×
  • 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: Funimation Negotiating to Acquire Geneon Titles


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9  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
Lanisatu



Joined: 25 Nov 2002
Posts: 65
Location: Vaughan, Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:05 pm Reply with quote
KabaKabaFruit wrote:
As for Sailor Moon, yes Toei still holds a lockdown on the license. However, considering FUNimation's successes with Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, they have proven to Toei that they can successfully market their properties in America. Now, if the same can be done for One Piece, it may be possible for FUNimation to negotiate the license for Sailor Moon. However, knowing Toei, they may demand a successful TV deal and considering the age of Sailor Moon, FUNimation may have no choice but to DVNR the entire series to make it look fresh enough for television. It's a possibility but I'm not sure.


I'm not sure how easy it would be to secure a US television deal, but a Canadian one would be pretty much guaranteed. YTV would be foolish to not air it, either on YTV or the forthcoming Anime Channel. I suppose Cartoon Network is the most viable option in the US, but I honestly haven't watched CN enough to know if that seems practical.

Porcupine wrote:
I too would look forward to a Sailor Moon re-release. I've been waiting for it for years. I wonder if they could release the original versions with the original dub voices though? Seeing as there were even several versions of the dub, it might be a problem. But I really liked the American soundtrack they used for the first couple seasons, IMO it was way better than the Japanese soundtrack. I didn't like the dub voices so much but for me the music is way more important.


Several versions? There were several voice actor changes, but there was really just one switch -- from Dic to Cloverway. The latter seemed to use a more faithful translation. There were certain actors that I liked (and I doubt there are many voice actors of Roland Parliament's calibre), but Terri Hawkes and her replacement, Linda Ballantyne; were too over-the top in their acting, I think.

As for the music, I think I'd like to see a bit more of an incorporation of the original music if a dub were to be re-done. It has a different feel to it, and I'm sure a happy medium could be reached.

Hon'ya-chan wrote:
Lanisatu wrote:
I don't know if either company would be interested in making a new dub for the series; but even if we were just to see an uncut subtitled release there is at least the possibility of airing on the future "The Anime Channel" (YTV would be foolish to not consider it, considering how successful SM was for them initially on YTV).


Given how dated some of the animation is, a TV relaunch is next to impossible. Plus i'm not 100% sure if there is even a market for Girl-based magical shows (Hasn't 4Kids bombed with Magical DoReMi?)


The Anime Channel is a niche specialty station targeted at adults (we're still waiting for news on a launch date). There is absolutely nothing stopping them from airing older content or even subtitled content. Both of which they should do, considering the market that this station will generally appeal to -- Canadian anime fans, primarily adults. The occasional classic or retro show would be a welcome addition to the programming.

Also, Sailor Moon was hugely successful for YTV from the beginning, when they started airing it in 1995. Why YTV has not really picked up another shoujo series, despite significant demand for it from female Canadian anime fans is beyond me. They air various shows that appeal to the same type of audience, but they haven't really aired anything primarily shoujo for ages.

Obviously, television stations are making the same assumptions as you -- that there is no market for girl-focused shows. (Or that the boy-centric shows have cooler toys...)

There's a reason why Sailor Moon was so successful in Canada -- we hadn't seen something that positive and girl-focused in ages. And girls do need that kind of entertainment, especially in a world that seems to think that most TV shows for kids should be focused on the 8-12 year old boy.

Oh, and let's also not forget the insane popularity that shoujo manga has now. Do you really think television is all that far off?

(there have been other Canadian networks airing classic/ retro anime recently; so it's not that far-fetched.)

I am not speaking about US television here. I know that it's different in the US, and would likely be more complicated. But there is an option in Canada.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:38 pm Reply with quote
FireChick wrote:
Does this mean Geneon might get better soon? If so, Shounen Onmyouji DVDs here I come! And Rozen Maiden and many others! Very Happy


Unfortunately no. In fact, it means the opposite. This announcement pretty much crushes any hope than Geneon was going to find a new distributer and return to business. If they're trying to sell off the licenses to their shows, then it's probably safe to say they don't plan to ever begin distributing them again.

Really, if you're one of the optomisitic people who thought Geneon might still return this is actually bad news. It means we will get some of Geneon's stuff again at some point but they odds are probably very very low of us getting anywhere near all their stuff. There's only so much Funimation can take on.

Of course if you weren't optimistic about Geneon's revival which in my opinion was the more realistic view, this is excellent news. It isn't perfect but it's a whole lot better than nothing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
CloverKuroba



Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Posts: 506
PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:45 pm Reply with quote
Awesome. Maybe I'll finally get to check out Saiunkoku now that it might actually get finished.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nekedo



Joined: 16 Nov 2006
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:47 pm Reply with quote
Maybe I'll actually get to complete Law of Ueki Very Happy
Chances seem slim though, since I don't think it was that well-known.

Well, better not to count my chickens before they hatch. Just have to sit and pray I suppose.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:30 am Reply with quote
Porcupine wrote:

If someone could magically guarantee me that things would work out, and everything would be back to normal in a year (and remain reasonably stable that way thereafter) I would have been willing to wait. Impatience has never driven my viewing habits, that's part of the reason I've felt no temptation to watch fansubs before. I don't need to see the absolute newest thing all the time.

I agree that if we wait, things might return to normal. But they might not. So I made my decision. And at least for me, part of the things that made me decide to do what I did, are the fault of the anime licensing companies. If Geneon USA hadn't been botching the video quality on certain volumes of Fate/Stay Night...if ADVision hadn't botched the video quality on the intros to several animes...if Bandai Entertainment hadn't botched up the entire Haruhi DVD release at an abnormally low bitrate (and had the audacity to still ask us to pay $60 per release)...things might be different.


There aren't any guarantees in this world. I'm sure the people involved in the movie Heath Ledger was doing when he died are scrambling to see what they can do. I bought my computer with a 2 yr extended warranty from Comp USA because I always liked their service department--that was November 2006. They pulled out of the San Diego area by March of the next year. Would I have bought my computer there had I known? Probably not.


I have the first 4 Fate Stay Night dvds-I'm not seeing any issue with them. Granted, I don't see a lot to the series overall so maybe I'm not really paying attention. Same for Shana--watching it wondering what the fuss is. I've had more problems with Funi discs than just about any other company.

All your excuses sound like that-excuses.
Hopefully you'll repent.
I admit I was so pissed when ADV dumped Tactics, I picked up the bootleg (which taught me bootlegs suck, though I watched it cursing ADV vehemently) I pre-ordered every single volume from Manga when they took it over. You have to support the people who do nice things for you. People moan about all the yaoi manga, but the one thing I see in the yaoi community is huge amounts of support for titles. MediaBlasers has screwed up more prints than I can remember-Level C, THunderbolt Boys, but the gals still support them & they're allegedly working on the issue & promise to keep up bringing us yaoi.

Would I buy Bootlegs of Geneon product? Only if I grew very, very, very disillusioned. Like maybe 2 or 3 yrs down the road. Right now I'm willing to see it as a bad situation (I can't believe they would have even bothered launching titles like Shonen Onmyoji & Saiunkoku unless they expected to continue doing business in the US so this had to be an unforseen debaucle for them) Right now I'm willing to wait a year or so for the fire sale prices to set in-Geneon figure they need the cash more than they need to ask premium prices. If the licensee gets a good deal, they might pass it on to us in the form of boxed seasons rather than indivdual dvds (Though it would be wonderful if they could even offer both, I really don't need to re-buy all of KKM when I was keeping up with the Geneon releases) I would love to fill out my lovely Shonen Onmyoji box, but I'd settle for a brick set if it meant getting the whole thing even though it would mean re-buying the first 10 eps. Same for Saiunkoku-if I had to re-purchase the first eps, I would do it in a heartbeat just to complete it.

Stuff happens. We have to support our companies.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
bob_loblaw



Joined: 14 Oct 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Tanning in Hell
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:39 am Reply with quote
Wow. Several pages of posts and not a single mention of what I believe is one of the most obvious Geneon licenses FUNi would like to get their hands on:

Guardian of the Sacred Spirit (Seirei no Moribito)

Aside from the fact that it's a creative successor to Ghost in the Shell: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, Scholastic is poised to release the original novels of Moribito in English. That's an excellent cross-promotional possibility to whoever lands the rights to the title.

I'm not worried about Hellsing and When They Cry finding a good home. Moribito is the one major Geneon license I am most looking forward to owning in R1.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 4463
Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:57 am Reply with quote
Bob Loblaw:

I understand Hellsing but why When They Cry?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
fireaxe



Joined: 07 Jul 2006
Posts: 503
Location: Trois-Rivieres, Canada
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:45 am Reply with quote
Because it's THAT great!

Seriously, it's top 5 material for "almost" anyone.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
R315r4z0r



Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 717
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:20 am Reply with quote
I want Shana 2 Shocked
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Nobuyuki



Joined: 22 Mar 2004
Posts: 536
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:57 am Reply with quote
Bob Loblaw wrote:
Wow. Several pages of posts and not a single mention of what I believe is one of the most obvious Geneon licenses FUNi would like to get their hands on:

Guardian of the Sacred Spirit (Seirei no Moribito)

I'm sorry Bob, but I'll have to refer you to page 1 on that. Wink

And Seirei no Moribito is a d-rights title, and scuttlebutt has it they're negotiating with another company that dabbles in anime works. Wink Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 16935
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:30 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
What I find just as interesting is the claim that Funi's market share increased to 10%. That seems to contradict what Funi reps were claiming at 'cons last year, where they were citing well more than double that %.


Didn't Navarro take some of Funi's profit thought to recoup their own losses from their others areas? If so maybe that's why the market share in quoted as lower here. I'm just guessing mind you so don't assume I know anything.

I am glad to hear they're even talking to Geneon about acquiring some of the titles. This shows they want to get some of them and get them out to fans and that they should be in a financially stable position. I mean common sense would say if they were close on the budget themselves they wouldn't be able to acquire any of the Geneon titles and instead focus on the ones they already have themselves. So this news coupled with the news about Media Blasters is a nice change of pace. Hopefully something will come of it all. I personally think they will obviously go after the titles that actually sold decently, or at least the best out of what's there to get. I don't know how much the notion of being a heavy hitter or fan favorite will come into play as much compared to which titles were actually selling profitable to acquire. I also personally think they'll only start with a small handful to see how it works out before committing to any other titles. Remember, part of Geneon's problem was the amount of niche titles they had that didn't sell. So for many of them if Funi gets them they face the exact same problem. So they obviously have to be choosy and strict on what titles they do get if they get any.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Richard J.



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3367
Location: Sic Semper Tyrannis.
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:44 am Reply with quote
Psycho 101 wrote:
Key wrote:
What I find just as interesting is the claim that Funi's market share increased to 10%. That seems to contradict what Funi reps were claiming at 'cons last year, where they were citing well more than double that %.


Didn't Navarro take some of Funi's profit thought to recoup their own losses from their others areas? If so maybe that's why the market share in quoted as lower here. I'm just guessing mind you so don't assume I know anything.
Article wrote:
Update: Article updated to clarify that Geneon's market share, not Funimation's, was 10%.
Typos are evil little gremlins. Don't get them wet.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Funi pick up several of Geneon's lesser-sellers. They've got to be getting a discount for relicensing and most if not all of the work's already been done. Plus, Funimation apparently just does better with sales than Geneon. (Hm, maybe no one really cares about their video quality after all?)

What I would love to see is them picking up and releasing the announced but unreleased series, like Nanoha. (Yeah, not likely, but then again who would have thought they'd license some of their other titles?)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Clodus



Joined: 25 Dec 2005
Posts: 497
Location: Kansas
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 9:51 am Reply with quote
Polly E. wrote:
Kruszer wrote:
I hope, I hope, I hope that Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, and When They Cry, are among those in negotiation. Please let it be so. Because the studios involved with them have said they would dub the whole things anyway so if it goes to another company they will probabally have the same voices. Not that Funi isn't excellent, it just would be odd to hear new voices halfway though a show.


I wouldn't mind a new Higurashi cast, to be honest. But, like you said the studios already mentioned having already dubbed or being willing to dub these current shows, so I don't see a switch. Perhaps if a miracle happens and they decide to license Kai as well, they'll recast.

Highly doubtful. Even if they do license season 2, there isn't any reason to change the cast if it doesn't present a problem. An example of this would be ADV first acquiring the Full Metal Panic! season 1 and they set the cast. Then Funi acquired seasons 2 and 3 while keeping the Same cast. personally I think the dub is great and they should keep the same people.

This will certainly score some points with the fans. If Funi picks up Black Lagoon and When They Cry then I certainly will. You and me both Kruszer. The dubs are in fact completed already and they are airing Black Lagoon S2 on tv in Canada.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
FireChick
Subscriber



Joined: 26 Mar 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:31 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Unfortunately no. In fact, it means the opposite. This announcement pretty much crushes any hope than Geneon was going to find a new distributer and return to business. If they're trying to sell off the licenses to their shows, then it's probably safe to say they don't plan to ever begin distributing them again.

Really, if you're one of the optomisitic people who thought Geneon might still return this is actually bad news. It means we will get some of Geneon's stuff again at some point but they odds are probably very very low of us getting anywhere near all their stuff. There's only so much Funimation can take on.

Of course if you weren't optimistic about Geneon's revival which in my opinion was the more realistic view, this is excellent news. It isn't perfect but it's a whole lot better than nothing.


Oh. Right. Sorry. Me is stupid.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dop.L



Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 713
Location: London
PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:48 pm Reply with quote
Well, as the story goes it's early days yet. But there's nothing wrong with wishful thinking!
I'd want to be able to complete When They Cry, Hellsing and Saiunkoku, at the least. I'd probably buy Nanoha, and ideally I'd want them to retain some of the good stuff like Haibane Renmei and Kamichu! because they're both excellent series which people should have the chance to buy!
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 Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9  Next
Page 6 of 9

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group