Anime Limited updates and ideas - DRR / Gurren edition

[st_owly (witch)]

Don't forget with an £69.99 RRP, places like Amazon will discount that pretty heavily.

 

[jonno394]

Yes but whether or not people want to splash that much cash in one swoop is another matter entirely.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

Don't forget with an £69.99 RRP, places like Amazon will discount that pretty heavily.

Not arguing that'll not be the case btb.

Yes but whether or not people want to splash that much cash in one swoop is another matter entirely.

If it's closer to £60 then I think most people would but again, that's only if it's a simultaneous release.

 

[AntAce]

I've got no nice words for you. Your ethos is that of poison.

Poison or not, that's the way it is. From a purely business perspective, releasing a cheaper BD SKU will potentially have an adverse effect on sales of the more expensive Ultimate set - especially considering the attitude of some anime buyers is "I want it now, and I want it cheap," completely misunderstanding the niche nature of their hobby.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

I've got no nice words for you. Your ethos is that of poison.

Poison or not, that's the way it is. From a purely business perspective, releasing a cheaper BD SKU will potentially have an adverse effect on sales of the more expensive Ultimate set - especially considering the attitude of some anime buyers is "I want it now, and I want it cheap," completely misunderstanding the niche nature of their hobby.

But being an asshole is being an asshole regardless of what business you're running.

Let's put it this way, how well do you think Ni No Kuni would have sold if the Wizards Eidtion (the one with all the stuff, the DLC, the book, etc) which RRP'd at £70 or so was the only product avaiable at launch and there was only vauge mutterings about a regular £35 edition to be released when NamcoBandai felt like it?

I'll tell you this much, it would not have outsold DMC: Devil May Cry doing that.

 

[jonno394]

You're quite an angry chap conan.

 

[AntAce]

I fail to see how releasing a cheaper version of a product down the line makes a company an ********. Aniplex did this with Oreimo - release an LE then a regular edition several months later, acknowledging that there was still a certain level of interest in the series. Funimation are doing it with Lain - releasing an iteration for their Classics line, sans the artbook and nice box.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

You're quite an angry chap conan.

So? You saying that isn't going to suddenly turn what I believe on it's head and suddenly welcome a poor, anti consumer PR Maneuver with both hands extended.

I fail to see how releasing a cheaper version of a product down the line makes a company an ********. Aniplex did this with Oreimo - release an LE then a regular edition several months later, acknowledging that there was still a certain level of interest in the series. Funimation are doing it with Lain - releasing an iteration for their Classics line, sans the artbook and nice box.

Well, no Aniplex are ********s. Just ********s who have the bank to be as much.
When that awful piece of siscon trash got it's LE release there was nary a peep for a SKU for the more concerning customer and the regular edition came as a "Delightful" surprise.

Here, the SKU is in play as it was announced alongside it's insanely priced doppelganger, adding a wait for the more sane consumer is a punishment and I will not abide by it.

 

[jonno394]

You're quite an angry chap conan.

So? You saying that isn't going to suddenly turn what I believe on it's head and suddenly welcome a poor, anti consumer PR Maneuver with both hands extended.

No, Im saying you're the only one who has been getting aggressive, sarcastic and turning the air blue while discussing this. Andrew did ask to keep it nice and friendly

 

[ConanThe3rd]

You're quite an angry chap conan.

So? You saying that isn't going to suddenly turn what I believe on it's head and suddenly welcome a poor, anti consumer PR Maneuver with both hands extended.

No, Im saying you're the only one who has been getting aggressive, sarcastic and turning the air blue while discussing this. Andrew did ask to keep it nice and friendly

I'm only giving what's given. I'm not Captain "Oh, oh, don't want to pay for extras and just want the Show at a reasonable cost*? UNACEPTABLE! you and the horse you rode in on, six months, DUNGEON!!" of the SS Aniplex Sod Bucket.

My comments might be emotional, and I am truly sorry if they offend, but they do not have this undercurrent of curt disrespect for customers that has less place in this fandom and is more fitting at a Conservative Party conference.

And to be clear I'm not talking of Andrew, who I only hold in the highest of regard given the pure nonsene he has to deal with on a daily basis, in that regard.

*(Again, I think £69 is a fair RRP given that, divided by two, that's about where the bebop boxes were at and if that means loosing the movies and the music videos then so be it)

 

[Ath]

Boy, that escalated quickly.

This is an extremely complex issue at the end of the day. We all have our different ideas and desires from our physical media. Mine is to own my favourite series and movies in the best picture and sound quality possible, with a truckload of extra features so I can learn as much behind-the-scenes info as I can. For others, it may be to own something that they would be proud to call part of their collection. Then there's the "I want it now, and I want it cheap" audience, who absolutely are a valid audience (one that I think MangaUK have done a good job of serving on the whole).

I still think Andrew's plan in the first post is the most sound. I can appreciate that the nature of the UK market may necessitate a delay for a Standard BD to ensure that the Ultimate one sells. As this is a catalogue title, I think that's a perfectly acceptable solution, though I don't think that would be a preferable option for new release titles (but that's just my personal opinion).

I do think it'd be ideal if the Parallel Works and Movies were to be available as a standard set later on down the line on BD for those who want them. Having read up on them (I understand it's music videos and compliation movies respectively?), I can see why in this particular case a separate release would not be viable at this point due to their particular nature. However, I think it's important that this should be a case-by-case thing. To use another example, if it were say a re-release of the original Fullmetal Alchemist series in a similar configuration, and the Conqueror of Shamballa movie were made exclusive to the Ultimate BD set at £150 with no standard BD, then in that particular situation I think it would be a mistake.

I think Anime Ltd have got the right idea anyway with their options going forward. Those uber expensive, all-singing all dancing Aniplex-style releases, a budget DVD release, and most importantly for me, a nice regular Blu-ray release with the best picture and sound (once you've sorted out your QC ), all those lovely on-disc special features, and a reasonable price in-line with the local market. Like Criterion!

 

[ConanThe3rd]

Boy, that escalated quickly.

I'd like to think it did because this is important. I honestly believe that to punish people who want to buy the show on BR without having to pay an exorbitant cost for it would be to consider those customers void and that is not what ALA should be doing at any point as a business.

To put it this way; They do not anger the "Hardcore" customers when they offer both SKUs at the same time. They will anger everyone else if they only offer the Hardcore SKU with a delay on the "Casual" SKU to "Allow the hardcore SKU to sell" when I'll give you that most have already decided on what SKU they'd want to pick up anyway. Delaying the "Casual" SKU will not make enough people go "Oh, I'll buy the 'Hardcore' SKU" instead and could very well make them go "Well, I don't need GL / I have the AL set / I can get it off wherever".

 

[AntAce]

Well, no Aniplex are ********s. Just ********s who have the bank to be as much.
When that awful piece of siscon trash got it's LE release there was nary a peep for a SKU for the more concerning customer and the regular edition came as a "Delightful" surprise.

Here, the SKU is in play as it was announced alongside it's insanely priced doppelganger, adding a wait for the more sane consumer is a punishment and I will not abide by it.

I don't think Aniplex are ********s. I've bought a few of their releases, so I might be a little biased in their favour, but I've also skipped more releases than I've purchased, because their too expensive for my budget. My response has always been, "I'm not their target market." It's a little annoying, but I don't consider their business practices unethical enough to call them ********s.

I understand where you're coming from, conan; the regular BD being 'announced' along side the Ultimate edition - which isn't a doppelganger, the contents differ - but the only way I can see this being problematic is if the regular BD is never released, which I don't think would/should happen. I just don't see a period of 'timed exclusivity' for the Ultimate edition to be all that bothersome, perhaps not as long as the '6-8 months' Andrew mentions in his second post, but definitely a month or two. I don't mind waiting - it would allow the early adopters to be the Guinea pigs, in case of any on-disk glitches.

 

[Ath]

I honestly believe that to punish people who want to buy the show on BR without having to pay an exorbitant cost for it would be to consider those customers void and that is not what ALA should be doing at any point as a business.

Here I am in agreement with you, and in fact this is my main problem with Aniplex. For Gurren Lagann, I think the solution proposed by Andrew is the correct one. While I would definitely prefer both the Standard and Ultimate editions to be day-and-date, in this particular case I think a staggered release would be understandable. This is due to both Gurren Lagann's status as a catalogue title, and the relative newness of Anime Limited as a label still trying to cultivate an audience. Ideally once that audience is there, then we can get Ultimate and Standard releases day-and-date without having a "Beez Patlabor" situation (I remember going to London Expo a few years ago and seeing them being sold at like 2 for £15 or something).

 

[ConanThe3rd]

I'm sorry but I'm opposed to that even for GL. You do no favours by treating any of your customers as second class citizens at any point as a business, be it the start or the finish.

 

[Shiroi Hane]

On the subject of Durarara and feedback, is there any hope for this line being fixed on the new discs?

I reported it to Crunchyroll at the time but it was never fixed, and it survived right through to the Beez discs too.
Since he's talking about the disembodied adult head in a jar he's been obsessed with since he was a boy, I assume the line is backwards.

But being an asshole is being an asshole regardless of what business you're running.

So what business are you running?

 

[ConanThe3rd]

But being an asshole is being an asshole regardless of what business you're running.

So what business are you running?

Start up New Media (Web, Video etc) design business, actually. It's not fully up and running but that's where I'm aiming to do with myself and I have had to have been that asshole when a client started screwing me around (the old "We'll pay you in Shares" gag).

So yeah, that business, that experiance of knowing you're an asshole.

 

[reborn]

Commenting as a potential buyer for both shows, unlikely to be useful.

Durarara:
I've watched the show, I've been waiting for a release that includes the dub and from the UK. It is a release that I will happily pay for at the right price and the right time.

So 24 episodes, going based on srp price with a possible discount of £10. I'm not bothered about art cards and to an extend, cover artwork. £39.99 is a price I would be as such willing to pay but then when it comes to buying anime, I tend to prefer to spend a maximum of £30 on a release. This is not saying I want 24 episodes down to that price, but personally would prefer that a split of 12 episodes which will likely be priced at around £19/£20.

Gurren Lagann:
I have an interest, i've watched a few episodes. The ultimate set would be ruled out already (ignoring it being blu-ray). So going onto the DVD series which could possibly be £39.99 once discounted and I wouldn't be for it even though there are more episodes than Durarara. I would probably be more likely to buy Gurren as a cheap budget release with all episodes, no artcards and no fancy artwork for around £30 (and more than likely not till a good while after release).

I will admit to having no clue what a Digipack is, but as long as it isn't a DVD box like Sentai with all disks on top of each other and Kaze with the thin boxes then i'll likely be happy.

 

[mangaman74]

I fail to see how releasing a cheaper version of a product down the line makes a company an ********. Aniplex did this with Oreimo - release an LE then a regular edition several months later, acknowledging that there was still a certain level of interest in the series. Funimation are doing it with Lain - releasing an iteration for their Classics line, sans the artbook and nice box.

Don't forget that NIS America release some of their shows as regular editions further down the line as well (AnoHana being the latest example).

 

[AntAce]

I'm sorry but I'm opposed to that even for GL. You do no favours by treating any of your customers as second class citizens at any point as a business, be it the start or the finish.

But businesses do this all the time? As an example, airlines; all customers across the board get to ride the plane to their destination, but as you pay more you get better treatment, be that boarding the aircraft ahead of everyone else or more legroom, etc. Another, perhaps better fitting analogy are companies such as Crunchyroll; you pay and have a wide selection of HD anime available before non-subscribers, who are still customers, but pay through watching adverts.

Another point that I don't think has been touched upon is the availability of a release such as Gurren Lagann's Ultimate edition. Would that be solely left to online stores, because I imagine it to be quite a large package and something brick and mortar shop might be a little hesitant about stocking? I believe that's one of the issues with NISA's releases.

I fail to see how releasing a cheaper version of a product down the line makes a company an ********. Aniplex did this with Oreimo - release an LE then a regular edition several months later, acknowledging that there was still a certain level of interest in the series. Funimation are doing it with Lain - releasing an iteration for their Classics line, sans the artbook and nice box.

Don't forget that NIS America release some of their shows as regular editions further down the line as well (AnoHana being the latest example).

Thank you for reminding me. Would've been a much better example to put my point across, especially considering regular editions from NISA are certainly not a given. Although their premium edition prices are a little easier to swallow.