Forum - View topicAnswerman - Are Physical Anime Releases In Danger?
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EricJ2
 Posts: 4016 |
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Anime fans are the one set of disk buyers who've known more keenly than anyone else the value of guarding physical releases, collecting them while the getting is good, and "preserving" a lasting record of the show, before someone takes it away again (which we know can happen very frequently and very unexpectedly), back before collecting movies on VHS became a thing for everyone else.
We knew what the value of keeping VHS shelves was for back when we had to tape/copy/trade it all ourselves, we tried to spread the word about imported Laserdisc back when it was virtually dead in the US, and we were the engine that popularized the home appeal of DVD (less shelf space, no fast-forwarding for episodes, no degrading tapes, and dual-audio and subs to end the Sub-Dub Wars), back in the '97 days when nobody else knew what the gadget was for. And considering what we went through to get them, we made sure it was worth it. The 00's Bubble redefined the market machinery for getting episodes out, translated and exposed on disk--now we audition new series on streaming before buying, instead of plunking down $39 on a high-profile title acquisition sight-unseen--but for those we do want to keep, the Collector urge never left our philosophy...Unlike download-happy mainstream movie fans, who buy into the studios' self-serving propaganda of "Don't you hate your cluttered shelves?" Anime fans LOVE their cluttered shelves, because for thirty years, we've known what it is: Our own National Archives of anime. 
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5424 Location: Iscandar |
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I will add that both seasons of Knights of Sidonia (Netflix exclusives) have been licensed for physical release by Sentai. So, there is a very good chance that Seven Deadly Sins, Ajin and other future Netflix titles will see disc releases.
I imagine that Kabaneri and future Amazon titles will also be licensed for physical release. Like Justin, I am convinced that physical releases of anime are going to be around for a while. The day that my favorite animes are no longer offered in physical media formats, I will probably stop consuming new titles and stick to rewatching the anime discs I own. |
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revolutionotaku
Posts: 886 |
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I enjoy collecting anime on DVD & Blu-ray.
The only downside is that it sometimes cost so much money to buy them. A complete anime series can cost around $60 brand new. That's sometimes way too much for someone who's short on cash during touch financial times. |
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Wingbeats
 Posts: 272 Location: Boise, Idaho |
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I bet, if anything, the ephemeral nature of streaming will be a driving factor in physical media sticking around. I, for one, immediately bought all of FMA: Brotherhood on blu ray when Funi announced the license was expiring. While I don't care much about blu rays in general, and I'm not rich enough to buy most of the anime I want, I still wanted to ensure my continued access to the series for the future, and Funi had reasonable disk prices at the time.
So, I'm always happy to grab blu rays of my very favorite series, since who knows when the streaming may get dropped? I'd rather give the publishers my money than the illegal torrents I'd have to do otherwise. I can't be the only one 
(Now if only someone put out Natsume's Book of Friends on blu ray, I would buy all of it....I missed it when it was released before, grrrr...) |
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Serge Night
Posts: 1 |
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Personally, I'd prefer to have a physical/download-to-own copy of a series rather than having to stream it. It's mostly due to the uncertainty of a series staying online (e.g. the Japanese version of Digimon being removed from Netflix).
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Chacranajxy
Posts: 14 |
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Streaming is a fine option as a show is airing for the first time, but I have absolutely no interest in streaming a show that's been out for a while -- in every instance, I'd rather have the blu-ray. Better video, better audio, and I own the thing -- I don't have to worry about issues with the show being taken down or server problems, etc.
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5424 Location: Iscandar |
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That seems a bit high. I don't know where you live, but the Right Stuff typically sells complete series at $40-50.
Unless you wanted the Premium Editions, NIS America rereleased the 4 seasons on regular editions. http://www.rightstufanime.com/category/Blu~ray,DVD?keywords=natsune%27s%20book%20of%20friends |
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Triltaison
 Posts: 724 |
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-And to me, that's amazingly cheap. I remember $40-$80+ single volumes on DVD and VHS, and you only got 2-4 episodes on each volume. Multiply that by the length of the series, and I thank the anime gods for that $60 complete anime series set. I'm not rich by far, but I am significantly more well off with that $60 set than I used to be. |
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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I can definitely say, having worked in a store that still sells VCRs and video tapes, there is a small but dedicated market for videotapes. Most of the people looking for tapes are looking for movies that, for one reason or another, has never been released in any other format, is a lot harder to find in other formats, or is more expensive in other formats. The people looking for VCRs do so most commonly because they already have an existing collection of tapes and their VCR broke. At least, among customers who explain to us why they're buying them. (People looking for Laserdiscs and Betamax tapes, as well as their players, do so for the same reasons.) We'd also get a lot of "For Your Consideration" and distributor-use-only tapes, which seem to have some inherent collector's value.
But I think it says something that Fry's Electronics still sells VCRs, and they're sold for about US$100 last I looked. (I am also one such person who has a collection of tapes but no working VCR.) As for audiocassettes, almost nobody buys those.
Definitely. Remember that time when Amazon briefly pulled George Orwell's novel 1984 from all of its digital venues? What a coincidentially appropriate book. It made me realize when you purchase something digitally, for the most part, you don't truly own a copy of it, not even a digital copy, and I'll assume as such unless I can create a backup copy on an external hard drive that remains disconnected to the web and it has no expiration date. |
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Wingbeats
Posts: 272 Location: Boise, Idaho |
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Yeah, I feel silly about buying DVDs when I can stream the show in HD. I'd much rather get blu rays. I have a hard time justifying $50 for 13 eps on a DVD. It was the premium editions I was sad about missing out on - I only got into Natsume a couple years ago, and by that time the blu rays were out of print and expensive. /first world weeb problems, lol |
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Flah
Posts: 25 |
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From what I've heard, cassettes are making a resurgence because of American prisons. Basically, it's a safety concern. Wardens are allowing tapes into their prisons because they believe they're more difficult than CD's to break and turn into a shiv (if one ignores the fact that they still have a plastic casing that can still do some nasty damage when broken into little pieces). Nonetheless, they think these are safer, so they let it slide.
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mgosdin
 Posts: 1302 Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA |
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I think some of it could be linked with the Guardians of the Galaxy movie and it's use of an Audio Cassette. But, mostly it's a side effect from the Vinyl boom. In the mean time I'm able to add CD's to my collection for $1 to $1.50 each used and I have something like 200 Audio Cassettes including several dozen NOS blanks. As you can see I'm a dedicated physical media person, I use streaming to audition series for potential physical purchase when available. I don't think that Anime on Blu-Ray / DVD will go away any time soon, but I do worry that the collector's releases will be emphasized over regular editions to the detriment of all the fans. Mark Gosdin |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Streaming is a delightful advance over the ancien régime of fansubs and blind-buys, though its limitations linger. Intermittent internet connections and the sheer sluggishness of Flash players can still deny one the satisfaction of moderate fidelity, something that need never be said of the trusty DVD.
On such a note, I am reluctant to advance to the Blu-ray standard. Firstly due to the more stringent regional locking and copy protection systems one has to countenance—especially when compared to the long-surpassed measures used by its predecessor—and secondly, albeit perhaps less pressingly, due to its flagrant misspelling of the word 'blue'. Last edited by Zin5ki on Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Redlinks
Posts: 496 Location: America |
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$60 is not a lot of money at all. Anime in Japan costs way more than it does here. A complete series set in Japan can cost easily anywhere from $100-$500. Maybe more; and because our boxsets are so cheap, many anime fans in Japan have been importing their dvds from America. We're very privileged to have our anime be so cheap. |
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5317 |
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Awhile ago I had really bad internet for a fortnight, and I wasn't able to stream anything. I was very happy I had a collection so i could still be watching shows.
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