Forum - View topicANNCast - Lance, A Lot
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23868 |
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Zac uses it because he knows the threat is effective. I... I... just really like Chuck E. Cheese, is all. On topic: I haven't had a chance to listen to all of the podcast yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Hate to sound like a giant butt-kisser, but I can't help it - I effin' love Funi, man. I like what they license and release and I like how they do it. I honestly think they should start paying me to be a corporate shill. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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It really does show my personal level of emotional investment in the situation, though. |
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mglittlerobin
 Posts: 1071 |
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I am very interested in the rigid boxes and collectors goodies, but unfortunately, they're not for anything I want to buy now. I do hope they'll do some nice boxes for shows I want, I'd happily double dip for an anime if it had a rigid box with it.
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Okay but then we're in agreement though that if a show doesn't do well enough for them then they may not put it out on DVD right? We can agree to disagree regarding their intentions. So long as we're in agreement though on the above issue then it seems to bring us back to the same problem. If they're going to pick up series for streaming but not provide decent streams nor a DVD release then they're really just wasting everyone's time.
No. I agree, there's nothing to outright prevent it. It definitely serves to discourage it though for the reasons I mentioned earlier. What it does outright prevent though is anyone else licensing these shows for streaming (who might actually do a decent job) which is important because I acknowledge that this may unfortunately be the only real option at least for some of the current and upcoming shows on noitaminA if not for Five Leaves or Tatami. |
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GeekyBlackGirl
 Posts: 52 |
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I'm just happy Trigun is available again. |
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mdo7
 Posts: 6281 Location: Katy, Texas, USA |
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got chance to listen to the podcast over the weekend. About advertising Funi's anime out to the public, I might have some ideas for that:
-try advertising through video game magazine, I think it may work since most of us anime fans are also video gamers. i notice some of anime ads from funimation do sometime show up on video game site like Kotaku. -Also you could put advertising on manga (if the anime you have is based on that manga). For example, if the manga Shikabane Hime/Corpse Princess has been license for US release. Ask the complany that license the manga to put the ad for the anime on the manga (the fan that read the manga could buy the anime with chance). That's all I know how I could advertise anime. 
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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The recent news from FUNimation and Lance's comments on the podcast have left me with so many questions.
Despite so many, I'll just ask two: What happened with the "Mallows" line? The last I heard there was going to be a Dragonball line release, but then nothing. I was hoping this toy deal and new releases would hook up. Maybe in time for Shakugan no Shana II? I'm crossing my fingers on this one. *** Why is it when this industry sees good times, the first thing to occur is to spend the money rather than save it for the inevitable rainy day (especially with a loss)? *** I think my hearing is going out because I'm confident I heard our delay for complete box sets is now at a year and a half thanks to this new two-stage two-part release strategy. |
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lheiskell
Industry Insider
 Posts: 233 Location: Fort Worth, TX |
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Print ads for Game Informer is hella expensive. We do online banners on sites like Game Trailers and target gamer keywords through Google Adwords. We do ad trades all the time with our manga publishing partners. Most recent was was an ad trade for Hetalia. Check out Volume 1 of the manga to see the ad for the DVD. Lance Heiskell Friendly FUNimation guy telling fans about the secret sauce of marketing. Mmmm.mmmm.tasty. |
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agila61
 Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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But a negotiation is a negotiation, and there's also the possibility that they can't get it at the terms they need to justify it. Which is simply not as simple as the "pass/pick" model you are using.
But remember that Funimation passing on it from the beginning of no guarantee that it will be licensed at all, and certainly if Funimation does not think it can make a dub work under whatever terms are offered, there's no particular reason to expect some other company to look on it as a dub candidate either.
And if Sentai/Section23 picked it up for a sub release, there'd be no reason for TAN to hesitate adding it to their streaming back catalog.
We don't even know whether FijiTV is interested in putting noitaminA into a deal with a stream-only site. |
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RhymesWithEmpty
 Posts: 208 |
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Haha, I actually own Ouran on Bluray, and I don't even own a Bluray player. See, they were out of the DVD boxset at the con I was at, and a bunch of the VAs from the show were in attendance, and I figured I'd get a Bluray player eventually, so, yep, here I am
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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The youtube streams look awful. Don't try to imply I'm being unreasonable for not being willing to settle for them. Fine though, they're wasting Canadians time.
Which is fine. I could live without a dub if need be. Although I don't entirely agree. Section 23 might put it out sub only at first and then dub later as they sometimes do if the numbers justify it.
All of which would also be the case when whoever else picked it up went ahead and streamed it so I don't see any real benefit. You haven't addressed the reasons why it puts it at a disadvantage either.
Given that you believe there's A) no guarantee that Funimation will put these titles out on DVD and B) nothing to prevent a different DVD distributor from picking it up if they don't...then I fail to see any meaningful difference between them licensing it to someone stream only and what they've done now.
No guarantee but certainly a good chance especially for streaming if not for DVD. That's definitely an improvement though. You have to keep in mind that what Funimation offers me is worthless. Hence I'd be better off with a chance that someone gives me something useful than a guarantee someone provides me something worthless. Hell, I'd be better off it it remained unlicensed. At least that way fansubs would be easier to find. Think of it this way: If Funimation streams these shows I get: -No decent streams and no DVD from Funi -No chance of someone else getting them for stream unless they also get it for DVD. -Less chance someone else will pick them up for DVD. If Funimation doesn't stream these shows I get: -No decent streams and no DVD from Funi (obviously) -A pretty good chance of someone else getting them for stream without DVD or otherwise -A better chance someone else will pick them up for DVD. So in a nutshell, the second option, while not entirely perfect itself, is the same if not better in every instance. Hence, Funimation is not only completely wasting my time by providing nothing of value but in fact being an active detriment. I'd be better off if they didn't pick these shows up at all. |
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agila61
Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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Not everyone in Japan is entirely sold on streaming being a good thing to do, and entering a streaming deal with Funimation in hopes of raising the profile of a show and improving the chances of a DVD deal with the largest distributor in the market may be seen one way, while entering a streaming-only deal with a company that, when their first DVD ships, will become the smallest R1 DVD distributor in the market ... that might be seen another way.
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Fair enough. If some people don't mind these streams then good for them. As I said though, I don't feel I'm being at all unreasonable in not being satisfied with them and therefore I feel justified in saying that I'm getting screwed over by this whole Funimation situation.
If anyone else decided to pick these series up for DVD then in all likelihood they would also get the rights to stream the series. That's just how it seems to work these days. Virtually everyone streams their shows. So going back to the original point, I don't see any real reason that the added publicity of Funimation already streaming these shows serves as an encouragement for another company to license them for DVD. Most other companies could just as easily create that same publicity by streaming these shows themselves which they would in all likelihood have the opportunity to do if they chose to license them for DVD. So again, I don't see any reason this would be anything but a negative. The benefit you've suggested doesn't hold water and you've yet to respond to the several reasons why I felt this would be a negative.
Yes. It is possible that for some bizarre reason they would not let anyone but funimation stream these shows. So yes, I've acknowledged that it's by no means guaranteed that someone else would stream them. I am not assuming it will definitely be available to Crunchyroll or to anyone else. However, it is equally if not more erroneous to assume that it will not be available to Crunchyroll. In the end, clearly neither of us know for certain and therefore neither of us may make any definitive claims as to what would happen. Again though, I have not made any such claims. I have simply addressed what is most likely to happen. Yes, it is possible this would not be available to Crunchyroll or others. As such, this would be one possible scenario in which nobody else would end up streaming it. Is that really all that likely of a scenario though? I think not. So, the overall impact on the odds of someone else streaming these shows if funimation didn't is minor. (And in the end, even if for some reason you operate under your assumption and conclude that the chances of these shows being streamed by anyone else is low we still arrive at the same core problem: Any chance, no matter how low, that someone actually picks this up for decent streams is better for me than the guaranteed useless streams that Funimation provides).
Again, I'm not going to say this is impossible but it really does not make a whole lot of sense. Since at this point they have nothing to guarantee they will be (or according to you nothing preventing them from) signing a deal with any given DVD distributor...what does it matter who streams the show? If a DVD deal is still totally undetermined, what advantage is there to streaming with one site or another (at least in regards to the DVD)? There's apparently no reason they couldn't stream with Crunchyroll or whoever and then turn around and license the DVD rights to Funimation. |
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agila61
Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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But they don't have any stream-only shows: its only their DVD licenses.
But chicken and an egg here ~ you put your conclusion first and your argument after, but turning it around, its: (1) Assume that a company decides to pick up an anime for DVD distribution (2) They could then invest time and effort into recreating the profile for the show that in the case in question, Funimation has already created for them. (3) Therefore, Funimation streaming a show does not increase its likelihood of anyone else picking it up if it becomes available. That's begging the question ... the question is whether or not they will pick it up, assuming that they do in order to argue about whether or not they will is broken. Now, there are some shows that will suffer from the exposure: shows that in reality are not commercially viable, where the greater visibility of the show makes its weakness in the market more obvious.
I said zero, zilch, nothing, nada about FijiTV "not let anyone but funimation stream these shows." Nothing at all. Pretending that I did is a work of fiction and you are the author. What I said is about whether or not we can automatically assume that FijiTV is necessarily interested in working with Crunchyroll. The reason for singling out Crunchyroll is that its fairly well established that they will stream what they can get permission to stream. But quite obviously, the DVD distributors have to be more selective than Crunchyroll, so if the rights holders happens to not be interested in streaming on Crunchyroll, the odds of a title being picked up for streaming goes down dramatically, as I said and as you quoted but as you then proceed to completely ignore. After all, most other companies stream primarily the series they pick up for DVD distribution, and picking up titles for DVD distribution without being careful on which ones you pick and how much you pay for them is a practice that has led several companies to bankruptcy or otherwise folding up shop.
(1) Funimation could still license the shows. If they do, there's nothing to complain about. (2) If Funimation does not license the shows, the shows could still be licensed by someone else. If it is, there is nothing to complain about. (3) If Funimation revamps their website to provide ANN/Crunchy/Hulu quality 480p streaming to Canadian viewers, and/or higher resolution streaming to subscribers, then there is nothing to complain about. (4) And if Funimation does not license the show, nobody else licenses the show, and Funimation revamps their site without the video streaming quality upgrade, you only thread the complaint needle if the fact of Funimation streaming the show was what pushed it over the edge from being licensed to not being licensed. Which does better explain why you believe that free publicity is a millstone around the neck of a series: its the assumption that you need in order to arrive at something to complain about. |
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ikillchicken
Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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I would think that supports my point. Surely they could stream the later seasons or at the very least, stream the first season permanently. Yet they choose to only stream their shows partially. Evidently they don't want them streamed in their entirety. So clearly, having a show already streamed in it's entirety by someone else (in this case Funimation) is not something they want and therefore will surely be a deterrent rather than an encouragement toward them picking up that show.
No, you're incorrect. My reasoning is sound. I am not assuming that they will license the series for DVD but rather, examining a simple if/then relationship. If they choose to license the series for DVD then either it has already been streamed by someone else, the new licensor will inevitably stream it themselves*. So essentially: If it is licensed for DVD then it is streamed by someone. (Let us assume for a moment that who streams it is irrelevant since it will likely receive the same popularity boost either way). Even though this does not confirm that the series will be licensed, it is enough to tell us that whether it is streamed cannot be the deciding factor. For that to be the case, we would have to be able to say: "We won't license it for DVD because it hasn't been streamed". But of course, that is absurd. In this situation, if you did license it for DVD, then it would be streamed. The thing deterring you from licensing it would cease to be a deterrent if you just licensed it. Hence it is not actually a deterrent at all. *I am making the assumption here that, contrary to my previous comment regarding Nozomi, the licensor does want the series streamed in it's entirety. I don't personally believe they always do but I assume you must. If not then my first comment refutes your point.
Well, yes and no. The kind of 'free publicity' that involves giving your product away for free may or may not be positive depending on the exact circumstance. The key problem though is that even when streaming is a benefit it's a benefit that can be just as easily obtained by streaming the show yourself as it can be from someone else streaming the show.
Not disagreeing with a point is not the same as ignoring it. I didn't disagree with it because I acknowledged that it is true. It is possible that they aren't interested in Crunchyroll. I then explained why possible =/= probable and why this merely being possible does not contradict my point, thus rendering your point moot, regardless of it's truth.
I'm sorry but again this is not correct. I need no such definitive claims. As I've said, Funimation's streams are totally worthless to me right now and therefore they are at least as bad as any other option. To use an example: If you're given a choice between an empty box and a box with a 1/2 chance of a prize inside which is the better option? Even if the prize is not definitely guaranteed, your best option is clearly still the second box. No matter what the odds of getting the prize, you have nothing to lose by trying for it. In fact, you can take that one step further. Even if you assume that Funimation is not the absolute worst possible option, it may still not be your best option. Using the example again: You're given a choice between a box containing $25 and a box with a 50/50 chance of containing either nothing at all or $10. Wouldn't you choose #2? Assuming that the risk/reward ratio is correct then gambling may be the better option. Of course, it might also not be. If it was something like playing the lottery where you give up $2 for an absurdly small shot at a million dollars it might not be worth it. Again though, that requires sufficiently low probability of losing. The mere possibility is not enough. Hence I need no such definitive claims to defend my position. Bringing it back to this issue at hand: Given that the Crunchyroll issue you raised is possible but by no means probable, then I'd definitely say it is worth sacrificing whatever insignificant gains Funi may provide in order to roll the dice on an at least fairly strong chance of major gains if someone else picks these shows up. This is also why it would be worth sacrificing a very small possibility that Funimation still puts out a DVD or a decent stream. The reward would be the same but the probability lower. |
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