new to say
4. Don’t bring up posts that are several months old unless it is really important
5. Respect is earned, not freely given
6. If someone has been posting here for a long time, chances are they’re respected; post count means nothing
7. No intolerance or prejudice of any kind to someone for something other than the stupid things that comes out of their mouth; you’ll be banned on the first offense. This includes racial slurs (and YES, "Jap" is a racial slur--ask anyone who lived through WWII) and abusive epithets.
8. Anything that comes out of an administrator’s mouth is gospel (except for Schultz’s and Shibo’s opinions on what anime is good)
9. Opinions cannot be defended by saying “it’s my opinion”
10. Do not state anything as fact of which you are not 100% certain
11. Do not make broad generalizations with limited knowledge: if you have only seen Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, you lack the experience to talk about what are “the best anime of all time,” etc.
12. I’m always right
13. Learn to argue and defend your points
14. Think before you speak
15. I’m also smarter and more knowledgeable than you
16. If you’re going to ask a question about a translation, emulator, etc., make sure you’ve read the readme beforehand
17. Post things in the appropriate forums
18. Oh, and also better looking than you
19. Spell correctly and use proper grammar and capitalization
20. No Dub vs Sub threads. (Dub and Sub threads are allowed) We could argue what is better until we go blue in the face - there is no right answer. We'll avoid the flame war without them in general.

I. Companies
There are primarily four companies that produce HK DVD’s. Those companies are: Animation Video (AV), Anime Cartoon/Manga International (AC/MI), Anime Studio (AS/MAC), and FX.

AV
AV DVD cases usually have a small, red triangle, with the words “Animation Video” printed on the lower, left-hand corner that bears a striking resemblance to the AC logo. Not much is known about AV, other than the fact they feature many copies of officially licensed DVD’s.

AC/MI
AC DVD cases usually have a small, orange triangle, with the words “Anime Cartoon” printed on the lower, left-hand corner. The original MI disc cases have a small, green M, with the words “Manga International” stamped on the lower-left hand corner. As of the creation of this guide, MI no longer places any logo on the exterior of the DVD case. AC/MI is often considered to be one of the best HK DVD manufacturers, usually boasting superior audio, video, and subtitle quality. Their quality is usually looked upon with high regards, but do not expect the same quality of officially licensed DVD’s. You may visit AC/MI at their website, located at http://www.anime-cartoon.com/.

AS
AS DVD cases usually have a small, blue moon, with the words “Anime Studio” printed on the lower, left-hand corner. Although, the most current releases feature a yellow moon. The quality of AS DVD’s is usually regarded less than AC/MI’s. The quality degradation is usually a result of compression, which allows more episodes to fit on a single disc. The main of advantage of AS is their cost and copies of officially licensed DVD’s that many other companies do not feature.

MAC
This is the new name under which AS producing their titles. They re-did some old titles and release all the new ones under the name MAC. MAC's are usually direct rips, nothing altered (logo's, compression etc.) from MI FX and Region 1 dvd's. They also have some original work as well. A good example is Hellsing which has good original subtitles. You may visit AS/MAC at their website, located at http://www.animegod.com/.

FX
FX DVD cases usually have a small, red circle enclosing the green letters “FX” printed on the lower-left hand corner. FX DVD’s are primarily copies of officially licensed DVD’s and are often regarded as “perfect” replicas. As it is with any other HK DVD manufacturer, no release is actually “perfect,” but many of FX’s reproductions have few flaws.

EZDVD
EZDVD is reprinting all the old FX titles plus releasing some new sets.. "They are considered to be the successors to FX"

II. HK DVD Reviews
Before requesting any quality checks/reviews from your fellow posters, please visit the Reviews section on this site, as well as Region 0 http://seihaku.freeservers.com/.

III. Future Releases
Most importantly, it must be understood that no one at Import-Anime knows which titles will be released in the future or when titles will be released. Each HK DVD manufacturer is extremely secretive, and must be to avoid interference from other companies. The only way to know about upcoming titles is to visit the manufacturers’ websites.

IV. The Import-Anime HK DVD Discussion Chat Room
If you would like to chat to with others from the HK DVD Discussion forum, you may visit the chat room by connecting through Esper at /server irc.esper.net, #Import-Anime. You can use mIRC http://www.mirc.com to join our channel or go there through this link http://etd.hypermart.net/chat/ia

V. Tracking If you want to track your package from Hong Kong, go here http://perso.club-internet.fr/alcahest/p...ackHK.html.
Thanks to Shady for writing most of this FAQ.

Thanks for the Clean-up.. I have made this Sticky.. Since the other post was finally found in Limbo.. will remove it now..

Might wanna lock it, too

Would the shortening of the word Japanese be considered a racial slur if it was meant in regards to a sub or dub? I often shorten it to Jap or Eng Dub, but if that would be considered as racially prejudice, I would stop it immediately. If I should not have typed the shortened version above, please forgive me.

Quote:Originally posted by Terrex
Would the shortening of the word Japanese be considered a racial slur if it was meant in regards to a sub or dub? I often shorten it to Jap or Eng Dub, but if that would be considered as racially prejudice, I would stop it immediately. If I should not have typed the shortened version above, please forgive me.

No, no, it's meant more in the terms of "Well those Japs and their 'language'" type slurring.

i agree with Suzakuseikun. If that was true we would be in trouble we use Jap as for all the Language options on the dvd listings page.. ;o)

Quote:Originally posted by Suzakuseikun
Might wanna lock it, too

done