From STORMY team to YOU

jeffer · Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 7:51 am Post subject: From STORMY team to YOU

Greetings, Aibakalander!

If you are seeing this subforum, that means we TRUST in you. From a fan to a fellow fan, let that not be in vain.

The STORMY team

The Team is composed of individuals bound by one strong tie: love for Arashi. Despite trials - internal and exteral - the Team stands strong, tirelessly subbing Arashi videos for non-Japanese-speaking fans to enjoy.

Subbing is no easy work; it takes a lot of time and effort, something the Team does not have in abundance. However, we still try our damnedest to deliver.

Why the sudden access restriction?

Two reasons: Online selling of our subs and the neverending streaming issue.

It has come to our attention that, along with other subbers' works, STORMY team subs' subbed files are being sold (burned into discs, which are then peddled online).

The team worked on the subs for FREE. If some other unrelated person profits from them, something is completely wrong. Other subbing groups went so far as to BAN ALL INDONESIAN USERS from their sites, since the sellers are Indonesians. We do not want for it to come to that, but if we are pushed, WE WON'T BAT AN EYELASH AND BAN.

The streaming issue. While it had been going on for a long time, it reached to a head with the entrance of MySoju and DramaCrazy in the picture.

What DramaCrazy does:

- Upload our subbed files to streaming EVEN with our express prohibition on the video NOT to upload.
- Embed their own logo on the video, when they did NOTHING to contribute to the subs.
- Delete comments from well-meaning supporters to take down the video.
- BAN the IP addresses of these supporters who persist.
- CUT OFF THE CREDITS part in the video, containing the prohibitions. That is already tantamount to 'tampering' with something that took us hours and hours and hours to work on.
- Worse, they get money from advertising brought on by the traffic to their site.

What we did:

- STORMY team sub Livejournal Community has now Moderated Membership.
- We will delete/ban any and everyone who even had the slightest involvement, no questions asked.
- Aibakaland Subbed Sections more restrictive.
- Complete pull-out from D-Addicts and the Jdramas Livejournal community. If we find out that our subs are STILL being streamed, we will pull out from the other two communities that have permission to post our links.
- If it still persists...... let us not go there.

And just for the information of the uninformed:

Fansubbing is illegal. Video-streaming is illegal. JE and Japanese television had a major YouTube crackdown a few months back. While there are not any concrete news of anybody being sued by the Jimusho, we are aware of sites shutting down, subbing groups stopping their work altogether.

Our point: We are NOT going to sit around and wait until that happens. Better safe than sorry.

This really isn't a conspiracy to keep fans from viewing STORMY Team subs; after all, why would we work so hard on our FREE subs, if not to share them with fellow fans to spread Arashi love?

We have been quite lenient in the past. We wanted as many fans as possible to enjoy the subs. But at every turn, we are burned and bitten. We do not think we deserve that.

Some would say 50 posts is tooooooo much to accumulate just to access this Section. PM us, we will give you a raw video clip, then YOU TRY SUBBING IT BY YOURSELF, consider the hours, the effort, the sweat.... and THEN get back to us about how haaaaardddd it is to accumulate those posts.

This is not us adapting a holier-than-thou attitude. This is not us treating ourselves as royalty simply because we sub. No, that is not it. This is us only wanting some respect, the same kind of respect we give to fans who support us and follow our rules. This is us wanting to keep on doing something we love without fear of being drastically stopped.

This is us, asking you to cooperate. Let's just enjoy it, shall we? Let's not make things unnecessarily complicated.

~ STORMY team sub

Sheriberi · Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 2:08 am Post subject:

Many many Thanks for allowing me to be here and trusting me. I shall always abide by all rules of this community. Thank you again for all of your hard work. It never goes unnoticed by me and many others who has always been loyal here!! Aloooooha!
K-chan

MissB · Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:58 pm Post subject:

Hi Stormy Team,
Thanks for trusting in me.
I would never do anythign to jepordise any of the subbing groups in any fandom.
I know how much the subs mean to me and how much hard work you guys put into creating them.

Thanks for everythign and I hoep that Stormy Team subs will continue to be around for along time providing a wonderful service to the fans.

Becki

pandaranda · Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 8:54 am Post subject:

The work you do is commendable, and nothing you have done seems out of the ordinary in terms of fansubbing Arashi videos. Thank you for the hard effort you put into subbing, and no matter what your decision, as a fan, and someone who contributes nothing to the subbing team, I will follow your wishes without a word of complaint.
Thank you for continuing to bring us high quality subs, and sharing the Arashi love. Your efforts are not in vain. Heart

crystal_tears · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 7:50 am Post subject:

I just thought about this recently...

I had a strong feeling that these "pirates" download via torrent client. Because in torrent, they don't have to sign up here in the Forums, or in the Stormy Team community in LJ (where I used to be a member under the username of spiegelstorm) in order to access the subbed videos. All they have to do is to key in the title of the drama in their software, then download. Same might be true to people who upload them via online streaming video sites. Though in the vids there might be a message that says "Do not upload on streaming sites or use for commercial purposes", those downloaders via torrent don't know the real reason why it shouldn't be (or they might just be plain ignorant), because it is posted here and in the community. I doubt that people here in the forum or in the community will violate your rules as we know how hard it is for you guys to take all those time subbing, encoding and checking the vid quality (and we really thank you for that), and that it will be us fans and viewers who will be among the first to suffer if cracking down againsts fansubbed vids takes place (in short, no more Arashi videos forever!). But if there are violators within reach, I don't know if those are just plain stubborn. confused

All in all, I think it is not wise to share your vids via torrent client. I don't know if my hypothesis above is making sense or not, it's just a hunch... unsure

Just sharing what I thought could be helpful, to protect the Team's interest in ways I can. I hope I helped somehow. I and the rest of the people here and in the Stormy LJ community will continue to abide by your rules and support you in your endeavors in bringing and spreading Arashi love.

felissakura · PIKA☆NCHI Joined: 08 Mar 2009 Posts: 94

Thank you!!! Thank you for trusting me~
I'm actually had been semi-hiatus all this while.
Last 2 weeks, on my holiday (saturday) when I opened this forum I'm very shocked to found out that aibakaland forum will make a major change. And make things worst is I can't access this subbed video section... I thought that I can't access this section anymore.

But thank you for trusting me.
I'll promise with all my might not to betrayed your trust to me.
I know that it is not easy to translate coz i've tried to translate one of the raw video.
and also the subs for the videos really have meaning to me as my japan language is not so good.

BTW, they just repair the wifi system at my college. So, maybe once a week i'll be able to visit this site!!! YATTA!!!!
Wohoo!

(only if i'm not busy coz study here is sooooo fast. they really speed here. so, maybe i'll not always be online)

and i also spread arashi love to my roommate!!! big grin

thank you for bringing to us high quality subs and hope that your effort remains forever!!!!

crazyjazzybyter · Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 1:23 pm Post subject:

thank you for trusting in me and allowing me to resume downloads from this area. I greatly appreciate your hardwork, I know that many people appreciate it too. I promise that if I ever see anything that even suggests that re-uploads are still going on that I will inform one of the moderators here at aibakaland.

Thank you for going through so much just so that we will be able to continue to speak freely about our favorite band and watch subbed versions of shows that they are on.

I'm behind you all the way in all of your decisions!

Thanks again!

tastias · Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 3:54 pm Post subject:

Hi!
Like others said..im really thankful to be still allowed to get all this downloads.. I cannot imagine how hard all of u stormy team to work and give efforts to make all of these..and i know that is not easy n need a lot of sacrifices..
n i don't know what to say to the certain people who really irresponsible to misuse the subbed files for their own benefits..they should hv at least respect others efforts..hope they will open their eyes n realizes how awful are they..
lastly thanks a lots for trusting me in..n im really really appreciates all ur hard work!!!!...=))

i heart aiba · Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:32 am Post subject:

crystal_tears wrote:

I had a strong feeling that these "pirates" download via torrent client.

Yes, this is quite true. But unfortunately their second source seems to be lj communitites such as jdramas. Even though e.g. jdramas requires becoming a member of the community, it only takes a minute or two to create a new lj account... And we know at least one DC admin has created lj account just for watching jdramas.

Edit:
A-And, everyone, please type the team name right. It's STORMY team sub (yes, STORMY in capitals, and sub is part of the name, too)...

rawambition · Johnny's Jr Joined: 31 Jul 2008 Posts: 59

I'm glad that you feel you can trust me! I will do what ever I can to keep it that way. I am very thankful for what you guys do for the fandom, and I hope that I can help you guys in any way ^__^

heartangel103 · Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:13 am Post subject:

I have just discovered I'm given access again to the subbed sections, thanks STORMY team sub! Thanks for the trust and I promise to abide by your rules as always. blush

mntran · PIKA☆NCHI Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 145

Thank you for sharing your love for Arashi. I have read your announcement and respect your rules.

mlie2968 · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 3:30 am Post subject:

Yeaayy

I clicked it accidentally and it opened up..
huaaaa cry

you don't know how happy i am.. waiting to finally get to watch their shows with full understanding again...

Thank you so much for trusting me smile

Although i'm still young in the fandom and in such communities, but i can understand about the actions you've taken.. and i personally think that it's not a hardwork at all writing 50 posts mainly because, well this is a forum group to let us discuss and fangirl, and share Arashi-related stuff right? and especially if it's for the love of Arashi, i wouldn't think such things are troublesome anyway.. wink

Ganbatte STORMY team sub! Heart

YoU · PIKA☆NCHI Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 139

Thank you so much for trusting me too! ^^
as everyone else said here.. I appreciate what STORMY team sub did for us. I know it's not an easy job? (or should i say hobby?) ah well u know what i mean.. It's taking a whole LOT of your time and effort to finish such a complete, great, a really understandable subbed videos (yes.. a lot of them). clapping

A lot of thanks once again!! *never get enough to say this.. big grin

Actually, I almost want to say 50 posts is too easy to achieve *get bricked*..

st_oswald · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:07 am Post subject:

Thanks for allowing me to still download subbed videos from this forum. I really appreciate it. I also hope this problem would be eradicated soon.