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I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
Indeed, something very disturbing has happened today; something that will affect anime fans at least for the near term. Geneon USA has announced that it will cancel all DVD sales and distribution, effective this coming Friday.Geneon (actually, its parent company, Japanese advertising giant Dentsu) had been working on a distribution deal with ADV, which was announced only a scant few weeks ago. However, in separate press releases late last week, both companies announced that the deal is off. Although each company indicates that it itself was responsible for breaking the deal, fan and industry speculation points the finger squarely at Dentsu. Unfortunately, Geneon USA put the cart before the horse, and counted too strongly on the ADV deal going through. As of two weeks ago, they have laid off more than 20% of their staff. Unfortunately, this pretty much spells their doom, now that the ADV deal is a no-go. In a letter sent to retailers this week, Geneon USA announced that the cutoff for all orders will be this upcoming Friday, September 28, at 5 PM; furthermore, only orders for "catalog products in inventory or new releases with a street date" of November 6 or earlier will be accepted. Any outstanding retail orders will ship as soon as stock is available. Returns will no longer be accepted after 5:00 p.m. on November 30, and new orders after September 21 can not be returned at all. The letter to retailers also says that "payables to Geneon remain unchanged." There was no mention of future availability of titles, or of Geneon's future production plans. Dentsu, however, states that "from October 1, 2007, Geneon USA will focus mainly on management of its works portfolio." This is certainly very disturbing news, at least in the short term. Geneon USA is currently in the middle of releasing several highly popular series, including Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon, Rozen Maiden, Karin, Higurashi, Story of Saiunkoku, Kyo Kara Maoh, and Shounen Onmyouji. Several highly-anticipated planned/upcoming series, such as Nanoha, are also affected, bringing their release status into question. They also have a large catalog of older titles, many of which are extremely popular and desirable. However, all hope is not yet lost. One possibility that many fans are hopeful about is that Dentsu/Geneon will adopt an attitude similar to what Kadokawa Pictures USA is doing. This company is probably best known for the wildly popular Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series. What Kadokawa, who "owns" the series, did is that they themselves managed the dubbing, authoring, and sales/distribution process from start to finish, by picking and choosing the companies that perform the various steps along the way. They hired Bang Zoom Entertainment to record the dub, and BEI to do the pressing, sales, and marketing. Similarly, for another series they "own" (Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid), they hired ADV to dub the series, and Funimation to market and distribute it. Another possibility discussed in the forums is that they will just perform a grand "reset" and either re-hire the people they fired, or put together an entirely new marketing team, and just resume "business as usual" X months down the line. That would be a reset worthy of The Great Will of the Macrocosm from Excel Saga! However, one thing is worrying fans (myself included). Whatever happens, they will most certainly preserve the high-profile titles (Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon, etc.) However, the fate of less popular/niche titles, such as Rozen Maiden, is less certain. These titles traditionally cater to a minority of the fandom, and thus have less impressive sales numbers. Many fans worry that, whether Geneon comes back as a Kadokawa-like entity, or resets itself, that perhaps some of the less-popular titles will be affected by the "bottom line." In either case, today is a dark day in the annals of anime fandom. Many of my favorite series and OVAs were put out by Geneon or its predecessor, Pioneer. Let us mourn the passing of a dear old friend. UPDATE 09/26/07 @ 10:59 am: This news is even worse than I had first thought. Earlier this year, Bandai signed an agreement with Geneon to distribute their titles. This two-year agreement stipulates that Geneon will exclusively distribute all Bandai titles released after March 1, 2007. This is BAD, folks. It is likely that Bandai dropped out of the deal when they got wind of the Geneon-ADV deal, but this has NOT been confirmed. UPDATe #2 09/26/07 @ 12:01 pm: This list of affected pre-order titles comes by way of TangentCube on the ANN forums. As far as solicited titles go, a search at TRSI for Geneon pre-orders turns up the following titles that would come after the November 6 cut-off: New singles: Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (vol. 1+, was November 20) Karin (vol. 4+, was November 13) Kyo Kara Maoh! season 2 (vol. 7+, was November 13) Law of Ueki (vol. 10+, was November 20) Rozen Maiden Traumend (vol. 2+, was December 18) Shonen Onmyoji (vol. 3+, was November 13) Story of Saiunkoku (vol. 3+, was December 4) When They Cry (vol. 4+, was December 4) Box sets/collections: Elemental Gelade (was November 20) Paradise Kiss (was November 20) Saiyuki Reload Gunlock (was November 20) The below is from "Maidenoftheredhand", again from the ANN forums. I thought this was relevant to this post but these are the top selling Geneon DVDs on Amazon (the list is updated hourly) http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/dvd/408160/ref=pd_ts_pg_1/104-3522720-2489500?ie=UTF8&pg=1 On a side note if you want to compare this list to Amazon's top selling Anime Titles (or what Amazon considers Anime) http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/dvd/517956/ref=pd_ts_d_ldr/104-3522720-2489500 Maybe this will give a better indication of what has a better chance of getting picked up. I know it's just Amazon but it is the only best selling list I found. UPDATE #3 09/26/07 @ 3:43 PM: Some good news from the awesome Shawn from Right Stuf (yes, that Shawn, of Deal of the Day fame): He is quoted as saying the following: "Bandai Visual will have to adapt and create a new strategy. At present, they have not stated yet what they will do. The products will be available, I did confirm that with BV today." Tags: adv, anime, geneon
Current Mood:  distressed
Current Music: ...the sound of silence...
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...a brand new Anime/Manga podcast! Yes, the podcasting bug has finally bit me, and I've started up my own anime/manga related podcast. I listened to some of the other anime-related podcasts out there, and I didn't really find anything that suited me very well. They were either too chatty, or the hosts annoyed me, or something. Some of them were just TOO DARN LONG. Many of them felt like they were catering to an "elitist" crowd, or were more meant for intermediate or expert level fans. Being more or less a beginner to anime (even after all the years I have been a fan), I was looking for more of a simpler show. And since I didn't really find one, a crazy idea entered my head: why not make one??! I figure the benefits of this would be threefold. First, I always wanted to get into podcasting. After listening to Leo Laporte and his podcasts, my interest in podcasting really bloomed. Second, it would help me learn more about the anime/manga industry and fandom. After all, there's no better way to learn about stuff than to research it and immerse yourself in it. And finally, it would serve the need of a more beginner or lower intermediate level podcast on the subject. I'm not deluding myself here. I'm not gonna be like Leo Laporte and the TWiT network. Compared to them, my podcast is likely going to have a very "unplugged" feel to it for quite a while, as I don't really have any money for a nice insulated sound studio, fancy mics and other studio equipment, proper background music, etc. But as I learn more about the techniques and equipment of podcasting, I hope to improve on this, and the sound quality should improve (hopefully). Anyway, please go ahead and check it out. I finally made it into the iTunes Podcasting Directory (yay!); do a search for "otaku no podcast." Also, be sure and check out the at: http://otakunopodcast.com/I'm a little nervous here, folks. Wish me luck. And for heaven's sake, visit the site, and subscribe to the podcast! Tags: anime, manga, otaku, podcast
Current Mood:  nervous
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Can't (or won't) make it to AX this year? Feeling left out because of this? Well, not to worry, I'm here to help! You can live vicariously through me!! I've decided to join the streaming video craze, and have set up an account at Ustream.tv, yet another Web 2.0-ish site that offers FREE streaming video service to anyone who wants it. All you need is a high speed Internet connection, a laptop, and a camera/microphone, and you can broadcast whatever you want to whoever you want. Anyway, I've decided to test this out in a BIG way; I'll be broadcasting various things I see while at Anime Expo. Now, I won't be able to broadcast certain events, like some panels, the AMV contest, concerts, etc. (due to no photography/videography rules), but there are still many events where photography and video are permitted -- the Masquerade (Cosplay contest), for example. I'll also be broadcasting "slice of life" type videos of what I see as I'm walking around the convention; standing in line, wandering around the dealer's room, wandering around taking cosplay photos, etc. This will be in the style of Justin.tv, only a lot more geeky (and of much more interest to otaku than anything Justin does). Since I still haven't gone through the AX event schedule, and I won't know whether videography is allowed until I actually show up at any given event, I don't have an exact schedule of when (and what) I'll be broadcasting. Your best bet is to keep checking the Ustream feed and/or this blog; I'll announce stuff (including start/end times) as they come up. What do you need to watch all this anime-y goodness? A computer, reasonably fast internet connection, and the Adobe Flash and Sun Java plugins for your browser of choice. I've tested this on both Windows, Mac, and Linux (32-bit unfortunately... no Flash plugin for 64-bit Linux :P), and it works just fine. Tune in to my video stream here: http://ustream.tv/channel/anime-expo-2007-liveTags: anime, anime expo, ax, manga, streaming, streaming video, ustream.tv, video
Current Mood:  geeky
Current Music: Ayumi Hamasaki - SURREAL "Seiki Sato"
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A question often asked of me by my friends is "Why on earth do you still go to Anime Expo?" Anime Expo, for those who don't know, is an extremely huge anime/manga convention on the west coast. It might even be THE biggest anime/manga con on the west coast, I don't know. Attendance has been growing steadily every year; from a measly 1,750 in 1992, to a whopping 40,674 in 2006; this represents a 29% annual average growth. (see this (Google cached) page at the anime-expo web site). Of course, this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the attendance of San Diego Comic-Con, one of the world's largest comic conventions; in 2006, SDCC boasted an attendance figure of a whopping 114,000 (ref: SDCC website). That's larger than many midsize cities! But of course, Comic-Con is less specifically focused than AX; it deals with comics in general, and not specifically Japanese (and derivative) anime/manga like AX is; it is for that reason that I have never really been interested in attending SDCC, although I have always wanted to go once, just to say that I've been. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. My friends always wonder why I brave the crowds and insist on attending AX, when there are a lot more smaller, friendlier cons to go to. One friend in particular tried to drag me to the first Anime Los Angeles convention back in 2005; but I wasn't really interested and I also couldn't leave, as I had recently started a new job at that time. She finally succeeded in getting me there for A-LA 2 in 2006, and yes, I did enjoy it. I don't hate small cons; quite the opposite in fact. I love all cons, both big and small, but for different reasons. Reasons which you will get a hint of in the post below. So without further ado... ( Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war! )Tags: a-la, anime, anime conventions, anime expo, anime los angeles, ax, fanime, fanimecon, jtaf
Current Mood:  contemplative
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This year's A-LA is excellent. Much larger crowd, much cooler events, lots of costumes. So far we're having a blast, and the rooms are comfortable (and we're not in the "party block" so we can actually get some sleep at night). I've taken some video of several events so far, and will post that when I get home and have had a chance to capture and edit it. I'll also post a detailed con write-up once I've gotten home and had a few days to rest, recuperate, and gather my thoughts. In the meantime, I point you to my A-LA 3 photoset on Flickr. So far I only have 5 photos up; that's because my "good" camera (the Rebel) accidentally turned itself on in my bag on the way down, resulting in a fully drained battery. Last night I fully charged it, and so today I'm fully armed and will take a lot of photos. I'm uploading photos daily, so check back later tonight for more photos. Tags: a-la, anime, anime la, conventions
Current Mood:  excited
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In 1999, a Japanese visual novel company called Key published a PC game titled Kanon. Though not necessarily celebrated for its gameplay (as typical of the romantic game/visual novel genre, the gameplay is highly linear), the game was widely praised for its intense atmosphere, deep storyline, and cute characters. Fast forward to 2002. Like many other titles in its genre, Kanon made the transition to anime, as a 13-episode TV series (and 1 OVA) animated by Toei Studios. When this anime (as yet unlicensed) hit the fansub circuit, I downloaded it on a lark, as I needed something to pass the time while on an extended trip. What I wasn't prepared for was the emotional roller coaster ride that the characters, storyline, and good animation took me through. In the end, it left me feeling deeply moved, and ultimately satisfied. Very few fansubs remain on my hard drive long after I've watched them -- I don't have the space to keep mediocre or otherwise unmemorable series. Kanon was one of the few that I keep to this day. Now, fast forward to 2006 (the present). Kyoto Studios, another animation studio, recently finished animating another anime based on a visual novel by Key, Air. The fans' reaction to this adaptation were tremendous: it was widely praised for its high animation quality. The studio then began receiving phone calls from Key game fans, requesting a remake of Kanon. Since the response to Air was so great, and the volume of calls so many, they decided to do it. They gathered the entire voice cast from the original Toei series (with the exception of the seiyu who voiced the main character, Yuichi), and committed to a 26-episode series, twice the length of the previous adaptation. This series just recently began broadcasting in Japan (first episode aired October 5, 2006), and the fansub groups have eagerly picked it up. The first episode was released just a day or so ago. The fansub's quality is exceptionally good. The original (raws) look pretty darn good, and in particular, the audio is deep, rich, and clear as a bell. The quality seems too good for me to be a "taped from TV" job, which is odd considering that this show just started airing in Japan! Since I have almost no knowledge of the Japanese language, I can't comment on the fan translation's accuracy; however, I can say from an English speaker's perspective that it actually makes sense. Most importantly, the "feel" and emotionalism of the original show is definitely there. The art is indeed fantastic, and definitely an improvement from the original series (which I thought was very good to begin with). The seiyuu slipped into their old characters as easily as if they had just played them last week. If you love anime that moves you, I highly recommend giving this a view. Links: Info: Wikipedia article on KanonFansubs: (Download for free using the BitTorrent client) Kanon (2002 Toei anime)
Kanon (2006 remake by Kyoto)Tags: anime, kanon
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Last regrets
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