Disqus - Latest Comments for thescott18

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:37:42 -0000

"Exploitation" would be the cheesy j-horror stuff, like all the new titles that ADV announced at Otakon. That's truly feeding a niche.

And yeah, I know others disagree with me, and I'm not going to tell you that your opinion and tastes are wrong either.

But I wouldn't be Scott if I didn't say my views so bluntly say it like that. ;-) A man's gotta maintain his gimmick.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:46 -0000

In a way... yes. They're collectibles. They are pretty much fancy boxes to put in your personal "library." You might go back to it once in a blue moon, but I don't think most people re watch their collections that often.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:06:08 -0000

Well, I say "squeeze" because the actual production of these releases are pretty crappy and I think they're even overpricing for it.

But even beyond low-quality product, there's no glitz or glamor to small timers like MB. There's even a bit of a seedy tone to them with their exploitation and adult titles, and their willingness to sell out to Crunchyroll's dirty money.

Yes, it works for them, but which would you prefer to go to? The clean Hollywood Video or the Bob's 48 Hour Video with the back room "adult" section? There's just a level of quality that comes with popularity.

Keep an eye on ADV about this because I think they're heading in this direction. Let's compare next year's ADV to the ADV of three years ago and see which one was better.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:07:20 -0000

I don't think that TV shows are really meant to have a rewatchability factor to them. People love "new" episodes and groan over having to watch reruns. Most shows are meant to only be watched once. The ultimate question is how do you monetize that one viewing?

Yes, the pay full price for a DVD model for anime is outdated because before the internet, you either watched anime on TV, watched it at a public screening like at an anime club, or borrowed your friend's DVD. If you didn't have any of those options, you didn't watch the show. And fans used to accept that. They did not have to watch everything back then.

The paying full price for a DVD isn't working anymore... but neither is digital fansubbing. Which is why I'm constantly suggesting legal-yet-monetized methods of getting that initial viewing out of the way. You still don't have to pay full price for a DVD anymore to be able to watch it.

Also, "good product" is subjective. Moé is considered to be a crappy b-rated genre, but don't tell that to myself or any of my fellow moé fans. It's better to call them "niche" products, because even though they don't appeal to everyone, they still have a small fan base supporting it.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:39:55 -0000

Also, read more of my blog before you start complaining to me. You're saying the same damn things I've said in just the past month or so.

I only update once a week. It shouldn't be that hard to familiarize yourself with my views before you go bitching.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:33:54 -0000

Heroes is also brought to you with limited commercial interruption from Nissan.

Nissan - be sure to check out Claire drive away in the new, roomy Nissan Versa on this week's episode.

Domestic TV shows are funded by ad revenue that is linked to their TV ratings. It might be "free" to you but ads are everything to the show. If you don't get enough viewers, the sponsorship goes away and your show gets yanked off the air.

There are no ads in fansubs. No ratings to them. DVD sales are the primary revenue source for anime.

You can't even compare it to Heroes because anime doesn't get pulled off the air for bad ratings. It just runs for a 13 week block or two and that's it.

And besides, TV on DVD is a new concept to our market anyway. TV shows were never sold on VHS like that, there was no secondary market. That's why the writers had to strike over it. There was nothing in their contracts about DVD revenue.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:15:35 -0000

\ (- -；)

Fine, fine, you win. Spice and Wolf is good and it will be eventually released in the US.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:48:55 -0000

Of course there are titles that are more likely to get licensed than others. I'm saying Spice and Wolf ain't one of them. :-P

And we're both guilty of playing devil's advocate to each other. But just keep in mind that you're still the only one I'm willing to argue with. <3 (^_^)

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:34:20 -0000

Well, companies like Media Blasters and Right Stuf manage to squeeze by on this business model. They sell bare-bones sub only releases at relatively cheaper prices. So when they sell it to the most hardcore of fans, or to that person who buys out of impulse at a convention, they make a huge profit off of each sale.

But those guys are not rolling in dough doing this. They're no Funimation or Bandai. They are small companies just getting by on the bare minimum. They are still not selling nearly as many DVDs as the download numbers will indicate.

You have much more faith in fansub watchers than I do, Peter. ;-) Once you watch a show the first time for free, it gets really hard to convince yourself to pay for the DVD to watch it again for a second time.

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:12:28 -0000

I picked Spice and Wolf as an example because 1) it was one that Ms. Tasai had just mentioned in her "will just disappear" quote and 2) it is a niche fantasy series and not as extremely popular as a Geass or Lagann. I'm putting in the same category as ADV flavored niche licensees (like Utawarerumono) which have lead to the downfall of that company. The fact that she's nekkid is still not ringing for me that this show is a shoe-in for US distribution.

Just like how I said that there's no such thing as a show that will never come out in the US, I still would be reluctant to call any show guaranteed either, especially giving the changing landscape of the industry right now.

But damn, Gia, If you're going to get picky over the details, then fill in the blank with whatever non-mainstream title you want. Make it Kaiba if you want. I still stand by my point. ;-)

And you have used the "it's not going to be licensed in the US" justification on me before with Zetsubou Sensei. You actually put me on the spot with that one on the podcast. Don't think I'll forget that anytime soon. ;-)

Re: Are We Just Gravy? The Importance of American Market to the Japanese

Scott — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:43:12 -0000

I think claiming any show never making it to US is just as moronic and should never be used as an excuse to pirate a series. You might really like Spice and Wolf, but it's still no Code Geass as far as popularity goes.

Besides, Kaiba still has "art house" appeal and the creator's previous messed-up ova, Cat Soup, came out years ago in America.

Re: Bandai’s Change of Heart

Scott — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:16:12 -0000

I know. Those comments came from the fact that I had just discovered your response to my "Living Legit" post, which I would have spent a little more time going through and responding to if it weren't for Hinano's very lovely comments completely ruining my mood whenever I visit the page. (-_-)

But I also remember you made a two-parter on the Manga Sutra thing a month or two ago, so you do have a bit of a habit in trying to find loopholes in my posts.

Forgive me for being a little skeptical when you start doing "research" after reading something I wrote. ;-)

Re: Bandai’s Change of Heart

Scott — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:05:08 -0000

Don't trust the run times they have listed on Amazon to figure out episode count. I found this to be very inaccurate, like what you found with the first DVD of Haruhi. Maybe they include "bonus features" in that number or something.

Re: Bandai’s Change of Heart

Scott — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:54:28 -0000

When BV USA released Galaxy Angel Rune, they released the first DVD at "only" $20 while all the rest of the DVDs in the set were released for $50. But why was the first DVD so inexpensive?

It only had one episode on it.

Sure the first disc of Geass R2 costs less, but I'm sure that's because it has a smaller episode count than the others. I would assume that if they try to pull that again in America, the cost would be somewhat proportional to the numbers of episodes that are on the disc.

Re: Bandai’s Change of Heart

Scott — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:50:03 -0000

I think this is just a test they're doing to see if #3 is going to have the negative impact they are predicting with the Japanese back-importing titles from America. The "collector" market is probably a lot easier to handle in the event of #3 completely backfiring on them. Once they have dipped their toes into the water and determine it's safe enough, they'll begin to slowly reach out towards that "watcher" market as well.

Re: Bandai’s Change of Heart

Scott — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:44:22 -0000

I've been trying to figure that out as well. I think for now, the only release they have planned for this is the Freedom boxset in Blu-ray. I sent an email to Bandai for more details, so hopefully I'll have a better answer for you soon.

Re: The Otaku Pilgrimage - Highlights of Otakon 2008

Scott — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:24:52 -0000

Dude, I'm so sorry! I was so busy all weekend that I didn't have time to talk to anybody, even old friends who I haven't seen since college. (T_T)

We need to hang out sometime at a smaller convention, but Otakon was just too crazy.

Re: The Otaku Pilgrimage - Highlights of Otakon 2008

Scott — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:36:24 -0000

I wasn't really criticizing the fact that the printed schedule wasn't accurate on the day of the convention. I understand that things never really pan out like they're supposed to, and things have to get changed at the last minute. I had no qualms about this. I was just using the To Love Ru example as proof of Otakon's fansubbing policy actually being enforced during the convention. I meant it to be positive statement about the convention.

What I was criticizing was the fact that none of the convention goers I talked to were even aware of the convention's fansubbing policy, and that is why I'm calling it a secret. I spoke with several people in the audience at that Special A screening, and the general feedback I got from them was, "I came here thinking I was going to see To Love Ru, but they're showing some other fansub instead. I don't know why." They theorized that there was a technical problem with the To Love Ru files, or maybe some staff member forgot to burn a CD, but no one even considered that it was because of lack of permission.

And after all, why should they consider that reason? A fansub is a fansub is a fansub. The convention attendees never had to ask permission from the Japanese companies to download the show off of bittorrent, so why did Otakon have to?

Perhaps Otakon could have remedied this by including a little line in their program saying, "We proudly present this series courtesy of Japanese Company Inc." for each show. You know, anything that reminds the audience that the show is a product of a Japanese company and not a just product of a digital pirating group.

Or perhaps Otakon could have remedied this by following in the footsteps of Anime Expo, Anime Boston, AnimeNEXT, the New York Anime Festival, and many other modern anime conventions by just not showing any fansubs at all.

But either way, this was my one and only criticism with the convention, and I hope it doesn't overshadow my overall satisfaction this year. You guys really put on a good show, and I hope that reforms will be made regarding fansub screenings next year so that I will have absolutely nothing bad to say about Otakon anymore. ;-)

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:27:43 -0000

If a website is attempting to profit off of works of others without paying royalties, then they are even worse than fansubbers who give it away for free.

These kids might be talking about Crunchyroll, which was a Youtube knock-off that specialized in pirating both licensed and unlicensed anime shows. The crazy thing about Crunchyroll is that they had created such a huge community of illegal viewers, and then they took that "number of page views" statistic to some venture capital investors and got a lot of money to continue and grow the website.

Those guys got filthy rich because of pirating, and they took that investor money to Gonzo in Japan and ADV in America, two companies on the verge of bankruptcy, and convinced them to allow the site to "legally" stream their videos. They now go around talking about how "revolutionary" they are and how they are getting the support of major anime studios. But all they are doing is exploiting the weak. You will never see profitable companies like Bandai or FUNimation on Crunchyroll because they can afford to say no to their dirty money.

Unless a website is 100% legitimate, like BOST TV is, then they are disgusting pirates only profiting off of the works of others.

Sorry for ranting, but it just pisses me off to even think about them. (-_-)

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:09:57 -0000

Because I only know of the situation in America, I cannot argue on available of titles and rental services in the other parts of the world. And maybe Germans are actually truthful in fulfilling that obligation to buy the DVD after watching a fansub, I don't know.

All I can testify to is the American otaku community, and I will gladly go on record to say that the vast majority of American fansub watchers do not buy the DVDs. I cannot - and will not - say the same about Germans or any other culture.

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:24:20 -0000

I understand the problem with "letting go" of shows, but to me, having to watch a show I really liked just didn't justify the act of stealing it. I felt that this was demonstrating my own selfishness. I wanted something so badly that I didn't care that the people who created it wanted to be compensated for their work. I was ashamed of myself for thinking this, so I gave up everything I was watching and moved on to other shows.

It was a sacrifice, but honestly, it wasn't that hard of a sacrifice to make. Anime is anime, after all. It's just entertainment. You can actually live without it as a consumer, but for the artists and staff, it is their livelihood.

A majority of the legal stuff online is dubbed, but I did see a few shows like Bacconno and Strike Witches in subtitle.

Everything on Netflix, on the other hand, was either a dub-and-sub DVD ("School Rumble") or subtitle-only DVD ("Emma"). So unless you're trying to get something like Hamtaro or Yu Gi Oh, you'll always have a subtitle option.

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:11:45 -0000

Generalizing is the way I cut through the b.s. and just get to the point. It makes the biggest impact on the reader and gets them really thinking about themselves and their place in the community. Even if they think I'm wrong, they have to really think about why I am wrong and to what degree.

Sure, there are always exceptions to the rule, but I'll stand by my statement that the vast majority of fansub watchers do not end up buying DVDs. This comes from my own personal experience with myself and all the anime fans I know in real life. I trust that physical evidence a lot more than anecdotal evidence I get from the internet.

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:13:32 -0000

Oops! Thanks for spotting that! All fixed.

Re: Living Legit - A Month Without Fansubs

Scott — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:27:04 -0000

Actually, my first ever "thinking outside the box" post I did was right when the moé trend was just beginning and I was trying to figure out why it wasn't about pedophilia:

http://thescott18.blogsome....

I've written about this "longing for fatherhood" theory several times since then, but I might revisit it some day.

Re: “Avatar” and its Place in Otaku Culture

Scott — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:19:28 -0000

Completely true. She's my favorite character in the whole show. ^_^