UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

Jon O Fun said:
As you say Andrew design is really subjective so I'd like to say I prefer the AL design. Yes the JP edition box is probably better looking but everything else looks incredibly bland, especially the discs.

On a side note I also own the ADV singles in the artboxes (for season 1 & fumoffu) and they have some great artwork across all of them. I especially like the reversible covers for season one with the less militaristic and more colorful designs with the original Japanese logo! I don't think I've ever had the other covers displayed. But I digress! Reversible covers with Japanese logo ;) ;) ;)
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Actually the bit I like the most is the discs as the are simplistic and I like them
 
I haven't chimed in on the release, so I'll just say that I prefer amaray to digipaks but to elaborate further, I prefer amaray to massive digipaks like the ones that were used in previous Ultimate Editions that Anime Limited have released. Not only are they flimsy and unwieldy, but I generally find that the mechanism used to keep the discs in place to be finicky at best. I received the Patema digipak cracked in pieces and the trays that came with Lagann fell off and these two issues have pushed me to never purchase Anime Limited products again.

I will say that in regards to the use of Amaray, using different colors like black, white, Red or even the clear ones Anime Limited have used on previous releases (Garden of Words and Dandy) is preferable and helps make them stand out a bit more and feel a little more special as apposed to the ugly Blue ones, but since the Japanese set also used Blue amarays I'll let that one slide. The fact that this box is large even-though it houses amarays is also annoying. I've never ever cared for art-books that come with games and Blu-rays/DVD's, even if it's full-sized and extensive because If I care enough about the show I'd pick up all the art-books and full soundtracks separately, which is why I hate it when you get a soundtrack with a game that has 10 tracks or thereabouts. If the OST is good, I'll splash out the money for the 5 disc soundtrack thanks very much. Of course the reason why it's done is to help justify the cost to people at home, but if you look at most Japanese Limited Editions that sell for double the price of this FMP set, they rarely if ever come with any extra outside of the show itself and a box and maybe a little booklet. The reason to me is simple, if a show is good, that alone will justify the price for core fans, the people who are most likely willing to buy the OST and artbooks/figures separately and the remaining people will pick up the standard set as always. And if you do want to make an extensive set with everything and the kitchen sink, make sure its something extra special, like say the Gurren Lagann Japanese Blu-ray set. It comes with a hefty price point, but again it sold out for a reason, people are wiling to buy something if its something they love and care about. I know people who don't buy into expensive sets importing the Eva BD set even though it's not English friendly. Good shows tend to attract people. I understand that I'm in the minority here and that's fine, people obviously like their artbooks and Anime Limited have put effort into it.

In the end, this is a positive move in the right direction. I like digipaks, but the Anime Limited releases have failed to deliver with these. I do like the inside art on the Perfect Blue digipaks however and the finish on the SAO II digipak looks nice if you want some positives.

Also to comment on the above, I prefer 'bland' discs art as apposed to discs have have tacky art all over, but that's me. That's just a general comment, I can't comment on the FMP disc art.
 
Very much depends on the show, or the movie, for me. If a favourite illustrator, like Mikimoto, was involved, then I'd prefer an art book. If someone like Yoko Kanno contributed then I'd obviously prefer a soundtrack.

In terms of amaray versus Digipack - there's no had and fast rule for me, sometimes one is better than the other. Sometimes vice versa.

Only thing further I'd reiterate about AL - they do learn, and their packaging in particular seems to evolve. I was disappointed by the TTGL Digipack, but Patema was fine and since then I've had no complaints whatsoever.
 
qaiz said:
I haven't chimed in on the release, so I'll just say that I prefer amaray to digipaks but to elaborate further, I prefer amaray to massive digipaks like the ones that were used in previous Ultimate Editions that Anime Limited have released. Not only are they flimsy and unwieldy, but I generally find that the mechanism used to keep the discs in place to be finicky at best. I received the Patema digipak cracked in pieces and the trays that came with Lagann fell off and these two issues have pushed me to never purchase Anime Limited products again.

I will say that in regards to the use of Amaray, using different colors like black, white, Red or even the clear ones Anime Limited have used on previous releases (Garden of Words and Dandy) is preferable and helps make them stand out a bit more and feel a little more special as apposed to the ugly Blue ones, but since the Japanese set also used Blue amarays I'll let that one slide. The fact that this box is large even-though it houses amarays is also annoying. I've never ever cared for art-books that come with games and Blu-rays/DVD's, even if it's full-sized and extensive because If I care enough about the show I'd pick up all the art-books and full soundtracks separately, which is why I hate it when you get a soundtrack with a game that has 10 tracks or thereabouts. If the OST is good, I'll splash out the money for the 5 disc soundtrack thanks very much. Of course the reason why it's done is to help justify the cost to people at home, but if you look at most Japanese Limited Editions that sell for double the price of this FMP set, they rarely if ever come with any extra outside of the show itself and a box and maybe a little booklet. The reason to me is simple, if a show is good, that alone will justify the price for core fans, the people who are most likely willing to buy the OST and artbooks/figures separately and the remaining people will pick up the standard set as always. And if you do want to make an extensive set with everything and the kitchen sink, make sure its something extra special, like say the Gurren Lagann Japanese Blu-ray set. It comes with a hefty price point, but again it sold out for a reason, people are wiling to buy something if its something they love and care about. I know people who don't buy into expensive sets importing the Eva BD set even though it's not English friendly. Good shows tend to attract people. I understand that I'm in the minority here and that's fine, people obviously like their artbooks and Anime Limited have put effort into it.

In the end, this is a positive move in the right direction. I like digipaks, but the Anime Limited releases have failed to deliver with these. I do like the inside art on the Perfect Blue digipaks however and the finish on the SAO II digipak looks nice if you want some positives.

Also to comment on the above, I prefer 'bland' discs art as apposed to discs have have tacky art all over, but that's me. That's just a general comment, I can't comment on the FMP disc art.
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I agree with all of this, especially regarding the large box
 
One other thing I like about Amarays - there's the potential - if you so choose - to keep them out of the box. I did this with the recent Gundam the Origin set as it saves time from having to unpack the massive box each time you want to get at the disc. That way, you have a nice, concise case you can keep with the rest of your Blu-Rays in your shelf.
 
Maybe in Japan, but certainly not in the UK, with the market the way it is. From the past few years, it's been plain to see that a low price point generally helps a show to sell - and while there are certainly exceptions (like Kill La Kill) where a more expensive property can sell well because it's a genuine hit, I imagine keeping the price point low generally helps to shift more copies.

It's important to remember that after the first week where all the hardcore fans get their pre-ordered copies, it falls more to impulse purchases in places like HMV to help boost the long term sales of a title, and that's certainly an area where cheaper prices probably helps even more so.
 
I doubt the HMV crowd buy into releases like these and other Ultimate Editions. I'd hazard a guess and say that they make the bulk of their sales online since brick and mortar stores only have a certain amount of shelf space. Although low prices garner impulse purchases, that's obviously not the only factor as many low priced releases bomb for a multitude of reasons.

The way I see it, when I can't fit something on my shelf because the box is too large because it was designed around the book, the thing I don't care for then I know that it isn't for me. I doubt AL are losing any sleep at night, these obviously do well for them. I can say with 100% certainty that I've ever taken an art-book that came with a DVD, Bu-ray or game out of the box, and I can say that same with soundtracks. I just can't get my head around somebody saying no to a £99 blu-ray set but then saying yes when a book (a high quality one at that in this case, credit where credit's due) is thrown in. Shows how much I know.
 
qaiz said:
I just can't get my head around somebody saying no to a £99 blu-ray set but then saying yes when a book (a high quality one at that in this case, credit where credit's due) is thrown in. Shows how much I know.
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If it was just the series in an artbox then I would definitely have to think twice about the purchase at that price. Part of what makes the price more palatable is the fact we have an exclusive artbox AND an exclusive artbook. The latter of which adds about £15-£20 to the value at least for me personally. Yes, I may only read it once or twice, but as a collector, it's the exclusive stuff that makes purchases worthwhile.
 
Fair enough, I can understand that. Thanks for your insight. As a collector I can appreciate that, having something exclusive has an allure to it. I own a lot of soundtracks and artbooks, and I mean a lot so I get the appeal to them, it's not like I don't understand the appeal of books and music :p I just generally buy them separately, and all of the bundled ones stay in the boxes that reside in the closet of purgatory, never to be looked at, and that includes the AL ones. As said above, at least FMP come with amarays which allow you to toss the book and box and keep the discs themselves on your shelf, but at that point you'd rather wait for the standard release, but in this case some of the disc content is exclusive here to the UE.
 
qaiz said:
I just can't get my head around somebody saying no to a £99 blu-ray set but then saying yes when a book (a high quality one at that in this case, credit where credit's due) is thrown in. Shows how much I know.
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The type of key art book AL generally includes go for a fair amount when sold separately (an RRP of ~£20 would not be unexpected for a book of that type, and that's before you factor in translation costs and the rarity of some items included). I can see why it would make a difference if you were willing to pay £60/70 for the standard edition.
 
qaiz said:
I just can't get my head around somebody saying no to a £99 blu-ray set but then saying yes when a book (a high quality one at that in this case, credit where credit's due) is thrown in. Shows how much I know.
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I think it depends on the content of the book, but it does add value. I don't care much for art books, but I would value the books that are included with some Arrow releases like the Borowczyk set as easily being worth £15-20. Some of the most valuable extras, like interviews or critical analysis, can work just as well in text form as in video.
 
Yeah I agree that it's very much about content of the book. For me personally, the Gurren Lagann one added nothing, it was just a poor artbook. On the other hand the book that came with Patema Inverted was fantastic and added great value, then I have the things in between like the books that came with Kill la Kill, they were nice I guess, but £15-£20 added value nice? Nah, not for me, but I guess they don't really count anyway if we're just talking about Ultimate Editions....I'm not overly impressed with the Ultimate Editions in general though.
 
I think the trouble is, the Collectors Editions are so good, there's not that much to mark the Ultimate Editions out above them other than physical size and the length of the show. The Patema one is definitely the best though and I really appreciated the step up in quality from the GL one.

The plus with FMP is you're getting a lot of episodes.

One thing that did very much interest me from previous discussions was talk of original content like essays penned by people like Jonathan Clements - ie. Stuff you can engage with and consume that's more than just pretty pictures (as nice as those are). I love art books but I do sometimes feel it's a bit 'quick flick through, nice, then back in the box' but then I'm the type of person that very much equates value with amount of time spent consuming the content. Soundtrack CDs would be another obvious plus on that front.
 
For me, with soundtracks, part of the reason why I appreciate them is that anime music is usually pretty difficult to acquire legally in the West, apart from those select few OP themes that do get put up on iTunes etc.
 
I just import all of my music and as such if the soundtrack being bundled isn't the full thing I don't really care. A few releases did it right, for example the Beez Gurren Lagann Vol 2 Limited Edition came with a 2 disc soundtrack and I felt that it was pretty decent. I love soundtracks and art-books, but I'd rather get them from Japan and pay the extra for the full thing rather than something that is usually constructed with whatever scraps the Japanese committees throw to UK distros. As such, outside of Lagann, Anime Limited have been good with this in this regard, taking the KLK books for example which matches the Japanese content, however the reason I don't mind them even if I never look through them, the size not obtrusive. If that KLK book was as large as the Lagann or Patema book, into the trash it goes for me. Books are fine, just keep the form-factor small and keep it softback.
 
I was thinking about this the other day, but for that kind of release, soft back almost seems to make it more quality than hardback, just because that seems to be the norm for art books. While hardback is gorgeous for stuff like the Gundam The Origin manga releases, I think the finish used on the GL book wasn't great.
 
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