UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread
- Thread starter jonno394
- Start date
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
Well I love all of Haruhi and I seem to be a rare person.
Jatz
Hunter
Lutga
Mad Scientist
It does make me wonder if Anime Ltd will skip/post-pone the other UC shows at this rate (unless the production speeds up significantly post-Zeta)
I say this mainly as the US is pretty much through them at this point, and I believe Right Stuff said that once the UC shows were done, Wing was next on the slate. And considering how that's likely to be highly anticipated and a potential big seller, it might make more sense to prioritise that (at that point) so even if all the other Gundam stuff is late, that Wing at the very least can still be day and date with the US?
I say this mainly as the US is pretty much through them at this point, and I believe Right Stuff said that once the UC shows were done, Wing was next on the slate. And considering how that's likely to be highly anticipated and a potential big seller, it might make more sense to prioritise that (at that point) so even if all the other Gundam stuff is late, that Wing at the very least can still be day and date with the US?
Jaysgba
Combat Butler
I don't think anyone actually expects AL to pull off release date parity on any Gundam releases anymore. If they couldn't pull off even being the same month as the US for the one series they provided the disc masters to the US for, I find it hard to believe they'll be able to manage it for any series where they are using US disc masters.
I think I'd rather they slowly work their way through the UC releases anyway, rather than jump ship and start on another timeline instead; I have MSG79 on my shelf but I'm waiting until I have more UC before actually making a start on watching it.
I think I'd rather they slowly work their way through the UC releases anyway, rather than jump ship and start on another timeline instead; I have MSG79 on my shelf but I'm waiting until I have more UC before actually making a start on watching it.
Lutga
Mad Scientist
It's a tough one - as much as I want all the UC releases and am happy to wait as long as it takes to get them, I think if they were rushed out then the UK market (which is way smaller than the US) will get saturated and it could potentially be pretty damaging for the franchise's future hopes in the UK. From what I've heard, Gundam is a pretty reasonable seller in the UK, but it's not exactly Attack on Titan territory either. And while stuff like Wing or original UC Gundam can command a certain degree of success from the more casual/nostalgia market, by the time you get to the later UC titles, I imagine you'll probably see quite a bit of sales drop-off.
The reason for the delays are currently because Sunrise's sales team in Japan is not happy with the numbers in the UK in comparison to the USA for Part 1 & 2 of the original series more than anything. We're pushing ahead in the meantime and packaging has been approved - but we're waiting on sign-off for menu's now while this discussion goes on
. It's likely a bump in the road, but there's more at play than just an AL delay, won't stop Zeta or the Original Trilogy coming out anyway and I'm pretty sure business as usual but yeah, the joys of paperwork![EDIT] To add a bit of context - this is a new market for them - the USA is a more familiar one. So what they'd rate as big in the US obviously won't match here at 1/10th of the market size. Zeta's delay hinges on menu approval etc - which isn't helped though when the above discussion is going on at the same time. The EU team there remains supportive though so it's more about re-education. I understand folks frustrations as surprisingly enough, we feel frustrated too
.G-Reco is on schedule as that's a direct license at least
.Best,
AP
Jaysgba
Combat Butler
Surely they'd experience sales drop-off regardless with people getting tired of waiting for Anime Limited to release titles because of rigid boxes, French subtitles, or whatever the reason for each release happens to be, and opting to import the US blu-rays that have English support and aren't being released painfully slowly?
I can wait for AL's blu-ray because I want Region B blu-rays, and I would like all the rigid boxes now to match MSG79, but other people will be drawn to the speedier releases in the US.
They're looking at MSG79 - not presales on Zeta. Presales on Zeta are actually good - would you believe! It's just a case of unfamiliar numbers really at the end of the day so stay tuned, we want Zeta out the door ASAP too
.Best,
AP
Buzzkillington
Cardcaptor
Well that sounds very concerning.... So they may just decide to pull the plug on Gundam in the UK and screw all the people who waited for UK releases? Wonderful.The reason for the delays are currently because Sunrise's sales team in Japan is not happy with the numbers in the UK in comparison to the USA for Part 1 & 2 of the original series more than anything. We're pushing ahead in the meantime and packaging has been approved - but we're waiting on sign-off for menu's now while this discussion goes on
[EDIT] To add a bit of context - this is a new market for them - the USA is a more familiar one. So what they'd rate as big in the US obviously won't match here at 1/10th of the market size. Zeta's delay hinges on menu approval etc - which isn't helped though when the above discussion is going on at the same time. The EU team there remains supportive though so it's more about re-education. I understand folks frustrations as surprisingly enough, we feel frustrated too
G-Reco is on schedule as that's a direct license at least
Best,
AP
Jaysgba
Combat Butler
I would hope Andrew wouldn't let that happen - I can't imagine it'd be good for AL after promising we'd get all blu-ray Gundam multiple times.
Hopefully not - I'm as always fighting the corner here and I'm not alone on it. But I prefer to tell folks what's going on than suddenly blind-side everyone or such! Pretty confident we'll make our case well too
AP
Buzzkillington
Cardcaptor
Aw man that's really sad to hear as I was under the impression that MSG79 did pretty well for the UK BD release, would leave me real pissed if they suddenly decided it wasn't worth the effort and pulled out of the market seeing as I waited. :/ I guess it is what it is but it would definitely leave a very sour taste for me, my opinions on who my money goes to are easily swayed by such acts.Hopefully not - I'm as always fighting the corner here and I'm not alone on it. But I prefer to tell folks what's going on than suddenly blind-side everyone or such! Pretty confident we'll make our case well too
AP
Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed then. I don't have any way to play US blu-rays, so if ZZ, V and Turn-A don't make it out after all this time I'll be properly gutted. I mean, I want the other series on blu-ray as well, don't get me wrong, but the idea of the shows I didn't even have on DVD being on my shelf is of particular excitement for me.
I find it pretty damn daft that Sunrise believe that the UK side will/should sell as much as the USA side considering the UK has a much smaller community and the average anime sale being sold for around 500-1500 copies in general. Oh, and let's not forget most of the fans are pretty much using KA for their own logic.
Since you mentioned the price point of £49.99 was applied by Sunrise, perhaps it would be better if the SRP was reduced to say £39.99 or £44.99 for future titles? That would mean each Gundam would be about £80-90 overall instead of £100 if they had to pay SRP (and not including the discounts from Amazon, which at the moment is bonkers for no reason). Sure the pre-order bonuses won't have any effect on the SRP but what about those who simply want the show? A small change to the SRP could make a big difference.
I'm fine with waiting (and I'm fine with the French support if it helps give you more profit as a whole) but I feel that after 1 year the current UK state for Gundam is a bit alarming wouldn't you think?
On another note, I guess the Blu-ray version of the Gundam Movie Trilogy and the non-UC titles (G Gundam, Iron-Blooded Orphans, SEED, Turn-A, Wing) will probably sell better than the original UC series [79, Zeta. ZZ] anyway.
I must confess that while I have been very interested in purchasing MSG79 for a while now, I have yet to splash the cash because the price has been too steep for me - especially considering the series' vintage (Mum was still in school when it was first broadcast!).
A quick scan of the usual suspects (Amazon, Base, Zavvi) shows that each half still roughly goes for £40 (give or take a few quid); with it adding up to around £80-90 for the whole series. Obviously, regardless of the series' age, this was the first time it was made available on blu-ray and the first print-run did have some really nice extras, so there would be costs in authoring, producing etc that need to be recouped (hopefully with a healthy profit margin of course), but especially given the long since-reduced availability of said first-print extras, do you think there might be room for either a formal SRP price-cut or even a temporary reduced sales price to try and bump up sales to a higher figure? Or is the amount Sunrise originally expected simply too unrealistic considering our market size?
I agree with @NormanicGrav that if possible, a £10 reduction in the SRP would be ideal (at least once first-print bonuses are gone at warehouse level), especially given that following online retailer discounts, that should place prices more in-line with the market standard.
On another note, while writing this, I was reminded of my Beez Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Anime Legends sets. I can't remember how much they cost, but I remember them being quite a bargain even though they were very barebones. Even thinking strictly outside of Gundam, do you think there may be room in today's market for a similar budget line?
And on yet another note: Andrew, in another thread you mentioned that Anime Limited were pursuing digital platforms such as iTunes, PlayStation Network etc. Lately, I have become increasingly attracted to the prospect of a digital future due to the massive reduction in price compared to home video. I was wondering when you might be able to disclose more about your digital strategy and its relationship to home video timing and pricing? Also, last time I checked, some services like iTunes only allow for one audio track - if that's still true (and please correct me if my information is outdated), how will you get around the sub/dub issue? Offer both in separate listings, or only releasing one format? (Obviously, sub-only shows won't have this issue).
For example, both seasons of Love Live! School Idol Project are currently available in HD on UK iTunes for £11.99 each - making buying both cheaper than a single season of MVM's Collector's Edition release (albeit dub-only compared to MVM's dual language and I doubt MVM are behind the digital release - rights management, amirite?)
A quick scan of the usual suspects (Amazon, Base, Zavvi) shows that each half still roughly goes for £40 (give or take a few quid); with it adding up to around £80-90 for the whole series. Obviously, regardless of the series' age, this was the first time it was made available on blu-ray and the first print-run did have some really nice extras, so there would be costs in authoring, producing etc that need to be recouped (hopefully with a healthy profit margin of course), but especially given the long since-reduced availability of said first-print extras, do you think there might be room for either a formal SRP price-cut or even a temporary reduced sales price to try and bump up sales to a higher figure? Or is the amount Sunrise originally expected simply too unrealistic considering our market size?
I agree with @NormanicGrav that if possible, a £10 reduction in the SRP would be ideal (at least once first-print bonuses are gone at warehouse level), especially given that following online retailer discounts, that should place prices more in-line with the market standard.
On another note, while writing this, I was reminded of my Beez Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Anime Legends sets. I can't remember how much they cost, but I remember them being quite a bargain even though they were very barebones. Even thinking strictly outside of Gundam, do you think there may be room in today's market for a similar budget line?
And on yet another note: Andrew, in another thread you mentioned that Anime Limited were pursuing digital platforms such as iTunes, PlayStation Network etc. Lately, I have become increasingly attracted to the prospect of a digital future due to the massive reduction in price compared to home video. I was wondering when you might be able to disclose more about your digital strategy and its relationship to home video timing and pricing? Also, last time I checked, some services like iTunes only allow for one audio track - if that's still true (and please correct me if my information is outdated), how will you get around the sub/dub issue? Offer both in separate listings, or only releasing one format? (Obviously, sub-only shows won't have this issue).
For example, both seasons of Love Live! School Idol Project are currently available in HD on UK iTunes for £11.99 each - making buying both cheaper than a single season of MVM's Collector's Edition release (albeit dub-only compared to MVM's dual language and I doubt MVM are behind the digital release - rights management, amirite?)
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IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
Whilst I didn't buy them at the time of release, last year I managed to get the pair of sets for less than £20 total.
Robbl
Adventurer
The film is a masterpiece