Obtaining anime for good Prices (legally)

You don’t always have to resort to piracy

Piracy is a prevalent force in the anime series, ensuring that the people who make anime get shorted on a great deal of the money they should be getting. Unfortunately, getting anime on the internet is insanely easy to do illegally, and telling people to pay for the outrageous prices on DVD’s is about as effective as telling teenagers to abstain from sex.

Fortunately, there are a lot of cheap and effective ways to obtain anime while still ensuring that the creators and translators get credit for their efforts. Here’s some that I’ve checked up on:

NETFLIX: GREAT option for anime fans, and movie fans in general. This costs 8.99 per month, and lets you rent one DVD at a time via mail. Another lovely feature is their video streaming service, available on a PC, XBOX360, PS3, or even on Wii. I’m sure you have a PC available to you though. The most important thing is they have a MASSIVE selection of anime to watch, from older stuff, to the latest releases. Even better,, they mail things out quickly, and receive them just as fast, ensuring that you get your anime fix as soon as possible,

YOUTUBE RENTALS: In an era where Red Boxes are killing off even the once mighty Blockbuster, Youtube decides they want their share of the bounty. Using Google checkout, you can legally buy episodes of Anime for about $.99 per episode. It should be noted that Funimation is also here, selling dubbed episodes (subbed episodes are free on their site) Selection has increased a great deal since the original rollout of the feature. It’s like a Red Box, but for anime titles.

FUNIMATION: These guys are just awesome. If illegal torrents and video streaming is piracy, these guys must be the privateers of the internet. In a world where translating a TV show and throwing it on the internet is running rampant, these guys, instead of complaining about the pirates, they instead translate the show, and release it with subtitles on their website, and make you watch commercials. Other than the commercials, it’s free. They still make money from the ad space. Clearly Funimation believes that fighting fire with fire is more effective than fighting fire with paperwork. Check out their site for free anime (good ones too.)

AMAZON: Hey, it’s those guys that sponsor me! Well, I put them on this site for a reason. If you want an old anime, these guys are very likely to have it for dirt cheap, since they are run by people on the internet trying to offload things they don’t want anymore. Fortunately maximum shipping price is 3.99 on DVD’s (even box sets) so chances are that won’t hurt you too badly. Also, beware of bootlegs. If you know how to spot them, you’ll be fine. Remember, if somebody sells you a bootleg, there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to get your money back.

EBAY: Great place for new stuff, I don’t even know how some of these guys keep their prices. Trust me, I checked. Auctions allow you to fight another person, possibly netting you a better price than what a store will give you. More scammers here than Amazon, and a LOT more bootlegs. If you’re patient, and crafty, you may be able to get some great deals here.


DISCOUNT STORES: Sometimes you just want a DVD that is easy to show your friends. That, is where these guys come in. stores like Big Lots and Dollar General sometimes manage to get their hands on some nice DVD’s ranging from 3-6$. While this may thicken up your DVD shelf at home, this comes with two problems. 1.) Anime at Big Lots is uncommon. 2.) When you do find it there, there is no guarantee that you will find something useful. You might only find volume 5 out of 7 for a certain series. Unpredictable, but sometimes you get lucky shopping around these places.

Fortunately for the industry, NetFlix and Youtube ensure that they will be capable of obtaining a decent cash flow from NetFlix and Youtube. After stuff gets old, the rest of the world will find a great place to sell it.


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