Nearly a month ago, I was extolling the announcement of Anime News Network getting in on the simulcasting movement with their streaming of the new Aniplex-produced fall shows Oreimo (Ore no Imouto ga Konanni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, or "My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute") and togainu no chi ~Bloody Curs~. Oreimo was scheduled to air the next day and togainu the following Wednesday, and for the Saturday afternoon that Oreimo debut, everything went relatively without a hitch. ANN's efforts hit a snag, however, when an unknown party had breached the security measures on one of their streaming servers, obtained the as-yet-aired second episode of Oreimo that lied there, and distributed it over the Internet. Immediately that very evening, the site removed the first episode and postponed togainu's scheduled debut--and the simulcasts as a whole--indefinitely.
Much like FUNimation's situation last year, ANN found themselves in a quagmire, with the simulcasting movement being jeopardized and getting egg on its face once more due to failed security measures. Refunds were allowed, criticism was meted out, and the future of the streams remained muddy, at best. Yesterday, though, the situation saw some light at the end of the tunnel, as ANN announced that the streams to both shows would be continuing. The catch-up schedule will look like this:
Monday, November 8
Oreimo 1-4
Wednesday, November 10
togainu no chi 1-4
Saturday, November 13
Oreimo 5-6
Wednesday, November 17
togainu no chi 5-6
Every Saturday & Wednesday afterwords will feature a new episode of Oreimo (1:58pm EST) and togainu no chi (1:30pm EST), respectively.
That Aniplex allowed ANN to continue the streams, as opposed to giving the rights to someone else or stopping them altogether, should say a lot about the level of trust and commitment on the Japanese part if they are still willing to work with the American companies and give them a chance after something this major occurs (and twice, at that). Simulcasting is still in its infancy (having started in just 2008), and as more players and partnerships come around and the need for more sure security grows, problems like this arising, perhaps, shouldn't be too surprising. But even infrequently, it is one with the sort of magnitude that can mortally wound such a promising venture and make producers less willing to do simulcasts. "Intruders" will always be around, but let's hope that these security issues cease in the future and that content handlers take the proper steps to ensure that.
I guess with this great news, my Saturday (and perhaps Wednesday) afternoons will be occupied with reviews again. The one for the first episode to Oreimo made note of the postponement earlier and has been updated accordingly.
—One of a -very- few blogs that discusses about anime, boxing, and a little bit of randomness…
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