NyaaTorrents closes its doors, the end of an era?

Being a European anime fan and being active on the internet since the early 2000s, I've spent my fair share of time on the torrent-site nyaa (.org, .eu, and also.se). It's been a part of my anime watching life for years now, and I wasn't really that surprised to see it being down once again (happened a a few times before). What did surprise me was the series of messages that followed it, because it wasn't just "down for a short while". No, it's down for good. The anime-torrent-cat has been put to rest.

V reflects on Nyaa

Long story short

The owner of the site Nyaa.org/se/eu has decided to close his sites on voluntary basis. The reason why is not confirmed by the owner yet, but the people close to him do state that it's most likely due to the recent Kodi ruling in European court (again, not confirmed. Do take this with a grain of salt).

For those who don't know, the Kodi ruling is a court case where the manufacturer of devices that contained the Kodi software were pre-configured to have pirating tv-series as its primary function. While the Kodi software by itself is still not considered illegal (which may change, considering), the pre-programmed device IS considered illegal, because it's configured in a way to promote piracy.

And while this ruling by itself could not be a reason to shut down Nyaa, IT IS a precedent that may very well extend to other "sites that are configured in a way to promote piracy" (which Nyaa technically is). And since the owner didn't want the hassle or media attention the MegaUpload owner (Kim Schmitz) garnered when his site got taken down, he took it upon himself to pull the plug.

Fan-subs: Legal or illegal?

Fan-subs have been kind of a legal gray area in Europe for a long time. Yes that IS strange, isn't it? For Americans and Asians it was clear for a long time that it was illegal to share this kind of content. Heck, in Japan it's even illegal to OWN fansubs.

But in Europe... nobody really cared and there was no general law prohibiting to create fan-subs nor share them for free (emphasis on: for free). Some countries had some form of law, while many others had pretty much nothing.

And since anime was pretty much unavailable in most European countries (if you're not living in the UK, France, Germany, Spain or Italy at least), most countries had other priorities to handle when it came to handling piracy.

How to watch anime in Europe in the past? Fansubs was the only way!

If you don't live in America, Asia or the previous mentioned 5 European countries, you're like me and have had a hard time watching anime in a legal fashion.

While during the anime boom of the early 2000s, some anime have aired on TV and some companies have tried selling official subs in a lot of European countries, the bursting of the anime bubble around 2008 caused most of those companies to become bankrupt. Today, not a single company is foolish enough to repeat that mistake, unless it's a Ghibli movie or Pokémon.

So how could you watch anime? Well, you either hoped some TV channel would broadcast it, you imported overpriced DVDs or BRs or you did like most people over here and went to nyaa (directly or indirectly via fansub sites).

Unless you had bank notes to spare, there really wasn't any other option!

Do NOT diss fan-subs

I get that it's not-done as a blogger or Youtuber to promote fan-subs due to piracy reasons (let alone promoting thieves like Horriblesubs), but you have to admit that they're a necessary evil.

Many anime only got popular in the west due to fan-subs. Mainstream series like Naruto and Bleach got their hype due to the fan-subs.

Many less popular titles would never have gotten a dub or release in the west, if not due to fan-subs making them more popular.
A sequel or remake is announced of a classic anime? Go search Nyaa or IRC for who subbed the original series and you can get up to speed.
Somebody advised you a niche title that may be up your alley? Search online and enjoy!
DVD's sold out and no longer being made due to the anime bubble bursting? You can rely on fansubs to be there for you.
Don't have any money? You could still watch fan-subs until you have money to start your own collection (it's what I did).

If not for fan-subs, the anime community would never be this big.

Times are changing - legally streaming anime

Luckily times have changed. Crunchyroll going from illegal to legal and Netflix starting to offer anime were two very big changes the anime community desperately needed. We now have options to watch anime in a legal fashion without it costing an arm and a leg. Go to Crunchyroll and you'll find hundreds of anime you can watch for free (including big titles like Gintama, Gundam, Naruto Shippuuden and Yu-Gi-Oh). Go to Daisuki and Viewster and you can find some other titles, no matter what country you live in.

Make this happen for One Piece and DB Super and you got me sold.

Yes, there's still that annoying "Content not available in your region" BS we have to put up with on the popular shows (like Attack on Titan or Dragon Ball Super).
But of the current season alone, there are LOTS of titles available to watch everywhere, even outside of the US. I counted all shows currently airing that I can legally watch in my area (Belgium) and I came up with 35 different titles (on Crunchyroll and Daisuki combined). And that's not even including the offers Netflix and Amazon have.

And yes, that includes popular titles like Boruto, WorldEnd, Berserk, Akashic Records, Love Tyrant, Alice & Zoroku, Eromanga Sensei, KADO, Hinako Note and many others.

Think about it. 35 titles that are still airing that you can watch without bothering to download anything illegally. And if you pay for their subscription, you can even watch the latest episode just as it aired in Japan! That is something that was unthinkable 10 years ago.

Back then, any site that offered you a subscription model was basically selling "free fansubs" for money. And yes, I did not forget Crunchyroll used to be part of these kind of scumbags. Why do you think it took so long for me to actually trust Crunchyroll? I only started trusting it after Funimation officially endorsed the site.

What about the anime "not available in your region"?

Well, the other thing that is good about the changed times is that the overall price of anime DVDs and BRs have dropped significantly due to decreased demand (and online/legal alternatives). I got quite a nice collection of anime DVDs and BRs that are otherwise "unavailable" to me via legal streaming.

Sites like Amazon, Zavvi, Archonia and others have made it possible to buy full seasons of classic and current anime for 30€ and below (which in the past could barely get you a single DVD disc containing 4 episodes of questionable quality).

Random screen grab from Zavvi anime Blu-Rays.
At this price, it's an offense to still bother with piracy.

But for the series that are not available (yet), I sadly enough still rely on groups like Horriblesubs. No, I don't like them either (they're no fan-subbers. They just steal Crunchyroll's content), but until region locks are a thing of the past it's the only option for me to watch shows like My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Atom the Beginning, Sakura Quest, The Eccentric Family and Dragon Ball Super.

Heck, I will make a promise here and now. The day Crunchyroll announces they're getting rid of Region Locks, I'm dropping torrented subs all together and I'm buying a Crunchyroll premium membership for the rest of my life. And I'm a man of my word.

How do I know which anime is available in my region?

Use the following process:

• Go to: http://because.moe/. (bookmark it)
• Type in the anime you want to watch/test.
• The site will return the platforms you can watch it on legally (CR, Daisuki, Viewster, Funimation, AnimeNetwork, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon).
  Note: This search engine does not know about region-locks.
• Click on the site logo (e.g. the Crunchyroll logo) and you'll get a direct link to the anime page.
• If you receive an episode list, it's legal in your country/region.
• If you receive that [censored] message of region-locking, you're in no luck.

Note: Sometimes it's handy to test multiple platforms. Blue Exorcist Kyoto Sage (for example) is unavailable on CR in my region, but IS available on Daisuki. Same goes for Eromanga Sensei. Why? I have absolutely NO idea. But that's the way it is.

Okay, I got this little rant out of my system. Rest in Peace, Nyaa. You served your purpose.

Until next time, V out.

About the March '13 Forbidden and Limited list

I said I had low expectations, but Konami never fails to disappoint me. The current March list is (as expected) a repetition of last year’s March List. Old archetypes get butchered (not hit, butchered) and the ones they’re making money off, remain untouched.

The changes are visible on this shriek page and list only the changes. By the first of March, the full list will be visible on the Yugioh-card website.

My opinion on the changes

Without further ado, my opinion.

• Sangan: I'm pleasantly surprised with this one. It was on my banlist-wishlist, but I never expected Konami to hit it. But they actually did it. The most annoying searcher of the last few years is finally gone! September will probably bring Tour Guide back to three, because now that this little critter is gone, the only decks that can profit from her ability are Dark World, Fableds and perhaps Evilswarm too (I guess, though I dunno how many fiends they use).
• Wind-up Magician & Wind-up Carrier Zenmaity: Wow… err. Konami might have just killed Wind-ups, dude. The hit on Magician was legit, but Zenmaity? I've already seen people experiment with Wind-up Builds, trying to tell people it's not dead. I hope so, because the Zenmaity thing was a little too much?
• One Day of Peace: Another Finally. The reason why Final Countdown, Exodia, Burn and Gishki FTK decks have become so popular the last year was because of this card. This limit was really justified.
• Solemn Warning: Last year, I would’ve applauded it. But today people are using Bottomless more. This has become somewhat an anti-meta card now. Still not bad that it’s limited. Guess this (and Sangan) is a hit to Dino Rabbit, without hitting the bunny itself.
• Tsukuyomi: Its return from the forbidden status caused a lot of people to experiment with this card… to no avail. The card is slow, is kinda hard to search (without cost at least) and with a single copy, it’s virtually become useless. Card is already a candidate to become unlimited in September.
• Thunder King Rai-Oh: Why?
• Advanced Ritual Art: Interesting Pick. Guess this is their most controversial return this time around, but I don’t find it bad. Maybe we’ll see a return of Perfect Herald decks or Demise decks? Or will we see more ritual monsters released in the future (that can use this card)?
• Spore: Obvious return.
• Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow: Wrong card to return. This does nothing to the status of Blackwings. I keep my statement from my Prediction post: they need a second Gale.
• Lumina, Lightsworn Sorceress: Another interesting Choice. Guess safe Honest & Charge, Lightsworn now have their full arsenal back at their disposal.
• Shien’s Smoke Signal: Meh… Don't like Six Samurai, so I don't like this choice. I know Konami loves the archetype, so it’s no surprise to see it return.
• Mind Crush: Lol, wut? I’d rather see this card become limited again, honestly. Guess it’s a trade-in for Semi-limiting Rai-Oh, I guess? Since all current archetypes search like hell, this card will become popular in the upcoming format.

What archetypes did Konami hit?

• Wind-ups: It’s butchered and they might need some time before they attempt a come-back.
• Dino Rabbit: The Tour Guide Engine died, so the deck now has a harder time searching the critter. I see a possible return of Gold Sarcophagus in this deck. Also, the limit of Solemn Warning will cause a reorganization of the trap line-up.
• Any other deck that used the Tour Guide Engine: Chaos Dragons, Chaos Agents, Inzektors, etc.
• Gishki FTK: Still viable, but harder to achieve with One-Day limited.
• Stall Decks (Exodia, Final Countdown, Burn): Less protection due to One Day of Peace.

What archetypes gained a (small) boost?

Easy to spot: Blackwings, Lightsworn, Six Samurai, Perfect Herald & Demise decks.

What archetypes did NOT get hit, even though they should

• Merlanteans: With its most important competitors hit (Dino Rabbit & Wind-Up) hit, they’ve actually gained a boost. That is, until everyone’s fully armed with Fire Fists (first), Mecha Phantom Beasts and/or Evilswarm decks (after Hidden Arsenal 7 + Lord of the Tachyongalaxy).
• Fire Fist: Well, it was too soon anyway. Nobody really expected this to get hit.
• Evilswarm (Verz): The OCG players will probably regret that this didn’t get hit.
• Dark World: They even got a boost in a third Mind Control (though I dunno if they’ll use all three copies).

What archetypes did not get a boost, even though they should?

Harder to spot, but honestly: Tech Genus, Zombies and Plants. The (fake) Goyo list had me hoping that Konami would do something to boost either Tech Genus (Striker), Plants (Lonefire Blossom) or Zombies (either Mezuki or Plaguespreader Zombie), but nyet. Nothing happened; nothing will change the coming six months that will boost their popularity.

My opinion

At first I was disappointed (even though I had low expectations), but some good cards were hit none the less (could be worse, seriously). At least the Gishki FTK and Wind-ups were stopped.

What decks got hit that I play?

• Piper Exodia deck just died (Tour Guide Engine & One Day of Piece).
• Chaos Dragons took another hit (TGU-engine died, might transform with the Reincarnate Dragons).
• Same to my pure Chaos deck, TGU-engine died (time to re-invent once again, huh).
• Rabbit is a Beast: TGU-engine again, though I’ll work around this one.
• Prophecy deck & Photon Lightray decks (my two main decks) remain unscathed. Photon Lightray will even receive a boost with the Zexal Tin coming out.

So mostly, the secondary/experimental decks I played are hit, rather than my 2 main decks. With the new F&L list and with the full content of Lord of the Tachyongalaxy revealed, I guess it’s time to experiment again (if I find the time, kinda hooked on Marvel Avengers Alliance & X-Com Enemy Unknown at the moment).

Until next time, V out.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Random boosterdraft & Karbonala Warrior

Last weekend was easter. And on Easter Mondays (a holiday over here), the local Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament organizer hosted a random boosterdraft!

The random boosterdraft is a tourney where people have a lot of mixed feelings about. Some of the regular players don't like it at all. I like it, because it's so friggin hilarious.
Last year, the boosterdraft was with Tactical Evolution. Everybody laughed their arses off because of the amazingly bad cards we pulled. And from time to time, somebody was glad they actually pulled a card that's worth something (FYI: Last year, Venominaga was still around 60-70€ & Elemental HERO Magma Neos around 40€).

This year, we pulled 4 random boosters in groups of 4 and drafted :-).
Random, like from Metal Raiders up and including Order of Chaos.
My deck won, surprisingly, due to the few combo's I was able to pull off :-D.
I have to admit, it was so evenly matched, that all of the top 3 had 1 loss on their counter. I'll spare you the decklist, since it wouldn't even be playable in actual tourneys.

Amongst the cards I chose, I got a first Edition SR Union Attack, SR Backup Soldier & Karbonala Warrior.That Karbonala Warrior made me quite happy.

To express my happiness about this card, a little background on this one:
Karbonala Warrior is the ONLY EARTH Lv. 4 target for Instant Fusion (to synch into Naturia Beast & Barkion). But the card is so old, hardly anyone has it. And it's not that good to waste a lot of money to import it from the UK or US.

Considering import is too expensive for this card, you need to find it from a player, buy it from a pack (lol, who would do that) or buy it as a single card from your dealer. And that's where the trouble begins. Where do you find the damn' card?
- In US & Australia, you can find it in Legend of Blue-Eyes(LOB), as a Rare (easy!).
- In most non-EN European countries (France, Germany,...), it came out in Magic/Spell Ruler (MRL), as a common (simple).
- Where I live, supposedly it's in either LOB or MRL... or in neither... It kinda depends from what country your dealer got his LOB & MRL packs (if he remembers at all!). That's confusing as hell and incredibly annoying if you want to find the card!
Reprints then? Oh, the only reprint came out in a Tournament pack that wasn't really distributed where I live... (*facepalm*).

Trading, it is, then...
About two months ago... after searching and asking people for over a year, I finally found a person who knew what the card was, still had it AND had the LOB-version in his trade binder. I was ripped off in the process (not to mention, the card was in a meh kinda state). But I finally had that hard-to-find Karbonala Warrior.

Then, last weekend I pulled that same Karbonala Warrior during the booster draft, from a MRL-pack (so it was European after all!). I was so happy and sad at the same time.
- Sad, because I instantly remembered being ripped off for this card I just pulled.
- Glad, because I pulled a first edtion mint condition Hard-to-find Karbonala Warrior... And that's what counts, isn't it?

On a side-note, in that tourney, I won 12 random boosters, which got me a Secret Fabled Ragin, a secret Daigusto Gulldos, a secret Malicious, a super Dark End Dragon, an Ultra Macro Cosmos, a E-Hero Prisma, a Super Different Dimension Dragon (that's an old one :-O) and a few hard-to-find usefull commons (really eternal rest & Dragged down into the grave).

Wow, that was a lot to type for being the first "new" blog post.
Well, soon more. I'll try to update this blog with a higher frequency.

V out.