Forum - View topicHey, Answerman! [2009-04-03]
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reanimator
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I totally agree for you, Brian. I felt the same way. Initially I used to have some empathy with fansubbers, but now I see them as selfish people who don't give a damn about overall well-being Anime industry both domestic and abroad. If fansubbers limited themselves about releasing first few episodes only, they wouldn't be viewed harshly by dedicated fans and industry as pirates. What fansub is doing right now is spoiling so-called fans who are less likely return their dedication. I have feeling that PerifiedJello is some selfish blowhard who deludes himself/herself as fan, but in reality I think he/she is just one of those posers. Doesn't he/she already know that most Anime titles are niche product of short shelf life with few selection of merchandise? We know that Anime industry in Japan is living off from patronage of few dedicated fans who buy expensive merchandise. I want Japanese to find new audience, but it's not good when those new audience want to get entertainment while refuse to pay through purchase. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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The link to Kanon wasn't to show what the price one could get for it, but what the MSRP was. I haven't taken the time to find the Clannad link, where the MSRP was identical. However, that being said, Clannad is, by far, the most expensive series between Kanon and Ghost Hunt, if you want to get technical. Why? Because Clannad isn't dubbed. If part of that $70 ($50) price is supposed to cover voice acting, then it's clear to see why it's the most expensive of the three. That's the only reason I mentioned price, because even without dub, I'd still get this series for the same price I would Kanon, dubbed. Oh, and Kanon's on my wish list too. 
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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First, let's clear up the gender issue. That would be "he" for future reference. Second, the poser issue is off base. While my collection may not be as vast as some I've seen listed, you should also realize I only returned to anime DVD purchases about the same time I registered for this site. I'll be more than happy to list my purchases, showing receipt, if you feel this way. In fact, from a recent email regarding my purchase from RightStuf!: 1-CATALOG-TRSI Right Stuf Catalog-$0.00 1-M5072-Noein DVD Box Set (Hyb)-$19.99 1-FUN09585-Love Hina DVD Box Set (Hyb)-$29.99 1-FUN07550-Kiddy Grade DVD Box Set (Hyb) - Viridian-$29.99 1-DCMPBX1-Comic Party Revolution DVD Box Set (Hyb)-$23.99 1-RSDVD2017-Comic Party DVD Thinpak Collection (Hyb)-$19.99 Item Total: $123.95 This is less than the recent purchase I did for a 1/4 Haruhi Suzumiya PVC figure, a Shakugan no Shana figure, and my Haiji plush. Poser? Feel that way if you must, but you're mistaken. I can probably assume correctly I've spent more for anime in 2 months than you have all year. Want to tally? $1200-$1300, and I can back it up. Tax refund checks are great things. Just don't tell my wife. 
Few? My friend, maybe it's about time you research just how much anime influences Japanese culture, so you can come back and realize the "few" isn't just some arbitrary number to throw around. I've always known merchandising supported the anime industry for years. It's most of you who can't accept this, believing DVD or ad supported sites is what keeps it alive. It's not. It's never been. It never will be. If the anime industry relied on DVD sales to survive, it would have died years ago, even in Japan. Here's proof, all the way back to VHS days. Show me anywhere on this graph where DVD/VHS has ever exceeded merchandising. If anything, merchandising has dropped significantly in the anime industry in the past two years. This will have a much, much more devastating impact on revenue than any fansub site every could. Numbers don't lie.
In the digital era, you can no longer have your cake and eat it too. It's impossible, because someone will always offer the cake at $0.00, so that everyone can eat it. It is the industry that must change. Not your notion that plastic disks will save the day. Your purchase of a DVD means nothing to the studio but it means the world to the distributor, who invested in the license. Piracy or not, it's the distributor relying on the sales of plastic disks that's failing, not the studio. A business relying on the "pay to view" model you seem to defend will never, ever survive when competing with $0.00. It must adapt. Or fail. Those are the only two options. But for anime fans, the content will always be there. Just not on DVD. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23986 |
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Just curious, PJ - why the double dip? |
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LordRedhand
 Posts: 1472 Location: Middle of Nowhere, Indiana |
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Those are the first series and it's sequel series there Blood-
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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They're the same????????? The descriptions lead me to believe they were a series. 
*sigh* Ah, well. I guess I have one to donate then.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23986 |
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Oops, the mistake was mine, PJ. As LordRedhand has already pointed out (but which I didn't know), Comic Party Revolution is a sequel. I actually bought the three revolution volumes from TRSI not realizing it was a sequel.
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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Whew! I saw his post after I replied, so there was hope left.
I have to admit, sometimes box sets can get confusing without looking it up. Some are re-releases, others are the same thing, packaged in a different box. Even descriptions can change. Sleuthing becomes an art form when looking for box sets. |
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JC90
Posts: 18 Location: Oh, just here and there.... |
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I know, I know: The ending to the anime really is an iconic scene that really made it memorable. But still (and I don't mean to throw stones), have you read the ending to the manga? It's just magnificent in how it resolves their story. I'd say it offers more closure than the anime does. spoiler[The years they were separated, their reunion, and Rosette's subsequent death] (I find) make it even more powerful. And then spoiler[Chrono's apparent watching over her grave forever] is most certainly sad, but it's also incredibly beautiful with his show of intense devotion to her. |
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Sea Lion
 Posts: 307 |
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All right. What is the modern artist/industry distributing his/her art supposed to do? Art for art's sake is a noble concept, but you can't eat it or live under it. All these people who download things for free and think they're getting away with something are in for a rude awakening when these artists realize they won't starve if they work in an old folks' home. The reason those artists exist is because they do it better than the rest of us. Let those freeloaders try to come up with their own Naruto episodes. If they could do it, they'd be doing it, instead of downloading all their anime from their parents' basement, covered in Cheez-It dust. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5906 Location: Virginia, United States |
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In today's day an age, if you are a fan, then you know what is coming out in Japan. The internet ensures you are right at the cutting edge. You would have to force yourself to be unknowlegeable. We are no longer living in the olden days, when the latest news about anime, came from the laserdisc's you bought from your favorite importer. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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If one compares the combined MSRP of two half-season collections against that of a full collection, in this case $80 for Clannad 1+2 and $70 for Kanon according to Amazon, the latter is cheaper in most cases, presumably in virtue of the different release formats inter alia. It would thus be more appropriate to compare the Clannad and Ghost Hunt half-season collections. The MSRP of each is $40 and $50 respectively for a single half-season. The lack of a dub is probably causing this difference. |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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For starters, they can actually get to work in promoting themselves instead of relying on a dying system to do it for them. The second thing they should be doing is connecting with fans, but more importantly, potential fans. This is done by giving content away at $0.00 for future returns. The third thing they can do is drop the stupid idea people pay for content. It's never been, is, or will be true. People pay for the skill. The content is the benefit of promoting the skill. The last is thinking about ways to generate revenue while giving people a reason to buy. This is where the industry is now. Daunting? Yes, it is. It's a new concept and a new way of thinking. After nearly 30 years of the same crap, it's their own fault for allowing themselves to be in this position. The internet's been around a long time. These studios and distributors should have been thinking about new ways to expand markets and increase revenue potential long before ".com" became a household word. Now they're scrambling because people are finding sources for $0.00. I do have some sympathy for artists, but none for distributors. The good news in all this is the artist has much more power over its content than ever before. Now they need to give you a reason to buy something other than a DVD while maintaining the notion not everyone will buy something. As fans, it's our responsibility to quit worrying about those who won't pay and understand our purchases pay for their free viewings. Who cares about them? What they bring money can't buy and that is value and increased demand, especially when these wouldn't be available from these people through current models as they wouldn't have bought to begin with.
This type of thinking is exactly why things aren't changing. What exactly do you think they're getting away with? You should be more angry at the studio and/or distributor for ignoring what these people do bring to the table instead of treating them like criminals. What's that saying about hitting a gift horse in the mouth?
Wrong. The reason these artists exist is because we, the consumer, place great value in their content. Here's proof: Look at your music collection. How much of that music is label owned vs. "no name"? I'll put a dozen donuts up to say most people's music library is filled with label songs. That freakin' sucks for artists who didn't get signed by a label because they're not sexy enough, isn't it? The anime industry is in a unique position, because it doesn't rely on "1 episode sales" like the music industry does. Rarely does someone buy an album (even a digital one) anymore. They buy songs. Anime has no such luxury because of its episode lists. No one is simply going to "buy" episode 5 of an anime series. It's an all or nothing situation. Thus, their models for revenue becomes a little more complicated than other entertainment industries. Not impossible, though. There are 3 things each can do now to make a difference. It's not going to be huge money making ideas, but it's a start.
Be careful about this, because it just may happen. As technology advances, creating an "anime" style cartoon becomes easier every single day. This opens the door for more competition, forcing studios to not only compete with each other, but online folks who have exceptional skills in design software. Some of the stuff I've seen done with Flash, Shockwave, and hell, even a digital camera with editing software is astonishing. If this stuff is possible today, imagine what tomorrow brings.
We can all write letters, but we don't do it anymore. Technology makes it easier to send email vs. writing with pen and paper. The point: who cares what these people can and can't do. The fact someone took the time to develop the software to get people to communicate more efficiently replaced the tired model of writing, stamping, and waiting for reply communication. In other words: innovation occurred. For nearly 30 years, this innovation never occurred in the anime/distribution system. Ironically, anime itself has innovated using technology. So why are all of you upset a decades old system is failing? Even if you took piracy out of the equation, plastic disks are not selling. Not in music. Not in movies. Not in anime. Netflix alone has taken more away from the sales of plastic disks than any form of piracy out there. Because not a single one of you has convinced me people are going to sit for over 3 hours to torrent a movie then burn it to DVD. Even in anime, most do not download it. They view it. So tell me where the hell this "lost sale" from someone who didn't buy to begin with or is now renting comes from again? Enlighten me. This should be a valuable and entertaining reply, all of which most of you will pay $0.00 to view.
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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Isn't paying for content practically the basis for capitalism? Are you just talking semantics so people get sick of arguing with you? |
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PetrifiedJello
Posts: 3782 |
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No, it's not, because no one pays for content. If this were the case, we'd all be multi-millionaires for charging our employers for the content we were hired to produce. Capitalism is based on selling products to pay for services. Think of it this way: When you buy a DVD, you're paying for everything except the content, which is $0.00 (dubbing, shipping, mark-up, etc.) People put that DVD together. It simply didn't appear. Thus, to pay for all this (not even including the licensing fees), a product must be sold. To sell the product, you must find a consumer. How's that done? Giving away content. People don't spend $1 for a song they've never heard. So how did they hear it then? Radio, television, someone's recommendation, or other means in which the listener paid $0.00 to do.
Semantics is an excuse when people don't understand the scope of the conversation, or worse, they define two separate and distinct words as having identical meaning. For example: value and cost. Until education shows how these are different, "semantics" is used incorrectly, usually showing ignorance of the topic at hand. Here's another example: $0.00 and "Free". |
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