Forum - View topicNEWS: Funimation Reduces Staff, Reportedly by 10%
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saishokushugisha
Editor, Anime Insider
 Posts: 101 Location: USA |
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What an awful example of a parent company sucking money away from a profitable subsidiary to keep itself afloat. I'm sure you all remember that FUNimation posted almost a 50% profit this year, while owner Navarre lost money like crazy.
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starcade
Posts: 204 |
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Well, that answers my other question from the other thread. What an asinine situation. They're #1 by a goddamn mile, and they pull this crap? I mean, seriously... Maybe what the big guy at ADV told me was right: Maybe they are the only ones afloat -- and (this is my speculation now) perhaps they're waiting for Navarre to sink Funimation. |
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AstroNerdBoy
 Posts: 413 Location: Denver, CO |
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ADV got a capital infusion from its partnership (or whatever it was) with the Japanese company. Navarre bought FUNimation to acquire a cash cow to fund their other stuff. The Navarre purchase of FUNimation has been bad from the get-go. How many times have they ran off at the mouth and caused FUNimation (Lance and the other reps) to have to clean up the mess? And because Navarre is a publicly traded company, FUNimation can't be as forthcoming on information as they once were.
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GATSU
Posts: 15570 |
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So those crappy DBZ sets=quality? 
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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"one product i don't like from a company that releases hundreds of titles a year means i can call their entire operation into question" |
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AstroNerdBoy
Posts: 413 Location: Denver, CO |
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Sales of those titles (I assume you mean the remastered widescreen release) would indicate you are in the minority for considering the DBZ sets as crappy. 
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Sakurachan1
Posts: 42 |
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Not a good sign.
FYI...Big sales do not and NEVER indicate overall customer satisfaction with a product. Something can perform well in the market, but get bad feedback later on. I thought that was marketing 101 stuff... Anyway... Sure the DBZ sets sold like wildfire at the begining, but think about how many of those were picked up by hardcore fans who simply did not want to dedicate an entire room to a classic Anime series. (Let us NOT re-open the Pandora's box of Funi's past) That means a high percentage of those folks were looking for something extra; not just digital sound and sooped up menu options. Not to mention there was probably nothing Funi could do to please that core group even if everyone else was happy. Just being the devils advocate... 
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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No, the vast majority of those sets where picked up by casual fans who may not even care about anime otherwise and could give a rats ass about the cropping and other issues, assuming they knew in the first place.
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jsyxx
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Since when do you cut staff after profits go up 50%?
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child of Lilith
 Posts: 137 Location: Egg of Lilith ( the black moon) |
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You cut staff when your parent company forces you to. I guess Funimation kind of feels like they sold their soul to the devil right now. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16963 |
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When the Parent Company that owns you takes a loss so they suck out money from you to make up for it. "We're expendable assets Nicolai, and we've just been expended." That sums it up. This angers me and worries me because honestly right now Funimation produces the best dubs over all I think. I think they've really come up and raised the bar with production value and dubbing so to hear this is very disheartening (don't get me wrong, I like ADV, Manga, Media Blasters, and Geneon as well but Funimation I think is doing it just a bit better right now). It basically puts a shadow over all their accomplishments as of late. I hope maybe they can get out from Navarro and find a better "home." |
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AstroNerdBoy
Posts: 413 Location: Denver, CO |
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True, and there are many Hollywood movies that can attest to this. However, there was the HUGE negative reaction from the fans that was completely ignored as people rushed to buy the re-released set of the 1st season. My understanding is that the 2nd season set is selling very well as well. Therefore, my initial conclusion that a lot of people must not be considering it "crappy" because by this point, money talks.
Perhaps, but in the beginning (on paper at least), it seemed like a good deal to have a larger company like Navarre purchase FUNimation because of the added power it would give FUNimation in the licensing market. Navarre does software (games, productivity, antivirus, etc.), music (though they have gotten rid of that now), video (distributing several Hollywood movies), console video games, & accessory products for different products on the market (PS2, PS3, Wii, iPod, other business or home electronic accessories). I'm sure the powers at FUNimation saw this and thought, "We can expand our licensing of anime goods with the power of Navarre." Sadly, only now is the truth revealed.
I mentioned elsewhere that I've gone through something similar twice before. It sucks when you know your company is a cash cow, but the new parent company comes in and decides to use your profits to fund their pet projects and agendas, even if they are loser things for the company. To make up for the losses elsewhere, you get corporate-wide staffing cuts as well, including the cash cow (because on paper, if you cut the staff, which is the largest cost to a company, then naturally profits will be even greater for the cash cow). Unfortunately, short-sighted executives with no clue on how the cash cow became a cash cow end up harming the cash cow and then they wonder why all those extra profits on paper didn't materialize. It is a shame really and I too am concerned about the situation. Navarre seems to be run by chimps and FUNimation gets to take the beating for it. I will continue to support FUNimation (despite the fact that this supports Navarre) and wish for new leadership to take control of Navarre. |
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cubivore
 Posts: 8 |
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whatever the "Big Guy" told you from ADV is full of shit. i know they have let several people go in the last few months and have recently sent out emails about restructuring and "slimming". they even made most of their production staff contract employees, losing all their health benefits and full time status. adv has never been "on top" and they have barely been staying afloat the past few years. just cos they got some japanese money doesn't mean they know how to use it. i mean, they've been sitting on sgt frog for how many years now? at least 3 to my knowledge.
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starcade
Posts: 204 |
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Even a year ago, I was really beginning to wonder whether ADV might fold. Now I have to wonder if it's going to be Funi who goes down instead -- and, if that happens, look out American anime economy!!
I actually ran into Matt Greenfield and the licensing person from the AX ADV panel (couldn't remember Matt's name for a moment, and can't remember the licensing guy at all) near the elevators at the Westin hours after the panel. I asked them about what they were really planning to do to close the gap between them and Funi, and one of them (and I do believe it was Greenfield) shot off that ADV was the only financially healthy anime company in America at this point (or words to that effect -- wish I had the quote in front of me). This puzzled me SEVERELY, as how could that be with Funi basically kicking everybody's ass?? We may be getting our answer! Your feelings about ADV are what I thought until they finally appeared to resume a pulse with AMG2 and Sgt. Frog and the DMC AX announcement, so I'm not going to come out here and say you're as full of it as others I've heard. |
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Tempest
 I Run this place.ANN Publisher  Posts: 10460 Location: Do not message me for support. |
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To help them go up more. While it's not a particularly nice way to reward productive employees, profitable companies often cut their workforce in order to further improve their margins. What's more, Anime Online Inc. was not profitable.To be fair, no one expected it to be profitable yet, it was still a startup. I really think it was rather crappy the way the people at AO were suddenly dismissed. -t |
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