Forum - View topicNEWS: Central Park Media Files for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
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TurnerJ
Posts: 481 Location: Highland Park, NJ |
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Not all of CPM's dubs were of such abysmal quality. I haven't seen Patlabor, but since the opinions of that dub are pretty low, I doubt I will. However, Grave of the Fireflies is a pretty decent, if not Disney-quality effort, and NTHT was definitely very much a highpoint aside from the kids sounding too old. Other good CPM dubs include: Record of Lodoss War OVA (the TV dub is very uneven -- although I DID like it for Crispin Freeman, Angora Deb, and most of the returning cast; but the OVA dub I've always loved and will always hold close to my heart), Slayers (the first season was iffy, but it was all uphill from there), Animation Runner Kuromi 1 & 2, The World of Narue, and Night on a Galactic Railroad are the ones that ring my memory of being above-average efforts. Anyway, it is unfortunate that CPM is no longer with us, but hey, I think it probably would've happened since they were basically being inactive these past few years. Still, it is sad to see them go. Hopefully their titles will be rescued and their employees will find better fortunes. Damn this plunging economy; it's the reason why so many businesses are having so much trouble this year. -Jon T. |
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Iritscen
 Posts: 793 |
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Heh, I wasn't questioning whether you were right, fighterholic. I just meant what I said literally, that it's simply confusing. Seeing the proof of the order of events in Justin's bio doesn't abate my confusion 
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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I agree with you up to the Funimation statement. As much as I don't want to admit this, ADV is probably going to close down within the next year or two. Why? Last year ADV had to sell off seveal licenses in the United States and more in the United Kingdom. Not only that, but ADV hasn't licensed a big hit title since Evagellion. But don't get me wrong, I do hope that doesn't actually happen. But the Economy is unstable right now and will get worse before it will get better. As for Funimation, I don't forsee any problems if Funimation only licenses titles that will sell well and not titles that have already been licensed by another company. But your correct, Bandai is most likely to stick around and have a considerable amount of revenue once Haruhi season two is licensed. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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I'm the opposite. I want it to happen. The sooner, the better. I've no particular beef with U.S. distributors (as a company), but this petty competition is making it more difficult for licensing, distribution, etc. By removing the competition, FUNimation controls all aspects and can cut costs, passing even more savings to us. Imagine, for just a second, a bidding war is removed from trying to license a title. That's a significant delay gone right there. Ah, to dream. Best I can do at the moment. |
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Der Brenten
Posts: 4 |
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lol hahahahaha. right. But it is too bad to see CPM go out like this. Two of their series in particular (Dominion and A-Ko) got me into anime back in the mid/late 90's. RIP. |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Than you should look at Bandai for some of the complaints that you have been having for cost (still releasing singles, tried to force the R1 market into a 1-to-1 with the R2 market in terms of price and content $60 for 2 episodes, subbed only, no extras doesn't sound like a deal, and resisted online distribution that you are wanting, while Funimation has been pushing for it and trying to get anime into a variety of places,like iTunes, Xbox Marketplace/Playstation Marketplace, Youtube in addition to traditional methods of DVD.)
and if I recall correctly Funimation when they license a product go for everything, which includes merchandising (That's why you can buy School Rumble key chains and Burst Angel Wallscrolls from their zStore) So yeah unless you've got something that we can't see I'd say Bandai is moving/have moved in odd ways that make them appear not to understand what the R1 market wants. |
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Lord Geo
Posts: 2545 Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey |
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Keep dreaming, man, since even FUNimation themselves don't want a market with no competition. This is from FUNi's Online blog, where someone actaully asked why something like what you want isn't happening and Adam Sheenan, the guy we always see at FUNi panels, said this: "Where an US anime Pangia of sorts sounds good on paper it doesn’t work well in practice unfortunately. Some of the biggest reasons for this is public vs private vs Japanese subsidiary company structure, geographic location, corporate culture, and if there was one giant US anime company that could make Japanese Licensors unhappy since their negotiation power would go down greatly. Overall the old adage that competition breads the best product works here as well. It is great that we can all play nice with each other but it is also good that we have our own thing going on as well." |
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IzanaginoOkami
 Posts: 55 Location: USA |
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you got it wrong that was Bandai VISUAL not bandai ent
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LordRedhand
Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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And if I recall correctly both subsidiaries of Bandai and had merged under the stronger Bandai Entertainment label so ummm yeah Bandai did some costly things that didn't work (and some should be breathing a sigh of relief that they didn't) |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7983 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Usually, a monopoly works the other way around though. They know you you don't have a choice if you want that certain product and have no other recourse but to buy from them since they're the only one who sells it, so they jack up the price instead. Rather you should have lots of companies all competing with each other, that's how you get low prices. Companies then lower their prices so that you will shop with them instead of their competitors. At least that's how it's supposed to work in theory.... 
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The_Libertarian_Otaku
 Posts: 189 |
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Monopolies aren't all bad. Look at the video game industry--it's suffered worse upheavals than the anime industry, particularly the Great Video Game Crash of '83. You had so many companies making different consoles--Atari, Mattel, Milton Bradley, Magnavox, Coleco, etc.--that gamers had so many choices, and there were far more companies developing games than we've got now. (You even had cereal companies and dog food companies starting video game departments!) Then things crashed, and now we're stuck with only anywhere from three to five companies releasing consoles at any given time, and fewer third-party developers. Now look at the anime industry during the boom in the early 2000s: Sixteen or so companies (Some of which were among the old guard from the '90s), and now many of them have either gone bust (Synch-Point, Super Techno Arts, CPM) or turned to other stuff such as manga (Tokyopop, anyone?). Sometimes a few large companies can handle the load much better than a whole bunch of smaller ones. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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I've actually read this (and other blogs) and dismiss it completely. It's crap. Read between the lines, and the smoke clears. Keep in mind, though, this is only my opinion. No one has to agree with it. I tire of reading stuff like this when there's absolutely no proof behind it. Seriously, has this guy even tried it? There are plenty of examples in which a dominate force has had major influences in changing the way old businesses worked. Groan now, but a great example is Microsoft. Bitch about their products all you want, but without them, we wouldn't be here right now. Monopoly? Some would argue yes. However, having a standard has put forth countless industries which would have never existed. Between hardware and software, this "monopoly" shows that change can be good. To ignore Microsoft's influence in the anime world would be complete ignorance. Want to see a monopoly go bad? Look at all the telcos whining about AT&T in the old days. Now compare the costs of AT&T services back then to costs today (adjust for inflation). They're staggering. All because competition was introduced. And this doesn't include the customer screwing that occurred when companies changed services without consent, forcing the gov't to step in once again. I'm not an economics guru, but in many examples where I've seen a monopoly in use, I've seen a system that works well. In competition, I see price fixing, base costs, and other tactics used to keep prices high while costs drop. If you want to see a prime example of competition in play, read the latest news regarding Time Warner test use of broadband caps. Then, read the last quarter financial statement from Time Warner. Monopoly? Nope. There are many other cable companies out there. But if you're in a Time Warner area, count how many options you have should you want to change. There's no coincidence when you start to see base prices remain similar in a competitive market. Songs for $1? Try finding a site offering them for less. Hell, even anime DVDs all seem to share a similar price base. Sorry for the small rant, but I simply will not take this guy's word when he (or the company he works for) can't show definitive proof negotiating power would be lost. Even if FUNimation didn't lower costs of our DVDs (especially when people seem to think they're fair), removing the competition would benefit us as so much of the red tape in place today would be cut. From what I gather, licensing costs are increasing. This alone will put FUNimation in this "monopoly" anyway because its competitors simply can't place the volume out as they can. Just read the info here on ANN for proof. All the release titles are there for your viewing. It doesn't take a genius to see how FUNimation dominates. 
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A-Log
Posts: 20 Location: Staten Island, NY, USA |
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I never wanted this day to come.
It's not just the titles that CPM had that's in danger, but what of the voice-over talent? Central Park Media was the only NYC-based distributor that respected anime in its uncut form (unlike a certain NYC-based company that shall remain nameless due to its shame-worthy actions) and gave us talented people like Veronica Taylor, Lisa Ortiz, Eric Stuart, Rachael Lillis, Crispin Freeman, and various others from the NY-NJ area. Now there's no other anime company that has dubs from NYC; and we're the first state to dub an anime (Astro Boy) and the only legal (read: without shame) state to dub hentai. As a voice-actor myself, I'm so screwed. I blame it on that other company's vision of One Piece; turned the entire city into a joke. Anthony "A-Log" LoGatto |
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zanarkand princess
 Posts: 1484 |
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Yes I admit my VA dreams died a little bit after this, ADV has a habit of getting people from NY though.
I'll see if I'm able to ask Veronica Taylor how she feels about this at the Sakura Matsuri this weekend though. |
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configspace
Posts: 3717 |
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A Funimation monopoly would be terrible.
First, if you really want to get rid of the so-called red-tape and cost overhead, then it begins with Japan. The fact that only a very small percentage of the budget for most commercial productions actually pays for the real production costs only highlights that. Secondly, the licensing model as it stands now is either needs to be gotten rid of or be reformed. The model used by CR despite being "licensed" is really one that is more of a service and that's what really needed--even for dubbing--as long as the R2 companies are willing to have a more global and long term view. Current DVD licensing scheme benefits the R2 companies in the short term because they're paid a lump sum of money up front. This doesn't mean that Japan has to create titles targeted at western audiences since in fact, titles aimed at Japan are popular amongst the population scattered globally e.g. Strike Witches. Part of the problem today though of why things are region locked is because of stupid licensing issues. But the Strike Witches license shows how the issues are also rooted in Japan. So Funi announced the license.. but when is it actually releasing here? Some time 2010. We'd be past the second season at that point. Why? My guess: it's a hot seller in Japan and Gonzo wants to milk that market as much as they can. Now as far as Bandai goes, they along with Funi and everyone else also understand that people want value, so even they've been forced to adjust their pricing. You have Anime Classic box sets for titles just a couple years old and new release strategies like with Gurren Lagann. After their issues with Lucky Star sales and cancellation of Vol6 LE with pricey singles and outrageously priced (IMO) limited editions, I'm sure it'll drive them more towards more higher-value pricing. |
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