Forum - View topicNEWS: Fans Confront Bandai Visual About Pricing
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hikaru004
 Posts: 2306 |
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I don't think that it was arrogance that bought the company president out but perhaps needing to hear it for himself. He did take time out of his schedule to make it there, after all.
Anyone can send an email to Bandai Visual, but it takes conviction to say it to a company president in person. The arguement becomes stronger in your favor if the audience agrees imo. You guys got a 1 in a million chance to get your voices heard by someone who can actually make a decision. |
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Pepperidge
 Posts: 1104 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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Unfortunately, it didn't look like he was even remotely willing to change his stance.
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Steventheeunuch
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There's problems with this mentality- If they hold the license to a show and price it outside of everyones budgets, you simply won't be able to own that show. THis is a problem if you're a good fan of that show. Subseqeuntly, a bad move like this can hurt their potential profits and make it so that they'll license things, and not release them because they're unsure of how to, because their business model WILL fail. If no one buys them, they won't be used, or atleast those buying them probably wont sell them off because theyre probably fairly devoted. Theres a good chance no ones really going to stock them, so they wont be available for discount more than likely (and you shouldnt have to wait for that, really) and there's no gaurantee a boxset or thinpack will come out, and even if it does, who's to say it won't be any less expensive, considering they are basing themselves on R2 market information and tactics, rather than R1 (which includes things like boxsets being cheaper, thinpacks, etc). It's not as if the people who are complaining are being unreasonable; I mean hell, synch point were just about pushing it when it came to FLCL and that still had booklets, a dub, and two eps a disc AND it was only $30 at most. Something like Galaxy Angel, which is more or less available in boxsets for $30 per season, simply can't live at $170 for the entire season. BV-USA are part of the North American market, and therefore the North American market should have a say in how they're being treated- they are, afterall, the ones who have the power, though it seems there are people who will simply bend over backwards for anything and lambast those who won't. What is being taken to issue here isn't any special- it's not as if we're taking a fansub-fanatic route with complaints by going "WEH WEH BUT IT AIRS ON Japanese TV AND I DONT WANNA HAVE TPAY FOR IT GIMMIE GIMMIE". What's being expected isn't ridiculous self entitlement or greed since people are willing to buy Anime on DVD- it's just what's being released and how it's coming out is poorly researched and breaking already stringient standards on R1 Anime releases already. We just don't need the new Bandai Visual USA. Old BV USA of Patlabor days, please come back. |
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 1684 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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I think you're being a little silly here. Why on Earth would a large company's PRESIDENT fly 12 hours to go to a mid-sized con to promote their new venture? The only possible explaination is that the venture is very important to them. Arrogance would be not sending anybody, or an intern. Clearly, there is very important information being gathered or decisions being made if he is to make such an effort. The good news is that there really was nobody higher on the totem pole to appeal to. Those fans (thankfully, all civil and well-reasoned, pretty rare for some panels) went directly to the source to let him know there was a problem. Now, BV will either listen or ignore you, or maybe listen but fail to find a way within their system to accommodate your concerns. But you can't deny they got your message. (And no professional is going to recant his entire business model in public upon being questioned about it. ESPECIALLY not a Japanese company, where decisions are often made by group consensus. If you were expecting a softening of his position at that event before your very eyes, you're dreaming.) I should point out that this is already a million times more effort than Toei ever put out to communicate with the North American fan base. They're listening intently, at the highest levels of their organization. That isn't arrogance, it's respect. I think after some initial pains, BV could end up being successful here, provided they pay some serious attention to the feedback. Last edited by jsevakis on Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I don't know what these guys are thinking. I'm all for supporting the industry and crap, but I'm not paying that much for that little. I don't care if that's how it's done in Japan... personally, I've always wondered why they put up with that in the first place.
Long story short- this. will not. work. As much anime is out there, fans will pass up these titles for cheaper fare from other studios (can you say ADV thinpak?) Or... more people will resort to downloads. (Seriously, they're dealing with a customer base where many feel stealing the product is a perfectly acceptable alternative to buying it... how is a massive price increase going to fix that?) I hope these guys come to their senses soon... I'd be all over Galaxy Angel Rune... if it were priced reasonably. |
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ShinigamTakuto
Posts: 50 |
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I don't mind the lack of dub but for that price you had better pack in some serious extras like a Figure or something like Scrapped Princess.
Speaking of Scrapped Princess, stop releasing bricks and start putting complete series in thinpaks like ADV is doing. |
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britannicamoore
 Posts: 2618 Location: Out. |
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Now while I agree that the price of those dvds is ridciulous- this answer is comonly given whena person says they want to watch fansubs. Hear me out here, whenever someone says: Oh I watch One Piece fansubbed- then; "if you don't liek the price, content or whatnot then don't buy them. Or its said to buy the japanese dvds. These people are selling you basically the japanese dvds with english packaging/ english subs and yet you won't buy them. I'm not saying that watching things for free is the way to go but what's the difference if you won't buy the dvds and the fansubs buyers won't? But really my thoughts on this comment: How will they buy them used or discounted if no one buys? |
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raithnor
 Posts: 22 |
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I realize the above statement isn't verbatim but this, to me, comes across as: "We now realize that we can bleed the American fanbase dry the same as our native Japanese fanbase." What's the reasoning for making the original R2 releases as they are compared to the R1 release? |
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Pepperidge
Posts: 1104 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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Yes, I suppose that's true. Honestly, I thought for sure that they were going to throw some innocent, clueless intern out there to take the wrath from fans, so sending the CEO came as a bit of a shock. But in a lot of ways... it really shows that they have no clue how truly flawed their decisions have been. Arrogant was probably the wrong word to use. A better way to put it would be that their confidence is over-inflated to an absurd degree. |
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AirCooledMan_2006
 Posts: 594 Location: Delaware, U.S. |
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I don't get that either. Why can't they give Galaxy Angel Rune an English dub? What do they think is going to happen? Don't they realize that most anime fans don't want to read subtitles? |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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The audio and video qualities of the Japanese releases are often (but not always) better than that of US releases, for lower episode count and without dub track mean less compression. Furthermore, many extras, such as interviews of Japanese cast/staff and behind the scene outtakes, are not available to overseas releases. If you take average income into the formula, American fans might have the lowest price of anime per episode. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15340 |
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Do you really need to name names?
I wouldn't say that. It's about what I'd have to pay if I pre-ordered it from Animeigo. It's just misguided, but not tyrannical.
Isn't that sweet? Then I'd like two Silent Moebius movies, please. And maybe you can swipe Innocence from Dreamamount, so we can get a real edition. 
That wouldn't really be an issue, because TCM, the International Channel or Imaginasian might be interested. Anyway, the panel people should have brought up the Gunbuster audio issue. Not to mention the HD-only issue. Proman:
The extras are there, just not the dubs. Pepperidge:
I don't see it happening. They're not nearly effing up on the same level as Toei.
I'm not sure how they're related, but whatever.
He's proud of his company, that's all. If he was boasting about it, he'd give you some empty platitude like, "Kids don't read".
Sorry to say, but there wouldn't be an industry in Japan at all if they did it the American way.
Give him a chance to discuss it with the rest of the execs before deciding for him. I'm sure he was trying to deal with an awkward reaction he hadn't anticipated. jsevakis:
Exactly. raithnor:
It costs that much in Japan, because it costs that much to produce each anime in Japan. Well except for that $400 Final Fantasy Advent Children. Now that was a rip-off. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6203 Location: Houston, TX |
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my god... that's is some ridiculous pricing. i can't believe they actually thought people wouldn't mind being screwed like this.
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Geoduck
 Posts: 8 |
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I guess, for most of us there, the Gunbuster audio issue was very small potatoes. And... what HD-only issue? Mr. Konno mentioned in his presentation that there were plans for Blu-Ray releases, but he had no dates or titles to announce yet. |
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Ryvius213
Posts: 291 |
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I don't see how this can turn out well. Unless they somehow manage to create an extremely huge Galaxy Angel Rune fanbase *cough*notgonnahappen*cough*, Bandai Visual USA's sales will plummet. Fast. I'm not willing to fork up barely under $200 for the same amount of content as a typical R1 anime DVD would have, even if I was a huge fan of the series. I'd rather take my chances with two anime box sets.
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