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ANNCast - Bursting the Bubble with Lance Heiskell


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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 2758
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2019 7:51 pm Reply with quote
Based on the interview, it sounds like you weren't responsible for these, but any insight on what really happened with those uncut DVDs of 4Kids shows? Were they just not selling enough to justify creating new dubs for them? I remember a weird conspiracy theory from some fans, speculating that they sold too well. That 4Kids were mad they were upstaging their edited version. Laughing Rolling Eyes

On a similar note, out of all things, why did Funimation co-produce Pandalian with Nelvana? You guys never really did much with it beyond airing it on Funimation Channel. Understandable, since it would've sold nothing on disc, which only raises the question of why in the first place. Did those other early-ish Funimation co-pros like the Bioware adaptations do well? Funimation hasn't made more, so smart money would be on no ...

I'm not sure you'll be able to answer this, but any info on how/why Ocean created their own dub of Dragon Ball Kai? Oddly, they were involved with the video editing on the Nicktoons version of Kai. I recall someone asking this question on a Funimation ANNCast years ago (might've even been me) years ago, but (IIRC) Adam Sheehan and Justin Rojas said that either it didn't exist or that they hadn't heard of it. That dub was first revealed through Sean Schemmel barking about it, so I could never tell if that was the truth or just the "official" response.
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Mach Rider



Joined: 19 Apr 2019
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2019 7:54 pm Reply with quote
Primus wrote:
Based on the interview, it sounds like you weren't responsible for these, but any insight on what really happened with those uncut DVDs of 4Kids shows? Were they just not selling enough to justify creating new dubs for them? I remember a weird conspiracy theory from some fans, speculating that they sold too well. That 4Kids were mad they were upstaging their edited version. Laughing Rolling Eyes


I would love to know more about this as well!
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BigOnAnime
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 01 Jul 2010
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:52 am Reply with quote
This definitely is up there in my favorite ANNCasts, those being ones that focus on the industry like the Bandai Entertainment and Geneon (with Chad Kime) ones. I didn't get into anime until after the bubble burst a bit, that being November 2008. I remember streaming started to become a thing around that time, though it wasn't what it is now. One of the best things about the bubble bursting though is how I can get so much of these really neat releases for pretty good prices, like I have ADV's Kurau: Phantom Memory (the most expensive of the Sojitz titles for ADV to license) singles + artbox coming in the mail brand new, all for under $40 in total.

Lance, not sure if you can answer this, but why did FUNimation decide to start doing this very bland disc art starting in August 2012? Everything used to have this beautiful full-color disc art, then when Fractale and Panty & Stocking (DVD-only release) hit, you got this bland nonsense that's similar to Hollywood movie studio releases. Though recently shows that get LEs have disc art again as of like 2016.
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Zeino



Joined: 19 May 2017
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:32 pm Reply with quote
Lance, do you know why Funimation never got Mushishi season 2 or were you gone by then?
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getchman
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Joined: 07 Apr 2012
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Aniplex got it. they just never did anything with it beyond streaming
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KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 8:44 pm Reply with quote
lheiskell wrote:
I was so focused on all the anime other than Dragon Ball Z. It was always more of a Wal-Mart mass market show with Home Video, licensing and production. There were many internal owners of the show.

Wait, I'm confused. Am I to take this to mean that Wal-Mart sales had a hand in FUNimation's decision to cancel the Ultimate Uncuts?
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Tempest
I Run this place.
ANN Publisher


Joined: 29 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:22 am Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:
"company representative" ... oops. I think it's time to change that Smile

lheiskell wrote:

How about "Old Fart Anime Alum"

Yeah, "Insider" isn't exactly right. I thought we had an "Industry Old-Timer" title, or something like that.
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Shiroi Hane
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Joined: 25 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:21 am Reply with quote
EricJ2 wrote:
Play Word-Association with "What springs to mind when I say '00's Bubble'?", and I almost Pavlov-respond "...Coyote Ragtime Show."

You must be the only ANN regular who wouldn’t instantly answer “Heat Guy J”...
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lheiskell
Industry Insider


Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Posts: 233
Location: Fort Worth, TX
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:32 pm Reply with quote
EricJ2 wrote:

Seemed as if because Funi was the ambitious "new kid", competing with the other companies to show "We're more than just DBZ!" in the 00's, they were actually a few years ahead of the Bubble:
They figured out that Boxsets were selling more than the Singles that fans (and retail) were mutinying against, and they got into Streaming even before the getting was good. (If they'd waited, we might have an app that works as well as Crunchyroll's, but we'd all be worse off for it.)

As for my questions for Funi insiders, marketing decisions, and relations with CN/AS, I don't have a single question for Funi that doesn't have the words "Sgt." and "Frog" in it. And if they're smart, they KNOW the question. Evil or Very Mad


We put out the first 13 episode Part 1 and Part 2 with Ouran in 2008. Retailers were not taking in volumes 4, 5, 6 on titles if the sales weren't good for Volume 1 and 2.

So we tested the waters with 13 episode parts and it worked. Retailers took Part 1 and then took in Part 2. I think our last volume release at FUNimation was Claymore.

Nope of the boxset singles theory. VIZ had Naruto and Bleach. Naruto was more popular than DBZ at the time.

Sgt Frog didn't sell. Anime consumers don't collect comedy as much as other genres. They watch and stream comedy but few collect it. That's why Sgt Frog didn't stick around. Comedy is always a gamble for home video.
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lheiskell
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Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Posts: 233
Location: Fort Worth, TX
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:40 pm Reply with quote
Primus wrote:
Based on the interview, it sounds like you weren't responsible for these, but any insight on what really happened with those uncut DVDs of 4Kids shows? Were they just not selling enough to justify creating new dubs for them? I remember a weird conspiracy theory from some fans, speculating that they sold too well. That 4Kids were mad they were upstaging their edited version. Laughing Rolling Eyes


FUNimation only distributed the 4KIDS releases. No production nor content decisions, that was all 4KIDS. Uncut versions had low sales numbers.


Primus wrote:
On a similar note, out of all things, why did Funimation co-produce Pandalian with Nelvana? You guys never really did much with it beyond airing it on Funimation Channel.


I was not involved in that project.

Primus wrote:

I'm not sure you'll be able to answer this, but any info on how/why Ocean created their own dub of Dragon Ball Kai? Oddly, they were involved with the video editing on the Nicktoons version of Kai.


I don't know. I wasn't involved in the production.
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lheiskell
Industry Insider


Joined: 21 Jul 2003
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Location: Fort Worth, TX
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:46 pm Reply with quote
BigOnAnime wrote:

Lance, not sure if you can answer this, but why did FUNimation decide to start doing this very bland disc art starting in August 2012? Everything used to have this beautiful full-color disc art, then when Fractale and Panty & Stocking (DVD-only release) hit, you got this bland nonsense that's similar to Hollywood movie studio releases. Though recently shows that get LEs have disc art again as of like 2016.


I wasn't involved in that decision. Sometimes it's a cost of goods decision. Calculate all the discs produced in a single year and if you cut a cost, sometimes the savings is so significant that it's made.
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lheiskell
Industry Insider


Joined: 21 Jul 2003
Posts: 233
Location: Fort Worth, TX
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 3:57 pm Reply with quote
KabaKabaFruit wrote:
lheiskell wrote:
I was so focused on all the anime other than Dragon Ball Z. It was always more of a Wal-Mart mass market show with Home Video, licensing and production. There were many internal owners of the show.

Wait, I'm confused. Am I to take this to mean that Wal-Mart sales had a hand in FUNimation's decision to cancel the Ultimate Uncuts?


No, the consumers had a hand. Consumers didn't buy those volumes in quantities of past Dragon Ball Z volume releases. Wal-mart and other retailers bought less and less because the consumers didn't buy it. Sales are consumer driven.

So, the DBZ box sets - the "orange brick" season sets were the result of that.
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BigOnAnime
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 1219
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:54 pm Reply with quote
What were some of FUNimation's worst-sellers during your tenture? Also did Heat Guy J actually do well for FUNimation unlike Geneon where it was a huge flop? What were some license-rescues that didn't perform? What were some license-rescues that did much better under FUNimation than at Bandai/Geneon/ADV, etc.?
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Mosaic



Joined: 26 Feb 2005
Posts: 75
PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 7:48 am Reply with quote
I heard Funimation didn't license the Mihoshi Special because that would involve bringing out Pretty Sammy as well (it was never clear if that meant the 3 OVA or 26 episode series). Yet, they went and licensed Sasami: Magical Girls Club. Any reasons why?
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KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 10:30 am Reply with quote
lheiskell wrote:
No, the consumers had a hand. Consumers didn't buy those volumes in quantities of past Dragon Ball Z volume releases. Wal-mart and other retailers bought less and less because the consumers didn't buy it. Sales are consumer driven.

So, the DBZ box sets - the "orange brick" season sets were the result of that.

I find that difficult to believe. Even if the bubble had burst, Dragon Ball Z was an "A" list title that had notoriety with the fans to the point that the singles should've sold well regardless. Plus, it was the first season of the show finally available uncut to the general public for the first time. Fans were forced to contend with the edited version of the first two seasons for nearly a decade through the old Pioneer releases and you would think that would've been enough for them to buy the Ultimate Uncuts en masse, bubble or no bubble.

With all due respect, Lance, I just find your explanation of the circumstances surrounding the cancellation at the time to be unusual with everything the show had going for it which didn't help with FUNimation maintaining radio silence since that decision was made and I have a hunch that there is more to the story that you're not telling us.


Last edited by KabaKabaFruit on Wed May 01, 2019 9:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
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