×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Anime Collectible Maker Southern Island Goes Bankrupt


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
NezuChiza



Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 32
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:42 pm Reply with quote
It's more proof of the end of the world! AHHHHHH!

With that out of the way, this is only somewhat sad. Some of their products were just hideous.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Kiyoko



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 131
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:20 pm Reply with quote
Aw, thats too bad.

While their original figures were somewhat poor, I purchased the deluxe Ed & Al FMA figures that they imported from Japan. I was hoping to buy the Roy Mustang & Movie-version human Alphonse from them, but it looks like I'm gonna have to spend countless hours trying to hunt them down from other importers. Anime cry

But I think the niche-figurine market just isn't what it used to be. I remember when Palisades Toys went bankrupt, despite a loyal following from Muppets & Invader Zim fans.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
E-Arkham



Joined: 31 May 2004
Posts: 53
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:54 pm Reply with quote
They're auctioning off less than 10k worth of toys as part of the liquidation. Is that Southern Island's complete remaining stock? If so, that's rather small. 10k is still considered a "limited edition" run for many toy companies.

How big was this company?

Kep
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Proz512



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 74
Location: Texas, Ya'll
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:07 pm Reply with quote
/insert sky is falling...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Emerje



Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7328
Location: Maine
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:21 pm Reply with quote
Good riddance. They were just another up-start toy company tying up licenses with promises of horrible looking toys. They greedily sucked up all of the Funimation licenses they could, but never got beyond releasing those horrible Fruits Basket "maquettes" (they're statues, maquettes are something all together different), and importing a few things. They're attempt at doing Fullmetal Alchemist was the biggest disappointment, the sculpts were hideous, but they couldn't see it, stating several times that they were superior to their Japanese counterparts. I have no problem with "new" companies trying new things, but this is proof positive that you do not want to bite off more than you can chew. They got what they deserved, they were juggling some dozen or so licences with no products released to pay for them.

Emerje
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
miji



Joined: 30 Jun 2006
Posts: 74
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Their figures are hideous, so it really isn't a surprise that they would go under. Though, it is sad to know that some people will be losing their jobs.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
AnimeCornerStore
Accredited Retailer


Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 119
Location: Winchester, VA USA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:38 pm Reply with quote
miji wrote:
Their figures are hideous, so it really isn't a surprise that they would go under. Though, it is sad to know that some people will be losing their jobs.


Gads, I have to agree, they did market some horrible looking figures. We never carried them because of that.

I think this is just another case of poor execution vs. 'the sky is falling'.

Robert
www.animecornerstore.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
kokuryu



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 915
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:49 pm Reply with quote
Hmmm, a mix of both good and bad from them. One thing that definitely killed them - no advertising. I had no clue they even existed until the bankruptcy notice here.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
child of Lilith



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 137
Location: Egg of Lilith ( the black moon)
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:09 pm Reply with quote
kokuryu wrote:
Hmmm, a mix of both good and bad from them. One thing that definitely killed them - no advertising. I had no clue they even existed until the bankruptcy notice here.


Sad but true, I never heard of them before this ether.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
domino



Joined: 25 Nov 2004
Posts: 373
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:33 pm Reply with quote
If that picture of figures is any indication of the quality of their merchandise, this is probably good news.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Haipaa_Koneko



Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 28
Location: somewhere in the midwest
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:33 am Reply with quote
I have to agree with everyone those are just terrible character renditions, even my cheapest gashapon is better than what they put out. I truly am sorry to hear they went out of buisness because that means alot of people need to find new jobs, but they should have put better quality into their work.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger
poweranime



Joined: 29 Jun 2004
Posts: 51
Location: Los Angeles
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:12 am Reply with quote
hmmmpf... pretty good pricing on the medicom toys, but too bad they didn't keep up... looks like I'll have to import the FMA Roy and Al from Japan myself for my customers... if they were really on it, they could have nabbed the Medicom Deathnote figures... which are going through Sideshow now...

Up next, Jazzwarez.... grotesque at best
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Kiyoko



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 131
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:47 am Reply with quote
poweranime wrote:
hmmmpf... pretty good pricing on the medicom toys, but too bad they didn't keep up... looks like I'll have to import the FMA Roy and Al from Japan myself for my customers...


I love you already. <3
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
tekwych



Joined: 18 Mar 2005
Posts: 75
Location: New Mexico
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 11:57 am Reply with quote
Considering his business practices as a web retailer before becoming a manufacture, attitude toward other figure manufactures, and complete disregard when offered advise from people far more knowledgeable and successful in the industry this is NO suprise.

That said I expect to see at least 2 'A' list collector market manufactures go out of business before July 08. Neither has any Anime or Manga lines but both have CLOSE ties to the movie industry.

The toy Industry is imploding imports, with their lower profit margin, will be MUCH harder to come by through stateside manufactures. The Toy Industry Association (TIA) is proposing that the government place new tariffs and testing on 'toys' coming from Asia. This will seriously effect the collectors market and problems for many Manga and Anime figure collectors as well. Pay attention to this bill when it gets introduced and talk with your representatives, this will hit a lot closer to home than most think.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Lucca_Ashtear



Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 68
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:01 pm Reply with quote
I think my gut reaction to this was "...great, now I'll never be able to order one of those medicom figures off their website."
It's a shame about the company. I think if they had focused more on importing figures (like when they were granted exclusive rights to distribute the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward and Alphonse figures) they may have had a better chance. Instead, they put all their money into snatching up big name properties and sculpting their own collectibles that (if this thread is any indication) no one wanted to buy.
tekwych wrote:
The Toy Industry Association (TIA) is proposing that the government place new tariffs and testing on 'toys' coming from Asia. This will seriously effect the collectors market and problems for many Manga and Anime figure collectors as well. Pay attention to this bill when it gets introduced and talk with your representatives, this will hit a lot closer to home than most think.

I'm worried about this as well. As a child, I used to collect miniature pewter sculptures (dragons, wizards, and whatnot), you could find them fairly easily at gift shops and mall kiosks. By the mid nineties, the US had really cracked down on items containing lead ..and as a result ...those collectibles pretty much went the way of the dodo.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group