See, I really like this essay for two main reasons.
The first is that you give a fairly nice feel for what a lot of video stores in Asia are like, with tables of bootleg DVDs and VCDs for really cheap prices. There's really no way to hide it; you know they're bootleg, you accept they're of an extremely low quality on all fronts (like how some won't play in all players), and most people won't kid themselves about the ties to organised crime . . . but again, they're really cheap. There are actually a lot of bootleg stores like that in Vancouver, where a lot of Chinese people set up shop, and that's pretty much how it is.
The second is that I absolutely love how you see the irony of buying illegal bootlegs for an anime series about a detective. I'm also glad to see that even when you're surrounded by these very everyday means of buying things over there, you're still willing to do what's ethically right. Now I can't say that your story'll change the minds of everyone else, but it definitely won't hurt.
Midnight Mystique
Title: Otakuite | Posted 06/16/08 | Reply
I couldn't really tell why this was rejected for it seemed really worthy of reading ^-^
Kami-chan.x3
Title: Senior Otaku | Posted 03/19/08 | Reply
WOW!! This is well written. GREAT! *votes faves*
SomeGuy
Title: Team | Posted 03/19/08 | Reply
Hey man, welcome to VV.
See, I really like this essay for two main reasons.
The first is that you give a fairly nice feel for what a lot of video stores in Asia are like, with tables of bootleg DVDs and VCDs for really cheap prices. There's really no way to hide it; you know they're bootleg, you accept they're of an extremely low quality on all fronts (like how some won't play in all players), and most people won't kid themselves about the ties to organised crime . . . but again, they're really cheap. There are actually a lot of bootleg stores like that in Vancouver, where a lot of Chinese people set up shop, and that's pretty much how it is.
The second is that I absolutely love how you see the irony of buying illegal bootlegs for an anime series about a detective. I'm also glad to see that even when you're surrounded by these very everyday means of buying things over there, you're still willing to do what's ethically right. Now I can't say that your story'll change the minds of everyone else, but it definitely won't hurt.
Really well-written, Mask. Good job.