Cheato

I just saw on tvshowsondvd.com that they're reporting that the Powerpuff Girls will be released as a 10th anniversary complete set, so you can get all 78 episodes together.

Previously, there were 4 collection discs of random episodes, and 2 specials ("the Movie," released in cropped FS, and a Christmas special).

Then came season 1. I had already picked up the 4 random episode collections for a couple bucks each used, just to have some episodes, but I kept hoping for proper season releases. S1 came, and I ALMOST bought it, but I have been screwed in the past by abandoned series, or in the worst, most unforgivable case (to me), by Dr. Katz, which had S1 and S2 released, and then jumped to a complete series set (I refuse to buy it, since I already spent money on 1 and 2).

So, I didn't get Powerpuff Girls Season 1. And now it turns out that I can get the complete set.

I feel sorry for people who did buy season 1, and will now be forced to re-buy it if they want the rest of the series. WHV could have done the right thing by releasing the rest of the seasons separately, but instead they decided to screw over the fans who supported the show in the first place.

I'm done. No more season sets. I'll finish out the ones I've already started (for series which I have very high confidence about being completely released eventually), but I won't be buying any new season sets at all anymore for any other shows.

See, distributors? Your consumers can learn from your (bad) behavior. Now I hope you can learn from us. Not buying a "Best of" collection already didn't mean there wasn't support for the show. We had already wised up to those. And now not buying a Season or Volume release also doesn't mean that there's no support. It just means that we don't trust you. It's pretty stupid business practices that have placed you into the position where your biggest potential consumers of your product trust you the least.

SOME (among many) other series I'd like to buy:
Airwolf
Animaniacs
Gargoyles
Invisible Man (2000)
Lone Ranger/Zorro
Night Gallery
NYPD Blue
Sentinel, The
Sliders
Superboy/Adventures of...
Swamp Thing
Tiny Toons Adventures
Weird Science

Another series I got screwed on:
X-Men Evolution (thought Season 3 was the end, but it ends on a cliffhanger; season 4 is unreleased)



And before somebody jumps in with the inevitable "if you're such a big fan, you should support the show and buy the current releases, and then the company can see how much demand there is, and they'll schedule releases for the remaining seasons." Yeah, F that. I'm not the one that's supposed to take "risks." Corporations are the ones that are supposed to take financial risks when releasing their products or providing their services. You take surveys and use other data as intelligently as possible to gauge customer demand, and then you take the plunge or you don't. Companies should succeed or fail based on how well they predict consumer demand and efficiently provide their goods and services. And THEY should mirror loyalty and interest in supporting their most loyal customers. Somehow the studios have gotten it backwards. It's NOT the other way around. You people promoting your "support your favorite show" have bought into a corrupted system. I'm not "shooting [my]self in the foot." I'm just not "throwing good money after bad."

And don't bother telling me that companies don't "owe [me] anything." I know that. I'm a capitalist. I don't think a studio has to lose money to release something just because I want it. I'm just saying they're using very bad information to predict spending, and bad practices for encouraging future spending on releases down the road.

For example, I'll consider buying a season set if I can get a stackable $10 rebate on each one that says that if a complete set is released in the future, I can that get money back from the studio for my earlier purchases. Or if I know that any extra "bonus" material from a complete set will be available via a mail-in proof-of-purchase-of-the-earlier-sets deal or something. I know that's not going to happen (particularly because of rights changing hands and the attractiveness of the word "exclusive" in advertising), though.

My Other Self

I loved PPG. Still don't understand why Johnny Bravo or Dexter haven't been given a release yet..

The Monkees

Well that kind of sucks, but at least it was only one season.

RyoHazuki

QFT both of these would be a day 1 purchase for me.

The Monkees

78 episodes on 6 discs? That's 13 episodes a disc.

Too bad they didn't include the movie in widescreen!

calhoun07

What I was thinking...I am hoping the movie comes listed as included later on.

darkside

I really have had no issues with stuff like this. I simply sold my Dr Katz S1 and S2 and got the complete set. I'll take the complete series over them abandoning the shows any day.

milo bloom

Right on.

We avoided the single disc best-of's, but picked up the S1 release last Christmas. We've gotten some enjoyment out of it, but yeah, at least it's only one season this time.

Cheato

So you've bought into the system. Maybe that's fine for you. It's not so easy for me to just sell the sets I already bought, so don't go throwing around the word "simply" as if that's an option for everyone. I don't live in the US. I already paid for the sets, had them shipped to my family's home in the US, where they removed and repacked the discs, and then I paid to have the discs sent to me. Now to "simply" sell them, I have to send the discs back to the US so my family can repackage them into their cases, and then I have to find a buyer (eBay?, and deal with setting up a seller's account, and fees, etc.), and have my family send them to that person after a sale, and then possibly deal with a dissatisfied buyer or lost package or whatever. Simple. Thanks, I wish I had thought of that. Really makes it worthwhile, and now I don't resent Comedy Central/Paramount at all.

And what about the poor sucker who actually bought the sets from you, thinking he/she could eventually pick up the later season sets? I'm not willing to screw over some ignorant person just because I learned from this site or tvshowsondvd.com that a new and different release is coming out, and they didn't. Now THEY'D be stuck in the dilemma that *I* didn't want to be in--why would I selfishly do that to someone else?

And if I do manage to sell the sets, the money I get back won't result in an equivalent discount for the new complete set, anyway, compared to the expenses I already endured for the first two sets.

So basically, you think the two valid options are: they release the whole set, or they abandon the series? How about a third that results in you not screwing over your most loyal and most interested customers? Instead of choosing the lesser of two evils, how about a "good?" Don't pretend that option doesn't exist. It's foolish short-term thinking that is putting the studios and the consumers into this situation. Ultimately, consumers know there's a fourth option, too, if they don't feel like they're being treated fairly. And that's one I won't go into in case the mods decide such discussion gets this thread shut down.

Cheato

So one season's OK. What about 2? 3? Where do you draw the line?

If they had released the first 65 episodes on season discs, and then decided that the final 13 were only available in a complete set, would that be OK? "At least" the final season's released, right? And after all, the studio was able to gauge consumer demand by watching you and others like you spend your money, so they know there's enough demand for the rest. Why not milk as much as possible out of you? Anyway, you can "simply" sell seasons 1-5 to partially offset the price, right? Don't you run a DVD business on the side, like every other DVD buyer?

story

That's your uncle talking.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I thought the first post would be something like, "I am a boy"

auto

Wow, dude, you are really mad about the Powerpuff Girls.

mzupeman2

I don't agree with the 'system' either, but let's think about this... certain shows, companies aren't sure how well they're going to sell. Money is what talks, not the consumers hopes and dreams. Darkside has a point, if people didn't buy the unnecessary releases before, then we wouldn't be getting this set now. I think we can all agree on that.

David Levine

That's tight, but if they multipass encode them, they may still look fine. It's not the most complex animation, and it's large fields of color.

Unlike all the previous TV releases, the movie has sold quite well, so I wouldn't be surprised if they leave it out.

mzupeman2

Well, 13 episodes a disc in reality is what, like 7-8 real half hour episodes? That's more than doable.

joltman

No, that's 13 half-hour episodes, as in 26 stories (although that's not actually true, because some half-hour episodes were only 1 story).

Cheato

And Toshiba wasn't sure how well HD-DVD would sell.
And Sony wasn't sure how well Blu-ray would sell.
And Toyota isn't sure how well their new model of a car will sell.
And a housing developer doesn't know for sure how well their new homes are going to sell.
That's business.

Your screenname is an obvious reference to Superman.

DC Comics doesn't publish a 12-issue series featuring Superman, and then bail on issues after #5 because sales weren't high enough. They eat the loss on issues 6-12, and publish them anyway. Why? Because they know that if they did stop at issue #5, leaving an incomplete story, the people buying the series would be pissed, and it would adversely affect sales of the next Superman (or any other character) mini-series, as well as the other comics currently being published. And then this happens: you already paid $3.00 each for the first 5 issues, but now they decide a collected volume is the best way to go, so they collect 1-12 together and charge $35 for it. Thanks for supporting us, people who bought 1-5! You made it possible for us to publish the whole series!

"Consumers' hopes and dreams" determine consumer loyalty and define the success of future products and services, and ultimately your business.

mzupeman2

My name has in no way, a connection to superman. Sorry.

You don't have to argue with me either, I said I don't agree with the system either, if you recall. I'm just saying, money talks and that's it.

darkside

So don't buy the complete sets and to play it safe never buy a season of TV at all until every season is released or the complete set is released. Problem solved for you.

Do you realize how many shows have just been abandoned after a season or two? Some of these season sets don't sell enough for the studio to want to bother continuing it. In many cases like Night Court they just abandon the whole series. Thankfully in cases like Dr Katz and now the Power Puff Girls they are giving the complete series a try. I'm absolutely supporting that on series I like. Hopefully they may take a second look at stuff like Night Court and try to come up with an affordable complete series.

SPRBD

Damn. I have 4 of the individual compilations and I have S1.

The Monkees

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

They haven't done it to Superman but it's happened to other series with DC and other publishers.

David Lambert

Season 2 is coming out in 2009.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Nig...-Planned/10532


My take on this, as someone who's bought all the individual PPG discs and the season 1 set, not just for my own family but for a niece who's absolutely ga-ga over the P'puff Gals, is that I'll just eat the cost of the others (or give them to friends who have kids that want them, or donate them to a library) to get the entire series in one package.

This isn't a great scenario, but it's a damn sight better than what HIT is doing with Fraggle Rock, after releasing 3 out of 4 (decently pricey) season sets and then making the 4th only available in The Complete Series (after announcing and then withdrawing the announcement of the fourth season sold separately, by the way).

The other option, of course, is simply not to buy it. If some people choose not to, out of principal, then I can respect that. But if you're interested in owning it, then I'm guessing that at some point you'll see it on sale and go for it anyway.

SPRBD

How many seasons of PPG were there?