The End of ADV?

[thewayneiac]

First the Good News :

Funimation has picked up nearly all the cancelled Geneon titles, including Higurashi and Rozen Maiden Traumend. [url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-03/funimation-agrees-to-distribute-select-geneon-titles[/url]

Now the Bad News :

ADV has indefinitely suspended the release of 4 titles, including Kanon vol. 6. [url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-03/adv-films-suspends-4-dvd-titles-indefinitely[/url]

It looks like the same licensing issues, caused by their breakup with Soljitz, that derailed several of thier titles earlier this year are to blame this time too. It's unclear at this time whether they will be able to re-secure these licenses and resume distribution at a later date.

[CorporalChaos]

YES! Higurashi! I was hoping a company would pick it up again, seeing as it was one of the few shows I'm willing to go out and purchase...

[Gendo'sPapa]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-04/funimation-picks-up-over-30-former-ad-vision-titles

According to this article at AnimeNewsNetwork, A.D. Vision has just transfered/given away/lost over 30 of their titles to Funimation. Many seem to be old titles but some (like Welcome to the N.H.K.) are titles that are still being released on Region 1 DVD. NHK was somewhere in its 5th or 6th volume I believe.

I need to look this up sometime when I have time but it seems that A.D.V. looks to be in the shit as far as finances go. They've been losing titles like mad over the past few months (Gurren-Lagann especially). Probably they're losing business because internet downloading is just the way it is now. I don't watch too much anime (about 2-3 series a year tops, rarely a new one), but three years ago a show like Eureka Seven or Welcome to the N.H.K. likely would've become something I'd buy to own. Sure, neither is great and both have excessive flaws (Eureka Seven especially) but they have moments of real greatness. But now, hell, I can get a DVD quality version of the series with just a little online research. It's gotta be something REAL special for me to spend the cash on it. I'm sure its the same with a lot of folks here.

Anywho, if A.D.V. is in the shit like it seems, on a personal note I'd say for Eva this means the "Live Action Craptacular" is 100% out of their financial reaches at the moment, the "Rebuild" series will probably be picked up by someone else (I think they're gonna wait till the movies are over before sigining a Region 1 deal).

A.D.V. is gonna hold on to Eva till the end clearly but I wonder... since they need cash how long do you think it'll be till they release a whole DVD Set of Eva? My guess....Christmas.

[BrikHaus]

At least now we'll get all of Hellsing Ultimate (dubbed) whenever production in Japan finishes, some time in the next decade.

[V]

not to keep defending them, but trying to keep things grounded;

we kind of already knew they had lost most of these titles. this was FUNimation officially picking up stuff ADV had mostly lost already.

Welcome to the NHK was a problem there though.

The thing is.....either they actively try to get everyone to stop downloading, or the economy overall gets better, but its a bad time overall for most anime companies.

[thewayneiac]

ADV loses 30+ titles to Funimation.

[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-04/funimation-picks-up-over-30-former-ad-vision-titles[/url]

So eventually we will get Vol. 6 of Kannon.

[THE Hal E. Burton 9000]

it's interesting that the ball is FINALLY rolling on this stuff after all the haggling

[drinian]

Readers of this thread might be interested in my latest post in the Anime Expo 2008 thread:

http://evageeks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5206

[Themaninblack]

Wow....that was a rather large kick in ADV films balls.

[slothen]

let them burn... would anyone care?

[BobBQ]

would anyone care?

Apart from V, I doubt it.

[System Shocker]

They are probably having financial troubles because they overcharge for boxsets and they make really shitty English translations.

[V]

would anyone care?

Apart from V, I doubt it.

yes, I am following the story closely

[Ornette]

would anyone care?

Apart from V, I doubt it.

Or anyone who is interested in the DVDs that may or may not ever finish release because of this, like thewayneiac.

[The Eva Monkey]

http://animecornerstore.blogspot.com/2008/07/adv-implodes-funimation-picks-up-advs.html

Word on the street is that ADV just divided by zero. And while it's not official that the company is dead, at the very least, it's in serious fucking shit. They sold off a lot of their licenses to Funimation, and they're asking for stock back from dealers. There's some rumors that ADV is dead and they're trying to eliminate corporate debt so they can reinvent the company as some sort of license reseller or something, rather than seeing titles from licensing to distribution. Very weird to think that such a huge "pillar" of the anime distribution community could just tank so suddenly.

What does this have to do with Evangelion?

Two things:

A) ADV owns the licenses to the Evangelion TV series, Director's Cuts, and "Angelic Days".

B) Live Action Evangelion

And while I don't give a shit if someone else obtains Evangelion as a license, I am curious about whether this will put the last nail in the coffin of the Live Action Evangelion project. Who knows, if Matt Greenfield doesn't have to does his thing at ADV maybe he would actually have MORE time to tease us with promises to make a shitty American version of Evangelion to embarrass us.

They'll be having a "special" announcement of some sort at Otakon in a few days. I'll report back on that.

Drama...

[V]

Aaron I am confused: the news blog you post is dated July 4, and there are updates from the past month, but this does not seem to be anything particularly new; we've been following this on here for a while, through the AX thing.

***however, these new rumors you speak of I have not heard.

As for live action Evangelion, I must remind you that *Weta* wanted to make the project, THEY approached ADV not the other way around...and as long as Richard Taylor is an Eva fanatic, there will be hope. Keep the faith.

[THE Hal E. Burton 9000]

<snip> And while I don't give a shit if someone else obtains Evangelion as a license, I am curious about whether this will put the last nail in the coffin of the Live Action Evangelion project. Who knows, if Matt Greenfield doesn't have to does his thing at ADV maybe he would actually have MORE time to tease us with promises to make a shitty American version of Evangelion to embarrass us.

I've long believed that if LAE ever happened, ADV would only play an ancillary role like just licensing and some big Hollywood studio and/or mogul would do nearly ALL the heavy lifting

it certainly will be interesting if ADV can keep its head above water through this shitstorm

slightly off topic now, has Funamation or someone else gotten the rights to Webuild?

They'll be having a "special" announcement of some sort at Otakon in a few days. I'll report back on that.

Drama...

I'll stay tuned in, then

[Sailor Star Dust]

Luckily I already have Platinum (actually I might be missing vol.5 and 7 but since my birthday's coming up in the fall I can probably get it then) and Angelic Days so this shouldn't effect me too much.

However, I really liked their translation for Platinum so this is a pity to hear.

It would be a shame if ADV does get the sack because they are at least a decent company besides all their screwups with releases like Subbed Sailormoon and previous releases of Eva.

I'll be interested in hearing their announcement from Otakon.

[UrsusArctos]

Sayonara, ADV? This is definitely bad.

I agree with what Hal and V said about LAEM. That project isn't officially done for unless Weta decides to throw in the towel.

[V]

ADV for LAEM would be the equivalent of New Line or Miramax before them, and as we have seen, they were replaceable

***but my original question is ignored: I think because Aaron was away he didn't realize that we've been following this pretty closely: I mean, we've already discussed this same information in other threads and I don't know what he's saying that's "new" (confusion)