Support NeoGAF

[Crocodile]

Speaking of domestic releases, I haven't picked up Space Dandy season 1 yet but I 100% want to. How was the audio/visual quality? What on-disk extras are included?

 

[firehawk12]

Sentai included extras from Media Factory because they were cheap. Other non-Media Factory titles had: "Textless Opening/Textless Ending/Sentai previews." That's it. The current "collector's editions" are only for titles that'll move a lot so they'll cover any costs from the titles that won't sell enough to pay back costs. (Hmm.... that sounds like Japanese business practices!)

Well, there was the K-On!! movie disc had everything the JP release had except for the audio commentary. It's one of the fullest releases for an anime that I've ever seen. It even had what I assume was a Japanese MTV-like show covering the songs from the anime.

The best and worst thing to happen to the R1 industry was streaming. Getting titles on Hulu and Netflix to a much broader audience than anything on cable TV has increased the amount of viewers who have seen anime. However, those people don't need to buy the set since they've seen it already. Thus you only get the collectors buying the video discs and suddenly we've replicated the Japanese model.

Well, at least in Japan you could be justified in buying the disc over just "watching it on TV" (I assume that Japanese consumers are as savvy as American consumers who have 'accidentally' watched the first four episodes of Game of Thrones). The Yamato 2199 discs each include a commentary on the JP releases. In the US releases, they sell for slightly cheaper (more episodes per disc) but they removed those commentaries entirely. The value just seems completely skewed by comparison.

 

[javac]

Sure, that's clearly true. As a UK resident, I'm happy to purchase anime because we get it dirt cheap, especially compared to other regions. I understand that the UK has some of the most aggressive media pricing in the world.

Never knew you was from the UK, not that I should know! The UK does generally get great prices but the main issue is the fact that we rely heavily on the US and AUS in regards to what shows come over, because the costs to bring a show over is usually too much for a company in the UK to shoulder themselves. Anime limited are the only ones really, bringing things like Perfect Blue and such.

[Ashita no Joe]: 1 - 3

Is this your first time watching this? I haven't seen it either, but I'm toying with the idea of reading the manga instead.

 

[firehawk12]

I think our Monogatari releases continue to be cheaper, but even there, I gather there is increased involvement from Aniplex (and our releases are hella bare bones).

Ultimately, though, this is probably why we don't have a Madoka movie release over here at all.

That being said, we do at least have AtA/AnimeLTD pushing a middle-ground which is completely disappearing in the US. Some of the American guys I know where pretty annoyed when they noticed my UK Kill la Kill sets came with the key-art books they didn't get over there.

This whole thing seems to be a bigger mess than I even imagined. I'm almost glad to be done with buying anime now.

 

[ultimatemegax]

Well, there was the K-On!! movie disc had everything the JP release had except for the audio commentary. It's one of the fullest releases for an anime that I've ever seen. It even had what I assume was a Japanese MTV-like show covering the songs from the anime.


Well, at least in Japan you could be justified in buying the disc over just "watching it on TV" (I assume that Japanese consumers are as savvy as American consumers who have 'accidentally' watched the first four episodes of Game of Thrones). The Yamato 2199 discs each include a commentary on the JP releases. In the US releases, they sell for slightly cheaper (more episodes per disc) but they removed those commentaries entirely. The value just seems completely skewed by comparison.

They left out the Universal Studios Japan bit with the seiyuu and the little manners film shown before the film as well. It was a good set though and they likely paid TBS a fair amount for it.

There's definitely some underground methods to watching anime in Japan. Given that the video discs offer a good way to recoup finances compared to other things, it's easy to see why the video publishers want to discourage reverse-importing.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Sinbad: The Flying Princess and The Secret Island movie trailer. This will be the first of three movies that will release in Japan in July, December, and March.

The coloring, shading, and character designs of the film certainly give this an old-school kids' anime feeling, in addition to the setting and premise. I'll be very interested in seeing how this turns out.

 

[Cornbread78]

Hey Jex,
awesome info dump. Could we organize and update those lists each year and add to the OP each season? also list the streaming services they are available on? I could try to help during my work day to tally results, etc. We could use one of the free survey sites to help keep track of the answers.

 

[phoenix296]

The way I see it, most BD releases for anime in North America are aimed at collectors, and people who want the best video quality they can get. The general anime fan can stream most of what they want through Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix.

With the question of value, I don't really think it's Funimation's low prices that make people question their quality, but rather the mistakes they've made in that regard; weird brightness issues and banding on several sets, for example. Of course, this isn't just Funimation's problem alone; Sentai is just as guilty, though they've improved to the point of being acceptable within the last two years or so. Ultimately, both companies release cheaper sets, but the video quality will suffer.

If you want great video quality, you need to get a bit more expensive. Titles from NISA and Discotek on BD share the same authorer, Sevakis, and his work is very good. Within the domestic industry, he's probably the best. Outside of that, titles that have their authoring done in Japan will get you the best quality you can buy. Of course, these are titles from Aniplex and Pony Canyon, and they're pretty expensive. It's a bit unfortunate, but that's how the industry is; the titles that look the best often are the most expensive. As the market has shown, there's been plenty of people willing to pay Aniplex's prices (myself included, quite often!), as physical discs become more niche the more streaming rises.

With the popularity of streaming I would think the anime audience has grown with it's easy accessibility thus increasing the potential market. (Hell, I didn't watch any anime until last year) You're right, blu-rays have become more of collectors items for people who have already seen the series/movie but couldn't the same be said for NA properties? I can readily watch any movie or series I have any interest in on netflix or some other streaming service. The only reason to ever buy physical media is if I wanted to own a physical copy of it.

Even before they entered the market themselves, Aniplex had years of information related to sales numbers we are not privy to, because local licensing partners are obligated to report those numbers back. They would not have entered this market lightly.

Ultimately, though, the pricing isn't entirely about selling more or making it more available in the US - it's about price protectionism. It's about maintaining the perceived value of the IP. Whilst it's a fact that they probably could sell more units in the US by reducing the cost per unit, how many sales in Japan does that cost them, and how does that effect the perceived cost of all their anime output as a result?

(Also, bear in mind that the US push to half-season releases happened following the collapse of the value of the US dollar against the yen - whilst things where being released in singles, Japanese releases weren't actually that much more expensive than US ones. Fluctuating local currencies have a way of making things look comparatively more expensive in secondary markets than they necessarily seem in their home territories - Japanese video games, for example, look awfully expensive these days. At the start of the PS3/360 generation? Not so much. The pricetags on them haven't increased significantly, in the Yen sense, but looked at from abroad they looked insane for quite a while because our currencies plummeted (hence the whole P4A region-locking thing). Should they reduce the cost in the primary market just because the secondary markets have collapsed in worth?)

I'd argue that the market in Japan is hardly self-sustaining where they're struggling to make numbers to break even. I admit my knowledge on the market in both JP and NA is severely lacking but the market has me fascinated.

 

[firehawk12]

They left out the Universal Studios Japan bit with the seiyuu and the little manners film shown before the film as well. It was a good set though and they likely paid TBS a fair amount for it.

There's definitely some underground methods to watching anime in Japan. Given that the video discs offer a good way to recoup finances compared to other things, it's easy to see why the video publishers want to discourage reverse-importing.

I have this thought every few seasons anyway, but the problem is that Aniplex and all of these companies are treating the symptoms without trying to cure the cause.

Maybe pumping out anime that airs in 3AM timeslots that you have to buy from TV networks while hoping that 6k people buy your BD sets isn't the best business model to hang your entire anime division on?

It feels like the want to have their cake and eat it too. Anime is suppose to be the disposable marketing vehicle for the merchandise/light novel/manga/game, but it is also supposed to be a self-sustaining business as well? Outside of like One Piece and Naruto, this seems like an impossibility unless you accidentally fall into something stupidly popular like Attack on Titan or Infinite Stratos.

 

[DiGiKerot]

That's because AoA have started going away from booklets (outside of certain series) because not a lot of US fans (outside of the whiners) wanted them. Instead of the artbooks (which you only got something of 4/9 iirc), AoA got the CDs/DVDs. Instead of the CDs/DVDs, AtA got those books. It was a trade-off since AoJ wasn't going to allow both to one company due to reverse importation fears.

Kill la Kill might have been a bad example in hindsight!

 

[nintendoman58]

Plastic Memories - 4

A much better episode than last week's. This android world is freaking messed up.

Like, there are orphan children raised by Giftias! That's kind of a recipe for disaster considering the short life-span!

We've also got some more foreshadowing going on. So now there's an organization acting like Terminal Service to retrieve Giftias? What purpose does THAT serve? Are they raising an android army or something? What use would a Giftia with no personality and memories serve in the criminal underworld?

Oh and screw the ending to this episode.

Spoiler

You go through all that to prepare this kid to say goodbye to his android sister in a really nice birthday scene, and then right at the end of the episode one of those black market goons show up to retrieve her, and this kid has no idea that she's falling into the hands of criminals.

Spoiler

This is also another episode down without Tsukasa knowing of Isla's lifespan. They're really going to drag that out aren't they?

 

[DiGiKerot]

With the popularity of streaming I would think the anime audience has grown with it's easy accessibility thus increasing the potential market. (Hell, I didn't watch any anime until last year) You're right, blu-rays have become more of collectors items for people who have already seen the series/movie but couldn't the same be said for NA properties? I can readily watch any movie or series I have any interest in on netflix or some other streaming service. The only reason to ever buy physical media is if I wanted to own a physical copy of it.

The NA properties you are using as examples have a much wider appeal, though, and with that a much wider range of people purchasing things. The anime market skews to a much younger, very tech-savvy audience - they have great internet, they know all the streaming sites and, god forbid, they know how to pirate.

Game of Thrones, on the other hand? My grandparents watch that, and they don't even have the internet. As much as those of a certain age-group probably like to think that people just stream everything these days, it's not actually entirely true, and mainstream properties do actually sell to markets outside of collectors.

 

[firehawk12]

Plastic Memories - 4

A much better episode than last week's. This android world is freaking messed up.

Like, there are orphan children raised by Giftias! That's kind of a recipe for disaster considering the short life-span!

We've also got some more foreshadowing going on. So now there's an organization acting like Terminal Service to retrieve Giftias? What purpose does THAT serve? Are they raising an android army or something? What use would a Giftia with no personality and memories serve in the criminal underworld?

Wait, the show is about someone stealing robots now? Do the main characters even know that this group exists? lol

An interesting thing would be a rogue android who managed to survive the due date is trying to resist the attempts to retire other androids... although as I type that, I realize that I'm talking about Blade Runner again.

 

[nintendoman58]

Wait, the show is about someone stealing robots now? Do the main characters even know that this group exists? lol

An interesting thing would be a rogue android who managed to survive the due date is trying to resist the attempts to retire other androids... although as I type that, I realize that I'm talking about Blade Runner again.

They mention near the beginning of the episode that there are Black Market retrievers that pose as Terminal Service to retrieve Giftias. So yeah, they definitely know about them.

It would really be interesting to see how an evil android would work in this show, considering that these things are all made by the same company.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Plastic Memories - 4

A much better episode than last week's. This android world is freaking messed up.

Like, there are orphan children raised by Giftias! That's kind of a recipe for disaster considering the short life-span!

Whats wrong with that? Wouldnt people prefer to be raised with one instead of in some collective home? Especially if the world would have families having to weigh getting a human child vs a giftia child.

 

[DiGiKerot]

I'd argue that the market in Japan is hardly self-sustaining where they're struggling to make numbers to break even. I admit my knowledge on the market in both JP and NA is severely lacking but the market has me fascinated.

*shrug* If it wasn't profitable, they'd probably stop making cartoons altogether. I'd imagine it's already been said, but our vision of the market is skewed because the English speaking territories are barely even secondary-markets in some senses - we're really of an anime third-world in many way. Anime is very much the beginning and the end of the product line over here.

This isn't to say that disk sales aren't important - it probably matters a lot to some members of the production committee - but the fact that it's the whole market over here, as well as the only really visible indicator of popularity (amongst purchases) you can see outside of Japan (or treading the streets of Akiba, really), means it gets an undue degree of attention.

If everyone goes into the production knowing that disk sales aren't going to cover all the expenses, though, that's not really an issue. What it does do is potentially limit what productions get made to things which will sell secondary materials, but, hey, the market wants what the market wants, I guess.

 

[Midonin]

Wait, the show is about someone stealing robots now? Do the main characters even know that this group exists?.

We found out about it from the main characters in the first place!

 

[nintendoman58]

Whats wrong with that? Wouldnt people prefer to be raised with one instead of in some collective home? Especially if the world would have families having to weigh getting a human child vs a giftia child.

Well, these androids only have a life-span of about nine years! That's not exactly enough time to raise a young child until he or she is old enough to live on their own if they have no where else to go, don't you think?

 

[firehawk12]

We found out about it from the main characters in the first place!

They mention near the beginning of the episode that there are Black Market retrievers that pose as Terminal Service to retrieve Giftias. So yeah, they definitely know about them.

It would really be interesting to see how an evil android would work in this show, considering that these things are all made by the same company.

Why aren't they doing anything about it?! Are they watching for Major Kusanagi to fix things for them! Although I am like 2 or 3 episodes behind on the show, so I have no idea if they have bothered to try to catch these guys.

 

[phaze]

Katanagatari 10

[

I would whip out the congratulations gif but it seems to me that neither Shichika, nor Togame, learned the lesson they should have learned. Togame gets immediately called on that but weirdly enough Shichika doesn't. I don't know, his reasons for embarking on the Katana gathering quest always struck me as exceedingly naive and childish and his character arc always seemed to me to be the case of freeing himself from being a mindless sword into an actual human being. If after all that development, his final, ground breaking realisation is " I fight for Togame." then I will be severely disappointed. Fortunately still two episodes to go and with the amount of foreshadowing put into Kyotoryuu school, it's curse, his reasons for killing, I have high hopes that is not the case.

-That damn ep4 preview remains the best action sequence.

-I deny all those death flags Shichika got in this episode.

-Togame's father keikaku was on another level of ridiculous.

 

[phoenix296]

If everyone goes into the production knowing that disk sales aren't going to cover all the expenses, though, that's not really an issue. What it does do is potentially limit what productions get made to things which will sell secondary materials, but, hey, the market wants what the market wants, I guess.

And this is why we have Shirobako dakimakura! lol

 

[nintendoman58]

Why aren't they doing anything about it?! Are they watching for Major Kusanagi to fix things for them! Although I am like 2 or 3 episodes behind on the show, so I have no idea if they have bothered to try to catch these guys.

They say that "the police can't reign them in".

Yeah. If you ask me, I bet the CEO of this company is behind it somehow. There's an unpleasant tone whenever he's shown up on screen for the two episodes he's been in. I could very easily see him going full-on villain somewhere down the line.

 

[firehawk12]

They say that "the police can't reign them in".

Yeah. If you ask me, I bet the CEO of this company is behind it somehow. There's an unpleasant tone whenever he's shown up on screen for the two episodes he's been in. I could very easily see him going full-on villain somewhere down the line.

I'd wonder why he'd steal his own robots though. But I guess anything is possible!

 

[ultimatemegax]

I have this thought every few seasons anyway, but the problem is that Aniplex and all of these companies are treating the symptoms without trying to cure the cause.

Maybe pumping out anime that airs in 3AM timeslots that you have to buy from TV networks while hoping that 6k people buy your BD sets isn't the best business model to hang your entire anime division on?

It feels like the want to have their cake and eat it too. Anime is suppose to be the disposable marketing vehicle for the merchandise/light novel/manga/game, but it is also supposed to be a self-sustaining business as well? Outside of like One Piece and Naruto, this seems like an impossibility unless you accidentally fall into something stupidly popular like Attack on Titan or Infinite Stratos.

One Piece and Naruto are mostly funded by the TV stations and live for ratings, so that's an entirely different area.

Aniplex's main investments are in the late night area which is their model as the system shifted away from anime as primetime entertainment in the 2000s. The production committee system is made to split the risk among other companies as well, allowing them to take the risks needed to produce animation.

With disc sales appearing to have dropped some since 2010-2013, it looks like the companies are starting to look in alternative directions for funds such as merchandising more, but it's a shift in progress, so I can't say much right now. This is why we have so many one-cour productions now; it's riskier to produce 2-cours with less video discs being sold.

(On a side note, it's been pleasant debating this with you. It's nice to discuss this respectfully instead of some of the other forums I've been to.)

 

[Save 'N Quit]

Can someone watching Unlimited Blade Works please tell me if they adapted this scene.

Major deal breaker to decide whether or not I should watch the adaption.

 

[DiGiKerot]

And this is why we have Shirobako dakimakura! lol

Although, hilariously, Shirobako is selling beyond expectations to the degree that they have been struggling to maintain stock, which does happen occasionally - the same thing happened with Girls und Panzer's early volumes, and Tiger and Bunny (heck, with T&B, they eventually released an 'upgrade pack' so that folks who were forced to get the standard edition of the first BD could buy just the box and extras in order to have their sets match).

You can't really plan for these things, though.

 

[Mupod]

Can someone watching Unlimited Blade Works please tell me if they adapted this scene.

Major deal breaker to decide whether or not I should watch the adaption.

Yes.

And it's fucking perfect.

 

[Jex]

Is this your first time watching this? I haven't seen it either, but I'm toying with the idea of reading the manga instead.

Yes, it's my first time with the material. As it's a Dezaki show I felt compelled to view in it's animated incarnation. As you can see, the series has a really unique look and feel that's not simply the result of it being from the 70's. The choice to go for thick lines and a very expressive and raw animation without much correction creates a tangible kineticism that you don't see in 'cleaner' animation.

 

[Crocodile]

@ultimatemegax: While I don't consider everything you're saying to be some sort of new revelation, you seem especially knowledgeable and articulate on the current subject. Did you have/had experience in the industry or are you just a well informed fan?

Although, hilariously, Shirobako is selling beyond expectations to the degree that they have been struggling to maintain stock, which does happen occasionally - the same thing happened with Girls und Panzer's early volumes, and Tiger and Bunny (heck, with T&B, they eventually released an 'upgrade pack' so that folks who were forced to get the standard edition of the first BD could buy just the box and extras in order to have their sets match).

You can't really plan for these things, though.

I'm still surprised to this day that Tiger and Bunny only got movies and not another TV series. I feel there were still unresolved plot lines from the show (even if Tiger would have to step out of the limelight due to his situation). Did all those loose ends get wrapped up in the second movie?

 

[Save 'N Quit]

Yes.

And it's fucking perfect.

Based Ufotable

I can watch it with a clear conscience.

 

[cajunator]

I am gonna start watching eureka 7. what should I expect?

A good series with some really annoying kids

Anyone listen to the ANN interview with the Aniplex marketing guy? The description mentions that their pricing comes up, and I'm interested to hear how they spin the higher prices.

I hope it's something like "We charge a premium because we believe our fans demand the highest quality from us."


cosmicblizzard to have a meltdown. Then many other people to have a meltdown over the fact that Eureka AO exists.

(It's an okayish mecha-surfing shounen science fiction show)

To be fair, Aniplex does deliver on the quality front.
Unlike some iffy releases from Funimation and sentai, i never feel like I have to settle or compromise with Aniplex.

 

[Jex]

(On a side note, it's been pleasant debating this with you. It's nice to discuss this respectfully instead of some of the other forums I've been to.)

This has been a useful discussion to read. Are you aware, at any point, of making a general post on this topic either here or on a blog, that I could link through to? I am intending to update my "General Resource for Everything Anime" post and I am always on the look out for more material.

 

[firehawk12]

One Piece and Naruto are mostly funded by the TV stations and live for ratings, so that's an entirely different area.

Aniplex's main investments are in the late night area which is their model as the system shifted away from anime as primetime entertainment in the 2000s. The production committee system is made to split the risk among other companies as well, allowing them to take the risks needed to produce animation.

With disc sales appearing to have dropped some since 2010-2013, it looks like the companies are starting to look in alternative directions for funds such as merchandising more, but it's a shift in progress, so I can't say much right now. This is why we have so many one-cour productions now; it's riskier to produce 2-cours with less video discs being sold.

(On a side note, it's been pleasant debating this with you. It's nice to discuss this respectfully instead of some of the other forums I've been to.)

Hah, I think we agree more than we disagree anyway.

I just think there's a bit of a self-defeating prophecy with how they are handling anime outside of Japan, because of course, we don't get Senjougahara figmas in Toys R Us or Hanakawa body pillows at Bed Bath and Beyond. I guess there are the books that are being translated, but the idea of a conglomerate/production committee with different arms working in tandem doesn't really apply to places where the other aspects of the merchandising simply don't exist.

As much as I think anime is great, I can't be the only one who thinks it is weird that Anime studios are buying time slots that, in an American context, are usually reserved for infomercials selling diet pills and weird exercise machines that never work. But then again, it's not like I really have much of a solution... and admittedly, most of the anime I like aired at 2am anyway, so what can I really say? lol

 

[ultimatemegax]

@ultimatemegax: While I don't consider everything you're saying to be some sort of new revelation, you seem especially knowledgeable and articulate on the current subject. Did you have/had experience in the industry or are you just a well informed fan?

I have not worked in the industry either in Japan or internationally. My knowledge comes from reading a lot of interviews from industry people, looking through things people tend to miss (such as distributor/publisher for video discs and committee members), a few industry connections (which I do my best to respect and not give out information that I can't), and just paying attention to the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on. Honestly, this research started when I wondered "why hasn't there been a Haruhi S3?" and looked into Kadokawa's business practices. Suddenly decisions started to make sense for me, so I wanted others to learn that as well so we'd get less "Why hasn't (such) gotten a xth season?" That leads to more informative discussions and lets people have a bigger hand in supporting something they really love instead of just through a middleman with no influence. (Also I'm one of those people who love to help others.)

 

[nintendoman58]

I'd wonder why he'd steal his own robots though. But I guess anything is possible!

Maybe he's trying to turn Giftias into weapons in secrecy? I mean, if word got out that a friendly android company started turning lovable robots into dangerous killing machines, chances are things would go south pretty fast.

Having a criminal organization doing the dirty work of taking the androids without turning them off in front of the client would be an effective way to keep things a secret.

Actually, that reminds me. It was stated in the first episode that the androids have to be turned off in front of the client in order to ensure privacy. In the latest episode

Spoiler

we don't see the android sister girl get turned off. We don't even know if she WAS turned off. Given that the client was a young child in this case, I could understand him not knowing better, but how would this work for other, older clients who would know better? I hope we see more of these guys to learn more about how they operate.

 

[amrod]

JoJo SC 40

Super exciting episode, but who isn't excited by F-Zero GX F-Mega?

The CG models for the dolls and cars were pretty good. Apparently done by the same people who do the OPs? That would make sense.

Also the Engrish on SELECT YOUR CAR was next level

at the end of the episode

Spoiler

If the race is over why does it say lap 1/3 in top corner ?

 

[firehawk12]

Maybe he's trying to turn Giftias into weapons in secrecy? I mean, if word got out that a friendly android company started turning lovable robots into dangerous killing machines, chances are things would go south pretty fast.

Having a criminal organization doing the dirty work of taking the androids without turning them off in front of the client would be an effective way to keep things a secret.

Actually, that reminds me. It was stated in the first episode that the androids have to be turned off in front of the client in order to ensure privacy. In the latest episode

Spoiler

we don't see the android sister girl get turned off. We don't even know if she WAS turned off. Given that the client was a young child in this case, I could understand him not knowing better, but how would this work for other, older clients who would know better? I hope we see more of these guys to learn more about how they operate.

I can't remember - are there no military androids in this universe? I would have expected there to be more practical applications than simply companions for lonely people anyway.

And I would imagine that pays off and is not an oversight. But you never know with these things.

A good series with some really annoying kids

To be fair, Aniplex does deliver on the quality front.
Unlike some iffy releases from Funimation and sentai, i never feel like I have to settle or compromise with Aniplex.

Not having commentaries in the Monogatari box sets is a pretty huge compromise!

Although, hilariously, Shirobako is selling beyond expectations to the degree that they have been struggling to maintain stock, which does happen occasionally - the same thing happened with Girls und Panzer's early volumes, and Tiger and Bunny (heck, with T&B, they eventually released an 'upgrade pack' so that folks who were forced to get the standard edition of the first BD could buy just the box and extras in order to have their sets match).

You can't really plan for these things, though.

Nerd stuff really seems so random. Either you hit some kind of nerve that gets people frothing at the prospect of buying your crap, or you get... well, Saekano.

 

[Jex]

Hey Jex,
awesome info dump.

I'm glad that you've found it useful.

Could we organize and update those lists each year and add to the OP each season?

I will certainly update the Metalist with any suitable thread, but whether or not it appears in the OP is entirely up to the thread creator. On top of that, the list itself will appear as part of a larger post that I've created as a catch-all 'Anime Resource' post.

also list the streaming services they are available on? I could try to help during my work day to tally results, etc. We could use one of the free survey sites to help keep track of the answers.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by this? Where current anime are available for streaming is generally listed in the OP.

As for the wider market of anime streaming, I don't even live in the most popular region (US) for this forum and nor do I intend to create a resource that would require so much leg work to update. Licenses expire all the time and new stuff pops on and off these streaming sites quite regularly. I do believe that there are websites that keep track of this information (?) somewhere but as a UK resident I really can't say much about the US streaming situation in general.

 

[Phatmac]

Can someone watching Unlimited Blade Works please tell me if they adapted this scene.

Major deal breaker to decide whether or not I should watch the adaption.

Yup! It's in the show and it's still so good.

 

[Baalzebup]

Can someone watching Unlimited Blade Works please tell me if they adapted this scene.

Major deal breaker to decide whether or not I should watch the adaption.

Yes.

And it's fucking perfect.

It really is fucking perfect. I haven't even read the VN and I still think that scene was fucking perfect.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Hah, I think we agree more than we disagree anyway.

I just think there's a bit of a self-defeating prophecy with how they are handling anime outside of Japan, because of course, we don't get Senjougahara figmas in Toys R Us or Hanakawa body pillows at Bed Bath and Beyond. I guess there are the books that are being translated, but the idea of a conglomerate/production committee with different arms working in tandem doesn't really apply to places where the other aspects of the merchandising simply don't exist.

As much as I think anime is great, I can't be the only one who thinks it is weird that Anime studios are buying time slots that, in an American context, are usually reserved for infomercials selling diet pills and weird exercise machines that never work. But then again, it's not like I really have much of a solution... and admittedly, most of the anime I like aired at 2am anyway, so what can I really say? lol

The anime industry is definitely a weird and idiosyncratic business, and has been in one way or another ever since Osamu Tezuka underquoted the price to get Astro Boy on the air. I'd love to see the industry be in a stronger, healthier, and more mainstream-friendly position, but at this point I don't think there's a way to "fix" things that wouldn't torpedo everything. You'd have to discover how to create demand that isn't there first.

Edit: And of course, I go over to OT and there's a thread which shows that anime isn't the only television industry resorting to weird stuff to stay alive.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Saekano episode 2
You know, im actually enjoying this, the character archetypes are still there, but they're expanding on character interaction and development, this episode especially.

 

[astrogamer]

Denpa Kyoushi 4
Ignoring the poor animation and lacking art, an alright episode that was a pretty straight adaptation of the manga. The anime-original stuff in earlier episodes kind of missed that Kagami is supposed to seem cool in his nerdiness. If they miss that, there isn't that much reason to watch it.

 

[javac]

Yes, it's my first time with the material. As it's a Dezaki show I felt compelled to view in it's animated incarnation. As you can see, the series has a really unique look and feel that's not simply the result of it being from the 70's. The choice to go for thick lines and a very expressive and raw animation without much correction creates a tangible kineticism that you don't see in 'cleaner' animation.

Yeah I'll be honest, I didn't realise the show looked that good, your screens surprised me at how visceral it looked. I'm going to watch it when I get the chance, and when I can locate the show.

 

[firehawk12]

The anime industry is definitely a weird and idiosyncratic business, and has been in one way or another ever since Osamu Tezuka underquoted the price to get Astro Boy on the air. I'd love to see the industry be in a stronger, healthier, and more mainstream-friendly position, but at this point I don't think there's a way to "fix" things that wouldn't torpedo everything. You'd have to discover how to create demand that isn't there first.

Maybe the reality is that there are only a few shows that can survive, so trying to support a 20 show season is completely impossible without resorting to doing things the way they are done now.

That said, I'm sure there's demand for cartoons in the mainstream that go beyond Sazae-san and the like. If Seth McFarlane figured out a way to do it, I'd have to imagine some intrepid Japanese producer could figure out a way to get a show in a prime time slot on Japanese TV.

 

[phoenix296]

(On a side note, it's been pleasant debating this with you. It's nice to discuss this respectfully instead of some of the other forums I've been to.)

It's been very informative debating with you. At the end of the day I'm just a selfish foreigner who wants their cartoons on the cheap. lol

 

[Rainy]

Plastic Memories 04
Good episode but fuck that ending

 

[ultimatemegax]

This has been a useful discussion to read. Are you aware, at any point, of making a general post on this topic either here or on a blog, that I could link through to? I am intending to update my "General Resource for Everything Anime" post and I am always on the look out for more material.

The only page that's coming to mind on this is something's FAQ regarding Oricon's estimates and Amazon Stalker. I did contribute to it, writing the production committee portion. It may not be the best thing for a beginner or someone coming into anime after a while though.

Oh, I forgot about Sevakis's articles from 2012. Streaming has gotten bigger in NA, so it's a bigger part than what he wrote at that time. 1/2/3

 

[Barajas_201]

Very interesting concept of android children, better episode than last week.

Spoiler

Dem children episodes making me feel again

.

 

[R_thanatos]

Seraph of the end.- 04

Is there anyone denying that she is the best character of this show ?

Spoiler

Beside DTL ?

Because she trully is.

So far a nice and cool adaptation of the manga with nice backgrounds and decent animation.
Hopefully they'll keep at it.