66 replies to this topic

[KiTA]

No, this one would take hand-cleaning, it's not like they could just automate it. Well, they could, but they'd have to have a programmer do it, it's not something an intro web designer does. I have my clean version so I could read it today without having to install spyware.

Hopefully this will keep Noez away, but who knows? My suggestion for the next tricks:

1. DRM PDF releases instead of images.
2. Macromedia flash files instead of images. The flash file should store the images as 10x10 file chunks and automagically put them back together, thus preventing decompiling.
3. Java files instead of images. Same thing as #2. Now with more annoyance.

[Maniac]

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Edited by Maniac, 03 December 2017 - 12:33 AM.

[KiTA]

Really a shame, now I get random pages permanently watermarked, for the latest chapter at least half of the pages are impossible to read. And I'm reading from an iPad, so no workaround is possible.
What have changed in chapter 9??? I've never had a problem before.

They made it worse because it wasn't slowing Noez down.

Really, the crap they're pulling trying to stop Noez is worse than Noez themselves.

[Kamil]

I didn't mind seeing the face for a fraction of a second before being able to read... Well I did mind, but I could see past that when reading.

But I'm NOT going to change my browser just to read one group's scanlation.

[Buttock Follicle]

You can always download instead of whining... and if you don't have an imageviewer which can view animated images then you really should get one

[KiTA]

ooooor Japanzai could get over themselves and release the images in a standard image format?

[Buttock Follicle]

ooooor Japanzai could get over themselves and release the images in a standard image format?

bitching here is useless ya know, go bitch at japanzai if you so desire.

[Thunder Wolf]

If they wanted me to notice it, a solid, nearly full black background. White text. "Attention MangaFox reader: You are seeing this image because this image was harvested off the scanlation website's server using a leech bot which is constantly attacking our servers. Please read the actual comic at (URL) or (URL). Please read this URL for more information on how MangaFox is harming the Scanlation community for their own profit: (URL to a FAQ about MangaFox)."

I would read that, and it wouldn't drive me bananas when trying to read Japanzai releases off Batoto or Japanzai's reader. Seriously, that smirking face for 1-2 seconds each page... Arrgh.

(As an aside, why is it ok for people to steal the View Askew Production guy's Buddy Christ... to make a point about people using other's work without permission?)

This. I dispose the horrid attempts at "humor" Japanzai is making. They are indeed alienating the very people they are trying to sway. When I see an offensive watermark such as the Jesus one, I want to read at MangaFox. I agree with watermarks, but the form in which they're appearing is hardly winning people over. Why not make a professional looking watermark that makes you seem intelligent and worthy of respect? These "trolling" watermarks make Japanzai look like a bunch of whining children that don't care about their readers.

It does not matter how nice they actually are. The watermarks they are making makes them appear to be 4chan trolls who are laughing at their readers as they sing the "trololo" song. Is a watermark that is both respectful and informative really that hard to make?

P.S. Read manga using Firefox. It's a decent browser. If worst comes to worst, you can always download the manga yourself from Japanzai, no?

[Buttock Follicle]

Troll fail watermark shall remain troll fail watermark, but what I personally can't stand are the large amount of people saying they can't read it at all. Learn to download pplz, dling has always been better than reading online (except when you want to read webtoons, but thats unrelated here)

[Kishuy]

Seems the watermark is off. Clean version uploaded i guess. Anyway, you do know download this is illegal don't you? Steam is one thing, but as soon as you download you, the person behind that IP, commit a crime in the eyes of the current law in most countries

Plus steam is one thing, if you want to download, go over the shop and buy the work. Anyway, a books feels a lot better than a bunch of computer images.

[KiTA]

Troll fail watermark shall remain troll fail watermark, but what I personally can't stand are the large amount of people saying they can't read it at all. Learn to download pplz, dling has always been better than reading online (except when you want to read webtoons, but thats unrelated here)

Fairly certain the download version had the asshat watermark, because if it didn't what would stop Noez's bot from grabbing that one?

[katsudon]

the download version is clean (not even with the tiny japanzai). we make two versions at the same time when we generate the pngs. it took MF 20 hours to put up the latest chapter on their site, the latest version (which still have the tiny 'japanzai' wm on it when i checked a few hours earlier). we promptly put up the clean version for download and as well as here. it's really no extra work on our part. besides, I think it's working, since this title jumped from 115k views to 150 k views in few days on batoto. the last part it's a wild guess since i do not remember it being on the top list on the right side until recently. perhaps a mod here can give a better number.

the irony is, i don't like working on this titles that much. i'm surprised by how popular this title has become. well, the end is in sight only 4-5 chapters before we catch up with the raws in Japan. and then people will find the next popular title.

[Cylith]

I don't really have an issue with watermarks, but when I have to download spyware, that gets me irritated. And it is spyware mind you. Anything that reports on what I have bookmarked or what site I go to is SPYWARE. I don't use FF, IE, or Safari. So why would they do that to Chrome users? Really unfair.

[katsudon]

I don't really have an issue with watermarks, but when I have to download spyware, that gets me irritated. And it is spyware mind you. Anything that reports on what I have bookmarked or what site I go to is SPYWARE. I don't use FF, IE, or Safari. So why would they do that to Chrome users? Really unfair.

some people think chrome itself is a spyware when it first came out. if you get irritated so easily, don't read it until ~20 hours later, and just treat the first version as a 'preview'. Or just simply drop it, I think the Light Novel is way better...

The manga have too much gratuitous pantie shots that doesn't add anything to the story

[Koro]

We're certainly up for doing a "professional watermark", if such a thing exists, but complaining here isn't going to make it happen.
If you have any suggestions, please make them at Japanzai. Most of our staff members typically don't check threads here for suggestions >.>

Either way, we are thinking of new watermarks, but the results so far have been (overall) positive. Readers that complain obviously attract more attention, but most have no problem using firefox/opera or waiting <24 hours for the clean version.
I'm thinking of doing a simpler, more "in your face" watermark, but we'll see how that goes.

Edited by Koro, 31 January 2012 - 03:04 AM.

[KiTA]

Well, don't forget the "fan factor" -- that is, that quite a few of the people putting out support would likely cheer your praises no matter what you did. Hell, you could put out a release in Pig Latin and some of these people would say how bold and innovative you guys are, and it's still readable so everyone needs to stop complaining about free translations, right?

*sigh*

A "professional watermark" would be a simple black square, or perhaps something not unlike your credits page, with a simple, easily read, description of the problem. Not a smirking Buddy Christ

I was originally going to suggest something like this (which I posted earlier someplace, forget where, maybe it was in PM to one of the Japanzai guys who IMed me on MF), but with your ill-advised move to APNG it's not just MF readers that are getting nailed by it, so...

Solid black box, white text, maybe some art (I suggest "Yandere Irisu" from Irisu Syndrome, as it's creepy as hell and shocking):
"STOP NOEZ"
"If you are seeing this watermark, you are likely reading this on MangaFox.com, a known website devoted to ripping off and profiting off of scanlators' work. Please read the real version on Japanzai.com or Batoto, or go here for more information on why we have to STOP NOEZ. <URL URL URL>"

As an aside -- www.stopnoez.com and www.stopmangafox.com aren't registered, and I seem to remember the Naruto fanboys starting up a similar movement with Stop Tazmo or something similar for similar "crimes" back in the day. If you're really serious about drawing attention to Noez and his offenses against the community, it costs $8 a year to register a domain name.

[Koro]

Funnily enough, one of our members has mentioned that he's considering buying www.stopmangafox.com.
We moved to APNG because the GIFs only worked briefly; on the latest SKR release NOEZ had the clean version up within the hour.
I have a less humorous but more obstructive and informative watermark for one of our next releases (maybe on this series, depending on how it goes), but it's still going to be APNG for the reason described above.

[KiTA]

It's your decision, I just wish you could find a format that would not require a plugin for Chrome. Some suggestions:

Multi-chunk images (cut them up into 3x3 pieces, Batoto would have to code for that, however)

Macromedia Flash with script to detect the URL it's hosted at. (Use small pieces of images automagically put together to prevent decompiling.)

Java with same trick.

Encrypted PDF files. (Not sure if there is any free DRM for PDF, however.)


I've mentioned the StopMangaFox thing a few times, so not surprising someone's picked up on the idea. I'd go over and bring up the idea but for some reason I don't think I'd be welcome over at Japanzai forums.

Edited by KiTA, 31 January 2012 - 11:56 PM.

[Koro]

The problem with all of the above is that we don't have any control over what goes on at Batoto, and doing any of the above would result in further complaints about us trying to get people to change their viewing habits. The immediate response would be "now they're trying to get us to read at Japanzai?"; whether it's having people change websites, browsers, installing an extension or changing the way they read manga, there will forever be complaints. Attempting to cater to readers such as yourself in turn hinders others, who then suggest "do it this way", and so the cycle continues.
*While you're free to post on the Japanzai forum, many people who bring up the watermarking issue do so in rage mode or just sound like they're flat-out complaining/trolling instead of adding anything productive, and are thus ignored or trolled by others.

[soranokira]

in the end it's just all complaints from selfish leechers who can't wait for the clean release to be out to read it. There's no countering this argument.