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Profitmon Catches The Dollars
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?
Profitmon, I choose you!
It's a hand twinkler, you dumbass! And I got a bag of whoopass for you!
Yeah unfortunately a lot of that anime has the terms "DragonBall" or "-mon" in it. :-/
I think the money is from the fact that they can import on demand pretty much, they don't have to overproduce in case there's a large demand for it. The Anime sub-culture of the US is interesting in that it seems to often times follow certain trends and when something is popular you can just import it and sell it for a lot more than you usually would a normal DVD.
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.
$fortune
Tomorrow has been canceled due to lack of interest.
Well this makes sense, because anime isn't necessarily one big genre. Often anime movies and shows have similar themes / plot devices / etc., but when you get down to it Bubblegum Crisis is really pretty different from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm not too much of an anime geek, but I watch anime occaisionally. I think it should be phrased "Anime gains acceptance as a medium" rather than "Anime gains acceptance as a genre."
I like anime because it often has much different story lines
Yes. Multi-headed laser-slash-semen shooting penis-slash-tenticles raping young girls so they can bear the prophesied are indeed "much different".
It fails to mention ADV's recent financial troubles, highlighted by the fact that in the past year they've had to give up funding the creation of several new shows and didn't announce any licenses during this year's con season (which is very unusual.)
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.
Weta, not Meta. What kind of nerd are you?
I agree - I've been introducing people to it on a regular basis. I think its because of the raw quality of the work and the lack of good engaging material from this side of the planet.
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.
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To be perfectly honest, the reason ADV is raking in the dough, is that as one of the biggest anime distributers in America, they can charge an arm, a leg, and three kidneys for their product, and it will sell. You'll notice there are not a lot of anime distributers out there, so there are only a few mediums where you can get it from. While it is still cheaper to obtain it from online sources (AnimeNation and the like), it is still costly. I could buy all of Buffy, Angel, or even Hercules right now, and it would be cheaper than getting a box set of a particular anime series.
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.
The Galatic Freedom Force marches on! Defend!
Most anime fans avoid hentai...but you seem to know alot about it. ^_~
Spend another few years watching, and I suspect you'll begin to see just about every new series as a variation on the old.
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.
The more mainstream anime becomes, the worst it will get. I like anime because it often has much different story lines then traditional North American movies & cartoons.
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, Inyuasha, Full Metal Alchemist and others you might see on adult swim on Saturday night are worth staying up for.
Better than most crap they play on cable tv...
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
There used to be a recent trend (around 1-2 years ago) where more and more American companies are funding Japanese productions, so if that trend continues, you're going to see more anime catered more towards a North American audience. Geneon USA funds quite a few productions in Japan that are produced by its parent company Geneon JP. ADV used to fund some shows, too, or planned to anyway. Somehow, their current state of financial affairs doesn't bode well for more funding of anime.
I pegged anime for a fad in the late 90's. There was some incredible stuff coming out, but there was a TON material dating back to the 1970's that still had not been shown to outside [of Japan] audiences. Most people outside of Japan didn't watch Akira or Vampire Hunter D until they were 5 - 10 years old. I figured the well of good old material would dry up and there wouldn't be enough new material to keep interest going. Looks like I was wrong.
I think this could work:
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, age, and whether you're male or female. We also would like you to answer one survey question per week to build a profile of you.
How can it be free?
Advertisers pay all costs. You will have to view a 30 second commercial before you can watch the bitcom. It is a part of the BitTorrent file and is targeted to your profile.
I don't want advertisers knowing this info about me?
They won't. They will only know your profile. Your name will never be provided. The closest they can come is your zip code.
I'm still nervous...
Then make up a name. Please try and be honest about your profile though, it is for your benefit.
Is it limited to sitcoms?
Nope. I just haven't come up with any witty names besides bitcom. Anything that has not been copywritten and can be uploaded to the website can be viewed. In fact, the concept is completely scalable. Local programs such as weather or sports can be created that would include advertising targeted either by national or local business.
Who owns the file?
As soon as the file is uploaded it is considered copywritten by the creator. The creator and the website are the only ones that can get revenue from the file.
Who can make a bitcom?
Anyone with a video camera, computer, high speed internet, and custom BitTorrent software. They will also need a creator account.
Who gets the revenue from the advertiser?
Fifty percent goes to the creator of the bitcom. Fifty percent goes to the website.
How much do ads cost?
Advertisers will bid against each other based on the number of advertisements they want to send out and the demographic they wish to target.
Why do advertisers have to bid against each other?
Because I have no idea how much per person an ad is worth. But I bet advertisers do.
What does the website do with its fifty percent of the ad revenue?
Technology and development, employee salaries, headquarters. Possibly advertising the website using other mediums.
Why can't I start a company producing bitcoms?
You can. In fact, it would probably be a good idea.
If I produce a bitcom how do I get paid?
All transactions will be made electronically through Paypal and/or Automated Clearing House (ACH). Ideally I would like to have as little latency as possible. Advertisers would pay nightly and creators would be paid as soon as that batch is run. It would all be automated.
Why would advertisers agree to pay daily?
Because this is a more effective way to advertise. It will also be easier for them to evaluate the effectiveness of an ad by being able to target specific areas and take note of any changes in sales.
Are you one of those guys that hates network television commercials?
No. I just don't think it is a very effective way to market anything. You really don't know who, if anyone is watching.
How do you know people will agree to watch one commercial?
Because the business model will be done in the spirit of open source software and available for anyone to look at. They will see that half of the revenue is going to the creator.
How do you know they wouldn't agree to watch more than one commercial?
I don't. Maybe users can have preferences and if they are willing to watch more than one in order to support the artists that create the programming, they can choose to do so.
Why does the website get half?
Seems like the logical place to start. Maybe i
Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
Because they have to recoup the costs of the license?
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 large audience willing to buy the shows on DVD.
The anime companies in the US have none of that. Advertising doesn't even cover licensing expenses much of the time. They are VERY DEPENDENT on the fanbase supporting them.
And no, they have pointed out the conflict and the possible problems but they have -never- pursued a group nor gotten on anyone's case unless the series had been both licensed AND announced, The only exception was GANTZ and even then people were expecting it to be announced.
Profitmon! i choose you!
The war with islam is a war on the beast
The war on terror is a war for peace
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).
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
Well do you mean the first Evangelion release? The one from back in 2000? Yeah, that was made from the best analog masters they had at the time, but the Japanese video wasn't much better. Then GAINAX remastered it and ADV released the remastered version here in the US, which is phenominally better than the old release.
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 fairly high profile people, and many people working for them have been doing this thing for years. Of course, if you want a fair discussion of dubs you'll have to do it at animeondvd.com because I don't listen to dubs.
- sitting on series: every company licenses a series then releases it down the line. It's called building a back catalog and is insurance against something happening that stops new series. Also, they can't pick up a bunch of new series then dump them on the market, as that'd damage it. Also, ADV has not announced any new licenses this past year, which is uncommon for them.
- Unlike MS, they have neither a monopoly, nor engaged in anticompetitive practices. Their products are generally good to great in quality, and they listen to the audience.
Oh, and they don't use Macrovision or CSS on --ANY-- of their DVDs. How about that?
Multi-headed laser-slash-semen shooting penis-slash-tenticles raping young girls so they can bear the prophesied
Q: And what is the title of this anime?
A: The Aristocrats
"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."
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 of months and loved it...even though they were subtitled. GREAT speed reading practice for them [although that said, they have learned how to spell some of the swear words that they knew from school *sigh*]). Seriously *I* was bloody-well crying after Choji took the red-pill ; Ive constantly been amazed that what is essentially a kids/young teens program has touched on some of the issues that it has, AND done it so sensitively!
And dont get me started on Bleach....*grin*.
Anyways, Bleach, One Piece, Pokemon, Naruto, Digimon, Bedaman (Blegh!)...they arnt meant for you. They arnt meant for me either and I wont say I like all of them but SOME of them I download weekly (for myself)!! Guilty pleasures or WHAT!!??
P.S. "Futakoi Alternative" Id recommend as one of those "Too Good To Be True".
You make a very good point about not confusing quality with taste. It is sad that so many people assume that anything they don't like is bad quality. I for example personally rate Cowboy Bebop quite low, but I can see why others may like the style.
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 crap. It is a good example to bring up to demonstrate that a single series can be both good and bad quality.
One of the best things about anime in my opinion is that there are a lot of story based animes with a planned beginning, middle and end.
This is in contrast with american tv series that seem to be produced on the basis that there will be several seasons and therefore are construct in such a way that it always is possible to append another season.
Anime titles are usually of the form Adjective Profession Proper Noun. I suggest Perennial Poll Option CowboyNeal. Petrified Actress Natalie Portman also works.
qntm.org