I think Aniplex of America released Madoka in two version: the limited collectors edition and the normal edition. The price point for the collectors and normal edition is reasonable. Also, online stores like RightStuf does give a good discount.
Retail for AoA's release of Madoka (12 episodes) was $120 for DVD set, $150 for Bluray, and $285 collectors edition, the discounted price from Rightstuf was $90 DVD, $120 Bluray, $225 collectors.
Reasonable is a subjective term, one could make the argument that these prices are much cheaper then what people used to pay for VHS releases back in the day, my response would be it's still too expensive for me to buy.
It is pretty expensive and more than I personally would want to spend, but maybe has to do with the business agreements, translation, import costs, and other factors involved in bringing it over here to the U.S.
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I will not touch your pen to your paper. I will not touch it to your red paper. I will not touch it to your black paper. The white man will not see my mark again on his paper for the rest of my days on this Earth! - Red Cloud
Aniplex just uses the Japanese business model. Higher prices means they have to move less product to make a profit. Which means they don't have to bother appealing to a wider audience. If a handful of hardcore fans by it, that's all it takes. And honestly, I don't begrudge AoA for it at all. If it works for them, that's their prerogative.
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Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.
Does anyone know if Aniplex of America has to put up a money to license their animes or can they just take whatever Aniplex titles they want without a license fee?
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“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
Does anyone know if Aniplex of America has to put up a money to license their animes or can they just take whatever Aniplex titles they want without a license fee?
They probably have a higher profit sharing model, with a lower minimum guarantee. Of course, that's just my guess. I'd be surprised if the details have been/ever will be made public.
Aniplex just uses the Japanese business model. Higher prices means they have to move less product to make a profit. Which means they don't have to bother appealing to a wider audience. If a handful of hardcore fans by it, that's all it takes. And honestly, I don't begrudge AoA for it at all. If it works for them, that's their prerogative.
I agree completely with this. As long as Aniplex USA has the collectors market (because that is a guaranteed profit) and the importers market (in the case of the KnK blu, the two F/Z sets) then they don't have to appeal to the casual market very little or at all. Its clearly working for companies like Nozomi and NISA, they have the collectors market in hand and they are working very well at it. Casual fans are not a guaranteed buyer (no matter the circumstances) so it would be a significant risk to the companies' overhead to try to go that route.
people have every right to complain about piss high prices.
No they don't. AoA is releasing a premium, non-essential product. You are in no way entitled to it. Do you complain about the price of diamond necklaces and Ferraris?
Yes they do. If Aniplex doesn't make all that much money, the shouldn't blame us. If their prices were to be more reasonable, they would make much more money. As it is, their prices tend to scare consumers away.
They probably have a higher profit sharing model, with a lower minimum guarantee. Of course, that's just my guess. I'd be surprised if the details have been/ever will be made public.
I've just been wonder because Viz, being owned by 2 of the largest Japanese manga companies, and Kodansha USA being Kodansha opening a US branch. I would think they wouldn't have to pay money, since they're owned by the main Japanese office. Or they might, since the money mostly does go to the person who made the series they picked up.
iamshodan wrote:
Yes they do. If Aniplex doesn't make all that much money, the shouldn't blame us. If their prices were to be more reasonable, they would make much more money. As it is, their prices tend to scare consumers away.
I don't think they scare people away, it's the people that voice their complain that are scared of them, if I can say, they're mostly the causal fans that do the most complaining and wanted it at a cheaper price range. And from what I've heard, AoA said like 8,000 people per-ordered the PMMM limited edition sets, they were willing to pay the price for something they love. If you look at any series (be it anime or a TV series) and cringe and think the price is insane...you're most likely aren't a big fan of the series.
I don't think they scare people away, it's the people that voice their complain that are scared of them, if I can say, they're mostly the causal fans that do the most complaining and wanted it at a cheaper price range. And from what I've heard, AoA said like 8,000 people per-ordered the PMMM limited edition sets, they were willing to pay the price for something they love. If you look at any series (be it anime or a TV series) and cringe and think the price is insane...you're most likely aren't a big fan of the series.
Well, there are many factors to why AoA charge their releases in such high prices. One is they need money to justify a dubbed release (such as Blue Exorcist). Two, as someone pointed out, they follow the Japanese business model (which isn't a surprise considering that Anipex of America is a subsidiary to Aniplex in Japan in similar vein like Geneon and Bandai USA because they went shit under. Also, note that dubs in California and ones made by Bang Zoom! tend to be contracted to unions, which does drive the cost factor up a bit (although I may be wrong in this statement, since a dub fan friend of mine claimed Madoka Magica isn't contracted to a union).
The reason Funimation and Sentai FIlmworks price point is way cheaper than Aniplex of USA is because 1) they have their own studios, and 2) they try to aim for the casual/everyone audience, not just a particular "collector" audience. Apparently, I think Sentai's and Funimation business model is more effective than NISA, Nozomi, and AoA "collector's" model because 1) they care about dub fans more and 2) they don't flip the bird on the dub fans like what NISA and Nozomi does. I have more mixed feelings with AoA though. At one hand, I'm pissed off the they released Bakemonogatari and Oreimo without dubs (two shows that would work perfectly with one and deserves to have one). On the other hand, I can give AoA a few redeeming points for their consideration to the dub fans (such as re-releasing Blue Exorcist with a dub after they initially released the show sub-only).
I find the "collector's" model to very stupid and thus prevent our favorite anime getting English dubs that they deserve (like anohana, Toradora, Bakemonogatari, etc.). Dub fans should not have their watching preference and right denied by having sub-only releases. I find sub-only releases to be what I call "totalitarian."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the horror of capitalism, that prevents anime being dubbed.
Not that again. Nozomi and NISA license that aren't main stream, even if they dubbed them, it wouldn't be worth it. They don't "flip the bird" at dub fans, dubbed fans are flipping their fingers at those companies and refuse to even bother buying subbed releases. Clearly, if you have the balls to complain about there being no dub, you saw the series subbed. If you like Anohana or Toradora, buy it and support the company that got it, it shouldn't matter if it has a dub or not. I would've loved Natsume to get dubbed, but I'm not going to hate on NISA for not doing so, since a series like Natsume isn't the type of series that is popular enough to warrant a dub. The same goes with Bakemonogatari and Oreimo, they might be popular over in Japan, but not over in North Amercia.
And yes, Bang Zoom! is a non-union and union recorder. Most animes projects aren't union projects, since it's a smaller market. Durarara was in fact union dub, because Freeman doesn't work non-union projects. With Persona 4, that was a non-union project, if there are union VAs on a non-union project, they have to make sure they don't list the actor. because believe it or not, the union worker gets in trouble with whoever their agent is. But JYB, he can do both union and non-union because he has recorded things for Funimation, he wouldn't be able to do so if he was just union. And you also notice, Laura Baily's name isn't listed in the Ko-n anime credits, but she's casted as 1 of the characters.
___________________________________________
“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
Yes they do. If Aniplex doesn't make all that much money, the shouldn't blame us. If their prices were to be more reasonable, they would make much more money. As it is, their prices tend to scare consumers away.
I can only assume they are making money or they would have changed their business model. Again, the thing about high-price premium releases is that they don't have to care about scary away casual customers. Sure, they're not going to make a fortune even with a breakout hit like Madoka or SAO, but on the other hand they don't have to spend as much on marketing and distribution to try to attract casual buyers and risk underselling. They make a small guaranteed profit from hardcore fans with a LE premium release and then move on. It's actually a very safe way to do business, believe it or not.
___________________________________________
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.
Retail for AoA's release of Madoka (12 episodes) was $120 for DVD set, $150 for Bluray, and $285 collectors edition, the discounted price from Rightstuf was $90 DVD, $120 Bluray, $225 collectors.
Reasonable is a subjective term, one could make the argument that these prices are much cheaper then what people used to pay for VHS releases back in the day, my response would be it's still too expensive for me to buy.
It is pretty expensive and more than I personally would want to spend, but maybe has to do with the business agreements, translation, import costs, and other factors involved in bringing it over here to the U.S.
I will not touch your pen to your paper. I will not touch it to your red paper. I will not touch it to your black paper. The white man will not see my mark again on his paper for the rest of my days on this Earth! - Red Cloud
from Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Aniplex just uses the Japanese business model. Higher prices means they have to move less product to make a profit. Which means they don't have to bother appealing to a wider audience. If a handful of hardcore fans by it, that's all it takes. And honestly, I don't begrudge AoA for it at all. If it works for them, that's their prerogative.
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.
Does anyone know if Aniplex of America has to put up a money to license their animes or can they just take whatever Aniplex titles they want without a license fee?
“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
I agree completely with this. As long as Aniplex USA has the collectors market (because that is a guaranteed profit) and the importers market (in the case of the KnK blu, the two F/Z sets) then they don't have to appeal to the casual market very little or at all. Its clearly working for companies like Nozomi and NISA, they have the collectors market in hand and they are working very well at it. Casual fans are not a guaranteed buyer (no matter the circumstances) so it would be a significant risk to the companies' overhead to try to go that route.
my dvdaf (anime, criterions, other) | MyAnimeList | Anime-Planet
Yes they do. If Aniplex doesn't make all that much money, the shouldn't blame us. If their prices were to be more reasonable, they would make much more money. As it is, their prices tend to scare consumers away.
The Bird of Hermes Is My Name
Eating My Wings To Make Me Tame
I've just been wonder because Viz, being owned by 2 of the largest Japanese manga companies, and Kodansha USA being Kodansha opening a US branch. I would think they wouldn't have to pay money, since they're owned by the main Japanese office. Or they might, since the money mostly does go to the person who made the series they picked up.
I don't think they scare people away, it's the people that voice their complain that are scared of them, if I can say, they're mostly the causal fans that do the most complaining and wanted it at a cheaper price range. And from what I've heard, AoA said like 8,000 people per-ordered the PMMM limited edition sets, they were willing to pay the price for something they love. If you look at any series (be it anime or a TV series) and cringe and think the price is insane...you're most likely aren't a big fan of the series.
“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
Well, there are many factors to why AoA charge their releases in such high prices. One is they need money to justify a dubbed release (such as Blue Exorcist). Two, as someone pointed out, they follow the Japanese business model (which isn't a surprise considering that Anipex of America is a subsidiary to Aniplex in Japan in similar vein like Geneon and Bandai USA because they went shit under. Also, note that dubs in California and ones made by Bang Zoom! tend to be contracted to unions, which does drive the cost factor up a bit (although I may be wrong in this statement, since a dub fan friend of mine claimed Madoka Magica isn't contracted to a union).
The reason Funimation and Sentai FIlmworks price point is way cheaper than Aniplex of USA is because 1) they have their own studios, and 2) they try to aim for the casual/everyone audience, not just a particular "collector" audience. Apparently, I think Sentai's and Funimation business model is more effective than NISA, Nozomi, and AoA "collector's" model because 1) they care about dub fans more and 2) they don't flip the bird on the dub fans like what NISA and Nozomi does. I have more mixed feelings with AoA though. At one hand, I'm pissed off the they released Bakemonogatari and Oreimo without dubs (two shows that would work perfectly with one and deserves to have one). On the other hand, I can give AoA a few redeeming points for their consideration to the dub fans (such as re-releasing Blue Exorcist with a dub after they initially released the show sub-only).
I find the "collector's" model to very stupid and thus prevent our favorite anime getting English dubs that they deserve (like anohana, Toradora, Bakemonogatari, etc.). Dub fans should not have their watching preference and right denied by having sub-only releases. I find sub-only releases to be what I call "totalitarian."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the horror of capitalism, that prevents anime being dubbed.
Not that again. Nozomi and NISA license that aren't main stream, even if they dubbed them, it wouldn't be worth it. They don't "flip the bird" at dub fans, dubbed fans are flipping their fingers at those companies and refuse to even bother buying subbed releases. Clearly, if you have the balls to complain about there being no dub, you saw the series subbed. If you like Anohana or Toradora, buy it and support the company that got it, it shouldn't matter if it has a dub or not. I would've loved Natsume to get dubbed, but I'm not going to hate on NISA for not doing so, since a series like Natsume isn't the type of series that is popular enough to warrant a dub. The same goes with Bakemonogatari and Oreimo, they might be popular over in Japan, but not over in North Amercia.
And yes, Bang Zoom! is a non-union and union recorder. Most animes projects aren't union projects, since it's a smaller market. Durarara was in fact union dub, because Freeman doesn't work non-union projects. With Persona 4, that was a non-union project, if there are union VAs on a non-union project, they have to make sure they don't list the actor. because believe it or not, the union worker gets in trouble with whoever their agent is. But JYB, he can do both union and non-union because he has recorded things for Funimation, he wouldn't be able to do so if he was just union. And you also notice, Laura Baily's name isn't listed in the Ko-n anime credits, but she's casted as 1 of the characters.
“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
I can only assume they are making money or they would have changed their business model. Again, the thing about high-price premium releases is that they don't have to care about scary away casual customers. Sure, they're not going to make a fortune even with a breakout hit like Madoka or SAO, but on the other hand they don't have to spend as much on marketing and distribution to try to attract casual buyers and risk underselling. They make a small guaranteed profit from hardcore fans with a LE premium release and then move on. It's actually a very safe way to do business, believe it or not.
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.