tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post872226735838622989..comments2023-09-26T09:22:37.067+01:00Comments on Raindrops and Daydreams: Blu-ray: Destroying the market for anime on home videoYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381673934103256374noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-78837553163339913472014-03-12T21:16:10.423+00:002014-03-12T21:16:10.423+00:00Ah, one of my embarrassing rants is revived! :)
Y...Ah, one of my embarrassing rants is revived! :)<br /><br />You make good points, and I think my ideal compromise would be a 'worldwide' Japanese release (with English subtitles and even a dub if the series can support it, like with <i>Space Dandy</i>) at a premium (but not disgusting) price, and then a priced-down US release later on which is actually advertised to everyone can set reasonable expectations. I see the Aniplex USA sets as (hopefully) paving the way for that model, with the eye-wateringly expensive first editions eventually selling out and allowing for a later version with better localisation (e.g. dubs when the title can support the cost) and a price more suitable to attracting a wider audience.<br /><br />Japan has been dabbling in bargain prices too from time to time and I really like that trend; I wouldn't have picked up a bunch of the <i>Pokemon</i> movies at their normal prices but the priced-down English-subtitled editions they released a while back were much more appealing. On the pricier side, <i>Tiger & Bunny</i> seemed like a very good strategy to me; English subtitles on the Japanese discs along with CDs of the Japanese cast being sweet, then a decent US release following on later for those who are less obsessed with listening to Morita Masakazu talking and just want the show itself. No doubt there will be a priced-down reissue for that in a few years too, so everyone should be able to buy the show in the format they most like without sacrificing so much when it comes to core features like language tracks or picture quality.<br /><br />I just wish they didn't obsess so much about controlling the market and trying to force everyone to buy the 'correct' version for their region. If US customers with high disposable income were encouraged to buy the Japanese versions and casual Japanese buyers who don't want to buy a nine-volume BD release for their favourite show were allowed to buy the US editions, everyone would be so much better off. Premium editions already tend to outsell basic ones within Japan, so why can't they make the cheaper, basic editions the 'worldwide' versions and sell them globally in mid-priced box sets for a wider audience?<br /><br />My perspective is probably not quite the same since I'm lucky enough to be able to be able to afford most of what I want now after years of struggling - I have to import either way with the UK market in its current state and with exchange rates having been reasonably good over the last decade, I've been very fortunate. Now that legal streaming is finally worthwhile I'm almost relieved about having to pass on the 'average' stuff in order to pick up the best versions of my favourites, but as you say, they're shutting large groups of fans out completely with the current system too. The entertainment industry really does make it difficult for people to give it their money sometimes.<br /><br />(Sorry, I rambled quite a lot...;_; )Raindrops and Daydreamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01260862819130130353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-83212331906501618102014-03-12T20:04:45.906+00:002014-03-12T20:04:45.906+00:00Oh, and "[...]make it so that the prices in b...Oh, and "[...]make it so that the prices in both regions are equal[...]" >< I really need to use the preview function. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-88353402391864427612014-03-12T20:00:57.733+00:002014-03-12T20:00:57.733+00:00And now that I'm back home I realize I left ou...And now that I'm back home I realize I left out some very important key words or phrases. Here, I'll just retype the sentences that need attention:<br /><br />*"As someone who eagerly supports the US anime industry (in fact, I pretty much use my spending money on only anime, video games of Japanese origin, and related merch, with the occassional art commission)[...]"<br />*"There is no denying that most Western supporters just don't have nearly as much disposable income as their Japanese counterparts."<br />*" I was at a con at the time had to go with the DVD release as I had no way to afford the Blu-Ray lest[...]"<br />*"While I wouldn't go so far as to say[...]"<br /><br />Phew, there. Still some run-on sentences and such in there but I think you get the basic idea better now. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-57842867185133982182014-03-12T18:27:54.332+00:002014-03-12T18:27:54.332+00:00Sorry about my grammar btw, on my phone right now....Sorry about my grammar btw, on my phone right now. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-4273825419010241372014-03-12T18:23:34.002+00:002014-03-12T18:23:34.002+00:00While waiting for Famitsu's SB4 poll to leak I...While waiting for Famitsu's SB4 poll to leak I decided to pole around your blog and came across this post. As someone who eagerly supports the US anime industry (in fact, I pretty much use my spending money on only anime, video games and related merch, with the occassional art commission) I have to admit that there is a bit of a problem in simply increasing the price of EITHER DVD releases OR BRs. There is no denying that most supporters just don't have nearly as much disposable income as their Japanese counterparts. For instance, I notice Aniplex sells releases like PMMM for a premium akin to Japanese prices. I was at a con at the time had to go with the DVD release as I had no way to afford it lest I give up buying anything else at the con, which was a non-option as I wanted to support other series.<br /><br />I wouldn't go so far as to say that the industry would be cannibalizing sales by increasing costs stateside, it would mean fans would have to pick and choose which series they enjoy most, with only those or similar series proceeding to be sold in the US, leaving others to rot with illegal fansubs- which just hurts the anime industry as a whole.<br /><br />Perhaps there should be a movement to equalize prices in the West and Japan, make it so that the prices in both regions dequal but less than Japan's current prices... but I doubt Japanese suits would be willing to meet people like me halfway... by the same coin I doubt that many supporters in the states would buy more expensive anime even if it is less than 110 dollars for 2 movies. It... it's a difficult balancing act, but for the good of all a balanced does have to be found at some point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-74872235635073773852013-06-07T19:01:33.934+01:002013-06-07T19:01:33.934+01:00On one hand, a delightful rare post from Phoe!
On...On one hand, a delightful rare post from Phoe!<br /><br />On the other, my blog now includes content about Gabe Newell and the Xbone ヽ(;´д`)ノ<br /><br />You're even more screwed than I am, since if countries end up being whitelisted rather than blacklisted with the new hidden region locking I know one country which is going to be forgotten pretty quickly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-361352180531330342.post-53544863279214884632013-06-07T17:34:35.364+01:002013-06-07T17:34:35.364+01:00I'm glad someone is finally speaking out over ...I'm glad someone is finally speaking out over this. Far too often western Anime fandom, predominantly American, glosses over these problems on the grounds that it doesn't affect them so why should they care? Speaking as a self confessed slave to resolution who lives outside the US I always want more fidelity in my pictures and more quality in my releases, this means I will always try and buy BluRay wherever possible and am willing to pay more for premium quality offerings. Inferior quality local licenses will not get a purchase from me if I know that there is a high quality US version out there; I will simply give up on owning the title and watch it for free on CrunchyRoll. The new trend of restricting playback on devices not by their region code, but by their arbitrary physical location is an extension of embargoing. I purchased a Region1 BluRay player to allow me to watch Anime released in America, but because I am physically not in the US the discs may not play even though my player's region is valid. Is that a risk I am willing to take? Can I afford to just throw money away on a disc that might not even work? In order to ensure my purchase is viable I am forced to used PC based software players which strip out protection, but that in itself is a bad thing, you are encouraging your customers to (in the eyes of the law, rather than in a practical moral sense) steal your product. What happens when their morals get too tired of all the faff and they decide that if they have to half steal it by ripping the protection out anyway, they might as well just go whole hog and torrent it. Gabe Newell made the best statement I have seen on this front. "Piracy is a service problem." If you make it too difficult for fans to purchase what they want from you, they will simply find some other way to obtain it, and that will not benefit you in sales. I do not advocate piracy and torrenting, but streaming is free and the world is full of other hobbies that I can spend my money on which don't scorn their customers (one fewer now that gaming has the Xbone).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com