Forum - View topicInterview: Henry Goto, President, Aniplex of America
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Kimiko_0
 Posts: 1796 Location: Leiden, NL, EU |
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I think that one's cheaper because it only has German subs. Amazon France has an edition that is even slightly cheaper (€93), but it also has only French and German subs. Amazon UK doesn't have anything but a few resellers who charge an astronomic ₤920. Anyway, to me anime with anything other than English subs just doesn't look right. I can read German or French with some effort, but even if it were Dutch I would still prefer English. BD regions are only a minor obstacle to me btw. I have to rip all my BDs to harddisk first anyway because there is no other way to watch them on my Linux PC. Most of my anime comes from N-America, but there are several European and Japanese releases among my collection as well. |
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omoikane
Posts: 494 |
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Sure would... |
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darkchibi07
 Posts: 5471 |
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Does it really bug people that OP and ED sequences are in English? The credits are doing what they're supposed to do, and that's briefly informing viewers who does what right off the gecko. |
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Charred Knight
 Posts: 3085 |
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Because everyone knows that the real way to enjoy anime is by looking at the credits page of Anime News Network. |
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omoikane
Posts: 494 |
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Not to mention, despite how good the ANN encyclopedia is, it is often not specific enough on the episode-level.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. It would be nice if we get a theatrical run of Kara no Kyoukai in the future... I guess it was available on PSN, but nobody uses that >_> |
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james039
Posts: 103 |
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Wanted to respond to this as anime credit handling on many US releases has been a pet peeve of mine.
Adding a 2nd subtitle track intended for English dub viewing just translating some of that onscreen text is a good idea. I agree with this. As a Japanese version viewer, I just want to stress that we should be able to turn this off for watching in Japanese. Worth mentioning as some other companies such as Funimation and NISA are releasing some blu-ray with subtitles forced to display at all times. I really hate this practice.
That's me. I get unduly upset if they remove the original credit sequence. Funimation is the biggest culprit here and I find this 110% unacceptable. NO! BAD! Grrrrr! >:O
I can. And I'm sure some others can too. A minority of us, it's true, but enough that you mustn't discount us.
Agreed. Which is why Sentai's solution to me, is the fairest way to go about it. Just as long as crediting the dub talent doesn't *replace* the original credits.
Yes. Sentai does this right. Do it on black. Please don't mess with the video contents of the original credit run though, I can't stress this enough. In general, I pay for DVD or Blu-ray anime expecting a 100% identical experience to if I imported the Japanese native disc, and don't mind if the price is higher for this experience. Once you get into localizing it, the value for me drops drastically. I don't care for and will never watch the dub, though I do agree if one was produced, that the cast's names deserve to be printed in there somewhere, be it on a black screen after the end, or on an insert-card in the package (which may be more viable if they're working off of Japanese masters). |
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JulieYBM
Posts: 209 |
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An edit is an edit is an edit. Sentai/ADV has done it best by adding a full translated credit scroll after each episode. This way you get no edits to the episode (every last second of it, not just the violence and nudity we all love!) and a translation of the credits. |
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Mirri
Posts: 313 |
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...correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what they did with the Madoka volumes, and it plays after the fourth episode on the volume? I only watched my discs once. |
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ittoujuu
Posts: 164 Location: SoCal |
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This reflects my current views on Aniplex titles. I do own one - the BD of the 4-episode Rurouni Kenshin OAV - and the visual quality is very high, and worth the price since I'm a longtime RK fan. However, that was financially manageable because it was a single disc, so the price didn't zoom up into the stratosphere. I wouldn't begrudge Aniplex its fancy ultra high-sheen LEs except that it's often impossible to get a series any other way. I watched Fate/Zero and enjoyed it enough that, if it were a product released by any other anime licensing company today, I would buy it. For Aniplex's prices, however, a purchase would be unconscionable. I think the main part that sticks in the craws of so many viewers is that that kind of pricing is basically saying, "We have priced this arbitrarily, and if you cannot afford it, you don't deserve to see it." From a business perspective, they're right - I can't afford a Ferrari, so I don't deserve to have the experience of driving one. The flip-side of that is that most people don't put "owning a Ferrari" on their list of things to acquire in life, because there are many far-cheaper alternatives that will give you the things you want out of the experience of driving that Ferrari. Do you like the svelte body design? There's an alternative that has that. Do you like the sensation of going fast? Most sports cars fit the bill. Do you like precision machining? It'll cost you, but there are alternatives that cost a lot less than that Ferrari. The point is, what Aniplex is selling are stories. I'm a lover of stories, and I try to collect the ones I like most in my curated library of instant access joy, as I suppose a great many of us do. But even for my favorite stories - even though I love them! - there is an amount over which I will not pay for them. At some point, the price exceeds my estimation of what a show is individually worth, because that series isn't the only game in town. There are enough anime series that I can find something like the series that costs hundreds of dollars for a much, much more affordable price. It won't BE that expensive series I liked, but it will be enough like it, or have enough similar elements visually, narratively, thematically, or musically to scratch that itch in a satisfactory manner. To the Aniplex Model, this doesn't matter, because their pricing sits at a point that balances out the niche buyer market with the price per unit so that they still profit. And seeing as how this model seems to be working for them, I don't see them changing it. But, let's be realistic here. When they completely gate off their product from a large section of their market who might like to own it (either through being unable to afford it, or viewing it as an unrealistic value proposition), it encourages people to pirate those shows, even if only to check them out to see whether those series are something they would like to buy. Speaking for myself, I sure can't afford to blind-buy at Aniplex's prices. I'd have to stone-cold KNOW I loved a series. If Aniplex's business model was wrong, they would either adjust it or go out of business. There are enough people who want to buy their Ferraris that they can operate profitably within that niche, selling high-cost, high-profit products to the minority that can afford them. The corollary is, Ferrari isn't the only company making cars, and most people will be as satisfied driving something else. The car metaphor isn't perfect (as a Ferrari has self-evident value reflected in its price, whereas an Aniplex title's value is much more vague and dependent on a viewer's personal taste), but it serves as an apt vehicle (ha!) to get the point across. |
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superdry
 Posts: 1309 |
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Not entirely true since they do try and put up as many of their titles on as many streaming channels as possible (Garden of Sinners seems to be one of the exceptions). So, one can still see it...whether one can buy it is a different matter. Which leads me to...
Watch the shows on Hulu, Crackle, Crunchyroll, etc. If one has a computer and a decen internet connection to pirate anime, surely one can sample AoA shows via streaming for free easily. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I am not surprised that Garden of Sinners had the highest customer satisfaction. That's because it was so expensive that only those people who really wanted it bought it. And of course, the feedback cards only come with the sets, meaning that all your feedback was coming from diehard fans who probably were grateful for the release no matter what the price.
With lower-priced sets like PMMM, there were more complaints because people who weren't die-hard fans could buy the show and then send the negative feedback. |
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Tuor_of_Gondolin
 Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
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The only problem with your car analogy is that I can buy the same car in Europe for only 1/3rd the price that it is in the good ole US of A. This tells me that it's the pipeline, not the product. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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It took all the way to page 3 for the car analogy to come up! I wonder if that's a new record.
I wonder if you guys ever tire of arguing about Aniplex pricing. I'm guessing 'no' since it's always the same people making the same arguments in circles. |
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luffypirate
 Posts: 3186 |
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Goto-san is a personal friend of mine. He means what he says. This man is very dedicated to providing us with the nicest looking collectibles one can find. Once one holds one of their products in their hand they will certainly understand how special they are. They are imbued with the spirit and prestige of Japanese craftsmanship.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23800 |
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Jesus Christ, can we please drive a stake through that braindead Ferrari analogy? (And Tuor, I realize you yourself aren't using it, but I found it useful to quote your post). AoA is not making "Ferrari-style" products and selling them at Ferrari prices. They are putting out products that are roughly equivalent to what, say, NISA puts out but charge up to $100 more. The luxury car analogy is not apt. If NISA can put out a "Ferrari" and charge $519,900 for it what justifies AoA charging $1,519, 900 for its "Ferrari?" |
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