UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread
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HdE
Comic Book Guy
Elaniel said:
I'd personally think that, given the lengthy nature of some of the Gundam main series, which hover around the 50 episode mark, collectors edition style releases would be a REALLY risky move - especially if there's reportedly a smallish audience for Gundam in the West, or in the UK specifically.
That said, I still think that with some savvy decision making and a bit of promotion - even if it's guerilla level stuff involving the fans - there's no reason Gundam couldn't be a BIG DEAL on the UK anime scene.
What I'd really love to see is an effort to release some of the stuff we've never had over here. And not just the stuff that's been available Stateside like Zeta Gundam, G Gundam and the various OVAs and movies. There's a wealth of stuff the West has just NEVER had, which is why Turn A and ZZ getting licensed by anybody at all is a bit of a coup for us fanbois.
My dream scenario is that we could one day see the likes of After War X, Victory Gundam, MS Igloo and some of the other side story OVAs and things released in the West. I'd honestly get behind ANY dstributor who brought those to the english speaking market.
msgeek
Magical Girl
Well I think the Origin Import they did could very much be a "toe in the water" type experience for Anime Ltd... If they can sell X units at Y cost in Z time then they may well have a chance of selling X' units at Y' cost in Z' time. Very much a case of testing the market. What those values for X' Y' and Z' could be... we certainly won't know but Anime Ltd may be able to take a bit of a stab at them now.
HdE
Comic Book Guy
That certainly was an interesting development.
Speaking just for myself here, the price was above what I was prepared to pay for The Origin. But I thought it was a great gesture to UK Gundam fans, and an excellent package.
Price really does have to be right for these shows, I think. Not just because I have set ideas about what I'm personally prepared to pay for anime, but also because there's a real opportunity to sell those series to a niche-within-a-niche fanbase who can be a little fussy in that regard, from what I gather. There's also the consideration that some folks may consider (for argument's sake) that the age of certain shows may not justify multi-volume releases or modern pricing. I know the second season of Gundam OO being split into four volumes Stateside annoyed a LOT of fans, for example. And a few people even voiced to me that Bandai's two volume release of the original series just before they ceased production was one volume too many - not that I agree. It seems that some of our fellow Gundam fans arent necessarily anime fans in a broader sense - so the proposition of bringing the franchise to the West could be tricky in that respect.
But then, what do I know? (That's a heavy disclaimer, folks!) I never really feel like I can get an accurate impression of how popular Gundam is in the UK. I have a lot of pals Stateside who are conversant in the shows and buy merchandise, if not the shows themselves. I think, maybe one or two in-the-flesh acquaintances aside, this forum has the largest number of people I've ever seen who even know what Gundam is. Which is a damned shame. I'd love to see it become as big as One Piece or Naruto.
Speaking just for myself here, the price was above what I was prepared to pay for The Origin. But I thought it was a great gesture to UK Gundam fans, and an excellent package.
Price really does have to be right for these shows, I think. Not just because I have set ideas about what I'm personally prepared to pay for anime, but also because there's a real opportunity to sell those series to a niche-within-a-niche fanbase who can be a little fussy in that regard, from what I gather. There's also the consideration that some folks may consider (for argument's sake) that the age of certain shows may not justify multi-volume releases or modern pricing. I know the second season of Gundam OO being split into four volumes Stateside annoyed a LOT of fans, for example. And a few people even voiced to me that Bandai's two volume release of the original series just before they ceased production was one volume too many - not that I agree. It seems that some of our fellow Gundam fans arent necessarily anime fans in a broader sense - so the proposition of bringing the franchise to the West could be tricky in that respect.
But then, what do I know? (That's a heavy disclaimer, folks!) I never really feel like I can get an accurate impression of how popular Gundam is in the UK. I have a lot of pals Stateside who are conversant in the shows and buy merchandise, if not the shows themselves. I think, maybe one or two in-the-flesh acquaintances aside, this forum has the largest number of people I've ever seen who even know what Gundam is. Which is a damned shame. I'd love to see it become as big as One Piece or Naruto.
Lutga
Mad Scientist
From what I can remember, outside of Wing and SEED, Gundam never used to sell overly well in the UK - I imagine largely because there was never that easy entry point and law of diminishing returns on lengthy series.
To be honest, I imagine at this stage the most likely case is just a match for match following of what RightStuff releases, but I would like to see some of the stuff Beez put out back into print. Given the right treatment, I think a complete BR set of Wing could be really nice.
To be honest, I imagine at this stage the most likely case is just a match for match following of what RightStuff releases, but I would like to see some of the stuff Beez put out back into print. Given the right treatment, I think a complete BR set of Wing could be really nice.
HdE
Comic Book Guy
Lutga said:
Was there even that much besides those shows released? Besides OO, I can't place what out of the Universal Century stuff may have had a release in some form or another.
But it's a good point. And I can see multiple volume releases for any of those older shows running aground with buyers getting fatigued or losing interest. I always thought the Beez Anime Legends line (which Andrew has commented on pretty comprehensively) was the best possible release format for the longer Gundam shows. Eve Stateside, it was possible to pick up Zeta Gundam in two nice, chunky brick sets. Minimum customer commitment, really convenient packages... but of course, it means nothing if they don't sell.
It may be completely irrelevant and useless to this conversation, but I remember when The Big O and Outlaw Star got their UK releases through the Beez Anime Legends line. They were unusual releases in that they bucked the precedent for the line being made up of repackaged material Beez had previously put out. That, along with the SEED and SEED Destiny bricks being 2 sets each, left me hopeful of a similar experiment with something like Zeta. Perfect format for the show, you would think. Alas, it wasn't to be.
Lutga said:
I would be PERFECTLY happy with either of those ideas being made reality.
I believe the deal with RightStuf! and Sunrise is ongoing, with the possibility of further releases along lines of Turn A and ZZ later. Honestly REALLY excited by that. As long as that partnership is in place, it feels like there's a bit of hope for getting hold of stuff like X and Victory.
The key is, though, it means that we all know who to ask for the shows in the franchise we want to see released or re-released. That's REALLY worth doing. And if there were a UK distro ready and waiting to repackage anything they bring to the West, that would be a very happy situation indeed for fans.
sniper_samurai
Railgun
HdE said:
Mainly movies from UC. They released:
Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy
Gundam 0083: The Afterglow of Zeon(not released in US as it is a compilation movie of Stardust Memory)
Chars Counterattack
Gundam F91
Gundam Unicorn(repackaged Japanese BDs just like the US)
Beez also licenced the Zeta movie trilogy, but were never released.
sniper_samurai
Railgun
I think HdE means that it is debatable whether Unicorn is a core part of the UC timeline not whether or not it is part of the Universal Calender.ilmaestro said:
KingJimmeh
Magical Girl
Plus most of my generation of anime fans remember Gundam Wing for its TV airing. Outside of Wing, its difficult to know where the series begins. Wing on its own is confusing enough. I know a lot of my fans who are Wing fans and grew up with DBZ and the such on Cartoon Network hardly know Gundam is an Anthology style show that resets the Universe with most series.
HdE
Comic Book Guy
sniper_samurai said:
Whuppsie! I should clarify - I meant it was debatable whether Unicorn counts as a complete series release in the UK, seeing as we didn't get a localised release here.
I'd also suggest, where Wing is concerned, that maybe it's time to leave that show behind if there's any hope of developing an audience for Gundam in the West. It's just that it's... really not very good. I always think it's kind of unfortunate that it seems to be the show so many folks discovered first in the franchise. It's a complete mess in terms of story, and I really question if it's a great advertisement for the rest of the franchise.
Likewise, it always puzzled me that the original Mobile Suit Gundam has been so talked up and pushed at consumers over the years. Don't get me wrong - it's great, and a rightfully acknowledged classic. But I wonder if it was necessarily the best decision to make that the follow up show to Wing on US television (which I only found out about recently.) As good as it is, it really does show its age now. And if younger audiences are turned off by older styles of animation, maybe it wasn't so clever to push that show ahead of some of the better looking - and arguably just flat out better - stuff in the franchise?
And let's not forget Gundam OO! That's a really neatly self contained, well planned, GORGEOUS looking show. My personal fave of the whole shebang, in fact. I've often wondered why SEED and SEED Destiny get mentioned over OO as the shows to go to if the sheer volume of Universal Century stuff is off-putting. At 50 episodes and a movie, it's a lot less cumbersome than the combined 100 episodes and assorted compilation movies that make up the SEED saga. It's also a heckuva lot more satisfying, in my personal opinion.
Lutga
Mad Scientist
I believe 00 is the best rated Gundam series on ANN's encyclopaedia after Unicorn (and yeah, I wouldn't really count UC as a UK release as it was basically just an import edition).
I think looking back now, Wing certainly seems dated and slow - even if it does have nostalgia value, but probably one where a BR upgrade makes most sense. I've seen some HD clips of the opening on YouTube and it looks pretty tasty.
I suppose the original trilogy of UC movies would be another obvious starting point.
I think looking back now, Wing certainly seems dated and slow - even if it does have nostalgia value, but probably one where a BR upgrade makes most sense. I've seen some HD clips of the opening on YouTube and it looks pretty tasty.
I suppose the original trilogy of UC movies would be another obvious starting point.
HdE said:
We released (I am sure others said already): Gundam Movies (the compiles of the TV series), 0083 Twilight of Zeon, F91, Char's Counterattack, Wing, Seed, Seed Destiny, 00 (but not it's movie) and semi-Unicorn via Bandai. I'd have liked to do more of the UC series really while I was there and would love to re-do SEED on BD.
HdE said:
Precisely the problem actually - maybe for DVD that works as an approach still but no way does it work on BD which is where the majority of Gundam fans are now (there's a not bad number of Gundam fans in the UK I'd say).
HdE said:
If you were to see more Gundam, irrespective of the format the max I believe you can do are two sets for the longer run shows.
HdE said:
Stay tuned folks, I'd certainly not rush to import if I were you
.AP
HdE
Comic Book Guy
anime_andrew said:
Ah, I suspected as much. Such a shame. On the one hand, two volumes max is probably good news for fans, but I really wish it could be less risky / more profitable for you guys.
All I could really say about release format is that I'd personally take UK Gundam releases in any form they were provided. Having anime on BD is nice, but I'm personally not precious about it - especially if the show is a bit older and benefits of having it in HD may be questionable.
That said, I'd love to see SEED on BD as well - especially if such a thing could address some of the annnoying glitches that crept into the previous DVD releases (bizarre AV speed-up, a short hiccup in Destiny where a character repeats himself - I think that was about it).
Thanks (as always) for taking the time to chip in and respond, Andrew. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you announce in the near future, and hopeful it'll be as good for Anime Limited as it undoubtedly will be for fans.