Forum - View topicAnswerman - Why Are Anime Discs Re-released So Much?
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
View previous topic :: View next topic | |||
Author | Message | ||
---|---|---|---|
angelmcazares
Posts: 2737 Location: Iscandar |
|
||
The question should be "Why Are Anime Dragon Ball Z Discs Re-released So Much"? I am not really bothered by anime rereleases, but I am annoyed that Funimation keeps milking their DBZ cow.
I know that I am not required to buy rereleases of shows I already own, but I rather see publishers release stuff for the first time, like the Tatami Galaxy or do a full release of Monster. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
EricJ2
Posts: 2496 |
|
||
Asking why Funi re-releases DBZ so much is like asking why Warner re-releases Harry Potter, the Dark Knight and The Hobbit so often-- It's not just a matter of being their "core" iconic house franchise that we associate with the company--But with studios all stroking each other's fear buttons that "Physical disks are dying!" (which, btw, a recent study last spring found out they're not: http://www.gfk.com/ And double that for Funi surviving the 00's Anime Bubble. If they're convinced that the few remaining retail Best Buys will sell no anime on their dwindling DVD shelves but DBZ, then here's the next new repackaged DBZ set. And when Warner put out that $800 Tolkien set (http://www.theonering.net/ Disks aren't "dying" just because the studios want to kill them, blame us for it, and then kiss up to their defensively-paranoid image of us. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Tenchi
Posts: 4008 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
|
||
I'm not sure if I agree with the basic premise of the question; there are still several anime I didn't get around to buying the first time that I can only pray will eventually get a North American re-release, above all Kimagure Orange Road, plus, to a lesser degree, Marmalade Boy, and there's also Kamichu!, which I do own on DVD but would happily re-buy on domestic Blu-Ray.
Although I know the problem is that the rights for all three of those lapsed a long time ago and the Japanese licensors might be asking too much for the rights for anime that wouldn't likely sell well in today's market. But it has happened before, I can't say I was expecting Strawberry Marshmallow to ever get a re-release (plus a release of the OVAs for the first time, which were one of my most wished-for licenses, although I haven't bought the disk yet due to financial issues but it'll be the first anime I get when I get money) but it did somewhat out of the blue. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Levitz9
Posts: 954 Location: Puerto Rico |
|
||
This reminds me of when Funimation licensed the first Big Windup season years and years ago; people expected it all to come out on a snazzy boxset after a while, so nobody bought BW...
... which meant it never got the boxset and never even had the second season licensed. That only happened recently because Nozomi/Right Stuf went out on a limb. :p Lesson being: stuff gets rereleased (and only rereleased) if it sells. So, blaming Funimation for rereleasing DBZ would be to blame them for following where the money is. How dare they try to keep the lights on. I like how Justin put it, he's got a great nuts and bolts view of the subject (having worked in the industry). |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Shenl742
Posts: 1477 |
|
||
I think I remember an ANNCast from a year or two ago with Shawn Klecknar from Rightstuf about their recently acquired re-release of Nadecsco.
He said that lower-priced re-releases of older titles tend to sell pretty well, as new anime fans are born everyday, and a slate of well-regarded series sold for an amount that's not hard on the wallet is always enticing. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
doubleO7
Posts: 934 |
|
||
The answer to that question is also answered here as well. DBZ keeps selling. Until the sales numbers for one of the biggest anime series in the world start drying up it will continue to be re-released as often as possible. I don't see that stopping anytime soon. It's not like a re-release of a popular show is necessarily taking away resources that could have gone into another new release (which Funi does all the time, so it's not like they just do DBZ over and over). If Funi had any intention of releasing Tatami Galaxy, they would've done it years ago, and none of Funi's other shows is at fault for that. It simply had terrible steaming numbers to the point where they could not financially justify a home video release or a dub at the time. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Aphasial
Posts: 64 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
||
Kind of makes me wonder about the S.A.V.E. and other types of re-releases.
I can't imagine there's *that much* money being saved in slightly cheaper packaging (although the lack of full-color inserts might help). When something is basically the same but sold at a much cheaper price with a cosmetic modification on the front (see also: Game Of The Year "red bar" editions of PS3 games), I kind of wonder if the SKU is being tracked separately or there's a separate contractual commitment being dealt with somewhere that allows/requires it to go out marketed somehow slightly differently. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Zalis116
Moderator
Posts: 6059 Location: Kazune City |
|
||
But DBZ re-releases actually can boast changes and "improvements":
"Different dub!" "Mostly/totally uncut, we swear!" "Now newly-cropped to remove 1/4 of the image!" "We actually left it in 4:3 and included the previews this time!" "Cropped again and color-boosted for modern screens!" "Now with even less of that annoying grain and texture details!"
|
|||
Back to top |
|
||
EricJ2
Posts: 2496 |
|
||
The first disks of games or movies have to go out at premium retail price and shiny collector edition to attract the fans and recoup the production costs (which is why series used to come out in single disks, to continue to pay for the dubbing)-- And once that initial sale phase is over, the "double dip" release can put it out at a wider mass-market rollout with a more sale-friendly price, since it's just about continuing to move the merchandise. Nothing wrong with SAVE or Game of the Year editions, just that most fans know how to wait for them. That was one of the main crippling factors that popped the Bubble, when we started to catch on that ADV titles would get the season-boxset Double-dip, once they'd finished the dubbing process. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
JDude042
Posts: 226 |
|
||
Yea the article should primarily be about Dragon Ball Z to be honest. Lets see...
Late 90s-Early 2000s Ocean Dub Dragon Ball Z VHS/DVDs Late 90s-Early/Mid 2000s Funimation Dragon Ball Z VHS Edited/Uncut Funimation Dragon Ball Z DVD Singles Funimation Dragon Ball Z VHS/DVD Box Sets Mid 2000s Funimation Dragon Ball Z 1st Season Uncut DVDs (Abruptly Cancelled Before the Saiyan Arc was even finished) Mid-Late 2000s Funimation Dragon Ball Z Orange Box DVD Sets Around the 2010 Mark or So Funimation Dragon Ball Z Dragon Box DVD Sets Early 2010-Current Funimation Releases a few Dragon Ball Z Blu Ray Sets and then Cancels Them? Funimation Dragon Ball Z Kai DVD & Blu Ray Sets Funimation Dragon Ball Z Blu Ray Sets Made with New HD Remaster from their original masters Ocean Dub Dragon Ball Z Rock the Dragon DVD Box Set (Saiyan & Namek Arcs) Did I miss anything? I remember being a sucker and buying the "uncut" singles of the Saiyan arc almost ten years ago and being kinda pissed that they cancelled it, but I sold off all my Dragon Ball Z DVDs a long time ago. Last edited by JDude042 on Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:26 pm; edited 2 times in total |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
KarmaRocketX
Posts: 56 |
|
||
"and there is little that can be added to any further releases of such an old series to justify purchasing a new release."
Actually, yes. There very much is. There is something VERY MAJOR that Funimation can do to add to a DBZ release to make it worth buying. Two, in fact: 1. Have a competent release of it. 2. Not make people pay $700 per volume of it after a few short months, or not cancel a good decent edition halfway in. Every single release of DBZ from Funimation has a MAJOR issue wrong with it, in some way or another. We have never, to this day, gotten a definitive release worth having aside from the exceptionally rare and costly Dragon Box sets, but more on that when I get to talking about the Dragon Box. The most well-known "Orange Brick" sets are infamous for their hilariously bad cropping forcing it into an aspect ratio it was never intended to be seen at, that only serves to CHOP OFF large sections of the picture at the top and bottom, their sloppy and horribly inaccurate color correction and their unforgivably disgusting use of DVNR Noise Reduction which actually DAMAGED the picture quality, erased a LOT of detail, eroded outlines whenever the screen moves and makes the entire picture look like some muddy, unfocused, blurry mess that appears as if the original video has been smeared with Vaseline. It is a HORRIBLE MESS of a botched release in every conceivable way. Dragon Ball Z Kai has a more professional and slightly better written dub, but it is NOT the version of the show that is optimal to watch due to the MASSIVE removal of episodes, which may have been "filler" but is still missed, was massively censored (this was true of the Japanese Kai releases not a US exclusive problem though), and the video footage keeps incompetently and gratingly switching back and forth between badly color corrected sub-par original footage and bizarrely and poorly retraced digital scenes that are jarring and totally unwelcome, for no decent rhyme or reason. It is a horribly botched Frankenstien's monster patchwork mess of a horribly edited version of the series with a truly annoying plagiarized soundtrack that later got discontinued after a handful of volumes due to cheap plagerization. Dragonball Z Kai is a botched, horrible mess of an edit by TOEI that is as hideous as it is shameful. The Dragon Box sets are good for what they are, but..... since Funimation SUDDENLY let them fall out of print, refuses to re-release it in any form, and volumes now go for $700 EACH on eBay if anyone wants the only DECENT release of DBZ that still isn't on Blu-Ray even though it is otherwise perfect. And speaking of Blu-Ray, there was the "Level" sets that were just as pristine and great as the Dragon Box, so Funimation in their infinate wisdom.. cancelled after 2 releases leaving it incomplete. And finally the NEW Blu-Ray sets which did release completely and are.... spectacularly horrible again, going right back to the gross misuse of the digitally destructive DNVR, detail eroding, Vaseline-smearing filters, hideous color correction, and again the return of miserably incompetent 16:9 cropping once again. So yeah, can Funimation actually offer something new to the consumer? Actually release Dragonball Z competently instead of screwing it up for once. Take the video files for the Dragon Box sets that Funimation still bafflingly has locked up in their vaults that they are keeping from the pubic in a way that almost makes it seem like they have as much hatred for it as George Lucas hates the original, untouched, NON-special edition Star Wars everyone wants as much as Dragonball Z fans want this.... Upscale it for Blu-Ray, WITHOUT bad cropping, WITHOUT digitally destructive detail eroding filters, like the "Level x.x" sets they started but bafflingly CANCELLED, and keep them in print long enough so that they DON'T have to be bought on eBay for $700 per volume. I don't see why that is so hard, but again, it's like they have something against just releasing the series properly. The problem is not that Dragonball Z has been re-released so many times. It's that the entire series has NEVER been released in it's entirety in an acceptable manner ONCE, except for the one time they put the Dragon Box on DVD that lasted only a few months, before it got to the point that people have to cough up $700 for it now. Dragon Box on Blu-Ray. The only thing people want and the only thing we'll never have. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
JDude042
Posts: 226 |
|
||
I couldn't agree more, and the sad thing is I used to own all the Dragon Box sets. Sadly it wasn't too long until I realized even as a fan of the series, this just isn't worth having and sold them all on eBay for almost $2,000. I like the series, but for that much money I can't imagine myself sitting down and watching it that much and getting an amount of enjoyment out of it that warranted the ridiculous amount of money I squandered on it. Like right now I'm collecting Japanese games for the Sega Saturn, probably spent a little over $1,000 in almost three months, but I'm getting way more enjoyment out of it than some DVDs that are just going to sit on a shelf not being watched but rarely. Wasn't the Japanese Dragon Box DVDs originally released as early as 2004 in Japan? I'm surprised they haven't gotten around to remastering it for Blu Ray, but it's clear Toei has their focus elsewhere for the time being with Dragon Ball Super and the continuation of the series, rather than delving back into past material. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Mr. sickVisionz
Posts: 1683 |
|
||
The article really could have stopped there. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Tenchi
Posts: 4008 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
|
||
The thing is that the old Geneon DVDs have some annoying artifacting I notice even on my not-even-close-to-top-of-the-line-home-theatre-quality 26" (small by modern TV standards) LCD Toshiba that I bought in 2008 and I wish I could own something better because it's a visually beautiful show. Weirdly, I haven't noticed any video quality issues with my Strawberry Marshmallow DVDs, released by Geneon around the same time, although that may just be due to a somewhat simpler art style with less subtle shading effects than Kamichu!. |
|||
Back to top |
|
||
MarshalBanana
Posts: 1398 |
|
||
I think the man was asking why not just keep printing the version they released, rather than make a new release that they can charge more money for.
|
|||
Back to top |
|
||
Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next |
|
Page 1 of 5 |
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
⬈
⬋
-
+
Forum
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
The Biggest Animation Highlights of Fall 2016
anime
As the year's fall anime slate reaches its midway point, Kevin Cirugeda explores this sakuga-heavy season's most jaw-dropping and soul-warming animation showcases!
― Every now and then we're blessed with particularly strong anime seasons, batches of new series with a surprising wide range that gives any viewer at least something to treasure. This wonderful fall didn't quite sneak up on us though, the...
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria Novel 1
novels
This DanMachi side story explores the adventures of Aiz, but is it essential reading for franchise fans?
― The DanMachi franchise has been successful enough that a spin-off novel series should come as no surprise. And no other supporting character is as worthy of a new storyline focus as Aiz Wallenstein, the inscrutable savior, idol, and love interest of original protagonist Bell Cranel. The result i...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Oct 29-Nov 4
anime
Flip Flappers shoots up the rankings this week, while Bungo Stray Dogs takes a precipitous plummet! Find out where your own favorites rank!
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Fall 2016 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings are bas...
Interview: Studio SHAFT president Mitsutoshi Kubota
anime
At this year's first annual Akiba Fest, Studio SHAFT's president sat down with a roundtable of interviewers to discuss his career and philosophy for creating great anime!
― Mitsutoshi Kubota is the president of Studio Shaft, which is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. His body of work includes popular and diverse titles ranging from the Hidamari Sketch, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and Bakemono...
Tokyo Ghoul GN 7-9
manga
Tokyo Ghoul cements its Gothic roots in these three volumes, which mark a major change for both Kaneki and the overall direction of the story.
― Tampering with the makeup of humanity, be it physical or psychological, has long been a subject of literary fascination. One of the first to take the idea in a specifically Gothic direction was Matthew Lewis' 1796 novel The Monk, which saw its lead character...
Answerman - Why Do Voice Actors Perform Multiple Roles In Dubs?
industry
In many anime, you'll find the same Japanese voice actor playing multiple roles - why is that? Justin gets into it.
― Kevin asks: I've been notching that in the credits that some of our voice actors play 3-5 characters. While in the Japanese's cast all voice actors have a different person and only play one person. Why is that? Also some voice actors in japan play characters that have only a single l...
Shelf Life - Cobra The Animation
anime
Gabriella takes a look at this 2010 revival of a classic '80s psychedelic space adventure. Plus, all this week's new releases!
― I had a lame joke ready to use in this week's intro, but then Funimation picked up the license for Nichijou - My Ordinary Life, and that's clearly much more interesting. I watched this show when it aired and was crushed when the original plans for a release were scrapped. ...
Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Blu-Ray
anime
Ten years after it set the otaku world on fire, does Haruhi Suzumiya still hold up as a slice-of-life comedy adventure? Nick Creamer cracks open this time capsule.
― It can be difficult to picture now what a big deal The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya once was, with cosplay, fandom clubs, countless Hare Hare Yukai videos, and an overwhelming convention presence once dominating the scene. One of my fir...
The Rising of the Shield Hero Novel 6
novels
As Naofumi struggles to get the other three heroes to understand that this is not a game, will he be the only one left standing when the battle's done? Rebecca Silverman investigates.
― Aneko Yusagi's The Rising of the Shield Hero light novel series has come a long way from when it began. Volume one was very much a standard transported-to-another-world fantasy with its major claim to fame being that ...
The List - 7 Powered-Up Forms That Are More Weird Than Awesome
anime
Usually when an anime character in an action show gets fully powered up, they look intimidating and awesome - but that isn't always the case!
― Hey everyone, we have a Classic for you this week. I'll return to your regularly scheduled list next week with the Power of Music and Lost Anime Films. Until then, enjoy these silly power-ups! It's right about when all hope is lost that a character finally p...