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Hey, Answerman! - Of Openings and Endings


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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 2047
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:34 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Why don't they just do it as an iTunes download!!! That's cheaper right???" Justin Sevakis has expounded on that topic before and why it's nigh-impossible, so here's the gist of it: as explained before, the sales on soundtracks aren't that great, and the licensing issues regarding royalty fees and such with popular music artists in Japan (who are mostly unknown in the US) turn it into a nightmare of complicated rights management, meaning that the profits from such an endeavor would be slim, if at all. So most companies don't even bother.


Welp, guess I'll just buy bootlegs and torrent them. No skin off my back.

Now, Ayumi Hamasaki or Koda Kumi......which one to download......?
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Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1159
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:51 am Reply with quote
Never stepped into any Hot Topics, but back in the day, Suncoast was the place if you wanted to buy and see any licensed anime merchandise and music. If there are any Suncoast left, they're probably still stocking that stuff. RightStuf has some of that old stuff as well.

Nowadays, you can find some licensed merchandise in some Borders bookstores.

Sunday Silence wrote:
Quote:
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Why don't they just do it as an iTunes download!!! That's cheaper right???" Justin Sevakis has expounded on that topic before and why it's nigh-impossible, so here's the gist of it: as explained before, the sales on soundtracks aren't that great, and the licensing issues regarding royalty fees and such with popular music artists in Japan (who are mostly unknown in the US) turn it into a nightmare of complicated rights management, meaning that the profits from such an endeavor would be slim, if at all. So most companies don't even bother.


Welp, guess I'll just buy bootlegs and torrent them. No skin off my back.

Now, Ayumi Hamasaki or Koda Kumi......which one to download......?

Could always just import the legitimate goods...
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Saturn



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 513
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:15 am Reply with quote
Asrialys wrote:
Never stepped into any Hot Topics, but back in the day, Suncoast was the place if you wanted to buy and see any licensed anime merchandise and music. If there are any Suncoast left, they're probably still stocking that stuff. RightStuf has some of that old stuff as well.

Nowadays, you can find some licensed merchandise in some Borders bookstores.


Suncoast was the first thing I thought of when reading that answer too. Ah, Suncoast, I miss you!
Well, sorta. There's nothing I bought there that I can't now get much cheaper off Amazon... hm.
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Asuron



Joined: 26 Mar 2010
Posts: 56
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 5:28 am Reply with quote
Gotta disagree with you Brian on why manga like naruto go on for a long time
Sometimes yes, it is because people just want to keep milking the franchise for all its worth (looking at you DBZ, although as I understand it Toriyama faced alot of pressure to keep it going so I can't really blame him)

Other times it's just because the story takes a huge amount of time to tell properly
Stories like One Piece are still going because the story just hasn't ended because theres so much to pack into it and its all relevant to the plot at hand
It never feels like the author is just pulling it along to keep it going and milk money off it
I tell you right now if it had ended earlier, it wouldn't be considered good as it is

Now if you take a look at Bleach, that is one that should have ended by now
Instead it's going to keep going with a plot that is no longer really relevant or has a point to it, rather just to keep it floating so the creators can keep making money off it

But to answer that question for her when is Naruto going to end?
I'd say it looks like it's entering the final phases of the story currently, but who knows how long the arc will go on for
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Emerje



Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7328
Location: Maine
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 5:43 am Reply with quote
Yeah, for me it was Suncoast and Sam Goody (same parent company) where I would pick up random anime figures for my collection. Today you can go to FYE (also the same parent company) and it's like nothing ever changed.

Importing from Japan isn't a bad thing to do, especially when the economy is good. There are lots of online retailers that offer major discounts with cheap SAL shipping (which takes on average two weeks to get to me). I rarely pay more than Japanese retail after shipping on my orders (too bad the yen is so strong, the exchange rate kills me in the end). For example figma have an MSRP 3000yen (tax included), but through AmiAmi I can get them for usually 2200yen and 700yen shipping which brings it back to Japanese MSRP. It was so nice back when the US dollar was stronger... Still, I ended up importing over 40 figures in 2010 (that doesn't include my domestic purchases).

Oh, and cons tend to be one of the worst places to buy from. Otakon was terrible if you were looking for something other than DVDs and Manga. What wasn't garbage or bootlegs was insanely priced, many things had a 100% mark up on it and they weren't even rare, just new. Insane.

Mention of Otakon and product placement makes gives me reason enough to bring up this AMV gem from 2010. If it weren't for product placement in anime we could never have an AMV like that.

Emerje
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ss-hikaru



Joined: 16 Nov 2010
Posts: 269
Location: Western Australia
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:30 am Reply with quote
Sometime last year I ordered a Chobits Character Song Album from RightStuf. I assumed that it was a Japanese import because who would license and distribute something as niche as a Character Song Album? So I was really surprised when I got it and it had 'Geneon' on the spine. Thinking back, yeah I bought it from the bargain bin...it all makes sense now!

Most of my anime merchandise comes from Rightstuf or CDJapan. CDJapan is good for currently airing shows, but they always have preorder deadlines so you gotta get in fast. And I'm the type of person who pays 30-40 dollars importing Japanese CDs >.< (not anime OSTS though).
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einhorn303



Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Posts: 1180
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:48 am Reply with quote
Regarding product placement: I believe Nozomi's release of Maria Watches Over Us S4 retains the blatant Pizza Hut advertising.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1816
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:55 am Reply with quote
einhorn303 wrote:
Regarding product placement: I believe Nozomi's release of Maria Watches Over Us S4 retains the blatant Pizza Hut advertising.


Need to get that to complete my collection. Been putting off getting more anime DVDs until I finish my back log. On the other hand maybe I should stock up on a few things before they go OOP.


Last edited by fuuma_monou on Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:49 am; edited 1 time in total
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:35 am Reply with quote
Heh, I got some of those anime CDs from P-i-o-n-e-e-r! Razz
Though like anime videos, anime CDs were more expensive than regular CDs.

(The first N. American anime CD release is probably from Rhino Records........ y'know the one from that show......... Wink )

Yeah, there were enough anime CD releases to even have their own section among the CD racks. Those were the days.... Laughing

Now where is SonMay when ya need em?! Twisted Evil
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Dagon123



Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 194
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:23 am Reply with quote
Answerman wrote:
It should be said that the biggest investor in anime OSTs at the time was Geneon. And, well, look at that company's sad fall from grace in general.



While I can tell this is as respectful a jab at there downfall you can make, keep in mind, Geneon/Pioneer are also a Music licensing company as well in Japan, so being an overseas company here, it probably cost them next to nothing to release OST's, way less so then someone who ACTUALLY had to license it over here
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Cowpunk



Joined: 03 Nov 2004
Posts: 168
Location: Oakland - near the Newtype Lab
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:33 am Reply with quote
Perhaps someday we shall see anime soundtracks from something newer than 1970s shows on US iTunes.

After all you can get The 5.6.7.8's Bomb the Twist EP and several albums by Yokohama Ginbae there. All it takes is a Japanese company to set up selling on iTunes US for their products.
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8458
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:40 am Reply with quote
I have some OSTs that were released here. Namely, the first two Giant Robo OSTs. I imported a couple.

I think some product placement slipped through in Gunsmith Cats. Both in the manga and anime versions.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:55 am Reply with quote
It's entirely possible that Geneon got more money from me in soundtracks than they did in DVDs... I love soundtracks, and I miss them.
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here-and-faraway



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 1528
Location: Sunny California
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 10:03 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It's entirely possible that Geneon got more money from me in soundtracks than they did in DVDs... I love soundtracks, and I miss them.


Over the past few years I've purchased just about every $5 soundtrack they have in Rightstuf's Bargin Bin. I know that didn't do much to support the soundtrack industry, but I sure love listening to them. Haibane Renmei, Kamichu, Ergo Proxy, Texhnolyze, and especially anything by Yuki Kajiura are my favorites.
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KENZICHI



Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Posts: 1101
PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:07 am Reply with quote
thanks for answering my question answerman!

i love osts. the only place left in my mall that sold them was suncoast and sadly they closed on the 1st. heroes and dragons hasn't been around me in years so i can't anything from them either. suncoast was also the store where i bought all my anime dvds and now all i have left is best buy and borders.com. borders.com isn't a problem, but now i can't buy online for awhile so now i'm stuck w/ just best buy Crying or Very sad

i don't shop at best buy (almost 30 minutes away from me) so i'm pretty disappointed w/ suncoast gone and all...
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