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ADV Films [2008-03-23]

The comments about the unfinished Geneon series are disturbing, however. I have to think there's still a good amount of fan interest in seeing When They Cry finished, and I'd certainly like to see someone pick up the rest of Story of Saiunkoku.

That runs against everything I ever heard in regards to the R2 industry and the R1 industry.

It's the big-budget, mainstream stuff that's in trouble. Critically acclaimed shows like Serei no Moribito (~2k per volume) have bombed hard, while Claymore and Darker than Black (~5k to 7k copies per volume) fall well short of the traditional break-even point (10k per volume). These kinds of shows depend on foreign sales to become profitable.

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That runs against everything I ever heard in regards to the R2 industry and the R1 industry.

Yeah, it depends on the title in question. Lower-budget moé shows are more likely to be self-sustainable, so it's no coincidence that studios emphasize that market. While product doesn't sell as well as before (although numbers still tend to look better than many "mainstream" titles), the threshold for success is lower.

It's the big-budget, mainstream stuff that's in trouble. Critically acclaimed shows like Serei no Moribito (~2k per volume) have bombed hard, while Claymore and Darker than Black (~5k to 7k copies per volume) fall well short of the traditional break-even point (10k per volume). These kinds of shows depend on foreign sales to become profitable.

In short, the weaker the foreign markets, the less lavish, mainstream product (appealing to overseas fans, but less to Japanese otaku) we'll see. Studios respond by tightening budgets and making more of what's guaranteed to sell.

He also argued that even making English-language dubs available at the same time as the Japanese release is not impossible. Ultimately, in his words, day-and-date releases between the U.S. and Japan will happen "because they have to happen", if the entire industry is to survive.

All of this is distracting from what should be the biggest point of that panel: a satisfying explanation for what happened to ADV in February, and why TTGL and Sgt. Frog are still off-schedule. Hopefully that will lessen the heat some fans have been giving ADV for the delays and further reassure the ones that are still antsy.

HOLY CRAP! Amazing. All those naysayers who insisted that it was impossible were all a bunch of liars. Apparently it ISN'T impossible, and we can stop making excuses, yes?

Wait…your line of reasoning confuses me. Wasn't Naruto popular in Japan and isn't it popular here as well? Also, when you speak of "mainstream" appeal isn't that argument somewhat subjective considering animes like EVA, while popular amongst many Japanese/US anime fans, bombed when aired on American television. I understand that some shows may not appeal to Japanese fans as opposed to US fans; but by what standard are we using to determine what is and isn’t appealing to American audiences?(Because I assume overseas fans would encompass more than America.)

I'm also interested in why he thinks season boxsets aren't necessarily the best route.

At the same time, ADV has experienced a period of release schedule delays. The delays were largely due to the original ownership of the affected titles in Japan transfering from their original owners that ADV had acquired them from to new companies.

Gurren Lagann and Keroro Gunso, for which ADV is "negotiating to maximize the value of the title in the U.S.", strongly suggesting ongoing negotiations to place it on American television.

Similarly, while some other companies are beginning to look into novel release formats, such as half-season sets, he argues that for the industry as a whole, single DVD releases are not yet economically feasible. Ultimately, those remain a significant revenue generator to recoup licensing and production costs. ADV may consider full-season distribution for some future "C-level" titles, but even for those, half-season sets are not likely.

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He also argued that even making English-language dubs available at the same time as the Japanese release is not impossible. Ultimately, in his words, day-and-date releases between the U.S. and Japan will happen "because they have to happen", if the entire industry is to survive.

HOLY CRAP! Amazing. All those naysayers who insisted that it was impossible were all a bunch of liars. Apparently it ISN'T impossible, and we can stop making excuses, yes?

The comments about the unfinished Geneon series are disturbing, however. I have to think there's still a good amount of fan interest in seeing When They Cry finished, and I'd certainly like to see someone pick up the rest of Story of Saiunkoku.

All of this is distracting from what should be the biggest point of that panel: a satisfying explanation for what happened to ADV in February, and why TTGL and Sgt. Frog are still off-schedule. Hopefully that will lessen the heat some fans have been giving ADV for the delays and further reassure the ones that are still antsy.

The comments about the unfinished Geneon series are disturbing, however. I have to think there's still a good amount of fan interest in seeing When They Cry finished, and I'd certainly like to see someone pick up the rest of Story of Saiunkoku.

ADV Films wrote:

At the same time, ADV has experienced a period of release schedule delays. The delays were largely due to the original ownership of the affected titles in Japan transfering from their original owners that ADV had acquired them from to new companies.

So the reason all the titles were delayed had nothing to do with Blu-Ray. As I expected, BTW. I am still a bit mystified as to why that became the accepted reasoning for that whole debacle. But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.