UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

Buzz201 said:
Based on reaction, it sounds like the FMP! UE wasn't as well received as hoped, and it sounds like it didn't sell too well either. When stuff like that happens, it's hard not to blame CE fans for screwing you out of shows, because that's directly what they've done.

And when shows like Mobile Suit Gundam retain their pricetags, after the Collector's Edition bonuses have been dropped, you have wonder whether it's actually just being to try and up the price people are willing to pay, and whether they might they eventually start pulling the rug out from under people. (Which to extent is already happening with those freaking ludicrous Funimation SRPs.)
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First - FMP - This is an interesting point because I can say it's a case that the vocal complainers have not impacted on sales at all. In fact if I lived in my own personal echo chamber, I'd have looked at the numbers and been pretty happy. Replication broke even, BBFC costs and authoring (AACS mastering) all recouped and the title was profitable in the end (about on Day 1 actually). It's not sold out, but it continues to sell - we sold about 10 total at MCM Manchester for example :).

Also nobody screwed anyone there, FMP isn't an easy licensor and it's my fault we've been slow on that one going to standard, sorry folks. I'm addressing it now but again - there are some factors to keep in mind there too of course (like price of standards elsewhere in world alas).

Re Gundam - it is a special case again as we do not set the price tag there (we're merely distributing + helping Sunrise) and the bonus features are not a price-add, they're a value-add for people who support the release early. So they're a bit like a Day 1 Edition preorder extra for a game, doesn't change the price but you get something extra- aka the regular release should be that price, but they agreed to add a little more in (the USA is not far off that price basically and they get no extras) :). That make sense :)?

Re Funimation SRPs - They're not ludicrous vs the retail prices in the USA and that's basically how they were set up. I covered all these points before but I am very open to re-evaluating and recommending a new tact in future or a re-evaluation depending on performance of course :). I can repeat the logic on that

Very best,

AP
 
At this point, I really think Anime Limited should just send thedoctor the first copy of Free! they receive so he'll finally be happy.
 
Jaysgba said:
At this point, I really think Anime Limited should just send thedoctor the first copy of Free! they receive so he'll finally be happy.
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Doesn't he already have the US and AU CE releases at this point though? What would be the purpose of doing so? It's a guaranteed sale... ;D
 
anime_andrew said:
serpantino said:
I wouldn't be one of the complainers, I think that's a fair price & I would preorder it when it was available.
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Haha - don't worry - it wasn't aimed at anyone directly! I'm just used to being railed against for one thing or the next at times :).
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It's fine, I just didn't want to come across as having unreasonable expectations ^_^;. Now you know why your contemporaries have a much less active role in the communities though ;). I do have ongoing respect for your willingness to engage actively with the community, but I am beginning to suspect you are secretly a Japanese robot given your seeming omnipresence.

On a more serious note: I do wish there was more parity or information on standard edition schedules though as sometimes the gap between ultimate/limited (e.g space dandy s2) & standard is overly long with little info forthcoming. I know you don't want to risk scuppering sales on ultimate editions but they feel like a niche within a niche to me & I get apathy towards a series I want when I have to wait more than 6 months from it's first release.


Buzz201 said:
And when shows like Mobile Suit Gundam retain their pricetags, after the Collector's Edition bonuses have been dropped, you have wonder whether it's actually just being to try and up the price people are willing to pay, and whether they might they eventually start pulling the rug out from under people.
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Wasn't it just a box? I found it odd as well, it felt a little like a preorder incentive to boost initial sales (which Andrew has confirmed since I wrote this.)

I haven't picked it up myself yet because I'm unsure if I'll enjoy it (really dislike that American style character drawing that was popular amongst some studios in the late 70s-80s.) I am also a gundam virgin so I'm waiting for a quiet release month or sale but I don't think that £40 is bad for 21 episodes & I won't miss the box terribly.
 
serpantino said:
It's fine, I just didn't want to come across as having unreasonable expectations ^_^;. Now you know why your contemporaries have a much less active role in the communities though ;). I do have ongoing respect for your willingness to engage actively with the community, but I am beginning to suspect you are secretly a Japanese robot given your seeming omnipresence.
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Haha - I do get around I guess, my programmin...I mean work style allows me a bit of extra time in the day too though :)! Also I don't really believe isolating myself in an echo chamber helps either, so I prefer to discuss with folks. I've not seen so many unreasonable expectations either, the issue is always there are simply some things we're unable to do for commercial reasons. As much as we're in this for the fans, we also have the unenviable task of trying to keep the lights on and mouthes fed too so sometimes have to temper our decisions.

One way or another, there's no point in getting all angry or too defensive - I'd rather at least understand where people are coming from and their feelings on stuff :).

serpantino said:
On a more serious note: I do wish there was more parity or information on standard edition schedules though as sometimes the gap between ultimate/limited (e.g space dandy s2) & standard is overly long with little info forthcoming. I know you don't want to risk scuppering sales on ultimate editions but they feel like a niche within a niche to me & I get apathy towards a series I want when I have to wait more than 6 months from it's first release.
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Sometimes it's just being busy - we're a small company so some things slip by. What we try to do ala Terror and you'll see Escaflowne or FMA too is limit that time between releases, admittedly for FMA the standard is also a Collector's but it's not disastrously so given our licensor for that. FMP you'll see more of for standards soon (which I think is the last Ultimate to be lacking it). Every other title will have it within two months - so likely January 2017 for a standard Escaflowne latest :).

AP
 
anime_andrew said:
Sometimes it's just being busy - we're a small company so some things slip by. What we try to do ala Terror and you'll see Escaflowne or FMA too is limit that time between releases, admittedly for FMA the standard is also a Collector's but it's not disastrously so given our licensor for that. FMP you'll see more of for standards soon (which I think is the last Ultimate to be lacking it). Every other title will have it within two months - so likely January 2017 for a standard Escaflowne latest :).

AP
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Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I already own the FMP imports myself because fellow forumites were selling them cheap & the only thing i remember you mentioning about a lower tier release was that Fumoffu was going to be exclusive to the ultimate. Does this still ring true or will you be looking to incorporate it now?
 
serpantino said:
anime_andrew said:
Sometimes it's just being busy - we're a small company so some things slip by. What we try to do ala Terror and you'll see Escaflowne or FMA too is limit that time between releases, admittedly for FMA the standard is also a Collector's but it's not disastrously so given our licensor for that. FMP you'll see more of for standards soon (which I think is the last Ultimate to be lacking it). Every other title will have it within two months - so likely January 2017 for a standard Escaflowne latest :).

AP
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Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I already own the FMP imports myself because fellow forumites were selling them cheap & the only thing i remember you mentioning about a lower tier release was that Fumoffu was going to be exclusive to the ultimate. Does this still ring true or will you be looking to incorporate it now?
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I think we'll do something else with Fumoffu yet, unsure if it will be sold separately but definitely cheaper :)!

Best,

AP
 
anime_andrew said:
Re Gundam - it is a special case again as we do not set the price tag there (we're merely distributing + helping Sunrise) and the bonus features are not a price-add, they're a value-add for people who support the release early. So they're a bit like a Day 1 Edition preorder extra for a game, doesn't change the price but you get something extra- aka the regular release should be that price, but they agreed to add a little more in (the USA is not far off that price basically and they get no extras) :). That make sense :)?
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It makes sense, but it's still stupid. I can't say I'm exactly willing to pay the same price as people who got the extras. Generally once a video game's pre-order bonuses disappear, prices start to reduce slightly and often within months they'll have dropped by a considerable margin. (I picked up a GAME exclusive UAC pack copy of DOOM for just £30 at the beginning of July, despite being released at the end of May.) This does not seem to have been the case for Gundam, which remained at approximately launch price for nine and a half months...

anime_andrew said:
Re Funimation SRPs - They're not ludicrous vs the retail prices in the USA and that's basically how they were set up. I covered all these points before but I am very open to re-evaluating and recommending a new tact in future or a re-evaluation depending on performance of course :). I can repeat the logic on that
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I did read that post, but, with respect, matching US SRPs and being reasonably priced are not the same thing. It's a little surprising to see Animatsu's forthcoming combo packs already being available for pre-order on Amazon at lower prices than Yona of the Dawn. Especially given they will apparently include a limited edition O-card too.
 
With Yona, it's worth mentioning that it's a shoujo series and we're lucky to be getting it at all (have Manganimatsu ever released a shoujo series without some crippling problem?)

I know the price is rather high right now and I'd certainly prefer it if it could come down to a sweeter point since it's the kind of show which would do really well with teens who aren't going to be throwing £40 a pop at each half, but when the alternative is only going for 'safe' fan service and action genres I can forgive a higher price point with genres notorious for selling terribly. There have been entire years passing in the UK with nothing of that type getting a single release. Though I guess that brings us back around to the whole special edition thing; argh.

R
 
Buzz201 said:
It makes sense, but it's still stupid. I can't say I'm exactly willing to pay the same price as people who got the extras. Generally once a video game's pre-order bonuses disappear, prices start to reduce slightly and often within months they'll have dropped by a considerable margin. (I picked up a GAME exclusive UAC pack copy of DOOM for just £30 at the beginning of July, despite being released at the end of May.) This does not seem to have been the case for Gundam, which remained at approximately launch price for nine and a half months...
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I'd imagine that has more to do with Gundam being a fairly consistent seller, so the retailers see no reason to drop prices. It's also probably mostly something outwith Anime Limited's control, except on their own shop and it doesn't change prices too often in general (which is fair enough since it's not the same as a focussed retail shop).

If we're comparing to games, Gundam would probably be more along the lines of a major release from one of the bigger companies. Call of Duty, Battlefield, Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid and those kinds of things. There are plenty of games that stay around full price for quite a long time. It's maybe a bit less common these days but there's also a lot more competition in video games and a much bigger market, so Gundam staying the same for a year or whatever isn't really too different to what often happens with these big selling games.

DOOM probably isn't a good example, I'm guessing it didn't do so well or just has a different sales strategy since it has been on offer in a few places already. Compare Overwatch and Battleborn, Battleborn is on offer at half price already and doesn't seem to have been too popular while Overwatch is still pretty close to full price and I don't think it's been on offer anywhere (despite being the kind of game that benefits from a larger player base and thus more likely to go on offer than most). There'll always be some releases that drop prices quickly and others that take much longer.
 
Buzz201 said:
It makes sense, but it's still stupid. I can't say I'm exactly willing to pay the same price as people who got the extras. Generally once a video game's pre-order bonuses disappear, prices start to reduce slightly and often within months they'll have dropped by a considerable margin. (I picked up a GAME exclusive UAC pack copy of DOOM for just £30 at the beginning of July, despite being released at the end of May.) This does not seem to have been the case for Gundam, which remained at approximately launch price for nine and a half months...
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The Japanese logic on that would be to just not include any extra at that point and to be fair it really varies from product to product there :). We can't control retail prices and discounts are up to the licensor on this one (who is also the licensee technically). You never know what the future brings there at the end of the day though but we're just playing with someone else's toys there :).

anime_andrew said:
Re Funimation SRPs - They're not ludicrous vs the retail prices in the USA and that's basically how they were set up. I covered all these points before but I am very open to re-evaluating and recommending a new tact in future or a re-evaluation depending on performance of course :). I can repeat the logic on that
Click to expand...

I did read that post, but, with respect, matching US SRPs and being reasonably priced are not the same thing. It's a little surprising to see Animatsu's forthcoming combo packs already being available for pre-order on Amazon at lower prices than Yona of the Dawn. Especially given they will apparently include a limited edition O-card too.[/quote]

From a cost per unit analysis it does make sense though - and it's really varies by product. If you charge £39.99 for a combi then strip out the DVD, do you still charge £39.99 or do people then complain you're being ludicrous too? The cost differences is basically 1 slot different (so £44.99 SRP on the Funi ones vs £39.99 on the Animatsu / Manga ones - so we can always go revise that thinking too of course, but the pricing was so it was in line with US SRP first - let me see for Q1 onwards if that can be revised ^^). That said - we usually go for £39.99 on BD at 13 eps and £29.99 or £34.99 / £24.99 so it varies I guess even there - but you get my point!

Re O-CARD, if people REALLY want an O-Card I'm sure one could be thrown in sometime in the future on releases, but my personal feeling is to strip out the combi element if I could find a way through approvals on it promptly :).

Best,

AP
 
anime_andrew said:
Re O-CARD, if people REALLY want an O-Card I'm sure one could be thrown in sometime in the future on releases, but my personal feeling is to strip out the combi element if I could find a way through approvals on it promptly :).
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I can't say I'm bothered about O-cards personally, I'd rather you didn't increase the price more than necessary. I just thought it was interesting for the people that did want them, but was seemingly more than I would have expected.
 
Do you think there's any value in doing a big survey, Andrew? I'm guessing your social media gets more traffic than any individual forum so it would be interesting to know how the opinions split over the wider fan base, rather than those hardcore enough to post on an anime-specific forum. I can certainly see that you're getting feedback pointing in every possible direction here :D

Personally I have nothing against combo packs at all (especially if the BDs are region locked - love those that aren't!), don't care about trailers (exotic ones are, in a way, even cooler) and often throw o-cards away. I think the Funimation rereleases are fabulous but can see where the price points might need refining in some way or another to make them as appealing as the US versions are to customers over there. Since I was already importing them anyway the UK versions are pitched just right for me, however I do think Yona might be missing out on some customers who would love to give it a whirl at a slightly lower cost of entry. I certainly wouldn't like to see the prices creep up slightly to cover an o-card.

(Sorry, I'm not hiding my massive love for Yona very well here. Great series.)

R
 
Rui said:
Do you think there's any value in doing a big survey, Andrew? I'm guessing your social media gets more traffic than any individual forum so it would be interesting to know how the opinions split over the wider fan base, rather than those hardcore enough to post on an anime-specific forum. I can certainly see that you're getting feedback pointing in every possible direction here :D

Personally I have nothing against combo packs at all (especially if the BDs are region locked - love those that aren't!), don't care about trailers (exotic ones are, in a way, even cooler) and often throw o-cards away. I think the Funimation rereleases are fabulous but can see where the price points might need refining in some way or another to make them as appealing as the US versions are to customers over there. Since I was already importing them anyway the UK versions are pitched just right for me, however I do think Yona might be missing out on some customers who would love to give it a whirl at a slightly lower cost of entry. I certainly wouldn't like to see the prices creep up slightly to cover an o-card.

(Sorry, I'm not hiding my massive love for Yona very well here. Great series.)

R
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We'll do an annual survey in the near future to gather things in data wise, again those are easy to skew one way or another - all you need are either enough IPs or enough mates to chime in so not always do you get the best results alas.

Watch this space though on it as it's a good idea :)!

AP
 
Since you've been rescuing some Manga UK/Funimation titles, would a survey work for that just to see which titles people would like to see a re-released the most? The ones you've picked so far are great choices (though I'm conflicted with the lack of films included with Eden of the East's CE, unless you're planning on making a CE double film pack of some sort later on which I'll be fine if that's what you're planning).

And is it possible to acquire Blu-ray rights to older Kaze UK titles? Because Princess Jellyfish has gone out of print and the Blu-ray version is no longer around on Funimation's end. I'll be really happy if you could try and get the Blu-ray UK rights for it.
 
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