Upcoming MangaUK Blu-Ray Releases Moved To DVD-Only

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I thought they said it was cheaper making BD then DVDs? Smh. But what is wrong with releasing the shows on dual format like with most other shows they do?

 

[robot monkey]

This is hardly unknown though in general terms of the market. Just to give you a recent example Fox pulled the blu Ray version of the last season of Glee. More generally speaking even big shows such CSI or NCIS only get released on DVD in the UK.

 

[sniper_samurai]

Okay - thoughts were invited on this, so I'm going to offer them:

Single volumes available on BD, but no BD option for complete collections is a bad model to follow.

Bit of a slap in the face to the fans who either can't afford single volumes / initial releases or don't like the idea of those over a complete set.

BUT... before I pull on my Entitled Fan trousers, I'd prefer to see something more comprehensive by way of an explanation for this. If this is a cost cutting measure, it may need a re-think. If it's to do with licensing (which isn't completely impossible, as I understand it) then it still stinks, but we could appreciate Manga Entertainment's hands being tied.

I'm disappointed, though. I mean, if this is the plan going forward for their releases in general, I'm not enthusiastic. I was just getting used to the idea of having anime on BD, as well.

I'm making assumptions here, granted, but IF this is how Manga Entertainment are intending to do business... just look at this thread for an indication of how that's going to work out. Fans are becoming irritated and rejecting new releases at their point of solicitation. And if that doesn't ring alarm bells, I don't know what will.

I've got a bad feeling about this.

In all honesty this smells of high level interference from Starz. The whole thing screams of some idiot suit who has no idea how this part of the market works and is trying to impose the practices used for more mainstream media.

 

[HdE]

Not to fuel any wild ideas here, but news like this always worries me for the reasons Sniper Samurai puts forward.

A guy I know in comics retail mentioned to me a couple of years ago that he'd seen sales figures for anime and 'couldn't fathom how the market is sustainable', which , given that he a pretty sharp cookie and not given to making statements he can't back up, has stayed with me.

Now, obviously, I have no idea WHAT he specifically saw. But it has, as a result, always impressed me that folks working to release anime over here seem to do so out of a genuine sense that it's something they want to make available to people.

If you involve bean counters and higher ups, that's going to change. Anime's not going to be special to them - it's just going to be product. And if product you sell of one kind doesn't sell as well as product of another kind, you look at ways to cut costs, or drop your product.

But we don't know the broader details of what's going on here. Yet. It'd be interesting to get some word from Manga about it all. I'd personally HATE to see the oldest of the UK distributors, the guys who were there at the ground level of the '90s boom, disappear from the landscape.

 

[Lutga]

I think the heritage factor largely works in Manga's favour - they have value as both a brand name and a brand itself because of that, and when it comes down to the wire, that will always swing in their favour, even if all else has gone.

But yeah, it's a tricky business - from seeing some sales figures, I do get the sense some of those profit margins must be pretty damn small. And like you say, it comes back to what Starz wants out of the business. Do they want someone who's putting out Street Fighter Assassin's fist and getting copies in ASDA, and selling a goodly amount in the first week, or do they want an almost indie-label style company that runs super tight sub 2000 print runs and makes a profit, but only a very tiny one. Can Manga be both at once, or neither? It's hard to imagine what the directive from the higher ups might be. They've probably seen streaming take off, cannibalizing a lot of the market and know that it's potentially dificult to monetize that area.

 

[chrisjmuk]

This is hardly unknown though in general terms of the market. Just to give you a recent example Fox pulled the blu Ray version of the last season of Glee. More generally speaking even big shows such CSI or NCIS only get released on DVD in the UK.

fox have very different figures to bother though, even with dvd and getting worse as they are (unfortunately imo) very pro digital ownership and now for movies give digital a window before physical release to try to push consumers into it.

regarding figures, some of the ones manga have spouted in the past always surprised me, and even with this going on i will still wait and give the UK market time to license so i can support them, if that means waiting a year thats ok, come 1 1/2 or 2 though i will end up importing.

 

[Orgun]

I tell you what though, if Eva 3.33 ends up DVD only I'll go absolutely apes***.

I'm right with you on that one. A very sad situation, especially seeing as they seemed to be growing over the last couple of years.

 

[ayase]

I'd personally HATE to see the oldest of the UK distributors, the guys who were there at the ground level of the '90s boom, disappear from the landscape.

Is there anyone actually still at Manga from those days though? As far as I'm concerned, they lost their important status in the UK anime scene the day they were bought up by Starz. Once you belong to a megacorp your identity is little more than a brand for them to use.

 

[HdE]

Good post, Ayase.

For me, it's the brand that's important. As flat-out illogical as it may be, I just like to think the badge is still around, and DVDs will still appear with it on them.

The only trouble is, branding and name prestige doesn't really count for anything in the marketplace.

When I was involved in music, years ago, and the music equipment retail biz was hit by economic troubles, the UK distributor for Fender Guitars went under. They were the one entity everybody considered was safe. There was a real sense that, if they could go under, anyone could. That sent ripples through the industry. Innovation was less common. Original equipment designs appeared less in favour of ones that aped the classics. The life just drained right out of the scene.

And this is my biggest fear for Manga Entertainment. Altering their business model, I can complain about but ultimately accept or refuse to support. I'd hate to see them disappear, but I'd also hate to see them become a shadow of what they've been at their best. They've put out some great shows at every stage of their existence.

If they were to become little more than a mechanism for spitting out Pokemon and Dragonball anime, as well as other perceived safe sellers in the West... well, that'd be sad.

Cards on the table, I think the whole UK end of anime distribution is in a really bad place right now. And it's not all necessarily the fault of guys working for the distributors at this end of the chain. But then, we all know my thoughts on that.

 

[Rosencrantz]

Guess they lost their nerve after Jerome left, or they had a truck load of complaints about BD only. If it's the former shame on them, the later - probably a sound business decision.

I'd rather not see a company go under but the quality has been dropping lately, we don't need bad quality releases in a small genere like this.

 

[Joshawott]

Jeremy Graves has confirmed that he is leaving Manga UK on 12th December.

 

[NormanicGrav]

Jeremy Graves has confirmed that he is leaving Manga UK on 12th December.

I was going to say that Jeremy should escape Manga and join Jerome and Andrew with Animatsu, that's where he should belong now given the reception that Manga has been receiving lately.

Good luck to Jeremy and the opportunity that has been offered to him next.

 

[kuuderes_shadow]

That just serves to put the future of the company even more in the dark, though.

 

[Just Passing Through]

Jeremy Graves has confirmed that he is leaving Manga UK on 12th December.

I was going to say that Jeremy should escape Manga and join Jerome and Andrew with Animatsu, that's where he should belong now given the reception that Manga has been receiving lately.

Good luck to Jeremy and the opportunity that has been offered to him next.

I'll be issuing forth lottery numbers tonight...

Wait until Manga realise that they're 'wasting' money on a PR account when they don't have a full release slate to promote, and it will soon be silence from them again, with about as much customer feedback possible as for Kaze.

 

[Lutga]

I wonder if Jeremy is going to Animatsu too? It wouldn't surprise me at all.

But yeah, like everyone is saying, what's left of Manga UK now? Who's running it aside from the suits at Starz? Surely with no former personal, they're going to be pretty stuck even in terms of continuing on-going projects like Yu-Gi-Oh/Bleach etc? Are we going to be stuck with incomplete runs?

What about Eva 3.33?

 

[Rui]

Manga UK are clearly on a path to becoming another faceless distributor like post-Andrew Kaze. Though I guess it's possible they're still employing Fetch for their publicity and Jeremy has simply been personally headhunted? We'll see whether their social media goes dark soon enough.

I hope Jeremy will stick around since he's got a lot of experience promoting in this industry. I agree that it wouldn't be a huge shock to see him popping up again when Animatsu start talking about their planned activities. Good luck, Jeremy!

R

 

[Joshawott]

Jeremy has said that out of respect for Manga UK, he won't be talking about this opportunity until after the 12th (his final day), which is fair enough. Hopefully he'll be willing to make more detailed comments after that.

 

[sniper_samurai]

Jeremy has said that out of respect for Manga UK, he won't be talking about this opportunity until after the 12th (his final day), which is fair enough. Hopefully he'll be willing to make more detailed comments after that.

I've known for a little while, but don't want to comment on it other than most people here will be cheering when this "opportunity" is announced.

 

[AntAce]

Jeremy has said that out of respect for Manga UK, he won't be talking about this opportunity until after the 12th (his final day), which is fair enough. Hopefully he'll be willing to make more detailed comments after that.

I've known for a little while, but don't want to comment on it other than most people here will be cheering when this "opportunity" is announced.

Anime Limited, perhaps?

 

[Shiroi Hane]

Well... the "rats" already left and

I now want a video of Jeremy singing "He played his ukulele as the ship went down"

I thought they said it was cheaper making BD then DVDs? Smh. But what is wrong with releasing the shows on dual format like with most other shows they do?

The production part is cheaper IF they have ready access to usable BD masters but DON'T have access to PAL DVD masters (i.e. only NTSC masters exist). It could be something has changed, like there is a problem with the masters or access to them, someone has simply re-run the numbers on predicted sales and decided to make a change or it's a policy decision made by someone management in the wake of the departures. Who knows.

I'd personally HATE to see the oldest of the UK distributors, the guys who were there at the ground level of the '90s boom, disappear from the landscape.

Is there anyone actually still at Manga from those days though? As far as I'm concerned, they lost their important status in the UK anime scene the day they were bought up by Starz. Once you belong to a megacorp your identity is little more than a brand for them to use.

Manga lost their UK identity long before Starz and changed hands a few times after that.
This is something Jonathan Clements posted about Manga Entertainment Limited (née "Manga Video") back in 2001 for his blog on the Sci-Fi website:

Last month, a chapter closed in the history of anime. Rod Shaile, the last dedicated employee of Manga Entertainment Limited, cleared his desk, turned off the lights, and shut the door on his way out. Just two months shy of its tenth birthday, the UK's Manga Video is no more.
[...]
From his Jamaican hideaway, Blackwell pushed little models around a map, and decided to invade America. The US arm, Manga Entertainment Incorporated, progressively took over more responsibilities, until the UK office had shrunk to nothing more than a desk at another company. Hatchets appeared regularly to trim off the dead wood, employees dwindled from two dozen to just one, and as of this June, there are none.
There was once a time when MEL supposedly had first refusal on every anime made in Japan. But with the forthcoming Ghost in the Shell 2 sold to Miramax instead, the writing was on the wall. From now on, Manga Entertainment Limited is just a logo on another company's DVDs. Don't panic, you will still see their products trickling in from the the US, but the hulking reptile of yesteryear has been replaced by the mammals of the mainstream.