EyeOnAnime Forum

Toraman · Shinigami Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 2099 Location: London

I assume that most of us got this e-mail from ADV:

Random · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 5:57 pm Post subject:

I may ask the usual chestnut of why they have such a long release timetable for multi disk series.

eg. Madlax is already available as a sale item on R1 import and isn't even fully released here yet with a stupid 2 month delay between 3/4 episode disks. And they wonder why some series don't do well.

Sorry old rant of mine, but this is really ADV US shooting ADV UK in the foot.

Gawyn · Elite Poster Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Posts: 568

Fudce · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:49 am Post subject:

I think that one of the underlying reasons why the "release date gap" between America and UK is coming down, is that the big american companies are beginning to negotiate for the rights to all english speaking territories, not just America. This leaves the companies who don't have an immediate tie to an American company at a slight disadvantage, but it can only be a good thing for fans.
While ADV, Revelation, Beez and Manga, still have to essentially sublicence from the American companies involed (which explains the slight delay) the fact that the english language rights have already been negotiated with the Japanese companies can only speed up the entire process.

I have no basis for this theory, but it sounds right somehow.
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Random · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:57 pm Post subject:

Whatever the reasons for the gap having 3 or 4 episodes every 2 months for a series with an ongoing storyline is a bad thing.

I will be buying Madlax when the final disk comes out but I won't buy it until I know I can watch all of it in a reasonable timeframe.

Toraman · Shinigami Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 2099 Location: London

This starts in under an hour. I might keep an eye on it if I'm still online.

I registered there as 'Ushiooo' but it needs manual authorisation before I can get involved. Not sure how quick I'll get a response... (not that I've thought of anything interesting to ask anyway Laughing

)

Edit: OK it took about 10 minutes for them to activate me. That was quick! Shocked

Toraman · Shinigami Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 2099 Location: London

It's pretty much finished over there. I niggled with a few questions and recieved good feedback.

There were a couple of interesting things hinted at like an Azumanga box later this year and some screenings in London (also an allusion toward a download service of sorts). Also it was interesting to hear about how various series have performed as companies are often quite coy about revealing such information.

ADV really do well getting in there with the fans (their involvement with the cosplay scene is another thing they do) and it's nice to be able to get direct access to these guys every now and then!

You can read it all here:
http://forum.sfx.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=8044&start=0

GrantM · Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:14 pm Post subject:

I got some questions asked as well, mainly on why the Sorcerer Hunters OAV took so long to be released in the UK and what they think of the policy ADV US has on thinpak boxsets and removing the extras from DVDs

Fudce · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:42 am Post subject:

I wasn't there, but I had a quick scan of the thread and came up with three interesting quotes...

Damo · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:44 am Post subject:

I see what you mean about the sales quotes, not figures but definitly more illuminating than I would have thought, I find this

Fudce · Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:52 am Post subject:

pretear needs more love too, a beautiful series
_________________
UK Anime DVD of the Month Awards
September: Black Lagoon Second Barrage - Volume 1 (MVM)
October: Voting now open! (No Registration Required)

signed, 'F'

botmaster2005 · Ninja In Training Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 860

yeah I know what you mean about last exile, wasn't it just like a big grill or something.
My catch 22 is
* wait for the boxset, to save some money
* boxset never happens because others did the same! Sad

I can't believe Mazinkaiser didnt sell well! then again I don't think ADV pushed it much compared to other shows plus if it had been a 2 disc complete collection it wouldve been nicer Smile

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Subtitles only!? If I wanted to read I would've bought a book! Wink

Hugh K. David · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 2:41 pm Post subject: You guys are not wrong...

Hey guys,

Thanks for showing up on the SFX session, and carrying on the discussion here. Looking over what you guys are saying, it's interesting to see that, in keeping with the sensible attitudes held by the editorial staff here at Eyeonanime, all of you are far more reasonable about the industry than over on some other forums. You're also pretty much on the money with regards to why some things sell and some don't.

As for my talking about successes and failures but not talking about sales figures, it should be pointed out that in general a show can be seen as a success in more than one way. Initial sales & charts for volume 1s are considered the most important. After that, how a series performs over time is the second figure - so Last Exile did so-so as it was released, but has shifted a fair bit over the last year, although still not a massive success. Did the covers help? I don't disagree about vol.1, I'm a HUGE LE fan, own all the region 1 editions, but the less abstract, more dramatic covers for volumes 2 & 3 can be seen as part of the reason why they sold better on initial than vol.1. Whether the gorgeous Murata ones used in Japan and Germany would have worked better in the UK, I don't know - I was the only one who wanted those when we were prepping the show's release, but was not part of the consultation process on the packaging and so was unable to influence the decision. In the end, however, the mood in SF terms does seem to have changed here in the UK of late - my next favourite SF anime show was Planetes, and that has done poorly in both the US and UK, so maybe it's part of the wider trend in the UK away from more grounded SF into emotion-based fantasy, losing the science in SF such as in the Russell T Davies Dr.Who. Doesn't bode well for Moonlight Mile.

As for the catch-22s inherent in selling a TV show on DVD, again, you guys are right on the money. If fans don't buy a show on individual volumes, then the support is seen as not being present for the show and so a series collection is less likely. However, sales data over the last few years points to the complete set-buying audience as being different and fairly separate from the individual volume-buying one - but in the UK we've had so much more time to get used to box sets AND to see the majors lower the price on them, that it's much harder for niche companies like ourselves to do sets that retailers & consumers perceive as value for money, although our sets have always sold very well indeed. It does explain why the US move so quickly to box up shows, although they maintain some of the value of the regular volumes by dropping the extras for less discs in the thinpaks, something we prefer not to do in this office as a matter of policy.

Just so you know, I've registered here so I can answer stuff personally, but I will be doing more forum sessions over the coming weeks and months in a variety of places, so hopefully you'll get to know more about what we do and how we try and bring anime from Japan to the UK via the USA and Australia, as well as general discussion about likes & dislikes.
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Hugh K. David
Marketing Consultant
LDMS & ADV Films

Random · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject:

Hi Hugh,

If you check back could you answer a question that's been bugging me, yes the one a few posts up.

I've read that ADV has been disappointed by the sales of Madlax. Don't you think that for such a long series with an ongoing plot having releases of 1 disk of 3/4 episodes every 2 months is far from ideal?

I know there's a limit to how many series you can have on the go at a time but is it not worth considering each series on it's own merits/style and releasing those that have a single, and if it's anything like Noir convuluted, storyline closer together?

I will be buying it once all 7 are out but would have bought it sooner had the disks been available closer together. 12 months to relase a series has to be excessive.

Thanks

IanC · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:47 pm Post subject:

Hugh, can i just say i really like your no stripping of extras policy for the boxsets. While i can understand why they (ADV US) do it, i dont like it!

Oh and talking of Kino's Journey, i just got all 4 volumes of it today after seeing it for cheap and kept reading praise for it Smile

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