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NEWS: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Volume 1 in May

The characters in the video flat-out said that it was cool that people were watching fansubs.

They didn't make any threats.

The ending credits even specially said "No thanks to people who download the fansubs and don't buy the DVDs." That "AND" is very important. It didn't say "No thanks to people who download the fansubs." If it had stopped there, then it would have been a condemnation of fansubs. But it specified: ire only directed at people who DL the fansubs but don't buy the DVDs. Not ire directed at fansubbers in general.

The walkthrough of the Bandai-Namco complex was just silly self-advertising. It wasn't to add legitimacy to a threat (because there was no threat); it was to show off things like "Hey, look, GUNDAM MODELS! Yuki's reading the EUREKA SEVEN MANGA! OMG giant GitS CROTCH SHOT on the wall behind Haruhi! Tee-hee!" It's done to establish that these people are a) anime geeks and b) want you to buy their stuff. Sure, maybe annoying and heavy-handed, but it's hardly a crime for a company to self-advertise in their own promotional video.

The videos are a fun and adorkable way for Bandai to acknowledge the existence of fansubs but still incite people to buy the DVDs.

This post convinces me you're a gimmick.

Time to put away the fansubs and wait for the official release.

I don't detect a threat, nor do I feel threatened by the video.

On a related note, I am surprised that the voice actor cast was not announced, which is quite interesting, because the only pivotal point on which I might be disuaded from purchasing the DVDs is as to who was cast as Itsuki and Kyon. If a certain two individuals that I currently frown upon were slotted into those roles, I would have to reconsider whether or not saving up some money for a DVD that would likely annoy me is worth my invested time, effort, and funds.

I notice both the news briefs call it The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi; are they actually changing the title to the Family Name, Given Name style? That would be an interesting move.

I believe those will be announced in the next video. In the credits for 001, they said they were going to a "studio" for 002.

biolizard_alpha wrote:

I believe those will be announced in the next video. In the credits for 001, they said they were going to a "studio" for 002.

Is that so? Excellent catch!

I would say detecting subterfuge is not your strong point?

However, restraining from taking a jab at fansubbers in general does NOT imply that Bandai or any other company looks favourably upon the use of fansubs in general.

If it were some kind of threat with tons of legal insinuations, I believe they wouldn't be hanging around the entrance area with silly gundams and have only shots of the tops of cubicles and a tiny cramped office. Razz The building itself looks a bit bigger and more "official", but what else are they supposed to? The characters taking themselves to Bandai is really quite a nice fourth-wall-breaking device. As for the announcement itself, clearly they disapprove of fansubs, but they convey it in all Haruhi silliness. I mostly giggled throughout the "DVDs WILL SAVE THE WORLD" scene.

I'm guessing that the next 'episode' of this series will announce the cast--it says at the end that they're going to go to the studio...something about spreading happiness.

IE, probably it's going to invovle 'Haruhi' and the gang running through the studios going "HAY GUYS LOOK IT'S CRISPIN FREEMAN"

As a person who lives on only a couple dollars per day, I do admit I am quite jealous of those so wealthy they only have to sacrifice excess money when purchasing a luxurious good such as a DVD.

Is "massive failure" the proper way to romanticize 涼宮 ハルヒ? Because if one did not know better (and for those that certainly do not know better, I am here to light a pathway to truth), it would seem Bandai USA has finally stumbled over an insignificant stone pebble in a worn dirt road.

The Haruhi video ("001") that was posted on the asosbrigade.com website was absolutely dreadful, not in the "oh, how quaint" manner of the first meant to emulate the poor quality of Haruhi episode 00; I mean it was positively outrageous in how little was revealed about the series, and how poorly Bandai managed to cover up its apparent rage at fans continuing to view the episodes on networks like YouTube.

For the first half of the episode, we were guided through an affluent industrial park with various Gundam advertisements (no doubt a pitiful plea to the Gundam fandom to have mercy on that atrocious monstrosity "Gundam Seed"), which, if anything, conveys the image that Bandai's wealth and power should be feared, or at the very least acknowledged by fans.

Almost as if there is some sort of hierarchy where anime companies are superior to the consumers who purchase their products. Uh? Didn't I recieve a message (of which I have been a bit dilatory in responding to, apologies to the party in question) that specifically said "we live and die buy the success of dubs AND subs"? What sort of strong-arm politics is this?

We see this in the latter half of the video; after the one important bit of information in the film is revealed ("Haruhi DVD #1 in May") we are forced to listen to an annoying long and boring lecture on why fansubs are devils and officially sanctioned localizers blessed saints of the Holy Catholic Church of Anime.

No doubt the walkthrough of the Bandai-Namco complex was meant to add legitimacy to this sort of thinly-veiled "threat"; as if we need to be reminded of the legality of fansubs! I see this as nothing more than a kick in the shin to the fans with the most honest intentions of purchasing the R1 DVDs by attempting to force them through psychology into eschewing the fansubs.

A more concise analysis would be, "We are Bandai-Namco. We understand that the Haruhi DVDs are not out yet, but stop watching the fansubs now...or else".

Except, what is this "or else"? Attempting to choke the very lifeline that helped give birth to the popularity of this series in the first place ('biting the hand that feeds one') would only stifle further growth, which would almost certainly be inflamed as the time for the DVD purchase draws ever closer.

As such, I see this latest video as not only a waste of time, but an insult and a threat to the anime fandom for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. My allegiance and faith in Bandai has been put into question, although it has yet to be derailed; provided 'messages' like this are not continued in the future, they would likely still have me as a certain customer in the next few months.

...

On a related note, I am surprised that the voice actor cast was not announced, which is quite interesting, because the only pivotal point on which I might be disuaded from purchasing the DVDs is as to who was cast as Itsuki and Kyon. If a certain two individuals that I currently frown upon were slotted into those roles, I would have to reconsider whether or not saving up some money for a DVD that would likely annoy me is worth my invested time, effort, and funds.

In sum, if Kyon's voice actor sucks, I won't shell out any money for the DVDs.