Simple answer to that question would be "no". There is a legal requirement to submit all video content to the BBFC and receive certification before being released into stores in the UK. This was decided many years back to prevent the ignorant masses from viewing questionable content on recorded content, all of which happened at about the time when prices were coming within reach of lower-middle class citizens, who the rich seem to see as the dregs of society and should be protected from themselves. Before that classification was deemed unnecessary since only a select (rich/powerful) few could ever hope to see it.ayase said:
Beez Entertainment Discussion
- Thread starter melonpan
- Start date
Is out of here
Great Teacher
Indeed cuz watching anime makes want to be a member of the anonymous and do things for epic lulz.
Is out of here
Great Teacher
On another note i hve never really been a fan of a paticular distro but after seeing volume 1 of harurhi (which i have allready metioned in this thread) I think i like beez
Unfortunately I can't bring myself to buy something if I know I'm payomg too much! My current anime box-set purchases that I've bought and watched to date are:Jayme said:
Heat Guy J (26 eps, 6 discs) - £7.50
Hellsing (13 eps, 4 discs) - £16.14
Full Metal Panic (26 eps, 7 discs) - £14.98
Martian Successor Nadesico (26 eps, 6 discs) - £19.99
Otogi Zoshi (26 eps, 7 discs) - £15.97
GiTS: SAC (26 eps, 7 discs) - £17.97
She: The Ultimate Weapon (26 eps, 7 discs) - £12.97
Gunslinger Girl (13 eps, 4 discs) - £14.35
Cowboy Bebop - both boxsets (26 eps, 6 discs) - £49.98
(And yes I bothered to look back through my online purchases to find out!)
All these boxsets were bought brand new from major UK retailers. I'm quite proud of the fact that I won't let myself get ripped off - even though Bebop is my favouite purchase so far I still feel annoyed that I paid so much for it.
While I appreciate that some newer Beez titles are competitively priced (S-Cry-Ed, Fantastic Children) most of them are consistently at silly prices (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Planetes, Witch Hunter Robin, Escaflowne) and I'm not going to buy them.
The thing is, distributors are always trying to find a happy medium.
I don't think it's fair that Andrew should answer this question every time it comes up (not that he has to answer it at all) - I'm sure it's been asked before several times in this thread already.
EDIT: I was going to go into it a bit more, but I am actually kind of phased by a few things myself.
Specifically how much packaging actually costs - it would be fair to assume that the better the packaging (more ply chipboard, more extras etc - costs more), but I'm really not sure if that's even the case. ADV US sell the likes of Run Soldier 2x episode series for a mad-cheap price $50 I think, but other 2x episode series for $60/70/80/90. ADV US do the majority of their thinpak collections in really thick (Japanese standard) chipboard, but the pricing is different, so the price is reletive to the popularity of the show and how much people will pay for it, I would assume.
ADV UK on the other hand do ******-ass packaging for disgustingly expensive prices.
Beez have really great shows and I would assume can afford to price them higher, and give us some of the best packaging ever seen (on par with or better than the Japanese releases).
I'm sure there are perfectly logical explanations, but there are certainly a huge amount of exceptions to the rule. In face there probably isn't a rule most of the time - there are such a ridiculous amount of factors involved.
Anyway and now for something not entirely completely different:
Andrew, I'm wondering if you can elaborate on your plans on the Wolf's Rain boxset coming out later this year - is it the same style as the Japanese boxset (like you've got simultaneous releases off the ground) or is it just coincidence that the Japanese are re-releasing boxsets of older titles at the same time you are.
Also, can you confirm or deny (or no comment) on whether or not the Bandai Channel idea is part of a worldwide strategy? (i.e in line with Bandai Entertainment USA's mega-ultra-massive-OTT hype for a new era and massive massive new things to come)
I don't think it's fair that Andrew should answer this question every time it comes up (not that he has to answer it at all) - I'm sure it's been asked before several times in this thread already.
EDIT: I was going to go into it a bit more, but I am actually kind of phased by a few things myself.
Specifically how much packaging actually costs - it would be fair to assume that the better the packaging (more ply chipboard, more extras etc - costs more), but I'm really not sure if that's even the case. ADV US sell the likes of Run Soldier 2x episode series for a mad-cheap price $50 I think, but other 2x episode series for $60/70/80/90. ADV US do the majority of their thinpak collections in really thick (Japanese standard) chipboard, but the pricing is different, so the price is reletive to the popularity of the show and how much people will pay for it, I would assume.
ADV UK on the other hand do ******-ass packaging for disgustingly expensive prices.
Beez have really great shows and I would assume can afford to price them higher, and give us some of the best packaging ever seen (on par with or better than the Japanese releases).
I'm sure there are perfectly logical explanations, but there are certainly a huge amount of exceptions to the rule. In face there probably isn't a rule most of the time - there are such a ridiculous amount of factors involved.
Anyway and now for something not entirely completely different:
Andrew, I'm wondering if you can elaborate on your plans on the Wolf's Rain boxset coming out later this year - is it the same style as the Japanese boxset (like you've got simultaneous releases off the ground) or is it just coincidence that the Japanese are re-releasing boxsets of older titles at the same time you are.
Also, can you confirm or deny (or no comment) on whether or not the Bandai Channel idea is part of a worldwide strategy? (i.e in line with Bandai Entertainment USA's mega-ultra-massive-OTT hype for a new era and massive massive new things to come)
ayase
State Alchemist
melonpan said:
Yeah, we kinda got derailed - my real question was if the UK would ever see priced down releases of older anime like the US Bandai ones - Beez is a part of Bandai after all.
melonpan said:
That is very true, and I suppose I was attempting to get to the bottom of why Bandai in the US do cheaper packaging and prices in the, and Beez in the UK do intermediate packaging (aside from Haruhi & the Patlabor collectors Editions - it's not bad, but nothing spectacular either) and comparitavely high prices. Is it all the BBFC's fault? And if so, isn't it time for some Lady Chatterly's Lover style takedown?
Yeah sorry if I started derailing the thread - bit new so I should have read back I guess! And no offence intended to Andrew, the fact that a representative is even talking to customers directly is something to be applauded!
Quick question though - when people are slating the ADV packaging are they referring to the thinpak style used by Hellsing, Panic, Nadesico etc?
Quick question though - when people are slating the ADV packaging are they referring to the thinpak style used by Hellsing, Panic, Nadesico etc?
beez_andrew
Great Teacher
Jayme said:
While I can't comment on the license speculation people have given above - I can definitely say Amecon will be epic...^^.
Well I'm really going to alienate myself here, they sound like the same thing used for Hellsing and Full Metal Panic! and I really like them! Much prefer them to the 'standard boxes in a cardboard sleeve' used by my Heat Guy J and Cowboy Bebop sets.jonboy said:
Look better, better protect the discs, more durable and... I'm diverting the thread again so I'll stop.
DeathNote_Holder
Dandy Guy, in Space
I love beez products! its great!
Neferpitou
Stand User
The BBFC is not the main the reason why prices are higher than the USA, It their population size which is 5 times the size of ours meaning a lot more potential buyers.
Even without BBFC here it would still be struggle for anime companies to break even here, a population the size of the usa would help more than bbfc disappearing.
Even without BBFC here it would still be struggle for anime companies to break even here, a population the size of the usa would help more than bbfc disappearing.
That is not viable in reality. The fanbase, percentage-wise between the US and UK is about the same. The difference is really about the population difference. You cannot force people to buy into a particular medium so anime will remain very niche for the forseeable future.chaos said:
Neferpitou
Stand User
Population size and BBFC Factors to the price of anime are things which be unlikely to ever change. Complaining about BBFC unfair fees will make no difference, so people have deal with it as it won't disappear anytime soon.
Apart from media exposer to make people more aware of anime existence, the only way i can see anime becoming cheaper is for less companies to exist in the uk.
Currently there 5 Companies which are competing against each other and against a lot of the time cheaper and earlier imports from the USA. With so much money spread thinly between 5 companies a lot titles will never will be cheap or ever sell well enough. The only exception MANGA who titles do sell well as they have got a media present, but can the uk support another company on the scale of MANGA?
Apart from media exposer to make people more aware of anime existence, the only way i can see anime becoming cheaper is for less companies to exist in the uk.
Currently there 5 Companies which are competing against each other and against a lot of the time cheaper and earlier imports from the USA. With so much money spread thinly between 5 companies a lot titles will never will be cheap or ever sell well enough. The only exception MANGA who titles do sell well as they have got a media present, but can the uk support another company on the scale of MANGA?
ConanThe3rd
Railgun
And hence we get back to the great bug bear: I will not buy because they will not sell for lower because I will not buy becuase they won't sell lower because I will just buy the American releases that are out quicker and for less.
It's just one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead. ...
It's just one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead. ...
But what about Heat Guy J? As an admittedly 'casual' anime fan this seemed to appear from out of nowhere at a very cheap price (less than £10) on play.com which resulted in me buying it, and hence lending it to my friends who bought it as well.
My friends are even more casual about anime than me. If you had asked them to name anime titles all they would be able to give you would be Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Ninja Scroll and various Studio Ghibli films - but you can add Heat Guy J tp that list now as well due to the price it appeared at.
Does anyone have any official figures for anime sales anyway? I seem to remember Heat Guy J being one of plays bestsellers for quite a while (and I don't mean just on their anime bestseller list - I mean their overall bestseller list).
EDIT: Ah, you can probably ignore my rant. Just checked and it's a manga release and someone's already pointed out they have an advantage in this area.
My friends are even more casual about anime than me. If you had asked them to name anime titles all they would be able to give you would be Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Ninja Scroll and various Studio Ghibli films - but you can add Heat Guy J tp that list now as well due to the price it appeared at.
Does anyone have any official figures for anime sales anyway? I seem to remember Heat Guy J being one of plays bestsellers for quite a while (and I don't mean just on their anime bestseller list - I mean their overall bestseller list).
EDIT: Ah, you can probably ignore my rant. Just checked and it's a manga release and someone's already pointed out they have an advantage in this area.
