Where to buy?

[Kisshu]

Where is the cheapest safe place to buy Jdrama?

[zengargoyle]

define 'safe'. maybe wait and check amazon.co.jp for releases? i'm totally not sure how the Japanese media does the whole "wait and buy the DVD release" thing.

safe wise... check the normal bittorrent sites. if i understand all the random crap that i've read on other sites, in the U.S. (or other country), you are relatively safe until the point where some company obtaines the license to distribute the media in the X country.

in the anime fansub world, as long as no company has acquired the license to distribute the program in a certain country... it's a free-for-all situation. and as soon as some company acquires the license to distribute the program, the semi-legitimate fansub groups immediately stop distributing their fansubs of the program. it's a grey line, not a black one.

i don't know how the JDrama type providers deal with this situation...

i fully subscribe to the common anime way of thinking... if there's a TV show that you can't really watch without translation, and random people are willing to translate and share, and there's no corporate entity that has decided to pay for the rights to translate and sell the show in your country.... then the fansub type community is just fine. you either watch and enjoy the 'illegal' version or you don't watch at all. when the program is important enough for some local company to buy the rights and translate and distribute, then you buy the 'legal' option. but there's no reason that you shouldn't be able to enjoy a fansub of some random Russian or Japanese TV show because it is not available 'legally'/'legitimately' in your native language/country.

if your Japanese is advanced enough to watch a JDrama without translation... by all means wait and check the normal distribution channels. maybe some place like amazon.co.jp can get you the official release of the program on DVD. otherwise.... learn to steal...

[aKuMu]

Unfortunately there is no 'cheap'
Japanese Media are expensive in general.

I've never bought at Amazon.jp but i bought a lot of Times at http://www.yesasia.com
I never had a problem with them. They're a bit more expensive but you get Worldwide free shipping. Then there's http://www.cdjapan.co.jp

@zengargoyle

Of course one can simply Download everything. But it is a lot better if you have something to look at (the CDs / Boxes in your rack) if you like it. (and support it)

So the best would be, download first and buy later if you like it B) but prepare to spend a fortune

[Kisshu]

LOL.. i just found some on ebay. Letsee, I got 4 complete series with shippin for $80. Not exactly sheap, but still, a good deal