Forum - View topicKen Iyadomi on Bandai's Downsizing
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RyanSaotome
 Posts: 4210 Location: Towson, Maryland |
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No, none of these anime would have been popular without a localization... but the fact is, even with a dub these days, nothing will touch the popularity of stuff like Cowboy Bebop, DBZ and Pokemon again. The mainstream fad is over, and the closest you'll get to a successful anime on TV now are shows that have been already airing for years, like Bleach and Naruto. Even if we had another show that had the same appeal, it just wouldn't be given the chance to get a good TV slot. |
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superdry
 Posts: 1309 |
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Right, and I think streaming is where it's at now for companies to find a good show that should sell well for them. We're not going to find the next huge mainstream hit via streaming, though, but shows that could sell well enough. Thanks to streaming, Sentai has released shows in BD and with a dub. The streaming numbers are very important. |
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Charred Knight
 Posts: 3085 |
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I don't think that's true unless the Japanese give up, one of the main reasons for the loss of popularity was the moe fad driving out the older anime fans. So if Japan can recapture some of the things they did in the late 90's and early 00's than I can easily see anime becoming more popular. |
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RyanSaotome
Posts: 4210 Location: Towson, Maryland |
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I don't think it has as much to do with Japan as it has to do with Adult Swim and Toonami. The anime ratings just died so much in recent years that they've gotten rid of many of the timeslots that used to go to anime. |
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agila61
 Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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Yes, technically that is correct. Profit margin is total profit as a percentage of gross revenue, its 100% minus the Cost margin (which itself could be broken up further if we were interested into unit production and distribution costs and per release costs like dubbing, subtitling and media mastering). Total Profit = Total Revenue - Total Cost Profit Margin = [(Total Profit)/(Total Revenue)]x100% ... = 100% - [(Total Cost)/(Total Revenue)]x100% Note that the per unit distribution costs associated with a dubbed release are probably higher, since to get the volumes to cover the cost of the dub, you probably have to distribute to Brick and Mortar, which involves higher distribution costs (including returns). So at a given price point, the mark-up over unit production and distribution costs is probably lower if you aim at a higher volume release. |
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TitanXL
 Posts: 4036 |
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Do you have any real evidence to support this claim or is stemming from the "I hate modern anime" mentality? Given anime conventions have increased in turnouts each year, I only see anime increasing in popularity. http://www.otakon.com/history_stats.asp Considering con attendance is triple of what it was back in the "good old days of Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim"... all the praise and credit you keep giving it seems highly questionable. And given how shows like Haruhi, Lucky Star, K-ON, and others are huge hits, are some of the biggest players in the western fanbases I have a hard time believing it's the 'moe fad' (Can something go on for over 10 years and still be considered a fad?). If anything, these shows and their popularity help bring people into the fandom. Last edited by TitanXL on Sun Jan 08, 2012 5:03 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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Very true. Aniplex USA doesn't distribute to B&M retailers and it's unknown if they ever will or will even be able to get their product on shelves. There may a slight per unit decrease in costs due the larger print run needed to cover the costs of a dub, but it's unlikely that decrease will be enough to compensate for the added expenses. The overall costs of a DVD print run are going to be highly dependent on the number of copies and the replicator being used. Even for a dubbed release, the print run is going to be much, much lower than a typical Hollywood release. |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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I also seem to remember people making these same arguments about the "harem fad". People were constantly blaming it for anime not being more popular and asking when it was going to end. Like harem shows, I don't think moe is a fad. I think it's something that is here to stay. |
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RyanSaotome
Posts: 4210 Location: Towson, Maryland |
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http://myanimelist.net/topanime.php?type=bypopularity
This is probably the best view of popularity in the West because of the amount of total people that use MAL... and as you can see, after the shonen stuff there is plenty of moe. Cowboy Bebop doesn't even show up until #18. Within the top 25, you get Haruhi, Clannad, Lucky Star and K-On. The West likes moe too, even if you try to deny it. |
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Charred Knight
Posts: 3085 |
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and yet despite having a lot of those recent series, Bandai Entertainment is going out of business. Anime was successful in the west because older fans watched it, and bought the physical media. When Moe hit, the age of the fans dropped leading towards more people in their teenage years, which didn't have the money to spend.
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agila61
Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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Or, in other words, popularity only matters for commercial success if it translates into market size: sales of physical media, sales of licensed merchandise, advertising revenue, etc. Popularity outside the market is of no benefit. |
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Kaibaman21
Posts: 26 |
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It's a shame this is even happening,it's like what happened to Sega but with a Anime/Video Game Company. My main worry is if this is going to affect Namco in some way releasing their stuff in the United States,because if it does then it'll only lead to either two things.
1.Imported titles will skyrocket 2.Bandai's Anime and Manga will be Pirated like Number 1 This timing I fear can be linked to SOPA as well,maybe with at the time a large number of Corporations at the time had supported the bill,Namco probably feared if it passed it would hinder sales although it's speculation but can't deny it being a possibility. |
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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There is surely more than just one single factor involved here, to be honest, but I'd argue Bandai Entertainment's conservative pricing and ineffective release strategy, which was literally a product of demands made in Japan due to the fear of reverse importation and taking risks, had more to do with their ultimate failure than the specific titles they licensed. Both elements are part of the same equation, yes, but I believe this one shouldn't be overlooked. As for the target audience, we should always keep in mind that mega-popular shows like Dragon Ball Z mainly became hits with children and teenagers. They were certainly not primarily aimed at people who were ages 20 and up at the time. If anything, today's "older fans" were originally part of that younger demographic. And frankly, Bandai never really had anything that could consistently provide them with such a level of success and with additional sources revenue. You could argue the closest comparison would be Cowboy Bebop, which was their biggest selling title, but even that series didn't have the same commercial appeal or mainstream popularity as DBZ, which is almost certainly largely responsible for keeping Funimation in business even when they also release many less-than-admirable titles full of moe or whatever else is a concern. Could Bandai have survived if they had licensed "the next DBZ" (if there was/is even such a thing)? Very likely, but if their release strategy was still equally flawed, they would literally be reducing their own chances anyway. Last edited by nightjuan on Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:16 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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RyanSaotome
Posts: 4210 Location: Towson, Maryland |
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I think the biggest problem is that the moe titles they picked up likely cost a lot of money. K-On and Haruhi are no small brands, and likely cost them a mini fortune to have the rights to. Funimation and Sentai have figured out the right way to do it, by going after less popular moe and ecchi shows, which are a lot safer to release. |
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TitanXL
Posts: 4036 |
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Popularity, your original argument, isn't the same as home video sales. You're confusing the two. Most anime fans do not buy home video releases, sorry to say, so judging it's popularity based on those is a flawed measure. Anime is growing each year in popularity despite Bandai or whoever closing down. Don't think that home video sales matter in terms of popularity of the medium. Also, you're still trying to harp on this point. I'd really love to see your sources, any source at all, that back up this claim. I somehow doubt people have the money to go to conventions but not buy some DVDs/BDs. I'm sure the economy and Bandai's outdated pricing hierarchy have no relation to them going under, right. |
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