Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

So it's a bad business decision to try to make a product you're selling available to the widest audience possible?

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Let's ask ADV...or Central Park Media... or Geneon ... or Tokyopop or ...<insert 5 more companies here.>

I still don't understand how Animeigo is still around.

I know its a dumb argument... but its all I've got! :)

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Didn't ADV kill themselves when they entered a couple bad licensing agreements? And technically weren't they reorganized into Sentai?

I always thought CPM kinda burned out. I don't recall them releasing a whole lot during the boom. They seemed like one of those '90's companies that faded away when Funimation, ADV, and Geneon became the main players.

Their death was related to Geneon Japan (or whatever their parent company was called) merging with Universal. Personally, I'm still shocked that Geneon USA shut down.

Weren't they in trouble for a couple years?

Animeigo's still around? I thought they died a couple years ago.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Yes and no. ADV Films by itself right now technically still exists. It still holds anime licenses/rights until they expire, but they no longer acquire any new licenses anymore. And then you get Section23 Films (doing only distribution and no licensing). Section23 Films distribute for the likes of Sentai Filmworks, Maiden Japan, AESir Holdings, and ADV Films. In some ways I just call them the "Houston group."
They are quite alive. They are no longer licensing anime. They are just letting older anime licenses expire (last year Oh! My Goddess and Urusei Yatsura; You're Under Arrest: S1 later this month). They are dealing with live-action stuff nowadays (primarily samurai films).

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Geneon Entertainment (USA) ceased the sales and distribution of DVDs as of September 28, 2007.
Bandai Visual (USA) combined with Bandai Entertainment (USA) by September 2008
Central Park Media/US Manga Corps filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 27, 2009
ADV Films announced it was selling off its assets on September 1, 2009
Tokyopop shut down on May 31, 2011
Bandai Entertainment (USA) announced that they will stop offering new DVD, Blu-Ray disc and manga releases by February 2012.


The slump looks pretty bad looking at what happend the past few years, I didn't even mention how many anime/Manga companies laid off employees. did I miss any companies thats no longer around?

Most people call them "Neo-ADV"

AnimEigo just licensed "Growing Up With Hello Kitty."

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

via ANN

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

That sucks I really like Media Blasters to, I predict they won't be around by the end of the year if things don't change. They had about 50 employees before last march.

History of Media Blasters layoffs.

Via Ann posted on 2010-03-08

History of VIZ Media layoffs.

Via Ann posted on 2010-05-11

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

^Good point--I had forgotten about that round of VIZ layoffs

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

So I've been reading reactions around the web about the Bandai Entertainment news, and everytime someone comments something like their shutdown is "good, because hey, there are always fansubs of everything anyway, and anime should be equivalent in price to American TV show releases anyway" it makes me sad...

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I was watching the Discotek release of the Fist of the North Star movie, and even though I was watching it subbed, I had to go back a couple of times and listen to the old dub track, which I haven't heard since the last time I watched the movie probably 15 years ago. And it made me realize how much I miss the old Streamline dubs. I really wish that there would be an American release of Castle of the Cagliostro on dvd or bluray that used the Streamline dub, since I always thought that it was way more fun than the dub that Manga Entertainment produced. I've got a region 2 disc that has it, but I'd be nice to have it on something that doesn't involve me moving equipment to another room to be able to watch.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I would like to add that I think another factor that led to anime's fall was the types of shows that were being released during the later part of the boom. Looking back, prior to and during the early years of the boom, there seemed to be more variety to the shows and movies companies were releasing. As the years passed, to me the variety seemed to disappear and companies seemed to release more and more of the same types of shows (shonen, harem, fan-service. at least these are the types I remember being advertised). I know I started to get bored with what was being released and I wouldn't be surprised if numerous other casual fans did as well and left anime out of boredom/disinterest. It almost happened to me a couple times.

Even now, all these years after the boom, there still doesn't seem to be much variety in what anime shows get released (except now everything seems to be oriented around that moe crap). Looking at a lot of the releases form the last couple months, it still seems like companies are releasing the same types of shows that were being released years ago.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Well NIS is making an effort with shows like Toradora, Wagnaria and Kimi ni Todoke, but the fact that they don't even bother dubbing them suggests they only expect to sell them to anime fans. And Sentai does pick up some interesting titles, like the recently announced Another and Bodacious Space Pirates.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I think part of this was due to the newness of it... there was an entire back catalog of stuff to choose from and you could get the best of the past few years, so there was more variety. Another part of it is the rut that anime in Japan has fallen into... it's getting harder and harder to find a show that's not either a kid's show or moe. I'll add that while I don't follow new anime properties in Japan religiously, there aren't many series that have been passed on by the major domestic companies that I thought would've been a hit here in America if they just brought it over, the exception being the ones caught up in legal entanglements (like Macross Frontier).

I am curious what kind of titles attracted you to anime in the beginning, though (though that may be out of place in this thread).

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I don't know that much about the background surrounding the Macross legal fiasco, but you would've thought by now someone would've cleared that up. Hasn't it been going on since the early '90's?

As for what titles attracted me to anime, Dragonball Z* and Gundam Wing were the two big titles that really hooked me, but the first thing I watched knowing it was anime was Sailor Moon on Cartoon Network (I'll be honest, I started watching it because I thought the girls were cute :wub:). The following Saturday was when I saw DBZ for the first time and after that I was hooked. It's kind of funny looking back at what hooked me onto anime since I no longer like DBZ or Gundam Wing. I remember being intrigued by Akira a few years before I got into anime. Late at night in the mid-'90's, I remember seeing ads on TV for an anime video club and Akira was one of the movies they previewed. That was the first thing I saw that I knew was anime and knew the name of. I remember thinking it looked so messed up and wanted to see it based on it's weirdness. I wouldn't actually see it until late 2001, but in my early anime days it remained firmly in my mind. When it was released on DVD in that big steelbook, I immediately pre-ordered from the newly opened Suncoast in my mall.

I don't recall watching that many series during my early days. Sure, I watched some of the shows that were on Toonami, but I mainly watched movies and OVAs that showed up on Encore and Starz Action's anime block. I did start watching more series later on, but they were mainly shows I found out about on my own that weren't airing on TV (that I knew of).


*I started watching DBZ when it still aired Saturday mornings on ABC. It was taken off after a couple weeks, then showed up on CN in either late '98 or early '99.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I've started watching Full Metal Panic after having the Blus for seasons 1 & 2 sit in my backlog since Christmas 2010, and I've got to say, I'm really not feeling it. I'm on episode 8 and so far the show hasn't wowed me. I know a lot of fans have said this series was one of the best animes of the last decade, but I honestly think it feels pretty similar to a lot of other shows I watched during the boom. Right now I'm wondering whether I should go on with the series or drop it and put the Blus up for sale on Amazon.

Maybe this is a indication that I'm done with anime and should move on?

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

^ I am not even interested in animes like that, I go for fan-service and drama animes. for drama Clannad, Kanon, and Angel Beats! is the best and Shuffle!, and Rosario + Vampire for fan-service. I also love so many other animes not just those.

Have you tried to watch other Genres of animes. I also can't stand any of the main stream animes.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Best of the decade? Maybe you mean Full Metal Alchemist? J/k. I didn't find it anything special (what I watched of it). Depends on what kind of stuff you like... You should make a recommendation thread.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Yea, I watch other generas, although my preferred would be sci-fi. I personally don't care for fan-service, shonen, comedy, slice-of-life, or harem shows, which does limit what I'm going to be viewing. Horror is a wild card; there's some horror stuff I've seen that I've liked (Vampire Hunter D) and other stuff that came off as weird, and not in a good way.

I don't dislike Full Metal Panic; it just hasn't impressed me yet, and if these first seven episodes are any indication of what to expect from the rest of the series, then I don't foresee it ever impressing me.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I think I did make a recommendation thread on here a couple years ago, but I don't think anyone really responded to it.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Have you seen Macross Frontier, Berserk, Gungrave, Vision of Escaflowne, Evangellion, and Cowboy Bebop?

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I have seen and own collections of Berserk and Cowboy Bebop (one of my favorites). As I said a few posts back, I don't have any interest in watching Evangelion. Gungrave and Escaflowne I know of, but neither one really crossed my radar. Macross Frontier did cross my radar, I just never got around to seeing it.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

I finished watching Full Metal Panic episode 10 today and I've decided to drop the show. The series just isn't for me. It was something I wanted to like, but the mixture of comedy and action/drama made for a, IMO, very unbalanced show. Not to mention the main girl, Kaname, came off as very irritating and, even when being kidnapped and shot at by terrorists, acted like the whole thing was a big joke.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Escaflowne is very good so if you get a chance, watch it. But dude seriously...you need to watch Gungrave....NOW!!!!!! It's SUPERB!

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Anime needs another 1995 - 2000 era.

Evangelion, Escaflowne, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, DBZ was still airing, Berserk, Serial Experiments Lain, Tenchi, Boogiepop, Excel Saga, etc;

I think that's where a bulk of the business in the early 2000s came from, creating a surge in popularity and in part causing the giant crash we have now.

Feels odd that Evangelion is over 15 years old at this point.

Re: Just how bad is this "slump" they say anime is in?
 

Not to mention Rurouni Kenshin and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.