Aniplex of America licenses Sword Art Online

[Damius]

Originally Posted by bored@lazy

They have to pay licensing costs, translation costs, production costs. And then a percentage of profits also go back to the licensor. There's a reason shows like Bakemonogatari cost a pretty penny, becuase they also cost AoA a pretty penny to be made available to english speakers.
Look, if you have issues with the way AoA have released their series' thus far, that's up to you. But at least wait to see how much these new aquisitions will cost you before you start complaining about the price.

I would add to this that they would probably sell less copies if it is sub only.

[MelancholicMariya]

Originally Posted by chrisc1978

I see what your saying but I don't speak or want to learn Japanese, you spend all your time reading the bottom of the screen and miss tons of whats going on in the anime, so in a way yes the Japanese version is inadequate to purchase.

Well it's not the matter of wanting to learn the language, it's just how it was created. It's a Japanese production, not an English one. Though however you consume the content is up to you, but calling the original version objectively bad, or inadequate, is a weird thing to say if you're an anime fan.

Originally Posted by chrisc1978

If it costs $100,000+ less not to dub 13 episodes of an anime, shouldn't the prices be far less then animes that have an english dub?

No, some licenses cost a lot of money, as bored@lazy said. But sometimes the prices are a bit less. Look at Blue Exorcist, that doesn't cost much at all. The reason why it's four parts is because Aniplex were releasing it in the US as the Japanese release was ongoing.

If you're a casual buyer who wants dubs, wants the set cheap as hell and wants the entire series all at once, then you'll probably stay away from Aniplex USA. Though if you actually care about the Japanese production side of it and understand the Japanese market, or you're an importer who can tolerate R1 releases, you probably rather like Aniplex USA a lot.

[chrisc1978]

Originally Posted by MelancholicMariya

If you're a casual buyer who wants dubs, wants the set cheap as hell and wants the entire series all at once, then you'll probably stay away from Aniplex USA. Though if you actually care about the Japanese production side of it and understand the Japanese market, or you're an importer who can tolerate R1 releases, you probably rather like Aniplex USA a lot.

I buy mostly Limited Editions from Funimation, I also bought Clannad three times, the first sub-only, the dubbed dvd, and then the Blu-ray. I do spend about $700, $800 on anime a year.

Originally Posted by bored@lazy

Look, if you have issues with the way AoA have released their series' thus far, that's up to you. But at least wait to see how much these new aquisitions will cost you before you start complaining about the price.

Thats fair but if Sword Art Online is not dubbed or a fair price (about $150 LE Blu-ray with dub) I would do what I do with NIS America, as soon as they license or steam something I would cross it off my list to see if the anime is any good to buy.

[MelancholicMariya]

Originally Posted by chrisc1978

I buy mostly Limited Editions from Funimation, I also bought Clannad three times, the first sub-only, the dubbed dvd, and then the Blu-ray. I do spend about $700, $800 on anime a year.

Well Funimations limited editions are less limited editions are more housed in a box unless it's the upcoming Lain release.

And regarding my comment about wanting it cheap. The R1 industry is cheap. That $800 you spend is more than just spent on a single title. That is a load of titles I assume. For some people on this forum they spend more than that a month directly supporting the series' by importing the shows thy enjoy from Japan. I'm not saying "you're not an anime fan if you don't do this" as it's understandable why people tend not to import from Japan, it is expensive, and it can cost way past $1,000 a month if you're importing several shows a season.

But what I'm saying to you is, it's less about the show itself for you and more about the way you will consume the content. If it was just about the show then maybe you could split $150 for Bakemonogatari or Kara no Kyoukai, but you wont because it doesn't have an English track etc. For people who import or understand the Japanese market right now $150 may not be all that bad for either title.

Explaining this is proving very complicated as it's all dependant on value. If you're "casual", then the Bakemonogatari release isn't aimed at you, it's aimed at the people who really, really care about the show and know that an English dub isn't a necessity for Bakemonogatari, nor would it even work.

Basically if you're shouting and screaming at Aniplex saying "Give Bakemonogatari a dub" then you are not the person which the Bakemonogatari or Kara no Kyoukai releases are aimed at.

[Nico87]

Same old story every time AoA announces something. Don't know why people bother, they won't change their strategy as long as it makes them money, and it obviously does. They know very well that the people who are willing to pay what they're asking don't care about dubs in the slightest. People are way too spoiled by $30 crap releases. With 23% off MRSP the Bakemonogatari Blu-ray box costs around $290 in Japan (MRSP is $375) and people are complaining about $150..

Is AoA's six or seven licenses really worth complaining about? Sentai for example is picking up absolutely everything these days so there should be more than enough to suit your needs, and most if not all AoA-licensed shows have been or is available for streaming.

And yes, it's also about what you think is worth what. I'd rather spend $150 on one quality show than $150 on four average to good shows. I do believe AoA are missing out a bit on their October - November run though. I know many people are very much against paying $150 for one show, but now they're releasing three LE's in one month with each costing $150. Personally I don't care, but I can see why people are reacting (but only because it's three LE's in a month).

Lastly, I do believe that there are far more people watching sub only than people who actually watch stuff dubbed. In many cases it's just not worth it adding a sub. Sentai for example is only dubbing their Blu-rays (if I'm not mistaken). Funi always adds subs but that's because they're 100% mainstream.

So happy that Sentai didn't get this. They're parasites. Their bare bone releases would make Geneon turn in it's grave. Slap subs on the discs and out to the stores they go. How often do they get stick for subs only?

Also, $150 isn't really that much at all if you just prioritize. If you want a show enough then it really shouldn't be a problem. If you want a show enough then sub only shouldn't really be a problem either.

[chrisc1978]

Originally Posted by MelancholicMariya

Basically if you're shouting and screaming at Aniplex saying "Give Bakemonogatari a dub" then you are not the person which the Bakemonogatari or Kara no Kyoukai releases are aimed at.

I have no idea what those two animes are about, since they are sub-only I will never see if they are any good. The only anime from Aniplex I find worth buying is Sword Art Online, from the amount of people I know that is watching this anime on Crunchyroll I can tell it could be a mainstream anime. If they release the anime without a dub and at $200+ they are just hurting the full potential of the anime, They should treat all there animes as an investment with the idea of selling many copys years from now, since they only license a few animes a year and only dubbed two of them so far. The only people that will buy Bakemonogatari or Kara no Kyoukai already bought it or will be doing so in a few months, with very little sales later on. I could be wrong on that last part but I don't see how that could be.

I didn't buy Funimations animes Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Shangri-La, Okami-san and Her Seven Companions, and Tower of Druaga, yet with the potential to buy others I missed. I will buy them within the next two years, If they didn't have a dub and I didn't buy them right away I never would.

[AKX20000]

Originally Posted by chrisc1978

If they release the anime without a dub and at $200+ they are just hurting the full potential of the anime

Except this has NEVER happened, except in the case of releases directly imported from Japan. Which as I mentioned earlier in the thread, you're paying the import prices in that case.

Plus there's no way SAO will be getting a release like that, as it's Japan's usual monthly singles release and doesn't include any subs.


Also you honestly can't even include Madoka's LE sets in this, as the price was higher due to the extra content. Not to mention they released regular BD and DVD sets alongside the LE at far cheaper prices.

[chrisc1978]

I am done complaining, just venting my frustration. I was thinking that there is no way I could buy it for less then $150. Even if I can buy it for $150 it would be at least a year or two before I do, not with all the Funi and Sentai titles I plan to buy next year. I have a $250 Funi order I am waiting for from Rightstuf that I don't expect till December. Hopfully I forget all about Sword Art Online by then.

I don't think I will ever own an Aniplex USA release. everything costs to much and most are not dubbed. I am always going to be nervous when they are about to license something.

[Reinhardt]

Well I am hoping for a dub, maybe the 25 episode series could be split into 4 parts and sell for $49.99 MSRP each for Blu-ray? That would put it closer to a more typical American-style anime release while still a price premium. But if they really want to reach the more mainstream MMORPG fanbase, it would need even lower pricing, but going by Aniplex's history that is not going to happen.

I'll be waiting to see what kind of release this gets, but I am not overly optimistic on its chances of getting a dub or "low" pricing.

[Damius]

What I wonder, is do Aniplex license a series as soon as they can, or first they ask companies like FUNi or Sentai if they would like to license it.