UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

Vincentdante said:
Looking at the conversation history, it is quite silly that they couldn't anticipate a delay as late as last Thursday.
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There is something REALLY wrong if you don't know if you're going to hit the release date by the release date. It's one thing if you know like a week or two before but on or past the release date and only then you let on.

Something doesn't add up. Are we to believe that AL are at the mercy of evety other company from Japanese originators to the disc manufacturers?
 
HellCat said:
There is something REALLY wrong if you don't know if you're going to hit the release date by the release date. It's one thing if you know like a week or two before but on or past the release date and only then you let on.

Something doesn't add up. Are we to believe that AL are at the mercy of evety other company from Japanese originators to the disc manufacturers?
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Yeah, that is crazy. The only explanation I can think off is that they don't keep tabs on the manufactuing side and just "hope it turns up in time"
 
Girls with Guns said:
If you all complain enough maybe AL will finally just give up and decide to close-up shop - or sell their business to Sony... 🤨
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I think most of us have a right to complain because we financially support the products. I've said over and over I have gratitude to multiple individuals in the company who have gone out of their way to help me but the state of their releases is ridiculous. All of us know at the end of the day it's just cartoons but this is our passion and purchases. It should not be this much drama essentially every time and people aren't wrong to call that out.
 
Vincentdante said:
Yeah, that is crazy. The only explanation I can think off is that they don't keep tabs on the manufactuing side and just "hope it turns up in time"
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  • Brexit
  • paper & cardboard shortages
  • labour shortages, partly due to covid

Some weeks ago I was informed that a major pressing plant in Europe claimed they "lost" a palette full of anime Blu-rays - whilest in fact they were just weeks behind schedule.
And it's not just Anime Limited:
  • Crunchyroll USA (Funimation) had recently more "public" delays than ever since I remember
  • Crunchyroll UK (Manga Entertainment) managed to get their releases out on time earlier this year, but are now again in their "usual" delays
  • MVM had several delays
  • did I even mention Media Blasters?
Even Discotek, who usually delivered their stuff 3-6 weeks ahead to schedule to rightstuf failed for some titles.

Most German companies are also affected by delays - and the same applies for most English language manga and novel publishers.

On Nov 16, 2015, Dybex (Belgium / France) announced Yu Yu Hakusho on Blu-ray. Later they claimed it the "25th anniversary Edition"... it's 3 weeks until the 30th anniversary and it's still not out yet :D
 
Relaxo said:
  • Brexit
  • paper & cardboard shortages
  • labour shortages, partly due to covid

Some weeks ago I was informed that a major pressing plant in Europe claimed they "lost" a palette full of anime Blu-rays - whilest in fact they were just weeks behind schedule.
And it's not just Anime Limited:
  • Crunchyroll USA (Funimation) had recently more "public" delays than ever since I remember
  • Crunchyroll UK (Manga Entertainment) managed to get their releases out on time earlier this year, but are now again in their "usual" delays
  • MVM had several delays
  • did I even mention Media Blasters?
Even Discotek, who usually delivered their stuff 3-6 weeks ahead to schedule to rightstuf failed for some titles.

Most German companies are also affected by delays - and the same applies for most English language manga and novel publishers.

On Nov 16, 2015, Dybex (Belgium / France) announced Yu Yu Hakusho on Blu-ray. Later they claimed it the "25th anniversary Edition"... it's 3 weeks until the 30th anniversary and it's still not out yet :D
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Brexit has come for the Gundam. It truly is my white whale.
 
ah, i didn't even think to factor covid and andrew did say that's why they weren't at comic-con in may and why they won't be in October, plus they did acknowledge brexit as a factor in cloud matsuri.

you know what, i've said before would like to talk to a representative here regarding certain thing's but now i really would be grateful for anyone from AL like @anime_andrew to just talk about anything fun. if nothing else because i'm curious if there just worried about a hostile response and one of the reason's i signed up was because of the communication with the industry and i'd hate to lose good communication and because i think we're all just fan's of anime at the end of the day.

maybe i'm overstepping myself but i just want to have fun and stop hostility, we'll still get out item's.
 
bakura said:
ah, i didn't even think to factor covid and Andrew did say that's why they weren't at Comic-Con in may and why they won't be in October, plus they did acknowledge Brexit as a factor in cloud matsuri.

you know what, I've said before would like to talk to a representative here regarding certain thing's but now i really would be grateful for anyone from AL like @anime_andrew to just talk about anything fun. if nothing else because i'm curious if there just worried about a hostile response and one of the reason's i signed up was because of the communication with the industry and i'd hate to lose good communication and because i think we're all just fans of anime at the end of the day.

maybe I'm overstepping myself but i just want to have fun and stop hostility, we'll still get out items.
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If AL want to stop the majority of hostile comments, then they need to step up their communications. The Gundam Seed Destiny delay email should have been sent out to people last week, not today.

As for the delays themselves, if a product is delayed then its delayed, I will wait, as will many others, but AL need to inform us SOONER.
 
That's why I was trying to open communication and we won't get anywhere starting of in anger, by talking about fun stuff we can get more communication and comfortable with each other and maybe we can learn why the information was sent so late. We have to assume people are communicating in good faith to have communication at all.
 
Also the Spanish Neon Genesis Evangelion ultimate edition has been delayed a couple of times. The most recent one we got an email to say they were getting sent out between 31/8 and 8/9 then on the 3/9 (slap bang in the middle) we get an email to say sorry actually one of the parts hasn't been made well and needs to be reprinted so will be another 3 weeks. Sure it's annoying (especially when you've been fretting over it turning up) but these things happen.
 
bakura said:
That's why I was trying to open communication and we won't get anywhere starting of in anger, by talking about fun stuff we can get more communication and comfortable with each other and maybe we can learn why the information was sent so late. We have to assume people are communicating in good faith to have communication at all.
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Can I just say how much I appreciate your proposed approach here :)

My opinion, for anyone who's interested: I prefer being billed at the time I place my order as at least then the money side is done with and I can just look forward to receiving the product even if there are significant delays, and I would also like to voice my thanks for AL being so understanding when I have needed to cancel orders for various reasons in the past. I also think that there's something almost comforting for me in these delays as modern life is so fast-paced and I guess I don't really just want to accumulate, acquire, obtain ad nauseam, but I understand and accept that that is a personal opinion and that others will disagree, often for good reason because everyone's perspective is different. I do think AL's communication could be better, and would also like to voice that I am legit disappointed when I feel like we as customers have been messed around beyond the usual issues with delays and communicating delays to customers - the three examples I can think of of this recently are:

Seraph of the End - OST CD inclusion cancelled, though to AL's credit they did at least make clear that all cancellations based on this would be honored and lowered the price of the set to account for the loss of the CD.
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 Part 2 CE (and standard as well for those who want the standard edition, as I don't think that's been released here or put up for pre-order yet either?) - was a bit sad that it was quietly removed from the newswire, etc. after seemingly being announced for pre-order. It was additionally a bit frustrating for me as I would have pre-ordered Memories CE at Early Bird discount with my Anime Unlimited code had I known for sure that JJK would not be up for pre-order at the time it was briefly advertised to be. It is also getting a little irksome having to set aside the money for it month after month (£41) just in case it comes up with no idea of when it will.
Blood-C Ultimate - that whole debacle with it not actually having a rigid box in spite of being advertised as having one and that being standard even for AL's normal collector's editions. I wouldn't have bought this myself just because it sounded more violent than I can personally stomach, but I would be very sad if a title I was eagerly anticipating had this happen to it so I express my disappointment out of solidarity with my fellow anime fans.
 
RadFemHedonist said:
My opinion, for anyone who's interested: I prefer being billed at the time I place my order as at least then the money side is done with and I can just look forward to receiving the product even if there are significant delays
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100% agree with this. Place an order, pay, forget about it until it turns up. No drama.
RadFemHedonist said:
Blood-C Ultimate
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This is the only time I've been angry at AL. The disappointment was far beyond anything I ever expected to feel about one of their products.
 
I cannot think of any other home video label that has ever been seemingly unaware with a delay to its own product until the actual release date, let alone with such regularity that it has become a running joke. I can't even think of a reasonable excuse for it at this stage. I think everyone here has been pretty polite and there's no need to be sycophantic; surely they could just deliberately overestimate release dates - no one would care if they received it 'early' - and/or essentially not announce them until copies are already at the replicators.
 
Sincerely, I don't like conflict. But at the same time I don't like feeling being taken for granted.

The problems with AL releases predate any of the problems affecting the world in the last few years. I understand the seriousness of those problems (understood and warned of one in particular even whilst others mocked me) and have seen them affect other companies, but in AL's case they feel to have exacerbated these long standing problems rather than caused them.

I've got no interest in being a dick, both out of common courtesy and the fact there's every likelihood I will in years to come once again be standing in a room with AL staff. I do think however that sometimes blunt honesty is needed over dancing around continued problems. No one should be obsessing over the delays, but I balk at the idea we should just pay sometimes hundreds of GBP and just accept stuff will just show up whenever.

I don't think anyone has been unreasonable and sometimes harsh criticism comes from those who genuinely want to see something prosper.
 
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