Nobody’s perfect, and we’ve all broken the law a few times in our lives. (Shame on you for jaywalking!)
But since the Ace Attorney anime has started (available on Crunchyroll), I thought it might be interesting to see how criminal we all are. Could Ryuichi/Phoenix successfully defend you against the charges of being a bad fan and not supporting the industry? Well, it depends on how many Criminal Points (CP) you accumulate!
Directions
Choose a response to each question for your “trial”. The questions are broken up into four sections. Add up your CP for the entire examination and cross-examination as you complete it. Then prepare for your verdict!
Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Tezuka?
You may begin.
The Trial
Finding a Series
How do you usually discover a new series?
Scanlations/fansubs (+5 CP)
Hype and/or reviews. (+0 CP)
Legal streams/simulpubs. (+0 CP)
Blind buys. (+0 CP)
A series you are interested in requires a subscription to watch or read. You…
Find ways to read or watch it for free. (+5 CP)
Find another series that is legally available for free. (+0 CP)
Subscribe. (+0 CP)
A series you are interested in isn’t licensed in your area. Which do you do the most?
Read scanlations/fansubs. (+5 CP)
Don’t watch or read it. Keep waiting for it to be licensed. (+0 CP)
Buy the original Japanese. (+0 CP)
When I get interested in or hear about a series, I don’t care if it’s available legally or not. I just want to watch or read it no matter if it’s via an official source or not.
Agree (+3 CP)
Disagree (+0 CP)
Your Habits
Fansubs and scanlations are…
My primary source of anime and manga! (+5 CP)
Okay for unlicensed series, but I don’t use them for licensed ones. (+3 CP)
Wrong. I don’t use them at all. (+0 CP)
On average, how often do you read/watch scanlations/fansubs?
Every day! (+5 CP)
Many times a week. (+4 CP)
Several times a week. (+3 CP)
Once a week. (+2 CP)
Once a month or less. (+1 CP)
Never. (+0 CP)
Put these in order from what you do the most to what you do the least.
(1) Scanlations/Fansubs. (2) Legal simulpubs/streams. (3) Buy manga/anime. (+5 CP)
(1) Scanlations/Fansubs. (2) Buy manga/anime. (3) Legal simulpubs/streams. (+5 CP)
(1) Legal simulpubs/streams. (2) Scanlations/Fansubs. (3) Buy manga/anime. (+2 CP)
(1) Buy manga/anime. (2) Scanlations/Fansubs. (3) Legal simulpubs/streams. (+2 CP)
(1) Legal simulpubs/streams. (2) Buy manga/anime. (3) Scanlations/Fansubs. (+0 CP)
(1) Buy manga/anime. (2) Legal simulpubs/streams. (3) Scanlations/Fansubs. (+0 CP)
Do you buy bootleg or pirated merchandise?
Yes. Unofficial DVDs, merchandise, etc. are cheaper and region free. (+5 CP)
Yes, I’ve bought knockoff stuff like wall scrolls, keychains, etc. But I buy official DVDs and manga. (+3 CP)
Yes, I’ve bought box sets of series that’s unavailable. (+3 CP)
Yes, accidentally. I didn’t know they were unofficial at the time. (+1 CP)
Does buying fanmade cosplay stuff count? Then yes. (+1 CP)
No. At least not that I know of. (+0 CP)
I don’t know. I just buy whatever’s cheapest without checking. (+2 CP)
Have you ever worked on scanlations and fansubs?
Yes. (+5 CP)
No, but I’ve (re)uploaded them though. (+5 CP)
I’ve posted translations, but just text-only translations. (+3 CP)
No, but only because I’m not talented enough. I stick to reading and watching them. (+3 CP)
No, it’s wrong. (+0 CP)
What Do You Do?
A series you like has a bad release. What do you do?
Don’t buy it. Rely on fansubs/scanlations. (+5 CP)
Don’t buy it. Don’t use fansubs/scanlations. (+0 CP)
Buy it. Don’t rely on fansubs/scanlations. (+0 CP)
Buy it. Rely on fansub/scanlations (+1 CP)
Buy the original Japanese. Rely on fansubs/scanlations (+1 CP)
You start a series through scanlations or fansubs, and it gets licensed. What do you do?
Keep reading/watching the fan translation. (+5 CP)
Stop. (+3 CP)
I would never read/watch a series illegally. (+0 CP)
You read/watch an entire series through scanlations/fansubs. You end up not liking it. Eventually, it gets licensed. What do you do?
Don’t buy it. (+5 CP)
Buy it. (+0 CP)
An unofficial source posts a chapter or episode before the street date/air date. What do you do?
Read or watch it. (+5 CP)
Read or watch it, then read or watch it on the official source. (+3 CP)
Wait for the official source to upload it. (+0 CP)
Your Opinions
Scanlations and fansubs help more than they hurt.
Agree. (+2 CP)
Disagree. (+0 CP)
A series is popular on fansub/scanlation sites, but the official release hasn’t been doing well in sales. Who do you think is most at fault?
The licensor. They’re the ones who are supposed to release a quality product at a good price. (+3 CP)
The licensor and the fans. They probably both deserve some of the blame. (+1 CP)
The fans. They’re supposed to buy it. (+0 CP)
Do you think it’s wrong to use tools to access legal content from outside your geographic area? (E.g. using a VPN to watch Netflix USA)
No, it’s not wrong. (+1 CP)
Yes, it’s wrong. (+0 CP)
Do you think it’s wrong to look at fansubs or scanlations if you own a legal copy of the product?
No, it’s not wrong. (+1 CP)
Yes, it’s wrong. (+0 CP)
Verdict
70 CP:
You’re not only getting a “guilty” verdict, but one in record time. Oh, and by the way: SUPPORT THE INDUSTRY!!! STOP BEING A LEECH!!
60 to 69 CP:
The prosecution has a slam dunk case. You need to change at your habits ASAP.
50 to 59 CP:
You don’t have much of a defense. Fansubs and scanlations may have good points, but you are relying on them way too much.
40 to 49 CP:
You probably want to think about a plea deal. There are quite a few legal and relatively cheap alternatives to fansubs and scanlations, you know.
30 to 39 CP:
You may be not guilty of the most serious charges, but you aren’t “not guilty” on all of them. There’s a lot of moral and legal gray area with fansubs and scanlations, but be careful not to rely on them.
20 to 29 CP:
There’s enough reasonable doubt to be cleared of the charges. It can be hard to resist temptation sometimes, but keep it up!
12 to 19 CP:
The prosecution doesn’t have much of a case against you. You keep the industry running!
01 to 11 CP:
An easy “not guilty” verdict! Excellent! Bravo! Amazing!
0 CP:
Celebrate! You don’t even have charges filed against you! You must be a perfect fan…or an employee of an official company.
Final Thoughts:
Well, I hope you take a look at your habits after this. As I’ve mentioned before, supporting the industry isn’t always as clear-cut as “buy it all!” Although ignorance of the law is no excuse, remember that writers, directors, animators, translators, musicians, and a whole bunch of other people are counting on your support so they can make a living. Try to think of ways to lower your CP in the future! Otherwise, you need to be sentenced to opening up your wallet!
So, what was your verdict?