ADV Films in crisis?

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
Administrator
While the likes of <em>Funimation </em>and <em>Bandai </em>continue to thrive, international anime publisher <em>ADV Films</em> appears to be undergoing something of a financial crisis. In the last few weeks alone, several news stories have broken that don't exactly fill us with confidence in the future of the company.

<li>A former editor of <em>ADV</em>'s <a href="http://www.animeuknews.net/news/1693/adv-uk-cancel-kurau-red-garden-releases-piq-closes-down">now-defunct</a> geek culture magazine <em>PiQ </em>has <a href="http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2008/06/column_game_mag_weaseling_wher_1.php#more">published an article</a> explaining its demise. In particular, the author points to <em>ADV</em>'s lack of finance as a key reason as to why they failed with the magazine. Another former editor, this time for <em>PiQ</em>'s predecessor; <em>Newtype USA</em>, <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=593221#593221">explained that</a> "<em>ADV</em>'s ill-advised business "tactics" in late 2007 caused <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadokawa_Shoten">Kadokawa</a> </em>to pull the <em>Newtype </em>license".</li>

<li><em>ADV </em>recently held a <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-26/adv-films-to-auction-surplus-office-supplies">public auction to sell-off old office equipment and furniture</a> as a result of recent staff cut-backs.</li>

<li>On a more positive note, <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6572652.html?nid=2789"><em>ADV</em>'s <em>Chris Oarr</em> has stated</a> that <em>ADV Manga</em> has not been closed down, even though the label hasn't released anything since volume 13 of <em>Cromartie High School</em>, which came out in February '08. In particular, fans are anxious to read the latest volumes of the zany comedy '<em>Yotsuba&!</em>', but when asked about it's future status, <em>Oarr </em>simply said "&lsquo;When will Yotsuba&! come out?&rsquo; We don&rsquo;t know, and we&rsquo;re not going to lie about it. I&rsquo;m also not going to go out on the Net every day and say, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know.&rsquo; ".</li>
 
I thought ADV was already in a crisis? o_O

But anyway, I pretty much expected this.
After all, both anime networks were taken off the air, NewType USA closed, I believe they cancelled a fair few series too... it seems clear that ADV has gone downhill recently.

A shame really; ADV has had some pretty good anime in the past (Azumanga Daioh, hurrah!). D:
 
Glad I'm not collecting any ADV DVDs. I'll need to tell my brother to finish up Eva quickly, though.

I wouldn't worry about Yotsuba&. While it'll be a long time before we see a new volume regardless, if the worst does, Tokyopop or another company would be absolutely mad to miss buying the rights off them. That's assuming it doesn't enter some kind of licensing hell if ADV closes.
 
Was in email contact with Hugh David as ADV had taken my money ages ago but not sent the DVD, and he was trying to sort it out. The last few weeks I just get his out-of-office saying he'll be back on June 6th.

Not a good sign.
 
Going the way of Geneon I think... But what will that mean in the long term? I'm guessing Funimation will use this to substantialy strengthen their positon. Or will their UK distributors (Lace Digital Media I think) enter the market by themselves?
 
Mantis said:
Was in email contact with Hugh David as ADV had taken my money ages ago but not sent the DVD, and he was trying to sort it out. The last few weeks I just get his out-of-office saying he'll be back on June 6th.

Not a good sign.
Click to expand...

Actually, his inbox is just being funny like that - we were discussing something by phone when I got that reply last week. Nothing to worry about per se other than a faulty mail box...should be sorted now though!
 
Bugger. I really am not going to be happy if I am left with half filled boxes like when Geneon pulled out of production.
 
Paul said:
ADV recently held a <a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-26/adv-films-to-auction-surplus-office-supplies">public auction to sell-off old office equipment and furniture</a> as a result of recent staff cut-backs.
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Damn. I was after some cheap furniture. :(

Joking aside, things are looking worse for ADV by the week it seems. It's a shame, but I'd put money on them going completely into liquidation by the middle of next year - the current state of the US and European economies will probably be the final nail in the coffin.
 
They used to be one of my favourite companies but now they have clammed up and all but destroyed their good reputation :(

Having been burned by Geneon (some serious credit card use the day *that* news came out) I've prepared for anything happening to ADV by grabbing what I wanted from their back catalogue already over other releases where possible, ever since the trouble began. Not that it seems to have helped much. I now only have three series from them left I have any interest in picking up as a result, only one of which I'd particularly regret missing out on (NHK - waiting for it all to come out - yeah it doesn't help, but I'm a consumer and incomplete products upset me as my shelves of incomplete ADV manga remind me).

I hope they come back some time. Or just talk to us in the meantime so we know what's going on and don't all become embittered ADV-obsessed trolls.

R
 
Just when I was starting to like ADV again. I can't bear to lose the rest of Kurau, Phantom Memory. :(

Admittedly they came out with a couple of good ones, like my first ever anime, Azumanga Daioh, but for the most part I find them disappointing.

They also seemed to be holding a bargain sale at the MCM Expo too. selling off entire series at pittance and had a lot of single dvd stock too. I was tempted to get the first few volumes of Kurau then, especially since I thought I saw the 4th volume which hasn't yet reached Lovefilm's rentals. I just hate having incomplete sets and I really hate buying lots of expensive single DVDs and then seeing the 7 disk box set go for £30-£40.

With my room as it is, box sets are of vital importance in order to keep track of every volume in the mess.
 
I'd say that most of my purchases, ( excepting the closing down sale ), of the last year and a half have been Beez, ( despite their sync problems and lack of sign subs ), and Funimation.

ADV havn't even had a look in.

Why?

Well, other than a select miniscule amount of titles, I can't think of any ADV release of the last 2 years, that hasn't been total shite. ( And, I can usually find pretty much anything enjoyable. ) :?

Quality not quantity, that's what matters.


What worries me though... If ADV folds, who'll pick up the new Evangelion movies and will they be able to get the same cast?
 
From seeing these posts I worry that Kurau, Phantom Memory has been completely overlooked. It's one of the best latest anime I've seen, and even 'This ugly yet beautiful world' was quite nice but being outside of my core interests it wasn't good enough to be worth buying.

They did show some of their best anime on Anime Network but unfortunately the list of their best isn't very long.
 
I'm really annoyed about the Yotsuba situation. Its my favourite series, never fails to brighten my day and bring a smile to my face, but i've been waiting for the next volume now. Sad really. Such a quality series isnt getting the regular releases it should.

And they have a couple of series i wouldnt mind picking up. Mainly Evangelion. I am still yet to get it. I hope they manage to stabilise their current situation.
 
Tasker said:
What worries me though... If ADV folds, who'll pick up the new Evangelion movies and will they be able to get the same cast?
Click to expand...
It's probably going to be manga entertainment,the company that released and dubbed the old movies using mostly the same cast,or maybe bandai entertainment who've really come along in the last few years.As for the casts availibility,certain members(whos names i forget ^_^;) have already expressed an interest in dubbing their characters again.
 
I'm more worried about the Yotsuba licence since it's the only thing they have right now that I care about at all to buy. Despite being one of their most popular manga releases they decide to shelve it constantly while continuing to release average or little known anime licences that hold minimal interest to anyone...

Worst of all they rarely tell anyone what they are doing or what they're releasing.
 
The idea of ADV going under and taking some of my favourite shows with them is not a nice thought. :( I really hope they do manage to pull it together somehow, regardless of their recent ill-advised marketing tactics I'd rather we didn't loose another anime distributor.

That said it's not looking good, so I guess that now is the time to be hording ADV titles while you can. (Eyes up Elfen Lied boxset)
 
I am surprised at this looking at it from a long term prospective, but I think I know why it happened. ADV, from what I have seen in the past, simply tried to nail the market world wide by getting far more of their dvds out than anyone else and expect them to become the most well known (Similar to the dot com bubble really) but it is all slowing down a bit now and they are left on a limb.

Hopefully they'll learn from their mistakes on this. Manga Entertainment (Who basically had a monopoly in the UK in the 90s and then hit the wall) seem to have done so, it is about time ADV did as well.

(And I am still hoping someone is going to pick up the newtype licence!)
 
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