Where do you get your anime?

[Saregon]

Like it says in the header: where do you guys get/watch your anime? There are a few I really want to watch, but I can't seem to find them. I have Netflix and Crunchyroll, but because I live in Norway, there are a few restrictions. Lately I've just seen two fairly short ones, Knights of Cydonia and Arpeggio of Blue Steel (both great shows), but I want to watch Attack on Titan and Rurouni Kenshin. I found the latter one in a shop years ago, but it was crazy expensive. Any tips?

 

[VanQ]

Honestly, the answer to your question would garner the ire of the banhammer on this forum. Unfortunately, anime has a long history of not giving a shit about the western world and as such the most reliable ways of viewing anime on a season by season basis are legally grey at best, outright piracy at worst. Coming across older shows are less difficult, as companies like Funimation do usually eventually get around to releasing them in the west, the problem is you'll be waiting 2+ years from the original air date for even the most popular series because the anime companies hold the rights from the west to prevent reverse importing.

I will say that both of those shows are fairly easy to find if you know where to look and don't care about the legality. That's the best answer I can give on this forum. Good luck in your search!

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Ebay can get you some good ones that are official releases. You just have to not mind that they're Malaysian and therefore English dubs are rare and the subtitles are hilariously bad. I'm pretty certain they're kosher but the interpretation of their translations adds a new flavor to the watching experience. "The cute soldier's have a bear!" Is one of my favorite lines from the mistranslation treasure trove. It reminds me of my language classes from many years ago, and the wondrous things I could do to romance languages by accident.

 

[Jadedvet]

Unfortunately, the best way to keep up with anime is still torrenting from fansub groups.

Legal distribution is getting better though. Netflix and Crunchyroll (I sub) are two of the better places to find anime. Its shame you have restrictions in the way. Have you taken a look at Hulu or Vudu? I remember one of those two having a good anime selection.

Buying anime on BluRay is still expensive though I've seen some good holiday sales on Amazon.

 

[Randoman01]

animelinkz

 

[NeutralDrow]

A combination of Netflix, CrunchyRoll, and buying one or two series a year at Comic Con. In retrospect, my anime-watching is actually fairly slim.

 

[Zontar]

I buy them from a video store which has some sort of deal with Funimation, since they seem to be the only ones whose work seems to end up on the shelves of their locations I'm aware of in my city. Decent works, pretty much everything they have that isn't on their shelves can be ordered though the store at no extra cost then buying directly from them.

 

[Fox12]

I found a store called f.y.e. that has a surprisingly robust anime section (by which I mean it HAS an anime section). It was a godsend. I already bought Lain, Bebop, and The Last Exile. I visit every time I get a paycheck. I'm paranoid the shop will shut down by pure virtue of me discovering it. Still, the pickings aren't perfect, and they seem to have a new selection every time I visit. Which means that I need to purchase something good if I find it. Still, three full rows of anime is nothing to scoff at.

Otherwise, Amazon, if you don't mind the possibility of getting jipped. I don't want to buy Eva or Berserk there, though, because I'm convinced their all pirated copies. Otherwise, Crunchy Roll, Netflix, and Funimation. If I can't find a show through any of those sources, or its just not made available, then I have no problem admitting that I've used youtube and torrent sites as a last resort. I buy it if I can find it, though.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I order mine from Amazon. Before, there used to be a Suncoast in the nearby mall. That place was a freaking gold mine, but then it closed down, so I started to get it from Best Buy. Then Best Buy decided carrying anime wasn't worth it, and the section went from two full rows to an 1/8th of a shelf. It's pathetic really.
So now, I just buy the shows I want from Amazon. If I'm curious, I'll look up clips on youtube and see if the show looks good, but I don't really watch anime online. I watch Sailor Moon Crystal on crunchyroll, but that's it.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Crunchyroll...

Animelab (but that's Australia only - they've got a lot of stuff there though - Worth looking at if you're in Australia...)

The youtube channels belonging to Funimation, nozomi entertainment and several others (mostly US/UK, but it works in some other places too.)

Between them I can find most major series, and a bunch of minor ones...

I used to just buy a lot of DVD's...
But those are expensive. - though I used to find a lot of them on sale when I was still in the UK...

 

[FPLOON]

The internet?

Other than that...
Amazon?
My friend's Netflix account?
My other friend's CrunchyRoll account?
Anime conventions?
Fucking Toonami??

I think that covers all of the general basis... If only watching hentai was this easy as well... *pony shrug*

 

[Elfgore]

Kissanime has what you need. HD for a majority of series, fast translations, and nice layout They do have rather high amount of ads and do not allow ad-block, but they do let you close all the ads to clear up your viewing space. They are legal by the way, you just don't have to pay.

I'm not sure if they're international though. Hopefully they are.

 

[lionsprey]

anywhere i can really

 

[Scarim Coral]

I used to buy them from HMV until I found out how much saving I would get from Amazon. Granted I only buy the anime on DVD if I LOVED that series so much like I want to buy Kill La Kill and Tiger and Bunny in one big boxset in the future.

Other than that I can't say the rest.

 

[drednoahl]

Pretty much what everyone has said before me. I also use http://www.viewster.com/genre/58/anime/ now and again.

 

[Yopaz]

I watch mine on Crunchyroll and I am happy to pay for the premium membership to get it on the Wii U

I have bought a few DVDs, but more often than not it's not worth it. Sure Amazon may give you some great offers, but you'll see region locks there too. When I buy a DVD I want to watch it on my TV, not my computer so you need to get yourself a region free DVD player. Even buying it from Norwegian stores it is most likely imported from USA.

 

[Fappy]

I've had a Crunchyroll membership for around a year now and Netflix for longer. Between those two, and free stuff from Funimation and Hulu I am mostly set. Unfortunately there are a few series that fall through the cracks every season and fail to get licensed here until years later. For those you have to either wait or use legally dubious means to acquire them.

I really, really hope someone grabs the new Lupin III. So far no one has claimed the license in the west as far as I know and it is scheduled to air this summer.