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Hey, Answerman! Indecent Expo-sure


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Pants



Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Posts: 18
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Afro Samurai won an Emmy. You might want to mention that.
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Reibooi



Joined: 03 Mar 2008
Posts: 394
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:21 pm Reply with quote
RestlessOne wrote:
Seljuk wrote:
Has Funimation even commented on their upscaling? Or are they just keeping hush and hoping nobody notices?

I don't believe they ever commented, but I think they realize a nice chunk of people know about the upscales. They're still making something off the market, though, and I suppose there might be some contract messes that we don't know of.


Funi actually had a interview with Hi Def digest in which the talk about the process and whatnot about how the make their blu-rays. If anyone wants to know the details they can check that out. It was posted on the Funi blog not to long ago in a post about the most recent Funi con.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/FUNimation/High-Def_Digest_Talks_to_FUNimation_About_Their_Blu-ray_Releases/4738

They have also started labeling the Blu-rays to say if they are a upscale or not. I just got RIN on Blu-ray and it's labeled as a SD upscale. They are trying to inform people it just took them a while to do so.
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Orange Hollow



Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 66
Location: Krasnoyarsk, Russia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:30 pm Reply with quote
He he he, just finished watching 35th episode of Gundam Z, very epic. Btw, it's the only anime i've seen, that has sound effects in the opening Very Happy
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:02 pm Reply with quote
Pants wrote:
Afro Samurai won an Emmy. You might want to mention that.

And it was (1) an American/Japanese co-production and (2) utterly horrible.

Loved the guy talking about how great Japanese releases are compared to American ones because they don't have blurbs trying to get you to buy something. This works from the assumption that people only buy things that they're already familiar with through fansubs (and more recently, streaming). While that may be the case frequently enough, basic advertising knowledge should tell you that it's not a bad idea to sell you product, as opposed to assuming everyone already knows about it.

That the blurbs are sometimes horribly inaccurate... well, yeah, that happens sometimes. Still, I'd be curious to see whether the ones in Japanese aren't just as bad if you could actually read them...
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edzieba



Joined: 13 Dec 2006
Posts: 704
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 2:27 pm Reply with quote
My problem is that there are endorsements printed on there at all. From the (admittedly not huge sample) of Japanese releases I own, none have any printed anywhere on the outer packaging. If any are present, they are on discardable separate slip covers (a small strip of paper that wraps over the spine). This seems a far better solution than permanently emblazoning the printed cover with something that becomes utterly redundant once you've handed over money for it.
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einhorn303



Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Posts: 1180
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:08 pm Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
Pants wrote:
Afro Samurai won an Emmy. You might want to mention that.

And it was (1) an American/Japanese co-production and (2) utterly horrible.

Loved the guy talking about how great Japanese releases are compared to American ones because they don't have blurbs trying to get you to buy something. This works from the assumption that people only buy things that they're already familiar with through fansubs (and more recently, streaming). While that may be the case frequently enough, basic advertising knowledge should tell you that it's not a bad idea to sell you product, as opposed to assuming everyone already knows about it.

That the blurbs are sometimes horribly inaccurate... well, yeah, that happens sometimes. Still, I'd be curious to see whether the ones in Japanese aren't just as bad if you could actually read them...


It makes sense to have such blurbs if they're on Brick & Mortar shelves, like at Best Buy or whatever. But when was the last time you saw a Nozomi Int. release at Best Buy? And how many people buy $100 Honneamise blu-rays just because they read the blurb on the cover? And all that ad copy is completely unneeded when the disc is bought online, as most niche anime DVDs are. Especially like that Bandai Store-exclusive release of the Gurren Lagann movies.


Your mention of "basic advertising knowledge" reminds me of something my brother said. He's a hardcore beer connoisseur, you see. And he says "Any sort of beer that has TV advertisements is crap." Basically the reasoning is that true quality beer doesn't need ads to sell, it just sells on quality alone and word-of-mouth. Low-quality mainstream brands get by by selling a "lifestyle" through advertising, and not on the actual quality of the product. The same basic argument applies to anime as well.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:32 pm Reply with quote
einhorn303 wrote:
It makes sense to have such blurbs if they're on Brick & Mortar shelves, like at Best Buy or whatever. But when was the last time you saw a Nozomi Int. release at Best Buy? And how many people buy $100 Honneamise blu-rays just because they read the blurb on the cover? And all that ad copy is completely unneeded when the disc is bought online, as most niche anime DVDs are. Especially like that Bandai Store-exclusive release of the Gurren Lagann movies.

I'll agree with you on that. And as brick-and-mortar continues to fall by the wayside, one would think that online releases would realize they could shave off a few bucks by not having to pay someone to come up with blurbs.

Quote:
Your mention of "basic advertising knowledge" reminds me of something my brother said. He's a hardcore beer connoisseur, you see. And he says "Any sort of beer that has TV advertisements is crap." Basically the reasoning is that true quality beer doesn't need ads to sell, it just sells on quality alone and word-of-mouth. Low-quality mainstream brands get by by selling a "lifestyle" through advertising, and not on the actual quality of the product. The same basic argument applies to anime as well.

Yes, but there is a lot less "word of mouth" on anime and manga. In fact, I'd argue it goes in the opposite direction. Everyone knows about the latest mainstream "hit," but the more obscure, award-winning, artistic, higher-quality stuff? You sort of NEED to attract the fandom's attention, because they are woefully under-informed. Also, the "better" unadvertised items generally wind up being more expensive due to their quality. The same does not always happen with anime and manga, nor should it, since fans resort to pirated copies whenever they can't afford it (something one cannot do with beer). So while there are some parallels, I don't think the analogy is really a valid one.

Now, the idea of having disposable slipcards with advertising on them that could be discarded is an interesting idea, and one that I think might strike a balance. But that would be a huge change, since I can't think of anyone doing it off the top of my head before. Even something like Avatar, which hardly needs to be "sold" any more than it already has will have a blurb on its back. That's how American companies do things. That people would be willing to pay twice as much just to avoid this minor annoyance... well, I suppose its your money and you have the right to waste it as you like.
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einhorn303



Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Posts: 1180
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:41 pm Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:

Now, the idea of having disposable slipcards with advertising on them that could be discarded is an interesting idea, and one that I think might strike a balance. But that would be a huge change, since I can't think of anyone doing it off the top of my head before. Even something like Avatar, which hardly needs to be "sold" any more than it already has will have a blurb on its back. That's how American companies do things. That people would be willing to pay twice as much just to avoid this minor annoyance... well, I suppose its your money and you have the right to waste it as you like.


Nozomi's releases of Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) has disposable slipcards. They're thin cards with a blurb and a list of the special features. They're attached to the chipboard thinpacks with that "magic glue" you find on magazine promotions, that doesn't leave a tear or mark when you take it off.

And this is one of the reasons Nozomi appeals so much to the otaku/collector market.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:44 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
A series of miscommunications meant I didn't see it until I got home today - sorry for the delay on that, but better to put it up now rather than just not use it.

RELAX, before you blow a gasket. I was playing around, hence poking fun at Brian's dying computer.

Always better late than never. Smile
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:44 pm Reply with quote
einhorn303 wrote:
vashfanatic wrote:

Now, the idea of having disposable slipcards with advertising on them that could be discarded is an interesting idea, and one that I think might strike a balance. But that would be a huge change, since I can't think of anyone doing it off the top of my head before. Even something like Avatar, which hardly needs to be "sold" any more than it already has will have a blurb on its back. That's how American companies do things. That people would be willing to pay twice as much just to avoid this minor annoyance... well, I suppose its your money and you have the right to waste it as you like.


Nozomi's releases of Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) has disposable slipcards. They're thin cards with a blurb and a list of the special features. They're attached to the chipboard thinpacks with that "magic glue" you find on magazine promotions, that doesn't leave a tear or mark when you take it off.

And this is one of the reasons Nozomi appeals so much to the otaku/collector market.

Woohoo! That's a good sign then, no? Maybe online retailers are figuring out that the blurbs aren't necessary when the only people purchasing them already know what the show is. But if you want to get your stuff in brick-and-mortar... it will be hard convincing anyone to break the old habits. Filling out some comment cards might help, etc.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:45 pm Reply with quote
PetrifiedJello wrote:

RELAX, before you blow a gasket. I was playing around, hence poking fun at Brian's dying computer.

Always better late than never. Smile


Uh, what? I was just explaining why it was late.

'Hey when does the bus get here"

"GEEZ CALM DOWN DUDE"
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djhot



Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:11 pm Reply with quote
A little stupid question, but how can i answer to his questions? I mean, i don`t see email or something like that...
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:15 pm Reply with quote
djhot wrote:
A little stupid question, but how can i answer to his questions? I mean, i don`t see email or something like that...

Uh, read again. It's the very last line of the column.

What I've wondered is, if you're asking a question, do you send it to the same email?
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The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 4:31 pm Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
What I've wondered is, if you're asking a question, do you send it to the same email?

Yea, you just change the subject.

If you have a question, you have the subject "Question for Answerman"

If you have an answer, you have the subject "Answer for Answerfan"

That's how I do it and I've had questions and answers posted.
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labantnet



Joined: 18 Apr 2007
Posts: 57
Location: Anoka, MN
PostPosted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 6:24 pm Reply with quote
Did anyone else find this statement to not make sense?
Quote:
I am an otaku and I think R2 prices are perfectly natural. I would gladly buy all the Japanese Soranowoto BDs for 490,00 yen if they had English subtitles.


Punching that number of yen into google gives out ~550 USD. if I take the comma as the decimal in English notation, it's 5.50 USD. Either of these numbers make no sense. If an R2 BD was only 5.50 USD, no one would ever complain. On the flip side, if a single DVD (Or even the full 12 episodes) was 550 USD, The industry would surly fail. That's about 2 weeks worth of minimum wage pay (After taxes of course). Who would ever think that is an acceptable price to pay? Especially when you look at American BD TV show releases. Look at True Blood. Season 1 on BD on Amazon for ~45 USD for 12 hour long episodes. That's ~equivalent to 24-36 Anime Episodes. So why pay twice that for the the same equivalent of episodes? Or even pay that much for half the episodes?
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