After coming back from a long hiatus, I came back to see Fakku.... changed. And not just a small change, but quite a massive one. I came back to visit and check up on how things are going, but it seems like, it turned for the worse. I understand that there are some things that we all want to be morally right on, and it seems like piracy is a big no-no for you, Jacob. While I applaud you for that, it is the very same reason I am going to leave this site for good.
Do not misunderstand me, I am not leaving out of spite or anger, in fact, I fully understand your decision and in your shoes, under the same pressure I probably would have done the same.
On the issue of Piracy, I feel like it's not an issue that can be eradicated just because you stopped. Making Fakku such a big iconic hentai site has, unfortunately, been to your detriment, and probably been the key factor that has forced your hand on this. A misconception that you have is that, you can end piracy. Piracy is a tradition of the internet, a tradition enjoyed by many. I think you know how much your site will suffer from this moral decision, and I applaud that.
Like many others have said, the fundamental reason why I frequent this site is because of the outstanding UI that is second to none. 4-5 years ago when I was trawling the internet, and upon stumbling on this site, I immediately fell in love with how organized everything is, and how... orderly it seemed.
Unfortunately, having had enjoyed free content for such a long time, made me devalue the service that you offered. Even till now, with this new system you just imposed, it makes me sad that I have to pass through a paywall to enjoy content.
Initially, when fakku books started, I bought a few books to commemorate such a moment with you guys, because deep down I knew that, no service should be offered for free, and it was my obligation to front up some cash to ensure the survival of what I had loved. But now, what I loved for so long, changed. I do not have have the financial backing to continue on this website, and also sorely disagree with your decision.
Let me offer an alternative.
Recover all the files you have removed and host it on a new website. This new website will not be hosted by you, instead, but an anonymous volunteer group that will be in charge of maintaining the new site, this volunteer group will be from the old fakku, and will be people who are willing to keep this tradition alive.( I'm sure you understand why the anonymous group is needed instead of yourself) After the site has been created, import all the unlicensed stuff there. Put up a small notification for Fakku users that this new site exists. Now, alias Fakku under this new website. Fakku will still remain the website we all love, and maintain the paywall that it needs.
How will Fakku survive?
Fakku will survive by promotion material of the new website. In fact, I would rather see an advertisement from fakku to buy a book than to fuck a milf that lives near me. When new content comes up on the new website, place a small link for the paid version to the Fakku website. Instead of making people who want to view content pay, make people who love the content and want to 'own' it pay. No doubt that you will not obtain as much money as you did before, but this stop-gap measure satisfies 2 groups of people and leave the 3rd group grasping at nothing, but still generating revenue for the artists. 1. You, as the host of the site, 2. the people who frequent Fakku, 3. the Japanese authorities who try to hunt the anonymous group down.
I think my plan is pretty fool-proof, and any further suggestions would be awesome. Heck, if you decide to take on the plan, I'll be more than happy to admin the new site.
But if not, goodbye Fakku,
We had good years, and now it's time for change.