The Official R1 Anime Industry Topic

[myskaros]

I got Okami also, I would argue the quality differences between the two series could justify the price difference for the singles. Although, I admit, thats very subjective. I mean, are you seriously comparing a mediocre series like Okami to what is arguably one of the best anime of last year(?) in terms of price, value (to both the consumer and licence holder).

You do know that you're essentially saying "Because yellow is a crappy color and black is the best color ever, it totally makes sense to get charged over twice as much for a black car than a yellow car."

[Daverost]

I got Okami also, I would argue the quality differences between the two series could justify the price difference for the singles. Although, I admit, thats very subjective. I mean, are you seriously comparing a mediocre series like Okami to what is arguably one of the best anime of last year(?) in terms of price, value (to both the consumer and licence holder).

Quality has no influence here. It costs just as much to print one as it does the other and there's no reason to pay 2-3x as much for one than the other.

[kanade2]

:Gets up on soapbox:


It's really pretty sad that fans these days have such a low opinion of anime. Has it really become such worthless, disposable garbage entertainment to you people that the prospect of paying over a hundred bucks for a series is inconceivable? If so, surely there must be something better you could be doing with your time.

The companies share some blame in this to as a few of them refused to lower their prices,and continued slicing short anime series into multiple chucks after a good number of anime fans told them we were fed up with it . This resulted in most of them to go bankrupt,or pack up . You have to realize that the majority of fans don't want to pay Aniplex prices anymore as there are cheaper options out there.

[Obake]

Perhaps Fate/Zero wasn't the best example since it is brand new. But still, it is listed on AniplexUSA, where one would expect to find a Western release (perhaps I'm showing some ignorance here, I have no idea if Aniplex was know as an importer before actually licencing stuff for R1 releases), and it says nothing about being an import until you get to redirected to rightstuf. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but it was marketed as a simultaneous release with Japan, not a "hey, you can import this when it comes out in Japan (well no shit!)."

Looking around the rest of their titles, I'll agree that most are fairly reasonable - around market price, and cheaper than what I think is a fair price (seeing several ~$40 box sets). Movies are a bit high, but not too bad. Madoka is the only one that still strikes me as expensive. For a regular edition 12-episode series, I think around $60 is a fair price. I might go up to ~$80 for a really good series, but not $120.

[Sirf_palot]

:Gets up on soapbox:


It's really pretty sad that fans these days have such a low opinion of anime. Has it really become such worthless, disposable garbage entertainment to you people that the prospect of paying over a hundred bucks for a series is inconceivable? If so, surely there must be something better you could be doing with your time.

The companies share some blame in this to as a few of them refused to lower their prices,and continued slicing short anime series into multiple chucks after a good number of anime fans told them we were fed up with it . This resulted in most of them to go bankrupt,or pack up . You have to realize that the majority of fans don't want to pay Aniplex prices anymore as there are cheaper options out there.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't know of any other R1 Anime Localization Company other than Aniplex USA that still does singles. Funimation and Sentai both concentrate on complete collections if I'm correct. Their prices are a cheaper though since they don't overbid on some properties like ADV used to.

The licensing money however, is chump change though if you compare it to domestic sales. Fate/Zero being an outlier, is still a decent example since it sold 40,000 units at anywhere from 400-500 USD. Netting them some 16+ million USD in revenue. Compare that to the usual licensing fee of a couple of thousand dollars per episode of anime and you could see that in the eyes of the JPN studios and publishers, we aren't high priority (we're periphery). I know it does suck but what can you do. The price differentials are just too much. However, my biggest complaint is people in R1 complaining why we don't get X series weeks after it just came out on home video in Japan without regarding the above info. Not that I'm happy about it of course. I am however, willing to pay above the US norm for home-video entertainment and for some select series (i.e. seriously considered F/Z until I realized a more reasonable R1 release is in the works) as like I said, it is more or less the nature of our hobby (or at least if you like to collect or own stuff).

Besides, some people on other forums say that R1 anime my evolve into some hybrid of streaming for the masses and collectors releases for the few that are willing to spend bank on this stuff.

[Sheleigha]

However, my biggest complaint is people in R1 complaining why we don't get X series weeks after it just came out on home video in Japan without regarding the above info.

I agree with this. Not alot of people seem to realize how it all works, and EXPECTS R1 to get EVERYTHING Japan gets on the same day >_> More of a manga arguement though, but I won't get into that one, especially when a 2-week different STILL isn't good enough for people.

Besides, some people on other forums say that R1 anime my evolve into some hybrid of streaming for the masses and collectors releases for the few that are willing to spend bank on this stuff.

Ugh, I sure hope not. While to find even collectors are slim, it's even slimmer to find people that will pay extreme amounts for stuff. If I COULD afford it I would, but I can't, so I'm a thrifty collector. FUNI and Sentai still seem to be doing good (oh, and NISA too of course!) so I'm not too worried on this coming anytime soon.

[kanade2]

:Gets up on soapbox:


It's really pretty sad that fans these days have such a low opinion of anime. Has it really become such worthless, disposable garbage entertainment to you people that the prospect of paying over a hundred bucks for a series is inconceivable? If so, surely there must be something better you could be doing with your time.

The companies share some blame in this to as a few of them refused to lower their prices,and continued slicing short anime series into multiple chucks after a good number of anime fans told them we were fed up with it . This resulted in most of them to go bankrupt,or pack up . You have to realize that the majority of fans don't want to pay Aniplex prices anymore as there are cheaper options out there.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't know of any other R1 Anime Localization Company other than Aniplex USA that still does singles. Funimation and Sentai both concentrate on complete collections if I'm correct. Their prices are a cheaper though since they don't overbid on some properties like ADV used to.

However, my biggest complaint is people in R1 complaining why we don't get X series weeks after it just came out on home video in Japan without regarding the above info. Not that I'm happy about it of course.

I think Aniplex is the only one left that still releases R1 singles.

Gotta remember that not many anime fans will go look up how the whole process works thus they complain about such things .

[Sirf_palot]

However, my biggest complaint is people in R1 complaining why we don't get X series weeks after it just came out on home video in Japan without regarding the above info.

I agree with this. Not alot of people seem to realize how it all works, and EXPECTS R1 to get EVERYTHING Japan gets on the same day >_> More of a manga arguement though, but I won't get into that one, especially when a 2-week different STILL isn't good enough for people.

Besides, some people on other forums say that R1 anime my evolve into some hybrid of streaming for the masses and collectors releases for the few that are willing to spend bank on this stuff.

Ugh, I sure hope not. While to find even collectors are slim, it's even slimmer to find people that will pay extreme amounts for stuff. If I COULD afford it I would, but I can't, so I'm a thrifty collector. FUNI and Sentai still seem to be doing good (oh, and NISA too of course!) so I'm not too worried on this coming anytime soon.

I know, it would suck. Since I do like a solid amount of Funi and Section 23's dubs. Spice and Wolf being my most recent favorite. On a side note, apparently, according to Blu-Ray.com, the 2nd season sold quite well on blu-ray, moving about 10,000 units during the release month or so.

[Sheleigha]

Nice to see that it did so well! I have my LE sitting on the shelf What is annoying with FUNI, is how they've changed stuff up... Don't get me wrong, I actually lilke the combo packs. BUT in the case of Spice and Wolf and Black Butler, they were... a little before that era... So, I bought both Spice and Wolf and Black Butler (LE part 1, and reg. part 2) and then the second seasons come out... No combo packs before, but NOW they release them. So if you bought Spice and Wolf II/Black Butler II, you can ONLY properly fit in the blu ray combo packs! -_- Annoying... I realized they didn't really do the combo packs before, but yeah... Well, I guess in Spice and Wolf's case, the blu ray release couldn't even fit properly into II's chipboard, in fact the only one that was meant to fit was the RE-release of the DVD -_-
Oh wells... Not like I take my art-filler-thingie out of the chipboard... FUNI is trying, I know...


Also, I think it's time to change the title of the topic since it's more on industry/retail talk. What do you think would be the best name for it? "The official anime industry/retail topic"?

[Sirf_palot]

Mebe, "R1 Industry Discussion"?

Also, apparently Kadokawa clamped down on foriegn licensees and pulled Blu-Ray rights to a large majority of their properties including Panty & Stocking, Steins;Gate, and Heaven's Lost Property.

Link to dicussion here
http://www.fandompost.com/oldforums/sho ... f-Blu-rays

[Sheleigha]

Ugh, Heaven's Lost Property I knew of, when I heard Forte got its delay. Originally it had a mock-up coverart showing that it would be a blu ray combo pack, then delayed, then announced that blu ray wouldn't be included. Apparently the blu ray for it in Japan came out, so it would've been "too close" to release (and the usual fear of reverse importation -_-)

Between stuff like that and the Japanese blu rays including subs to entice US to import... ugh :/

[Sheleigha]

Well, time to bump this with some good news for Hakuoki fans!
(Via ANN)

Sentai Filmworks will release the Haku?ki television anime series on bilingual DVD. The anime adapts Idea Factory's Haku?ki Shinsengumi Kitan romance adventure game from Otomate, Idea Factory's brand aimed at female players. The story of the game and its anime adaptation center around the historical Shinsengumi samurai group in Kyoto during the 19th century. Sentai Filmworks told ANN that it will release "all of Haku?ki that is out right now." The Haku?ki anime franchise includes the 12-episode Haku?ki series, the 10-episode sequel series Haku?ki Hekketsu-roku, and the 6-episode Haku?ki Sekkaroku OVA series (the sixth episode will ship this June). The franchise also includes an upcoming prequel television anime series that will premiere this summer and two upcoming films that will premiere in 2013.

All of them... subbed and dubbed... Nice!

[vampko]

Is Sentai the new Funi?

They sure are on a roll with lots of amazing licenses, and even dub a fair amount of them ~

[Sirf_palot]

In anycase, hope I'm not necroing but this is related to the topic.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... udio-track

[Daverost]

It's apparently not the first time that's been done, but it's a higher profile series this time. (Apparently it was done with Kurokami, too?)

I wasn't going to buy it anyway, but I can't support that kind of nonsense. As if sub-only releases weren't bad enough, now we're contending with DVD-only and now we're at dub-only? The R1 market is going to shit too fast to pick itself back up. I'm going to enjoy the rest of the ride and then when it's done, I'm out.