×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Hey, Answerman! - What's Old is New


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2518
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:49 pm Reply with quote
I am a big fan of Saint Seiya, but I'm going to put getting a license rescue of the original TV series down as "Would love to see it happen, but it probably isn't going to." It's not like it's still licensed (DiC's original license ended back in 2009 or so), but it is going to be a hard sell nowadays. I could maybe see Discotek pick it up, but even that is unlikely in the overall scheme of things.

Now the CG movie, the Lost Canvas OVAs, or, to a lesser extent, the Hades OVAs (which do feature a re-cap "special" of the TV series) could still be doable. CrunchyRoll has shown with their simulcasting of Lost Canvas that there are companies who would still love to do animes based off of Masami Kurumada works, but who knows if a company would be willing to license LC for DVD/BD release.

That's part of the reason why I keep hoping and wanting to see the Ring ni Kakero 1 anime series get licensed and brought over: This anime series is more recent (2004, 2006, 2010, and this year), it isn't nearly as long (30 episodes + a planned 6 for this new season compared to 114 for the original Seiya TV series alone!), and since they are from the same creator they feature a very similar focus (straight-up shounen action). But it seems to be that most English-speaking fans of Saint Seiya or Masami Kurumada creations in general seem to only want to talk about Saint Seiya, even when there's another Kurumada title (as in actually 100% created by Kurumada) out there being made into anime more recently.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Saturn



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 513
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:24 pm Reply with quote
the really sad truth about license rescues (and would-be license rescues) is that animation on a whole doesn't age very well, and if it looks old, people aren't going to be interested. Especially anime, which goes through major stylistic changes every so often-- the square faces and triangle noses in the 80s, the noselessness of the 90s-- in addition to the extra details that can be added by using digital techniques (like shading, and clothing/upholstery/wallpaper patterns).

So even if people are fans of The Lost Canvas, I can't see the majority being willing to shell out money to see the original Saint Seiya; and as for Sailor Moon, there's a wildly devoted group who will snap it up in America, but I doubt there's anything that can be done to make it "relevant" to a wide audience. A wider audience of anime fans, perhaps, if it's got a good marketing campaign and is available streaming, but not much beyond that. They'd have to reanimate the entire thing (hey, it's doable-- they could do it in a movie series like with Evangelion) to get it on the same level as stuff coming out these days, to get people to watch it.

It's really sad T__T But it's the same with old movies and whatnot, in many cases. The best they can look for is either a cult following or a "classic" status-- the difference is that it takes only a few years for anime to be relegated to this.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2518
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Saturn wrote:
the really sad truth about license rescues (and would-be license rescues) is that animation on a whole doesn't age very well, and if it looks old, people aren't going to be interested.


Well, part of the reason to license-rescue an older title is for older anime fans to be the focus. Getting younger fans who enjoy older anime is simply a nice extra, but it should never really be the focus.

Quote:
So even if people are fans of The Lost Canvas, I can't see the majority being willing to shell out money to see the original Saint Seiya


I can agree with this to an extent, though the original Saint Seiya is still something worth watching if you enjoyed Lost Canvas. Anyway, that's partly why I enjoy talking about other titles from that same creator; there are other works, and more recent works at that, that fans of something like Lost Canvas more than likely would enjoy. Will Kurumada's legacy be Saint Seiya? Yeah, more than likely, but that doesn't mean that his other works should be ignored.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Animerican14



Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 963
Location: Saint Louis, MO
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:19 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
There's a reason that we haven't seen much lately in the license-rescue front... all the top-tier titles that companies actually want have already been taken. The stuff that's left is the sales equivalent of detritus. Stuff that nobody wants or that nobody knows what to do with.

But.. but... what about Paranoia Agent? What about Paranoia Agent! I think that I saw somewhere how it didn't do too well on [as], but weren't the dvd sales of the Geneon release alright, at least? I mean, it's not like we'll have anything left to look forward to from Satoshi Kon anymore, beyond The Dream Machine... Crying or Very sad
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:23 pm Reply with quote
Of course, it's also worth pointing out (again) that it's NOT FUNimation who is making you wait on Hellsing Ultimate (or Shakugan no Shana, Railgun/Index, or Black Lagoon), it's Geneon Univeral. Which is why I'm getting sick of people getting mad at FUNimation for the wait as they have no say when Geneon Universal decides to get things moving, though thankfully this this person asked nicely.

Quote:
some other intrepid manga publisher will quickly swoop in to license-rescue Hetalia, but quick


I think there's a typo here. Wink Anyway, yeah, Hetalia's probably the most likely title to be rescued from Toykopop so I'd give it quite a while before we should start worrying.

Yeah, I don't see a Saint Seiya license rescue happening. Nozomi could be a maybe, but they're looking at more 13-26 episodes for older series rescues. Okay, Utena was an exception, but that's UTENA we're talking about here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:34 pm Reply with quote
I don't know how much that Geneon Universal thing holds up anymore since High School of the Dead is coming out in June, which, I believe, is only about 4 months after the final BD/DVDs were released in Japan.

Either way, I, too, am getting pretty annoyed with people constantly asking "When is X coming out?" It's going to come out, just sit on your hands until it does. I know you're annoyed, but it's not like Funimation will never put it out, and it's not like they're going anywhere anytime soon.


Last edited by The King of Harts on Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Psycho_Despair



Joined: 17 Nov 2009
Posts: 376
Location: East of Eden
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:49 pm Reply with quote
I am another one of those Saint Seiya fans, that is still hoping for a license rescue. Even though I have the full series (plus the OVAs) in spanish (But they're bootleg) Sad And I would really like to get a real copy of the series.
I even have a hard time getting a new copy of Saint Seiya Vol.1 (manga) Mad
If Toei ever remakes the series in the future, then I'll be happy. But for now I am waiting for the CGI Film Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 2091
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:53 pm Reply with quote
The King of Harts wrote:
I don't know how much that Geneon Universal thing holds up anymore since High School of the Dead is coming out in June, which, I believe, is only about 4 months after the final BD/DVDs were released in Japan.


Yes, but Sentai likes to announce things only when they have a firm release date in mind, whereas FUNimation announces a license as soon as possible after they get it. Who knows how long we would have had to wait if they had announced it shortly after receiving it?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:01 pm Reply with quote
A physical release of HSOTD was announced the day it aired in Japan. And my point isn't necessarily the time (I probably shouldn't of even brought it up), my point is that a Geneon title is coming out, so it's typical Funimation procedure, not an outside force's intervention. It may have been at the beginning of the licensing process, but now, now I don't think that's as much a roadblock and Funimation is just trying to sift through their backlog and prioritize.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
ss-hikaru



Joined: 16 Nov 2010
Posts: 269
Location: Western Australia
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:29 pm Reply with quote
I wish I'd heard about Saint Seya earlier (introduced via Jason Thompsom's House of 1000 Manga) so I could've started buying the manga volumes earlier. It's sounds like it's totally my kind of thing! But I hear it's hard to get a hold of now, and lots of volumes are out of print Anime cry

My friend lent me her Sailor Moon manga collection and I read the first volume, and...it wasn't very interesting. I was really disappointed, I was expecting a lot more since Sailor Moon is loved by so many. I'll keep going, but I have a feeling it'll be harder to get through than said friends collection of Angel Sanctuary (at least that had the whole WTH factor to it I guess...).

Despite my personal reaction to Sailor Moon, if you put the show back on TV it'd probably need no extra help becoming a 'prominent popular pop-cultural icon'. I mean, it's got the whole nostalgia factor and if girls (and guys I guess) liked it however many years ago it was last on air, then kids nowadays should enjoy it too right? Unless kids entertainment has changed heaps during Sailor Moons absence. (I do realise that the major obstacle to this is that the Sailor Moon anime hasn't been relicensed)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ojamajo LimePie



Joined: 09 Nov 2007
Posts: 761
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:40 pm Reply with quote
ss-hikaru wrote:
My friend lent me her Sailor Moon manga collection and I read the first volume, and...it wasn't very interesting. I was really disappointed, I was expecting a lot more since Sailor Moon is loved by so many.


Sailormoon is a series where the anime and the manga have very different atmospheres, especially later on. You can like one and not the other. The thing most people remember is the anime.

Don't think that I dislike the manga, though. I love it. It just lacks some of the humor from the anime. Oh, and I will say that it takes about three volumes to get good and the best stuff is the last half of the series.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Anymouse



Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 685
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 7:48 pm Reply with quote
I just want to say that I am a 100% supporter of the IBM 100% compatible running 100% Linux to watch 100% anime.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 8:25 pm Reply with quote
The King of Harts wrote:
A physical release of HSOTD was announced the day it aired in Japan. And my point isn't necessarily the time (I probably shouldn't of even brought it up), my point is that a Geneon title is coming out, so it's typical Funimation procedure, not an outside force's intervention. It may have been at the beginning of the licensing process, but now, now I don't think that's as much a roadblock and Funimation is just trying to sift through their backlog and prioritize.


Exactly! Sentai announced High School of the Dead via PR the weekend before it premiered in Japan. They had plans for a DVD and Bluray release then. However, it seems they did miss their original planned premier date for the dub, which was originally January (according to an Anime Network Con banner).

It isn't only Geneon Universal titles that Funimation has delayed or has been sitting on. Most of their ADV rescues have also been delayed or rescheduled, as have things like Rosario+Vampire (though that one is allegedly due to materials issues.) Personally, I think that Funi is trying to keep their sales levels steady by controlling the number of titles they release in any given time frame. It's also a good way to not flood the market with too much product.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:37 pm Reply with quote
How could I make a fresh new release of Sailor Moon with a fresh new dub, become a sales success in 2011? Why buying it all when it's all been released of course, My money's been waiting to go to somebody about this for 10 years now, but it seems they just don't want to take it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2518
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 10:02 pm Reply with quote
doctordoom85 wrote:
Yeah, I don't see a Saint Seiya license rescue happening. Nozomi could be a maybe, but they're looking at more 13-26 episodes for older series rescues. Okay, Utena was an exception, but that's UTENA we're talking about here.


Nozomi would be awesome, but it's easyly noticeable that if there's one thing missing from Nozomi's line-up, it's full-on action titles. Yeah, they have titles with fair amounts of action in them, like Dirty Pair, Rental Magica, The Third, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, and Shingu, but none of them are truly similar in style and fashion to something like Saint Seiya. For example, I've been bringing up the idea of them picking up more action-heavy shows on their anime request section of the Anime Today forum for a few years now, but it seems to mostly be on deaf ears.

When it comes to Saint Seiya's chances coming over here again, I'm putting it at Discotek being the most-likely, followed by Sentai Filmworks (though I bet that they would only license it if they feel it would be worth continuing the dub), and then followed way behind by Media Blasters (there seem to be some big fans of Masami Kurumada's works over at the company, but in the end it all comes down to John Sirabella's decision). I could see FUNimation maybe license the Lost Canvas OVAs, though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group