Upcoming UK Anime DVD Artwork!

[robot monkey]

13 episodes over 5 discs? That needs changing/removing pronto.

Why not put this info on the back?

 

[Mangaranga]

Did anyone else already spot the error? Copy Pasting the spines are we? Where's the pink spine with Yui? Not manly enough? Also it's K-On!!:3

 

[Joshawott]

Even Sentai Filmworks only used on exclamation mark. Why does Japan feel the need to add in extra exclamation marks (or in the case of Oreimo, a full stop) at the end of second season titles?

 

[AntAce]

For those perturbed by the lack of exclamation mark, the Madman Entertainment release does feature two.

 

[Joshawott]

For those perturbed by the lack of exclamation mark, the Madman Entertainment release does feature two.

Doesn't the Madman one also have an artbox? I wish I had imported from them instead of Sentai now...

 

[Emulsion]

I have to agree. We really don't need stuff like "XX episodes over XX discs" or "XX disc set, XX episodes" etc.. It's not too bad if it's a sticker on the factory wrapper, but it's not needed on the actual artwork.

 

[ayase]

I thought we were past this stage ;_;

I have to agree. We really don't need stuff like "XX episodes over XX discs" or "XX disc set, XX episodes" etc.. It's not too bad if it's a sticker on the factory wrapper, but it's not needed on the actual artwork.

Many people (myself included) have commented on those corner triangles. Any chance you can pass the message on Jeremy, if you're still around? They really do detract from the cover art A LOT and it is something that bothers people to the point that they're actually being put off buying UK releases. Replacing them with removable stickers would be a massive improvement.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I thought we were past this stage ;_;

I have to agree. We really don't need stuff like "XX episodes over XX discs" or "XX disc set, XX episodes" etc.. It's not too bad if it's a sticker on the factory wrapper, but it's not needed on the actual artwork.

Many people (myself included) have commented on those corner triangles. Any chance you can pass the message on Jeremy, if you're still around? They really do detract from the cover art A LOT and it is something that bothers people to the point that they're actually being put off buying UK releases. Replacing them with removable stickers would be a massive improvement.

To be honest stickers are not needed, the spine does a good job of telling me its 64 episodes. If they want to do this blurb it'd be perfect for the back cover, and no triangle of doom needed either.

If it must be on the cover put it on the same line and the complete series wording. In fact scratch that, the number of Discs is never needed on the front, save that for the back and tweak it to say complete series - episodes 1 - 64.

 

[ayase]

Putting it on the cover is a marketing thing, there to catch the eye of the casual buyer. The more you can make it look like they're getting for their money (and the easier it is for them to see that) the more likely people are to buy. Might seem daft, but it must work. They wouldn't do it otherwise.

Stickers would be a much better way of doing it though, because it would still have that same effect but pedants like us could peel them off after purchase and have nice unmolested cover art.

 

[Joshawott]

I do agree with using stickers instead of printing it on the artwork. Or hell, in this case, why not just add the "Episodes 1-64" under the "The Complete Series" tag?

 

[Rosencrantz]

Putting it on the cover is a marketing thing, there to catch the eye of the casual buyer. The more you can make it look like they're getting for their money (and the easier it is for them to see that) the more likely people are to buy. Might seem daft, but it must work. They wouldn't do it otherwise.

Stickers would be a much better way of doing it though, because it would still have that same effect but pedants like us could peel them off after purchase and have nice unmolested cover art.

Well if it works stickers would be a good compromise, maybe make em shiny like all the funimation ones i've seen recently

 

[jonno394]

Stickers would be a much better way of doing it though, because it would still have that same effect but pedants like us could peel them off after purchase and have nice unmolested cover art.

Well if it works stickers would be a good compromise, maybe make em shiny like all the funimation ones i've seen recently[/quote]

Factor is the costs involved ordering and printing the stickers and paying for the additional time/work to put them on the boxsets, it probably just isn't worth it for distributors, I mean You'd have to be rather pedantic not to buy a boxset due to a small triangle in the top right hand corner.

 

[ayase]

Yeah... I am rather pedantic. And if I've learned anything about other anime fans, it's that by and large we seem to be a fairly pedantic bunch. No matter how petty our grievances might seem, we're still the UK distributors' market at the end of the day and we can still import if international releases are more attractive to us.

 

[Durial666]

It seems to me that the majority of anime fans are more interested in what's on the box instead of what's inside it. I like a nice bit of artwork but I'm not going to get hung up over the red triangle and the like. It is slightly pedantic but considering the small market it'll probably pay to listen the fans and remove it.

 

[ayase]

It seems to me that the majority of anime fans are more interested in what's on the box instead of what's inside it.

I don't think that's the case. I have no criticism of the content of any of Manga's recent releases, but poor or cheap looking packaging can easily spoil what would otherwise be a very nice release.

 

[Jeremy Graves]

I thought we were past this stage ;_;

I have to agree. We really don't need stuff like "XX episodes over XX discs" or "XX disc set, XX episodes" etc.. It's not too bad if it's a sticker on the factory wrapper, but it's not needed on the actual artwork.

Many people (myself included) have commented on those corner triangles. Any chance you can pass the message on Jeremy, if you're still around? They really do detract from the cover art A LOT and it is something that bothers people to the point that they're actually being put off buying UK releases. Replacing them with removable stickers would be a massive improvement.

Yep, I'm still here. I'm not going to lie, speaking as a fan, I personally have zero issue with that triangle. It's on the DVD boxset and the individual volumes as well, and I had no problem with it on those either. That said, I've been Community Liaison since last summer, and this is genuinely the first I've heard of this concern (and for that matter the fact people have been put off buying it entirely because of it.)

I will forward this concern onto HQ, but, I want to fully understand your mindset before doing so. With that in mind, and I'm being serious when I ask this, why is this so much of a problem?
(Once I have 5 or more responses, I'll forward them onto HQ.)

 

[ayase]

We've had discussions about packaging before and I think it comes down to some people having more of a "collector's" mentality. For example, your Akira steelbook release is a thing of beauty. All the technical information, BBFC stickers and so one were on a bit of card which we could remove and throw away, leaving us with a really classy looking product on our shelves. All that guff was fine for when it was on the shelves of a shop trying to catch the eye of potential purchasers and fulfil the legal requirements, but once we've bought it that stuff isn't required any more and just makes a product look cheap. It isn't something which you get on any other home video releases - I've just had a flip through my non-anime (and non-Manga anime) releases and can't find a single other example of a promotional eyecatch being printed directly onto the cover like that.

In terms of why people are bothered by this - Compare Manga's FMA:B BD releases to Funimation's. If you still don't get where people are coming from with regards to aesthetics then I don't think it's possible for me to explain it. I know Funi sell more units and are a bigger operation, but the only real difference in materials used from your Vol.1 release of Brotherhood on BD was that their slipcase was metallic, yet even if it hadn't been the whole thing still just looks so much better.

Let me also say that none of this criticism is designed to be anything other than constructive. I'd like to buy UK releases more than anything, but I'd also like UK releases to be up to par with those of the US in their content and presentation. This surely can't be a big ask any more, as it's not as though US releases still come in chipboard boxes like they did years ago that would probably bankrupt UK distributors. It's a slipcase at most, and Manga seem pretty keen on using slipcases anyway. Bit of nice alternative art on the inside cover (or the slipcase, if it's a first-pressing deal - Madoka's reversible cover was nice but why put the "3 disc set" and Neo quote on it?) no distracting banners, triangles or any other shapes printed onto the covers and you'd be sorted as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Durial666]

It personally doesn't really bother me that much but I know it bothers a fair amount of the fan base. Although having them included wont stop me from buying it would nice to have less clutter on the front.

Why are those triangles even needed on the front? It is a bit of an eye sore and seem to be quite unessesscary. It does distract the attention away from the user and I guess really spoils the artwork that someone has taken time to do. I don't see why that sort of information can't be displayed underneath the description on the back. You could write "Watch this fantastic 13 episode series over 2 disks!" This way Manga gets to have the message, the fans who hate it on the front don't have it on the front and those who don't care buy it anyway. That says a win win win situation to me. But what do I know.

 

[Rui]

I can see why stickers wouldn't work (they add cost for zero real benefit), and why boldly showing how much of a deal the box set is in a prominent place is important to distributors. Casual buyers don't tend to research things, and they might genuinely be influenced seeing what a massive chunk of Fullmetal Alchemist they're getting for their money as they flip through a shelf of discs.

I can also see why customers aren't too happy about more expensive boxed sets looking as though they belong on a store shelf rather than in a collection in the long term though, as the DVD/BD market is shifting more and more towards a collector mentality and having items you can be proud to pull out and own is going to be a factor in how much someone wants to spend. None of my deluxe box sets (admittedly rather more expensive than even the FMA:B BD set here) have marketing blurbs permanently stuck to the front. It looks tacky once it's home and on the shelf, and the triangle clashes with the blue combo pack band and the corporate logos at the bottom to drag the eyes back and forth across the artwork. If slipcases are being used anyway, they're a good compromise - I already bin my Funimation slipcases when they sell BDs in DVD-sized cardboard o-rings which look tatty and cheap. They can stick all of the marketing information they want on that cardboard slipcase as it's just getting thrown away anyway.

Perhaps, as the high street continues to die, the situation will naturally right itself very soon. With no impulse buyers left to buy from physical shops, anime companies can produce beautiful box art and then just digitally add a pretend 'sticker' to photographs for online listings which casual buyers can squint at.

FWIW I think the Panty and Stocking mini-blurb about episodes on the previous page is much more tastefully incorporated into the design than the FMA triangle. It looks great. However, it's confusing because it's not 13 episodes over 5 discs at all, is it? It's 13 episodes over 5 discs, twice. It implies an episode:disc count which isn't correct because it's a combo pack.

Having said all of this, personally speaking I have never made a purchasing decision either way based on the presence of a triangle.

R

 

[Emulsion]

It looks great. However, it's confusing because it's not 13 episodes over 5 discs at all, is it? It's 13 episodes over 5 discs, twice. It implies an episode:disc count which isn't correct because it's a combo pack.

Actually I believe it's 13 episodes over 2 Blu-ray discs and 13 episodes over 3 DVD discs.

Pretty much the same as what the guys above have said.

In the case of FMA:B BD, the episode count is already on the spline so the triangle isn't really needed. Like others have said it's a bit of an eye sore. I like how Funimation did Spice and Wolf. Slipcase had a sticker on with the episode count, but that actual case artwork was clean. To be honest it's not just these sort of things I don't like, I also don't like seeing "XX magazine or critic ** stars, best film of the year" etc... on the cover. But that's not just Manga that's the entire film industry.

It's not something that will stop me buying though. Missing content, lack of text only subs(welcome to the space show, for example) lossy audio instead of lossless(badland rumbles), these are things that stop me buying.

If I'm honest though one thing that has bug me a bit more, than what we are discussing, is incorrect specs on the covers. Good examples Summer Wars and TGWLTT. Both Blu-rays state on the back cover that they are DVDs and region 2 which are both wrong. Summer Wars states the audio is stereo 2.0 but it's 5.1, the runtime is incorrect and it states the seasons greeting extra is on there when it's not. TGWLTT states the audio is 2.0 and 5.1 but it's only 5.1. GITS SSS is a complete mess.

There is more but I will leave it at that as I'm going slightly off topic.