UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

Just Passing Through said:
Blu-rays of MSG and Zeta outselling DVDs of MSG and Zeta by 10 to 1 will show them what people want.
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10 to 1 is never gonna happen the DVDs will sell more than that 5to 1 perhaps but BR at 2 to 1 of DVD only also if we have to have the same as the US why don't we have 0079 on DVD the US does and it confuses me and everyone forgets that question
 
Buzz201 said:
Not buying the DVDs won't show Sunrise you want blu-rays, it will only say you don't want the product at all...
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This.

I don't disagree with Andrew on the fact that people are free to vote with their wallet (I certainly do) but I'd be interested to know the average age of those saying no to the DVDs. I'm 29 and remember the failed push at the start of the century for which eventually only beez kept up the fight. This whole partnership is something as a fan I've waited 15 years for and I'm happy to support it partly because I'm all too aware of the alternative. We're a market that Sunrise are aware of but don't have a clear picture of how we'll react to their flagship. Is it really worth the risk to lose this opportunity because apparently DVD is unacceptable for these shows? I strongly advise people to think the situation over.
 
HellCat said:
Is it really worth the risk to lose this opportunity because apparently DVD is unacceptable for these shows?
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Nope.

Nobody will thank me for this, but I have to say that anime on Blu Ray is not the be-all and end-all. I love the extra crispness and definition you get with a good BD transfer, but I've seen plenty of releases that didn't eke much, if any, extra benefit from the format. It doesn't automatically ensure fantastic quality, any more than DVD ensured better-than-VHS quality when those two formats competed against each other.

At the end of the day, the quality of the release is as good as the quality fo the release. If Sunrise make crappy quality transfers available, then there'll be grounds to complain. But until the final releases surface, we have to give them the benefit of the doubt.
 
HellCat said:
Is it really worth the risk to lose this opportunity because apparently DVD is unacceptable for these shows? I strongly advise people to think the situation over.
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If they want blu-rays and don't want to "waste" their money on DVD, then they have every right. At the end of the day, we are going to be getting a lesser product when we know HD versions of the shows exist.
 
I'm 21, not sure what difference it makes though. I want BDs, not DVDs and will not spend my hard earned money on things I do not want lol, quite simple really.
 
I feel the quality of the Gundam release is average it looks like a cheap amaray you get from any comPany I still think 0079 should have had a ultimate edition (Becuase the assets are available from the JP ver) and all the films are avaliable so I believe no show is more deserving of an ultimate edition than the one that created the real robot mecha genre
 
I, too, won't buy the DVDs. DVD is acceptable in many cases - there are many great films that will probably never be available in HD through either obscurity or circumstance (like Ken Russell's The Devils or Histoire(s) du cinema) - but this is an entirely different scenario: the restoration has been done, the masters are out there and they (being Sunrise or RightStuf) are choosing to give us an inferior product. They could have made it a limited edition of 1000. They could have made it a limited edition of 1000 across both the US and the UK, using the same discs, if they think it'll be such a poor seller.
 
HellCat said:
Buzz201 said:
Not buying the DVDs won't show Sunrise you want blu-rays, it will only say you don't want the product at all...
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This.
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This... is a ridiculous argument, and one anime fans pull out of their backsides all too often. "Be happy with what you're getting". No, not buying the product does not say "I don't want the product" if I've made it clear to the distributor (who monitors this thread) that I will only buy on BD. Also if I buy the BDs (which I obviously will despite my ranting arguments) then that says I want the products but I want them on BD. This argument you guys make is absolute nonsense. I understand that the implication may well be, as Andrew said, Sunrise will decide not to release some things at all. But to me, that's as good as what DVD only releases are. And it's my money, and mine to do with what I choose. I don't have an unlimited budget to spend on home video releases so I am entitled to spend it how I choose, no matter how much of a Gundam fan I am.

I don't disagree with Andrew on the fact that people are free to vote with their wallet (I certainly do) but I'd be interested to know the average age of those saying no to the DVDs. I'm 29 and remember the failed push at the start of the century for which eventually only beez kept up the fight. This whole partnership is something as a fan I've waited 15 years for and I'm happy to support it partly because I'm all too aware of the alternative. We're a market that Sunrise are aware of but don't have a clear picture of how we'll react to their flagship. Is it really worth the risk to lose this opportunity because apparently DVD is unacceptable for these shows? I strongly advise people to think the situation over.
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I'm sorry, I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but this sounds so unbelievably patronising.

For the record, I'm 34, and I have been an anime fan since the 90s, when I randomly started watching The Guyver on Sci-Fi in my bedroom back when they ran a segment at the weekend called "Critical Mass" where they showed loads of Manga stuff. I started buying anime DVDs in 2000, and as it happens one of the first series I started collecting on DVD was one Gundam Wing (the original US DVD release of 10 singles from Bandai), along with a few other shows like Gasaraki from ADV (hello 8-disc release). I spent a good five years or so in the mid-2000s reviewing UK DVDs (including many Beez Gundam releases!) for a popular anime site. So yes, I have been in the game for a long time and been waiting for many shows, especially some old-school Gundam, for just as long a time. I have at this point probably waited close to 15 years for a release of Turn A. Yes I would love to see it. But then, I could go and download BD rips I'm sure from somewhere and watch it in HD. But I won't, because I want to buy it and support its release.

Had this been released 5 years ago, yes I would have probably considered buying the DVD version just to support it. But in this day and age, with the market (even here in the UK) how it is now, no I won't. Because I shouldn't have to. I don't care if the US gets it DVD only. I'm not in the US. And I don't care if Sunrise want parity with them, that is not something I am willing to support. I will tell AL/Sunrise in any way I can that I will support Gundam on BD. In fact, I have decided, even though I don't like it much, to order 0079 on BD just to do that. I won't buy Reconguista as well, because I really didn't like the 1st episode of that, but I will buy one of the series on BD just to show my support. I will also buy the future BD releases (like Zeta). And also, Sunrise do have a clearer picture than a lot of other distributors of how their shows will do here, because many Gundam shows were released by Beez already and I'm sure they have seen sales data for that. If not, I'm sure Andrew can share it with them. ;)

Incidentally I also already own a LOT of Gundam on DVD. I own Wing, Seed, Seed Destiny (UK release), G Gundam, all the movies that got US/UK releases (have a mix from Bandai and Beez), Zeta, 0080, 0083, 08th MS Team. I even own S1 of 00 on DVD (the R1 brick because I only wanted to support that on BD, but bought the cheap DVD release to show my support for the show. Then S2 never got released because Bandai went under, so fat lot of good that did). Almost all of it that has been released in the west basically (not including imports of Unicorn and Origin, I am waiting for well-priced BD versions of them).

So yes I am a massive Gundam fan and have already spent literally hundreds of pounds on Gundam (maybe even into the thousands). My original Wing DVDs I used to pay on average £17 a volume to import, so that alone is £170 for the series, not including the Endless Waltz disc. So I have no desire to buy these things again unless they are on BD. Yes, we are still a small market. But long gone are the days of me feeling I should buy everything someone releases just to show support and help keep them afloat. I have bought loads of AL releases, most of them up to this point, but as they license more I'll be buying less. But that's cool, because they're established now and Andrew and team are doing fine. And I am ecstatic for him. And I would love to support his team's Gundam releases. But I will only do it on BD and that is a perfectly valid choice. I know what the consequences are, but I also know I have limited money and I'd rather spend it on a BD release of a different series, even if I love Gundam, because I should not have to accept less than the best quality.

If they release Gundam in the best quality available, then I will buy it. It's simple.
 
I'm just gonna bottom line my opinion that not supporting the DVDs isn't going to send the message to Sunrise to release them on Blu-ray but instead the message that the UK doesn't want Gundam. If they've ignored us for this long, I don't imagine they're willing to fight for the UK market.

As for extras- at this stage I just want the shows. I would adore it if we got some luxurious, stuffed collector edition but that's kind of a pipe dream and hardly a deal breaker for me.
 
That's fair enough and I'm just gonna bottom line my stance, I'm not that desperate enough for gundam that I'm going to blindly buy DVDs. They've ignored the UK for so long, and now they've decided to give use the weaker of two home video formats, it's sort of like they don't want my money at all! I'll reiterate my original point though, that is the video quality is up to scratch, I most likely will buy them (dependant on my enjoyment of the original series and Zeta)

I feel bad for Andrew and AL because clearly they know what's up, just they don't really have much of a say.
 
HellCat said:
I'm just gonna bottom line my opinion that not supporting the DVDs isn't going to send the message to Sunrise to release them on Blu-ray but instead the message that the UK doesn't want Gundam. If they've ignored us for this long, I don't imagine they're willing to fight for the UK market.
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Apart from your theory of them "ignoring" us (as in the UK) makes no sense, as we've had many Gundam releases in the UK in the past (when Bandai was releasing them in the US, and we even got stuff like the Wing remastered DVDs which the US never did), and if they were "ignoring" us they were ignoring the US as well, as there was nothing Gundam-wise from when Bandai went under until TRSI partnered with them (excepting the Unicorn and Origin import-style releases). AL are partnering in the same way and it's a pretty similar timeframe. So what are you talking about "ignoring"?
 
Heh, this Gundam Format War is getting interesting.

I honestly don't mind picking up DVD versions of After War Gundam X and Mobile Suit G Gundam because well.. the Blu-ray masters don't exist just yet.

However I do feel that Gundam ZZ should at least get a Blu-ray release considering it's a major Gundam title and I doubt an English dub would be made without changing some cast members if needed (Most of the cast is different but some return from Zeta (Bright, Haman and Kamille) so I'm not sure if the English VA is available or not). Heck if you've played the Dynasty Warriors Gundam games those characters were actually voiced (I'm still baffled by Turn-A's main character, is it a boy or a girl?).
 
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shokoti said:
This... is a ridiculous argument, and one anime fans pull out of their backsides all too often. "Be happy with what you're getting". No, not buying the product does not say "I don't want the product" if I've made it clear to the distributor (who monitors this thread) that I will only buy on BD. Also if I buy the BDs (which I obviously will despite my ranting arguments) then that says I want the products but I want them on BD. This argument you guys make is absolute nonsense. I understand that the implication may well be, as Andrew said, Sunrise will decide not to release some things at all. But to me, that's as good as what DVD only releases are. And it's my money, and mine to do with what I choose. I don't have an unlimited budget to spend on home video releases so I am entitled to spend it how I choose, no matter how much of a Gundam fan I am.

I'm sorry, I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but this sounds so unbelievably patronising.

For the record, I'm 34, and I have been an anime fan since the 90s, when I randomly started watching The Guyver on Sci-Fi in my bedroom back when they ran a segment at the weekend called "Critical Mass" where they showed loads of Manga stuff. I started buying anime DVDs in 2000, and as it happens one of the first series I started collecting on DVD was one Gundam Wing (the original US DVD release of 10 singles from Bandai), along with a few other shows like Gasaraki from ADV (hello 8-disc release). I spent a good five years or so in the mid-2000s reviewing UK DVDs (including many Beez Gundam releases!) for a popular anime site. So yes, I have been in the game for a long time and been waiting for many shows, especially some old-school Gundam, for just as long a time. I have at this point probably waited close to 15 years for a release of Turn A. Yes I would love to see it. But then, I could go and download BD rips I'm sure from somewhere and watch it in HD. But I won't, because I want to buy it and support its release.

Had this been released 5 years ago, yes I would have probably considered buying the DVD version just to support it. But in this day and age, with the market (even here in the UK) how it is now, no I won't. Because I shouldn't have to. I don't care if the US gets it DVD only. I'm not in the US. And I don't care if Sunrise want parity with them, that is not something I am willing to support. I will tell AL/Sunrise in any way I can that I will support Gundam on BD. In fact, I have decided, even though I don't like it much, to order 0079 on BD just to do that. I won't buy Reconguista as well, because I really didn't like the 1st episode of that, but I will buy one of the series on BD just to show my support. I will also buy the future BD releases (like Zeta). And also, Sunrise do have a clearer picture than a lot of other distributors of how their shows will do here, because many Gundam shows were released by Beez already and I'm sure they have seen sales data for that. If not, I'm sure Andrew can share it with them. ;)

Incidentally I also already own a LOT of Gundam on DVD. I own Wing, Seed, Seed Destiny (UK release), G Gundam, all the movies that got US/UK releases (have a mix from Bandai and Beez), Zeta, 0080, 0083, 08th MS Team. I even own S1 of 00 on DVD (the R1 brick because I only wanted to support that on BD, but bought the cheap DVD release to show my support for the show. Then S2 never got released because Bandai went under, so fat lot of good that did). Almost all of it that has been released in the west basically (not including imports of Unicorn and Origin, I am waiting for well-priced BD versions of them).

So yes I am a massive Gundam fan and have already spent literally hundreds of pounds on Gundam (maybe even into the thousands). My original Wing DVDs I used to pay on average £17 a volume to import, so that alone is £170 for the series, not including the Endless Waltz disc. So I have no desire to buy these things again unless they are on BD. Yes, we are still a small market. But long gone are the days of me feeling I should buy everything someone releases just to show support and help keep them afloat. I have bought loads of AL releases, most of them up to this point, but as they license more I'll be buying less. But that's cool, because they're established now and Andrew and team are doing fine. And I am ecstatic for him. And I would love to support his team's Gundam releases. But I will only do it on BD and that is a perfectly valid choice. I know what the consequences are, but I also know I have limited money and I'd rather spend it on a BD release of a different series, even if I love Gundam, because I should not have to accept less than the best quality.

If they release Gundam in the best quality available, then I will buy it. It's simple.
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I'm sorry, you're delusional. No company of sane mind goes "oh, the cheap product didn't sell, let's produce something more expensive because that will definitely sell". I will repeat again, failing to buy the DVDs only shows Sunrise you are not interested in Gundam, it does not show them you are not interested in DVDs...

Andrew and Sunrise have been looking at sales data, that's why we aren't getting the MSG films and the Americans are. According to Jerome Mazandrani mecha doesn't sell in the UK at all (although there have been some exceptions over the years), so really just be thankful you're getting anything.
 
Be thankful you're getting anything? Lol! Nah mate.

And as said by many before, failing to buy the dvds but buying the gundam blurays *may* show sunrise you're only interested in blurays, not disinterested in gundam.
 
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