Fortune Magazine produce detailed look at US anime industry

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
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Fortune.com have posted a detailed and interesting article concerning the US anime industry, largely investigating the buisness practices and ethics surrounding ADV but also touching on a number of issues, most notably fansubs and the steady progress being made in collecting funds for the Neon Genesis Evangelion live action movie; the project is said to have already made $50 million of a required $100 million target.
 
This was a very interesting read; for once, the (US) press seem to have produced a decent article about anime.

For a start, it's somewhat fun (though also disturbing) to read that ADV are intentionally stirring up controversy within the anime community to earn a few extra sales; the whole Ghost Stories dub thing certainly stirred up a lot of debate.

Also, it was good to read another positive spin on the fansub debate; the Cartoon Network execs sound happy enough that Naruto was so extensively fansubbed to create the kind of buzz that sent it immediately to the top of their ratings.

Finally, good on ADV for somehow raising $50 million for the Evangelion movie; WETA apparently getting 25 e-mails to every one they get for Lord of the Rings is a somewhat shocking revelation :)
 
Not a bad read in and of itself- there are some interesting facts there but the article is coloured by a not-too-subtle pro-ADV spin. On a personal note I'd prefer to read something a little more balanced but then I guess that wasn't the point of this article anyway and some decent publicity for anime probably shouldn't be sniffed at . :)
 
I've heard a lot of arguments for and against the NGE live action and ended up sitting on the fence. It could work but ADV might not be the best company to do it - it's still surprising how they got so much of the cash needed in so short a time though.

A very interesting article, if a little pro-ADV. Still, it gives some good insights into the company and is pretty insightful as far as the ethics of fansubs are concerned.
 
Seeing a giant purple mecha fighting a giant floating alien is ok for an animation but live action I don't think it would work well. I doubt the movie would really move into the deeper elements of the series, it's probably gonna mainly be focused on the over the top fight scenes. Plus you just know Asuka's gonna be played by an American high school girl type. "Like whatever!" *crinji*
 
While I agree with the sentiment the articles a bit too pro ADV (In the US I don't consider them in the top two companies anymore), the article in general is a good read.

As for the subject of live-action EVA, im not really convinced. Imho ADV should spend money on decent licenses which they have a huge lack of at the moment.
 
Well, I'm not a big fan of EVA as it is so I can't imagine what a live action version will be like. I know one person who says she "loves" EVA and can't even pronounce Asuka's name properly *sigh*

Still, I'll probably go and see the thing, regardless of its reviews. It would be good if they get some decent actors in, but if the script's wrong it's all downhill from there. Remember the hype about the Thunderbirds movie? My guess is that it's going to go something like that. The EVA fans will love it regardless though...like the YGO fans loved their movie. Us on-the-fencers can't win.
 
Melainy said:
Remember the hype about the Thunderbirds movie? My guess is that it's going to go something like that.
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Evangelions Are Go!
Melainy said:
The EVA fans will love it regardless though...
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I'm a huge Eva fan and I can't see it working at all. And if it does get made and released, it's going to be what the general public will remember Eva as.
 
Not a bad read, although it did open on rather a disturbing note - there's a plot for a future horror flick in there somewhere ;)- I was quite shocked to learn how small scale ADV's operation is, sounds rather bohemian, almost like an indie record label.

On the subject of the mooted live action Eva adaptation, I'm still regarding it with a degree of cynicism. With WETA at the helm the special effects will no doubt look fantastic, but ADV's decision to let the rabid fanboys dictate every part of the production doesn't instil me with confidence.
 
Perhaps surprisingly, there are a lot of NGE fans who are screaming "NOOOO!" at the thought of a live action adaptation. The motives vary of course - many are, like us, unsure of how well it will transfer from animation while others are the snobbish fanboy types (the sites in question know who they are) who are horrified at the prospect of 'their' show getting a mainstream following.

Mangaminx's point about ADV concentrating on getting good licences is a good one too - they must be a big enough name in the industry by now to have high standards on what they pick up rather than frantically grabbing the first thing that comes along.
 
Concrete badger said:
Mangaminx's point about ADV concentrating on getting good licences is a good one too - they must be a big enough name in the industry by now to have high standards on what they pick up rather than frantically grabbing the first thing that comes along.
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Not to mention releasing the series they seem to have permenantly backlogged; it's been over a year now since they (pre)licensed KURAU: Phantom Memory and still, not even a peep from them with regards to a release date. A shame too, since it's a quite brilliant series from Studio BONES.
 
ADV should put some money into their manga department, it's slacking right now. I'm hearing rumours that Yotsuba&! volume 4 isn't even licenced by them.
 
ADV's manga department could certainly use an injection of money, and some decent licenses. Its in a pretty bad state right now.

They need to release KURAU, which they still have backlogged and I fear may have slipped into the "delicensed" category as Tactics and Mermaid Melody did before.

ADV also need to get some decent new licenses. Samuri Gun, Shadow Skill, Legend Of Moby Dick? :? , Yumeria... , while I am sure these shows have thier fans none of them are titles I would consider must buys, or A-grade in quality. 50 million raised for the EVA live action? How about spending that on licensing some popular shows that are still in limbo? Theres high-quality niche titles out there aswell which are far better than the crap ADV are currently churning out stateside.
 
Mangaminx said:
ADV also need to get some decent new licenses. Samuri Gun, Shadow Skill, Legend Of Moby Dick? :? , Yumeria... , while I am sure these shows have thier fans none of them are titles I would consider must buys, or A-grade in quality. 50 million raised for the EVA live action? How about spending that on licensing some popular shows that are still in limbo? Theres high-quality niche titles out there aswell which are far better than the crap ADV are currently churning out stateside.
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Have to agree with this sentiment, the majority of ADV's current releases seem more like the stuff of nightmare than anything I'd want to see sitting on my DVD shelf, while many far more enjoyable series remain unlicensed. And while the Eva live action could potentially turn out well, it does seem like too much of a gamble with money that could be put to far better use elsewhere.
 
I remember a few years ago ADV seemed to be on top of the anime world in the US. Now they seem to be more interested in trying to get the live action Eva movie in development than in anime right now. Maybe hopefully ADV will go back to focusing more on anime no matter what happens with the Eva movie
 
I must admit that the e-mail ADV sent me advertising Moby Dick left me thinking "what the...?"

Not unlike my reaction to the Fuccons (see <a href="http://forums.animeuknews.net/viewtopic.php?t=2764">this thread</a> in case you don't know what I'm talking about). "What the...?" indeed.
 
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