Forum - View topicNEWS: Bandai Visual USA Makes Website 'Interim Retail Center'
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calawain
Posts: 192 Location: New York, NY |
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It's silly for them to charge so much, so I'm not surprised. I've seen their releases, but that's only because I have Netflix where it costs like like 1.50 per DVD to watch, rather then actually dumping 40 bucks on ownership.
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james039
Posts: 103 |
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To those who don't wish to pay the high BV prices, but want to watch one of their series' Netflix is a great solution. Actually, if you look at it this way, it's probably because of the insane price of DVD's in Japan that the anime rental business does so well over there. |
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starcade
Posts: 204 |
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It would not surprise me. (In fact, it would not surprise me if this happened relatively soon -- this is a gamble for Bandai Visual USA which better work out for their sake.) [quote-"Porcupine"] As far as I could tell, Bandai Visual's pricing schemes were not working anyway. I don't have any official info on this, but even if someone tells me Bandai Visual has been prospering and says that is official I would not be likely to believe them (unless they really had solid proof of source). In my state anime has been doing extremely well but I've hardly ever seen a BV title be bought in any store. If I go every week to check, it's always the exact same BV titles that are there, in the exact same quantities as before, in the exact same spots, completely untouched. [/quote] And not only that, but, as I posted before: BV's president says there are only 200K core anime fans in the States to begin with. That makes this move.... puzzling.
Of course, at that point, who, short of Funi (and that's if Navarre doesn't continue to cannibalize them) and ADV (and maybe Viz) is going to survive... |
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Porcupine
 Posts: 1033 |
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Actually, one thing that could potentially happen (and I'm not saying that it will) after/if Geneon USA dies, is that Funi, Bandai, and ADV could actually thrive since a primary competitor just died. Furthermore, I could really see companies that right now are a little bit underfed, such as Anime Works and US Manga and Right Stuf, suddenly get very happy and energetic after the death of Geneon USA. Now they will have more food. Now they might get some of the business that Geneon USA might have devoured before. They might even get to pay lower licensing fees since they now have less competition (and the foolish company that was willing to pay over-the-top licensing fees died from overeating).
I'm not saying this will happen. It's just a possibility. I definitely think this will be a contributing phenomenon to whatever happens post-Geneon though. I still think that overall Geneon USA's death will cause much anger and unrest in the anime community and that overall the anime industry and all anime licensing companies will suffer in the end. I think that will be the biggest factor. But I'm just saying that there are other factors also, and Anime Works and US Manga might be happy to see Geneon USA go. Even ADVision might be happy to see them go. Had Geneon USA exited the industry gracefully (completed their current licenses and obligations) I would have been happy to see them go too. I was raving that I wanted Geneon USA to go out of business back when they messed up my beloved Fate/Stay Night Vol 2, lol. It's actually come true.  (BTW, I'm not happy that Geneon USA is going, but it's only because they are not completing their current titles. But what should I expect from the anime licensor that I've held in the lowest regard since 1 year ago, lol).
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10420 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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Errr, I hate to correct my own staff, but dubbing is the process of recording voice and syncing it to video. The original language recording is indeed a "dub." -t |
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purple_monkey
Posts: 48 |
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The problem with the low eps/dvd count, you need to remember, is that they need to make a profit. If people don't buy, they have two routes. They can increase prices (which is what they are doing) or close shop (like Geneon). DVD sales don't really increase in numbers much over the years, making it a very risky business. And before you go saying companies like ADV are doing great, remember that they make a lot of money off of thinpacks (licenses they do not have to recoup or pay any money for again) and their Andromeda/whatever other US sci-fi TV shows they own. That offsets the losses from titles that don't sell.
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Xenofan 29A
 Posts: 378 |
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Given how much of the recording process for LA movies is now done in ADR, why don't you go ahead and call all movies "dubbed"? The problem is that the animation was synched to the original script, and no matter how accurate the translation, it's still going to be a translation, and not a fully accurate representation. |
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Aresef
Posts: 909 Location: MD |
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TRSI actually doesn't license much at all, generally. AW and US Manga Corps are labels of Media Blasters and CPM respectively, and while the former is still kicking, the latter has been coasting since bankruptcy anyway. |
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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You're talking "art house"-type movies where they're left in their original language for the "purity" of the project--the director, etc. Fans of these titles are ususally willing to pay more per ticket/dvd(I think I paid $35 for M in German which I considered a good deal because it is an awesome movie starring Peter Lorre). These fans will also drive a bit further out to see the film maybe. We have one arthouse in Kensington, one in Hillcrest & one in the Valley. I know the AMC in La Jolla plays fims other AMC theaters doesn't & the Del Mar UltraStar never really plays the "masses" movies (It's where I saw The Life Aquatic) Other foreign films are dubbed to appeal to the masses. It's that simple Target audience Anime's target audience is more masses than art-house. Bandai Visual seems to be aiming for that group-people who are willing to pay something more similar to the Japanese price for their anime so they put out selected titles. They know we wouldn't pay these prices for Naruto, but we will for the titles we are buying. If you balk at the price, they you aren't that audience. |
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Tyrenol
Posts: 398 Location: Northern California |
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Geneon hadn't "gone belly-up." They're "retreating and regrouping." We do not know if they're coming back or not.
Bandai Visual USA? Who knows? Maybe they'll last longer than expected. But the lack of English dubbing (and the high prices; along with a way of direct contact with the company) had turned BVUSA into an "enemy to anime fans" overnight. Remember, BVUSA had taken some popular titles and didn't do what Bandai Entertainment did. Galaxy Angel Rune (which is basically a moe shadow of the regular Galaxy Angels)... Bandai Ent needs to "license-rescue" this one.
How do you know that it's 8-to-2, James039? Lest we forget; anime is a "NICHE" market. Cable companies get like #,000,000 viewers per show. Famous musicians can push #00,000 albums in one week. The most popular anime title... Around #000 units? Do we really know? |
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james039
Posts: 103 |
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I don't have any statistics, but based *only* on the threads I've seen in these types of forums, for every 4 BV-USA bashers in a thread, one guy will make a post defending them. My post though was less about the numbers and more about the point that BV support isn't completely non-existant in the anime community, and that even small numbers can keep them alive because their prices are much higher. Of course, this is all speculative, however, I have personally purchased several of their titles (and I'm not even all that rich, just really into some of the series they happen to offer, and it was worth it for me). |
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GATSU
Posts: 15307 |
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Za_Randomness: Criterion's discs are, in some ways, more overpriced than BV's discs, because their transfers are overrated, and sometimes, they'll charge you a higher cost for a bare-bones disc.
Cornered: It depends on the live-action film. It's usually about cost, and whether the film would significantly reach a wider audience, if they included a dub track. Anyway, while I do prefer my anime subbed, trying to penetrate a market which is still overwhelmingly pro-dub, but not anti-sub, is suicide. Plus if BV's going to include Manga's dubs as selling points for some of their titles, there's no excuse for them including dubs on most, if not all of, their titles. Emerje: Anime Village didn't really have a choice back then, because anime was more niche, and thus more risky. Hell, if Gundam Wing hadn't been a hit for them, they'd have been out of business for sure. Porcupine: I'll admit I'm pissed about not finishing Shin Lupin, but I really think it'll be better without them, too. They flooded the market with shitty harem and kiddy shows, and they were too stubborn to sell their dvd sets at more competitive prices sooner. And they were really awful at marketing niche titles which were good, making you wonder why they bothered licensing them in the first place. purple: ADV sells their discs individually, too. The problem wasn't specifically the pricing, but the fact that they were so slow to sell their shows at reduced rates, once they made their money back. |
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Tyrenol
Posts: 398 Location: Northern California |
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I do that a lot as well; basing what I know on a bunch of threads, posts, blogs, etc. I, for one, am not exactly saying that a company like BVUSA wouldn't exist. I'm saying that there would've been a lot less bashing if they didn't make the decisions they made. Good for anybody who bought titles from BVUSA. But bad decisions, depending on how bad they are, will be in the memory of some people forever. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15307 |
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Didn't really pay attention to this article until now, but it's like STA and Jojo all over again! Except the irony is that STA had to sell the series from their site precisely because Broccoli stopped distributing for them. So I really don't get why Broccoli thinks a series which is based on a Jump title in print and which had a marginally lucrative video game released in the U.S. is less likely to sell than BV's overpriced anime, but whatever floats their boat. [And while we're at it, why the hell is Galaxy Angel Rune a bigger priority for them than I'm Gonna Be an Angel?!] They have to realize, though, that they're gonna be competing with Animeigo, Right Stuf, and ImaginAsian now for the same otaku cash, and those three companies sell their stuff in bulk.
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