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NEWS: Funimation to Offer Linebarrels of Iron, Strike Witches

jr0904 wrote:

Also who cares if it's lolicon or not.We should be happy it'll be here in the US. I'm sure am.

Me thinks after reading a bunch of these posts regarding the lolicon debate, it almost seems like the word "lolicon" has lost its original meaning. Like the word "gay" lost its original meaning too.

The practice in itself has been in existence since the world began but the terminology only came into existence if I remember correctly thanks to the novel "Lolita." In that story, the main character did have fantasies about his step-daughter or so the story goes, and I think they did sleep with each other blah balh blah. So now it all comes down to this but so far from what I've heard about Strike Witches nobody really "slept" with anybody. Or is it just me?

Isn't that besides the point though? It's still targeted at a demographic that enjoys the sight of scantily clad young girls. The real problem here I'd say is that funi picked up a show like that. Chances are it's not going to sell terribly well in western markets, which in turn could mean that funi will be less willing to take risks on future titles, and more shows like line barrels getting picked up. It may not be amazing, but unlike SW it's got all sorts of burning hearts and mecha action which simply tend to sell well enough on their own.

Way does people think that just because a person likes lolis in anime and manga does not mean they like the real ones. so stop calling people like me a pedo. strike witches is a great anime.

babbo wrote:

Isn't that besides the point though? It's still targeted at a demographic that enjoys the sight of scantily clad young girls. The real problem here I'd say is that funi picked up a show like that. Chances are it's not going to sell terribly well in western markets, which in turn could mean that funi will be less willing to take risks on future titles, and more shows like line barrels getting picked up. It may not be amazing, but unlike SW it's got all sorts of burning hearts and mecha action which simply tend to sell well enough on their own.

I think the real problem would have been if Funi hadn't picked it up. Since they are the dominant company on the market right now, nobody else was probably able to afford the licensing price, let alone release it and then get the flack that Funi will suredly get for releasing this series. But you would be right in saying that if the show doesn't do well, Funi won't be so cocky.

The Strike Witch liscense was probably incredibly cheap.

Look the average american does not find the cast of Strike Witches sexy, so the main appeal is out.

Charred Knight wrote:

The Strike Witch liscense was probably incredibly cheap. Look the average american does not find the cast of Strike Witches sexy, so the main appeal is out.

Gonzo's best-selling series ever, cheap? I really doubt that. The fact that Funimation has made a distribution deal with Gonzo and the fact that the loli aspect of the series might be viewed as less likely to sell in America may very well have brought the price down, but with Strike Witches being as big as it is, I can't see it as being a cheap license. Certainly, without the distribution deal with Funimation (with whatever that's done to how much Funimation has to pay for Gonzo shows), I'd have fully expected Strike Witches to have been their most expensive license in recent memory simply due to how much of a hit it is in Japan. If they really do expect it to do much worse in the US due to the loli stuff and how they expect Americans to react to it, then that may very well have brought the price down, but with that big a hit, they're not going to want to let it go for cheap if they can avoid it - especially with the financial straights that they've been in.

Kalessin wrote:

Charred Knight wrote: The Strike Witch liscense was probably incredibly cheap. Look the average american does not find the cast of Strike Witches sexy, so the main appeal is out. Gonzo's best-selling series ever, cheap? I really doubt that. The fact that Funimation has made a distribution deal with Gonzo and the fact that the loli aspect of the series might be viewed as less likely to sell in America may very well have brought the price down, but with Strike Witches being as big as it is, I can't see it as being a cheap license. Certainly, without the distribution deal with Funimation (with whatever that's done to how much Funimation has to pay for Gonzo shows), I'd have fully expected Strike Witches to have been their most expensive license in recent memory simply due to how much of a hit it is in Japan. If they really do expect it to do much worse in the US due to the loli stuff and how they expect Americans to react to it, then that may very well have brought the price down, but with that big a hit, they're not going to want to let it go for cheap if they can avoid it - especially with the financial straights that they've been in.

Best selling in Japan does not equal best selling in America. Gonzo has been around long enough to know that, hell out of any of the studios out there I think Gonzo should considering how much their shows typically try to cater to western tastes (at least compared to other studios). I doubt they'd want to ask too much and not get a deal at all. Especially when there was a widely held opinion in the community that Funi wouldn't license it.

Toei thought the same way with Kanon ( that success in Japan could translate into success in America that is) apparently, and look where that got them. Even with 2006 released 2002 still has yet to have been licensed >.>

@fighterholic: But should they really be taking the risk of picking up shows where they'll take flack? It's one thing to pick a niche title of some type and for it to fail. It's an entirely different thing for them to pick a niche title with something that people find objectionable and for it to fail. Anime has a crappy enough rep as it is, do we really need shows like SW to add on to that and be a financial drag for the industry?

And how is Funimation "supporting" ANN anyway? By allowing ANN to put news stories about series they licenses up?

FUNimation is not keeping ANN's "lights on" so to speak; but FUNi has to be one of ANN's biggest advertising clients. "Let us splash DBZ all over your main page, and here's $$$$$ to do it".

So... if you do something that makes the client's customers "unhappy" (especially regarding a brand new product you have acquired), then the client is going to be unhappy with you.

Whether or not this had anything to do with the article being changed, we'll probably never know.