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dandelion_rose wrote:

I wonder who has the Prime Minister's Office on speed dial?

I don't, but I have my President's Facebook account. That speaks the difference of our governments. Wink

Enough issue about piracy; let's move on, please.

Quote:

It has a lot to do with the setting though. In strike witches, the lolis don't have romantic interest in older boys.

FireChick wrote:

YES!!! Thank you, Sentai for relinquishing this!!! Seriously, of all the titles that DO NOT deserve to be licensed, this is one of them, and I'm glad Sentai is not releasing it on DVD here, and I believe I know why (Reason: little kids in sexual situations probably won't sit well with people here in America. Trust me).

Yes, tween/early-teen girls having crushes on somewhat older teenage boys is something that only happens in the depraved domain of pedophile fantasies, never in real life.

TitanXL wrote:

Indeed. The people who think reverse importing is just a myth really need to get a reality check.

For my part, I never said it was a myth. I merely expressed skepticism that it would've been a significant problem with this particular series with Sentai's intended (overcompressed) DVD-only release format.

notazaku wrote:

Isn’t that [Papillon Rose situation] basically the same thing in the end? It’s a fear that people will forgo an expensive domestic release in favor of a cheaper and inferior R1 import. By that logic even an R1 DVD is a threat to a domestic Blu-ray if they’re concerned about people downgrading.

I still wouldn't say they're the same thing. The question is, "Is the downgrade in quality made up for by the reduced cost?" With Papillon Rose, the main quality downgrade is going from seven 1-episode DVDs to one 7-episode DVD. Which is a noticeable difference, but it might've been worthwhile if the R1 DVD hadn't been the crappy TV-censored/letterboxed version. With Ro-Kyu-Bu, it's going from 2-episode Blu-Rays to 6-episode DVDs, meaning a loss of resolution due to format along with loss of quality due to compression.

configspace wrote:

Japanese otaku are willing to spend big money first-rate stuff they want soon with premiums. Mediocre or less valuable titles that they still enjoy still has some potential for ownership, but they simply would not spend Japanese prices on...

... that means, it doesn't matter if there's no US release, he still wouldn't spend $1000 on it.

That's how I think reverse importation really plays out in today's market. A ton of shows never get a US release. Waiting for a cheaper US release for many series is waiting for something could be 2-3 years down the road or never coming. Somebody whose interest level in a series is "I'll wait years to infinity before spending JP prices" isn't going to all of the sudden think $400+ on a series is an awesome deal and a must buy. They aren't gaining that sale. I think if no US release comes then those buyers don't budge, they just accept that they'll never own that series.

I could see fears being a real issue if US releases came out simultaneously or maybe a month or two after JP ones, but years to never?

If they want to fight reverse importation, the only way to do it that will gain them sales is to make Rondo Robe and Emotion priced releases (these run from like $50-$100 for a whole series and have a feature set in line with your typical non-NISA barebones US release) more of a regular thing after a certain period of time... probably right around the time a US release is coming out.

Zalis116 wrote:

I still wouldn't say they're the same thing. The question is, "Is the downgrade in quality made up for by the reduced cost?" With Papillon Rose, the main quality downgrade is going from seven 1-episode DVDs to one 7-episode DVD. Which is a noticeable difference, but it might've been worthwhile if the R1 DVD hadn't been the crappy TV-censored/letterboxed version. With Ro-Kyu-Bu, it's going from 2-episode Blu-Rays to 6-episode DVDs, meaning a loss of resolution due to format along with loss of quality due to compression.

Well I’d still say they’re in the same ballpark if not exactly the same at least in terms of the general idea anyway.

As for the question of quality. The answer will vary from fan to fan I suspect. You have to factor in variables like a fan’s preference in anime and personal finances. If fan #1 absolutely loves Ro-Kyu-Bu and wants to own the highest quality version of it, I can see him paying for six expensive Blu-rays assuming he can afford it. But fan #2 liked the show and thought it was cute but ultimately disposable. However he wouldn’t mind owning a physical release to watch at his leisure just in case he felt the need to revisit the show sometime in the future. The show is definitely not worth the price of those six Blu-rays but a cheap R1 DVD (assuming he has a means to play it) might meet his needs. Yes there’s a significant drop in quality but the show itself is not significant enough to fan #2 for him to care. But he kinda wanted to own it so he got the R1 DVD. After all “kinda wanted” is not an attitude associated with spending $400 on an anime. Heck maybe he really did want to own it on Blu-ray but could not afford it.

But at the end of the day these are all just hypothetical situations. Let me just say though that with a price drop from $400 to $40 I might definitely be willing to overlook a loss of resolution. If that attitude is present in the anime consumer base in Japan then some sales might be lost to reverse importation. I mean I’m sure the average otaku can’t break the bank on every show they happen to like. Sacrifices have to be made somewhere. On the other hand if a fan can not justify or even afford an expensive Japanese Blu-ray like fan #2 in the situation I described above then no sale was actually lost to reverse importation. But I guess as long as the potential for loss is there companies in Japan will fear it regardless of how much damage is actually being done.

configspace wrote:

Again...

if it's the subject matter, why then allow Sentai and everyone else to still stream and broadcast? The video version has no nudity, and is only a bit less censored e.g. steam

if it's with America, why not just America, but all the other non-Asian countries?

if it's with perceptions outside Japan, why then allow it for all Asian countries?

Maybe they people who hold the original streaming rights are different then those who give out dvd rights?

Maybe the Japanese feel an online stream won't attract any attention, but if the show is put in stores around the world, someone might notice it. In this way they keep anime fans happy but avoid drawing extra attention to the show?

Just some thoughts...I have no proof.

FireChick wrote:

YES!!! Thank you, Sentai for relinquishing this!!! Seriously, of all the titles that DO NOT deserve to be licensed, this is one of them, and I'm glad Sentai is not releasing it on DVD here, and I believe I know why (Reason: little kids in sexual situations probably won't sit well with people here in America. Trust me).

Yes, you are clearly our expert on America, a place no one else in this thread has ever been.

And you are also a clear winner at reading comprehension. Keep up the good work, FireChick.

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