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manicli wrote:

I'm surprised blood- voted for "I hate them so much I wish they'd go bankrupt option". I knew he didn't like Aniplex but I never thought he'd go that far along with 4 other people lol

Hell hath no fury like a bargain hunter scorned. Wink

Well said Blood. Laughing

I don't mind their pricey releases... when they're space out. If the F/Z sets had been their only $100+ sets this year, it'd be fine in my book (especially since I didn't end up purchasing them). However, having 3 months in a row with $150 sets? I think they might be starting to push their luck. I can understand the blu-ray sets being higher to stave off the reverse import fears, but the $150 Garden of Sinners DVD set? That's a bit ridiculous in this day and age. That needed to be a $99 set or less.

EpicLotus wrote:

...I can understand the blu-ray sets being higher to stave off the reverse import fears, but the $150 Garden of Sinners DVD set? That's a bit ridiculous in this day and age. That needed to be a $99 set or less.

...and they're probably going to make a killing at that price point.

For the Region 1 fan, look at the alternative(s) to not buying this latest release of the Garden of Sinners DVD set.

They can choose to get financially raked over the coals by everyone -n- anyone's favorite e-tailer or one of the "Am I gonna be able to rip you off" Amazon resellers and get the blu-ray set through them.

Or... Import the blu-ray from JP? which is approximately twice what TRSI had offered it...

Look for another region's release of it, and or pay the 150 for this dvd set. In 2012. A dvd set for 150 when there's this kick ass blu-ray available.

I'm very fortunate and can afford whatever I want as far as anime/manga is concerned but for those that aren't, what did I miss from above? besides the skipping it, saying screw you, and starting opinion polls options.

Anyone can be like the proverbial ostrich with its frickin' head in the sand and claim they 'religiously prioritize' their purchases for them, but at the end of the day, if a fan can't buy the anime, then a fan can't buy the anime.

That might not be a tangible thing that you can see and touch, but this discounting of your customer, and making them pay for your fear of reverse importation is in the best interests of who exactly?

the more I think about this thing with Aniplex the more I think about my future purchases. I don't think withholding a few of my peanuts will starve this 800 pound gorilla that is Aniplex. So where does that leave us?

Yeah, I'm going with the "just not buying it" option. I think anytime you push a title into 3-digits, there's a big chunk of the fanbase that's going to pass on it. People will still complain about a $99 price-point, but they're much more likely to buy it than when it hits $100. I can talk myself into spending a lot more for blu-ray, as I said above, but I just don't think any DVD set is worth $150 retail these days unless it's a complete set for some really long tv show.

I think someone on this forum once said anime is dependent on the goodwill of its consumers. I think this is true of most physical media these days.

I could, and have, watched most of the series being sold by Aniplex. I can afford to buy all their releases, without flinching too much. I could, but wouldn't, because I don't believe in their business model.

I know that businesses are concerned with the bottom line, but when that seems to be all you're concerned about, don't be too surprised if your customers turn on you.

I tend to believe that Aniplex has an outdated vision of what anime involves. They believe it's an expensive import/export product that can be sold for a premium to a limited few. Of course, the fact that they don't really cater to the Western audience tends to reaffirm this point...and alienate customers.

For western audiences, anime has long since moved past the import model. In the minds of many anime fans, anime has become entertainment like any other, rightly or wrongly. I don't think the genie can be put back in the bottle.

To sum up, I don't hate Aniplex, but I doubt they'll be getting much of my money(for anime).

Jon182, I think you've (unwittingly?)hit the nail on the head: AoA is essentially targeting importers, especially the sort who would import if they knew Japanese or had a little more money to burn.

Polycell wrote:

Jon182, I think you've (unwittingly?)hit the nail on the head: AoA is essentially targeting importers, especially the sort who would import if they knew Japanese or had a little more money to burn.

I know that their pricing indicates a target market of import/premium buyers, but their product offerings indicate something different.

If you look at their release of Garden of Sinners for example, you'll see a premium Blu Ray offering, followed by an arguably lower quality, and hence lower priced DVD offering. This staggered, or tiered pricing, is most noticeable in their Puella releases. They have the premium editions, the blu rays and then the DVDs with pricing to match.

I think this is a case of Aniplex wanting to have the cake and eat it too. They want the premium market, but they also want as much of the casual market as possible.

The pricing/marketing strategy really turns me off. I can understand the mentality behind it, I just don't have to like it. Especially since they don't really offer any incentives to those buying the "bare bones"ie. non-premium, releases they offer.

Jon182 wrote:

Quote:

Especially since they don't really offer any incentives to those buying the "bare bones"ie. non-premium, releases they offer.

The incentive they offer on non-premium releases is the show to own and watch at your convenience. Extras are nice to have, and I can see using them as an incentive to pay extra money. However, the primary reason to buy a series is to have that show.

I don't like Aniplex's prices either, but I feel that with all the discussion of fancy boxes on disc extras and packed in trinkets we tend to loose sight of the fact that the shows are not interchangable. If you want one of AoA's titles, this is the only way to legally own it. Unfortunately their prices stop not only the casual buyer but in many cases are beyond the means of people who really want the show.

I don't necessairly hate AoA, as when to do occasionally do dubs they are giving LA anime VA's some work(though Viz seems to be dubbing in that area more frequently so they may be losing points on that for me) but I do hate a lot of their practices. Their main problem as many have pointed out is that they effectively function like their in japan and do their releases both in price and episodes per set, similar to Japan. However this is the R1 market and NOT Japan so these practices are frankly inexcusable. If Bandai Visual couldn't get away with it when they tried a similar model a while back there's no reason Aniplex should be allowed to just because they happen to have a couple of big titles. Even somewhat reviled companies like Viz, know where to draw the line at prices if they want a lot of people to buy those sets, and you certainly don't see them charging $100 for Bleach sets even though they may get enough takers for it.

I can give a pass to Durarara since that release wasn't too far from R1 standards but their prices for their other titles are ridiculous. Sure Japan may be willing to pay more for their entertainment, but here in the R1 market where you can frankly get a full season set of just about any TV show for less than $50, most people just aren't willing to pay their prices.

I know that ranting about it is pointless since their not likely to change their business model, but while they will probably make a profit with their releases they certainly aren't building up a fanbase. Honestly I'd just be happy if Aniplex offered a cheaper more R1 friendly alternative to their releases.

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of people who are willing to buy the $150-$350 sets are probably still willing to do so even if their is a cheaper alternative since they like being able to have/brag about that premium value, but adding an alternative would also help to get fans who are a bit more casual or aren't hardcore collectors. Sure a couple of people who were going to buy the premium releases may drop off, but I think they'd make a larger profit in the long run while building a larger customer base.

Anyway rant over. That wen't longer than I thought it would Laughing

Last edited by Kruszer on Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

I would say they're "Okay" with me. Whether I buy from them depends on whether they release a series I want enough to pay their usually astronomical prices. So far that's worked out to me owning Garden of Sinners, Fate/Zero, Fate/Zero 2, Durarara, and Madoka Magica. I also have Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari on order, and I will most likely also buy Sword Art Online as well. So basically, if they continue to release series I've seen and rated highly then I'll probably buy from them.

Hmm. The option I want to select isn't listed, so I'll just go ahead and add my own:
I've no opinion on Aniplex, but I love the fact they're ruffling R1 feathers.

I hope our R1 companies are taking notes, because I'd love nothing better than to see them start raising prices on the more popular titles.

That, to me, will be their way of responding to every person who complained to FUNimation for the green label of their S.A.V.E. line rather than thanking them for reducing titles of older anime to the lowest I've seen outside of a retailer's clearance sale.

Oh yeah. There's a perfectly rational and mature response.

Their Baccano boxset was reasonably priced, and I bought Madoka because it was Madoka, but other than that, I haven't wanted the titles that they've released nearly enough to pay what they're selling them for.

If they release something I really want, I'll still get it, but their pricing makes me glad that I was ambivalent on most of their shows.

While a majority of Aniplex's titles are great quality and tempting to snag, the prices of many of those said titles are very pricey ($200 to $300 in some instances) compared to what other American distributors are selling their titles for and would alienate many anime fans from buying them, outside of high-end buyers.

I can understand the company's rationale for doing this since their more pricey titles are usually imported directly from Japan. But as some have commented, their prices make it highly doubtful that I would want to buy many of their titles, if I ever got tempted to do so.

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