I'm feeling raped by anime. How about you?

[Vulkurt]

Don't download anime. Downloading anime is bad. Downloading anime will keep anime from being brought over here. It will hurt the anime business. It will keep you up at night. It will give you hemorroids.

That's what we are told, right? And, I love anime. And, I am a big supporter of buying anime on DVD. I have MANY anime DVDs. I have more anime DVDs than I do movies.

But, I'm a little pissed off right now. Let me explain why.

What do the series Koi Kaze (Geneon), Kurogane Communications (Anime Works), and Midori Days (Anime Works) have in common, other than sitting on my shelf? They were all 13 episode shows that were released as 3 DVDs. Two had boxes released, and one had a t-shirt in the box. Normally, 13 episode shows get distributed in 4 DVDs, but these were not. I appreciate that. The same pat on the back goes to Right Stuf's release of Kare Kano, a 26 episode show, on 5 DVDs. Normally, it takes seven DVDs for a 26 episode show (and back in the days, 8 DVDs).

No one has done anything truly egregious as far as DVD releases, save the 3 disk release of the 6 episode FLCL, or that stupid bullshit ADV was trying to pull with Gantz. That is, until now.

I'm a big Panda Z fan. Love it. At last year's Katsucon, the rep from Bandai said that it would be releasing Panda Z later this year. I was happy. For those that do not know, Panda Z is a 30 episode show. However, the episodes are only 5 minutes long. Given that part of that time is devoted to opening and closing credits, a lot of a disk's time is spent repeating this information. The Bandai rep assured the audience there would be plenty of episodes on each disk.

So, I bought it. When I returned home, I found, much to my shock, that I had spent $15.00 on 5 episodes, and with some BS "extras," the disk amounted to 30 minutes.

I was hot. I mean it. So pissed off I fired off a complaint e-mail to Bandai, railing that I would not buy another Bandai release if this kept up. A customer service rep wrote me back, stating, very simply, that the terms of distribution for this show were the same for the Japense release, which had six disks of 5 episodes a piece. If you don't believe me, here's the Japanese distribution:

[url]http://www.panda-z.net/goods/etc/dvd01.html[/url]

So, I wrote Bandai back, all apologetic. It obviously wasn't their fault. But, I still feel violated on this. I know anime is oh-so-fucking expensive to bring over here and distribute, but give the fans a break sometime.

There...I vented.

[drinian]

No one has done anything truly egregious as far as DVD releases, save the 3 disk release of the 6 episode FLCL, or that stupid bullshit ADV was trying to pull with Gantz. That is, until now.

FLCL was actually released as a 6 disk set in Japan, with each DVD being at least $20.

The Japanese Re: Cutey Honey discs are more than $40 apiece.

If ever an anime licensing or publishing scheme seems overpriced or exploitative, just remember that the Japanese are still paying more than you.

Now it's time for my rant.

It's just too bad that the publishers aren't using all that extra space on the DVDs to up the video's bitrate as high as they can...

Also, I wouldn't mind seeing non-localized, English-subtitled versions of anime published simultaneously in the US at the same time the shows come out on DVD in Japan. Fansubbers have proved that it is possible to make high-quality translations that quickly, and the low cost would mean that less popular shows could be published in the US with little financial risk.

But it's really doubtful that will ever happen.

[The Eva Monkey]

just remember that the Japanese are still paying more than you.

Indeed, FLCL is no better example. The American consumer may pay in the neck of $90 for the DVDs wholesale. A Japanese consumer could pay more than double that. We do have it pretty good, but there are still some rather agregrious practices and some very unsavory people.

I wish distros would just get rid of English dubbing altogether, it slows down production, and makes the end product too expensive. I want to see companies start releasing shows all at once, in cheap thinpak box, sub only. That would make my day.

But, I've given up on anime distros. Unless I really want something in DVD quality (like the upcoming Advent Children release) I will not buy anymore anime. I've given up for one very specific reason.

At Otakon 2005, David Williams of ADV Films said in the panel of Godannar: "Its got guns, explosions, and whores. AWESOME!".

This sort of agregious statement was the last straw. I don't care if he was just trying to be funny, he made a very tasteless statement about an illegitimate industry that brutalizes and victimizes women.

I just downloaded all of Elfen Lied on bittorrent, and enjoyed the ever loving fuck out of it. Especially as its LICENSED by ADV. I don't intend to purchase anymore product from ADV if I can help it. I would much rather download something like Elfen Lied, and then send a $50 donation to the company that produced it.

[sachiel]

I'm 14. I have no job during the school year. If I do get a job, it's only gonna pay me $5.15 an hour.

Buying DVDs is expensive, so...I don't own too many. I usually just download stuff, unless I really want DVD-quality, like EM said. I have no way of paying for it! And when I do, something always comes up, and there's gonna be something more important for me to buy (ex. - I have around $100. I'd like to spend it on videogames or anime DVDs, but my drawing tablet broke. So I need to buy a new one. They cost about $100.)

The anime industry is for kids whose parents are loaded. :(

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

At Otakon 2005, David Williams of ADV Films said in the panel of Godannar: "Its got guns, explosions, and whores. AWESOME!".

This sort of agregious statement was the last straw. I don't care if he was just trying to be funny, he made a very tasteless statement about an illegitimate industry that brutalizes and victimizes women.

It's a pity that so much of the entertainment industry still actively panders to the lowest common denominator. It's a very unsavory practice and it's justification is questionable. Shows like Evangelion have shown that there is great demand amoung viewers for deeper characters and meaning in their shows. Yes, a bit of guns blazing action won't go amiss, but when the entire show becomes some perverted 16 year old ignoramuses wet dream, complete with guns, explosions and "whores", you find that most of the potential audience actually doesn't even bother. You can have these elements, just don't expect them to sell the show, especially in the long run.

Audiences do actually like depth and intruige, without everything being spelled out for them and simplified so a nursury child could understand it. I undertand the show Lost is very popular and is a kind of mystery. People appreciate quality television. Hopefully producers will someday understand this.

[The Eva Monkey]

One thing I've noticed in my college's anime club is that most people do just want simple minded entertainment. Tell them it has boobies and violence, and people will vote for it in a heartbeat. That was a problem this semester, as the most popular nomination was Elfen Lied, one of the most unnecessarily violent show I've seen in awhile. And it had tons of nudity to boot.

We've been unable to watch anything serious, intelligent, or sentimental. Titles like Eva, Boogiepop, Texnolyze, Lain, Touch, Kanon, or Video Girl Ai are only ever shown when it isn't a democratic decision. People are much more inclined to watch something where a boy gets flushed down a toilet into an alternate universe, than to watch a psychological drama.

College kids are surprisingly juvenile in their anime viewing.

[Winslow Leach]

The anime industry is kind of in a shithole anyways. The fact is, most of the stuff made post 1995 (which incidently is the year Evangelion came out) sucks. I used to go to an anime club and I watched a lot of crap there and I haven't seen a single anime made after 2003 that hasn't left something to be desired. You see, for me to like an anime it has to be an emotional experiance for me, whether an exhilirating one (like say, Nadia or Spirited Away) or a downbeat, kind of upsetting one (like Evangelion). Sadly not many of the recent anime I've seen has been either. Even Howl's Moving Castle is fairly weak for a Miyazaki film. Pretty much the only anime I saw recently that I really, really liked was Gunslinger Girl. If the most critically aclaimed anime to come out of Japan is something like Naruto you know you're in big trouble.

So yeah, has anime taken a plunge lately in quality or have the American distributors just been releasing only crap? Speaking of shit being released, why the fuck hasn't Gunbuster been put on R1 DVD?

We've been unable to watch anything serious, intelligent, or sentimental. Titles like Eva, Boogiepop, Texnolyze, Lain, Touch, Kanon, or Video Girl Ai are only ever shown when it isn't a democratic decision. People are much more inclined to watch something where a boy gets flushed down a toilet into an alternate universe, than to watch a psychological drama.

I stopped going due to that very problem. The club I used to go to showed almost nothing but shallow crap, the times they showed something good and it wasn't brought by me were few and far between. It seriously dulled once very strong anime obsession.

[Timesplitter 01]

I am thinking the same thing.

I might just get Elfen Lied from my anime club.

Of course I have started to purchase Gunslinger girl on legit dvd and I am starting to wonder if it is worth the money. I might have to see the first 5 eps again to see if I want to purchase the other 2 dvd's. It has a good story line though.

I tend to agree with you EM. The shows that are shown at anime club screenings are generally mostly fanservice eg Mai Hime, Elfen Lied and Burst Angel.

I dont mind some fanservice but the anime also has to have a good story line or else it is pointless to watch it.

And I also feel that we are being ripped off by the companies in most cases.

[drinian]

College kids are surprisingly juvenile in their anime viewing.

This year at Duke we're watching:
1) Kaleido Star
2) Samurai Champloo
3) School Rumble
4) Stellvia
5) Last Exile

Now, some of the people I'm watching these with are incredibly bright -- the people surrounding me are just as often working on advanced physics problems as devoting their full attention to the show. So why do we watch such fluff? (And I'm really enjoying all these shows).

I think it really is escapism. When Sora in Kaleido Star tries hard and does her best, good things happen in the end. Same with Stellvia. School Rumble is just simple slapstick comedy. Samurai Champloo is just visually cool, like Cowboy Bebop. Whether the real world is like that is largely irrelevant.

So the trick is to choose the world you're escaping to well, since it does ultimately reflect on how you approach the real world. Incidentally, I thought ADV's trailer for Godannar was hilarious. I'm not sure how much of the series I could watch, though.

The anime industry is for kids whose parents are loaded.

We are at least lucky enough in this country to have an anime industry that is still controlled by fans who seem to understand this a lot better than the MPAA or RIAA. ADV's legal department is certainly big enough to start suing downloaders, but to the best of my knowledge they really haven't in any concerted way.

Now that it's getting easier to rent anime at a reasonable price from your local Blockbuster, though, I'm not sure if this argument is as persuasive as it used to be. I've noticed public libraries in a few parts of the country trying to be hip by stocking a lot of (terrible!) anime DVDs as well.

Although, to be honest, I'm pretty glad in some ways that the non-existence of broadband during my early teen years kept me doing more active pursuits for that part of my life anyway.

[Hexon.Arq]

Now that it's getting easier to rent anime at a reasonable price from your local Blockbuster, though, I'm not sure if this argument is as persuasive as it used to be. I've noticed public libraries in a few parts of the country trying to be hip by stocking a lot of (terrible!) anime DVDs as well.

Not to mention the obvious con of low quantity. I've seen all the anime stocked at six Blockbusters--now what? The rate of stock increase, I would say, figures to about one new DVD per store per six months, with a little extra counted for mainstream releases like non-series-tied films. The only redemption from this limitation is the fact that at four of the six Blockbusters I've been to, Evangelion is stocked in its entirety--mysteriously the only series to be treated to such availability. Of course, since I've already seen it twenty or thirty times, a part of me kind of wishes they'd get rid of it. There's always room for selfishness.

I think it's no secret that I'm still on dial-up. I haven't gotten around to begging the head of the household for highspeed, so for most of my anime fandom, I've been buying good 'ol shitty Hong Kong Fooey bootlegs. Do you want to know what the sick irony is, though? All of the legit anime in my home, through no play of intention, I assure you, is licensed by ADV. Ain't that a kick in the head? It just sorta worked out that way. I've got two Eva Perfect Collections, all of Nadia, the first three Eva Platinum DVDs (I quit when I realized it wasn't worth it, what with the shittacular extras and impending thinpak), the Noir thinpak, and the Excel Saga Imperfect Collection. All the rest is fart-ripped. You want to know something? I feel more shame from supporting ADV than I do from cheating any of the Japanese studios.

[DatDude]

You dont get raped if you just buy carfuly.

[drinian]

Oh, and of course I forgot to mention Netflix. There isn't one part of the country not served by the US Mail that I know of.

[The Eva Monkey]

So yeah, has anime taken a plunge lately in quality or have the American distributors just been releasing only crap? Speaking of shit being released, why the fuck hasn't Gunbuster been put on R1 DVD?

The Anime industry is bubbling, and to try and maintain sales, more anime titles are being produced AND licensed, thus the overall quality of series produced in the last several years has indeed suffered significantly. Certainly, there are still some stellar releases, but on average, anime being made right now is generally disposable fluff.

Incidentally, I thought ADV's trailer for Godannar was hilarious. I'm not sure how much of the series I could watch, though.

The Godannar trailer ADV made is actually really damn good. It takes an absolutely terrible show, and makes it look really good. Otaku are so easy to manipulate.

ADV's legal department is certainly big enough to start suing downloaders, but to the best of my knowledge they really haven't in any concerted way.

Below the surface perceptions of the typical anime fan, ADV is some sort of crusader in the anime sphere. Beneath the surface however, it is a money mongering warmachine that tramples anything and everything in its path. They're the only distro which has actively gone after Boxtorrents. ADV has shut them down several times now. And Boxtorrents has in response adopted a policy of not allowing torrents of ADV's products. Because that way, they don't have anything to worry, because ADV only goes after them for hosting their stuff, not for hosting stuff in general. Way to go ADV. You set such an awesome example. If I were going to go after any site, I would go after people based on principle, not just to protect my own interests.

Speaking of shit being released, why the fuck hasn't Gunbuster been put on R1 DVD?

You can find Gunbuster on Bittorrent. Its been licensed by Manga Entertainment for years now, but they've done nothing with it. So if you ever want to see it, you'll just have to STEAL it. I did, and if I could buy it on DVD, I would.

[DatDude]

AO their the microsoft of the american anime world?

[Vulkurt]

You dont get raped if you just buy carfuly.

What...do...you...mean...

[Vulkurt]

AO their the microsoft of the american anime world?

See previous post [sorry for the double].

[Titus]

Ill leech anime when i want and no1 will tell me otherwise....

Death to the system, helloooooo piracy!

[Digitalex]

Pretty much the only anime I saw recently that I really, really liked was Gunslinger Girl. If the most critically aclaimed anime to come out of Japan is something like Naruto you know you're in big trouble.

Haha, I do enjoy Naruto immensely but wouldn't consider it to be something worthy of "critically acclaimed".

As for Gunslinger Girl, that is my current favorite. It's short but sweet and leaves me wanting MORE. I absolutely love the story. I have grown very attached to it. I bought the box set as well as the US released manga. Mind you, I RARELY buy manga.

As for anime, I have fallen into a trap where I love to buy complete sets. I love AND hate the thinpacks. I am a collector and thinpaks are a great alternative because it's a no frills package. However, I do love the packaging and extras in the NGE Platinum release. That leaves me in the budget vs. collectible dilemma. I am in that hole right now with Azumanga Daioh. I bought the collector box and DVD 3 for cheap. However, I just picked up the thinpack on a really good deal. The collector part of me wants to finish the collection of the main DVDs to get the little extras like pins and liner notes. The finance part of me says to just let the set stay incomplete. I am still up in the air about what I will do.

I don't know how I feel about the releasing subs only option. For one thing, I feel it gives VAs a job. Jobs are good. However, I feel that the dubs should be held to a higher standard. I know he is anal about preserving originality and all but there are times when it's just more comfortable listening to something spoken vs. reading the words when watching.

[MongolSquad]

Seeing that I don't have a part time job at the moment and where I go, they never seem to have the series I want, I have to resort to downloading.

[Winslow Leach]

For one thing, I feel it gives VAs a job. Jobs are good.

Yeah, but as Aaron has said before, VAs make less money than people working at McDonalds.