UK Anime Distributor MVM Entertainment Discussion Thread

Buzz201 said:
DesuDayo said:
But this is directed at you; Learn the market. If you understood the anime industry and its market in Japan i highly doubt that you'd say that the current business model "isn't viable".
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Did you see this? http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interes ... sts/.91536

Not one of the persons interviewed suggests it's a good model and one even explicitly says "Expecting to make that [a budget of $1.2-1.6m] up through disc sales alone is a hopeless business model, but that's how almost all late night anime are," He quotes the lowest figure and suggests they can't make that back from disc scales, so if the others are accurate the situation must be even worse.

If you rely on a few big hits to finance your entire business all it would take is a company to go a year or two without a big hitter, and they could find themselves in trouble. It's hard to see how that could be considered sustainable under any definition of the word.
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Blindly believing what two seemingly unknown people working in the industry say isn't something I can recommend. Not to mention none of these have anything to do with the workings of the market, and since there aren't any references to their experiences in that area either I can safely assume that they have as much knowledge on the subject as any keen anime fan does.

Expecting to make that up through disc sales alone is a hopeless business model, but that's how almost all late night anime are," he writes.
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That's not how almost all late night anime are. Disc sales are a key ingredient, that's for sure, but it's not the only one. Merchandise sales like figurines and music CDs contribute a lot as well.

If it's an adaptation sales of the original works also come into play, as most adapations are basically advertisments for the original manga/light novel/visual novel. As for original anime productions, many get tie-ins like manga adaptations. Outside of that there's also the numerous exhibitions and events.


Adding this since you used the word collapse previously:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... 014/.92114

"The AJA attributes part of this success to merchandise and the sale of streaming rights in China. Last year, the report noted an increase the number of anime exhibits and events, such as anime song concerts and musicals."
 
I'm with Buzz on this. £110+ for 13 episodes is atrocious.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Telling fans who are interested in a product but balk at the pricing of it to 'learn the market' is unrealistic. Because learning the market doesn't enable anybody to spend money they don't have. And frankly, when you're selling non-essential goods to people, a lot of folks just aren't interested in any of the behind the scenes stuff.

Do people complaining about the cost of filling their car with petrol get told by oil firms or garage staff to learn the market?
Do people complaining about the cost of porridge oats get told by farmers and supermarkets to learn that market?
Do people complaining about the cost of an overnight stay in a Travelodge get told at the front desk to learn the market?

Seriously. That's a 'shut up' tactic I'd like to see fired into the heart of the sun.

It comes down to desirability of product / whether the asking price is appealing to the individual. There's a lot of shows I'd be inclined to pay over the odds for. But when you get into AoA territory, it's just not affordable on any level for some of us.
 
While myself and others were discussing the state of anime on Twitter, MVM popped in to add some interesting information about their current states.

MVM Entertainment
Just because something is released on BD doesn't mean it's going to automatically sell well. Accel World is a perfect example - the individual parts on BD have barely sold. Minimum print run for BD is 1000. I think this applies with the majority, not just us. The Mono series is the only title that has actually sold far more on BD than DVD. All our other BD/DVD titles the sales have been either fairly equal, or DVD selling more. It is a shame - end of the day no matter how big anime has gotten, its still very much a niche market in the UK. It's impossible to tell what would work. We were planning on revisiting older titles and releasing on BD but poor sales of Sam Cham BD...the problem is older titles have been available on import for ages, and cheaper.
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https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636453706553274368
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636453882768568320
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454205314740224
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454775521955840
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454981244186624
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636455571634450432
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636456074598580224
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636456276046778368

tl;dr:

Basically MVM had originally planned to release Blu-ray versions of their previous titles but due to poor sales on Samurai Champloo and importation they won't be doing so.

Poor sales on 'part releases' like Accel World won't receive a complete set on Blu-ray. This is an interesting one as it reminds me of the K-On! Manga UK fiasco in which the DVD Parts sold poorly that a complete Blu-ray set was cancelled - the only difference this time is that Accel World got a Blu-ray release in parts.

All of their Blu-rays are printed to 1000 copies at minimum, Monogatari series is the only one that surpassed the DVD sales.
 
DesuDayo said:
Adding this since you used the word collapse previously:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... 014/.92114

"The AJA attributes part of this success to merchandise and the sale of streaming rights in China. Last year, the report noted an increase the number of anime exhibits and events, such as anime song concerts and musicals."
Click to expand...
The producer of Shirobako is hardly no name, that series was a big hit in Japan. Admittedly, it was a bit of a sleeper hit, but the fact he still had to commercialise the series like hell to make it work (even though it had backing from big players like Fuji TV and Warner Bros. Japan) suggests disc sales aren't sustainable.


And about that Chinese increase (from UK Anime Network's twitter feedreporting from Anime Limited's panel at MCM Manchester on July 25):
Our own question to close: Are we in an anime industry "bubble"? Andrew: "We've been in one for about 18 months now"
The UK industry is sheltered from that bubble bursting as release are spread across distributors, and everyone cares about the industry.
The bubble has arguably burst in China already due to the recent banning of some high profile works.
China was paying more to license series than every other non-Japanese territory combined until recently!
The hope is that any bubble will deflate slowly rather than bursting suddenly.
Click to expand...
 
NormanicGrav said:
While myself and others were discussing the state of anime on Twitter, MVM popped in to add some interesting information about their current states.

MVM Entertainment
Just because something is released on BD doesn't mean it's going to automatically sell well. Accel World is a perfect example - the individual parts on BD have barely sold. Minimum print run for BD is 1000. I think this applies with the majority, not just us. The Mono series is the only title that has actually sold far more on BD than DVD. All our other BD/DVD titles the sales have been either fairly equal, or DVD selling more. It is a shame - end of the day no matter how big anime has gotten, its still very much a niche market in the UK. It's impossible to tell what would work. We were planning on revisiting older titles and releasing on BD but poor sales of Sam Cham BD...the problem is older titles have been available on import for ages, and cheaper.
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636453706553274368
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636453882768568320
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454205314740224
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454775521955840
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636454981244186624
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636455571634450432
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636456074598580224
https://twitter.com/MVM_UK/status/636456276046778368

tl;dr:

Basically MVM had originally planned to release Blu-ray versions of their previous titles but due to poor sales on Samurai Champloo and importation they won't be doing so.

Poor sales on 'part releases' like Accel World won't receive a complete set on Blu-ray. This is an interesting one as it reminds me of the K-On! Manga UK fiasco in which the DVD Parts sold poorly that a complete Blu-ray set was cancelled - the only difference this time is that Accel World got a Blu-ray release in parts.

All of their Blu-rays are printed to 1000 copies at minimum, Monogatari series is the only one that surpassed the DVD sales.
Click to expand...


This is such a shame UK seems to be the only area where BR don't sell well as the US and Aus seem to sell but i also heard F/Z sold well but that may have been DVD and not blu ray
 
The anime market is larger in Australia and the US, but the overriding message seems to be a) don't delay the blu-ray compared to the DVD as fans may not wait and people will be less willing to double dip, and b) don't do part releases, unless they're high quality collector's editions, as people will wait for a complete collection and then complain when it doesn't happen.

Anime Ld. haven't really talked about sales, but it seems they're the only distributor that is actually able to make part releases sell, then again it might just be because they're buying mainstream titles.
 
I think the time delays are a big factor - I mean, some people seem to favour foreign editions for the quality, but getting it earlier has to be a major factor too.

I think in Anime Ltd's case it's a combination of picking the right shows and the quality/exclusiveness of their editions - whereas other companies will pretty much port the dIscs from the U.S./AUS with Anime Ltd I suppose you feel like you're getting something exclusive to the UK.

I imagine they've built up a certain amount of brand loyalty by this point too.

That said, all that only counts so much. I have no doubt if Manga had released Kill La Kill instead of Anime Ltd at half the price (say like they did with SAO) it probably would have sold twice as well due to cheaper price and likely better availability in HMV. But what's more important, sales or quality?
 
Lutga said:
That said, all that only counts so much. I have no doubt if Manga had released Kill La Kill instead of Anime Ltd at half the price (say like they did with SAO) it probably would have sold twice as well due to cheaper price and likely better availability in HMV. But what's more important, sales or quality?
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I wouldn't be so sure of that, Manga's Jerome Mazandarani said Kill la Kill had sold really well for a multi-part release. Maybe it's just my local HMV, but I've only ever seen the big Manga titles in there anyway (AoT, One Piece, Bleach), so Kill la Kill probably wouldn't have benefited.
 
In regards to why we haven't listed Fate UBW is simply because Hanabee have yet to issue a release date - once they've got a date and details on what they'll be doing, we'll be able to follow suit.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Now they just need to release the other films on Blu Ray too so I don't have to buy the super expensive Japanese set :p
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Agree, but have to say, for a DVD-only release, MVM knocked their GoS set out of the park. Beautiful package.

Re MVM and their revisiting older shows;

the problem is older titles have been available on import for ages, and cheaper.
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I know they've mentioned Ergo Proxy, that would be a good choice. The JP BD was very limited and now goes for insane prices. The above comment from MVM wouldn't make a difference for a show like that IMO.
 
thedoctor2016 said:
This is such a shame UK seems to be the only area where BR don't sell well as the US and Aus seem to sell but i also heard F/Z sold well but that may have been DVD and not blu ray
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Australia have one big advantage; as long as the US disc is Region B compatible they can import the physical discs and re-package them. In the UK the discs have to have the BBFC logo on them which requires a lot of co-operation and co-ordination overseas (everything has to be arranged well in advnace of the discs being printed over there, and whoever is making the discs has to wait for BBFC rating etc.) It is why my monogatari discs have both MVM and Hanabee product codes.

Buzz201 said:
I'm truly baffled. Do you really love UBW that much? £500 is a lot of money, you could subscribe to Crunchyroll for over 8 years or buy 33+ brand new release films. You could buy three PS Vitas and still have money to spend on games.
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You don't want to know how much I've spent on Kiddy Grade discs. I don't want to know how much I''ve spent on Kiddy Grade discs... (the most in one purchase was something like £350, although that included some books as well)
 
Shiroi Hane said:
thedoctor2016 said:
This is such a shame UK seems to be the only area where BR don't sell well as the US and Aus seem to sell but i also heard F/Z sold well but that may have been DVD and not blu ray
Click to expand...
Australia have one big advantage; as long as the US disc is Region B compatible they can import the physical discs and re-package them. In the UK the discs have to have the BBFC logo on them which requires a lot of co-operation and co-ordination overseas (everything has to be arranged well in advnace of the discs being printed over there, and whoever is making the discs has to wait for BBFC rating etc.) It is why my monogatari discs have both MVM and Hanabee product codes.

Buzz201 said:
I'm truly baffled. Do you really love UBW that much? £500 is a lot of money, you could subscribe to Crunchyroll for over 8 years or buy 33+ brand new release films. You could buy three PS Vitas and still have money to spend on games.
Click to expand...
You don't want to know how much I've spent on Kiddy Grade discs. I don't want to know how much I''ve spent on Kiddy Grade discs... (the most in one purchase was something like £350, although that included some books as well)
Click to expand...

So your basically saying the need to have the BBFC logo on discs (which I don't get anyway) delays are releases thats just stupid, I think just having it on the box i hate the BBFC more ha ha
 
Missed some fun here.
HdE said:
Do people complaining about the cost of filling their car with petrol get told by oil firms or garage staff to learn the market?
Do people complaining about the cost of porridge oats get told by farmers and supermarkets to learn that market?
Do people complaining about the cost of an overnight stay in a Travelodge get told at the front desk to learn the market?
Click to expand...
Perhaps they should be, especially if they actually complain to people like those listed who do nothing to set the prices. General ignorance among the population as to why things cost what they do is rampant, and the reaction to learning the truth doesn't always go in the direction you might imagine.

It's interesting you bring up farmers given the ongoing milk price situation, where it seems most people surveyed would be more than happy to pay more for milk when they learn it means the farmers are actually able to earn a living, but it's the supermarkets and their own pathetic co-operatives and unions who keep the prices low. Perhaps if people knew how much it cost to keep the anime industry afloat they wouldn't complain so much.
 
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