Anime Streaming ~ What Kind is Ethical?

[Madoka]

Hello,

I wanted to ask everyone who is specifically Catholic, or a similar Christain denomination what you think of this. I am new to this forum so I hope I am in the right place.

“Thou shalt not steal” is a bigger problem than ever before. I didn’t realize I was stealing until I thought about this…

Anime streaming is more popular than ever before. I’ll admit, I have been watching anime on illegal websites such as Gogoanime or Kissanime. However, it dawned on me that this might actually be stealing - stealing from the companies who produce and license the shows. When you watch it on an official website, they get money from ad revenue and views; when you watch it illegally, you give it to the illegal streaming website. If they had that money they lost for the millions of illegal streamers, they could produce more and better anime.

You don’t watch a movie online and say that’s not stealing. But I learned these ways of streaming from my friends at college, and I don’t know why we are promoting illegal behavior to underclassmen. I feel like I should have known better when I was first introduced to these websites. I did a test online and found that most of the shows I want to watch can be watched not only legally, but for free. I have decided I will use crunchyroll and funimation as much as I can.

Here’s where the problem lies - what about the shows you can’t watch legally? Is it “stealing” if it isn’t offered in the first place? I don’t want to support these websites, but I will have to say goodbye to one of my favorite series if I only watch it legally.

Also about anime club - I still want to attend, but I don’t want to support the use of illegal streaming services. Will God be angry with me if I watched with the club? I don’t know if I could convince people to use the legal streaming service.

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

Different media from different countries provides an ethical dilemma.

Crunchy Roll is a good option. I don’t like Funimation as much because it seems a bit sketchy.

For ourselves, my husband and I have decided to first attempt to get the show int he most legal way, and wait if the show will be offered via a legitimate channel.

However, some shows in Japan are not well known. They are fan-subbed and will never hit CrunchyRoll or other platforms. In that case, we find the most legitimate source possible…sometimes those who are subbing, sometimes via Japanese media outlets. You can’t even buy DVD’s because they aren’t produced, or even if they were, they aren’t zoned for US players.

Eventually, websites like Crunchyroll will catch up. Pay for Crunchy Roll, watch what you can, and try to persue the most legit method for shows it dosn’t have. I would encourage you to communicate with CrunchyRoll for the acquisition of shows you aren’t able to find.

 

[Madoka]

Thanks for the reply This helps a lot, I am hoping my favorite shows are licensed soon, I will pray to God that they are legal soon

 

[Laughing_Crow]

Anime is a bit of a weird area. For instance an anime that has not been licensed in the west and is fan translated and streamed falls into a grey area of it not being stealing until that particular anime is licensed in which case it does become stealing.

There are plenty of legal streaming websites such as Crunchyroll and Animelab. I prefer Animelab as they have a large selection and offer a lot of subbed or dubbed anime.

 

[exnihilo]

I don’t think it is stealing. Stealing deprives someone of his property. But the owner of the anime or other pirated material isn’t deprived of anything. He doesn’t have less of something he had before you stream it. I don’t accept the argument that you are depriving him of income he would have had and therefore it is stealing. If that were true then people who turn down bids are stealing.

It is however against the law. And creators of content do deserve to make money for their efforts. For things that aren’t available in a country the only concern would be breaking the law.