Forum - View topicANNCast - What'Chou talkin' bout?
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wandering-dreamer
 Posts: 1733 |
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I'd heard about LotGH around the forums here so I guess I'll have to give it a try soon. I like epic (the classical definition) works anyway so this sounds worth watching.
And I was so amused by Chou's fansubbing experiences. The idea of, how did you guys phase it, state-funded piracy? seemed to sum it up so well. Also curious to hear about what you guys are thinking about DRRR, it seems to be really catching on but since the majority of the fandom has seen at least one major spoiler it's kinda hard to tell if the twists are really surprising. |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2444 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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The guys bemoan the lack of a widely-appealing "gateway drug" anime series in the first segment, something with the quality and the broad appeal of "Death Note" or the first "Fullmetal Alchemist" (going further back, I imagine "Cowboy Bebop" would work too), and call out the Japanese producers for pandering to the narrowest niches of the J-fanbase that buys all the moe stuff. Zac and Justin wish aloud that the makers of anime would take more chances.
But, guys, haven't you already answered your own question a few episodes back, in the decade retrospective? Big risks were taken by pouring time, talent, and money into the US market, opening subsidiaries over here or buying stakes in companies like ADV and, well obviously, look how all that turned out. After such a washout, it's only natural that they'd retreat into what they know works for them, safe and vapid as it may be. Should they make shows that are at least aiming for a wider section of the Japanese fanbase? Maybe, but technology has surely changed that market as much as it has ours, and maybe you can't make an anime series pay for itself just with TV anymore. Analogy: 20 years ago, we had too many sitcoms on American TV, because the economics of second-run syndication made it a no-brainer. Today, there are few sitcoms, because the economics have changed (reality is cheaper to produce and can be profitable in first-run, unlike sitcoms; people are watching less TV overall and reruns aren't worth as much, etc.). |
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Onizuka666
Posts: 266 Location: U.K |
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Great episode of ANNcast. Nice to hear other talk about LoGH, besides AWO, Geeknights etc.
For my sins, I'm lucky enough to have seen it by nefarious means of fan subs, but without that, I'd never have know of its greatness. Besides that I try to share such greaness with friends offline. It indeed make me more sad that we'll probably never see anime like this again, until the industry bucks up its ideas. Sure, being a 30 something fan, I buy a lot less product because I'm not the core anymore, with my seinen like tastes. I'd love to see more shows like Baccano, where it has a great and interesting story to tell. Shame there was only so many episodes, (I'd love toknow the full story), but I'm buying it for my collection. Here's an interesting question, though. Do you guys think the anime industry will regress to it former state, where OAVs were the norm again, or will it just opt to make smaller series (Halo, Baccano etc), to gauge fan reaction? |
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Spence
Posts: 8 Location: Washington State |
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Interesting question Onizuka666.
But I'll pose my own. I am a forty something newer anime fan and I have a fairly narrow taste. While good action and visual appeal are important, a good story is more so. But I did notice something more fundamental. That is in marketing strategy. The US consumer just does not buy one four episode disc at a time. TV Series (and that includes anime) sell when they are sold by the season. If they are gong to buy it, US consumers want to be able to watch an entire season, not wait months for the next episode. I see it at the local stores, the single volume sits gathering dust, but the season sets move and more often than not I actually have to order what I want because they have sold the set already. The newer half season sets are better than volumes and appear to be splitting the difference, but the bottom line is that there is a cap on what the US customer will pay for 13 or 26 episodes. It is the same amount they will pay for a regular live action TV series. I actually have a lot of older friends that watch some anime, and they did not grow up with it. GitS, Hellsing, Darker than Black, Black Lagoon, and so on is what they will watch. Go to the local Big Box and look at the TV series shelf. It runs forever and not a single 4 episode volume to be seen. It is all complete seasons or complete series. If you sell a product in Japan you market it to the Japanese. If you sell a product in Germany, you market it to the Germans. If you sell a product in Britain you market to the British. If you sell a product in the US you market to the US. Each country/culture is different and likes things in different packages. So why does the anime industry continue to market to the Japanese teen in the US instead of the US TV watcher? |
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Zade
Posts: 79 |
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Not the "you know" guy again...
  ... make him stop!! Please, I beg of you...
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Sirenlove
 Posts: 79 Location: Corona,NY |
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random thought ...... i think the animatrix is what pulled me back into anime when i was done with the stuff on tv i need a viewing timeline in my head
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
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That was really bothering me, too. |
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dragonrider_cody
Posts: 2541 |
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For the most part, they have. Most anime series are now released in either half or full season sets. Some shows it's just not possible to release in complete sets, because the cost would have to be over the $90 range to make them profitable. Most anime fans are not willing to pay that all at once for the types of releases we've been getting (6 eps per disc, cheap packaging, poorer video quality.) It's actually quite rare for shows to be released in singles form. Both Funi and Sentai do box sets exclusively now, with only Bandai and MB still doing singles. Sometimes however, the Japanese rights holders require a singles release for certain titles. Also, a singles release can make it easier to budget and pay for the dub. It's not uncommon for only a few episodes to be dubbed, then the sales from the first volume or two pay for the rest of the dubbing. |
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