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Any comments to add?
#Response DateComment
1.Fri, 8/31/07 4:58 AModex suck big time
2.Fri, 8/31/07 5:03 AMThe Japanese companies involve should remember that TV/DVD licensing is but one source of revenue. Disney makes money from merchandising, to support a local distributor blindly is short-sighted at best. If this goes on, I'll stop BUYING whatever limited edition models/figurines since w/o fansubs, I won't be interested in what they're selling anyway.
3.Fri, 8/31/07 5:14 AMI am a fansubber myself. While this is not fully "legitimate" or "legal" work as what Odex does, we put in far more real effort, care, consistency, and QC than Odex will ever do. For my anime friends who started >5 years ago, we have given up most anime because of the prevailing trends towards cute storylines, neverending storylines, fanboy-baiting storylines, and yaoi fangirl-baiting storylines. Nowadays we either go for sentai shows, the odd anime series here and there - and doesn't have to be recent series - or even manga and figurines. PS Your question 8 needs another option: "If I get to keep the downloaded episodes for good, like mp3s bought on iTunes"
4.Fri, 8/31/07 5:18 AMWe all deserve free fansubs If odex wants to destroy the local anime community, it is fine with me... But there are definitely alternatives out there.... BTW i will never support their VOD service ppl who support odex are spineless cowards....who bow down to threats....
5.Fri, 8/31/07 5:18 AMI personally think a greater understanding of the anime community needs to be made available to as many channels as possible. Do I need to name them ? There's the Japanese studios, ODEX, the public.... even the government perhaps. Downloading ma end, but, I personally want tos ee an end to the Odex monopoly. Where a company like CHuang Yi takes effort, Odex doesn't. Many things need to be done. The watershed for anime on Arts Centrals needs to be made larger and longer, to accomdoate more anime and more tastes. Odex subtitling has to be improved and accomodate criticism for improvement. I'd consider their free seven day period, but the quality has to be relatively good (and yes, I'd delete it) I could list more, but those are examples. And lastly, darkmirage; I hope you scceed.
6.Fri, 8/31/07 6:02 AMI will not purchase any titles without first watching a few episodes to make sure its what I like. There are simply too many titles out there for me to watch via VOD. I might as well just give it up and take up gaming or watching blockbusters instead. Those have samples. Please stop these hard handed tactics as you are biting the hands that created the demand for anime in the first place.
7.Fri, 8/31/07 6:14 AMIt is disturbing to know that a no-name company who never bothered to do any marketing, is blaming downloading for the source of their own failure. I've heard rather poor opinions of Odex products for a start, and right now I'm none too pleased to hear about what they're doing. Invading people's privacy and threathening fans seems to be making them some pretty good cash, so what can I say? I will definately never buy from them, now or ever.
8.Fri, 8/31/07 6:17 AM1) VOD is like using enjoying a fast food but not filling at all. It had totally no value and keeping value. Overall, it does not "qualify" as a product "on demand". 2)Odex's product had never improved their quality of product ever since they had start. Do you want to show your future children shows with bad grammar and wrong translation for them to learn?? 3)Taking a huge step to "obtain" such a "huge" amount for settling out of court is never a morally right way. How will that 9-yr old kid feel?
9.Fri, 8/31/07 6:17 AMI will never buy any anime from odex. I rather watch animemax. If i really want any anime, I would try to import from oversea.
10.Fri, 8/31/07 6:25 AMI will boycott anime completely because: - I question the morality of the methods employed by ODEX - The Japanese studios seem to condone the behavior of ODEX which I find disturbing - If I continue to buy anime, either ODEX or the Japanese studios are going to benefit from it eventually Unless: - The Japanese studios provide an acceptable reasoning as to why they are backing up ODEX in the enforcement (even to such an extent)
11.Fri, 8/31/07 6:31 AMI wont support a company which claims that they are doing it to help reduce the piracy rate in Singapore which is very obvious they are making money out from it. Never i would buy a single cd from ODEX since the company is not honest on what they are doing.
12.Fri, 8/31/07 6:34 AMSwedish proxies are ftw =)
13.Fri, 8/31/07 6:42 AMyup this is me alright...
14.Fri, 8/31/07 7:14 AMmay pacnet win
15.Fri, 8/31/07 7:16 AMI still cannot comprehend how we JUST can't seem to adopt the American way of thought concerning anime downloads and licensing. Still, I don't think the solution to Odex's problems can be attained by such iron-fisted ways. Well done Odex, you'll probably kill the anime community here.
16.Fri, 8/31/07 7:18 AMi bought odex products,spent $40 on the first box set for FMA dvd.they nv came up with the second box.and i borrowed the rest from my friend who got it via bit torrent.i was disgusted cos the quality was the same.the most "value" came from the dvd being dubbed in chinese and malay,which i don't even care about since i support the original jap cast voices.i also have the full set of shaman king which i blew abt 300 on it.the spelling sucks,and some parts are blurred.it cannot even be compared to the downloaded version.basically after these 2 bad experiences, i have stopped buying VCDS or DVDS since odex seems to be the main player and i am not gg to waste my money on such shit when i can get better products online.thanks:)
17.Fri, 8/31/07 7:26 AMPersonally, some of Odex's more recent DVD releases I have found to be of alright video quality, that is good enough for me; I don't really buy much of the collectibles for each series, except the manga (which I already buy in Japanese), and maybe a few small keychains. If there is a supplier in Singapore who would provide DVD or better video quality of anime, and doesn't release any collectible stuff on the main set, I would purchase it. As for the video download service, I would be willing if the price is reasonable for the quality and variety of anime available, and if unlimited downloads are available. Maybe up to a week or so after the Japanese release? if you want it sooner you must get the "premium membership"? The quality must be at the very least the quality of current fansubs; moreover, since they have access to the original source, they should release in better quality. I would be willing to pay up to say $40-$60 a month for such a service, or at least not more than current rental store rates.
18.Fri, 8/31/07 7:29 AMI firmly believe that Odex has done the wrong thing in sending out letters and threatening the alleged downloaders with lawsuits.
19.Fri, 8/31/07 7:32 AMWhen doing business , please do it with moral , I know company want to earn profit , but please earn it like a gentlement
20.Fri, 8/31/07 7:48 AMGreat survey! I'll link to this survey from my blog soon. Aelgtoer
21.Fri, 8/31/07 7:52 AMI notice that Odex has been telling alot of lies to media over again and again. 1. Mr.SS say about not remembering anything what he say 2 months in thr forum when it happen on that very same month 2. He fined a 9 year old kid and yet odex say "THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE PERSON WILL ALSO BE CONCERNED." 3. Mr.SS say the reason why the settlement fee of S$3000~S$5000 was stated is due to the fact it is not possible to place a figure at that time of action. Some people just wanted to settle to get on with their lifes and they just had to put a figure on it. And it usually comes to about S$3000~5000. To me is is as good as anyhow whack a huge sum of money. 4. Odex says it is not going after illegal downloaders for profit. Anyone in world will know that Odex are into money only he even sue a 9 year old at $5k!!! 5.Odex added that no one was forced to pay beyond his/her means. U threaten ppl to pay 5k fines it not Forcing pay beyond his/her means also pay installment of 10% thats crazy!!! 6.Odex said that there was no fine involved. It said 300 letters were sent out. Odex why don't dare say they only ask for out-of-court settlement? 7. The company claimed that any excess money from the move, after deducting costs, will be donated to a charitable cause. Yeah right there no proof u did that. Even soo maybe Every $100,000,000 odex fine $1 goes to "undisclosed" charity 8. "Fining" people of $5k for compensation or settlement but really do you that amount to send a letter and ip address There alot more lies from odex but I'll stop here
22.Fri, 8/31/07 7:57 AMOdex have too little series available, too many good series out there which isn't going to be available in Singapore ever. So what's the point of depending on Odex? I rather take the risk watch some of the fansubs, and if i really love the anime i'll import in the R2 as what i'm already doing. No way am i going to support Odex now after this incident.
23.Fri, 8/31/07 8:00 AMHopefully we can get what we want legally and easier, and of course of quality.
24.Fri, 8/31/07 8:01 AModex should bankrupt... ask japanese to bring in official R1s
25.Fri, 8/31/07 8:05 AMOdex-yarou
26.Fri, 8/31/07 8:07 AMInteresting survey
27.Fri, 8/31/07 8:09 AMI own odex vcds
28.Fri, 8/31/07 8:12 AMlols.its so much better than ours, mainly coz you subscribed to a premium acclunt.lols -tan yan sheng and group
29.Fri, 8/31/07 8:23 AMI'm not biased against what is reported or biased against odex. However, what odex is doing is dispicable and the means of which they are enforcing their case thru unscrupulous means often leave anime fans outraged, leading them to abandon their otaku-type culture/ hobby.
30.Fri, 8/31/07 8:34 AM綾子様万歳！
31.Fri, 8/31/07 8:53 AMODEX is killing the anime INDUSTRIES (inc side products and spin-offs) with its action! With sufficient financial backing, someone would definitely wrestle back all its license and kill them off the industry PERMANENTLY! If its takes the whole industry to wake up their sub-standard products, we might as well buy from other region knowing that the quality is worth the $$$.
32.Fri, 8/31/07 8:56 AMSmuggling Hgames into Singapore is a PAIN.
33.Fri, 8/31/07 8:56 AMNo.
34.Fri, 8/31/07 9:01 AM15 years of anime watching and counting
35.Fri, 8/31/07 9:08 AMOdex should realize that their actions are causing more harm than good. Fuelled by the determination to see Odex go bust, people will try to find alternative sources to get their anime fix. Wouldn't this then go against what Odex is "trying" to annihilate? Their crude methods are, simply put, pointless and redundant!
36.Fri, 8/31/07 9:15 AM...thought I leave the name my moniker here: Ferolare
37.Fri, 8/31/07 9:20 AMAt present, I am looking into a possible startup to challenge Odex in the anime scene. Having had experience with translations for both manga and anime, I am only waiting for advice on the business side for viability of this.
38.Fri, 8/31/07 9:32 AMIf somehow my IP address is log, I'm using my company internet to surf. I'm Singaporean.
39.Fri, 8/31/07 9:33 AMhmm they should have sent warning letters instead.If they have done so the backlash would not have been so bad.If they change now maybe they can still salvage sum of the PR
40.Fri, 8/31/07 10:12 AModex u piece of shit go to hell close down your fucking business and get the hell out of the anime community. u suck, u dont love anime.
41.Fri, 8/31/07 10:18 AMYes, I am very glad to see many level headed people after the initial uproar that is producing such quality works that can be analysed to show ODEX how right or wrong its strategies are. Just to let you know that if Anime is not worth the trouble, then I will swtich to manga and magazines.
42.Fri, 8/31/07 11:02 AMNone.
43.Fri, 8/31/07 11:17 AMNo one would buy DVDs (especially shows containing gmany epsiodes) without sampling what the show is about. Just like how we buy DVDs of Hollywood's blockbuster after watching in cinema. Just like how we buy CDs after hearing the songs on radio or MTV on TV. I had never heard of Odex being distributor in S'pore, but I have a taste of their awful English by watching inuyasha and recently D.Grayman on ArtsCentral.
44.Fri, 8/31/07 11:18 AMI buy manga rather than anime due to the affordability, I won't mind buying anime if the price is reasonable and quality ok. Odex's VCD quality is below my expected standard and currently I do not have the resources to import DVDs from overseas.
45.Fri, 8/31/07 11:19 AMOdex Sucks
46.Fri, 8/31/07 11:20 AMnone. im speechless for more than one reasons. none of them being positive.
47.Fri, 8/31/07 11:40 AMThanks for making this survey worthwhile! DM, are you publishing this result to the newspapers if possible?
48.Fri, 8/31/07 11:41 AMVery cool survey,waiting to see the results!
49.Fri, 8/31/07 11:50 AMno only that anime companies should lighten up a bit
50.Fri, 8/31/07 11:54 AMI think there is a better way to do things and ODEX should have consulted with the fans and asked them what they really wanted in their products
51.Fri, 8/31/07 11:55 AMI hope the Japanese production houses will remove Odex as their sub-licensee. Some have argued that without Odex, there would be no anime on TV, and the anime scene in Singapore will be affected adversely. I say bull-shit. It would be great news if Odex shuts down. Not that it will happen, considering one of the directors is so rich.
52.Fri, 8/31/07 12:09 PMI shall buy the DVDs...some day.
53.Fri, 8/31/07 12:10 PMFor *13, Ultimately, my impression of Odex has : Changed from not knowning its existance at all(cause I never buy any anime VCD/DVD at all in my whole life)to who is this clown and what kind of joke is he pulling at the anime community?
54.Fri, 8/31/07 12:14 PMIf the current trend continues, the anime community will be shrunk to only a few financially-abled people (read: rich kids and working adults), and the youth culture surrounding anime will either be slowly killed off, or become a niche community again.
55.Fri, 8/31/07 12:17 PMOdex needs to wake up
56.Fri, 8/31/07 12:36 PMI'm not sure about Qn 5: I own Blue Max vcds. How does that answer your question?
57.Fri, 8/31/07 1:06 PMIf Odex had tried to cooperate with the local community, instead of going through such forceful methods, they might have obatined much better results and I would have better support them.
58.Fri, 8/31/07 1:11 PMjust hope that those student that taking exam this year will not affected.
59.Fri, 8/31/07 1:18 PMDownloading is illegal....PERIOD.
60.Fri, 8/31/07 1:31 PMWhat's with the last question... Also, you're lacking 1-2 years. For the first question.
61.Fri, 8/31/07 1:33 PMOdex should not be allowed to continually harass the local anime community here. One point is that Odex should not be the one taking action, but instead it should be AVPAS. One can be suspicious that a profit organisation is fining all these people. Another point is that Odex sent fines without sending warning letters first to alleged downloaders. This proves the point that Odex is definitely up to no good.
62.Fri, 8/31/07 1:35 PMThe Customer Is Always Right.
63.Fri, 8/31/07 1:40 PMQuestion 8 is a little sketchy to me, because it doesn't state if you can download and keep the copy for a price like they you can for ipod music, or if it's similiar to Odex's current 7 day expiry date. Frankly, paying to download is not a problem, but keeping a copy, which is what most people prefer (especially if they like it) is. There are those of us who *tape* the shows on TV because we'd like to keep a copy, and essentially if we are not given that option, most would rather just wait for the VCDs to get them.
64.Fri, 8/31/07 1:47 PMThis has been an extremely disappointing turn of events for the local anime community. Odex's wrongdoings have been described far too many times and I won't bother repeating them. But I've hopes that things will turn out for the better. Stay optimistic!
65.Fri, 8/31/07 1:49 PMFor Q.9, I will continue to buy anime not from ODEX and find other means of downloading.
66.Fri, 8/31/07 1:55 PMWhat is is survey for aniway? ^^
67.Fri, 8/31/07 1:56 PMLooking at all the inconsistencies coming from ODEX since the start of this appalling so call 'enfrocement' exercise, it really shines a lot of doubt on the license holder of the animes in Singapore. They either do not have basic knowledge of the anime communities around the world or like i believe chose to ignore the 'norm' before anime fans are will to part with their money to buy a legit DVD. More over most the anime which ODEX is having a legit license on were never even released in Singapore. I personally feel they do not have the intention to release them. It is unethical business conduct at it's worst.
68.Fri, 8/31/07 1:57 PMI dont know why he still continues to do this even though he knows that after this, his company reputation will drop to the ground
69.Fri, 8/31/07 2:00 PMThis odex saga has made me sad just thinking about the anime that gave me so much enjoyment since sch days, the pleasure is so tainted that I don't feel like watching any new ones anymore, prob will just follow the ones that are still ongoing and break off the habit altogether.
70.Fri, 8/31/07 2:01 PM1) I never even knew that Odex existed until this incident. 2) I would definitely buy original anime DVDs if I had the money, but I can't afford it because I spend my time studying, not working. By watching it online however, I'm more prone to buying other related-merchandise (i.e. manga, collectibles, cosplay stuff).
71.Fri, 8/31/07 2:02 PMIt is legally correct for odex to warn/punish downloaders of anime from the fansub. But if they are really noble, they should have stop the fansub distribution totally instead. It will have help the Japanese firm even more. I have read about a few fansubbers getting in court, but they remain, and still doing fansub uptill today. If the japanese exclusive right want to take legal action here, they should have take it in their local country instead. Because that is how fansub get their source, it is the japanese people that record the TV show and put it online.
72.Fri, 8/31/07 2:04 PMI hate Odex. They had been changing words for the sum of money being collected. One moment is to compensate for legal fee. Next moment, when the court released paper about the cheap costs of BayTSP, they said they will ask an audit to check their account for the money would be given to charity after minus the operating costs.
73.Fri, 8/31/07 2:07 PMi HATE ODEX DOING
74.Fri, 8/31/07 2:08 PModex sucks and i hope this hopes
75.Fri, 8/31/07 2:08 PMSay goodbye to companies actually selling goods if Odex wins. Say hello to companies not selling you products but suing your pants off because they have the "right" to.
76.Fri, 8/31/07 2:09 PMFuck Odex. If they want to reconcile with the anime community, they should first buck up on the visual quality of the anime and subtitling. That should prove their sincerity.
77.Fri, 8/31/07 2:10 PMNot spending much on anime but on toys accessories and anime Osts instead. Went to japan 2004, one of the reasons was to pick out anime related stuff as its not available in SG back then, bought some naruto stuff there
78.Fri, 8/31/07 2:11 PMInexplicably poor fundamentals of management with an equally pathetic business model.
79.Fri, 8/31/07 2:11 PMIf ODEX not going to improve... alot ppl will quit anime... anyway there is still comics ard... the reason i watch anime is to see more actions... and i do collect special edition dvd if the anime is nice...
80.Fri, 8/31/07 2:13 PM_|_ odex
81.Fri, 8/31/07 2:16 PMOdex your animes are expensive yet lousy quality. You better go away and die somewhere
82.Fri, 8/31/07 2:17 PMA warning letter should be given out instead of straight fines which consist of 3k to 5k. And since there had been some real case of ppl being fined. It should be enough. Ppl had learnt their lesson. Yet, they keep looking for more targets. Their motives of fine juz keep changing.This is really give us a bad impression on them. If they had given warning letters, willing to work with us, the whole situation might had a turn ard. Quality wise, as we all know, its really bad. It really spoil my day everyday when i read those reports. I might stop animation, a hobby which i start since age 14 renting vcds. Its sad.
83.Fri, 8/31/07 2:18 PMThere is nothing that Odex can done to salvage the situation now.Legally they may be doing the right things but suing without giving actual warning and giving so many false and fake statements had definitely let us question their integrity and morals.
84.Fri, 8/31/07 2:19 PMImpression they are out to get money and the way they cover up is plain obvious.
85.Fri, 8/31/07 2:20 PMi dont download animes anyway.
86.Fri, 8/31/07 2:20 PMMy point of view are 1)Quality and translation must be good 2)i respect licensed stuff and wun be downloading it,if they are available in singapore . Who wanted to be caught for illegal downloading ?Odex only knows how to licensed don't know to produce the product 3)Lead-time are too long for the product to be release ( 1-4 months are reasonable but dun seen doex doing so. 4)
87.Fri, 8/31/07 2:22 PMperhaps you should have added a question on participants' age group
88.Fri, 8/31/07 2:22 PMMany people started to buy after watching dled anime and started to buy them. Without know the content and quality of a product would u buy it? I started buying VCD format anime from HK in 1993 where SG has nothing to offer till wide spread of VCD. Originally there's no market for anime till internet started spreading them, creating fans and fans do buy them.
89.Fri, 8/31/07 2:23 PMThis is the first time I get to know this company ODEX. Most of the time I thought anime is imported from Japan. I do saw anime sell in the shop but it look like packaging from the good old 1997-2002 Sim Lim pirated shop.
90.Fri, 8/31/07 2:24 PMburn his house, beat him up then have a gorilla have s3x with him. non of his mother business.
91.Fri, 8/31/07 2:24 PMCan richie take over his rights or compete against him? I think it is a good time to attract all his 'customer' away!!
92.Fri, 8/31/07 2:26 PMpersonally i find odex action is killing off the anime scene in singapore
93.Fri, 8/31/07 2:27 PMOdex Sucks.
94.Fri, 8/31/07 2:29 PMIt was through BT that I got to be interested in anime. But after this incident, I might drop anime altogether. Imported DVDs are just too expensive, and getting outdated DVDs locally is not worth it.
95.Fri, 8/31/07 2:29 PMNot particularly, save the fact that I didn't know Odex existed before this. If this never happened, I would have associated the word 'Odex' with some kind of soap or perhaps a drink company; Imagine, the letters 'ODEX' splattered in front of a box of bleaching, or some guy in a TV ad saying: 'Buy Odex brand lime juice' Or something. Anyway, I'm ranting on and on, and I apologise.
96.Fri, 8/31/07 2:29 PMno
97.Fri, 8/31/07 2:30 PMThe anime community will die a slow death because of this incident, and ultimately everyone will be for the worse. First the anime merchandise shops, then the cosplay events, and eventually even the game and comic book shops. This is also unhealthy to the government's stand of promoting Singapore as a IT hub, I cannot see it happening with such rampant clamping of downloads. We are paying a price now because 59% of the households owns a broadband connection.
98.Fri, 8/31/07 2:30 PMI really hope that doing this survey can help put the anime community come to a certain conclusion..but i will NEVER support Odex for what it has done. Its like trying to forcefully take candy from a baby(literally)..very cruel
99.Fri, 8/31/07 2:31 PMI just want ODEX or any similar organization to stay away from the community. Why must they come disturb the peace of anime lovers? Be it freeloaders or legitimate buyers. It's a cruel thing to take someone else's love away. I'm sure ODEX wouldn't want people to take their love ones away. If money = love, then they should just die. If there's jigoku shoujo, I'll enter ODEX's name!
100.Fri, 8/31/07 2:34 PMOdex should die as soon as possible.
101.Fri, 8/31/07 2:35 PModex shld juz close down
102.Fri, 8/31/07 2:36 PMI thought Japanese was supporting Fansub to promote their mechandise and I felt myself been stabbed by them after buying so much stuff. I decided to throw them away and stop hooking myself to anime even if all this are over and I didn't receive letter from them.
103.Fri, 8/31/07 2:39 PMsince the representatives from japan are here, i believe the local anime community should try and make contact with them, explaining from the fans' POV about why they are so against Odex and explaining fans don't mind paying but quality and speed would be the biggest factor in their decision for buying. Also, fans should explaing to the japanese rep about Odex, on their side, are not doing enough prior marketing and warning to the majority of public but instead went heavy-handed in fining offenders almost immediately
104.Fri, 8/31/07 2:42 PMI really hope this saga will end soon, preferably on a favourable note, so that we can all get on with our lives and get back to watching and enjoying anime.
105.Fri, 8/31/07 2:42 PMWhile legally what odex is doing is in the correct direction in the eyes of the law, but it is ethically wrong,very wrong. Assuming warning letter doesn't work does not give them the official consent to just "hammer" everyone. This situation is not life and death, different approach has to be undertaken. Warnings is fundamental is driving your point/directives, if the offender do not abide, let the hammer down. THat of cos, ontop of providing excellent quality and good service to all the fans. Now, every thing shrouds around Odex, statements that are not link, changed every now and then, fines that are "estimated" to be way above cost, and finally forcefully "giving" to charity.... i don't know where they are heading. I think there need to be a news conference with the japanese counterpart WITHOUT odex (no interference) to let them know what we are going through here. We love their work, and possibly will spend to get good quality stuffs, and utltimately why we chose fan sub. :)
106.Fri, 8/31/07 2:43 PMbefore odex started sueing, i dont even knew they existed!
107.Fri, 8/31/07 2:43 PMThis is definitely not the way to help promote anime which Odex has claim. Downloading is sure an issue but there are better ways to try solve the problems not just by suing. This is trying to rule by fear which is not in a way educating ppl that its wrong to download. Without download and viewing who will wanna buy ?
108.Fri, 8/31/07 2:44 PMSingapore needs a country wide tax/license system that allow fair use of downloading media for personal use.
109.Fri, 8/31/07 2:45 PMThink Odex shld not demand for such a high amt of compensation for the 1ST letter sent($3000+ is just too crazy,its a month's pay for the average adult.More serious offences doesn't even fine this much.). It is only reasonable if the offence is commited after a warning letter failed to deter the dler to stop dling.
110.Fri, 8/31/07 2:46 PMNil.
111.Fri, 8/31/07 2:47 PMIf Odex is doing this for the good of the local anime community, I'll gladly accept whatever actions they're taking. However, it seems that the longer this saga drags on, the more evident it is that they are trying to justify themsleves for the profits they hope to gain from this. Also, more lies are being exposed and contradicatory remarks made with every press statements released by them. Odex is definitely a company that I won't place faith in!
112.Fri, 8/31/07 2:50 PMThanks for your efforts in doing this
113.Fri, 8/31/07 2:53 PMI want to see ODEX go BUST!!!
114.Fri, 8/31/07 2:55 PMVOD is any good idea, but with the valid for 7 days. Ans no unless is a preview eps. next is the subbing, we all now that the subbing suck, but are they using the Censorship board as an reasons for their lousy subbing? If it's not the reason, is it possible for the Censorship board to pls look into this, and to some changes to it. Take anime as an art form, Cathay did screen Paprika, is that any film art? WXIII: Patlabor is any firm art few years ago. If the Censorship board did cut some of the part from the firm art be it be may or may not be anime, that is not firm art anymore. think about it. Anime lover for a very very young age & I'm in my early 30th
115.Fri, 8/31/07 2:55 PMOdex will not be doing itself any good by continuing in its course of action now. Low quality products will never attract consumers no matter which industry you are in.
116.Fri, 8/31/07 2:59 PMQn 13: To start with, it started from Zero impression to Negative impression. Qn 4: Is comics included due to watching anime? If so, most probably is higher.
117.Fri, 8/31/07 3:00 PMi do not know if streaming is illegal or not...
118.Fri, 8/31/07 3:00 PMNicely done survey questions. I'm more curious about your own personal opinions as in how would you answer your own survey questions. I do love anime and will certainly spend some money on them if not for the fact that ODEX is still selling VCDs when it's already the DVD era. Haiz
119.Fri, 8/31/07 3:01 PMOdex has totally spoilt my anime life. Looks like anime in SG might be a difficult hobby to have.
120.Fri, 8/31/07 3:02 PMso obvious in what you're up to..let's see if my prediction in the near future holds true.
121.Fri, 8/31/07 3:03 PMIt's ok to do without the anime, there's still manga anyway.
122.Fri, 8/31/07 3:04 PModex just messed up the whole anime community here and this whole anime saga it creates should meant a loss of interest in anime here. there should be a warning letter instead of asking for settlement straight away. odex just want money.. they hurt the customers and they hurt the whole anime community. there is nothing to talk about now. just odex covering its own ass..
123.Fri, 8/31/07 3:05 PMThere are many ways to make money from the anime market in Singapore, such as the sale of really nice, detailed figurines, even starting an online game base on the anime! but Odex chose a warpath against the very customer base it wishes to tap on. that is suicide for you.
124.Fri, 8/31/07 3:06 PMI asked my cousin to burn all ODEX products (even though it's polluting). I will not buy any ODEX products, not now, not in the future. It had stripped me off the priviledge to better understand the anime (and then later get obsessed then buy the DVDs + merchandises)... even if there's VOD, how is it possible that I will want to watch it when I know nuts about it. I *DO* buy alot of geniune anime merchandises (from local anime merchandise shop such as KKnM). I guess I'll have to stop.
125.Fri, 8/31/07 3:07 PMMost of the time, animes that I've watched through fansubs will bought from Odex, also, other products such as mangas, figures and posters of the watched anime will be bought. That was a long time ago before Odex did this dumb action. Now, I think I have lost my interest in anime.
126.Fri, 8/31/07 3:09 PMthey are just after $$. i can live without anime.
127.Fri, 8/31/07 3:09 PMPlease let Yuki go, thanks!
128.Fri, 8/31/07 3:10 PMIf I'm working, I'll consider paying fees for downloading from anime library.
129.Fri, 8/31/07 3:14 PMask odex to close shop.
130.Fri, 8/31/07 3:14 PMsome thing has to done now!!!!
131.Fri, 8/31/07 3:20 PMi prefer they make anime torrent for dlin per month fee.. it's way faster than they ( odex ) distribute..
132.Fri, 8/31/07 3:20 PModex is lying all day long. now that they can't swallow up all the cash since they hired an accountant , they decided to donate what that cannot be swallowed to charity. they are just trying to cover up their mistake. about the sub title sucks so much due to censorship, its just purely stupid LAME excuse. its not just 1 anime. even the dubbing is totally different from the subtitles. and the screenshot of initial D fansub anime compared to anime subbed by odex, its obvious tat odex is pretty dumb to make such mistake or they just hired people who sub anime that don't even noe japanese at all. ODEX should be stopped at all cost by civilised means which may include a non violence protest or road march or event.
133.Fri, 8/31/07 3:21 PMODEX Have no Place to Exist here in Singapore They are Totally Ruin after they Started all this catching....Its a Worst thing they ever do to Us Anime Fans in Singapore...they will Go To unlimited Levels of Hell!
134.Fri, 8/31/07 3:21 PMHow about adding another option for Q1, say, 15 years or more for veterans like myself? :) For Q9, I will stop following anime - not because it's not worth the trouble, but out of principle.
135.Fri, 8/31/07 3:28 PMI wonder, Is it so damn hard to work with the anime community? Is it so hard to say,"Please don't download so and so anime cause we license it in Singapore?" Is it so hard to produce a decent DVD with decent subtitles? If Fansub can do it so well in term of quality for free, why can't they as a company do it just as well if not better? Any Hardcore Otaku will abide by the simple rule,"Stop distribution once the anime is license" rule which all fansubs group keep reiterating. If they had done just these above, maybe they can still prove that they really care for the community. But by their actions and flip-flop explanation, all they did is nail down the coffin cover. Odex have fail in their PR, Quality, Ethics and Moral department. I rather import my DVDs from oversea than support these kind of company.
136.Fri, 8/31/07 3:31 PMThrough fan subs, I know animes. And through FAN SUB animes, I buy mangas. Also from FAN SUB ANIMES, I buy the merchandises through import and stuff. All in all, I WILL NEVER SUPPORT ODEX!
137.Fri, 8/31/07 3:39 PMAs for Q4, of how much i've spent, the reason why none is that i havent really find a good anime for me to truly give my support in, but right now i'm planning on buying claymore mangas for collection.
138.Fri, 8/31/07 3:44 PMODex is fucked up
139.Fri, 8/31/07 3:44 PMna
140.Fri, 8/31/07 3:46 PMGIVE US QUALITY ANIME!!! ODEX DO YOUR QC PROPERLY AND DO YOUR RESEARCH ON ANIME AND THEIR CHARACTER'S NAME!!!
141.Fri, 8/31/07 3:47 PMEnforcing the IP rule is a good move however Odex's PR job is just total bullshit. It would be better if another Import / anime Distributor could come into play.
142.Fri, 8/31/07 3:48 PMI'm sorry that I'm a free loader in the community and making a fuss out of the odex situation is something what I should not do(that's what I learn). And it won't help the situation either. So, I will stop downloading animes now. But streaming it I might. Other than that, when I'm rich enough, I will purchase anime dvds. ONLINE!!!
143.Fri, 8/31/07 3:48 PMOdex should put more effort in improving its anime's quality and service. As many of you should know,There are more than 1 way to reduce the number of people from dling anime. adding value to the products, educate protenial buyer, bring company image up etc etc are all positive way to increase sale. Giving problems to protential customers will only kill the company n not help it.
144.Fri, 8/31/07 3:49 PMI can sub better than Odex (h)
145.Fri, 8/31/07 3:49 PMPeter Go and Steven Sing are bloody assholes.
146.Fri, 8/31/07 3:50 PMQn13. Never heard of ODEX. So its from Unknown to Worse
147.Fri, 8/31/07 3:51 PMi know wat odex is doing is wrong as anime fans like us who have no other means to watch anime can only result to downloading fan subs online or else how would u expect us to continue keeping up with the times with the anime. At least in Japan they have channels dedicated to all the anime being produced which is like heaven sent for us if we are entitled to such priviledges and we can preview animes that way. If there is an anime i really like i would fork over the cash just to get a higher quality version of it as seriousy all online videos are of subgrade quality. But if odex cannot even provide that and paying 30 dollars for a mere 12 episodes of stuff i can get online is seriously not worth it. I will not for one purchase anime based on reviews or summaries or the basis i might like it or not as 30 dollars for a student is way too much . If i was a rich workin adult i might do so but odex is aiming at teens to sell their anime to where the main money is so if dey only appeal to rich folks they will stand to lose out alot in this business and judging by the recent events of like say example charging a 9 year old who has no knowledge watsoever of the current situation is proposterous . For one they did not even give out warnings to unknowing singaporeans who by chance does not read the papers so as any other 9 year old by instantly slap a 5k fine for doing something that he did not know was wrong. Can u call that reason? My last note would be that odex consider its target audience and adjust to our budget and how to make their packaging affordable or else anime would be mostly restricted to a pasttime of the rich or working.
148.Fri, 8/31/07 3:51 PMUmm just that impression on Odex, It seems that I will not mind Odex catching the "illegally" downloading fans, but their act of "no warning and catch" is just purely a way of making me think, if get warning people stop anime, then Odex products might also not be sold, then their sales drop and stuff. But like you said, Odex cannot force anime fans to buy and like their sub/dub... They literally has been poor to be under the tough censorship of Singapore, to have crappy subs, but then I have my suspicions over this.
149.Fri, 8/31/07 3:52 PMI'm actually disgusted at what Odex had did to the impression of the anime community to the members of public in Singapore. Firstly, the anime community is not so widely known to Singaporeans and may had wrong impression to parents and other adults like 'Anime is a cartoon and do no good but harm to kids watching it' LOL... But looking at what Odex did and gave all the awareness and publicity, the menbers of public's biasness is definitely CONFIRMED in the wrong way that anime is certainly no good at all and is a childish hobby. That's what I get the impression from people around me who dun watch anime and have no idea about it culture even before this Odex saga started. The anime community had also been badly tainred by this whole Odex saga... It's rather sad to see so many immatured thinkings of fellow anime fans through their posts in forums and even makes me think do anime watching really do us any good?
150.Fri, 8/31/07 3:52 PMHope the local anime community survives this ordeal.
151.Fri, 8/31/07 3:55 PMeven if odex charges 10 cent per episode i will not pay them a single cent.
152.Fri, 8/31/07 3:59 PMDue to this issue, i lost fate in anime.
153.Fri, 8/31/07 4:00 PMQuestion seven requires an "Others" option, I believe.
154.Fri, 8/31/07 4:00 PMSome questions like internet downloading lack information to make a proper judgment, pricing, and availability are crucial. There aren't much reasons to go internet downloading in the first place anyway, it may be something to supplement optical discs but people relate it too much to fansubs downloading. If there's a legit one, it won't be anywhere as fast as fansubs and with the choices of fansub groups. With those points, why would people want internet over dvds, when dvds aren't expensive to produce and the only one controlling the prices will be the publisher in the first place. If DVDs are expensive, so will be legit download services. Internet downloading will not reduce prices significantly, if at all. Just look at Steam. For internet downloading to completely work most people are dreaming it to be, the way these license companies work has to be completely overhauled and I do not for a second think that will happen. Plus it is true that most people who watch anime never intended to pay a cent for it in the first place. Could be they could not afford it or they are just free loaders. This phenomena is not restricted to anime at all, so there's hardly a point to make here. Also, those who simply buy merchandises and not the shows to justify themselves watching fansubs for free is not contributing to the cause here.
155.Fri, 8/31/07 4:06 PMNo one is disputing the legal recourse of action in which Odex had taken. However, a couple of things to take note: 1) The software industry faced similar problems and pushed for hardcore high profile enforcement action against the pirate shops along with product improvements (like student pricing, academic pricing) and education of consumers who are likely to walk into a pirate shop to buy pirated software. 2) RIAS faced a similar problem and started with cease & desist letters immediately. HiP was born and IPOS was pushed into the limelight. Despite the initial uproar, it quickly faded as through education, advertising & continuous reminder through movie trailers, reminded people on the value of buying original. It took about 2 to 3yrs to see any real effect. 3) The recent Odex fiasco. It is clear that Odex did not spend much effort before the fiasco on PR, community engagement, product advertising, etc. It was only very recently within the past 72hrs (apprx 31 Aug 2007) that VOD service was suddenly pushed out quietly, website was revamped all of a sudden without announcements. And the only form of 'marketing' Odex did was to hold press conferences with the press addressing NEGATIVE PUBLICITY surrounding it. A series of sudden measures, contradicting to what was made ealier (for eg, forced charity donations) seems to put a big question mark on everything that had been planned up to 1st September 2007.
156.Fri, 8/31/07 4:15 PMFUCK ODEX !
157.Fri, 8/31/07 4:15 PMMy anime VCDs were bought many years ago when DVDs were still too expensive.
158.Fri, 8/31/07 4:15 PMAll this incidents can actually be prevented but the actions of ODEX has totally screwed themself up. And regarding of the warning letters they claimed that they had send out before , i don see anyone have received before.
159.Fri, 8/31/07 4:20 PMOdex does not care about piracy they only aim to earn big bucks.If they really want to stop piracy ppl should receive warning letters before odex demand 3k-5k which is not a small sum for some people. There are some ppl arent aware of this case so its really helps if they send warning letters to them.
160.Fri, 8/31/07 4:24 PMOdex actions are just intolerable to netizens, with media giving such biasness towards them not even showing how their subbing and quality really sux and focussing on some which are acceptable. Odex is just trying to force sell their sub standard products which is totally unethical and unreasonable. Thats why no matter what product odex have in the future. I'm boycotting them for life.
161.Fri, 8/31/07 4:25 PMI do pay for my stuff. I do buy anime, merchandises, even doujins. Yet if the japs want to come and treat us as some little experiment...you jap animation houses can forgot about taking a single cent from me from this moment forth. Ask yourselves, which of you have ever bought a product without digging up reviews and any additional information about it. If you japs are the ones behind this...you disgust me. LEAVE US ALONE!
162.Fri, 8/31/07 4:25 PMI don't want this to crush the whole of Singapore's anime community.......
163.Fri, 8/31/07 4:25 PMI won't mind that Odex catch illegal downloaders but shouldn't they send warning letters first? Another thing, do they really think that a 9-year-old kid is able to pay the huge sums. They should really reconsider their action before the whole community turn against them
164.Fri, 8/31/07 4:26 PMPersonally i do own odex vcd."12 kingdom","gundam seed","full metal panic" etc...as well as others i have seen borrowed from friends which also had vcd from odex like the "inital D" but frankly speaking...the subbing SUXs as well as quality...i really don't understand what the anime is talking about in those in odex anime vcd.And what i had seen since the beginning of this odex saga, i strongly feel that odex is killing the anime industry.no offical warning was given, it was a sudden strike!!regardless or not if odex had the support of the anime copyright company,it makes no different..what they did is immorally wrong.my impression of odex are from neutral to anti.odex will never get my support again..which is sad. From Irwin Siong
165.Fri, 8/31/07 4:26 PMOdex should stop doing what it is doing and aim at fansub group instead of downloaders. If they still want to catch downloaders, they should give warning letter first.
166.Fri, 8/31/07 4:26 PMThanks for creating this survey.
167.Fri, 8/31/07 4:27 PMVCDs are obsolete. There is not point in investing in obsolete technology. We consumers just dosent see the value in them anymore. I am hopeing ODEX realize wat the consumers wants. Thats right dvds n blurays
168.Fri, 8/31/07 4:29 PMqn 5 and 6 quite ambigious. odex previously came out only with vcds. almost no local source of DVDs. unless one know how to procure DVDs from overseas, then they will have a chance to own an anime DVD. so answering no to this 2 qns may and will skew results and perceptions. there is no known publicity. interest etc are fueled by peers, comics and figurine shops. depending on odex, there will be no anime community in singapore. fansub does not equal to pirated anime!
169.Fri, 8/31/07 4:29 PMOdex's heads should stop telling lies that even 10 year old kids can detect. What ever they are doing now, they are only destroying the anime community here in Singapore. And it's inevitable, that in a few months time, Anime in Singapore WILL BE completely dead. And I'd rather pay $50 for an imported DVD, than $10 for an Odex-subbed DVD. I don't go for 2nd-class products.
170.Fri, 8/31/07 4:31 PMthe 7 days limit for the vod is bullshit.. i rather pay more to hav it permanently.. provided in the first place the quality is of acceptable standard
171.Fri, 8/31/07 4:32 PMmee ish lubs chiu dip dip~! :love:
172.Fri, 8/31/07 4:36 PMi hate odex to the core.
173.Fri, 8/31/07 4:38 PMIf it helps I'd just say that I'm just a casual anime watcher taking this survey. Odex actions would impact me less as compared to other hardcore otakus. ^^
174.Fri, 8/31/07 4:39 PMI don't really _love_ anime, but I do like good random animes once in a while. There are times I even fork out extra money to get other things related to the anime I like, for example Live Action DVDs available only in Japan, and figurines.
175.Fri, 8/31/07 4:39 PMOdex should just man up and focus on proper marketing strategies instead of blackmailing its target audience for money.
176.Fri, 8/31/07 4:39 PM-NiL-
177.Fri, 8/31/07 4:41 PMAdd more question on your next survey. As if you will make another. lol
178.Fri, 8/31/07 4:43 PMThe reason the Odex saga hasn't affected me much is due to 2 reasons. I kinda know the odex directors through my personal networks. So I know the sort of people they are, and personally, I'll just leave them to do their own stuff, as long as they don't bother me, I won't bother them. Secondly, I mostly buy my anime, whether by imports or through odex. So really, their crackdown has hardly affected me, apart from the fact that I've had my daily life invaded by odex threads and people asking legal advice from me on how to avoid paying the fines. I used to be from the creative industry, and still do creative work every now and then, so I must say, it pisses me off when people choose to download just to avoid paying for original works. It really makes the brains behind all these feel so unappreciated at times. My question stands at this : Do you watch anime because it's a free way of passing your time? Or do you watch it because you truely love anime? I believe, sadly, that a huge portion of the local anime community is made up of the former. Take away the "free" factor, and the number of anime watchers will probably drop by more than half. I shall not put too long a comment, it'll be hard for you to compile. If you'd like to contact me to speak about this, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ranktan@hotmail.com .. I'm always open for reasonable and objective discussions, and not biased, heated arguements over legal or moral values and standpoints.
179.Fri, 8/31/07 4:46 PMi think odex doesn't have the right to stop us from downloading titles in which they do not have licences for. there are many many anime out there that are eventually not licenced by odex and may never ever be licenced by them, since they only ever release the popular ones. unless they can cater to the anime fan base by releasing even the not so popular titles, i dun think they have the right to stop us. and how can they compare sg as the city with the highest download rate per capita! we're only a bloody dot on the map with a 4.5mil population!!
180.Fri, 8/31/07 4:50 PMInitially, i wanted to buy their products but was warn by my friend about their sub par quality. I didn't even know about Odex then. Right now instead of trying to improve their business model through active marketing, they spend all their resources on useless legal actions. Worse of all claim they couldn't recover what they spend. Most of the people i ask don't even know WHAT is ODEX until they started sueing people. Not the best publicity if u ask me. And 1 more word for SS. His comments are unbefitting for a director. If i were him, i would have apologise for those stupid comments that trigger the outrage. Taken out of context, i don't think so. He should just act like a man, apologise and carry on with his "war"
181.Fri, 8/31/07 4:51 PMno matter hw hard stephen sing tried to monpolise the anime market is singapore...forget it, we are not going to buy ur products. tat's it. can't wait to hear ur company shut dwn for gd.
182.Fri, 8/31/07 4:52 PMWhy do Singapore businesses love to make poor business decisions?
183.Fri, 8/31/07 4:54 PMOdex needs a much better PR approach.
184.Fri, 8/31/07 4:58 PMHope that people in Singapore take note of the laws that we have here about Copyrights in a positive way. And may the anime community in Singapore grow bigger and more means to enjoy pleasurable animes. Long Live The World of ANIME!!!
185.Fri, 8/31/07 5:00 PMFu*k u ODEX. May your genitals rot and your descendants cursed for your greed.
186.Fri, 8/31/07 5:09 PMODEX really suck.
187.Fri, 8/31/07 5:12 PMI am not local (though currently residing in singapore), just to let you know in case your survey only covers locals audience. I sincerely believe it is not wise to abolish fansub downloading as they should be seen as free marketing tools instead of competitor. There is no way international audience can get timely anime on TV unless you're in Japan, and fansubs have put us on par in that matter. The japanese studio have to THANK them, they are the one who spreads their creative work, and they're not even earning a single cent while the studio will earn from their dvd and merchandises sales. I'm one of those who suspect that ODEX is in this just for the money. They need to be more convincing in pointing out their advantages if they want our support. The current scare tactics is putting everyone off.
188.Fri, 8/31/07 5:13 PMDown with ODEX
189.Fri, 8/31/07 5:16 PMGood luck with the survey. I do suggest that we also get samples from non-netizens and fans, like the ones from the anime clubs and schoolchildren. When you reach beyond 1000, please do not discontinue the survey. Also, other questions to the survey that might be useful would be age group, income, etc. ps. The net value of purchased products should be within a specific timeframe (i.e. 1 month, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years) and mine is way more than just $5000. BTW, a useful anime related merchandise to segregate in the survey would be manga (comics) - how much was spent on manga vs anime?
190.Fri, 8/31/07 5:20 PMI wish to add on that I have spent around $3000 on Gundam Seed Destiny figurines, posters etc from a shop in SunShine Plaza. And I brought these items because i really like 1 of the characters inside, and I watch Gundam Seed Destiny not because of Odex, but because of fansubs? No Doubt, illegal downloading will affect the sales of their video CDs, but did they take a good look at what they have contributed to the anime community? Were they too freaking slow in releasing animes that they have licensed [like Shakugan no Shana, which have finished airing in Japan and now then they release the VCDs, which is in bad quality] Were they there during Cosplay events? Did they bother to advertise on TV about their products? Did they not ask themselves that before this event, if you were to do a survey on how many people have heard of the name Odex, how many would give a "Yes" as the answer? Is the quailty of their anime inferior to that of the fansub? Fansubs killing animes? I doubt so, as i personally would like to collect anime VCDs which I really like, like Gundam Seed Destiny, Fate Stay-Night, provided they provided a very good CD casing and a very nice CD at a reasonable low price[$29.90 for 13 episodes is definitely too expensive]. I would like to believe that majority of the people who went to buy figurines & posters etc in Sunshine Plaza get to know animes through fansubs, and NOT Odex. So what right do they have in saying that fansub and downloading of animes are killing the anime studios? They are the ones killing the Singapore Anime community in Singapore, no one else. Hope all the anime fans in Singapore boycott ALL their products and may Odex burn in hell!
191.Fri, 8/31/07 5:35 PMIf only we could directly voice to the Japanese creators for them to understand
192.Fri, 8/31/07 5:38 PMhaiZ... its a sad case... everything in singapore also cannot download
193.Fri, 8/31/07 5:38 PMOdex needs to be more aware of itself. Gearchi!
194.Fri, 8/31/07 5:40 PMi only have odex vcds but not their DVDs. for qn9. i'll still buy from other sources and cont dl/steaming.
195.Fri, 8/31/07 5:40 PMI'm just a foreign student studying in Singapore, but I'm a fan of anime
196.Fri, 8/31/07 5:41 PMIf the Japanese studios aim to kill off fansubs and punish all the fans in such a harsh fashion, it has grown too arrogant for its shoes. It's sad that things are turning out this way. :(
197.Fri, 8/31/07 5:44 PMThey should send a warning letter firstly not sending them a letter which need to pay 3-5k. Consider a age of nine in one of the case, the parent doesnt even know their children dling anime. And they have pay for a fine which is done by their children which they do not know about it. Warning letter is a cane for a children rather than a whip in a face which cost 3-5k.
198.Fri, 8/31/07 5:51 PMWhat ODEX did was out of money gained, it was not done for the interest of the anime fans in Singapore.
199.Fri, 8/31/07 5:52 PMDOWN WITH ODEX!!!!!!!!!!!
200.Fri, 8/31/07 5:56 PModex sux totally.
201.Fri, 8/31/07 6:10 PMif things got really bad,too bad..im gonna make do with what i got now.And no more chasing of anime...toys..merchandise..
202.Fri, 8/31/07 6:23 PMWhat Odex is doing is not wrong. But their method in doing things is just plain unprofessional. Worse, we don't hear a single apology so far. Unless I see them change their attitude, there is no way I will support them.
203.Fri, 8/31/07 6:26 PMXEDO Sux.
204.Fri, 8/31/07 6:26 PMOdex made some comments in the Mid-August newspapers, they said they sent out 1000 letters, to those illegal downloaders, and impose a FINE to $3000 to $5000. Then later on, they said, the FINE, they collected are not enough for their 20% costs and etc. But on the Late-August, they said another thing, they only send out "Warning Letters", and "Never Forced Them to pay the FINE". Hmm, this incident tells me that, ODEX is not very trustworthy, they confused themselves, as their dialogue doesn't match between weeks or months. But I will still continue to support ANIME, by continuing to buy R2 products from overseas.
205.Fri, 8/31/07 6:29 PMDarkmirage is gay.
206.Fri, 8/31/07 6:29 PMThe way odex is conducting this exercise is underhand. 1. they do not have the proper paper work in place 2. they were evasive when asked if any action is going to take place 3. they did not issue a Cease & desist letter to the affected parties. 4. they keep changing their reasons/excuses to justify their actions. ALmost all of these actions are contradicting as they do not tally with what is reported on the web & printed media 5. they keep trying to scare the anime community with threats of legal action by involving the Jap studios even though they started this exercise. 6.pray Odex looses the appeal & gets Sue-ed out of existence 4 being such a thorn in everyones flesh.
207.Fri, 8/31/07 6:49 PMI hope for this situation to tide over soon. I also believe ODEX's action is not entirely wrong, but not entirely right either. They really need to step up their PR skills 10k times to salvage the situation now Thanks for this survey!
208.Fri, 8/31/07 6:54 PMHope there will be another company better than odex to supply DVD of animes. If possible,do it with japanese fansub and come out with DVD.
209.Fri, 8/31/07 6:58 PMI stated that i own dvd but it is actually a vcd i bought long time ago... I think 4years back. It is from odex and it isnt well done when i watched it from my friend's dl-ed fansub. That is when i started dl-ing. I won't make any excuse for what I have done but what odex is doing will only have negative effect on anime market in Singapore, ie, people stop watching animes. Well after this saga, I think even people who remain as anime lovers are going to buy DVDs... importing them of course. Furthermore, as long as technology exist, piracy can never be eradicated. Just look at China is sufficient. However I believe it can be reduced to minimum but not using the method odex is employing now. Well... If the letter come just find proper)ways to pay up and don't get into trouble. Lawsuits in Sg is not child play if you cant afford it. Sorry for sounding irresponsible for the people with financial difficulties.
210.Fri, 8/31/07 7:07 PMWell, if I were to comment, id say I never knew a thing about ODEX before this Anime Crisis occured. I have no intention of supporting ODEX unless it totally depends on its products for profit and not use this course of action for money purposes. I so far find it hard to believe what the articles on ODEX say, and find that it is all a cover up.
211.Fri, 8/31/07 7:20 PMODEX SUCKS
212.Fri, 8/31/07 7:45 PMJust copying and pasting some stuff I had posted on Riuva. Just my views on the issue. It is my belief that the popularity of japanese animation in Singapore is largely due to the widespread availability of fansubs. Odex has claimed that this availability has cost their sales to drop 50% in a certain year. Fansubs may have contributed to this drop, however without fansubs, most “fans” of these shows would not even consider buying the vcds/dvds as they would have never watched/heard of these shows in the first place. How can one become a fan of a show, have enough interest to be willing to spend his own money to purchase dvds/vcds, when there is little or no advertising available to promote the product? When if you considering the casual anime/tv serial consumer, I doubt many will actually pick up an unknown series (especially with the amazing silver packaging) when he has little or no knowledge on it. In Japan, anime is shown on TV/Cable etc, I do believe that the Japanese people mainly buy dvds and vcds after having watched the show via these media, or found recommendations from friends/reviews of people (who in turn have already watched the show). The same trend can be seen in drama/tv serials all over the world. I of course do not have evidence to back this up, this is all based on what I myself & friends have been noticing and I could likely be grossly mistaken. Anime broadcasts on Singapore TV is (IMO) very scarce. Even the shows they broadcast are outdated and some are dubbed (voice over) versions. Dubbed versions (especially the ones shown in Singapore which I have seen or tried to watch and then prompted changed channel) are poorer versions with less effective voice actors. Odex has licensed many of the recent animes like Code Geass & Haruhi, it was mainly though fansubs that the popularity of these shows have spread all the way to Singapore. Without fansubs, how would the promotion of these shows occur? Odex does not have any significant advertising (@ least that I know of) and their website has been offline for more than half a year. I do not even know if Odex is planning to release any of the fore mentioned titles. All of these “freeloaders” which Odex has termed them, probably do recommend animes to friends, brining more and more people into the anime community. The main form of this advertising is indeed fansubs. Of course I do not condone downloading licensed anime, as the distributor has invested capital into the licences. However, I do find the fact that Odex deems fansubs only as “a form of theft” slightly appalling considering its probably the main form of advertising they have in Singapore. ------------------------------------------- First of all, I must agree with ODEX that if an anime is licensed, it should be not be obtained via illegal distribution i.e bittorrent, ddl etc. This act does represent copyright infringement and is not beneficial for the Anime industry. However, Odex's actions taken in launching a nationwide crackdown on Fansub downloaders can be described as fairly extreme in my opinion. Firstly, as stated in their website, they have been tracking torrents since the fall of last year, yet no warnings were ever given out. I know of many individuals who had no idea that anime fansubs were in fact illegal as Odex have deemed them to be. The downloading of anime in Singapore has been steadily increasing for several years(which has been a worldwide trend – coinciding with the usage of bittorrent) now and there have no indication/warnings from the government & distributors like Odex that they were illegal. In fact when an anime blogger tried to warn Singaporeans on his site, several months back, to stop downloading fansubs as he had discovered that Odex was planning to launch the current crackdown, he was warned by the company and forced to remove this warning. If Odex real intentions were indeed to "educate the public" as they have coined it in several statements issued, the above mentions actions prove contradictory to this goal. Even when the mp3/movies issue came out several years ago, warning letters were first sent out to the accused parties. Only if the for mentioned parties continued to download copyright material, was legal action taken. And all these were carried out by government agencies.(Some stuff may not be accurate but o well) --------------------------------------------- A few reasons why I do not want to consider buying the Odex VCDs / DVDs , I feel that Odex goods actually degrade the entertainment value / quality of the anime. Firstly they have really poorly translated subtitles (awful pixelated yellow text). If Mr Go / Sing are Anime Fans themselves, I cannot believe that they would allow badly translated subs to go with their products. I mean if you were watching a foreign show and shoddy subtitles keep popping up, it disrupts the flow of the show itself. The feeling/experience you get when watching a show with shoddy subtitles and one with accurate ones can be drastically different - in my own experience. After watching the crappy version, and then later watching an imported version, it felt like certain scenes with *proper dialogs* the second time around actually changed the way me, the viewer, looked @ the scenes - sorta like “ah thats how it was suppose to be”. Most of the time when watching an anime with shoddy subtitles, the bugs here and there can really get very annoying. I’m not sure how Mr Go and Mr Sing actually watch anime, maybe they both speak and read fluent Japanese unlike the majority of Singaporeans and do not need proper subtitles. I admit I have watched my friend’s Odex Gundam Seed which had fairly OK subtitles, but other titles like 12 kingdoms , Initial D had subtitles which had missed out lines and incorrect translations. If he is so puzzled why Singaporeans do not buy their dvds, my reason for not buying their DVDs is that Odex already had such poor QC issues for many years (experienced first hand by myself and other friends), why would I want to spend MORE $$ on DVDs which might have shoddy subtitling and poor image quality (based on their previously made goods)? Going for imports from companies like ADV, which I have bought from in the past and whose quality I trust, for me is much safer. Of course Odex Dvds are most likely significantly cheaper in comparison to imports from the US, but Mr Go and Mr Sing should ask themselves whether “real” anime fans will be willing to go for cheaper products @ the expense for (IMO) a significant drop in image and subtitling quality? Even casual anime fans would probably (IMO) not want to continue buying their vcd/dvd sets after experiencing repeatedly bad quality (subs/video) in their first purchase.
213.Fri, 8/31/07 7:49 PMI answered yes on No.6 but need to qualify that. When I lived in the States years ago, I was so starved of Asian content that I bought several anime titles on vhs. But they got really expensive and vhs is a crap format anyway and a few of those titles weren't really worth the money so I gave up on anime and moved on to watching other things like Hong Kong cinema when that became more readily available. I discovered fansubs later on and fell in love with anime again through fansubs and have since bought tons of dvds, vcds, figures (expensive limited editions too), models, soundtracks and books etc. Since I discovered fansubs, I have spend more money on anime than when I was buying vhs initially. And since I discovered fansubs, I have not bought any anime related merchandise (dvds and vcds included) without having first watched the fansub or the dvd which I borrowed from a fan. I also want to comment on No.5. I said that I owned Odex titles. I do, but they form something like 1% of my entire anime collection on dvd and vcd and I didn't even buy all of them. Two titles were gifts and the one title I remember buying had mislabelled disc and a poor subtitling job (if I remember correctly). I avoided Odex for a while till the announcement that they were going to release Monster on dvd but they took an eternity with that release and I ended up giving up waiting and spent the money I reserved for getting Monster on another anime title which just happened to be non-Odex. You know, when Odex first announced that there were going to release dvds, I was really excited but the releases were sooooooo slow and a large number of their titles available on dvd were titles I weren't interested in and I kept waiting and waiting. Just after the Odex saga began, I found out that one of the titles I would have bought, Samurai Champloo, had been released by Odex. I saw the fansub and loved the series and would have bought the dvds but didn't in the end because by the time I found out that the series had been released by Odex, I had already began boycotting their products. I've stopped downloading anime but will not buy from Odex. I will probably import some but for the most part, I think I will turn my attention to other interests and anime will take eventually take a back seat like it did in the past for me.
214.Fri, 8/31/07 9:04 PMOdex needs to be stopped.
215.Fri, 8/31/07 9:15 PMeven RIAA goes for cease and desist. Odex going in for the kill is too harsh especially with first time offending kids.
216.Fri, 8/31/07 10:03 PMNo
217.Fri, 8/31/07 11:08 PMIt is good that they have viewed the feedback of the fans seriously and started to put in efforts to make constructive changes. However, I do wish that they had send a C and D letter before asking the fans for a tracking payment of 3k to 5k. I do believe that the majority of the fans in singapore would comply if warning letters are send out beforehand.
218.Sat, 9/1/07 12:44 AMOdex just suck... and they just won't wake up their fucking ideas.
219.Sat, 9/1/07 1:36 AMI give fansubs their due recodnition for their work. They know the fans better than ODEX whom are just too engross with managing their financials. ODEX is certainly in the red. Why aren't fans given the rights to boycott them? The desperate measures and excuses ODEX comes up with are laughable. Getting the jap producers to talk with the fan community is better. The jap producers will than know why the fans here felt mistreated and yet subjected to the threats from ODEX. They are being nice since they fail to see how ODEX distribute their titles. ODEX are not worthy distributors and representative of the SG anime community.
220.Sat, 9/1/07 1:55 AMOdex shouldn't try to cover up its ass with half-truths and some whole-lies.
221.Sat, 9/1/07 2:05 AMMake more DVDs with accurate/word for word subbing :)
222.Sat, 9/1/07 2:06 AMOdex should target at the provider, not the downloader.
223.Sat, 9/1/07 2:11 AMInstead of crippling the already small and niche market in Singapore where animes are well-known to be sold in the market as late as years later. And in consideration of the tech savvy and high disposable income of the new generation. They should focus on using the technology to reach out to the niche but growing market. And also cutting the time delay of getting the animes and better advertisment techniques
224.Sat, 9/1/07 2:13 AMthey need give us a venue to channel our money/fund/blood and in return, a very high quality anime to be enjoyed by fans such as us.
225.Sat, 9/1/07 2:14 AMExcuses are being flung about. If you do want to fight for your "licenses", make sure firstly that you are not producing sub-quality production. Even Fan-sub, who are doing these for free, are doing the job better then what you are doing while being paid. Expecting to be paid while producing lousy quality stuff just irks me. Imagine paying for a gadget that works 50% of the time, skips 20% of the time, while on 30% of the time, doesn't even work at all.
226.Sat, 9/1/07 2:16 AMOdex, has taken a very quixotic move which resulted in an egregious denouement. this does not benefit anyone in anyway. the negative overcasts the positive.
227.Sat, 9/1/07 2:18 AMOdex was too rash, they never gave downloaders a 2nd chance.That is why majority of us despise them, their actions are rather appalling and unjustified.
228.Sat, 9/1/07 2:56 AMWitchhunt. Mass hysteria.
229.Sat, 9/1/07 2:59 AMOdex has done a pretty poor job of implementing their 'enforcement' action. First of all, and this has been repeated many times by everyone, they should have sent a letter of warning through the ISPs. Most people would have no problem with Odex if they had gone after those who refused to stop after receiving the letter. Odex could have avoided a lot of bad publicity this way. However, they still stick to their assumption that nobody will stop after receiving such letters. Another problem with their enforcement action is, are they truly seperating the hardcore downloaders who only freeload, from those who are only downloading a few titles or episodes to 'sample' the anime before shelling out cash for originals? Bear in mind anime DVDs are not cheap and sometimes very hard to obtain. I've personally been quite frustrated over the lack of good anime in Singapore from as early as 1997. Buying DVDs from places like Hong Kong was necessary then. However, a lot of the stuff was pirated. I actually stopped watching or following anime for 3 to 4 years until resuming this year. And I definitely did not forsee Odex trying to destroy what little anime scene there is in Singapore. I've bought some of their VCDs. The quality is really bad, and expensive to boot (that was long before they started slashing prices recently). And who in the civilised world even uses VCDs anymore? The difference in quality is not subtle, even on a 14 inch TV. I REALLY want to know who were those people in Odex's so called focus group. Now, I get DVDs from friends and also buy Region 1 DVDs from amazon.com. Anime and game soundtracks I buy from CD Japan. Lastly, it galls me that the people(Stephen Sing, Peter Go) heading this enforcement action were involved in criminal activities(piracy!!) through their previous company, Gamesmart. I'd be interested to know just how they escaped jailtime. As directors they had responsibility, just like Richard Yong has been charged in court for saying yes to all of TT Durai's demands.
230.Sat, 9/1/07 3:10 AMOdex should focus more on bringing in the lastest animes and improving their sub rather than going after downloaders. If they can't even do their main priority properly without any complain from the public, I don't see any good reason of their hunt of downloaders. Most parents would rather their child stay at home to watch anime then spending their time outside till wee hours of the night. Anime sort of assist the parent to monitor their child, whereas being outside, the parent will find it difficult to know of the child's doings.
231.Sat, 9/1/07 3:16 AMOdex sucks, both in terms of PR and quality of products =P
232.Sat, 9/1/07 3:20 AMFreeloaders making too much hoohah Odex going about the wrong way to actuallu curb piracy.
233.Sat, 9/1/07 3:33 AMSaddened by this turn of events, feel that if it wasn't for downloading many of us would never have stepped into the world of anime in the first place.
234.Sat, 9/1/07 3:39 AMOdex sucks
235.Sat, 9/1/07 3:42 AMWe need heros to save us.
236.Sat, 9/1/07 3:46 AMWould be better if any tv channel (even if it's paid channel) could provide us latest telecast of the latest animation that is showing in Japan currently.
237.Sat, 9/1/07 3:57 AMI just have to say this: ADV, FUNimation and Bandai Entertainment are the only licensors on the U.S. to have distributed C&D letters to fansubs, but they never have planned to do such an atrocity like the one that Odex is doing here in Singapure. And another thing, while we're at it, no japanese original licensor has distributed a C&D letter save for Media Factory (all products) and Kyoto Animation regarding Munto OVA 1, but they have been towards fansubs, NEVER to the fans.
238.Sat, 9/1/07 3:58 AMOdex should get a life. Anime is just a small percentage of the total anime industry. The main bulk is the merchanise. One serie of anime can trigger a lot of merchanise sales. One good example is GUNDAM... it triggered a huge sales on Bandai's model kits.Killing anime will just affect the sales of merchanise.
239.Sat, 9/1/07 4:09 AMAm fed up with Odex as a friend received their letter for offenses dated in earlier in the year, even though this friend had already stopped all downloading activities after reading about the initial 17 letters.
240.Sat, 9/1/07 4:11 AMWe are not japan... we dun have a delicated channel... we are not selling the anime for profit... i dun see why we are making them lose money... the japanese companies dun really need us to survive
241.Sat, 9/1/07 4:12 AMPeter Go and Stephen Sing are about the worse people I have ever come across. And BayTSP seems to have the impression that it can read people's minds or something, some of the things they claim to be capable of. And the Japanese producers have let the anime community in Singapore down; all that amount spent here on anime merchandise all gone down the drain. SCREW ODEX.
242.Sat, 9/1/07 4:14 AMOdex "rips" subtitles from fansub. Its probably for the broadcast in Singapore, as they do hire translator to do their local product. Don't quote me~
243.Sat, 9/1/07 4:18 AMI watch raws more than subbed anime, so personally I'm unsure if I'll be one of those hit. However, with Odex covering up for their problems with conflicting reason after reason in their press campaign against "illegal downloaders" it does stand to see that they're more interested in killing the market, however small it is, rather than promoting it.
244.Sat, 9/1/07 4:35 AMMan..i hope qns 8 will happen
245.Sat, 9/1/07 4:35 AMWhy the ODEX related questions?
246.Sat, 9/1/07 5:52 AMfuck odex
247.Sat, 9/1/07 5:54 AMIf Odex find that they have to 'edit' subs to pass censorship as in the case of subs for fruits basket(mentioned in the news article) I would rather they make it like M18 and keep the storyline as they are. Not like retailers care to check age of anime buyers since the general public's perception is that anime is for kids
248.Sat, 9/1/07 6:25 AMactually i don't own US or J releases. Instead I buy Innoform and Taiwan HK releases
249.Sat, 9/1/07 6:36 AMIf we want to allow fans in Singapore to fully enjoy anime, I'd suggest a few of us band together to form our own distributor/translation/subbing company.
250.Sat, 9/1/07 6:41 AMOdex has gone 1 step too far. They have not listened to the community and it has resulted in this. Public relations are the most important thing, and they have YET to realize this.
251.Sat, 9/1/07 7:39 AMOdex should improve themselves before they can expect anime fans to purchase anything from them. In fact, I'm kinda pissed that the VOD only lasts 7 days. What's the point of buying something digital that doesn't last forever...or even long.
252.Sat, 9/1/07 7:47 AMPlease stop 'stopping' anime, because if singaporean's cannot download, we cant watch, and for those who dont have much social life like myself will be deprived and websites like youtube, crunchyroll, watchanimeonline.com will not have much anime due to the decline of anime's the members can upload
253.Sat, 9/1/07 7:47 AMnil
254.Sat, 9/1/07 7:53 AMThere should be another anime distributor that offers better quality and range of anime than odex.
255.Sat, 9/1/07 8:26 AMAfter this incident, I will actively boycott ALL odex related products and make sure friends around me are aware of this issue. I believe that as a anime community, we should bond together and support each other. If the author of the anime or production anime company, is unhappy about us (fans) downloading illegally and wants us to obtain through legal means, I am more than happy to comply. I will respect someone's copyright. However Odex is just an anime distributor, a third rated one moreover. To me, there is absolutely no breaching of copyright involved with regards to them.
256.Sat, 9/1/07 8:38 AMOdex is doing a monopoly on us, and if no one gets together as a group to set up ANOTHER anime company, they will soon take over singapore's anime scene. They say us anime fans flaming odex spoils the image of sg's otakus, but i say that our anime community is shamed by having the only anime company run by fugly looking fags who didn't even wish to apologise for his forum post. Basically, i think this whole incident's effort could be directed to a great big event that can boost odex popularity many many times. they could have invited the japanese companies DOWN to sg for better reasons like promoting the anime scene, but no.. they get them down to SUE us, whatever goal peter go had in mind of making sg a anime utopia, it's ruined, the japanese companies would be so disgusted at us.
257.Sat, 9/1/07 9:01 AModex is too much..nt even a warning straight fine..too ridiculous shld give a warning first..its nt like we killed someone or import drugs n stuff..
258.Sat, 9/1/07 9:03 AMOdex company should close down for good.
259.Sat, 9/1/07 9:16 AMAs for the VODs, it would be great if ODEX could include another payment method to cater with those without credit cards.
260.Sat, 9/1/07 9:37 AM5 months of no new anime and counting.. :x
261.Sat, 9/1/07 9:50 AMI'm currently with Starhub, and may receive the letter later. If I'm forced to pay up, I doubt very much if I'd ever buy anything from them later. I probably will shun some Japanese products to an extent too. In fact, I'll go cold turkey on anime, and I'll blame Odex for the unnatural death of anime in Singapore. p/s. I do like the idea of VoD, it's most unfortunate that Odex chose to launch it the way it did.
262.Sat, 9/1/07 10:05 AMthanks for doing this and i hope there will be a win-win resolution :>
263.Sat, 9/1/07 10:31 AMKind of limited when u only allow DVDs as part of your questions/answers since I do have a couple of anime Vcds though they're not from Odex.
264.Sat, 9/1/07 10:40 AMMy comments will be more or less the same as what other people will comment. Which most probably won't be nice to hear.
265.Sat, 9/1/07 10:55 AMOdex will soon be out of business within a year to two. If they continue their course of legal action which is honestly very shameful to say the least.
266.Sat, 9/1/07 11:13 AModex are a group of morons.
267.Sat, 9/1/07 11:25 AMOdex is obviously doing this solely for the money, based on the glaring discrepancies. I will never support such a money-grubbing company. I wish the Japanese companies would find another way to settle this amiably with the fans/fansubbers.
268.Sat, 9/1/07 11:27 AMHope the anime scene in Singapore can still survive after the Odex saga.
269.Sat, 9/1/07 11:43 AMYou rock (: Loved your letter.
270.Sat, 9/1/07 1:34 PMIf anime is not a choice anymore then I will go back reading manga since thats how I pick up anime.
271.Sat, 9/1/07 2:00 PMPersonally i think odex is going for the $$. They are always pushing the blame to others instead of looking from other perspective. Eg. video quality, subtitles.
272.Sat, 9/1/07 2:05 PMI love watching anime and cannot think of a day when I cannot watch it... be it by download or streaming or just buying the actual DVD. Hence for question 9, if there ever comes a day where I am unable to obtain anime from the net, I will then buy, but not from Odex definitely.
273.Sat, 9/1/07 2:15 PMOdex should just pack up and leave. =X Too much [collateral] damage has been done. :'(
274.Sat, 9/1/07 2:16 PMI might not own DVDs of animes, but I purchase manga of the series that I really like. Also, while I think that there should be copyright protection, I think that it could have been done better. Also, I am currently studying the Japanese language. I've been studying it at a school for two years now. Although my motivation to study the language was not anime, I have met many of other students who started studying the Japanese language because of anime. I feel that this will not only negatively affect people's interest in anime, but there will be a ripple effect as people might be, on the whole, less interested in Japan, the Japanese language and Japanese culture.
275.Sat, 9/1/07 2:23 PMI find it fishy that ODEX website is only up on AUG 2007. I ever bought anime VCD set from ODEX long ago (around more than 3 yrs back) and the website is showing 'UNDER CONSTRUCTION'...OK,understandable. Recently, early AUG 2007, i tried to go the website again, still same thing. So I was wondering why in these 3++ yrs nothing's up, and yet suddenly they have a website. My sister is in China. I will not download anime in Singapore anymore (anyway i have no time to do so as I'm working), but will ask her to DL for me.I won't give up anime 100%, but maybe reduce it, and also since my Unlimited Broadband has no use, since I wont be dowloading, most probably I will downgrade it.
276.Sat, 9/1/07 2:24 PMProps to you for taking the effort to do this. It is surely not easy, and i hope your efforts are not in vain. Who has ever heard of a music/movie company sending out a letter demanding a fine without a warning first. hurhur.
277.Sat, 9/1/07 2:30 PMI hope that ODEX and the IDA can come up with some plan to improve the current situation rather than letting ODEX to kill all the anime fans in Singapore.
278.Sat, 9/1/07 2:33 PMEither those guys at ODEX has less intelligence than mud or they're delibaretly trying to ruin the community. Either way, they're onto us.