RACS Blogs...

[dragonrider_cody]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

I know ADV is pretty shakey, and the could very well be out of business next year. But that doesn't mean it needs to be brought up EVERY TIME ADV does new solicititations. And he doesn't need to criticize everything they do, like the singles they're doing for Resurrection Princess. I doubt they had much say in that anyway. It seems almost like he's encouraging people NOT to buy their products. Why not just stop selling them then?

There was also the blog about Navarre's earnings a while back, where he was very pessimistic/worried about the company. (As I have been too...) But he goes from that to practically cheering the fact that Funi is dominating the anime industry. (50% market share :) )

Then he takes jabs at Bandai for disc quality, has bashed CPM in the past for not accepting returns, and on and on. I always though it was bad taste for a retailer, or any company for that matter, to attack someone they do business with. Especially when company reps aren't really given a chance to defend themselves on his page.

It may just be me, but it seems like an awful lot of negativity from someone who is trying to get us to shop with them. And it's really starting to bug me, which is a shame, because I have enjoyed many of his blog posts in the past.. But now, I don't even want to shop there. I think there is enough negativity in R1 right now, without Robert throwing more into the fold. I'm not saying he should go around saying everything is going to be great, but just let up a little.

Anyway, my rant is done. Thanks for the patience. : )

EDIT: Since it was a retailer blog, I wasn't sure where to post. Hope this is okay, but if not, feel free to move it.

[Draneor]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

Given his livelihood depends upon this, I can imagine he might be a bit peeved about certain decisions the industry has made over the past couple years. Rather than be stoic about it, Robert seems to want to air out every now and then. Bad product, such as Bandai's DVDs, negatively affects his sales, even though it's not his fault. ADV's production came to a standstill, reducing the amount of product he could sell. Geneon, of course, died. Given the various mistakes, I can't say I blame him for being a bit peeved. I suspect he isn't the only one.

Now personally, I love singles. I'm glad ADV will be releasing Clannad as singles. Had it been a collection, I would not be re-buying it. He is, however, a retailer so he would have some idea of what sells and what doesn't.

[Richard J.]

Without critical statements, no one will ever learn from their mistakes. The way I see it, Robert wants to make sure anime fans understand the realities of the R1 market and, perhaps, influence fans to pressure the companies to fix their problems. At the very least, I think he wants everyone to know that things are on shaky ground right now. One false step and basically any of the major anime studios is toast. (The one company that probably can't die is Viz and that's solely because it's Japanese parent is so indulgent.)

Also, why expect that every blog will be rosey? Things aren't rosey right now.

Besides, if you really are that bothered by the style of the blog posts, shouldn't you directly contact the man? I mean, send an E-mail or add a comment on the blog itself and tell him what you think. Personally, I think the idea of not shopping at a particular retailer just because you think the boss isn't saying what you'd like him to say is a bit silly. (It'd be like moving out of the country because you didn't like how the elections went.)

I enjoy getting an insider's view of how the anime market works, even if it's tended to be negative recently. Robert has let us in on more than a few things here and there, like how Geneon's titles almost went to a non-anime group rather than Funimation and he's given us a better picture of Tokyopop's issues than the press releases have.

[Yuriko]

I don't follow the blog unless a particular post is linked but in particular in Bandai's case I think the more retailers moan about awful quality control the better. They have much more power than we do and companies need to understand that sending out terrible discs and doing recalls really damages their reputation and loses money for everyone in the chain. Robert sells overseas too, and there are no exchange programs in place for those buyers to repair the shoddy quality control Bandai are responsible for. I can understand him being irritated.

This is a sore point after having a batch of unplayable Bandai discs recently myself, which I had to rip and burn on fresh DVDs just to make playable. I don't expect that kind of ordeal before watching something I've paid for. After my experience years ago, having again had Bandai discs which wouldn't play properly (.hack//twilight) with a different problem - you'd have thought they'd have been extra careful after that. Now I'm missing out seeing some great series because I daren't pay for Bandai discs until they're rereleased and I know they've "safe". A great shame as Bandai tend to be releasing some of my most anticipated shows behind Funimation these days :(

~Y

[martod]

Now personally, I love singles. I'm glad ADV will be releasing Clannad as singles. Had it been a collection, I would not be re-buying it. He is, however, a retailer so he would have some idea of what sells and what doesn't.

In that case, he should have contacted ADV directly about it, not aired his misgivings to the public and, really, effectively told consumers directly not to buy Clannad in singles since he has no confidence the series will be finished. By doing this he isn't doing anything except hurting both himself and the companies he's working with. If ADV collapses, then he can talk about what they did wrong all he wants, but right now he should just let them try to get back on their feet without scaring away customers. Besides, the Geneon series sat in limbo for nine months and still eventually got(or will get) finished, so singles buyers have reason to be at least a little more optimistic.

[HSaabedra]

In that case, he should have contacted ADV directly about it, not aired his misgivings to the public and, really, effectively told consumers directly not to buy Clannad in singles since he has no confidence the series will be finished. By doing this he isn't doing anything except hurting both himself and the companies he's working with. If ADV collapses, then he can talk about what they did wrong all he wants, but right now he should just let them try to get back on their feet without scaring away customers. Besides, the Geneon series sat in limbo for nine months and still eventually got(or will get) finished, so singles buyers have reason to be at least a little more optimistic.

What makes you think he hasn't tried to contact ADV, and by extension Sentai about selling Clannad as a boxset before the decision was made to sell increasingly unprofitable singles?

He's made no bones about the fact that such shows don't do well in retail and only appeal to those customers that already order online anyway, so his issues with the company go much further than just sales, they also represent his frustrations with distributors that have no desire to do what's right for the consumer and only focus on padding invoices.

To me, Robert's blogs represent a long-overdue necessity for actual consumer advocacy in regards to the distribution industry and its practices. After all, he has to push the latest titles and also has to keep track of what sells and what doesn't. It doesn't help him if the biggest titles of the year in terms of sales have to be recalled due to manufacturer and distributor errors.

[Suwako Moriya]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

Truth be told I haven't been paying much attention to it. About the only time I really notice is when either one of the following happens. Someone either quotes from it or comments on it. Some of course having a high opinion of him and others having a low opinion of him. Actually in general I'm not sure what to think of the whole "Look what this guy is doing" trend...

[Draneor]

In that case, he should have contacted ADV directly about it, not aired his misgivings to the public and, really, effectively told consumers directly not to buy Clannad in singles since he has no confidence the series will be finished. By doing this he isn't doing anything except hurting both himself and the companies he's working with.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and state that I don't think his words will have any significant effect on sales either way. Let's be honest. Only the most hardcore DVD buyers/fans are going to read his blog and newsletter. There is a high probability that those people, myself included, are already aware of the problems ADV had. I would think we've already evaluated the risk and made our choice, based on our tolerance for risk and our best interests.

I suppose you could argue it is dishonorable to discuss other companies' problems in public. I'd agree with you there. It does lower my opinion of companies that do it. However, he is hardly alone, and there are far worse offenders in the anime industry.

[band20]

I take Robert's blogs and emails for what they are worth and that is the opinion of businessman trying to run a profitable business. What I like about Robert is he gives us his opinion on the situation and an inside look at what it is like to run a business that sales almost completely anime and anime related products. He has every right to complain just like we do when he is given bad products to sell or if he is being asked to sell something that just isn't suitable for the current market. Most of us don't even come close to buying on the scale that Robert has to decide so I think that should give him some leeway in terms of how we as consumers react to what he says. After all he has a business to run and people that work for him that are counting on him for jobs.

[ArcticMech]

I appreciate his blog since it's coming from the perspective of a retailer, something that we, as the end consumer, don't normally have access to. Certainly, one must take in the opinions/information with a grain of salt, but the RACS blog is something I'd rather have than not.

[Drgnfuel]

I love the fact that he gives his personal opinions myself.

[cxt217]

In that case, he should have contacted ADV directly about it, not aired his misgivings to the public and, really, effectively told consumers directly not to buy Clannad in singles since he has no confidence the series will be finished. By doing this he isn't doing anything except hurting both himself and the companies he's working with. If ADV collapses, then he can talk about what they did wrong all he wants, but right now he should just let them try to get back on their feet without scaring away customers. Besides, the Geneon series sat in limbo for nine months and still eventually got(or will get) finished, so singles buyers have reason to be at least a little more optimistic.

What makes you think he hasn't tried to contact ADV, and by extension Sentai about selling Clannad as a boxset before the decision was made to sell increasingly unprofitable singles?

Not to play Devil's Advocate in this case (I really do not care either way about ADV or RAC.) but you are automatically assuming that it is under ADV's control and that ADV is the one who is ultimately telling off Robert.

Given the way the Japanese often word their contracts (And given how even FUNimation has admitted that boxsets are not possible for every new title even in their OWN acquisition plans.), perhaps it is not something ADV has control of. In fact, given ADV's weaknesses, it was either 'Go singles' or 'No license at all.'

If RAC's blog did cover that point, then he is arguing that US licensors should risk losing a potential license over the issue of boxsets, which is a very big risk considering the perceptions the Japanese have about the sales potential of some of the titles. Even FUNimation would not be that stupid (And witness their release schedule for Claymore indicates they are not.).

If RAC's blog did not cover that point...Well, I will leave the implications of that omission to those who care to consider it.

Having seen disputes between vendors and retailers a lot than I care for, I can say that is a very, very, risky move for retailer to publically call out a vendor (Or vice versa.). Usually a quiet but blunt word between the vendor and retailer does wonders, especially if the offended party (Possible with either.) has the power to make it hurt. On the other hand, while publically calling out can get results, it also leaves a lot of bad feelings with a party that you do business with. Unless ADV will completely go out of business within the next year (Which I do not rule out but I can not automatically assume.), I suggest the next conversations between ADV and RAC about _anything_ will not be pleasant.

Once again, in case you missed it, I am completely indifferent at ADV or RAC.

C.T.

[HSaabedra]

Even FUNimation would not be that stupid (And witness their release schedule for Claymore indicates they are not.).

Claymore plays to Funimation's strengths as a primarily action-oriented licensee while Clannad is merely fanservice by a company willing to risk it all for a niche as it is hard to create a viable marketing campaign around a series that requires prior knowledge of an obscure PC game.

Having seen disputes between vendors and retailers a lot than I care for, I can say that is a very, very, risky move for retailer to publically call out a vendor (Or vice versa.). Usually a quiet but blunt word between the vendor and retailer does wonders, especially if the offended party (Possible with either.) has the power to make it hurt. On the other hand, while publically calling out can get results, it also leaves a lot of bad feelings with a party that you do business with. Unless ADV will completely go out of business within the next year (Which I do not rule out but I can not automatically assume.), I suggest the next conversations between ADV and RAC about _anything_ will not be pleasant.

There's really no love lost between RACS and ADV if prior blog posts are anything to go by.

Having been a buyer for Gamestop myself before the decision was made to cease anime sales, I can say with some authority that ADV was more concerned with getting invoices paid for rather than architecting a viable campaign for some of their supposed "big" titles at the time such as Newtype USA, Dunbine, Najica, and Excel Saga.

We sold through more Bandai, Geneon, CPM, and Anime Works titles in stores than we ever did on ADV titles, and they were one of the main reasons Gamestop pulled out of anime sales along with the sustained slowdown in sales after the glut that they created in 2004.

Once again, in case you missed it, I am completely indifferent at ADV or RAC.
C.T.

No need to reiterate your stance since its plain for all to see. :)

[HitokiriShadow]

Claymore plays to Funimation's strengths as a primarily action-oriented licensee while Clannad is merely fanservice by a company willing to risk it all for a niche as it is hard to create a viable marketing campaign around a series that requires prior knowledge of an obscure PC game.


I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about Clannad, but you are clearly talking about some other series as Clannad most definitely does not require any prior knowledge of the game it is based on it.

[HSaabedra]

I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about Clannad, but you are clearly talking about some other series as Clannad most definitely does not require any prior knowledge of the game it is based on it.

Are you saying that if I ran a quick poll on my site with a quick synopsis of the plot that new viewers would know exactly what it was?

[something]

Are you saying that if I ran a quick poll on my site with a quick synopsis of the plot that new viewers would know exactly what it was?
That's NOT what you said.

Prior knowledge that a property exists != requiring prior knowledge to watch it, enjoy it, or market it. You do NOT need to know the plot of Clannad to watch it. In fact, I've made every effort to avoid even a single piece of information about the game so that I can enjoy the anime without spoilers.

You can't seriously be claiming that there needs to be prior knowledge of a franchise to market a show. If that were true, almost nothing could be released here. Only adaptations of popular manga.

As for RACS: Who cares?

[TornadoTatsumaki]

Are you saying that if I ran a quick poll on my site with a quick synopsis of the plot that new viewers would know exactly what it was?
That's NOT what you said.

Prior knowledge that a property exists != requiring prior knowledge to watch it, enjoy it, or market it. You do NOT need to know the plot of Clannad to watch it. In fact, I've made every effort to avoid even a single piece of information about the game so that I can enjoy the anime without spoilers.

You can't seriously be claiming that there needs to be prior knowledge of a franchise to market a show. If that were true, almost nothing could be released here. Only adaptations of popular manga.

As for RACS: Who cares?Right on, Something!

[HitokiriShadow]

I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about Clannad, but you are clearly talking about some other series as Clannad most definitely does not require any prior knowledge of the game it is based on it.

Are you saying that if I ran a quick poll on my site with a quick synopsis of the plot that new viewers would know exactly what it was?

Nope, I'm not saying that and it has absolutely nothing to do with needing prior knowledge of the series to watch it.

[Solid Slap]

Eh, it's not like he's outright flaming ADV without some justification. I say let him do what he wants. It's not really bothering anyone.

[Kellory]

I stopped caring about Robert years ago after I realized just how unstable he really is. You can call it consumer activism if you want, but he's still a retailer and his behavior is unprofessional. When it comes right down to it, I prefer to give my money to someone I know is stable, not someone who believes it's his right to say whatever he wants, to whomever he wants whether they be vendors, clients, or customers.

Frankly, we've been over all of what he posts. It's as dead as the sub/dub wars or Eva vs Rah debates. Sides have been drawn and we all know where everyone stands at this point. Robert adds nothing to this other than feeding his own ego and venting. And again, that's great for a regular poster, customer, or activist. I dont need that from my retailer though.

I look and see who is successful, who is getting exclusives, and who doesnt seem to feel the need to blame everyone else. But that's just me.

[dragoon]

I stopped caring about Robert years ago after I realized just how unstable he really is. You can call it consumer activism if you want, but he's still a retailer and his behavior is unprofessional. When it comes right down to it, I prefer to give my money to someone I know is stable, not someone who believes it's his right to say whatever he wants, to whomever he wants whether they be vendors, clients, or customers.

Frankly, we've been over all of what he posts. It's as dead as the sub/dub wars or Eva vs Rah debates. Sides have been drawn and we all know where everyone stands at this point. Robert adds nothing to this other than feeding his own ego and venting. And again, that's great for a regular poster, customer, or activist. I dont need that from my retailer though.

I look and see who is successful, who is getting exclusives, and who doesnt seem to feel the need to blame everyone else. But that's just me.

I'm in agreement with you.

Venting seems to be a good word. There's room for criticism certainly, but a majority of his posts lately feel more snarky rather than constructive criticism for what can be improved.

He went over the line in my opinion when he posted something about a nightmare customer, exact quotes of private conversations with that customer. I can understand how he might have felt, but under no circumstances do I believe a retailer should post information and discussion with a customer the way he did. He might have removed the post as I can't find it now (which would be a step in the right direction).

There's an unprofessional track record that is something I would not want to financially support.

[TornadoTatsumaki]

I stopped caring about Robert years ago after I realized just how unstable he really is. You can call it consumer activism if you want, but he's still a retailer and his behavior is unprofessional. When it comes right down to it, I prefer to give my money to someone I know is stable, not someone who believes it's his right to say whatever he wants, to whomever he wants whether they be vendors, clients, or customers.

Frankly, we've been over all of what he posts. It's as dead as the sub/dub wars or Eva vs Rah debates. Sides have been drawn and we all know where everyone stands at this point. Robert adds nothing to this other than feeding his own ego and venting. And again, that's great for a regular poster, customer, or activist. I dont need that from my retailer though.

I look and see who is successful, who is getting exclusives, and who doesnt seem to feel the need to blame everyone else. But that's just me.

I'm in agreement with you.

Venting seems to be a good word. There's room for criticism certainly, but a majority of his posts lately feel more snarky rather than constructive criticism for what can be improved.

He went over the line in my opinion when he posted something about a nightmare customer, exact quotes of private conversations with that customer. I can understand how he might have felt, but under no circumstances do I believe a retailer should post information and discussion with a customer the way he did. He might have removed the post as I can't find it now (which would be a step in the right direction).

There's an unprofessional track record that is something I would not want to financially support.

I think I remember who Robert is.

Isn't he some freelancer who sells his own imports through a website? I know because I've seen his online ads on ANN, visted his site a few times. But I don't buy from him, never have,never will, and could care less about any opinion he has or why he thinks that the global reccession will drag down the entire anime industry( in which I don't see happening at all. Because I see the anime market as reccession resistant.)

I hope I'm hitting the right notes here.

[HSaabedra]

That's NOT what you said.

Prior knowledge that a property exists != requiring prior knowledge to watch it, enjoy it, or market it. You do NOT need to know the plot of Clannad to watch it. In fact, I've made every effort to avoid even a single piece of information about the game so that I can enjoy the anime without spoilers.

So did you know about the game first or did you find out about the anime before discovering that it was based on a game? ADV's entire purpose for getting the anime to begin with was based on the demand for the Key properties by a small group of dedicated fans that knew what it was about, not because it was thought that it would be guaranteed commercial success here.

You can't seriously be claiming that there needs to be prior knowledge of a franchise to market a show. If that were true, almost nothing could be released here. Only adaptations of popular manga.

It's not absolutely necessary, but for something like Clannad that is self-referrential, it stands to reason that it would be difficult to follow for newcomers that don't normally follow such franchises without an introduction to the concept and characters.

[Draneor]

I think I remember who Robert is.

Isn't he some freelancer who sells his own imports through a website? I know because I've seen his online ads on ANN, visted his site a few times.

Not quite. Robert runs Robert's Anime Corner, which is like RightStuf or AnimeNation. While he does sell some imports--like Anime Nation--most of his goods are domestic. His prices are fair, but you can usually get better deals elsewhere. I have bought a few things from him. Particularly, domestic figures during a figure sale + coupon. Also, he had the singles for CCS for a decent price long after they were out of print.

ADV's entire purpose for getting the anime to begin with was based on the demand for the Key properties by a small group of dedicated fans that knew what it was about, not because it was thought that it would be guaranteed commercial success here.

And you know ADV's rational, how?

[B]ut for something like Clannad that is self-referrential, it stands to reason that it would be difficult to follow for newcomers that don't normally follow such franchises without an introduction to the concept and characters.

Uh. I'm sorry but it's clear you have no idea what you are talking about. Clannad is no more self-referential than Bleach is. Now, Lucky☆Star is a show that is actually self-referential.

[Fencedude]

So did you know about the game first or did you find out about the anime before discovering that it was based on a game? ADV's entire purpose for getting the anime to begin with was based on the demand for the Key properties by a small group of dedicated fans that knew what it was about, not because it was thought that it would be guaranteed commercial success here.

Err...what? That doesn't follow at all. They took a risk on AIR, and it payed off, so then they licensed Kanon, and IT paid off, so now they are licensing Clannad. Why is this complicated? Since when is preexisting knowledge of a property mean anything?


It's not absolutely necessary, but for something like Clannad that is self-referrential, it stands to reason that it would be difficult to follow for newcomers that don't normally follow such franchises without an introduction to the concept and characters.

Here's a tip: you should watch a show before you start spouting off. Clannad is NOT self referential, the Clannad TV series is its own distinct entity, requiring exactly zero knowledge of the game to enjoy (in fact some would argue its more enjoyable to NOT have played the game first).

Your entire basic premise here is completely off base and illogical.

[TornadoTatsumaki]

I think I remember who Robert is.

Isn't he some freelancer who sells his own imports through a website? I know because I've seen his online ads on ANN, visted his site a few times.

Not quite. Robert runs Robert's Anime Corner, which is like RightStuf or AnimeNation. While he does sell some imports--like Anime Nation--most of his goods are domestic. His prices are fair, but you can usually get better deals elsewhere. I have bought a few things from him. Particularly, domestic figures during a figure sale + coupon. Also, he had the singles for CCS for a decent price long after they were out of print.

[B]ut for something like Clannad that is self-referrential, it stands to reason that it would be difficult to follow for newcomers that don't normally follow such franchises without an introduction to the concept and characters.

Uh. I'm sorry but it's clear you have no idea what you are talking about. Clannad is no more self-referential than Bleach is.
Now I remember! Robert's Anime Corner.

Naw, I ain't never shopped there. I mostly shop at Anime Castle and Rightstuf and sometimes Anime Depot.

[something]

So did you know about the game first or did you find out about the anime before discovering that it was based on a game?
Of course I knew a game existed, but I knew absolutely nothing about it, and certainly had not played it. Other than knowing it was from the same people who made Kanon and Air, I was clueless (and wanted to be). Ditto on Little Busters. I'm not sure that's really relevant to the concept of marketing it in R1.

ADV's entire purpose for getting the anime to begin with was based on the demand for the Key properties by a small group of dedicated fans that knew what it was about, not because it was thought that it would be guaranteed commercial success here.
So what you're saying is that they licensed it because they knew there was some degree of demand. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. Nothing is a "guaranteed commercial success", but clearly ADV thinks they can turn a profit on it. Who they sell it to makes no difference, as long as it sells enough. And there's nothing stopping someone who isn't familiar with the game from gettig it.

Hell, there are far, far, far, far, far more people in R1 who have already seen the show via fansubs than have ever played the game. The game is absolutely irrelevant to the anime's R1 prospects.

It's not absolutely necessary, but for something like Clannad that is self-referrential, it stands to reason that it would be difficult to follow for newcomers that don't normally follow such franchises without an introduction to the concept and characters.
I'm pretty sure that does not, in fact, "stand to reason".

At all.

[JINROH]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

I know ADV is pretty shakey, and the could very well be out of business next year. But that doesn't mean it needs to be brought up EVERY TIME ADV does new solicititations. And he doesn't need to criticize everything they do, like the singles they're doing for Resurrection Princess. I doubt they had much say in that anyway. It seems almost like he's encouraging people NOT to buy their products. Why not just stop selling them then?

There was also the blog about Navarre's earnings a while back, where he was very pessimistic/worried about the company. (As I have been too...) But he goes from that to practically cheering the fact that Funi is dominating the anime industry. (50% market share :) )

Then he takes jabs at Bandai for disc quality, has bashed CPM in the past for not accepting returns, and on and on. I always though it was bad taste for a retailer, or any company for that matter, to attack someone they do business with. Especially when company reps aren't really given a chance to defend themselves on his page.

It may just be me, but it seems like an awful lot of negativity from someone who is trying to get us to shop with them. And it's really starting to bug me, which is a shame, because I have enjoyed many of his blog posts in the past.. But now, I don't even want to shop there. I think there is enough negativity in R1 right now, without Robert throwing more into the fold. I'm not saying he should go around saying everything is going to be great, but just let up a little.

Anyway, my rant is done. Thanks for the patience. : )

EDIT: Since it was a retailer blog, I wasn't sure where to post. Hope this is okay, but if not, feel free to move it.



I agree totally,and feel the same way about ANN's 'reviews' (trash) more often then not,they seem just one step away from outright telling people to just pirate the show in question and move on to the next torrent,err,show.
It seems obvious,some in the industry have a big bone to pick,or on a crusade to destroy it from within.Or both.Eithier way,many are flippant and careless in thier comments.

[TornadoTatsumaki]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

I know ADV is pretty shakey, and the could very well be out of business next year. But that doesn't mean it needs to be brought up EVERY TIME ADV does new solicititations. And he doesn't need to criticize everything they do, like the singles they're doing for Resurrection Princess. I doubt they had much say in that anyway. It seems almost like he's encouraging people NOT to buy their products. Why not just stop selling them then?

There was also the blog about Navarre's earnings a while back, where he was very pessimistic/worried about the company. (As I have been too...) But he goes from that to practically cheering the fact that Funi is dominating the anime industry. (50% market share :) )

Then he takes jabs at Bandai for disc quality, has bashed CPM in the past for not accepting returns, and on and on. I always though it was bad taste for a retailer, or any company for that matter, to attack someone they do business with. Especially when company reps aren't really given a chance to defend themselves on his page.

It may just be me, but it seems like an awful lot of negativity from someone who is trying to get us to shop with them. And it's really starting to bug me, which is a shame, because I have enjoyed many of his blog posts in the past.. But now, I don't even want to shop there. I think there is enough negativity in R1 right now, without Robert throwing more into the fold. I'm not saying he should go around saying everything is going to be great, but just let up a little.

Anyway, my rant is done. Thanks for the patience. : )

EDIT: Since it was a retailer blog, I wasn't sure where to post. Hope this is okay, but if not, feel free to move it.



I agree totally,and feel the same way about ANN's 'reviews' (trash) more often then not,they seem just one step away from outright telling people to just pirate the show in question and move on to the next torrent,err,show.
It seems obvious,some in the industry have a big bone to pick,or on a crusade to destroy it from within.Or both.Eithier way,many are flippant and careless in thier comments.
I totally agree with you about ANN, thier cynicism has gotten on my last nerves to the point where I won't even read any of thier reviews anymore. They're the "Leonard Maltin" of anime critics Because most of the time thier reviews are harsh,biased and critical. They practicly bashed Miami Guns,complained about the character design in Otenki Onesan, called "Dirty Pair: AON" lame and moldy,gave a very unfriendly review of Aika-16. And don't even get me started with thier Best Student Council reviews.

With them it seems like every time they give a cynical review about a title, I end up liking it. Plus it's annoying that everyone in the ANN forum tends to take thier reviews seriously.

I'm going to go ahead and get off my soapbox about them now.

In fact I haven't read a review from them in nearly a year

[HitokiriShadow]

I agree totally,and feel the same way about ANN's 'reviews' (trash) more often then not,they seem just one step away from outright telling people to just pirate the show in question and move on to the next torrent,err,show.
It seems obvious,some in the industry have a big bone to pick,or on a crusade to destroy it from within.Or both.Eithier way,many are flippant and careless in thier comments.

I'm not seeing how ANN reviews are in any way comparable to what Robert is doing. Reviews are supposed to give an opinion on a subject with enough information for a reader to make use of it to determine whether it is worth there time. By and large, I think ANN's reviews do that. You can disagree on what makes a review a good review or whether they are unfairly biased but they stick to talking about the release in question rather than attacking the companies. Hell, dragonrider_cody chastises Robert for taking jabs at Bandai's disc quality and that's precisely the kind of thing reviews should talk about.

Reviews are supposed to be opinion pieces; online retailers are a different story and that's part of the problem here.

[HitokiriShadow]

I totally agree with you about ANN, thier cynicism has gotten on my last nerves to the point where I won't even read any of thier reviews anymore. They're the "Leonard Maltin" of anime critics Because most of the time thier reviews are harsh,biased and critical. They practicly bashed Miami Guns,complained about the character design in Otenki Onesan, called "Dirty Pair: AON" lame and moldy,gave a very unfriendly review of Aika-16. And don't even get me started with thier Best Student Council reviews.

With them it seems like every time they give a cynical review about a title, I end up liking it. Plus it's annoying that everyone in the ANN forum tends to take thier reviews seriously.


Damn those reviewers for having different tastes than you and expressing their opinions! Those bastards! Criticizing character perceived unpleasing character designs and giving a negative review of a show they dislike? How unthinkable!

[Suwako Moriya]

Clannad is NOT self referential, the Clannad TV series is its own distinct entity, requiring exactly zero knowledge of the game to enjoy (in fact some would argue its more enjoyable to NOT have played the game first).

On that note and to be brutally honest here and this is a general statement. The absolute worst thing an adaptation can do is require the person to play/watch/read the original in order to enjoy it. An adaptation should be expanding the fanbase. As opposed to keeping it limited. Plus if many are given the notion they'll need to view the source material to have a chance of enjoying the adaptation they might just decide the adaptation is point less.

Maybe it's just me, but I was under the impression that in the case of a lot of the anime released here, the source material they're based on doesn't even get licensed at all. Even if the source material does get released it's sometimes after the anime came out.

Also just as the source material can get people interested in the adaptation. The adaptation can get people interested in the source material. Heck quite a few of the manga that I've collected are a result of watching the adaptation aka anime. Perhaps it doesn't mean much, but it is something to consider.

[TornadoTatsumaki]

I totally agree with you about ANN, thier cynicism has gotten on my last nerves to the point where I won't even read any of thier reviews anymore. They're the "Leonard Maltin" of anime critics Because most of the time thier reviews are harsh,biased and critical. They practicly bashed Miami Guns,complained about the character design in Otenki Onesan, called "Dirty Pair: AON" lame and moldy,gave a very unfriendly review of Aika-16. And don't even get me started with thier Best Student Council reviews.

With them it seems like every time they give a cynical review about a title, I end up liking it. Plus it's annoying that everyone in the ANN forum tends to take thier reviews seriously.


Damn those reviewers for having different tastes than you and expressing their opinions! Those bastards! Criticizing character perceived unpleasing character designs and giving a negative review of a show they dislike? How unthinkable!Were you just being sarcastic?

I don't hate ANN, I just wish that the users would stop taking all thier reviews as fact and try to form thier own opinion.

[Suwako Moriya]

I just have to ask this. Am I the only person that has been bothered by Robert's Anime Corner blogs the last few months?

Thinking about it a bit more I have a serious question to ask. Why are we even paying so much attention to some guy's random blog? If it's as bad as people say then maybe it would be better to pretend it didn't exist and not bring attention to it. Sometimes I wonder if maybe we're too interested in giving opinions on opinions on opinions on opinions.... Okay yes, I know the guy is a retailer, but at the end of the day he's still another person.

[HitokiriShadow]

Damn those reviewers for having different tastes than you and expressing their opinions! Those bastards! Criticizing character perceived unpleasing character designs and giving a negative review of a show they dislike? How unthinkable!Were you just being sarcastic?

I don't hate ANN, I just wish that the users would stop taking all thier reviews as fact and try to form thier own opinion.

Yes, I was being sarcastic. I know you never said you hated ANN and I never suggested you did. However, you, criticized ANN's reviews for being horrible and unprofessional, but I've yet to see a reason other than difference of opinion. You want them to form their own opinions? That's exactly what they are doing. They just aren't forming opinions that agree with yours.

That said, I'm not seeing what ANN or its reviews have to do with RACS. This is off topic, so if you (or anyone else) want to discuss it more, PM me.

[Fencedude]

ANN's DVD reviews are pretty professional, regardless of your opinion of their opinion.

Their "reviews" at the beginning of certain TV seasons in Japan however are very much not professional, and basically come off like a group of people who hate both the anime they are watching and the fans they are writing for.

[TornadoTatsumaki]

Damn those reviewers for having different tastes than you and expressing their opinions! Those bastards! Criticizing character perceived unpleasing character designs and giving a negative review of a show they dislike? How unthinkable!Were you just being sarcastic?

I don't hate ANN, I just wish that the users would stop taking all thier reviews as fact and try to form thier own opinion.

Yes, I was being sarcastic. I know you never said you hated ANN and I never suggested you did. However, you, criticized ANN's reviews for being horrible and unprofessional, but I've yet to see a reason other than difference of opinion. You want them to form their own opinions? That's exactly what they are doing. They just aren't forming opinions that agree with yours.

That said, I'm not seeing what ANN or its reviews have to do with RACS. This is off topic, so if you (or anyone else) want to discuss it more, PM me.Didn't mean to get OT.( I just said that i was going to get off my soapbox about ANN.)

The question I have about game anime adaptations is does it even make a difference wether or not someone has played the game first before they saw the anime series? I thought it doesn't. For someone to enjoy a series solely based on game where at most times hasn't even been exported outside of Japan i.e. Darkstalkers,Comic Party Revolution,Platonic Heart,Gokujo Sentkai they don't have to be famillar with the game right? That would be like if they made an anime series out of the arcade game "Arcana Heart".

[Draneor]

Gokujo Sentkai

Gokujou Seitokai (Best Student Council) was not based off of a game. Konomi made the game at the same time the anime was made. It was launched as a multi-franchise property, like Galaxy Angel. For the record, Zettai Shougeki ~Platonic Heart~ isn't even licensed, so I'm not sure why you used it as an example.

[cxt217]

Even FUNimation would not be that stupid (And witness their release schedule for Claymore indicates they are not.).

Claymore plays to Funimation's strengths as a primarily action-oriented licensee while Clannad is merely fanservice by a company willing to risk it all for a niche as it is hard to create a viable marketing campaign around a series that requires prior knowledge of an obscure PC game..

Somewhere along the way, you managed to get into a completely different side of the road from the context I was using in my citing of Claymore.

Claymore was/is a series that everyone expected to do well in the US. FUNimation is releasing it, and we know (Because John Sirabella said so on AOD.) that Media Blasters was interested in licensing it. Who knows who else were bidding for the license. And the Japanese knew that - which meant they were in the position to dictate terms.

So if FUNimation had really insisted on a boxset release when the Japanese told them that they wanted the title released in singles (Per their shift in policy toward boxset releases.), the Japanese would have laughed at them and told them to not let the door hit them on the way out. In that case, maybe Media Blasters actually would have gotten a callback, instead of being told after months of silence, that the Japanese had someone else in mind.

There is nothing about anime that says it will be licensed and released here in the US. The Japanese licensors can always say 'no' if they thought they were not getting sufficiently good terms. Given how often it has been mentioned that titles are released in singles because the Japanese wanted that in the contract, maybe you can understand how it is possible ADV decided to release Clannad as singles, and why FUNimation has flat out said that singles are not going to work with every single license they get.


Having seen disputes between vendors and retailers a lot than I care for, I can say that is a very, very, risky move for retailer to publically call out a vendor (Or vice versa.). Usually a quiet but blunt word between the vendor and retailer does wonders, especially if the offended party (Possible with either.) has the power to make it hurt. On the other hand, while publically calling out can get results, it also leaves a lot of bad feelings with a party that you do business with. Unless ADV will completely go out of business within the next year (Which I do not rule out but I can not automatically assume.), I suggest the next conversations between ADV and RAC about _anything_ will not be pleasant.

There's really no love lost between RACS and ADV if prior blog posts are anything to go by.

Then perhaps RAC should embrace what he is posting on his website and drop ADV products from his catalog. Then he can rip ADV to his heart's content, and officially as his blog postings are, without being caught in the awkward situation of talking to ADV about getting their titles for his store afterwards.


Having been a buyer for Gamestop myself before the decision was made to cease anime sales, I can say with some authority that ADV was more concerned with getting invoices paid for rather than architecting a viable campaign for some of their supposed "big" titles at the time such as Newtype USA, Dunbine, Najica, and Excel Saga.

We sold through more Bandai, Geneon, CPM, and Anime Works titles in stores than we ever did on ADV titles, and they were one of the main reasons Gamestop pulled out of anime sales along with the sustained slowdown in sales after the glut that they created in 2004.


In that case, did Gamestop tell ADV? Give them warning that you would pull their products if they did not follow-up with more support? Take a look at the contract and see where ADV breached the terms?

And yes, I have seen vendors getting burned by retailers for failure of support (And vice versa of retailers being burned by vendors for doing things they were not suppose to.). Generally, however, it has been the 'it's done' type of action, without a public blast toward the offending party, because the act alone is almost always enough. Also, parties generally do not want to burn their bridges with each other completely, because they might want to do business again someday.

C.T.

[Nylock]

I'm going to lock this since:

a) criticism of other sites is better done at those sites

b) it's already drifting from the original topic and dragging in other sites. In other words, it's the same as all the other doom and gloom threads that pepper the R1 forum. We don't need another

[TornadoTatsumaki]

Gokujo Sentkai

Gokujou Seitokai (Best Student Council) was not based off of a game. Konomi made the game at the same time the anime was made. It was launched as a multi-franchise property, like Galaxy Angel. For the record, Zettai Shougeki ~Platonic Heart~ isn't even licensed, so I'm not sure why you used it as an example.

I forgot about Xenosaga. Sorry.