Anime Expo 2015 + SDCC News Thread

Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

I wasn't talking about e-books released in japan. I mean where is the Ebook version of Yen Press' translation of SAO, AW and The Isolator (and Log Horizon, and Index and...)

I can't imagine YP are so desperate to keep those Dead Tree only so there's only one other side of the marriage that's coming home after midnight stinking of drink in that relationship.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

Wouldn't shock me, but who knows if Yen would be overly forthcoming with the details if that was the case, either.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

I wouldn't get too excited, even if they get ebook rights for the US. Viz Media UK tried to convince me on twitter yesterday that Viz had somehow managed to license ebook rights for World Trigger in the US, but not the UK. Assuming they're telling the truth, that's a pretty messed up scenario when you're licensing English-language rights and using the same paperback across the US, UK and AU.



If we're being honest, the lack of a digital version has put me right off reading World Trigger, and it's especially sour knowing that Viz probably does have the rights, they just can't be arsed to use them.

kuuderes_shadow said:
Log Horizon is published by Enterbrain, whilst SAO and Accel World (along with about half of yen on's light novels) are Dengeki Bunko, which is published by ASCII Media Works. Both are brand companies of Kadokawa, but almost every one of Yen Press's light novels are - DanMachi (GA Bunko/SB Creative/Softbank) and Pandora Hearts ~Caucus Race~ (GFantasy Novels/EX Novels/Square-Enix) being the only exceptions that have actually been released to date.

It's worth noting that Kadokawa's sister company runs niconico, which includes Nico Nico Seiga which hosts a very large number of light novels.
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The one obvious thing you neglected to mention is that Kadokawa runs both an ebook (BookWalker) and simulpub/free manga website (ComicWalker), both of which it has recently launched internationally. The selection is still ropey on both, but something is better than nothing.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

I wonder if it's to do with cost? Ie. with e-books, you actually have to pay additionally for each extra territory perhaps so they just figured adding the UK option wasn't worth it?

One of the perks I suppose of old fashioned paper books is unlike every other medium (games/TV etc.) you can print an English language book in America and then ship that out to everywhere with no worries as to region locking and such.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

There is no real reason for Japanese publishers to block English-language eBooks. It's not like anime, where the English-language product is the Japanese product with some extra bells and whistles and no quality control. There are plenty of reasons for executives to worry about that given that the Japanese market is the heart of their business, but the average Japanese-speaker probably doesn't want a foreign novel for anything other than curiosity value or tadoku. Given all of the points people have made, one assumes the lack of an eBook is down to Yen Press, however temptingly easy it is just to lash out and mindlessly blame those darn foreigners. Perhaps they just want to build a market for physical releases to offset their printing costs before undermining it with a digital version, or perhaps the additional licensing costs weren't worth it for what could have been a risky project (which thankfully, seems to be working out for them just fine).

R
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

I get the feeling some publishers think super cheap e-books (via Amazon) cannibalise naturally pricier physical sales, so perhaps that's why they avoid supporting them?

I remember in particular it's a case with Black Library (showing my Warhammer fandom there) where none of their ebooks are available via Amazon, and the only way to get them is to download the e-pub files from their own store. Their model is built completely on very small print runs that play to a small but incredibly obsessive fanbase that will buy literally everything that comes out from the imprint.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

Lutga said:
I wonder if it's to do with cost? Ie. with e-books, you actually have to pay additionally for each extra territory perhaps so they just figured adding the UK option wasn't worth it?

One of the perks I suppose of old fashioned paper books is unlike every other medium (games/TV etc.) you can print an English language book in America and then ship that out to everywhere with no worries as to region locking and such.
Click to expand...

It could be, but it was licensed from Viz's own parent company, and they'll let UK customers buy their Shonen Jump digital magazine, which includes World Trigger. I suppose there's probably nothing they can do at this point, either way I don't want a physical book so they've lost my sale.

Viz Media UK is an imprint of Random House (or somebody like that), it's probably an additional UK-specific pressing, but the books are of exactly the same design.

Lutga said:
I get the feeling some publishers think super cheap e-books (via Amazon) cannibalise naturally pricier physical sales, so perhaps that's why they avoid supporting them?
Click to expand...

If that was the case, why not just do a print on demand/ebook release? That way everyone's happy, and as long as you have the rights there's no danger of it going out of print.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

Print on demand is more expensive, and can make retailers less willing to stock the books - both of which mean people are less likely to buy the books, especially people who aren't already big fans of the series already.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

kuuderes_shadow said:
Print on demand is more expensive, and can make retailers less willing to stock the books - both of which mean people are less likely to buy the books, especially people who aren't already big fans of the series already.
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I suppose it's a trade-off, because the lack of digital makes me less willing to buy their product at all.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

Rui said:
There is no real reason for Japanese publishers to block English-language eBooks
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Of course, but then there is no real reason for a lot of things that happen, so coming relatively close to accusing people of racism is probably not where you want to be.
 
Re: Anime Expo 2015 News Thread

I wonder if Nichijou will work as well in manga form as it does animated. I suppose it could but it might require reading in a particular way to get the pace right. I'll certainly give it a go, although I'm still holding out hope that someone will do a Blu-ray release of the series some day as well.
 
Might as well add the San Diego Comic Con news here since there will probably be some saved for this convention.

Viz Media have announced they'll be releasing Gakkyu Hotei: School Judgment in print form starting in February 2016.
 
Looks like the other news revealed from SDCC (alongside the Funimation Broadcast dubs for Gangsta., Prison School and Sky Wizard Academy) is from Dark Horse.

The publisher will be releasing an omnibus version of Blade of the Immortal. Each omnibus will have 3 volumes and the final omnibus will include the Legend of the Sword Demon novel. No date has been revealed but each omnibus will cost $19.99.
 
I'd love a Berserk omnibus. I've been wanting to read the Manga for a while now but there are so many volumes I feel it would get expensive quickly. Omnibusses tend to be a lot cheaper.
 
More news:

4K Media:
- The original Japanese subtitled version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime will be coming to Crunchyroll.
- Details of the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! film; Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions has been revealed. Set after the manga ended, 'it's a bit darker'.

Kodansha Comics:
- Attack on Titan Volume 16 Limited Edition will include a variant cover by Tony Moore (The Walking Dead) and bundled with an anime OVA; Ilse's Notebook.

Tokyopop
- More horror to the industry: they teased a partnership with Disney to release original manga content.

Udon Entertainment:
- Despite being available for pre-order for a while, they will be releasing the Steins;Gate manga.
- New license: Rose of Versailles manga
- New license: Sugar Sugar Rune manga
- New artbooks: Battle Chasers, Bayonetta 2, Persona Q & Shovel Knight
 
NormanicGrav said:
4K Media:
- The original Japanese subtitled version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime will be coming to Crunchyroll.
- Details of the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! film; Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions has been revealed. Set after the manga ended, 'it's a bit darker'.
Click to expand...

Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't avaliable on the UK's Crunchyroll due to licensing restrictions.

NormanicGrav said:
Kodansha Comics:
- Attack on Titan Volume 16 Limited Edition will include a variant cover by Tony Moore (The Walking Dead) and bundled with an anime OVA; Ilse's Notebook.
Click to expand...

Tony Moore seems like a weird choice for the Attack on Titan variant cover, guess they're desperate to play up the Walking Dead angle. I don't know why, the two aren't even that alike.

However, according to Amazon UK, we only get playing cards. They better not screw us out of the OVA, and make me import from America.
Edit: The US release still only lists playing cards too, hopefully they will both change.
 
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