Kimiko/Shrouded Dancer and the 2010 Libre crackdown

[lyrebird]

I made some accusations about Kimiko/Shrouded Dancer and her role in the 2010 Libre crackdown on scanlation groups in Nakama's website and Megori's DMG discussion threadI know it looks like I am launching some kind of personal vendetta against Kimiko by bringing up the past. Megori even states in her LJ that the past is irrelevant. To her, perhaps

Comments

[a_ngua]

I don’t think that sending “polite”!! letter and informing title is licensed is problem itself. Scanlators usually remove links themselves, in most cases nobody have to tell them.
However DMG have to make some “proper” space for this in their forum and properly, on time add new titles to the list.
You are not obliged to fallow anybody’s twitter.

It was messy past few weeks but seems to me scanlators/fans loose one opportunity to push things further and make some mutual “understanding” with publisher(s). What they (DMG) did was illegal *amused* and since they, as company have to fallow/obey law this was opportunity to have upper hand in whole thing.
Not to mention penalties for Shroud’s inappropriate eagerness…
Boycotting her work instead of whole DMG… but then since they stood behind her, they should be punished too.
People have to be aware they ripping them off for something they actually don’t have/own.
Once they have download (so customer can actually own what he/she paid for) it will be different. A bit lower price is given.
Things as they are now…
Although argument “to support/help mangaka” work like a charm… *bitter smile*

I’m sorry mangaka don’t have “donate” button on their sites so every time I read scanlation I could push it ;)
Only that way scanlators and readers could really show their appreciation for mangaka artist herself.
Especially scanlators could be this way acknowledged for what they really are - free promoters of artist/mangaka :)
Now that’s true love and support.

[lyrebird]

Yeah, it is a pain trying to follow all the DMG member twitter accounts. Many of them use twitter like chat, so you feel like you're eavesdropping on private conversations Even DMG staff use twitter as a form of chat. Kozato, who's supposed to be the head PR person has made some critical comments of the emails sent in by fans. I screencapped the relevant tweets for Megori's thread, but I might as well put it here as well:



We lack subtlety and shame, apparently. Kokiden even tweets back that "Subtlety and shame are scarce commodities." I guess it's clear which side she's taken.

I guess this means that Digital Manga don't have much sympathy for scanlation groups. Maybe we were supposed to shut up and melt away (come to think of it, that was pretty much what MiaB did). Maybe this means that they really don't give a stuff about what happened. It's depressing to think about.

[a_ngua]

Oh…
Well, I’ll admit I’m unpleasantly surprised, and disappointed, but then I probably shouldn’t be *sigh*
How fast you forget yesterday’s *you*…

Of course they don’t have sympathy, they are after money and scanlators are in the way.
And while I don’t mind spending money for paper copies because I do love manga, I’ll never understand (when we are about “shame”) how DMG can “rent” manga for the price of paper copy? And why contractors/guilders work for “penny” when rented copy is shamelessly expensive.
More, why people agree to it and “buy”? *disbelief*

Hm, silence here (your f-list response) about this mater is ripping off my tympanic membrane…

[lyrebird]

Haha! I guess people are moving on...or maybe they are discussing this somewhere more private. I'm out of the loop, so I don't really know. Maybe the best thing to do is to go back to our shameless scanlating XD

The high price point of emanga is a problem. I remember one of the DMG staffers saying that they chose a high price point for the Guild works because they were only available in digital format - unlike other Digital Manga titles which were available in print as well. So it's a choice they made based on what they thought the market could bear. I agree with you - you would think the price point would be less because the Guild members aren't being paid upfront.

The quality of the images from what I've seen online is also disturbing. DMG groupCynical Pink show how the Kindle version has a lot of artefacts - the kind you'd see in a LQ jpg. It affects legibility of handwritten fonts. I remember reading how DMG have to compress the scans so that they can be hosted on Amazon and B&N at a reasonable price. But it does seem to affect picture quality. A typical scanlation in PNG would be a bigger file to host, but the picture quality would be far superior.

I get the feeling that Digital Manga view BL fans as junkies - they'll devour BL anywhere they can get it as long as they get their fix. I know that's how many manga reviewers and commentators view BL fans - indiscriminate, rabid - basically easy to please as long as the boys are pretty. With such a condescending attitude towards consumers, I guess it's no surprise they don't take complaints seriously.