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10-25-2006, 03:59 PM
If you're wondering about something that happens on BleachPortal, before asking the (probably redundant) question, consult this faq first. This is taken verbatum from the BleachPortal faq page located:
http://www.bleachportal.net/bleach/main/faq
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Site Questions
What is Bleach Portal? When Did It Start? Who Started It?
Bleach Portal is an Anime Fan Site run by Dedicated fans of the Bleach Series, committed to bringing you the highest quality in Bleach content for your enjoyment. We are completely run from Donations and Advertisements. It was Started on the 17th of October 2004 shortly after the airing of the first Bleach Anime Episode and we saw the potential in the series to be a success, how right We were. It was started by UnholyGodn, Lunatic and Seien.
It was Seien who first thought of the Idea of creating a Bleach Website and contacted myself and Lunatic. I was currently working with Seien on a Naruto fan site, Planet Naruto, I believe Lunatic was a friend of Seien's at the time. After brainstorming for a site name I came up with Bleach Portal, we eventually agreed and work on Bleach Portal began. Bleach Portal has had many hardships in getting to where it is today and is still growing at a rapid rate and hope for big things in the future.
What Programs do you use to make this site?
I (UnholyGodn) personally use Notepad and Photoshop CS2 for all my coding and image work. The other members of the site basically use the same thing.
Why didn't I ever get an answer to my email?
I do not generally answer my emails, mainly because there are just so many if your query warrants a reply I will give one, if it has been answered here or in the news already, it will automatically be ignored.
Can We Affiliate? Can You Advertise My Site?
No we may not affiliate, we will not reply, we will hate you, and we hope you fall off a mountain somewhere and break every limb in your body, our "affiliates" are our friends, not random sites that ask.
Why is the donation goal so big? Where does it all go?
Bleach Portal has many servers to cope with the large amounts of downloads served everyday to bleach fans like you. Each of these servers cost around $249 a month, at the time of writing we have 5 servers along with a server for the Site Server. The Site Hosting is offered for free except for the advertisement at the top of the page, but all the other servers are dedicated and cost a lot of money.
Bleach Portal uses many Terabytes (1000 Gigabytes) of Bandwidth a month, not only this but the volume itself of downloader's slows the servers to combat this we spread the load over many servers thus more and more money with the growth of Bleach Portal. All the money donated to Bleach Portal goes towards these servers. The Donation Goal is not the total the servers cost, the advertisement on the bottom of the page, and the Pop-up on the media pages by Clicksor help a lot by providing money for the servers this allows us to keep the Donation goal lower than we would have to without them.
If you want to know more about the technical side of the Server Managment, the Support Us page has a longer write-up on this topic.
I want to make my own site, have any suggestions?
Firstly you must know what you’re getting yourself into. If you wish to have a successful mainstream site, it requires A LOT of work, time and effort. Getting a site off the ground is the hardest part, once up it kind of flows from there but many many hours of work go into its maintenance. A website's staff can be broken down generally into a few sections: Programmers, Information Writers, Screenshot Takers, Uploaders, News Posters, Music Video Makers and Designer. If you wish to be successful, you will need at least one member dedicated to each section except for, Screenshot Taker and Music Video Maker, as they are generally not required immediately.
Programmers are required if you wish to have functionality to a website, if you want a static non-dynamic non community driven site then you won't need one, but if you do it is best to find a dedicated one for your site, not pay one off hand. The major start for a site is design, if people don't like how your site looks, they'll leave no matter how much effort you've put it, so put the most effort into design first. Then think of things that you can do original than everyone else to give yourself an advantage over the competition. Then get your name out with affiliates and such, you will start small but as you get big drop your smaller affiliates and get bigger ones climbing up the ladder. Anyway, that's a basic way to get started and some advice, take it or leave it, just don't ask me again.
Why does the "Forgotten Your Password?" link not work?
When first created, the Forgotten Password page was in development, since then other things have put it down on the list of things to do and it just has never been completed. If you have forgotten your password and trial and error still won't let you in, unfortunately you will have to create another account for now until the feature is added.
How come when I click X link, it takes me to the news page.
If a link takes you to the News Page instead of what it should, it means that the page is no longer there. It was either removed for maintenance, linked incorrectly or the page was never completed. We check the links regularly so if a link does not work there is no need to inform us, we probably already know and are working on fixing it.
What CMS/Members Script does Bleach Portal use? Where can I get it?
Bleach Portal does not use a Content Management system, believe it or not, its all just a basic PHP Include. As for the Members system, no pre developed members system is being used. The members system was written entirely by me (UnholyGodn) it does use a few plugins from other authors but the large majority was solely designed by me. No we do not use the same script as any other site, nor is this based from that script seen on any other site. The script was previously for sale, but no longer. I wish to keep Bleach Portal unique and its membership system is a major part of that.
How much is Bleach Portal? I want to buy it.
Bleach Portal is our baby, and in my (UnholyGodn) case I devote way too much time to this site to see it go to someone else. No price can be put on Bleach Portal, it is not for sale, if in the eventual case that we can no longer find time to keep Bleach Portal operational, we will leave it in the hands of someone capable rather than whoever has the most money. Those with determination for success are better webmasters than those who try and buy success.
Can I work here at Bleach Portal?
We get many requests of people wanting to become staff at Bleach Portal, however few ever apply for positions we require filling.
We need people who can write information. That is people who know alot about bleach, are capable of reasearching information in the manga/anime and writting it in a concise, clear and entertaining way.
We don't need coders, I (UnholyGodn) have a lot of work to do, but I find it very hard to work with other peoples coding styles etc, so sorry, you can't help me. We don't need people that know HTML and such, coding content does not take long, simply knowing HTML doesn't help us.
Is Bleach Portal Membership Free?
I'm not quite sure why people don't click "Register" and find out its free, instead of crawling to this page and asking the question but anyway, Yes, Bleach Portal Membership is 100% Free.
Bleach Questions
Why is Bleach called Bleach?
There is no official reason to why Bleach is called Bleach although there are a few theories put forward. The First being that when Japanese people bleach their hair occasionally it doesn't go so well and goes Orange rather than Blonde. Ichigo is attacked in one manga chapter by a guy claiming Ichigo stole his hair style (In fact the guy bleached his hair, Ichigo just had his normal hair). The third being that the Shinigami "Bleach" the souls of the hollows and spirits sending them to the afterlife, cleansing them.
What does RAW mean?
RAW means that there is no English, it is in its original Japanese form. In the form of Anime it means No subtitles, in the form of manga it means Un-cleaned, Un-edited with Japanese text in the bubbles, not English.
What is a Jump Festa?
A Jump Festa is an original animation shown at the yearly anime convention, Jump Festa. These shows are later released on DVD and are often ripped and distributed on the internet with subtitles. They are separate from the Anime and tend to either show something cool or enhance another episode, they don't continue the story line usually, just build on it. For example Bleach Jump Festa 2004 "Memories in the Rain" goes over Episode 9 in more detail, its basically a extended version of the episode.
How many episodes/chapters will Bleach be?
No one knows how many Episodes or Chapters there will be. There were rumors that Bleach would only be 52 Episodes, this is 100% false. First of all it was just a rumor started by someone and eventually everyone fell for it except for a few smart people (Ahem, me. No one believed me when I said it was a rumor *sigh*) It was later proven false by the announcement of a new Opening and Closing theme for Bleach starting Episode 53, so obviously there will be more than 52 Episodes. As for the manga, it is still going strong and Kubo Tite has made no sign of slowing down the onslaught of bleachy goodness, so rest assured Bleach has a while left in its batteries!
Why is there only X amount of Episodes available?
Bleach is an ongoing series, therefore unlike other anime series which are complete, Bleach has not been released in its entirety yet. This means, each week a new episode is aired in Japan. After the Episode is released in Japan, RAW Providers record this and convert it into video format and distribute this for people downloading pleasure. Subtitling groups such as Bleach-Society, Lunar and Dattebayo then take these RAWs, or provide their own, and add subtitles. These are then released for your enjoyment. This happens every week except during holiday periods in Japan and at the end of a season there is usually a 1 week break. So rest assured the amount of episodes on the Bleach Downloads page is not the final amount.
How often is a new episode/chapter released?
The RAW is released Wednesday Night (GMT +9 Japan Time) by Saiyaman. The subbing groups vary each week in the speed of their subbing. Dattebayo usually releases within a day of the RAW release
What is Licensing? Is Bleach Licensed?
Licensed is use to refer to a series that has been bought (Licensed) by an American company for distribution in the USA. When a series is said to be Licensed it generally means in the US, many other countries license anime but not as commonly. When licensed a Manga is Translated, a Anime is dubbed. Many people feel that dubbing ruins the feel of Anime, while those who are exposed to the Dubbing first often feel that it sounds weird with Japanese voices. The Bleach Manga has been licensed by Viz, and the first 8 volumes are currently available in English in many stores around the world.
The Bleach Anime has been Licenced by Viz, the same company that has licensed the Manga, it is due to start Airing on Cartoon Network during Adult Swim on September 9th.
Manga Questions
What is Bleach Manga? Who are Manga-ka?
For those of you anime watchers who don't know what manga is, a manga, put simply, is a Japanese comic. The vast majority of Shonen anime’s are based off original manga’s. The artist/writer of a manga is often referred to as a "manga-ka." Bleach's manga-ka is none other than Kubo Tite, who is known for Bleach (Obviously) and an awesome series called Zombie Powder. The manga, off which the anime is based off, runs in Weekly Shonen Jump, a weekly magazine in Japan. The manga is quite far ahead in the series than the manga, so if you're considering reading the manga, but do not want to be spoiled beyond the anime, refer to our Chapter to Episode Guide, it explains which chapter each episode corresponds to.
What does Scanlate/Scanlator mean? What do they do?
If you are new to manga, you are probably unfamiliar with the terms "scanlate" and "scanlator." Basically, the term scanlate is a combination of the words "scan" and "translate." Basically, each chapter is scanned to an image file, cleaned to look very nice, and slapped with English text. A scanlator is someone, usually a group of people, involved in the scanlating process.
You might also here the term "scanlation," which simply is used to refer to the final product of the scanlating process. In addition, you might come across the term "RAW." In manga terms, a RAW is a scanned manga chapter that is not cleaned (unedited) nor typeset (translated). This process takes a very long time to do, so make sure you appreciate all the hard work scanlator’s put into the chapters!
There are a variety of Scanlators doing the Bleach Project, some better than others, its generally upto Personal Preferance. Bleach Portals Hometown Group, Ju-Ni is one of the fastest and top-notch Scanlators that are still ongoing with the Bleach Series. Others like Toriyamas World stopped after the Manga was Licenced, and some like Manga-Rain only distribute over IRC making them hard to access for people who arn't computer literate.
Where can I download the Manga?
Chapters 1-61 are available for direct download from the Bleach Portal Direct Manga Download Page. Chapters 62+ are done by Manga-Rain, and as per their wishes, we do not host them on Bleach Portal. However, they are available via IRC. Check the IRC portion of this FAQ for more information.
Silhouette and Ju-Ni are available for Direct Download from the Bleach Portal Direct Manga Download Page on Bleach Portal, these cover Chapters 182+
Why is X Chapter out in RAW but not scanlated?
It takes some time, usually only a day or two to Scanlate a chapter, however a number of causes from staff being unavailable to unforseen other workloads or server technicalities, a file may not be up on time. We tyry our very best to get things up the second we humnaly can, just watch the news as it will be announced.
When do the RAW/Scanlated Manga Come Out?
The RAW chapters are usually out late Thursday night to early Friday morning. Scanlations come out generally in 1-2 days, however if things are tough it may take a little longer, but we try our best to do things as fast as humanly possible.
Downloading Questions
Why does it ask my for a username and password when I want to download files?
To protect people from using our links on other sites, or downloading without being a member. If you wish to download a file, you must input your Username and Password that you use to login to Bleach Portal. If you do not have one, you can submit a very short registration form and begin using your account immediately. Registration is Quick and 100% Free and gives you access to many wonderful Membership Features as well as the ability to download files.
Why must I register to download files?
Downloading files not only uses up Bandwidth which costs a lot of money, it also takes up server speed. With the volume of downloader's at Bleach Portal, the servers can get VERY slow. The reason we ask for people to register is, many people are too lazy to fill out the very short Registration form, this limits the people available to download already. We also like as many people in the community as possible, so if people have to register to download, there is a chance they will participate in the other community type features around the site.
I try to download this file, but its gives me "Page Cannot Be Displayed".
Occasionally a file may have been uploaded onto a server, but incorrectly on another, causing issues with the links. Or more commonly the server you have been directed to is Offline, meaning you cannot download the file, try clicking the link again.
When I input my Username and Password, it asks me for my password again.
Your username and password cannot be correct, this could be for any of 3
reasons. 1. Your username was deleted accidentally, possibly in a server move or a glitch in the system. 2. You typed your username or password incorrectly, please check this. 3. You have been banned for inappropriate behavior, if you are not a community dweller this wont apply to you.
I downloaded a file from your site but it doesn't work!
When servers gets very busy, sometimes they tend to drop the file before it can reach completion. this gives the browser a "Download Complete" message, before it is actually complete. So first, check if the file is the appropriate size; Episodes: 30-50MB for an RM, 170-200 for a AVI, Manga: 4-8MB, Raw Manga: 4-8MB, Music Files: 2-8MB. If the file is the appropriate size, then make sure you have WinZip, or WinRAR or any other program capable of decompressing .zip files. Windows XP has a default Unzipping program built in, just double click the .zip file and it should show its contents. If you have already unzipped the file, and when you try to run it, it doesn’t work, please make sure you have all the correct codecs please see "What Codecs Do I Need To Play Bleach?" for information on this.
When Is the New Episode/Manga Coming Out?
We do not release the Anime Episodes, Subbing Groups do that. For Direct Download we generally use the fastest High Quality subbed version available generally, Dattebayo. We usually put up the episode for Direct Download in AVI and RM within 24 hours of it being released via Bittorrent by Dattebayo so Bittorrent is still your fastest bet. If you cannot use Bittorrent because its "too slow" or a firewall at your university or school blocks Bittorrent, you'll just have to wait.
The Manga is done by a group called Ju-Ni, the release date of the manga varies each week depending on the time the RAW version is released to how long it is to clean and distribute. Generally a Low Quality version should be released within a day or two of the RAW being released and a High Quality version will be released later on in the week.
What Codecs Do I Need To Play Bleach?
We do not support the playback of .mkv files, but for RM or AVI see the "Bleach Direct Episodes" page, there is information at the top.
Why is the Download so damn slow!!!!
We have 6 Dedicated Media Server at the time of writing this article, if the server is going slow, its because soooo many people are downloading they are taking all of the speed the server can give, to limit this as much as possible and try to make it fair on people there is a download speed limit which is generally 100kb/s. Download accelerators allow up to 2 connections which can double this number but it is preferred if you do not do this.
If the speed is exceptionally slow, like 1kb/s, we are sorry, we suggest you use Bittorrent instead, especially on release day when the servers go very slow because of leachers, the BitTorrent is usually much faster, read the Bittorrent FAQ section of this guide to read the answer to some common thoughts or myths about BitTorrent before you dismiss it as another option.
What is: "Page Cannot Be Displayed"
Many of you will see this often when a web page is down or a file cannot be found. This is what has happened, the file you are trying to download cannot be found. You may get this during times of severe server stress, it is recommended that you just wait patiently and it should by repaired shortly.
This File Doesn't Work! Fix It Now!
You people are quite stupid, for what reason would we upload a broken file, it'd just be a waste of yours and our time. If a file doesn't work, something has gone wrong with your connection or the server side of the site, stop blaming the files, they are perfectly fine and perfect.
I downloaded the file, but the archive (zip) is corrupt!
This can happen if a server goes offline during a download, this would cause it to end before it should have, and making an incomplete file. Delete the file, and empty temporary internet files and the recycle bin, then download again in 24 hours. If the file does not work, make sure you have WinZip or another unzipping utility, generally, Windows Unzip Feature doesn't always wrok for some reason. If it still doesn't work, get a program called WinRAR, its free also and will usually unzip those odd files when WinZip won't. If after all this it doesn't work, try deleting the file etc again, and download in another 24 hours. If problems still persist, get a better computer, its not a problem on our end, if it is, there will be a specific message in the news on the front page, so check there.
Submission Questions
How do I submit a Wallpaper/Fan Art to Bleach Portal?
A new Fan Art script has been developed by UnholyGodn that allows Wallpapers and Fan Art to be automatically uploaded to the Bleach Portal site! There is an approval process which is automatic and usually quite short. Basically you just upload the file using the Bleach Artwork Uploader and it is added to the "Processing" list in which all administrators have access to, its then just a simple process of checking the images are valid and approving them.
Why must my artwork be approved?
This is just a simple process to stop people uploading inappropriate images such as Pornography or Shock Images, we do not want our visitors to see this so we delete them if anyone submits them before they can reach the main page.
Its been a long time, why hasn't my art been improved?
It was either submitted to the incorrect category, wasn't uploaded correctly and wasn't submitted, or included inappropriate content that in not accepted by our Terms of Service of the Fan Art System. You can read these on the bottom of the Bleach Artwork Uploader page.
I don't think my art is very good, do you deny art you don't like?
We do not deny any artwork unless it is submitted to the wrong section, or if it contains inappropriate content, or isn't bleach related. Also, simple screenshots are denied, unless they are modified in some way. We love all forms of art, what some people don't like other people do, so we just accept everything!
Bittorrent Questions
What Is Bittorrent?
Bittorrent is a method of distributing files over the internet. It uses a method similar to P2P in which the downloader downloads the file off other downloader's rather than a central source. This means no expensive servers, the speed ultimately depends on the downloader's internet, and the amount of seeds. This is a very effective method of distributing large files over the internet to a large audience as Bandwidth and servers are quite expensive. Unfortunately most schools/universities block Bittorrent, and many routers and firewalls make using it very difficult so people cannot use this method, that is why Bleach Portal offers Direct Downloads.
What are Seed and Leachers?
Seeds are people who have downloaded a file and then are doing nothing but uploading the file to others that are downloading, the more seeds than leachers the better usually. A leacher is a person downloading a file off Bittorrent, the more of these the slower downloads generally go because they take all the download speed. Although, leachers also upload what they have as they upload so you can still download a file if there are lots of leachers, it just may be slow. Bittorrent speed is very variable and really just depends on the speed of the seeders and many other factors, there is no real way to predict your download speed on Bittorrent.
How do I play a .torrent file?
A .torrent file, IS NOT the file you are trying to open. A .torrent file is then used by a Bittorrent program to connect to the other seeders and leachers that have the file you want. To download the actual file you must get a Bittorrent program such as at http://www.bittorrent.com there are many many tutorials on how to use Bittorrent on the internet I suggest typing "Beginner Bittorrent Tutorial" into Google.
Why is Bittorrent So Slow?!
Did you know, that the vast majority of people that complain about Bittorrent being slow, are those who do not understand it. Bittorrent is just as fast, and on release days often faster than direct download due to the fact you download off other users rather than a central media server like on Bleach Portal. The most common misconception is that when someone opens a torrent its going like 0.1kb/s for the first 5minutes so they close it and say "Bittorrent is SOOO SLOW!" Bittorrent works on a seed/leach ratio system which basically means the more you upload the faster you download. So if you are using a hacked version of BitTorrent that stops you uploading, you will download REALLY slow.
Also Bittorrent takes a while to speed up, it usually takes 10-15 minutes from starting the torrent for it to pick up speed, it will vary greatly, but if your internet allows you can often get speeds far surpassing those possible from our Direct Download servers which have a speed limit to stop the release day slammage. So before you complain that Bittorrent is really slow, try downloading the latest episode using BitTorrent and leave it open for about 30mins, if its still going 0.1kb/s, then maybe you can try Direct Download. Also, Bittorrent allows you to return a bit to the community, as you download you upload the file parts that you have to other people making their downloads faster, BitTorrent may be slow at first but Bittorrent is 95% of the time faster or at least as fast as Direct Download.
If you are downloading the older episodes, check the Seeder/Leacher ratio. If the seeder's is below 5 then it will be slow most likely. On release day there is often a small amount of seeders but tens of thousands of leachers. This is ok, because you can download off the leachers as well as seeders, and by the time you get close to the end of the torrent the leachers will have finished and become seeders mostly. I can't say anymore how good it is too seed, I often seed for 1-2 days after downloading a file to help out other people, its nice to give back.
Bittorrent is confusing can you help me?
Bittorrent is quite simple, download Bittorrent from http://www.bittorrent.com a simple basic BitTorrent client, no bells or whistles, perfect for a newbie to Bittorrent. Then download the .torrent file from the BitTorrent tracker page, sometimes you will be taken to another tracker page from the one on Bleach Portal, just download the file from that page. Then just open the .torrent file using Bittorrent after you have installed it and it will begin downloading. It may go slow at first, please see the above question before you cry and close the window immediately.
Bittorrent is blocked at my school/university so I can't use it, what can I do?
This is the main reason for the Bleach Portal Direct Download service, some people just can't use BitTorrent and rely on us as their source of Bleach Anime every week, so feel free to use the Direct Download service, unfortunately we can't give you special privileges than just the general lazy people cause its impossible to differentiate between you.
MIRC Questions
What is mIRC?
mIRC is an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Program, IRC is a popular method of distributing files as it allows user interaction while downloading via chat and generally IRC bots are cheaper to maintain than normal servers. It is also 'underground' which make it the method of some subbing/Scanlation groups that do not wish to be in trouble to disregarding copyright.
Where do I get mIRC?
You can download an evaluation version (30 Trial) of mIRC from http://www.mirc.com although after 30 days you can still use it you just have to wait 5 seconds after opening in order for "Continue" to become available, or you can purchase it for a small fee. There are many mIRC tutorials on the internet, I suggest typing "Beginner mIRC Tutorials" into Google.
Why not put the Manga up for Direct Download not mIRC?
Manga-Rain wishes that their work only be distributed via IRC as they do not want to be in trouble by Viz for their scanlations. They also like to be known for their work, and forcing IRC downloads means people go there for their downloads rather than somewhere else. I know many other sites do have there files for direct download without their permission, and Manga-Rain is angry at them for it. At Bleach Portal we like to respect peoples wishes in a hope others will respect ours.
I was banned on mIRC, can you un-ban me please?
We do not run the Manga-Rain IRC Channel, we have no power over this, sorry.
Bleach Portal Contact Form
Be sure to have checked the above F.A.Q thoroughly before using the below form to contact us.
Instructions for Contacting:
Before asking your question or complaint think about these things first:
1. Do you know english? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
2. Are you Mentally Stable? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
3. Does your question make sence at all? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
4. Is your question a *****y complaint? If So I won't care.
5. Is your question about slow downloads? If So I won't care.
6. Is your question even answerable? If not, I wont answer it
7. Is your question about why I havn't answered a question? If so, I guess I didn't care the first time.
Instructions for complaining about downloads:
If your going to complain about a free service, at least be helpful and include the error that is displayed!
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You would not believe the amount of questions that get asked that can easily be answered by this faq, so if you have a question, or if you're wondering about something that goes on at BleachPortal, check this faq out first.
http://www.bleachportal.net/bleach/main/faq
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Site Questions
What is Bleach Portal? When Did It Start? Who Started It?
Bleach Portal is an Anime Fan Site run by Dedicated fans of the Bleach Series, committed to bringing you the highest quality in Bleach content for your enjoyment. We are completely run from Donations and Advertisements. It was Started on the 17th of October 2004 shortly after the airing of the first Bleach Anime Episode and we saw the potential in the series to be a success, how right We were. It was started by UnholyGodn, Lunatic and Seien.
It was Seien who first thought of the Idea of creating a Bleach Website and contacted myself and Lunatic. I was currently working with Seien on a Naruto fan site, Planet Naruto, I believe Lunatic was a friend of Seien's at the time. After brainstorming for a site name I came up with Bleach Portal, we eventually agreed and work on Bleach Portal began. Bleach Portal has had many hardships in getting to where it is today and is still growing at a rapid rate and hope for big things in the future.
What Programs do you use to make this site?
I (UnholyGodn) personally use Notepad and Photoshop CS2 for all my coding and image work. The other members of the site basically use the same thing.
Why didn't I ever get an answer to my email?
I do not generally answer my emails, mainly because there are just so many if your query warrants a reply I will give one, if it has been answered here or in the news already, it will automatically be ignored.
Can We Affiliate? Can You Advertise My Site?
No we may not affiliate, we will not reply, we will hate you, and we hope you fall off a mountain somewhere and break every limb in your body, our "affiliates" are our friends, not random sites that ask.
Why is the donation goal so big? Where does it all go?
Bleach Portal has many servers to cope with the large amounts of downloads served everyday to bleach fans like you. Each of these servers cost around $249 a month, at the time of writing we have 5 servers along with a server for the Site Server. The Site Hosting is offered for free except for the advertisement at the top of the page, but all the other servers are dedicated and cost a lot of money.
Bleach Portal uses many Terabytes (1000 Gigabytes) of Bandwidth a month, not only this but the volume itself of downloader's slows the servers to combat this we spread the load over many servers thus more and more money with the growth of Bleach Portal. All the money donated to Bleach Portal goes towards these servers. The Donation Goal is not the total the servers cost, the advertisement on the bottom of the page, and the Pop-up on the media pages by Clicksor help a lot by providing money for the servers this allows us to keep the Donation goal lower than we would have to without them.
If you want to know more about the technical side of the Server Managment, the Support Us page has a longer write-up on this topic.
I want to make my own site, have any suggestions?
Firstly you must know what you’re getting yourself into. If you wish to have a successful mainstream site, it requires A LOT of work, time and effort. Getting a site off the ground is the hardest part, once up it kind of flows from there but many many hours of work go into its maintenance. A website's staff can be broken down generally into a few sections: Programmers, Information Writers, Screenshot Takers, Uploaders, News Posters, Music Video Makers and Designer. If you wish to be successful, you will need at least one member dedicated to each section except for, Screenshot Taker and Music Video Maker, as they are generally not required immediately.
Programmers are required if you wish to have functionality to a website, if you want a static non-dynamic non community driven site then you won't need one, but if you do it is best to find a dedicated one for your site, not pay one off hand. The major start for a site is design, if people don't like how your site looks, they'll leave no matter how much effort you've put it, so put the most effort into design first. Then think of things that you can do original than everyone else to give yourself an advantage over the competition. Then get your name out with affiliates and such, you will start small but as you get big drop your smaller affiliates and get bigger ones climbing up the ladder. Anyway, that's a basic way to get started and some advice, take it or leave it, just don't ask me again.
Why does the "Forgotten Your Password?" link not work?
When first created, the Forgotten Password page was in development, since then other things have put it down on the list of things to do and it just has never been completed. If you have forgotten your password and trial and error still won't let you in, unfortunately you will have to create another account for now until the feature is added.
How come when I click X link, it takes me to the news page.
If a link takes you to the News Page instead of what it should, it means that the page is no longer there. It was either removed for maintenance, linked incorrectly or the page was never completed. We check the links regularly so if a link does not work there is no need to inform us, we probably already know and are working on fixing it.
What CMS/Members Script does Bleach Portal use? Where can I get it?
Bleach Portal does not use a Content Management system, believe it or not, its all just a basic PHP Include. As for the Members system, no pre developed members system is being used. The members system was written entirely by me (UnholyGodn) it does use a few plugins from other authors but the large majority was solely designed by me. No we do not use the same script as any other site, nor is this based from that script seen on any other site. The script was previously for sale, but no longer. I wish to keep Bleach Portal unique and its membership system is a major part of that.
How much is Bleach Portal? I want to buy it.
Bleach Portal is our baby, and in my (UnholyGodn) case I devote way too much time to this site to see it go to someone else. No price can be put on Bleach Portal, it is not for sale, if in the eventual case that we can no longer find time to keep Bleach Portal operational, we will leave it in the hands of someone capable rather than whoever has the most money. Those with determination for success are better webmasters than those who try and buy success.
Can I work here at Bleach Portal?
We get many requests of people wanting to become staff at Bleach Portal, however few ever apply for positions we require filling.
We need people who can write information. That is people who know alot about bleach, are capable of reasearching information in the manga/anime and writting it in a concise, clear and entertaining way.
We don't need coders, I (UnholyGodn) have a lot of work to do, but I find it very hard to work with other peoples coding styles etc, so sorry, you can't help me. We don't need people that know HTML and such, coding content does not take long, simply knowing HTML doesn't help us.
Is Bleach Portal Membership Free?
I'm not quite sure why people don't click "Register" and find out its free, instead of crawling to this page and asking the question but anyway, Yes, Bleach Portal Membership is 100% Free.
Bleach Questions
Why is Bleach called Bleach?
There is no official reason to why Bleach is called Bleach although there are a few theories put forward. The First being that when Japanese people bleach their hair occasionally it doesn't go so well and goes Orange rather than Blonde. Ichigo is attacked in one manga chapter by a guy claiming Ichigo stole his hair style (In fact the guy bleached his hair, Ichigo just had his normal hair). The third being that the Shinigami "Bleach" the souls of the hollows and spirits sending them to the afterlife, cleansing them.
What does RAW mean?
RAW means that there is no English, it is in its original Japanese form. In the form of Anime it means No subtitles, in the form of manga it means Un-cleaned, Un-edited with Japanese text in the bubbles, not English.
What is a Jump Festa?
A Jump Festa is an original animation shown at the yearly anime convention, Jump Festa. These shows are later released on DVD and are often ripped and distributed on the internet with subtitles. They are separate from the Anime and tend to either show something cool or enhance another episode, they don't continue the story line usually, just build on it. For example Bleach Jump Festa 2004 "Memories in the Rain" goes over Episode 9 in more detail, its basically a extended version of the episode.
How many episodes/chapters will Bleach be?
No one knows how many Episodes or Chapters there will be. There were rumors that Bleach would only be 52 Episodes, this is 100% false. First of all it was just a rumor started by someone and eventually everyone fell for it except for a few smart people (Ahem, me. No one believed me when I said it was a rumor *sigh*) It was later proven false by the announcement of a new Opening and Closing theme for Bleach starting Episode 53, so obviously there will be more than 52 Episodes. As for the manga, it is still going strong and Kubo Tite has made no sign of slowing down the onslaught of bleachy goodness, so rest assured Bleach has a while left in its batteries!
Why is there only X amount of Episodes available?
Bleach is an ongoing series, therefore unlike other anime series which are complete, Bleach has not been released in its entirety yet. This means, each week a new episode is aired in Japan. After the Episode is released in Japan, RAW Providers record this and convert it into video format and distribute this for people downloading pleasure. Subtitling groups such as Bleach-Society, Lunar and Dattebayo then take these RAWs, or provide their own, and add subtitles. These are then released for your enjoyment. This happens every week except during holiday periods in Japan and at the end of a season there is usually a 1 week break. So rest assured the amount of episodes on the Bleach Downloads page is not the final amount.
How often is a new episode/chapter released?
The RAW is released Wednesday Night (GMT +9 Japan Time) by Saiyaman. The subbing groups vary each week in the speed of their subbing. Dattebayo usually releases within a day of the RAW release
What is Licensing? Is Bleach Licensed?
Licensed is use to refer to a series that has been bought (Licensed) by an American company for distribution in the USA. When a series is said to be Licensed it generally means in the US, many other countries license anime but not as commonly. When licensed a Manga is Translated, a Anime is dubbed. Many people feel that dubbing ruins the feel of Anime, while those who are exposed to the Dubbing first often feel that it sounds weird with Japanese voices. The Bleach Manga has been licensed by Viz, and the first 8 volumes are currently available in English in many stores around the world.
The Bleach Anime has been Licenced by Viz, the same company that has licensed the Manga, it is due to start Airing on Cartoon Network during Adult Swim on September 9th.
Manga Questions
What is Bleach Manga? Who are Manga-ka?
For those of you anime watchers who don't know what manga is, a manga, put simply, is a Japanese comic. The vast majority of Shonen anime’s are based off original manga’s. The artist/writer of a manga is often referred to as a "manga-ka." Bleach's manga-ka is none other than Kubo Tite, who is known for Bleach (Obviously) and an awesome series called Zombie Powder. The manga, off which the anime is based off, runs in Weekly Shonen Jump, a weekly magazine in Japan. The manga is quite far ahead in the series than the manga, so if you're considering reading the manga, but do not want to be spoiled beyond the anime, refer to our Chapter to Episode Guide, it explains which chapter each episode corresponds to.
What does Scanlate/Scanlator mean? What do they do?
If you are new to manga, you are probably unfamiliar with the terms "scanlate" and "scanlator." Basically, the term scanlate is a combination of the words "scan" and "translate." Basically, each chapter is scanned to an image file, cleaned to look very nice, and slapped with English text. A scanlator is someone, usually a group of people, involved in the scanlating process.
You might also here the term "scanlation," which simply is used to refer to the final product of the scanlating process. In addition, you might come across the term "RAW." In manga terms, a RAW is a scanned manga chapter that is not cleaned (unedited) nor typeset (translated). This process takes a very long time to do, so make sure you appreciate all the hard work scanlator’s put into the chapters!
There are a variety of Scanlators doing the Bleach Project, some better than others, its generally upto Personal Preferance. Bleach Portals Hometown Group, Ju-Ni is one of the fastest and top-notch Scanlators that are still ongoing with the Bleach Series. Others like Toriyamas World stopped after the Manga was Licenced, and some like Manga-Rain only distribute over IRC making them hard to access for people who arn't computer literate.
Where can I download the Manga?
Chapters 1-61 are available for direct download from the Bleach Portal Direct Manga Download Page. Chapters 62+ are done by Manga-Rain, and as per their wishes, we do not host them on Bleach Portal. However, they are available via IRC. Check the IRC portion of this FAQ for more information.
Silhouette and Ju-Ni are available for Direct Download from the Bleach Portal Direct Manga Download Page on Bleach Portal, these cover Chapters 182+
Why is X Chapter out in RAW but not scanlated?
It takes some time, usually only a day or two to Scanlate a chapter, however a number of causes from staff being unavailable to unforseen other workloads or server technicalities, a file may not be up on time. We tyry our very best to get things up the second we humnaly can, just watch the news as it will be announced.
When do the RAW/Scanlated Manga Come Out?
The RAW chapters are usually out late Thursday night to early Friday morning. Scanlations come out generally in 1-2 days, however if things are tough it may take a little longer, but we try our best to do things as fast as humanly possible.
Downloading Questions
Why does it ask my for a username and password when I want to download files?
To protect people from using our links on other sites, or downloading without being a member. If you wish to download a file, you must input your Username and Password that you use to login to Bleach Portal. If you do not have one, you can submit a very short registration form and begin using your account immediately. Registration is Quick and 100% Free and gives you access to many wonderful Membership Features as well as the ability to download files.
Why must I register to download files?
Downloading files not only uses up Bandwidth which costs a lot of money, it also takes up server speed. With the volume of downloader's at Bleach Portal, the servers can get VERY slow. The reason we ask for people to register is, many people are too lazy to fill out the very short Registration form, this limits the people available to download already. We also like as many people in the community as possible, so if people have to register to download, there is a chance they will participate in the other community type features around the site.
I try to download this file, but its gives me "Page Cannot Be Displayed".
Occasionally a file may have been uploaded onto a server, but incorrectly on another, causing issues with the links. Or more commonly the server you have been directed to is Offline, meaning you cannot download the file, try clicking the link again.
When I input my Username and Password, it asks me for my password again.
Your username and password cannot be correct, this could be for any of 3
reasons. 1. Your username was deleted accidentally, possibly in a server move or a glitch in the system. 2. You typed your username or password incorrectly, please check this. 3. You have been banned for inappropriate behavior, if you are not a community dweller this wont apply to you.
I downloaded a file from your site but it doesn't work!
When servers gets very busy, sometimes they tend to drop the file before it can reach completion. this gives the browser a "Download Complete" message, before it is actually complete. So first, check if the file is the appropriate size; Episodes: 30-50MB for an RM, 170-200 for a AVI, Manga: 4-8MB, Raw Manga: 4-8MB, Music Files: 2-8MB. If the file is the appropriate size, then make sure you have WinZip, or WinRAR or any other program capable of decompressing .zip files. Windows XP has a default Unzipping program built in, just double click the .zip file and it should show its contents. If you have already unzipped the file, and when you try to run it, it doesn’t work, please make sure you have all the correct codecs please see "What Codecs Do I Need To Play Bleach?" for information on this.
When Is the New Episode/Manga Coming Out?
We do not release the Anime Episodes, Subbing Groups do that. For Direct Download we generally use the fastest High Quality subbed version available generally, Dattebayo. We usually put up the episode for Direct Download in AVI and RM within 24 hours of it being released via Bittorrent by Dattebayo so Bittorrent is still your fastest bet. If you cannot use Bittorrent because its "too slow" or a firewall at your university or school blocks Bittorrent, you'll just have to wait.
The Manga is done by a group called Ju-Ni, the release date of the manga varies each week depending on the time the RAW version is released to how long it is to clean and distribute. Generally a Low Quality version should be released within a day or two of the RAW being released and a High Quality version will be released later on in the week.
What Codecs Do I Need To Play Bleach?
We do not support the playback of .mkv files, but for RM or AVI see the "Bleach Direct Episodes" page, there is information at the top.
Why is the Download so damn slow!!!!
We have 6 Dedicated Media Server at the time of writing this article, if the server is going slow, its because soooo many people are downloading they are taking all of the speed the server can give, to limit this as much as possible and try to make it fair on people there is a download speed limit which is generally 100kb/s. Download accelerators allow up to 2 connections which can double this number but it is preferred if you do not do this.
If the speed is exceptionally slow, like 1kb/s, we are sorry, we suggest you use Bittorrent instead, especially on release day when the servers go very slow because of leachers, the BitTorrent is usually much faster, read the Bittorrent FAQ section of this guide to read the answer to some common thoughts or myths about BitTorrent before you dismiss it as another option.
What is: "Page Cannot Be Displayed"
Many of you will see this often when a web page is down or a file cannot be found. This is what has happened, the file you are trying to download cannot be found. You may get this during times of severe server stress, it is recommended that you just wait patiently and it should by repaired shortly.
This File Doesn't Work! Fix It Now!
You people are quite stupid, for what reason would we upload a broken file, it'd just be a waste of yours and our time. If a file doesn't work, something has gone wrong with your connection or the server side of the site, stop blaming the files, they are perfectly fine and perfect.
I downloaded the file, but the archive (zip) is corrupt!
This can happen if a server goes offline during a download, this would cause it to end before it should have, and making an incomplete file. Delete the file, and empty temporary internet files and the recycle bin, then download again in 24 hours. If the file does not work, make sure you have WinZip or another unzipping utility, generally, Windows Unzip Feature doesn't always wrok for some reason. If it still doesn't work, get a program called WinRAR, its free also and will usually unzip those odd files when WinZip won't. If after all this it doesn't work, try deleting the file etc again, and download in another 24 hours. If problems still persist, get a better computer, its not a problem on our end, if it is, there will be a specific message in the news on the front page, so check there.
Submission Questions
How do I submit a Wallpaper/Fan Art to Bleach Portal?
A new Fan Art script has been developed by UnholyGodn that allows Wallpapers and Fan Art to be automatically uploaded to the Bleach Portal site! There is an approval process which is automatic and usually quite short. Basically you just upload the file using the Bleach Artwork Uploader and it is added to the "Processing" list in which all administrators have access to, its then just a simple process of checking the images are valid and approving them.
Why must my artwork be approved?
This is just a simple process to stop people uploading inappropriate images such as Pornography or Shock Images, we do not want our visitors to see this so we delete them if anyone submits them before they can reach the main page.
Its been a long time, why hasn't my art been improved?
It was either submitted to the incorrect category, wasn't uploaded correctly and wasn't submitted, or included inappropriate content that in not accepted by our Terms of Service of the Fan Art System. You can read these on the bottom of the Bleach Artwork Uploader page.
I don't think my art is very good, do you deny art you don't like?
We do not deny any artwork unless it is submitted to the wrong section, or if it contains inappropriate content, or isn't bleach related. Also, simple screenshots are denied, unless they are modified in some way. We love all forms of art, what some people don't like other people do, so we just accept everything!
Bittorrent Questions
What Is Bittorrent?
Bittorrent is a method of distributing files over the internet. It uses a method similar to P2P in which the downloader downloads the file off other downloader's rather than a central source. This means no expensive servers, the speed ultimately depends on the downloader's internet, and the amount of seeds. This is a very effective method of distributing large files over the internet to a large audience as Bandwidth and servers are quite expensive. Unfortunately most schools/universities block Bittorrent, and many routers and firewalls make using it very difficult so people cannot use this method, that is why Bleach Portal offers Direct Downloads.
What are Seed and Leachers?
Seeds are people who have downloaded a file and then are doing nothing but uploading the file to others that are downloading, the more seeds than leachers the better usually. A leacher is a person downloading a file off Bittorrent, the more of these the slower downloads generally go because they take all the download speed. Although, leachers also upload what they have as they upload so you can still download a file if there are lots of leachers, it just may be slow. Bittorrent speed is very variable and really just depends on the speed of the seeders and many other factors, there is no real way to predict your download speed on Bittorrent.
How do I play a .torrent file?
A .torrent file, IS NOT the file you are trying to open. A .torrent file is then used by a Bittorrent program to connect to the other seeders and leachers that have the file you want. To download the actual file you must get a Bittorrent program such as at http://www.bittorrent.com there are many many tutorials on how to use Bittorrent on the internet I suggest typing "Beginner Bittorrent Tutorial" into Google.
Why is Bittorrent So Slow?!
Did you know, that the vast majority of people that complain about Bittorrent being slow, are those who do not understand it. Bittorrent is just as fast, and on release days often faster than direct download due to the fact you download off other users rather than a central media server like on Bleach Portal. The most common misconception is that when someone opens a torrent its going like 0.1kb/s for the first 5minutes so they close it and say "Bittorrent is SOOO SLOW!" Bittorrent works on a seed/leach ratio system which basically means the more you upload the faster you download. So if you are using a hacked version of BitTorrent that stops you uploading, you will download REALLY slow.
Also Bittorrent takes a while to speed up, it usually takes 10-15 minutes from starting the torrent for it to pick up speed, it will vary greatly, but if your internet allows you can often get speeds far surpassing those possible from our Direct Download servers which have a speed limit to stop the release day slammage. So before you complain that Bittorrent is really slow, try downloading the latest episode using BitTorrent and leave it open for about 30mins, if its still going 0.1kb/s, then maybe you can try Direct Download. Also, Bittorrent allows you to return a bit to the community, as you download you upload the file parts that you have to other people making their downloads faster, BitTorrent may be slow at first but Bittorrent is 95% of the time faster or at least as fast as Direct Download.
If you are downloading the older episodes, check the Seeder/Leacher ratio. If the seeder's is below 5 then it will be slow most likely. On release day there is often a small amount of seeders but tens of thousands of leachers. This is ok, because you can download off the leachers as well as seeders, and by the time you get close to the end of the torrent the leachers will have finished and become seeders mostly. I can't say anymore how good it is too seed, I often seed for 1-2 days after downloading a file to help out other people, its nice to give back.
Bittorrent is confusing can you help me?
Bittorrent is quite simple, download Bittorrent from http://www.bittorrent.com a simple basic BitTorrent client, no bells or whistles, perfect for a newbie to Bittorrent. Then download the .torrent file from the BitTorrent tracker page, sometimes you will be taken to another tracker page from the one on Bleach Portal, just download the file from that page. Then just open the .torrent file using Bittorrent after you have installed it and it will begin downloading. It may go slow at first, please see the above question before you cry and close the window immediately.
Bittorrent is blocked at my school/university so I can't use it, what can I do?
This is the main reason for the Bleach Portal Direct Download service, some people just can't use BitTorrent and rely on us as their source of Bleach Anime every week, so feel free to use the Direct Download service, unfortunately we can't give you special privileges than just the general lazy people cause its impossible to differentiate between you.
MIRC Questions
What is mIRC?
mIRC is an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) Program, IRC is a popular method of distributing files as it allows user interaction while downloading via chat and generally IRC bots are cheaper to maintain than normal servers. It is also 'underground' which make it the method of some subbing/Scanlation groups that do not wish to be in trouble to disregarding copyright.
Where do I get mIRC?
You can download an evaluation version (30 Trial) of mIRC from http://www.mirc.com although after 30 days you can still use it you just have to wait 5 seconds after opening in order for "Continue" to become available, or you can purchase it for a small fee. There are many mIRC tutorials on the internet, I suggest typing "Beginner mIRC Tutorials" into Google.
Why not put the Manga up for Direct Download not mIRC?
Manga-Rain wishes that their work only be distributed via IRC as they do not want to be in trouble by Viz for their scanlations. They also like to be known for their work, and forcing IRC downloads means people go there for their downloads rather than somewhere else. I know many other sites do have there files for direct download without their permission, and Manga-Rain is angry at them for it. At Bleach Portal we like to respect peoples wishes in a hope others will respect ours.
I was banned on mIRC, can you un-ban me please?
We do not run the Manga-Rain IRC Channel, we have no power over this, sorry.
Bleach Portal Contact Form
Be sure to have checked the above F.A.Q thoroughly before using the below form to contact us.
Instructions for Contacting:
Before asking your question or complaint think about these things first:
1. Do you know english? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
2. Are you Mentally Stable? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
3. Does your question make sence at all? If Not, I won't understand anything you are saying.
4. Is your question a *****y complaint? If So I won't care.
5. Is your question about slow downloads? If So I won't care.
6. Is your question even answerable? If not, I wont answer it
7. Is your question about why I havn't answered a question? If so, I guess I didn't care the first time.
Instructions for complaining about downloads:
If your going to complain about a free service, at least be helpful and include the error that is displayed!
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You would not believe the amount of questions that get asked that can easily be answered by this faq, so if you have a question, or if you're wondering about something that goes on at BleachPortal, check this faq out first.