cybersenshi

So, you love anime.  You don’t mind subtitles.  As an extension of your love for anime, you would like to watch something brand new, either because it seems like you’ve watched everything that is available where you live, or because you’d like to see what they’re seeing in Japan.  You, my friend, are in such luck.  For you, there are fansubs.

Fansubs have been around for a long time.  Not nearly since the beginning of anime, but definitely since near the beginning of western interest in anime.  Back in the day, say 5 to 10 years ago, getting your hot little hands on fansubbed anime was a matter of searching the internet on your slow-ass dial-up connection until you found a dubiously legitimate place to order VHS tapes containing a movie or a few episodes of a series that seemed interesting, painstakingly subtitled by some exceedingly patient individual and a few of their anime-loving friends.  Once located, the searcher had to send off payment for these tapes via postal mail, in the form of a money order (often an international money order), and then wait (im)patiently for many weeks while the physical tapes were recorded and mailed.

That method, while functional for the time, sucked.  Thus, you are also fortunate that we live in the age of screaming-fast internet connections and the BitTorrent network.  These days, everything about the fansub process is faster and easier. Anime can now be conveniently downloaded–no tapes required–quite literally straight out of Japan.  How can you get in on this awesomeness?  Well, just let me explain.

1) Learn to Love Your Torrent Client
These days, when people think of torrents, it is common to also think of piracy.  While it is true that some people do use the BitTorrent network to obtain clandestine copies of un-purchased intellectual property, there are also totally legitimate uses for the technology.  Nearly everything can be found on the Torrent network, including all forms of legitimate downloads, anime included.  Of course if the anime in question is one that is commercially available in your region, it would dubiously legal at best to download that material. (Provided you do not already own a copy and are using the download network for format shifting, etc. International copyright law is beyond the scope of this article in any case.)  However, downloading anime that is not yet available outside of Japan is something of a legal grey area.  Technically, the material is still commercial, but English speakers are not the intended audience for original language anime, and the licensing studios tend to overlook fansubbed anime as a way of creating buzz for new series among serious anime fans.
Knowing all of that, your first step is to find a Torrent client you like.  On the Windows side, uTorrent is the scarcely contested great.  While on the Mac and Linux side, Transmission is the way to go.  If those don’t suit your fancy, Mashable has a massive list of torrent clients. You’re sure to find the one that’s right for you.

2) Find Yourself a Torrent
So, you’ve downloaded a torrent client.  Now you just need a few torrent files to elevate that client from useless lump of code to anime downloading super-program.  Once again, you’re in luck.
There are any number of places online to find torrent files, but if you want the newest stuff, you’ve got to go to the source.  That source is Scarywater.  Practically every fansub group that works on new anime distributes using Scarywater, unfortunately, the interface is organized by fansub group rather than any sort of search function.  Enter AnimeSuki, a fansub aggregation site which encompasses new subs on Scarywater as well as torrents from other subbing groups that distribute their releases in other locations.  Its the one stop shop for the newest anime.  For everything else, there’s always Google.

3) Media Files and Players
So you’ve downloaded some shiny new anime.  You’re excited.  You want to watch, but you find that the files you’ve downloaded have some weird file name extension like .rmvb or .mkv that you’ve never heard of before.  You’re stuck, right?  All is lost.  Of course not.
For reasons likely having to do with fansub groups being independent and each having their own opinion about video codecs, fansubs are distributed in many different file types.  Fortunately, most of the time all you need is VLC, the swiss army knife if media players.  If you find that VLC does not work, you have backup in CCCP and MPlayer. All three are free to download.

With those tools at your disposal, you should be able to play anything that the internet can throw at you.  Repeat and enjoy.

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