Forum - View topicNEWS: Media Blasters Picks up More Yaoi
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Seca
 Posts: 149 Location: WA |
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I think you forget that Media Blasters doesn't just do anime. They bring over Japanese movies and have an adult anime line. Not to mention they also release manga and other foreign films. they were also the ones to Invader Zim, which has been a strong seller for them every since it went on sale. How much more variety do they really need to be 'viable' in your eyes? |
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GoodLuckSaturday
 Posts: 567 Location: Indiana |
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Then I'd say they're doing a pretty damn good job. I've actually bought MORE Media Blaster series since they've been "all niche" or whatever. |
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AyumiHamasaki
Posts: 219 |
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I'm surprised to hear this considering how old this title is. But i'm glad they've started to licensed old yaoi titles. I guess LOVELESS, Gakuen Heaven, etc did well in terms of sales. I hope they license Lesson XX, the classic of shounen ai. |
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hikaru004
 Posts: 2306 |
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I am aware of what Media Blasters distributes and Invader Zim is not anime.
Basically, their mainstream line, AnimeWorks, is gettng less mainstream and more niche imo. Their other 2 lines, Tokyo Shock and Shriek Show aren't really mainstream at all. It's nice to see that stuff come over though. Kitty Media isn't mainstream at all but it brings in income. I'm not a manga person, but those titles don't strike me as mainstream successes either. Yes, they are diversified, but not in the direction of mainstream imo. All the distributors cater in some portion to niches within the fandom as well as mainstream. I just feel that we need to see some mainstream releases too from Media Blasters in their upcoming announcements. |
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Seca
Posts: 149 Location: WA |
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I know Invader Zim isn't anime, I never said it was and because it isn't anime is why I mentioned it on it's own after I talked about Media Blasters other non-anime properties. And why does Media Blasters need to be 'mainstream'? They have to have a good solid basis in their niches or they wouldn't keep licensing those niche titles. There's no rumors of bankruptcy or layoffs for the company. The people who do buy their series are happy with the product they produce. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not having a lot of 'big name' titles. There are always going to be people who like the niche shows, like the series that most other anime fans miss out on for one reason or another and aren't big sellers. As long as they are fulfilling a demand that is out there, no matter how big or small it might be, and are turning a profit there's nothing wrong with how they are doing their business. I mean you might as well go around telling small movie studios that they need to start making multi-million blockbuster movies because that's what you think they should do even though they are doing well enough making B-rated movies. Also where are you getting your information about sales? Do you have a credited source, or any source, to back up your claims? And that's not including the 'he said, she said' of various people on a forum or message board. And maybe perhaps a working link that leads to a page with information on it, not an error page like in your above post. And if all companies cater to mainstream and niche, what mainstream titles (that aren't 'old' in your terms or a co-license) does AN Entertainment have? Manga Entertainment? Synch Point? Animeigo? Please, help me fill all these holes in your logic that I keep finding. |
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tripperdan99
 Posts: 136 |
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rgr, point taken. I just initially said it wasn't something that improves the "overall" market acceptance of anime. There will always be the fringe, bizarre and the "way out there" and there will always be someone who'll buy it. Anime is still tied to porn in many areas anyway. That's all I was observing on the announcement, or as J-Syxx wrote, a "self-appointed anime market analyst." |
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mangajunky
Company Representative
 Posts: 72 Location: New York City |
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I still don't understand what's so niche about Voltron? It's breaking sales records for everything else our company has released.
I'm not sure what your point is. Are you questioning the viability of Media Blasters? On what grounds? We're making money, we've been and industry leader for years. Our company started out releasing Magic Knight Rayearth, then Kenshin, then Berserk, 12 Kingdoms, Zim, Goddess, Voltron and I'm not even talking about the legendary titles on our live-action side. What makes a company viable? And a final point - Yaoi totally isn't niche anymore. Have you been to a Yaoi panel recently? The Yaoi After Dark panel at Anime Weekend Atlanta was so full that they had a line outside the door to jump in the place of anyone that left the room. Skyscrapers of Oz outsold all of my so-called mainstream manga titles. |
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tripperdan99
Posts: 136 |
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Profit makes a company viable, increased market share, good support on the stock price, good management, etc. If Media Blasters is able to do it with yaoi, then fine and dandy. But it's niche. There's room in the market for a lot of stuff. A packed room at AWA doesn't promote yaoi above niche. Selling out of a Yaoi title in Atlanta doesn't impress me either. But I'm glad you had good business, When I visited, the yaoi stuff wasn't what I looked at (or bought). I'm looking at this as a whole, as a part and as a sub in the anime/manga picture in North America. You call it as you see it, I'll do like wise. As well as everyone else. Have fun. td99 
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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Like it or not, anime is just Japanese cartoons. All it is is entertainment. I spend my days working in law enforcement listening to convicted felons lie to me or tell me why they can't do what the judge ordered them to do so they could get probation instead of sitting in jail. So when I come home, I want to relax & maybe laugh at some anime. Do I care not everyone shares my love of yaoi? I'm an old headbanger. I really don't give a rat's rear what ANYONE else thinks so long as I don't hurt anyone doing it. (Do as thou will, harm none, right? And what goes around comes around, so it really isn't worth doing negative stuff, right?) I love MediaBlasters because they bring us yaoi & overlooked titles, often throwing in lots of extras like interviews with the Japanese cast. I have my fingers & toes crossed they might pick up Saint Seiya since ADV is never going to finish the Assault on Santuary chapter, much less the Asgard, Posidon & Hades chapters. I had hopes they would give us Tactics, but Manga's doing that. I have many older titles I would love to see & I oppose downloading unlicensed or licensed anime (stealing is stealing). The world doesn't revolve around Naruto & Bleach--there are fans of other varieties or such stuff wouldn't be made becaeuse, like it or not, kiddies, anime is a business more than it's an art. If the studios making it didn't make a profit, they wouldn't be making it. Gee, I thought Genshiken was a popular title. Same for Shrine of the Morning Mist. I have my eye on Tekkamen Blade, Gokusen, Gakuen Heaven & Otigi Zoshi. I already have Apocalypse Zero (wow), Berserk (good title), 10 Tokyo Warriors (bishies), Babel II(Shotaro Morikubo), Cosmo Warrior Zero(Harlock), Dark Cat, Demon Fighter Kocho, Detotoko Princess (Tomokazu Seki), Early Reigns (eh. TOshiyuki Morikawa as I recall, but small role), Eiken (scary), 8 Clouds (bishies, yaoi undertones), Elf Princess Ran (funny), Ex-Driver (Shinichiro Miki), Fake (yaoi, Tomokazu Seki), Genma Wars, Gestalt (Takehito Koyasu. Hikaru Midorikawa, maybe SHo Hayami off the top of my head), Giant Robo (Kappei Yamaguchi does the cutest little boy voices & the Ginrei Special is hilarious), Gokudo (Akira Ishida, Souichiro Hoshi, hilarious. I like it more than Slayers), Gun Frontier (Harlock), Gundress (Akira Ishida), Gunparade March (Akira Ishida), Here is Greenwood (so funny. Toshihiko Seki, Kappei Yamaguchi, Mitsuo Iwata), I'll CKBC, Jewel Hunter Lime (funny. Kappei Yamaguchi), Jungle de Ikou (funny. I think it's Kappei Yamaguchi also. Megumi Hayashibara), Kite, Weiss Kreuz (Takehito Koyasu, Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, Hiro Yuuki, Hikaru Midorikawa), Kurogane Communications, Princess Rouge (Souchiro Hoshi), Level C (Akira Ishida as the uke, Shinichito Miki as the seme, Takehito Koyasu as the brother), Loveless (yaoi, Ken Narita, Katsuyuki Konishi, Takehito Koyasu), Madara (Kazuki Yao), Magic Knight Rayearth (Megumi Ogata, Jyrouta Kosugi, Clamp). Magic Users Club (Takehito Koyasu), Marriage ($5 at con), Master of Mosquiton (Takehito Koyasu, Kazuki Yao, I believe Yuji Ueda as the fire spirit), Mezzo Forte, Mirage of Blaze (Toshihiko Seki, Sho Hayami, Tomokazu Seki, yaoi), Mouse (Kappei Yamaguchi. Satoru Akahori), Ninja Cadets ($5 at con. Someone...Toshihiko Seki? can't remember), Phantom, Puppet Princess, Rurouni Kenshin (Hirotaka Suzuoki, Takehito Koyasu), Saber Marionette R (Hakaru Midorikawa. Satoru Akahori), Sadamitsu the Destroyer, Samurai Deeper Kyo (Katsuyuki Konishi, Toshihiko Seki, Tomokazu Seki, Megumi Ogata, Takehito Koyasu, Souichiro Hoshi, Akira Ishida, Sho Hayami), Samurai:Hunt for the Sword (Takehito Koyasu), Shinesmen (hilarious. Sho Hayami, Toshihiko Seki), Shura no Toki, Sukisho (yaoi, Hikaru Midorikawa, Souichiro Hoshi, Takehito Koyasu, Shinichiro Miki, Akira Ishida, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Jyrouta Kosugi), 12 Kingdoms (beautiful show. Takehito Koyasu, Akira Ishida, Yuji Ueda, Kappei Yamaguchi), Twin Signal (funny. Near-sighted attact robot. Takehito Koyasu), Virtua Fighter (Shinichiro Miki), Weathering Continent (Toshihiko Seki), Ys, & Zenki (love Zenki. Cool theme. Jyrouta Kosugi, Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Ogata, bishies). MediaBlasters remind me of the guys selling stuff out the back of a truck on the side of a freeway-they sell cheap & give us lots. We often see 3 dvds on the 12-ep series instead of 4 bigger players like Geneon or ADV prefer. They're one of my favorite companies. Tales of Terror from Tokyo is freaky. At one time it was mentioned for all the anime they have, their best seller is Zim, so, yeah, all anime is a niche market. |
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tripperdan99
Posts: 136 |
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Yes! that's what I think I've tried to say. With Yaoi, I was indicating that it's not main stream nor will it ever be, thus i.e. "niche" market. I personally hate that anime is tied to porn in the market's mind, but it does sell. I'd like to see a wider adoptation of anime/manga in North America, yaoi doesn't fill that bill. You get jazzed by it, great. The titles I've bought and enjoy, I'm pretty sure you won't give a rats arse about. That business, find the need, fill the need. The greatest potential isn't hentai, yaoi or any other social deviant product. Thank you for your public service. Having previously spent 15 years doing law enforcement, I certainly know what you mean. |
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hikaru004
Posts: 2306 |
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Seca, nowhere in my posts did I mention "sales". If I did have access to those numbers, I wouldn't be able to post them.
Manga: GitS franchise Synchpoint: FLCL (2000, US broadcast 2003, US DVD release 2002-2003, 2006 re-release) AN Entertainment: Hare+Guu (2001-2003, released 2006); Miami Guns (2000, released 2004) Animeigo is actually an example of a diversified niche distributor imo. They have not licensed any newer anime titles. Their most recent acquisition, Yawara, is circa 1989-1992. Before that, I believe the last acquistion was You're Under Arrest TV Series 1 circa 1996-1997. Last edited by hikaru004 on Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:55 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Seca
Posts: 149 Location: WA |
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But there is a market for yaoi/BL and MB is catering to those fans with picking up these kinds of titles, which is something the 'big 4' aren't doing. Do you really think MB is wrong for supplying yaoi/BL fans with something they are demanding that the other anime companies aren't really giving them? I do understand where you are coming from but I don't see what the problem is for MB to pick up BL series. These series aren't going to be seen by the public at large, series like Naruto, Bleach and Eureka 7 that are getting air time on TV are what the casual viewer will see. BL titles are for an existing fanbase, hence why MB isn't even bothering to dub them (something that does turn off the casual anime fan from watching a series). |
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CCSYueh
Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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I don't really go for the porn side. I saw one manga-ka comment the younger fans want explicit while the older want romance. I just want pretty boys in love-kissing, holding hands, etc. Loveless is considered yaoi but the plot includes the fact one loses one's ears & tail along with one's virginity & Ritsuko has his ears still when the story ends, as did his brother when the story ends. It, like Earthin by the same manga-ka includes normal couples & yuri couples as well as yaoi couples.
The biggest reaction I get is "It's gay. You want to read about gay guys?" No, the point is lack of annoying females characters like Nami/One Piece, Sakura/Naruto. The biggest issue I see to anime being bigger than a niche is the HUGE attitude "Cartoons are for kids" My co-workers can't see my interest in cartoons or fantasy. Cartoons are something to entertain the kids while one sleeps in on Saturday/gets some work done around the house, etc. Adults watch live-action shows. It floors them when I relate that much as we might read the morning newspaper on a bus, Japanese adults can be seen in public reading comic books. The whole anime/manga line is too immature to the American Grown-Up. Believe me, I've had more than one new co-worker see me reading manga &-"you're reading a comic book(snicker, snicker)". Luckily the content is usually adult enough (Seraphic Feather, 3X3 Eyes, Hellsing, Bastard) I can find a non-child-friendly scene to share as I explain it's not kid stuff/more soap opera/penny dreadfuls. My office is infamous in the building with my 2-drawyer file cabinet manned by my Saint Seiya plastic figures & walls covered in posters from GetBackers, Saint Seiya, Saiyuki, DMP yaoi freebies from con And thank you! I've been in law enforcement for 11 yrs now, although I worked in a different department in local government for 7 yrs prior to that. If I can last 14 more yrs I can retire at full pay. I'm shooting for 9 more yrs & 80% |
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mangajunky
Company Representative
Posts: 72 Location: New York City |
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Fine, then we must be in agreement. 
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daxomni
 Posts: 2650 Location: Somewhere else. |
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I agree that Media Blasters is not where I go for lots of mainstream hits. However, when it comes to hentai their Kitty Media line is among the very best. They've released several relatively high-profile adult anime titles that can still cost a lot of cash to license. If Media Blasters was really hurting then there is little chance that Kitty Media would be able to keep brining out new titles like they are. |
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