How long is Funimation going to sell animes like this? I use to get a lot of anime for around 20 to 30 dollars but ever since they started this it seems everything is from $35 to $40. I've only been able to get a few animes this year because of this. At first I didn't like it because it had a ton of discs I didn't need but now I just can't afford it. Also I saw the one 24 episode series getting a combo. That has to be like 8 discs.... I will never get a anime with 8 discs in one case. That just way to crowded... I tried to search to see if anyone was having the same problem but the search doesn't work.
So hows your anime buying been since they started Bluray/DVD Combos? Are you able to afford as many animes as you did before?
There's really not a significant difference in price between the combo and the singles, maybe $5-$8. The production cost of DVDs are so low that adding them in really doesn't add a lot to the cost and the packaging does not really have to be changed. The way I look at it I'm really only interested in the blu rays, but if I happen to scratch or screw up one of the discs I then have a back up on hand (although it is in lesser quality) or you can always sell them if you don't want them. I'm surprised more people dont do that. I would think ebay would be flooded by now with the DVD versions of shows sold in combos disc only for like $15. I'm sure someone who is not a collector but just wants to see the show would buy it in a second, and then you've made back a third of the cost of the whole set. Or if you have friends who are anime fans you can always give them as gifts. But to answer your question I'm sure they are not going to stop anytime soon, as it isn't very much additional costs to them and retailers like it because it reduces sku's therefore saving them money in the long run.
Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.- Steven Wright
I'm guessing Funimation will continue to produce combo packs until DVDs go the way of the VHS, and since there is still a market for DVD releases that shouldn't be for awhile. As Batou said the DVDs don't really add much to the cost, the reason anime costs more is because the market has stabilized somewhat from the bubble burst, there are no longer mass fire sales from ADV and Geneon flooding the market, Funimation no longer has to compete with as many companies so they can drive up their price a bit, and licensing/dubbing/staffing just cost more nowadays.
Also, if you don't mind me asking, why do you care so much about how many disks are in a package? There are some packaging such as ADV/Sentai's suicide package where all the disks are piled up on each other with a block of foam, those are bad because they pose a danger to the disks. Funimation packaging such as the 5 disk Strike Witches combo set are actually quite safe, they just make use of the empty space in normal DVD cases, they are more structurally sound and protect better then the single case.
Now the whole "less plastic used" cases are the ones that annoy me, sure it saves some plastic because they cut a hole in the middle of it, just hope a bug doesn't land on it and poke a whole through the cover art.
There's practically no price difference between the combo packs and the DvD-only sets. For example: the DvD-only release of Panty and Stocking is $64.98 MSRP, 38.98 from Rightstuf. The Cat Planet Cuties Combo pack with the same number episodes is 69.98 MSRP and 41.99 from Rightstuff. That's a difference of 3-5 dollars for an entire set of extra discs worth upwards of 65 dollars by themselves.
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...you're sort of...lacking case in order to sell the DVDs by themselves. If Funimation would offer up something so you can split the DVD and blu-ray into their own cases, I would be for that and give them to my friends or something.
“In order to protect something precious, you must find it first.”- Vata Raven
The reason having so many discs in one case bugs me is because of cases like Lucky Stars. I had to take discs out just to get the ones behind them. I also never heard of Sentai's suicide package, I will have to look it up later. Also a good example is Strike Witches. When it came out it was DVD only and i got it for $22, Strike Witches combo says it goes as low as $32. That $10 extra dollars. That adds up after a while. I guess I'll just wait for save editions for most of my animes. So far the only anime I'm getting in a combo pack is Strike Witches, and that because it my favorite anime.
Also random note on what you said, It says Strike Witches is a 5 disc set but i have seen a open case on youtube and it only has 4 discs. 2 Bluray and2 DVDs
Top 3 Favorite Animes:
1. Strike Witches
2. K-ON!
3. Highschool of the Dead
Most movie companies are doing combos now so FUNimation won't stop anytime soon.. Or at least DVD is phased out for good. Also new anime has always cost $40-$60. They will come down after they have been out for a while.
Yeah For Physical releases of entertainment media combo packs are pretty much the wave of the future IMO. Because lets face it Blu-Ray has been around since what... 2006, DVD is still kicking. IMO like with video games, its good for tv shows & movies to be released in multiple formats, conforming to one method (such as VHS) may have worked in the old days when it was all we capable of, or all that would work, but nowadays consumers like having the choice of how to view their media.
Thats one reason why I can't help but laugh at people who try to push the "everything must go digital" revolution, its just not gonna work, at least not in our life time, people by nature (or a decent amount of people) like to collect things, and collecting data will never be as satisfying as having an actual product in your hand. Will physical releases for niche media such as anime & what not decrease over time, probably, but yeah the important thing is always having the choice of how you consume your media.
But thats off topic, so I digress.
Back on Topic, as said theres not much of a difference in price between the reg DVD only releases and the combo packs. And theres various other factors to add in, how much Funimation paid for the property, how many episodes the series has, how much it cost them to dub, etc,etc and so on.
But yeah overall combo packs are worth the purchase, at least imo they are.
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My buying habits have changed quite a bit because of them. In the past, I always waited for the complete collection or waited until the set dropped in cost. With the combo packs, I've been buying far more new releases lately because I get a better value. Two copies for the price of a single Blu-ray set isn't too shabby IMO.
Avatar: Rosette and Chrono from Chrono Crusade
I guess I will have to get LE for the 12 ep series since that will come in two cases and get the save for the 24 eps. Maybe i'm just too picky about those kinda things
Top 3 Favorite Animes:
1. Strike Witches
2. K-ON!
3. Highschool of the Dead
Well you can get clear plastic disc cases for dirt cheap, you could also get empty black DVD cases from Amazon (you can buy 100 for around $12.) I bought empty blu ray cases when the Blockbuster by me went out of business and was selling all of their blu rays for $5-$9 or $3 for disc only. I'd buy a pack of 25 empty blu ray cases for about $20 on Amazon so I wouldn't have those big clunky Blockbuster cases on my shelves (I think I bought about 50 blus from them then)
If disc art is the problem I'm sure you could just list in the Ebay ad that they are just the DVDs in blank cases because the DVDs came from a blu ray/DVD combo set. I'm sure if someone just wanted the show and wasn't buying it for a collection they wouldn't mind that if it was cheap enough.
Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn’t happen.- Steven Wright