UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

[Kite]

Kaiji season 2 already but they STILL haven't releases Kakegurui season 2. It has been three years since they claimed that we have nothing to worry about in regards of them releasing the second season when we voiced our worries that they might never release the second season.

Sales of the first series of Kaiji must have warranted the costs of getting the second series released, whereas I suspect sales of the first series of Kakegurui must not have been good enough.

Not the first time it's happened for AL, nor MVM. Best to import the second series if you still want it.

 

[BrokenPhoenix]

Sales of the first series of Kaiji must have warranted the costs of getting the second series released, whereas I suspect sales of the first series of Kakegurui must not have been good enough.

Not the first time it's happened for AL, nor MVM. Best to import the second series if you still want it.

Kaiji sales were probably helped by the popularity of Squid Game on Netflix. Additionally, Kaiji (along with Liar Game) has been noted publicly as the inspiration for Squid Game.

Not only that, but Kaiji is the superior "gambling" anime compared to Kakegurui, in my opinion. The gambling anime sub-genre is already quite a niche proposition, and the 'gambling' in Kakegurui isn't very good; as there seems to be very little consequence or cost for losing the gamble (aside from a bit of school bullying).

Kaiji has higher stakes and more on the line. It's a bloke trying to pay off his mounting debts or he'll lose his fingers and live the rest of his life doing hard labour versus rich school kids gambling with daddy's money. I think it's fairly clear which would be the more interesting watch and have a wider appeal.

Squid Game was popular and interesting for the same reason - participants in the games all had financial issues and the cost of losing the game was death.

 

[RadFemHedonist]

Kaiji sales were probably helped by the popularity of Squid Game on Netflix. Additionally, Kaiji (along with Liar Game) has been noted publicly as the inspiration for Squid Game.

Not only that, but Kaiji is the superior "gambling" anime compared to Kakegurui, in my opinion. The gambling anime sub-genre is already quite a niche proposition, and the 'gambling' in Kakegurui isn't very good; as there seems to be very little consequence or cost for losing the gamble (aside from a bit of school bullying).

Kaiji has higher stakes and more on the line. It's a bloke trying to pay off his mounting debts or he'll lose his fingers and live the rest of his life doing hard labour versus rich school kids gambling with daddy's money. I think it's fairly clear which would be the more interesting watch and have a wider appeal.

Squid Game was popular and interesting for the same reason - participants in the games all had financial issues and the cost of losing the game was death.

Having not seen either show, but having interest in both, sales for both were probably negatively impacted somewhat by Kaiji's UK release not having the dub included, and Kakeguri's not having the dub from Netflix that's generally regarded as better than the Sentai Filmworks dub included on the release

 

[BrokenPhoenix]

Having not seen either show, but having interest in both, sales for both were probably negatively impacted somewhat by Kaiji's UK release not having the dub included, and Kakeguri's not having the dub from Netflix that's generally regarded as better than the Sentai Filmworks dub included on the release

That's very true, and a good point. I think there was some statistic thrown around that the majority of anime is consumed dubbed (in the UK and US at least).

 

[lonelywolf23786]

I vaguely recall a Chinese film called Animal World based on Kaiji.

Also stars Michael Douglas as well

 

[BrokenPhoenix]

I vaguely recall a Chinese film called Animal World based on Kaiji.

Also stars Michael Douglas as well

Yes, there is. There are also several Japanese live-action films of Kaiji, starring Tatsuya Fujiwara (Shuya Nanahara in Battle Royale) as Kaiji.

 

[Shadow Cat]

Undecided on Witch from Mercury

Pro:
Loved the series
Steelbook looks nice

Cons:
£90 is pretty high
Reviews suggest no sign or music subs. (I cant remember if the simulcase had either of these)

Tempted to hold out to see if they go on sale, but they're already sold out in the US so maybe shouldnt leave it too long to decide

Edit: Regarding on screen text translation, there is loads of it but I highly doubt Crunchyroll/Sunrise would use an untranslated video for it... So I'm going to guess that review is rubbish lol

 

[Dave1988]

Lol who does al's emails etc? Since when was brothers conflict in stock? It has been sold out for ages? And yet it's on the latest email?!!

 

[Relaxo]

Well, they were searching for a new social media expert recently.

 

[Blaize]

Have you ever wondered why Anime Limited don't release some sports anime, especially football shows?

They're a UK based company and while the shows might not sell as well stateside here they'd probably do decent numbers. Really surprises me how they've never tried one. Hell a few even have English dubs like Tsubasa, Aoashi and Shoot! Goal to the Future.

I wonder if Blue Lock's sale numbers in the UK will maybe catch AL's eye. Though CR are crazy for not releasing Shoot and Aoashi here as well.

Just something I've always had in my mind where AL could cater alittle bit more to the UK demographic here and there with some shows that might sell better here than expected.

Does the French side of AL release sports shows? I know that in general Europe gets plenty of them which makes sense to me. Just a shame that same potential doesn't happen here.

I'm currently watching the Rugby series All Out! another title that'd probably had a chance to do well. Just has always seemed like a missed marketplace opportunity to me.

 

[BrokenPhoenix]

Have you ever wondered why Anime Limited don't release some sports anime, especially football shows?

They're a UK based company and while the shows might not sell as well stateside here they'd probably do decent numbers. Really surprises me how they've never tried one. Hell a few even have English dubs like Tsubasa, Aoashi and Shoot! Goal to the Future.

I wonder if Blue Lock's sale numbers in the UK will maybe catch AL's eye. Though CR are crazy for not releasing Shoot and Aoashi here as well.

Just something I've always had in my mind where AL could cater alittle bit more to the UK demographic here and there with some shows that might sell better here than expected.

Does the French side of AL release sports shows? I know that in general Europe gets plenty of them which makes sense to me. Just a shame that same potential doesn't happen here.

I'm currently watching the Rugby series All Out! another title that'd probably had a chance to do well. Just has always seemed like a missed marketplace opportunity to me.

I've had similar thoughts, but in regard to US publishers producing physical manga for series like Diamond no Ace and Major! Seems a missed opportunity given that Baseball is one of the main sports in the US and is seeing an increase in popularity due to the rise of Shohei Ohtani. Although, before that, the popularity of baseball in the states was going through a bit of a dip and its popularity was definitely declining a bit. However, now seems a pretty good time to take a shot at licencing baseball manga and anime in the US.

Sports manga and anime is one of my favourite genres, so I would definitely love to see more of it UK-side. Football and rugby are the obvious ones for a British audience. Don't think there are any cricket anime though

Anime and manga has never been more mainstream in the West either. The demographics of those who casually watch and enjoy anime and manga is much wider than it was say twenty years ago. There are sports people who read and watch it - I have a friend who you wouldn't think watched it, but they'll watch an anime that pops up on Netflix every now and then.

I'm pretty sure Captain Tsubasa was absolutely huge in South America, there are quite a few South American footballers who cite it as inspiration as to why they wanted to play football growing up. Like you, I'm quite surprised the UK never got more football manga and anime given the significance of it in British culture.

Oh and just to add: one of my favourite football anime (which I think could do well in the UK) is Giant Killing. Get on it AL.

 

[Joshawott]

Have you ever wondered why Anime Limited don't release some sports anime, especially football shows?

They're a UK based company and while the shows might not sell as well stateside here they'd probably do decent numbers. Really surprises me how they've never tried one. Hell a few even have English dubs like Tsubasa, Aoashi and Shoot! Goal to the Future.

I wonder if Blue Lock's sale numbers in the UK will maybe catch AL's eye. Though CR are crazy for not releasing Shoot and Aoashi here as well.

Just something I've always had in my mind where AL could cater alittle bit more to the UK demographic here and there with some shows that might sell better here than expected.

Does the French side of AL release sports shows? I know that in general Europe gets plenty of them which makes sense to me. Just a shame that same potential doesn't happen here.

I'm currently watching the Rugby series All Out! another title that'd probably had a chance to do well. Just has always seemed like a missed marketplace opportunity to me.

Anime Limited released The First SLAM DUNK theatrically last year, which did pretty well, especially given the general lack of a major presence for basketball in the UK.

Looking at the BFI box office reporting (which aren’t 100% accurate but broadly useful), it looks like Sony’s release of the Blue Lock movie did pretty well (a little bit lower than Slam Dunk but stronger than I’d expect for a franchise film of its nature).

The biggest issue is that typically, sports anime have been a reputation of not selling very well. Although the UK is a nation of sports lovers, I wonder how much audience crossover there actually is between those who are massively into sports, and those who are big into anime. Anime traditionally hasn’t been viewed very favourably in the UK - it’s only in recent years where that’s started to change. So, the cool kids who’d play football on the playground wouldn’t be caught dead watching an anime.

More pointedly, however, might be how many people turn out for event screenings or watch on Crunchyroll versus buy home video releases. Take Haikyu for example - the recent film grossed over £270,000 in its opening weekend (considerably more than The First SLAM DUNK and Blue Lock), but the series’ home video releases were widely known to have flopped under Animatsu. So, the average disparity will have to be taken into consideration when budgeting, etc.

 

[Girls with Guns]

I'm definitely a big sports-anime-avoider, as I have zero interest in sports in general anymore. The only sports anime I have in my entire collection are Ping Pong the Animation, and the Aim for the Ace Blu-rays from Discotek, and I haven't watched either series. I most likely only bought them because I was on my high school tennis team for four years (almost 50 years ago, now!) and I was huge into playing ping pong at a fairly advanced level. I was also on the high school rifle team back when they shot actual .22 target rifles inside the school, so probably why I am so into the Girls with Guns genre in anime, lol.

 

[zappi]

I'm definitely a big sports-anime-avoider, as I have zero interest in sports in general anymore. The only sports anime I have in my entire collection are Ping Pong the Animation, and the Aim for the Ace Blu-rays from Discotek, and I haven't watched either series. I most likely only bought them because I was on my high school tennis team for four years (almost 50 years ago, now!) and I was huge into playing ping pong at a fairly advanced level. I was also on the high school rifle team back when they shot actual .22 target rifles inside the school, so probably why I am so into the Girls with Guns genre in anime, lol.

you should definitely crack open that Ping Pong set, a modern classic imo and it's quite atypical as far as sports anime goes.
I remember reading somewhere that sports anime are poor sellers in the west, despite how much sports TV people tend to consume.

 

[Otomo]

I'm definitely a big sports-anime-avoider, as I have zero interest in sports in general anymore. The only sports anime I have in my entire collection are Ping Pong the Animation, and the Aim for the Ace Blu-rays from Discotek, and I haven't watched either series. I most likely only bought them because I was on my high school tennis team for four years (almost 50 years ago, now!) and I was huge into playing ping pong at a fairly advanced level. I was also on the high school rifle team back when they shot actual .22 target rifles inside the school, so probably why I am so into the Girls with Guns genre in anime, lol.

Your first has to be Scorching Ping Pong Girls.
Your heart will be racing.

 

[BrokenPhoenix]

The biggest issue is that typically, sports anime have been a reputation of not selling very well. Although the UK is a nation of sports lovers, I wonder how much audience crossover there actually is between those who are massively into sports, and those who are big into anime. Anime traditionally hasn’t been viewed very favourably in the UK - it’s only in recent years where that’s started to change. So, the cool kids who’d play football on the playground wouldn’t be caught dead watching an anime.

More pointedly, however, might be how many people turn out for event screenings or watch on Crunchyroll versus buy home video releases. Take Haikyu for example - the recent film grossed over £270,000 in its opening weekend (considerably more than The First SLAM DUNK and Blue Lock), but the series’ home video releases were widely known to have flopped under Animatsu. So, the average disparity will have to be taken into consideration when budgeting, etc.

I think these are both great points. I don't think there is any actual quantitative research looking at the crossover between people who are into sports and people who consume anime and/or manga, that would be very niche research Although, it would be very interesting to read about. However, just based on what I've seen in mainstream media and sports over the years (not scientific at all) - I'd say the overlap is definitely a lot bigger than what it used to be (either that, or people just feel more comfortable expressing their interest in it). After all, you only have to look at the most popular anime franchises to see that they do millions and millions worth of sales globally - I'm sure the stereotypical nerds can't be fuelling all of that industry, haha.

I think your second point is key though - are the people casually enjoying anime on Netflix/CR/in cinemas the same people who are collecting home video releases as well? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?

So, the cool kids who’d play football on the playground wouldn’t be caught dead watching an anime.

I think this was definitely true in my experience when I was in secondary school. However, I'd like to think this has changed in recent years. There is a small handful of famous footballers who have expressed their love for anime on the pitch (either through goal celebrations or custom made anime football boots they wear) and on social media.

You can also look at Jamaal Williams who is an American running-back for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL: the man is publicly rocking Akatsuki cloaks/Naruto headbands and telling reporters he's "going home to play Pokemon".

I don't think you could imagine famous athletes publicly expressing their interest in something like that 20 or so years ago. Which I think does show the increased cultural penetration of the anime industry in recent years. I also think it shows a change in culture surrounding these interests, where people feel more comfortable expressing it.

The UK is its own individual case of course (what may work in France and the US, may not work in the UK), and Britain has definitely lagged behind countries like the US and France (take a look at some of the anime TIFOs they have at French football stadiums), even Germany had anime on television in the 1970s. However, I'd like to think the UK is benefitting from the relatively recent increased popularity of anime and how mainstream it has become, in some way.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, give us some God damn sports anime, please Anime Limited.

 

[Bebop]

This discussion reminds me of this Guardian article from earlier this year.

‘Quitting is the devil’s fruit!’: why anime is firing up sports stars​

Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke, NFL stars and Olympic athletes are finding inspiration in the characters’ resilience

Look at this hilarious photo. Anime really did take over the world.

Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke twice thought he had scored the opening goal against Brentford on 11 May. Each time he wheeled away to celebrate, he put on an orange mask with a spiral pattern and one eyehole before posing in front of the cameras.

The goal was ruled out by VAR but the celebration went viral, as journalists wrote about “masked mayhem” and others wondered what this “bizarre” celebration could mean.

 

[xp_version1]

Whilst it's not cut and dry and this is a massive generalisation, I do think the biggest thing these days is consuming media vs owning physical. I just don't think a lot of the general public cares as much as we do. They can love a show and be perfectly happy to just watch it on Netflix, complain when it vanishes and then get on with their life. Streaming subscriptions have changed people's perceptions so I can absolutely understand a distributor being hesitant.

 

[Joshawott]

I think these are both great points. I don't think there is any actual quantitative research looking at the crossover between people who are into sports and people who consume anime and/or manga, that would be very niche research Although, it would be very interesting to read about. However, just based on what I've seen in mainstream media and sports over the years (not scientific at all) - I'd say the overlap is definitely a lot bigger than what it used to be (either that, or people just feel more comfortable expressing their interest in it). After all, you only have to look at the most popular anime franchises to see that they do millions and millions worth of sales globally - I'm sure the stereotypical nerds can't be fuelling all of that industry, haha.

I think your second point is key though - are the people casually enjoying anime on Netflix/CR/in cinemas the same people who are collecting home video releases as well? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?



I think this was definitely true in my experience when I was in secondary school. However, I'd like to think this has changed in recent years. There is a small handful of famous footballers who have expressed their love for anime on the pitch (either through goal celebrations or custom made anime football boots they wear) and on social media.

You can also look at Jamaal Williams who is an American running-back for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL: the man is publicly rocking Akatsuki cloaks/Naruto headbands and telling reporters he's "going home to play Pokemon".

I don't think you could imagine famous athletes publicly expressing their interest in something like that 20 or so years ago. Which I think does show the increased cultural penetration of the anime industry in recent years. I also think it shows a change in culture surrounding these interests, where people feel more comfortable expressing it.

The UK is its own individual case of course (what may work in France and the US, may not work in the UK), and Britain has definitely lagged behind countries like the US and France (take a look at some of the anime TIFOs they have at French football stadiums), even Germany had anime on television in the 1970s. However, I'd like to think the UK is benefitting from the relatively recent increased popularity of anime and how mainstream it has become, in some way.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, give us some God damn sports anime, please Anime Limited.

I think you've hit on a key dividing point: there are a number of major US athletes and celebrities who are professed anime fans (Michael B. Jordan and Megan Thee Stallion, for example). However, how many Brits are there? Bill Bailey wore a Dragon Ball t-shirt on QI once some years ago. We've had some celebrities like Ed Sheeran mention being fans of Pokémon, but what person who grew up in the late 90s wasn't?

It's actually something I've looked into at work before (would have been nice to get some along to events etc), but it's still an issue here. Perhaps when the teenagers of today start making it big in a decade or so...

Look at this hilarious photo. Anime really did take over the world.

You've just reminded me that I used to own a Tobi mask just like that! That's a good sign, though.

 

[serpantino]

This discussion reminds me of this Guardian article from earlier this year.



Look at this hilarious photo. Anime really did take over the world.

He plays for Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) now. He's mentioned loving anime in quite a few interviews already & is still hitting up the anime celebrations.
I'm a fan myself & really glad he's joined the team.