If you're a pirate, you had better avoid Hakusensha
A webmaster sent me a letter.
So what you are saying is that they haven't, or are just recently, bringing out the Kare-Kano on VHS yet? My idea was to get actual retail copies from Japan, and then puting english subtitles on them and distributing them on a non-profit basis in USA. Please tell me if you have any information on the retail release of Kare-Kano on VHS, or if you have any episodes (especialy the early ones) taped off broadcast, or if you know anyone. I would definitely be willing to obtain these tapes from you or who ever has them.
In Japan, copyright business is very hard. Therefore formerly most of copyright holders had ignored copyright royalty. But recently foreigners in Southeast Asia violate Japanese copyright law by manufacturing goods including pictures related with Japanese anime characters without paying copyright royalty. Of course amateur cartoonists in Japan make a lot of Doujinshi cartoon books without paying copyright royalty. However the phenomenon is regarded as a kind of one-day copyright permission in particular events. Even if you sell a Doujinshi cartoon book related with "Pocket Monsters" in Comike, you may be arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police. In fact, a female Doujinshi cartoonist was arrested recently because she drew a "Pocket Monsters" Doujinshi including pornography.
Then Nintendo did not permit such Doujinshi cartoon books.
Hakusensha wants to promote their popular cartoon titles for little girls. Perhaps Doujinshi cartoonists on Hakusensha characters have to keep good moral. I wrote a response, as follows;
Dear Webmaster,
Thank you very much for your second mail and time.
I am sorry but I would like to inform you of my terminal's crashing. My termial had been crashed since 03/03/1999. A standby set was given on 03/19/99. Thereafter A new machine was given on 03/26/99. I still set it up. While its crashing, an agent for my university, Sun Microsystems Japan Co. set up a strong firewall on our mail servers. Therefore since then I cannot send my private mails. Moreover I cannot find messages to me frequently. Of course my collegues blame the firewall. However some crackers have invaded our mail servers via foreign telephone exchange company's servers. I cannot use telnet software.
I've just received your letter. I read it. But I said most of what I want to say for your response at my first mail.
First, in your second letter, you wrote...
>My idea was to get actual retail copies from Japan, and then
>puting english subtitles on them and distributing them on a
>non-profit basis in USA.
Please remember UNIX business. Since AT and T was divided, AT and T started UNIX copyright business. Most of companies in USA and Japan had to pay copyright royalty for AT and T. Therefore private companies had to look for free or cheap UNIX. At last Linux was created in Finland. People can be free from AT and T's blackness.
I formerly wrote the framework of Japanese copyright law was fixed by Governor Moriyuki Kato. Its framework basically requests copyright royalty on the adjacent rights of copyright, including screen rights. Even if you are a volunteer, copyright holders will request copyright royalty. At EVA, the anime producing complex consisted of Kadokawa, King Records, Toei, TV-Tokyo, Bandai, Sega, GAiNAX and Tatsunoko Production.
The conglomerate has several features as follows;
- Story was made by Hideaki Anno.
- Comic-type of EVA was published by Kadokawa.
- Anime was made by GAiNAX.
- Retails of Anime was made by Tatsunoko Production.
- Videogame software was made by Sega.
- Figure dolls were made by Bandai.
- Anime was broadcast by TV-Tokyo.
- Toei has screen rights of Cinema-type anime.
- LDs, DVDs and VHSs were made by King Records.
All of these eight companies fully understand anime business. Therefore pirate videos were ignored and were not impeached because GAiNAX consists of Otaku-type anime fans and makes much of promoting the title (not selling the title). GAiNAX has a guideline for private fan pages.
I formerly wrote on Kadokawa Shoten.
Please refer to it.
The stock of Kadokawa is booming now. The price is about 16,000 yen.
King Records are an old company on music business. Formerly they produced old type populer songs in Japan. Recently they always produce songs related with anime. Most of their business was executed as cooperation with Kadokawa. (For example, Hajime Kanzaka's Slayers, No Need For Tenchi, Martian Successor Nadesico, ...)
But Hakusensha is different from Kadokawa.
They at present promote their title "Berserk".
March 29th 1999, the 17th volume of Berserk drawn by Kentarou Miura was published by Hakusensha. In medieval times, a European-style swordsman fought against the evil in the story. NHK recently broadcast a promoting program on Berserk. Formerly NTV (Japan) controlled by Yomiuri Newspaper made and broadcast TV-anime type Berserk. But it included bloodshed episodes. There a lot of people were killed. It was a hopeless story. In Japan, most of readers are girls. But the cartoonist Kentarou Miura basically draws it for young male adults.
I formerly wrote on Hakusensha.
Please refer to it.
Recently Hakusensha often promotes its titles on Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, a most famous newspaper in Japan. The copyright business of Hakusensha is very hard. If a pirate VHS is found in USA, Hakusensha will impeach the agant.
Therefore if you want to be an agent of copyright adjacent rights of Kare-Kano, you had better contact GAiNAX. As you know, they have the official homepage.
Second you wrote at your second message...
>Please tell me if you have any info on the retail release of
>Kare-Kano on VHS, or if you have any episodes (especialy the
>early ones) taped off broadcast, or if you know anyone.
As you know, cinema-type EVA was made as remaking of TV-anime type EVA. GAiNAX and Hideaki Anno like antiquarianism. EVA videos made by GAiNAX and King Records was made as remaking of TV-anime type EVA. They often added new pictures to the first broadcasting source. In Japan, GAiNAX official videos of Kare-Kano for sale have not been sold yet. Perhaps at present they make a remaking video of Kare-Kano. Moreover Tsuda's original cartoon Kare-Kano has not ended yet.
You had better remember a new way of GAiNAX. GAiNAX official homepage includes a lot of Kare-Kano images. What? If you copy the original images, a phrase is added on the images. It is "Kare-Kano Copy". Therefore all images of my Kare-Kano page were remade by me.
Maybe GAiNAX began to remove pirates...
Thank you again for your time and cooperation.
Yours truly,
Dr.FangLang
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