Profitmon Catches The Dollars 262
An anonymous reader writes "The mainstream press has finally discovered the cash in anime. Fortune's Daniel Roth profiles ADV, the largest anime distributor in the U.S.. He uses it as a way to talk about how the anime and manga business has, in what's become a rarity in showbiz, managed to find a way to do 'more than not alienate its customers: It has found ways to keep them buying and buying.' The article also details the madness of the anime superfans--the Otaku--and the likely Neon Genesis Evangelion live-action flick that Weta's Richard Taylor is pushing for." Good Content + Bittorrent = Profit?
Go Profitmon! (Score:4, Funny)
WTF are "meta" (Score:2)
The money? (Score:4, Interesting)
There's also the fact that a lot of anime sales are online which can be on demand as well, it's just a safer business I think than producing large numbers of an item and hoping they all sell.
Re:The money? (Score:2, Interesting)
Mind you, I have been one of those morons on occasion, for example I bought all the cowboy bebop discs for that price. But then, th
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:4, Insightful)
The money is from the fact that a lot of morons will pay $24.95 for a DVD with three or four episodes on it.
Yeah, because that's near full MSRP. I buy online at dvdpacific.com where I can get them for $16 to $19 per disc. That's the price to pay if you want to support what you enjoy. And it's probably the best price the world over, considering the Japanese pay 5x that for TWO episodes.
Thanks, but I'll take a fansub instead.
You may think you're only spitting on the US licensor, but you're also spitting on the creator as well.
It's available earlier
You can do that when you ignore both the law and paying the creator for their time and effort.
the translation is rarely better (although rife with typos and other silliness)
Fixed that for you.
and I don't have to rip it to avoid the stupid non-skippable intro animations on anime DVDs, especially those from ADV films.
What non-skippable intros? I hit the menu button during the FBI logo on all of my DVDs and it jumps right to the menu. Every anime company does that (even ADV.)
I have been one of those morons on occasion
There we go. Only morons support that which they like. Everyone else screws them over.
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
What do you mean "you'll be happy to"? Either you're sending them money or you're not!
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Secure tax revenue? (Score:2)
Re:Secure tax revenue? (Score:2)
If you want to find enlightenment on the subject of copyright, there are a few neat things you can read, like this wiki page [wikisource.org] or maybe this [winterspeak.com] little blurb... You could always read the original statute of anne [copyrighthistory.com] upon which US [and most all modern] copyright law is based, or maybe even glance over this [checs.net]. Copyright is bad for society, at least in its current form. Remember that it is essentially a right provided by the people, and the people have the power and the right to take it back.
Re:Secure tax revenue? (Score:2)
anyways, reading the statute of anne, its interesting to note that nothing about tax revenue was written there. It was a 21 year right in order to encourage creation of writing to keep authors from going hungry. I'm not sure what at
Re:The money? (Score:2)
And you left out the music thing. I support my favorite bands - I go see them in concert. Your average major label band makes a hell
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
In particular the Champloo subs have been phenominal.
I will say this, a lot of this just comes down to loving what you are working on. The old Kodocha subs for Kodomo no Omacha are still the best I have seen...
Hmmmm.... The animations are skipable (Score:2)
Hmmm... I have no freaking clue what you are talking about. I have Cromartie High and I can pretty much skip through any of the intro animation that I want to. By intro animation you do mean the annoying ads at the beginning right?? Yeah I can skip through those.
Re:Hmmmm.... The animations are skipable (Score:2)
All ADV does is start up with ads, which while annoying (especially the English voiceovers for the ads) ar
Re:The money? (Score:4, Interesting)
I think the next step is instead of a fan sub, a fan DUB. Get a group of fairly good voice people and dub in what they are speaking.....
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Sure, the official dubs usually suck (with the exception of RahXephon) but at least your mind doesnt stop while listening or cringe in shock and horror.
Just go look for the Naruto fan dub out there, terrible, terrible, terrible.
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Parodies on the other hand have a lot more latitude in what they can do and the dub route is certainly an option.
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Have you heard the dub to Those Who Hunt Elves? I walked in on the middle of that one, and I was sure it was a fandub until I saw the closing credits, at which point my jaw dropped in horror.
Really good dubs are few and far in between (even if the main characters are good, there'll always be incidental characters with bad voice acting), but I really liked
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Nah, dubs are very common around the world. Anything remotely popular will probably end up dubbed for a lot of the local markets. Even in countries with high literacy rates, for example - My Sassy Girl is being dubbed in Tagalog for the Philippi
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
No, thanks. VOST is nice because Voice Actor is a true profession in Japan and good voice actors/actress stand toe to toe with regular actors/actress in both popularity and earnings. Until the occidental world makes voice acting as valuable as regular acting I'll stick to subs.
Re:The money? (Score:2)
its hard to do. I can speak japanese(not exceptionally well but more than good enough to understand most anime if I have a dictionary) and lots of lines wouldn't work in english, at least given teh time constraints.
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Re:The money? (Score:2)
just them saying the japanese word ani/oniisan doesn't mean it always means brother. the tone, implication, and situation all change the meaning. It can range
Re:The money? (Score:2)
Missing important facts (Score:5, Interesting)
It also fails to account for the fact that despite how small all of the anime companies are compared to say the music and movie giants in the states, the size of the warez base is MUCH LARGER relatively. There's a prevalent attitude among anime "fans" that paying for it is somehow supporting "the man" despite the fact that international licensors provide the japanese with a non-trivial amount of funding.
Re:Missing important facts (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Missing important facts (Score:2)
ADV simply fell into the trap of exploiting a fad at it's peak by spending money like crazy. (Most notably, their "Anime Network".) Once the anime fad here in the US began to drop off, ADV began to suffer. During that time, they've had several company-wide layoffs and now their product quality is at an all-time low. The fact that they gave Cartoon Network the keys to their flag
Re:Missing important facts (Score:2)
ADV was almost critically wounded after the bidding war the surrounded Neon Genesis as well. NGE pretty much bankrupted them. They recovered quite nicely when NGE actually started to sell. On the other hand, they then started a massive mother of all buying binges which terminated with the illfated Anime TV network.
Also, GAINEX itself nearly didn't survive Evangelion. This is nothing too surprising. GAINEX has been notoriously ill-managed over the years oscillating between di
Re:Netflix (Score:2)
Rent 1 = BitTorrent +infinity.
AVD has been dumping videos at rock-bottom prices since the summer. $6.00 for a DVD that sells (or doesn't) in stores for $40 or $50. Dozens and dozens of titles all at bargain prices.
How long before the stores and middlemen disributors get pissed that they're being severely undercut by ADV selling direct at what has to be a loss? Why so many firesales? Is warehouse space THAT expensive?
Weta moderating (Score:3, Funny)
Bring me Bleach (Score:2, Troll)
Price Analysis (Score:5, Interesting)
They won't come down in price, cause pretty much there is no reason for them too. While I download the occassional anime series, I still buy some of my stuff from Brick N' Mortar, or other various online sources. Hell, I am going to buy Grenadier, even though I have the fansubs to it on my computer.
Seriously, if they want to really rank in the dough, start dropping the prices to under the $20 level. At least then, it might make is justifiable to only the DVD for its extras. Keeping it at $29.99 might net you big profits in the short term, but as the years progress, there is only so much people are willing to take before they forever go the way of fansubs.
Re:Price Analysis (Score:3, Informative)
Look around online at legit shops like deepdiscountdvd.com or dvdplanet.com (or my fave, dvdplanet.com) and you can find shows for just over half MSRP.
That and ADV is releasing a lot of shows that only came out this year as thinpak complete collections. While they lack extras (which are of variable quality), you can get an entire show for $30-$60 in a nice, small box. And you support the industry as a w
Re:Price Analysis (Score:2)
I'm surprised anime is still popular. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I'm surprised anime is still popular. (Score:2)
One series I don't hear much about (if ever) is StarBlazers. I have the entire first series and half of the second series on tape. There is a third series but I have never seen it since it was only broadcast in a few markets in the U.S.
Best scene is when they make it Gamolon and go inside and start blasting away at everything that moves. Turn the lights off and turn the volu
Re:I'm surprised anime is still popular. (Score:4, Insightful)
Content(pr0n) + Bittorrent = Profits (Score:2)
profitmon! (Score:2, Funny)
no competition for content (Score:2)
this leaves the market for anime to a few companies willing to experiment with alternative distribution and not afraid of competition from fans (such as fansubs,
The View of an Otaku (Score:2)
Japanese Anime has seen an explosion of popularity in the US over the past few years. What attributed to this was the broadcast of Anime on TV. Cartoon Network's Toonami accelerated this and the popularity of Pokemon also helped. Not all Anime is for kids, though, but the mentality of most American's is to catalogue all animated TV shows as kids shows. This is dangerous thinking, and its caused several good series to be ruined when released
Did "Last Exile", further recommendations? (Score:2)
Re:Did "Last Exile", further recommendations? (Score:2)
Relationship with the Fanbase (Score:2)
How would a /. anime be called? (Score:2)
Frist Post!
You Have Been Trolled
SlashDot: Anime for nerds, mechas that matter (notice the BiCapitalization. When an anime has an Englisch or German name it's often strange in some way)
Roland de Piquepaille and the Karma Whores
Repost Warrior CmdrTaco
CowboyNeal
And let's not forget the OVAs:
Slashdot: Beowulf Cluster
Slashdot: Hot Grits Panic!
Slashdot is dead - Confirmation: Netcraft (gotta love Engrish)
In Soviet Russia, Slashdot watch YOU!
Internet Crisis: Slashdot Effect
Re:How would a /. anime be called? (Score:3, Funny)
Anime titles are usually of the form Adjective Profession Proper Noun. I suggest Perennial Poll Option CowboyNeal. Petrified Actress Natalie Portman also works.
Re:Anime (Score:5, Insightful)
Dragonball isn't that bad (Score:2)
Re:Dragonball isn't that bad (Score:2)
Uh... huh? Which Dragonball Z did you watch? In the one I saw, most episodes consisted of characters hovering in place for about 20 minutes jawing at each other, then the other two minutes consisted of "fighting" which was about 6 frames of animation played in an annoyingly fast loop over and over again. Angles are usually chosen to minimize lipsync.
The only show I've seen with worse animation has to be
Re:Anime (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Anime (Score:2)
Re:Anime (Score:4, Insightful)
You should watch good quality animes instead of Pokemons and Digimons.
Quite a lot of them, even though they won't be released any soon in the western world, actually have a damn good animation and art, check Elfen Lied, Blood+ or Air for good examples. Others, such as Stellvia of the Universe, have extremely impressive CGs and soundtracks. Some more are genres on their own, or truly stand apart from the crowd because they're Just Too Good To Be True (Wolf's Rain, Juuni Kokki, Witch Hunter Robin) or because they're just Too Stupid To Be True (Oruchuban Ebichu, FLCL, Excel Saga, Sexy Commando, Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu).
At the bottom are the fanservice(read: boobs)-laden, plot-empty animes such as Green Green and the regular-good Shojos and their caricatural heros (Bleach, One Piece).
And then, you have the Pits, the mass-produced 500 episode with no art, no voice actors, no animation, no spirit. Pokemon, Naruto and Digimon are fine examples of these.
Japanese animation and comics are extremely varied, they're much closer to occidental novels (as a medium) than to occidental comics (including the european ones).
Re:Anime (Score:3, Insightful)
Having 2 young lads (8+10) Ive had the luck to watch most of big imported animes. While its easy to knock Pokemon and Digimon they are GREAT *KIDS* entertainment - and Naruto *in its original form* is actually FAR FAR *FAR* better than I would ever have imagined (I downloaded the fansubs for my kids and they watched eps 1-110 over a couple
Re:Anime (Score:2)
Re:Anime (Score:2)
I've been reading all 3 as mangas ever since I could get my hands on them, I therefore see how they evolve (even though it doesn't perfectly reflect wha
Re:Anime (Score:3, Insightful)
Naruto is an interesting case. It suffers from the filler-itus syndrome. The main storyline in Naruto is pretty good with a lot of interesting action, but the filler episodes, which is needed because anime progresses faster than manga, range from watchable to pure
Re:Anime (Score:5, Interesting)
I primarily download my anime via bittorrent. I check out what I like, and eventually buy the boxed set. Just this morning I recieved my box set of Azumanga Diaoh (funniest anime EVAR). If you have an easy method of previewing your content, it makes the purchase easier.
And I feel like I'm actually supporting something with anime, as most anime shops (in japan) are small and have very thin profit margins.
Re:Anime (Score:2)
Re:Anime (Score:2)
Re:Anime (Score:2)
After awhile, anime get's boring also, and you're back to hunting for the gems that hit your tastes just like with American fare.
I have the problem that I like to read quite a bit, especially online forums. That can take up much of my free time. Then I've got the 5 or so TV shows I like to watch each week. Then the novels I want to read
Re:Anime (Score:2)
But she didn't like Akira. She digs action SF flicks but not Akira.
And she liked both Armageddon and Alien Vs. Predator.
I may have to disown her.
Her husband, on the other hand, is one of those total anti-animation people. When I was taking care of their cats when they were away, I turned
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:2, Funny)
Yes. Multi-headed laser-slash-semen shooting penis-slash-tenticles raping young girls so they can bear the prophesied are indeed "much different".
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:5, Funny)
Most anime fans avoid hentai...but you seem to know alot about it. ^_~
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:3, Funny)
Q: And what is the title of this anime?
A: The Aristocrats
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:2, Insightful)
There are lots of cliches in Japanese animation, they're just *different* from cliches in North American mass media.
Of course there are a few jewels here and there too - that's what keeps all of us going.
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:3, Interesting)
Well as long as Americans don't make them, we'll be fine.
But seriously, I have seen a few bad Animes, but I think the ones we see over here are mostly the really good ones worth exporting. The more they export, though, then the more we get the lower quality animes.
However, even the almost "mainstream" like Ghost in the Shell Series, Inyu
Ghost in the Shell is too confusing..... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Ghost in the Shell is too confusing..... (Score:2)
The new movie GITS 2: Innocence has much better translation and does a better job at expressing the ideal behind GITS without putting you to sleep or m
Re:Ghost in the Shell is too confusing..... (Score:2)
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:2)
Re:Is mainstream good? (Score:2)
Bringing older-ish anime to the States is practically free, espec
Don't Worry, Not Mainstream Yet (Score:2)
Re:Don't Worry, Not Mainstream Yet (Score:2)
Re:An excellent article from Fortune (Score:2)
Re:Pricing woes (Score:2)
If you look at anime prices as a whole they have come down. It used to be $25 dubbed or $30 subbed for two episodes. Yes Evangalion cost me over $300. Thankfully Suncoast Replay program was sweet back then and you got 5% back in store credit, and they even had the 10% off day and weekends. One of my friends pissed off a clerk by by the $150 Lodoss boxset with credit o
Re:Pricing woes (Score:2, Interesting)
Bitcom FAQ's:
What is a bitcom?
It is a sitcom distributed by BitTorrent.
Who can view a bitcom?
Anyone with a computer, high speed internet, and custom BitTorrent software.
How much does it cost to view a bitcom?
Nothing.
How do I view a bitcom?
You download custom BitTorrent software, create an account, and log into the website. Once logged in you search for a bitcom you want to view and click on it.
How much to set up an account?
Free. You do need to provide a name, email address, zip, ag
Re:Pricing woes (Score:2)
So kwitcher whinin', fanboys!
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2, Insightful)
You don't seem to realize that the audience for a given anime series is many many times smaller than the audience for any single show on national television in America. So much smaller that they do not have the following:
- Advertising support
- Millions of viewers weekly
Which alone guarantees that the show is either paid for entirely by advertising, such as reality TV shows which are cheap to make. That and with millions of viewers you're guaranteed a larg
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
I support AnimEigo, Viz, CPM, Manga Ent, especially small newer companies like AnimeWorks. I'll buy manga from Kodansha, Kadokawa, Shogakukan, Del Rey, Dark Horse, even TokyoPop, though sadly I've dropped Viz since they think unlabelled censorship is cool...
But, In the 10 or so years I've been into anime, I've been burned so often by ADV, it's simply not worth it to do business with them.
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
Find something region free and buy a season for $30.
If ADV gets their prices to the $45ish that most seasons of tv cost in the US these days I'll buy their products since they tend to be a bit better quality, but $150? I can survive with a little bit of engrish for $120 savings.
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
You might as well save your money and watch fansubs because the bootlegs you're buying are no better for the creators.
Yes, you are buying bootlegs. Sometimes the quality of bootlegs can be very high and you may not think it, but based on your description I'm 99% sure you're buying bootlegs. Just the fact that they are region free is clue enough (I know of no legitimate DVD manufacturer that produces region free anime...yes, it's theoretically possible, but nobody does). Anyway, check out the Pirate Ani [anime.org.uk]
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
Most are quite well packaged euro releases.
If they are bootlegs/copies of us releases they certainly went through enough effort stripping out logos and bonus content and writing up nice case insert books that describe the series and give some historical info to help keep some of the more odd shows in context.
So rent it (Score:2)
Now th
Re:So rent it (Score:2)
I'm not sure what you are referencing, but r and l are interchangable in Japanese. It's because there isnt' a definitive r or l sound, just a mix that somewhat favors the r. So the translation might not be off, just an acceptable difference. another good example is Kenpo and Kempo. In some cases, n and m are interchangable, but not in all.
Re:I hate ADV. (Score:2)
Re:ADV is to anime as Microsoft is to OS's (Score:2, Insightful)
Other than that I don't see how you can compare ADV to MS and the RIAA. And everything else in your rant makes no sense, or is completely false.
- amateur voice actors: they've gotten some fair
Re:ADV is to anime as Microsoft is to OS's (Score:2)
Re:What's going on? (Score:2)
Its a difficult situation, on the one hand, people will continuously complain, on the other, doing something about it will require the editors to (some might say unfairly) selectively target the guy.
As I see it, the editors will either continue not doing their jobs/allow the whining to go on, or they'll probably just silently start ignoring Beatles... while allowing the whining to go o
Re:Who got the first exposure? (Score:2)
Re:Who got the first exposure? (Score:2)
Anime certainly is old enough to have influenced today's spend-crazy generation of young adults from th
Re:Who got the first exposure? (Score:2)