It is pretty clear that FUNimation’s roll out of their new license Shikabane Hime onto streaming video websites on Friday trumped what little bit of buzz ADV planned to generate with its Monday license revelations, not only because the title debuted only three weeks ago on Japanese television but also because of the strings and behavior involved in what will be the company’s most ambitious venture into digital distribution yet.
Let me make this clear before I proceed: I will not intentionally imply or assert that FUNimation has any ill intentions despite what the title of this editorial might suggest through subtle reference to contemporary politics; I simply wish to flesh out the many promises and concerns I have about their influence on how the handling of Japanese animation in North America will evolve in the near future. I will give them respect when due but I will also not hold back on expressing any pertinent criticisms.
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Taking Another Ride On The DRM Train
July 26, 2008 in Commentary by Tom Langston (calaggie) | No comments
The main reason why I rarely buy download-to-own episodes of anime or TV shows in general is often DRM lockdown preventing me from watching the content how I want. However, I feel the need to try out a system and blog about it; previous examples are ADV Universe, iTunes, and AnimeNation’s PPV. So when I was admitted to the new Amazon Unbox beta and also read that Pretty Cure was added to Direct2Drive along with Digimon Adventure 02, I decided to give each system a try. (To tell the truth, I previously used Unbox to watch NBC pilots last season but there is now a streaming component to it so it’s new in that sense.)
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Tags: amazon unbox, Anime, direct2drive, drm, pretty cure, slayers