A MUST OWN FOR BOXING FANS!
I wanted to share my recent experiences with this anime...
Ok, I discovered this anime while...err...ummm...watching videos on...ummm...this other site...
I was bored so I thought what the heck(there were @20 eps available) and gave it a try...I thought it'd be something good to watch over the week when I'd get home from work. And it was.
Within the first 5 episodes I realized I would definitely need to see the entire series...I felt thrilled that the entire series was available on...ummm...the internet...
The first 1/3rd were available in my favorite format(Japanese language/English subs) and over the past week I watched them faithfully...EXCELLENT FIGHT SCENES...but alas all good things must come to an end as did the first 19eps...However, I wasn't worried because I saw another place had the remainding 2/3rds...Suerte!(to be explained later)
Have you ever heard the expression: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
I found the remaining 2/3rds all right. They even had subtitles. In Spanish.
It was a blow. However, I was only slightly discouraged. I decided to take things in my own hands. I decided to download the series myself(I don't know Bo-diddly about downloading stuff...I'm still playing RTR: PE 1.7 because I'm scared to download stuff) because as I said, it is that good.
Well I obtain a...Torrent-thing-a-ma-do...and actually find a site that has the series in Japanese with English subs...so I begin to download...it gave an estimated download time of: 550+ hours! ...that's too much...but I wanted to see the series and I decided to endure it...
I let it download for @30hrs...I maybe had 6.3%...maybe...
In any case I was feeling a little...uneasy...because I don't normally download something and I'm always worried I'm going to do something stupid to my PC...so I decided to 'Pause' the download and see if I'd be able to play anything I'd downloaded so far(it looked like I had at least the first ep completed)...
I download the necessary player(Markovoso or something)...everything seems ok......and
WinRAR is not Free Software! In order to use this software you must buy a license.
Blindsided by the ole' you only get one free trial per PC trick*! I was almost tempted to buy the license(that's how much I want to see the anime)...
After threatening my PC with monitor/keyboard damage I calmed down and tried to figure out a different technical approach...they were all 100% unsuccessful...
So I decided to try a more traditional approach. I'd try to rent it. The more I thought about it the more I knew I'd seen this anime in a store somewhere. So I decided to try Blockbuster.
Blockbuster has it in-the-system but NOT ONE SINGLE STORE WITHIN 50+ MILES HAS IT ON THE SHELVES!!!!
If not Blockbuster what about Hollywood Video(they seem to keep obscure titles)...they didn't even have it in the system.
At this point I was down to the most traditional of options. I'd buy it. So I pulled up the BestBuy page...did my search...checked in-store availability......they must share a warehouse with Blockbuster...zero...zip...nada...within 50+ miles! NOT ONE SINGLE STORE!
I HAD/HAVE NO INTENTION OF BUYING IT FROM ONLINE!!!! A man has to have principles.
So what was left? I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what else to try. And then I remembered a site I had once used to get my opening line para las chicas...a free online translation site!
It might work! It'd be a bit tedious, but it could work.
So I ended up watching the Spanish subbed versions and using a free transaltion site to translate the text(which I have to type myself)...Es bueno!
...it became a bit of a challenge once I realized I was actually learning some of the words...After ahwile I was going through large parts of the episode without having to translate anything...
All this just to watch some anime...
*re: WinRAR, for a long time I couldn't figure out how/when I'd used a winRAR free trial...I think I have a vague recollection of having to use that crap to open a mod...I think...if so...that sucks soooooooooooooooo much...
also, I think winRAR, markovoso and whoever made the Hajime no ippo available are all in collusion...or at least Alexander Roshal(winRAR) and Markovoso(sp)[Russian company] are...it's too much of a coincidence that the ONLY english subbed hajime no ippo left available is formatted in a manner that forces you to buy some other software(probably not, I'm just pissed that it seems like The Man is trying to prevent me from seeing this show)
(bleeping) winRAR