UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

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.
 
Blaize said:
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.
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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.
 
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Blaize said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
Girls with Guns said:
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.
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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.
 
Girls with Guns said:
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.
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Your first has to be Scorching Ping Pong Girls.
Your heart will be racing.
 
Joshawott said:
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.
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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?

Joshawott said:
So, the cool kids who’d play football on the playground wouldn’t be caught dead watching an anime.
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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.
 
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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
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Look at this hilarious photo. Anime really did take over the world.

4000.jpg


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.
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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.
 
BrokenPhoenix said:
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.
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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...

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

4000.jpg
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You've just reminded me that I used to own a Tobi mask just like that! That's a good sign, though.
 
I just got from AllTheAnime email about goblin slayer 2 being on sale.

But I noticed in that same email Overlord season 1 collector/limited edition (the link fails/ 404 not found) I was wondering if anyone had heard anything on a re-release?, or probably more likley whether it was just a failed algorithm (that probably took most searched for items or something)

screen overlord CE.png
 
SkwigglesWorth said:
I just got from AllTheAnime email about goblin slayer 2 being on sale.

But I noticed in that same email Overlord season 1 collector/limited edition (the link fails/ 404 not found) I was wondering if anyone had heard anything on a re-release?, or probably more likley whether it was just a failed algorithm (that probably took most searched for items or something)

View attachment 36287
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Al being Al, same as grimgar collectors? Oop so long ago as Al released that
 
SkwigglesWorth said:
I just got from AllTheAnime email about goblin slayer 2 being on sale.

But I noticed in that same email Overlord season 1 collector/limited edition (the link fails/ 404 not found) I was wondering if anyone had heard anything on a re-release?, or probably more likley whether it was just a failed algorithm (that probably took most searched for items or something)

View attachment 36287
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Pretty sure Overlord s1 CE was looong OOP before AL even started peddling Crunchy goods 🤔
 
Advance notice- despite posting a ton of coverage from the May event (including all my Macross coverage being highlighted by the rights holder), for the first time I have been refused an MCM press pass. I know in recent years I've provided live coverage of AL announcements at the event but sadly this time (assuming AL will be there) that won't be possible :(
 
HellCat said:
Advance notice- despite posting a ton of coverage from the May event (including all my Macross coverage being highlighted by the rights holder), for the first time I have been refused an MCM press pass. I know in recent years I've provided live coverage of AL announcements at the event but sadly this time (assuming AL will be there) that won't be possible :(
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Well that sucks... gosh dangit to heck :(
 
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