Official Naruto streaming

[Pandadice]

I dunno if someone already posted this. but apparently (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-17/viz-to-stream-naruto-within-1-week-of-japanese-airing)Viz is going to start streaming Naruto Shippuuden 1 week after it airs, with English subs.

and TV Tokyo will provide the episodes with English subs (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-17/tv-tokyo-to-also-stream-naruto-through-crunchyroll) on CrunchyRoll to paid users about 1 hour after they broadcast in Japan.

all this official streaming is weird.

[Kraco]

The release thread is strictly and only for links to episodes, not general info even if that general info was release related. Thus I split this info of yours into its own thread from the release thread. Keep this in mind.

[Pandadice]

oh my bad. thanks. I thought info about releases would go in there. I dunno why I didn't think to make my own thread >.<.

[RyougaZell]

A NEW GENERATION, A NEW DESTINY

Viz Media Announces Unprecedented Multimedia Campaign To Provide Near Simultaneous U.S.-Japan Release Of New NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Animated Episodes For Free On www.Naruto.com

San Francisco, CA, NOVEMBER 17, 2008 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced an innovative and unprecedented multimedia plan to provide near-simultaneous Japan-U.S. release of NARUTO, one of the most popular Japanese animated and manga properties in the world. This campaign is the latest expansion of Viz Media's ongoing strategy to utilize the web to its maximum potential to stream a variety of hit animated properties.

Beginning on January 15th the latest episode of the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (English-subtitled) animated series will be available for free viewing on the ultimate destination for anything NARUTO – the official NARUTO website, www.Naruto.com, within days of its original airdate in Japan. A new English-subtitled episode will be added every Thursday thereafter.

On January 2nd, Viz Media will also debut, for free, 8 uncut, English-subtitled episodes from the beginning of the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN series on www.Naruto.com. Each Friday thereafter there will be an additional 8 uncut, English-subtitled episodes added on Naruto.com until the series eventually catches up to the current third season of the hit program. Also, coming this week, an exclusive sneak peek of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (English-subtitled) debuting on Naruto.com.

On the manga (graphic novel) side, Viz Media has unveiled an accelerated publishing schedule for upcoming editions of the best-selling Naruto manga series, making them available to North American audiences sooner than ever before offered by Viz Media. Beginning in February 2009, 11 new volumes of NARUTO will be released over 3 months, moving the series from Volume 34 (February 2009) to Volume 44 (April 2009) before returning to a quarterly release schedule beginning with Volume 45 (July 2009). First print-run editions of the volumes released in March and April will include a special promotional item – bookmark or sticker.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2008-11-17/viz-media-announces-unprecedented-multimedia-campaign-to-provide-near-simultaneous-u.s-japan-release-of-new-naruto-shippuden-animated-episodes-for-free-on-www.naruto.com

[DarthEnderX]

I guess the publishing companies finally realized that the only way they are going to beat fansubbers, is sub shit themselves.

One week turnaround for an official sub, for free off the internet?

What do you even need fansubs for at that point?

[Kraco]

At least for those of us who archive there's still merit for stand-alone releases, not streaming ones. And these are still isolated incidents, and likely will remain so considering how many people are involved in fansubbing and keeping in mind it will take no less people to get them commercially out.

Besides, the streams might not be available for others than North Americans.

[redcat]

I'd rather not wait an extra week... especially for a stream...

kinda stupid that they would take an extra week to do it when fans can do it so much faster. they should be able to have it done by the time the episode is aired in Japanese.

[Carnage]

Fuck this shit they're going to jump ahead in Naruto volumes when Onepiece is so far behind.....I understand Naruto makes them the most profit, but this is just annoying.

[Death BOO Z]

I wonder if they're going to put the old crew of translators on this (doubling the workload) or get a new team (which could have some funny mistakes)...

[DB_Hunter]

They might as well hire one of the current subbing groups to do the job if they are going to be so slow about it.

[Archangel]

They might as well hire one of the current subbing groups to do the job if they are going to be so slow about it.

Dattebayo would just keep trolling them.

[Marik]

They might as well hire one of the current subbing groups to do the job if they are going to be so slow about it.

They're not being slow, they are just trying to charge people to get it faster.

"The Japanese broadcaster TV Tokyo has announced that it will begin streaming English-subtitled episodes of the Naruto anime series, about one hour after their Japanese broadcast, to paid monthly subscribers worldwide on the Crunchyroll video service on January 8, 2009."

The subs will already be there, one hour after. So it's a matter of paying or waiting a week.

[Archangel]

Who would be stupid enough to pay for something they can get for free???

[Marik]

No one, I hope.

[RyougaZell]

Fuck this shit they're going to jump ahead in Naruto volumes when Onepiece is so far behind.....I understand Naruto makes them the most profit, but this is just annoying.

I share the pain.

I wish One Piece got this treatment... at least on the manga department...

[DarthEnderX]

Who would be stupid enough to pay for something they can get for free???Possibly people who have a problem with stealing.

I think this is a good step. They realize the way thing are aren't going to change so they are taking steps to fit into the system rather than throwing away time and effort trying to stop fansubbers.
Fuck this shit they're going to jump ahead in Naruto volumes when Onepiece is so far behind.....I understand Naruto makes them the most profit, but this is just annoying.Well, its not the same company. VIZ does Naruto, Funimation does One Piece. So its not like they have to pick one over the other.

[Abdula]

Wow. They are really milking this series aren't they. Its so sad, because Naruto isn't even that good.

Who would be stupid enough to pay for something they can get for free???
You'd be surprised.

[Dark Dragon]

VIZ does Naruto, Funimation does One Piece. So its not like they have to pick one over the other.

I also think it's because 4Kids really ruined any chance One Piece might have had at becoming really popular in the states. I've met so many new anime fans that dislike One Piece and dismiss it as crap because of the 4Kids version. Funamation is doing a good job but the 4Kids stigma will always be there and it's kinda hard for it to take off now that the initial good first impression is gone.

This news is definitely good though, if more companies start taking this kind of stance instead of resorting to lawsuit then it will help the industry grow.

[KrayZ33]

If the stream (which is online 1 week later) is in high quality like crunchyroll's "high-res" streaming, I'll use it.

because there is no difference in quality then and I don't have to download the whole episode, but I doubt that this will be the case.

[RyougaZell]

VIZ does Naruto, Funimation does One Piece. So its not like they have to pick one over the other.

Viz publishes the One Piece manga.

[DarthEnderX]

That's true, but we aren't talking about mangas, we're talking about anime.

Unless they are gonna start adding "streaming chapters" also...

Streaming chapters? That doesn't make any sense! Stop talking crazy!

[Death BOO Z]

On the manga (graphic novel) side, Viz Media has unveiled an accelerated publishing schedule for upcoming editions of the best-selling Naruto manga series, making them available to North American audiences sooner than ever before offered by Viz Media. Beginning in February 2009, 11 new volumes of NARUTO will be released over 3 months, moving the series from Volume 34 (February 2009) to Volume 44 (April 2009) before returning to a quarterly release schedule beginning with Volume 45 (July 2009). First print-run editions of the volumes released in March and April will include a special promotional item – bookmark or sticker.

again, we aren't talking about manga.

[Jessper]

because there is no difference in quality then and I don't have to download the whole episode, but I doubt that this will be the case.

Streaming still downloads the whole episode, You just don't get to keep it. Only real advantage is you don't have to wait to start it really.

[RyougaZell]

That's true, but we aren't talking about mangas, we're talking about anime.

Unless they are gonna start adding "streaming chapters" also...

Streaming chapters? That doesn't make any sense! Stop talking crazy!

The news I posted talked about the manga being sold faster, to be also on par with the japanese publishing.

[tystic]

...so for the first time ever, it'll be fully legal to watch Naruto ahead of everyone else here. Cool.

[ASSpirine]

I don't want it to be faster to watch, I really doubt it's so much faster. Have you seen the amount of seeders when a new Naruto episode comes out? Downloads are over in minutes. And I also like to keep the episode to rewatch it.

I live in a country where there are still download limits... You know how much that sucks...

But I do believe there will be other subbers doing some work, in the beginning the quality might not be so good. But you just have to get used to it.

[Buffalobiian]

I live in a country where there are still download limits... You know how much that sucks...

Yes. I understand perfectly. ;)

The rewatching will always be the main issue, especially with the types of discussion we spark up at GW. Still, they're not going to do it. It's the only reason people buy the DVDs. I'm pretty sure Crunchyroll lets people download a good qualtiy H264 for a small donation per episode, so it might happen for Naruto.

[Yukimura]

DB to stop subbing Naruto in light of streaming? (http://mangahelpers.com/news/details/105)

This could very well be another troll but I was at that panel at Otakon and Interactii and HisshouBuraiKen seemed to be serious about stopping if a legitimate alternative was created legally. If they really do stop I wouldn't expect it to take more than a week or two before another group takes their place but considering the number of Narutards who think DB is the beginning and ending of all fansubbing this could lead to a reduction in the total number of people who watch fansubs if the the DB legion is too dumb to learn about alternatives.

A week is a pretty healthy window for subbers to try and beat out the competition of the free legal subs which will apparently only be streams and may even involve some manner of ads as well so I expect little to change in the fansubbing world other than a new name in between square brackets in my Naruto folder.