I'm RyuSensei and I . . . I torrent (Hiiiii RyuSensei!)

There’s something that I feel I should get off my chest. I use bit torrent.

By rights, that should be the end of the post, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t know what bit torrent is. Bit torrent is a file sharing program and network that is used mainly to swap files of movies, music, TV shows, and anime. By many standards, this system is illegal. But I feel no guilt for what I do. There are circumstances where torrenting something is a perfectly acceptable option. I’m not an expert in ethics, but I think I have a good sense of right and wrong (thanks Mom and Dad).

The main reason that file sharing is illegal is that users obtain for free what others have to pay for. Additionally, you are taking hard earned money away from the original creators of the products. This is known as stealing. OK, fair points. But there is an obvious counter argument: If you CAN’T buy it in the first place, then it isn’t stealing.

Most of what I download is material that isn’t available to buy in rural Japan. This applies mainly to American TV shows that are either not broadcast in Japan or are not broadcast on any channel I am able to buy access to (i.e. not on offer by the satellite people). I don’t consider that stealing because I couldn’t buy it if I tried. If I could, I would (It would save hard drive space for a start).

The other thing that I download a lot of is fansubed anime. Fan subbing is exactly what it says on the tin. Anime fans take works that don’t have a licensed English version and add their own English subtitles either as a linguistic exercise or because they enjoy the show and want to share it with others. Since my Japanese is good, but far from fluent, I need subtitles to understand more than the general gist of what’s being said. Since the fansub groups don’t charge for their services and there is no legal alternative, fan subbed anime clears the benchmark for acceptable downloading.

Now for the stickler: Movies. Surprising as it may seem, not every Hollywood movie makes it to every theater on the planet. When a movie comes out that I want to see (not horribly often, but still…) I always check to see if it’s going to be coming to the local theaters. If so, I won’t even consider downloading it. If I know for a fact said film won’t be available to see in theaters, then it’s fair game.

A small caveat is the files known as “cams.” These refer to someone sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater, filming the screen and posting the resulting footage online. I avoid these like the plague! At least I do now, having downloaded one a couple of years ago not knowing what cam meant. These things make my skin crawl because they do actually feel illegal. Admittedly, cams do a fantastic job of simulating the movie going experience what with the crying babies, people standing between you and the screen, grainy images; it really is the whole package. That leads to the other point about cams, the quality is horrible! Just wait 6 months (or less anymore) for someone to rip the DVD. You’ll get a better product and some piece of mind as well.

A recent example of what I do and do not find acceptable is the leaked “work print” of the upcoming Wolverine movie. Short version: someone, probably in the studio, got a hold of an unfinished copy of the film and decided to post it online to give the diehard Logan fans an early look. This is wrong. Excluding the fact that movie studios DO need to make money off of these films, who the heck wants to see the unfinished product?! I have not downloaded this file, nor do I intend to. I’m almost certain that the final product will be in Japanese theaters in a few months. I’ll see it then. I have other things in my life besides seeing a movie (and with tickets at 1800円, I have much cheaper things to do with my life).

In brief, (don’t laugh, I can be brief if I try) downloading something readily available to buy = bad. Downloading something you can’t get any other way = OK.

You may be wondering how I came to this set of beliefs. If not, I’m going to tell you anyway. It comes from the US military. I grew up as the son of a career member of the US Air Force (generally known as a “lifer” behind his back and “Sir” to his face). On of the common practice in those days (mid 1980s to early 90s) was for family in the states to send a videotape of the latest movie or TV show to their relatives serving overseas. Said tape would then be played in a VCR hooked up to a TV. A second VCR would be set to record the image on the screen, thereby copying the movie. This process allowed dozens of servicemen and women to see the film and get a little taste of home from half way around the world. I see bit torrent as the 21st century equivalent to this (as a matter of fact, I know several people in the service right now who use it).

Living in Japan can get damned lonely sometimes and you feel starved for English. I feel safe comparing myself to America’s troops in that I’m thousands of miles away from my loved ones and occasionally fall victim to bouts of homesickness. That’s as far as the comparison goes, I don’t see a Japanese middle school as equal to Iraq or Afghanistan (although, come to think of it). The not getting shot at thing is a definite perk. In other words, if torrenting is good enough for them, it’s more than good enough for me.