Buzz201
Mad Scientist
Yeah. I'm waiting to see what Madman does. ERASED is conspicuously absent from their schedule considering AoA are supposedly forcing these prices on everyone...
The official thread for discussions about anime pricing (including Aniplex USA pricing)
- Thread starter HdE
- Start date
Yeah. I'm waiting to see what Madman does. ERASED is conspicuously absent from their schedule considering AoA are supposedly forcing these prices on everyone...
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
Yeah. There November schedule is up yet ERASED is missing.
Just Passing Through
The Wildcard
An interview with Henry Goto, where price gouging is justified...
I think I need blood pressure medication now...
I think I need blood pressure medication now...
Buzz201
Mad Scientist
His comments about Funimation seem to have riled up everyone else,
As I've said elsewhere they're douchey comments, but I think they're being blown out of proportion. It's second-hand reported speech and he could easily be talking about concerns that people thought Funimation had financed it.
Smeelia
Thousand Master
I've been thinking about this idea of not wanting to "devalue" the content, I can't help feeling that taking that in a certain literal sense and charging high prices seems like the wrong idea for the type of product. Anime is art and/or entertainment, the general idea for both is that they should have an impact on people (and, with art at least, mean something to people). Charging high prices means that less people will be able to own it and so there'll be less opportunity for people to enjoy the content and re-examine it over the years. There's no guarantee that the people who can really appreciate a show will also be wealthy enough to afford those high prices. A streaming option may make it available to some for a time but it doesn't feel like Aniplex have any real commitment to their content being available in the long run beyond the time that it's up for sale.
I know that not everyone would ascribe an especially high value to anime, maybe it's "just entertainment" or "disposable" or whatever else. It's fair enough that everyone has their own view. Still, I'd say that one of the biggest ways to devalue anime is to treat it as a commodity to be sold entirely for profit and it kind of feels like that's how Aniplex treats their anime. They want their anime to be liked by many and make big sales but it seems to only be so that they can squeeze as much money out of each show as possible.
I think if I was a creator of an Aniplex handled anime, I wouldn't be too happy seeing my work treated that way. I know there are "business realities" to deal with but it feels like Aniplex may have gone too far and lost their purpose. It does seem that their strategy has been quite profitable so far but it's coming at the cost of making their content more exclusive. It's also making it harder for fans to enjoy a diverse range of anime, since each individual show is a larger investment. I do wonder if that's too high a price just to make a bit more money and if it'll ultimately cause anime itself to suffer.
I know that the Japanese industry has worked along similar lines for a long time but then I can't say that I think they're doing things right either. I wouldn't say the issue is exclusive to Aniplex (or, indeed, the anime industry) but I thought it was somewhat relevant to this thread.
I know that not everyone would ascribe an especially high value to anime, maybe it's "just entertainment" or "disposable" or whatever else. It's fair enough that everyone has their own view. Still, I'd say that one of the biggest ways to devalue anime is to treat it as a commodity to be sold entirely for profit and it kind of feels like that's how Aniplex treats their anime. They want their anime to be liked by many and make big sales but it seems to only be so that they can squeeze as much money out of each show as possible.
I think if I was a creator of an Aniplex handled anime, I wouldn't be too happy seeing my work treated that way. I know there are "business realities" to deal with but it feels like Aniplex may have gone too far and lost their purpose. It does seem that their strategy has been quite profitable so far but it's coming at the cost of making their content more exclusive. It's also making it harder for fans to enjoy a diverse range of anime, since each individual show is a larger investment. I do wonder if that's too high a price just to make a bit more money and if it'll ultimately cause anime itself to suffer.
I know that the Japanese industry has worked along similar lines for a long time but then I can't say that I think they're doing things right either. I wouldn't say the issue is exclusive to Aniplex (or, indeed, the anime industry) but I thought it was somewhat relevant to this thread.
Smeelia
Thousand Master
I'm not sold on the "not entitled" argument, it seems overly simplistic and doesn't really address anything. Anime is made to be watched, without viewers it doesn't really serve a purpose and may as well not exist. People may not have a "right" to watch anime but there's a very good reason for it to be made available to people.
I don't mean that to sound insulting, if you're personally fine with being priced out there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that some people seem to think everyone should feel that way and I can't agree. I don't think it's wrong to feel that anime should be accessible because if it's not then it's basically wasted.
qaiz
Pokémon Master
I've always been of the belief that entertainment exists because others can perceive it, not unlike the old adage of if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Others perception gives things form and existence. Entertainment exists to both imprint and leave an impression on an audience, no matter how big or small. The idea that a piece of entertainment needs to be experienced by everybody in and of itself however can be seen as selfish. The creator and owner of said entertainment holds carte blanche and agency in regards to how said piece is distributed. If somebody puts up their film for viewing on Netflix exclusively, that is a valid choice, or if an artist decides to sing a song on stage for one time only in front of a live audience, or if the Wu-Tang Clan decide to sell the only copy produced of an album to Martin Shkreli, to be locked away forever never to be heard by anybody else, or if Gainax decide to burn the cels of Kare Kano as a middle finger to the mangaka, that's valid too. Some would say that in and of itself is a part of the entertainment that the work provides, the meta-commentary, stupid shenanigans or whathaveyou.
I guess I look at it from the point of perspective of the creator because I too wanted to be a creator, and although I've settled with working in the computer science industry, I can still empathize with creators on some level. A Ferrari exists to be driven, but only if you can afford it. A Ferrari costs the amount it does because of all of the components that make it, but an Aniplex anime Blu-ray is just a disc, the same disc used for a cheaper Funimation release. But does the content on the disc equate to the mechanical parts of a Ferrari, or better yet should they? Aniplex seem to think so, treating the shows themselves as luxuries and less the physical items themselves. You pay the asking price to watch the piece of entertainment they've conjured up and Aniplex believe that their works are a cut above the rest, be it in the quality of the show itself or the quality of the picture and audio in the form of high bitrates. Everybody ascribes different levels of value to each element, with some happy to pay more for the better picture quality, some can't even notice the difference.
Let me be clear, as a consumer I wish that things were priced as affordably as possible, but at the same time I don't ascribe to the notion that everything should adhere to a simple linear structure either. Anime is art, but its also business and 100's of man hours go into any given show, the least that you could do is respect the amount they ask for or look the other way and move on, there's clearly plenty of people who feel happy spending that much on the shows and films that they love. Basically, vote with your wallet, don't buy something if you can't afford it, but don't dare tell somebody that their work isn't worth that much. I mean you can but you'd sound like an ass.
I guess I look at it from the point of perspective of the creator because I too wanted to be a creator, and although I've settled with working in the computer science industry, I can still empathize with creators on some level. A Ferrari exists to be driven, but only if you can afford it. A Ferrari costs the amount it does because of all of the components that make it, but an Aniplex anime Blu-ray is just a disc, the same disc used for a cheaper Funimation release. But does the content on the disc equate to the mechanical parts of a Ferrari, or better yet should they? Aniplex seem to think so, treating the shows themselves as luxuries and less the physical items themselves. You pay the asking price to watch the piece of entertainment they've conjured up and Aniplex believe that their works are a cut above the rest, be it in the quality of the show itself or the quality of the picture and audio in the form of high bitrates. Everybody ascribes different levels of value to each element, with some happy to pay more for the better picture quality, some can't even notice the difference.
Let me be clear, as a consumer I wish that things were priced as affordably as possible, but at the same time I don't ascribe to the notion that everything should adhere to a simple linear structure either. Anime is art, but its also business and 100's of man hours go into any given show, the least that you could do is respect the amount they ask for or look the other way and move on, there's clearly plenty of people who feel happy spending that much on the shows and films that they love. Basically, vote with your wallet, don't buy something if you can't afford it, but don't dare tell somebody that their work isn't worth that much. I mean you can but you'd sound like an ass.
Smeelia
Thousand Master
Following that reasoning though, the experience of each individual would contribute to the existence and form of the entertainment. Thus, allowing more people to experience the entertainment adds to it and the idea of restricting access to keep the entertainment within the confines the creator desires could itself be selfish.
The way I see it, just because you created something doesn't mean you should hold absolute control over it. When a work is viewed, those viewers begin forming their own thoughts and opinions and may be inspired to create other work themselves. In a sense, the original work is already out of the hands of the creator and exists beyond what they can control.
I'm also not convinced that creators inherently know what's best for what they create. Creators often decide that they don't like what they've created, the way it's viewed or what it has become and giving them the power to destroy something that has meaning to others doesn't seem right. I'm not saying creators shouldn't have any say in what happens to their work, just that more than their opinion should be taken into account.
My original point was that you can't just measure the value of a thing in monetary terms. The value of money itself is variable so it's not really an accurate measurement of all of the different forms of value that a thing can have. If someone relies on artificial scarcity and expense to make the product seem valuable then perhaps they're the ones who don't truly believe in it's value. Being expensive doesn't make a thing more valuable and when we're talking about a creative work then being seen by less people isn't going to make it more valuable either.
There may be certain practical aspects of creating/distributing in a money driven society but those shouldn't completely dominate the original purpose of what is being created/distributed. It's also worth noting that there are practical aspects of money that fans have to deal with, so questioning the price of accessing a work isn't necessarily a comment on it's value. Besides, the fact that people want the work to be affordable/accessible is often going to be a sign that they do value the work and are upset that the issue of money is getting in the way.
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qaiz
Pokémon Master
That's all well and fine, but Aniplex are again entitled to charge the amount at which they choose to do so. I just don't get the issue. This is how everything works. They charge the amount that they do based on the quality of the series/film and the higher bitrate/video/audio quality and other technical reasons as well as yes other more arbitrary reasons as many things tend to be. The notion that they're pricing at such a price as a means to artificially inflate its valuable is, disturbing. I'll leave it at that, I have no stake in this discussion.
HdE
Comic Book Guy
I one hundred percent agree with this. I mean, while digging around on Ebay some time ago, I found a copy of Odin (by accident!) on DVD for something in the region of £90. This made me think:
1) Who actually thinks that piece of **** is worth that much money?
2) Thank god I have no interest in buying that!
3) Saying that, I could do with a shiny coffe coaster...
EXCELLENT point. I actually had something like this in mind when I read a comment in the Aniplex interview dicussion about the company supposedly being willing to 'engage with consumers at every level' (or however it was put) but with the caveat added 'on their own terms.'
That's ********!
If an anime distribution operation is only tailoring their on-disc releases to a specific consumer base (in this case, those for whom money is clearly no object) then THEY ARE NOT ENGAGING WITH CONSUMERS AT EVERY LEVEL. Speaking for myself, I certainly don't want 'low cost merchandise'. I don't want t shirts, pencil toppers and cosplay accessories. I want the shows themselves, presented as a reasonably priced product I can afford. If a distributor can't provide that to me, I can't give them my money.
Limiting the pool of people you can sell your product to is atrocious business sense. Trying to condition fans to willingly pay exhorbitant prices for anime (which is my analysis of how Aniplex and certain other parties are doing business) is a first step on a VERY slippery slope. Devaluing the product is a valid concern. But we've seen anime insiders talking about the overvaluing of it. ANN's Answerman column only recently put across the sentiment that Studios in Japan have unrealistic ideas about license fees.
You CANNOT grow an industry - or at least the arm of it that sells physical media - with these kind of high price, high return strategies. Sure, some folks won't have an issue with them. But others will, and the actions of those folks are a point of interest. Do they get their anime fix from another, more reasonably priced release? Do they go and illegally obtain the show they feel is priced out of their reach? Or do they throw their hands in the air and simply GIVE UP trying to support the industry?
There's actually a school of thought where these things are concerned that has it some folks will place less value in a product they consider overpriced than something they don't. Honestly, I keep saying this from time to time here: if a niche business doesn't get off its **** and stop making excuses or finding reasons for why it can never grow, or why certain strategies won't work, it can, will and probably deserves to die. And if it INSISTS on asking top dollar for products they've already made their money back on, then that's just contemptible.
Practical Explanation ( For Example ) :- `1st of all can you tell me every single seconds detail from that time when you born ?? ( i need every seconds detail ?? that what- what you have thought and done on every single second )
can you tell me every single detail of your `1 cheapest Minute Or your whole hour, day, week, month, year or your whole life ??
if you are not able to tell me about this life then what proof do you have that you didn't forget your past ? and that you will not forget this present life in the future ?
that is Fact that Supreme Lord Krishna exists but we posses no such intelligence to understand him.
there is also next life. and i already proved you that no scientist, no politician, no so-called intelligent man in this world is able to understand this Truth. cuz they are imagining. and you cannot imagine what is god, who is god, what is after life etc.
_______
for example :Your father existed before your birth. you cannot say that before your birth your father don,t exists.
So you have to ask from mother, "Who is my father?" And if she says, "This gentleman is your father," then it is all right. It is easy.
Otherwise, if you makes research, "Who is my father?" go on searching for life; you'll never find your father.
( now maybe...maybe you will say that i will search my father from D.N.A, or i will prove it by photo's, or many other thing's which i will get from my mother and prove it that who is my Real father.{ So you have to believe the authority. who is that authority ? she is your mother. you cannot claim of any photo's, D.N.A or many other things without authority ( or ur mother ).
if you will show D.N.A, photo's, and many other proofs from other women then your mother. then what is use of those proofs ??} )
same you have to follow real authority. "Whatever You have spoken, I accept it," Then there is no difficulty. And You are accepted by Devala, Narada, Vyasa, and You are speaking Yourself, and later on, all the acaryas have accepted. Then I'll follow.
I'll have to follow great personalities. The same reason mother says, this gentleman is my father. That's all. Finish business. Where is the necessity of making research? All authorities accept Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You accept it; then your searching after God is finished.
Why should you waste your time?
_______
all that is you need is to hear from authority ( same like mother ). and i heard this truth from authority " Srila Prabhupada " he is my spiritual master.
im not talking these all things from my own.
___________
in this world no `1 can be Peace full. this is all along Fact.
cuz we all are suffering in this world 4 Problems which are Disease, Old age, Death, and Birth after Birth.
tell me are you really happy ?? you can,t be happy if you will ignore these 4 main problem. then still you will be Forced by Nature.
___________________
if you really want to be happy then follow these 6 Things which are No illicit sex, No gambling, No drugs ( No tea & coffee ), No meat-eating ( No onion & garlic's )
5th thing is whatever you eat `1st offer it to Supreme Lord Krishna. ( if you know it what is Guru parama-para then offer them food not direct Supreme Lord Krishna )
and 6th " Main Thing " is you have to Chant " hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare ".
_______________________________
If your not able to follow these 4 things no illicit sex, no gambling, no drugs, no meat-eating then don,t worry but chanting of this holy name ( Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra ) is very-very and very important.
Chant " hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare " and be happy.
if you still don,t believe on me then chant any other name for 5 Min's and chant this holy name for 5 Min's and you will see effect. i promise you it works And chanting at least 16 rounds ( each round of 108 beads ) of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily.
____________
Here is no Question of Holy Books quotes, Personal Experiences, Faith or Belief. i accept that Sometimes Faith is also Blind. Here is already Practical explanation which already proved that every`1 else in this world is nothing more then Busy Foolish and totally idiot.
_________________________
Source(s):
every `1 is already Blind in this world and if you will follow another Blind then you both will fall in hole. so try to follow that person who have Spiritual Eyes who can Guide you on Actual Right Path. ( my Authority & Guide is my Spiritual Master " Srila Prabhupada " )
_____________
if you want to see Actual Purpose of human life then see this link : ( www.asitis.com {Bookmark it })
read it complete. ( i promise only readers of this book that they { he/she } will get every single answer which they want to know about why im in this material world, who im, what will happen after this life, what is best thing which will make Human Life Perfect, and what is perfection of Human Life. ) purpose of human life is not to live like animal cuz every`1 at present time doing 4 thing which are sleeping, eating, sex & fear. purpose of human life is to become freed from Birth after birth, Old Age, Disease, and Death.
can you tell me every single detail of your `1 cheapest Minute Or your whole hour, day, week, month, year or your whole life ??
if you are not able to tell me about this life then what proof do you have that you didn't forget your past ? and that you will not forget this present life in the future ?
that is Fact that Supreme Lord Krishna exists but we posses no such intelligence to understand him.
there is also next life. and i already proved you that no scientist, no politician, no so-called intelligent man in this world is able to understand this Truth. cuz they are imagining. and you cannot imagine what is god, who is god, what is after life etc.
_______
for example :Your father existed before your birth. you cannot say that before your birth your father don,t exists.
So you have to ask from mother, "Who is my father?" And if she says, "This gentleman is your father," then it is all right. It is easy.
Otherwise, if you makes research, "Who is my father?" go on searching for life; you'll never find your father.
( now maybe...maybe you will say that i will search my father from D.N.A, or i will prove it by photo's, or many other thing's which i will get from my mother and prove it that who is my Real father.{ So you have to believe the authority. who is that authority ? she is your mother. you cannot claim of any photo's, D.N.A or many other things without authority ( or ur mother ).
if you will show D.N.A, photo's, and many other proofs from other women then your mother. then what is use of those proofs ??} )
same you have to follow real authority. "Whatever You have spoken, I accept it," Then there is no difficulty. And You are accepted by Devala, Narada, Vyasa, and You are speaking Yourself, and later on, all the acaryas have accepted. Then I'll follow.
I'll have to follow great personalities. The same reason mother says, this gentleman is my father. That's all. Finish business. Where is the necessity of making research? All authorities accept Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You accept it; then your searching after God is finished.
Why should you waste your time?
_______
all that is you need is to hear from authority ( same like mother ). and i heard this truth from authority " Srila Prabhupada " he is my spiritual master.
im not talking these all things from my own.
___________
in this world no `1 can be Peace full. this is all along Fact.
cuz we all are suffering in this world 4 Problems which are Disease, Old age, Death, and Birth after Birth.
tell me are you really happy ?? you can,t be happy if you will ignore these 4 main problem. then still you will be Forced by Nature.
___________________
if you really want to be happy then follow these 6 Things which are No illicit sex, No gambling, No drugs ( No tea & coffee ), No meat-eating ( No onion & garlic's )
5th thing is whatever you eat `1st offer it to Supreme Lord Krishna. ( if you know it what is Guru parama-para then offer them food not direct Supreme Lord Krishna )
and 6th " Main Thing " is you have to Chant " hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare ".
_______________________________
If your not able to follow these 4 things no illicit sex, no gambling, no drugs, no meat-eating then don,t worry but chanting of this holy name ( Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra ) is very-very and very important.
Chant " hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare " and be happy.
if you still don,t believe on me then chant any other name for 5 Min's and chant this holy name for 5 Min's and you will see effect. i promise you it works And chanting at least 16 rounds ( each round of 108 beads ) of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily.
____________
Here is no Question of Holy Books quotes, Personal Experiences, Faith or Belief. i accept that Sometimes Faith is also Blind. Here is already Practical explanation which already proved that every`1 else in this world is nothing more then Busy Foolish and totally idiot.
_________________________
Source(s):
every `1 is already Blind in this world and if you will follow another Blind then you both will fall in hole. so try to follow that person who have Spiritual Eyes who can Guide you on Actual Right Path. ( my Authority & Guide is my Spiritual Master " Srila Prabhupada " )
_____________
if you want to see Actual Purpose of human life then see this link : ( www.asitis.com {Bookmark it })
read it complete. ( i promise only readers of this book that they { he/she } will get every single answer which they want to know about why im in this material world, who im, what will happen after this life, what is best thing which will make Human Life Perfect, and what is perfection of Human Life. ) purpose of human life is not to live like animal cuz every`1 at present time doing 4 thing which are sleeping, eating, sex & fear. purpose of human life is to become freed from Birth after birth, Old Age, Disease, and Death.
Blaize
Hunter
Just spotted SAO LE I & II on eBay. The Minimum Bid is a steal for these
Sword Art Online Limited Edition out of print Blu Ray boxset 1 & 2 | eBay
Sword Art Online Limited Edition out of print Blu Ray boxset 1 & 2 | eBay
Lutga
Mad Scientist
The trouble is, physical disc media isn't a growth area any more - streaming has got that more casual audience catered to. Obviously, some people will get lost inbetween - ie. the people who might splurge on a £10 DVD they see on the shelves of HMV, but that demographic is shrinking, and is already small when it comes to anime.
It's super frustrating, but with a market as small as the UK I kind of feel like sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and accept we exist on a base level of 'meh' and anything we *do* get is a plus.
It's super frustrating, but with a market as small as the UK I kind of feel like sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and accept we exist on a base level of 'meh' and anything we *do* get is a plus.
Buzz201
Mad Scientist
I imagine price is a huge factor with Aniplex titles.
As I've said, I suspect imports are why AoA are now imposing stricter conditions on AL.
TiggsPanther
Completely Average High School Student
To be honest, I think they've been imposing stricter limits on all the UK distributors for a while, now.
MVM couldn't release BDs of Garden of Sinners. And both Manga and AL were given minimum price points for Sword Art Online, as I recall. They both hit them in different ways but it was a similar restriction, I guess.
IncendiaryLemon
Captain Karen
As far as I recall, that wasn't meant to happen even back then. I'm pretty sure I heard AoA wanted them to release it in three parts, but Manga went ahead and did one complete set, much to AoA's chargain. That makes an amount of sense considering nowhere else in the world has a complete standard edition set that is reasonably priced.
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
I do believe manga was supposed to release it in 3 parts a clone of madman's, as madman are no releasing the 3 sets together finally.
qaiz
Pokémon Master
And I'm pretty sure Madoka flopped in the UK, or at least didn't hit sales projections. people complained about how the set was of a poor quality and how it came out too late, die hard fans of Madoka had already imported, and if given the chance would still opt for the more premium sets today (I'm looking at you lemon!) . We look back to those days fondly but if a set like that was to come out today, we'd find something to complain about.
thedoctor2016
Mushi-shi
I do way prefer my AoA set to my U.K. set.... though they are both complete sets