Forum - View topic

NEWS: ADV Head Says UK Issues May Be Due to Illegal Releases

Ryokosha wrote:

They can see them on television and tape or burn them off as their air, but do they get the same thing on television as on DVD? I site Family Guy in the US as an example, watch it on one channel and they will use words and jokes that people without cable and just rabbit ears or even those with just basic cable who only get them on another station might never hear unless they buy the DVD... do we know that is not the same in Japan for anime on their televisions or more correctly would we even if it was suppose to be simualcast?

Yes, there is always the matter of DVD cleanups, but they're generally so insubstantial to the actual show. General examples are things like enhanced panty shots or more animation around the breast/panty area like with Goshuushou-sama or Shana II as recent ones. So in essence, they're still see the show as it was meant to be seen, but they have to have something on the DVDs to make it more enticing.

the rant is definitely inappropriate for such a person of his position.

we are not talking about a product that can appeal to everyone like a coke, pepsi, md, starbucks, iphone, ipod, etc. we are talking about a product with distinct art form filled with a lot, a lot of cultural references and specific use of language. you are going to have a hard time financing and expanding the business with such a narrow appeal.

it will take much more effort and money trying to enter a foreign market and in making the changes necessary to produce a viable commodity and finding a way to market it to consumers that are not accustom to the product. I don't know much about the UK's taste in anime/manga but from what i read i can only assume that its not as large as the US and that since its more homogeneous that you really need to pick the right series to succeed.

The fault lay in marketing I think, P.T. Barnum proved a long time ago if you market things correctly people will pay you money to exit a place and do so happily thinking they are seeing "The Great Egress", and oddly never or rarely feel cheated... so if something isn't selling one thing that must always be checked and is seemingly being ignored in these cases is how the product is marketed.

fansubs have been marketed by word of mouth which is one of the most powerful (not to mention cheapest) marketing tools around, sp again to all companies out there, follow the trends of what is being fansubbed find out why, find a way to use that marketing tool which already exists to market your own product and perhaps that will help to show that company ABC is now going with anime genre XYZ... and I think things would improve... to a point FUNi is doing this in their own way and as has been noted it is rather successful for them, why this has not caught on is beyond me.

Call me a leech, but do the Japanese fans not have the ability to watch their shows on cable TV for only the cost of cable (or whatever service they use)? Give me international cable with a simulcast of the same show, but with subs, and maybe we'll see fansubs and downloading end, or at least slow down.

Naruto episode 37 had around 375,000 downloads, give or take a thousand or so. If Bandai US said, "X fansubbing group, please fansub this, we will pay you and then release our episodes for a dollar or two dollars, and episode." They stand to make a nice chunk of money on the US market alone, and that is not counting DVD sales. It costs about 50,000 to license a single episode, add around a 10,000 dollar import tax fee, and then say you pay the fan subbing group 5,000 an episode, set up a website would cost about 12,000 a month and that's going high. X anime company stands to still make about 275,000 to 250,000 from just those who download alone. Now I realize that some people will always take free over paying, BUT, the level of piracy would be were it "normally is" rather than what it is now. NOW, why haven't the anime companies thought about this? How is it that I, a college student, who IS NOT a business major, who when I present this scenario to my business major friends say "This is a great idea.", can think of this?
Personally, (and I could care less what you think about me for doing such, this should not turn into the morality of downloading and fansubbing) I download about 10 series a week, by that I mean 1 episode of one series, 1 episode of another and so on and so forth, not full series at a time. If these episodes were a dollar or two an episode, and had a day of two turn around as with fansubs, I would not have a problem paying 15-30 dollars a week for anime. I just have a problem paying 34 to 50 bucks for a series, or in the instance of bandai 30-40 bucks for two episodes of Shigofumi or True Tears.... I mean come on. Paying 15 a week, is easier to do because, it's a little bit at a time that adds up, rather than alot at once, which seems to be hurting your business... Just ramblings I guess, really since no anime company will do this. The best we have gotten and I praise them when ever able is FUNI and ADV for releasing downloads for 1.99, but after how long? Still they are heading in the right direction, I am just waiting on everyone else to jump on the wagon and get smart.

The fact is, a lot of people just want a free lunch, and they're bending over backwards to try to justify their decision. Why not just support the industry? Why do we need all this song and dance of excuses? Some fans insist on being able to enjoy numerous different titles within a week of their original airing in Japan, yet scoff at the idea of actually paying for these shows at some point, or claim that they are not worth paying for at all. Does that not seem hypocritical to anyone else?

Perhaps if so many fans weren't getting their anime from illegal file sharing sites or unlicensed streaming sites, we might have expanded our UK catalogue more quickly. As it stands now, however, we have a better shot at growing our business with Lace than maintaining an overseas branch.

larinon wrote:

The fact is, a lot of people just want a free lunch, and they're bending over backwards to try to justify their decision. Why not just support the industry? Why do we need all this song and dance of excuses? Some fans insist on being able to enjoy numerous different titles within a week of their original airing in Japan, yet scoff at the idea of actually paying for these shows at some point, or claim that they are not worth paying for at all. Does that not seem hypocritical to anyone else?

Quoted for truth.

What fansubbers are doing is illegal, not to mention downright immoral and disrespectful. But hey, as long as you get to see your shows, who gives a damn about people who actually possess the basic human decency to support the industy you leeches proclaim to love by actually - *gasp* - paying for their anime?