Low sales of Risky Safty...

[KT Kore]

This has just peaked my curiousity a bit...

After reading the latest "Ask John" article (7/23), where John was interviewed by a Japanese magazine, John stated that sales of Risky Safety were low. I was wondering how badly these low sales have hurt AnimeNation, such as if there was much money lost or just very low profits. I was also wondering if this will heavily affect the types of anime AnimeNation decides to license in the future.

Many thanks in advance for any answer.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

I don't know... But I didn't buy Risky Saftey beacause there were not enough episodes on a disc, and the first episode I saw totally FAILED to impress me.

[John]

I can't go into specific details, but I can say that Risky Safety has been profitable. It just hasn't been exceptionally successful. We're a bit disappointed with the reception Risky Safety has gotten, though. It's a series animated by the studio that produced Robot Carnival; directed by the director of Read or Die; and created by the creator of Sorcerer Hunters. It's received critical praise from virtually everyone that's seen it. We went to great lengths to make it the most fan friendly release possible- even creating a free limited edition numbered box, and even printing the covers on above standard quality paper to match the original Japanese DVD covers. Yet it seems as though the majority of today's anime fandom is more interested in what's trendy than interested in acknowledged quality anime.

The acquisition policy of AN Entertainment is to bring to America anime titles that we believe deserve greater recognition and respect; titles that we believe anime fans will be (or should be) proud to own and collect and watch over and over again. We fully intend to try our best to stick to that principle of quality first, but if anime fans aren't willing to buy and support quality titles released in respectful, fan friendly localizations, who knows how long AN Entertainment will be able to continue fighting the good fight?

[Lazy Otaku]

Yet it seems as though the majority of today's anime fandom is more interested in what's trendy than interested in acknowledged quality anime.

So true. But then again, at least you guys are in the business now, and that comforts me a little bit. I've seen episodes of Risky Safety, and I can see why you guys chose to license that series. It's just a shame that the majority of anime fandom in America can't sense how pleasing the series is without making judgements by the cover art first. Besides that, I think the effort AN Entertainment is putting in its releases to make it satisfying to all kinds of fans is great, and hopefully more acknowledge that.

Can't wait for Harè+Guu. Hopefully that gets a good word-of-mouth and people will get into that series. More profits should equal more licensed series' I hope!

[KT Kore]

Titles such as Risky Safety and Miami Guns, personally, I had never heard of before AN got into the business and licensed them, so I can understand the low amount of feedback these series would have and how they would translate into low sales.

I think Hare+Guu is somewhat widely known throughout the fansub community, though still mainly unpopular and unheard. I think it will be AN's flagship series and I wish you guys the best in marketing it.

It's good to see that you guys are still planning on releasing quality anime over what is "trendy." I hope you won't have to go down that road anytime soon.

[Sharp-kun]

I would be disapointed if Miami Guns doesn't do well.

I had some non-anime loving friends round last week and we watched it. Even they thought it was brilliant :D

[Dragoon]

Well, I've got Risky/Safety at least! And the packaging is one of the best, really good job.
But I think I know how I received 38/2500 of the box now.

[F Stop]

Here's another question: How does AN Entertainment guage the success level of a title? Is it number of copies sold? Profit vs investment margin? Your guys' initial figure estimates?

I'm just curious how you quantify "success."

[ZeroRyoko1974]

I had seen a couple episodes of Risky Safey years ago at a con, and had asked about here a few times. I will probably pick up at least the first dvd at Otakon. Dont know anything about miami guns, so I dont know if I will get it.

[John]

Here's another question: How does AN Entertainment guage the success level of a title? Is it number of copies sold? Profit vs investment margin? Your guys' initial figure estimates?

I'm just curious how you quantify "success."

Our qualifications for "success" are based on a combination of factors including our knowledge of how many copies hit anime titles sell compared to the number of copies Risky Safety has sold, and the amount of profit Risky Safety has earned relative to its licensing and production and distribution and advertising costs.

As I said, Risky Safety has been profitable, but we were really hoping that since it's such a good show, and since we went to such effort to make it a fan friendly release, we'd see a greater response and stronger support from the anime consumer community than we have so far. On one hand, it's very encouraging to always hear positive comments about the show and our localization of it. But on the other hand, Risky Safety sells only a fraction of the number of copies that "better known" titles sell.

I don't mean to sound spiteful or predict doom and gloom, but it boils down to the fact that AN Entertainment doesn't have a massive war chest of investment capital like some domestic translating companies do. And AN Entertainment doesn't have a multi-million dollar Japanese parent company to fall back on the way some domestic translating companies do. So our ability to continue releasing critically acclaimed anime series in DVD editions specifically designed to meet or exceed the expectations and demands of discriminating anime fans is heavily dependant upon our present releases selling well enough to fund future releases.

We are fully committed to releasing Miami Guns and Haré+Guu, and additional titles that we can't yet reveal. But anime fans that do or don't choose to support AN Entertainment with their DVD purchasing dollars, have a more significant impact and influence over our release strategies and plans than they may realize.

[F Stop]

Our qualifications for "success" are based on a combination of factors including our knowledge of how many copies hit anime titles sell compared to the number of copies Risky Safety has sold, and the amount of profit Risky Safety has earned relative to its licensing and production and distribution and advertising costs.

As I said, Risky Safety has been profitable, but we were really hoping that since it's such a good show, and since we went to such effort to make it a fan friendly release, we'd see a greater response and stronger support from the anime consumer community than we have so far. On one hand, it's very encouraging to always hear positive comments about the show and our localization of it. But on the other hand, Risky Safety sells only a fraction of the number of copies that "better known" titles sell.

I don't mean to sound spiteful or predict doom and gloom, but it boils down to the fact that AN Entertainment doesn't have a massive war chest of investment capital like some domestic translating companies do. And AN Entertainment doesn't have a multi-million dollar Japanese parent company to fall back on the way some domestic translating companies do. So our ability to continue releasing critically acclaimed anime series in DVD editions specifically designed to meet or exceed the expectations and demands of discriminating anime fans is heavily dependant upon our present releases selling well enough to fund future releases.

We are fully committed to releasing Miami Guns and Haré+Guu, and additional titles that we can't yet reveal. But anime fans that do or don't choose to support AN Entertainment with their DVD purchasing dollars, have a more significant impact and influence over our release strategies and plans than they may realize.

That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation :D

[yuzuha]

I don't know. I loved Risky Safety and preordered it. I'll also preorder Jungle wa itsumo Hare nochi Guu.

Now if I could find another dark spooky thing like Miyu OAVs and Nightwalker or Natsuhiko Kyogoku Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari etc to balance out the cute and funny.

[midnight outlaw]

man i wanted to buy this DVD just to support AN but i just couldnt there are tons of other series i think are a better, and i'm not really into the kiddies stuff and i havent heard of it before AN had it. I might pick up miami guns tho, i wish they got there hands on Midori no Hibi it would make alot of money. I dont know if mentioning these matters but here are some titles you can look into:

*triangle heart
*interlude
*Teizokurei Daydream
*Sex Friend :)

[Dragoon]

...and i'm not really into the kiddies stuff...
Are you referring to Omishi Magical Theater Risky/Safety? FYI it was aired in a past midnight slot.

[John]

Seems I was mistaken about Risky Safety's broadcast time. Risky Safety was broadcast in an early evening timeslot as part of the final season of Anime Complex before Anime Complex became a late night show. But regardless, I think that most people that have seen Risky Safety can confirm that it's not "just" a kids' show.

The statement "I haven't heard of it before AN had it," is part of what seems to be an epidemic in the American anime fan community these days. Typically consumers these days seem to be interested only in buying shows they've already seen or have heard about from friends. Too few people are interested in buying "unheard of" shows, even if these obscure gems are far better than the stuff that everyone's heard of. Unfortunately, that seems to be hurting us a bit becasue AN Entertainment prioritizes licensing high quality anime over trendy but not as high quality titles.

Thanks for the suggestions, Midnight Outlaw. I'm familiar with the original hentai Triangle Hearts OAV series, which was sort of cute. But when they took the sex out for the Sweet Songs Forever series, there didn't seem to be much point to it anymore. It just seemed like a Love Hina wanna-be, so I didn't bother to watch it.

Interlude seems like it might be something, but I've only watched the first episode. I've got the second episode untranslated, but haven't watched it yet. The problem I see with the first episode, though, is that there doesn't seem to be enough to it to make it appealing to average, typical American consumers.

Sadly, although I wanted to like it, I thought the first Teizokurei Daydream OAV was rather bad. It seems like the kind of anime that would probably sell well in America, but I don't know if it's something that AN Entertainment would feel proud to have our name attached to.

We are considering adult anime, and Sex Friend is one of the better ones available. It's not exactly the ideal, but you could do worse for a first adult anime acquisition.

[NakedEYE666]

So, what's Risky Safety about, if someone doesn't mind explaining? Maybe I'll buy it.

[mukansamonkey]

Risky Safety is about this young girl who's fairly unhappy with her life when we first meet her. An apprentice shinigami (death spirit) shows up and tries to convince her to kill herself, but fails so badly that the girl's happier side starts to re-emerge. This causes the shinigami to morph into an apprentice angel... apparently the two have to share the same body, and swap involuntarily based on the emotions of nearby people. The pair of them rather ineptly try to influence the girl in various ways, they tell a few side stories, have a few embarassing accidents, etc.
The main plotline deals rather frankly with some fairly serious emotional issues experienced by younger people. It handles those rather well, has a nice mix of comedy thrown in, manages to be cute without being sappy. So good writing and plot layout etc., fairly original and interesting concept. My one problem with it is that the animation quality leaves a bit to be desired... most of the show is the sort of limited-color palette drawing that just screams low-budget CG to my eyes. It's certainly not Robot Carnival, and while Read or Die is done in similar graphics, ROD is much more action-oriented. Risky Safety has a lot more relatively still scenes, so the limited graphics stand out more.
Basically Risky Safety biggest draw is the personalities. It evokes a lot of empathy and related feelings. My guess would be that that sort of thing is a kinda tough sell to the anime crowd here, it's not dark enough to appeal to yer morbid people yet there's too much seriousness to be an easy sell as a "fun" show. Most US movies that are mostly about personalities tend to get really good reviews but not sell terribly well either.

[Flopsy]

The Risky Safety screening room at this year's Anime Expo was entirely empty except for me... :crybaby:

[Aelice]

Risky Safety was cute, but it's just not the type of series I would go out and buy. :(

[Dragoon]

Well IMHO the two Legend of Momotaro episodes are worth the series :).

[Levon]

http://www.animenation.com/bun-anrs.html

Buy the complete box set for only $14.99!

I believe AN will soon lose the rights to it, but I'm not sure.

[Vaikyuko]

Holy crap, 14.99? *checks wallet*

[guyverfanboy]

Damn! That's mad cheap! O_O

[sfried]

Um John...

Does ADV/Right Stuff still hold the Yohko Yamamoto TV liscense? 'Cause you know, in case it has expired *nudge nudge*...

On one note, do these titles you look into have to be relatively new?

[Crawlspace]

We're a bit disappointed with the reception Risky Safety has gotten, though. It's a series animated by the studio that produced Robot Carnival; directed by the director of Read or Die; and created by the creator of Sorcerer Hunters.
And it's absolutely nothing like any of those shows, which have a much broader appeal (it's less about who made a series than it is the series itself). Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a great little show. But it isn't the kind of show that sells well here. I'm glad it made it's money back, though. I'd hate to think it was a total bust, even if it didn't do nearly as well as it should have.

[SDAnimeFan]

http://www.animenation.com/bun-anrs.html

Buy the complete box set for only $14.99!

I believe AN will soon lose the rights to it, but I'm not sure.

Nice Cheap price I may just pick one up.

[tenshi_a]

I just happened to place an order for this and Miami Guns (http://www.animenation.com/bun-anmg.html) for $19.99 too just last week when I was ordering the Iczer 1 OAV, just before receiving the email to say AN are losing the Risky Safety license.

Ah, the exchange rate is so good for US imports at the moment...

[John]

Um John...

Does ADV/Right Stuff still hold the Yohko Yamamoto TV liscense? 'Cause you know, in case it has expired *nudge nudge*...

One one note, do these titles you look into have to be relatively new?

Honestly not sure if RSI still holds the Yamamoto Yohko license, but either way, the excellent TV series was never released in America. The problem is that presuming sales of the OVA series are a representation of Yamamoto Yohko's sales potential in America, there's a reason why the TV series was never licensed.

Regrettably, in practical terms the only anime that sell well in America these days are the shows that have tremendous word of mouth awareness. Quality has very little to do with how well a show sells in America. Trinity Blood is a mediocre show, at best, but it sells well. consider excellent shows like Zipang and Kamichu. Blockbusters? No.

Licensors are forced to consider relatively new titles because very old anime doesn't sell well since contemporary fans refuse to watch it. And shows that have passed their peak of popularity don't sell very well. For example, Guu was a massive fan favorite when we tried to license it. But the Japanese licensor held up the negotiations for a year before finally signing the contract. By that time, interest in Guu had diminished in America, and our sales have reflected that.

Regrettably, if you're not releasing the latest, hottest title, you can't expect good sales returns, regardless of how good the show may be.

[sazae]

I still wanna say what a good job was done on Risky Safety and even bought that box set a couple of hours ago.

[Area88]

Will the sales status of Risk Safety be upgraded from low to medium if the Animenation sells all of it's remaining stock?

[John]

Will the sales status of Risk Safety be upgraded from low to medium if the Animenation sells all of it's remaining stock?

Even if Risky Safety sells out of its entire production run, can it really be called a great selling title if it never turned a profit?

Speaking of which, if the current sales rate for Risky Safety DVD sets stays even near its present intensity, we'll exhaust our entire inventory of Risky Safety DVD sets well before the license expires. More than 25% of our remaining inventory of Risky Safety DVDs sold over this past weekend! I'd encourage consumers interested in the series to consider ordering sooner rather than later. Plus, the price won't get any better.

We extend apologies to anyone who wanted but didn't get any of the original Risky Safety production art. We were completely surprised by the sudden and overwhelming interest in the original art. While we expected to perhaps sell a small fraction of it. All of it sold out in less than a day.

[Vaikyuko]

I just arranged to order the bundle myself; price is too good to pass up (especially if it's going out of print). I do want to know one thing, though: what would it take (ballpark) for RS to have turned a profit?

[Ken-Ohki]

My friend owns Risky Safety and I LOVED it. My problem with it is that my friend owns it already. Same problem with Jungle + Guu. You have my support on em and I love both it's just hard to get motivated to buy what's already available, especially with so much on my list.

I can say though that I really loved them both and I'm hoping that there's a future for AN Entertainment. You guys have so far put out several titles that had very little hope of being licensed.

Still waiting on Idol Defence Force Hummingbird (hint hint) but it's likelyhood of making money with it's rather out of date animation is so low it would only be viable if it's exceptionally cheap.

[John]

I just arranged to order the bundle myself; price is too good to pass up (especially if it's going out of print). I do want to know one thing, though: what would it take (ballpark) for RS to have turned a profit?

I believe Risky Safety roughly broke even after several years of selling the DVDs near or at production cost. Honestly, I don't know the exact figures, so I can't even ballpark estimated numbers if I wanted to.

[Brill]

Ok John, a rental question on Risky Safety. I usually rent anime from Netflix before I purchase and I saw volume 1 of Risky Safety. Thought it was cute and warranted volume 2 and it was "saved" and not available for rent. Now Netflix does this with titles that are 1) projected to be released or 2) Netflix had lost all its copies of that DVD. This has happened with a few other series I've wanted to complete like Joe Joe's Bizzarre Adventure, Shadow Skill, and Kodocha (although they finally fixed Kodocha after 8 months :P ). The "response" Netflix gave me is "well it's the distributor's fault" for not getting the product into their system. Now can you tell us if this is BS and the discs were sent to them and they haven't implemented them or they just didn't bother to follow up with the series due to low rental volume.

[Bradster]

I reread this thread from the beginning (3 year necro) and noticed that several titles suggested by a forum reader have (long) since been licensed and released by other R1 companies: Midori Days, Ghost Talker's Daydream, and Sex Friend.

Excluding the adult title (since AN still has yet to enter that market), and assuming that AN sales are representative of the whole, are either of these "fish that got away" in retrospect?

[John]

Ok John, a rental question on Risky Safety. I usually rent anime from Netflix before I purchase and I saw volume 1 of Risky Safety. Thought it was cute and warranted volume 2 and it was "saved" and not available for rent. Now Netflix does this with titles that are 1) projected to be released or 2) Netflix had lost all its copies of that DVD. This has happened with a few other series I've wanted to complete like Joe Joe's Bizzarre Adventure, Shadow Skill, and Kodocha (although they finally fixed Kodocha after 8 months :P ). The "response" Netflix gave me is "well it's the distributor's fault" for not getting the product into their system. Now can you tell us if this is BS and the discs were sent to them and they haven't implemented them or they just didn't bother to follow up with the series due to low rental volume.

Risky Safety was originally distributed by ADV. We weren't happy with their handling of Risky Safety and Miami Guns, so we ended our distribution arrangement with them. Risky Safety is now distributed directly through AN Entertainment. Netflix may report that acquiring Risky Safety is problematic because they're still trying to get it from ADV when ADV no longer wholesales or delivers it. As far as I'm aware, and my knowledge is limited, Netflix has never attempted to acquire Risky Safety directly from us, the original manufacturer and current wholesale distributor. Either Netflix is unaware of the need to purchase Risky Safety from its current distributor, or Netflix isn't honestly interested in stocking the title.

[John]

I reread this thread from the beginning (3 year necro) and noticed that several titles suggested by a forum reader have (long) since been licensed and released by other R1 companies: Midori Days, Ghost Talker's Daydream, and Sex Friend.

Excluding the adult title (since AN still has yet to enter that market), and assuming that AN sales are representative of the whole, are either of these "fish that got away" in retrospect?

Midori no Hibi and Teizokurei Daydream were never titles that AN Entertainment seriously considered licensing. I know for a fact that the price Media Blasters paid for Midori no Hibi was astronomical in relation to the quality, length, and sales potential of the series. And the Teizokurei Daydream anime is simply a mediocre program, and not one that AN Entertainment would have seriously considered pursuing.

[Dan]

For example, Guu was a massive fan favorite when we tried to license it. But the Japanese licensor held up the negotiations for a year before finally signing the contract. By that time, interest in Guu had diminished in America, and our sales have reflected that.

Regrettably, if you're not releasing the latest, hottest title, you can't expect good sales returns, regardless of how good the show may be.

We need another reality check. As much as I sympathize with AN, you must understand that along with an old show, you released it in old fashion. This goes for all of the AN liscenses, too. $15 R/S and $20 Miami Guns are what they should have been at the get go. Thats what those are worth, despite how much you're probably obligated to talk them up. Even if the market doesn't sway in ANs favor, the content of these doesn't either. Nothing personal, but both of those shows are weak in wide comparison.

But there were glaring problems with Hare nochi Guu besides AN's 7 volume release. The name change and song loss were a huge stab to its integrity. Although to an ironic credit, by the time it was released I wonder who knew or cared anymore. By those standards, H*G is up there with the good old edited 8 volume releases, almost a decade old. Although you tout the "fan friendly" R/S effort, you can't say the same about H*G at all. A whole box of afro wigs isn't worth loss of content.

[Twinbee]

Selling R/S and Miami Guns at $15/$20 from the start would have been the same as ANE just burning their money. There is no way either of them would have even come remotely close to breaking even at such a price. Since you mention Hare Guu on 7 discs being a problem, let me remind you that a) that's the industry standard in America and 2) if companies released complete series of 13-26 episodes for $40 bilingual, there would not be anime on DVD in America anymore; with licensing costs and dubbing costing 10K~15K per episode, there is no way to turn a profit selling at such a low price.

If by name change, you mean "Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu" becoming "Hare Guu," the original Japanese creator changed the title of the series starting on the 11th manga volume, so blame her. As for the song, ANE could not get it because of a legal dispute between the original artist and BV. The next time the TV series is released on home video in Japan (HD or Blu-Ray), it won't have the original song either. I know it sucks, but this was not an issue of paying money, and no amount of money would have granted ANE the right to use the song.

[Leader Desslock]

^2 I kinda have to back Dan on this. AN has the right to release its titles any way it chooses, but the big turnoff for me regarding H+G was price. Checking your current singles pricing, I see you have them at $26.98 apiece. That brings the total to over $188 for the series, which comes out to $7.23 per episode. Frankly, that's more than I'm willing to pay for any piece of pop entertainment in any format (animated or otherwise), no matter how outstandingly good it might be.

That's the first half. The second half is that after that initial price turned me off, I simply never heard much about the title after that. I don't hear much about ANY of the AN titles, anywhere. So I just plain forgot about H+G - I didn't even know there was a completed box set until I looked just now. I was never particularly interested in Miami Guns as a concept, but if I had been, I never knew there was a discounted box set released until this thread prompted me to check. Same with Risky Safety, which I didn't realize had received as many critical accolades as it has until I read this thread.

The point I guess I'm trying to make is that I think AN should tweak its marketing for these titles a bit. In all three cases, I heard plenty about the series while they were incomplete and too expensive for me to take an interest in. Later, when they were completed and lowered from full "buzz" pricing, I never heard anything at all to remind me to check on them. All it tookwas a thread like this to inspire me to check on them, and I find that two out of three of your titles are now at clearance pricing.

I'd recommend that you either need to lower that initial price to something under nosebleed level, or else work to keep the buzz alive until a whole series is released and people can afford it at something higher than clearance sale pricing.

How could this be done? Well, you're paying for a forum, aren't you? Would it really be that hard to toss a H+G or AN Entertainment subforum in the Series Specific forum? Would it be so hard to run a contest (banner, fanfic, artwork, whatever) to win a box set when it's finally released - so that people would actually know one existed? We all know that I loathe and rabidly avoid marketing crap, but at least I might've read a contest thread, right? And when the buzz decreases, would it hurt to have another promotional stunt? The only cost to AN is a little time and some product.

It's not hard at all to keep a title alive in the eyes of the anime community. It really strikes me that AN doesn't bother to do so. Your marketing strategy for these titles seems to be based on the Self Evident principle: They're good, so people will know about them. It just ain't so. As you noted, people tend to follow the hot new titles.

That might be true by conventional wisdom, but let me point out a counter example: Ideon. Prons hasn't spent a dime promoting Ideon on these forums, has he? And yet I knew the status of his project, I knew when the series had been completed, and I knew enough about the series to want to see it. If it was, you know, LEGAL, I'd have probably bought it by now. I'd have rented it, at the very least.

AN has a good forum, and there are a lot of people here. Lots of people in the anime community come here (even if they're not all members) to learn things and see discussions of different shows. AN has the anime community's attention - now you need to divert some of that attention towards AN's titles. Otherwise, what's the point of getting peoples' attention in the first place? Isn't this forum funded by AN's advertising budget? Why not use it to, you know, advertise? Prons does - and quite successfully, I might add.

[Crawlspace]

But there were glaring problems with Hare nochi Guu besides AN's 7 volume release. The name change and song loss were a huge stab to its integrity. Although to an ironic credit, by the time it was released I wonder who knew or cared anymore. By those standards, H*G is up there with the good old edited 8 volume releases, almost a decade old. Although you tout the "fan friendly" R/S effort, you can't say the same about H*G at all. A whole box of afro wigs isn't worth loss of content.
I think you're heavily overstating things. There was no loss in series content and the release wasn't edited. There's a huge difference in not being able to include a piece of music that is basically inconsequential (and this has happened to a number of shows lately) and editing a title for release. Guu came out great, and is a better effort than most of the bigger studios ever put into a title. The very slight name change also was no big deal. Fans of the show weren't going to forsake it for that unless they were just looking for an excuse not to buy after watching fansubs, and any new viewers didn't know about it. Personally, I'd never even heard of the title until it was licensed, so the slight title change didn't mean anything to me. I would have bought it even if it had bothered me, since title changes also aren't anything new and basically mean nothing to me since they don't affect my enjoyment of the show. I mean, I would still love Utena just as much even if it had been renamed Ursala's Kiss. Though I would mock the title every chance I got. :P

Releasing it across 7 discs with a $30 msrp more than likely did hurt it, though. Gotta face it, John, fan favorite rarely equals big sales numbers. If it did, things like Princess Nine, Kodocha, and To Heart would be blockbusters like Naruto. More often than not, fans of these shows are small in number but very vocal in their praise of a series. And with something like Guu, AN had to know that sales numbers were going to be low. The type of title it is just dictates that, as we all know quality also does not equal high sales.

[Dan]

If by name change, you mean "Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu" becoming "Hare Guu," the original Japanese creator changed the title of the series starting on the 11th manga volume, so blame her. As for the song, ANE could not get it because of a legal dispute between the original artist and BV. The next time the TV series is released on home video in Japan (HD or Blu-Ray), it won't have the original song either. I know it sucks, but this was not an issue of paying money, and no amount of money would have granted ANE the right to use the song.
I think you're heavily overstating things. There was no loss in series content and the release wasn't edited. There's a huge difference in not being able to include a piece of music that is basically inconsequential (and this has happened to a number of shows lately) and editing a title for release. Guu came out great, and is a better effort than most of the bigger studios ever put into a title. The very slight name change also was no big deal. Fans of the show weren't going to forsake it for that unless they were just looking for an excuse not to buy after watching fansubs, and any new viewers didn't know about it. Personally, I'd never even heard of the title until it was licensed, so the slight title change didn't mean anything to me. I would have bought it even if it had bothered me, since title changes also aren't anything new and basically mean nothing to me since they don't affect my enjoyment of the show. I mean, I would still love Utena just as much even if it had been renamed Ursala's Kiss. Though I would mock the title every chance I got. :P



Oh, I understand WHY these things happened, but that doesn't change that fact that they're detrimental to a release. As far as scale of detriment, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm not blaming AN, or anyone for that matter, but releases of that standard are not somthing I want to support. (not that I was going to buy H*G anyway) Granted, most consumers are not thinking this, but if the base for this kind of release are people like me who ask for "fan favorites", than they might be cutting off a chunk of their only potential customers. The alternative? Don't liscense it. That would speak higher in "committed to quality" for me.

As far as what I've bolded, I'm sorry but there is no way that's true. I mean, come on. I'm not even going to bother arguing that.

Selling R/S and Miami Guns at $15/$20 from the start would have been the same as ANE just burning their money. There is no way either of them would have even come remotely close to breaking even at such a price. Since you mention Hare Guu on 7 discs being a problem, let me remind you that a) that's the industry standard in America and 2) if companies released complete series of 13-26 episodes for $40 bilingual, there would not be anime on DVD in America anymore; with licensing costs and dubbing costing 10K~15K per episode, there is no way to turn a profit selling at such a low price.

Well, thats just my opinion of worth, if they were able to sell it higher (and they were) then obviously I don't speak for everyone. And 7 disc industry standard? What are you back in 2000?

[John]

I also don't wish to lay blame, but I do think that AN Entertainment did everything it could do to be successful. From the company's inception, we've always said that AN Entertainment made an effort to satisfy the fan community, and needed the support of the fan community. But the fan community didn't support AN Entertainment.

If $15 to $20 per complete set price points were the ideal sustainable initial prices for our licenses, we wouldn't have been able to go into the licensing business at all because those prices won't even recoup licensing and production costs. Take a look at current and upcoming domestic releases like Air Gear, Beck, School Rumble, Black Lagoon. $29.98 per volume is still industry standard for a single new anime DVD because that's the price necessary to recover licensing and production costs.

In terms of disc count for Guu, I'd like to point out that when we began releasing Guu TV more than a year ago, 7 discs was industry standard. Today the industry standard for a 26 episode series seems to be 6 discs considering that Air Gear, Tsubasa, Higurashi, Karin, Rozen Maiden, Kurau, Paniponi Dash, and numerous other current and upcoming 26 episode shows are 6 volume releases.

I also feel obligated to state that AN Entertainment didn't sustain its advertising for its series because there's no proven reason to do so. As a retailer, we see the way sales drop off for older titles, and in our experience, no amount of advertising short of national TV broadcast will significantly reinvigorate sales of a catalog title.

I'm regretful that AN Entertainment hasn't been tremendously successful, and saddened that a number of anime fans don't seem to like the titles we've chosen to license. From our company's launch, we've always stated that we've licensed shows that we respect and enjoy, and wanted to share with other anime fans. It's just unfortunate for us that American consumers seemed to be uninterested in our titles, and didn't seem particularly eager to help support a small, fan oriented licensor. So if there's blame to be placed, perhaps we made mistakes like trying to price our titles at a cost that would keep the company afloat, and chosing to license titles that we thought were good rather than licensing better selling, poor quality titles like Burst Angel, Avenger, and Gilgamesh.

[Leader Desslock]

I do think that AN Entertainment did everything it could do to be successful.
I think that AN probably handled their releases as well as they could BE handled, within the context of a viable business model and realistic licensing constraints. I don't want to sound like I was being an armchair licensor with 20/20 hindsight, saying "I could've done it better". If I gave you that impression, I apologize.

From the company's inception, we've always said that AN Entertainment made an effort to satisfy the fan community, and needed the support of the fan community. But the fan community didn't support AN Entertainment.
While I commend AN Entertainment for its vision and its integrity, I meant my earlier post as an explanation for why I, as a member of the fanbase, have not supported AN Entertainment to date. I agree with your assessment that the fan community didn't support AN Entertainment, but I think it's unrealistic to expect that fans will spend, say, $188 for a series "just because a nice bunch of guys with inegrity released it". That "nice" and "integrity" are only worth so many of my dollars, and those don't add up to $188 for ANY form of entertainment, sorry to say.

I know that before AN Entertainment decided to license its first title, you folks probably did a whole lot of market research (at least I would HOPE you did). I'm sure you talked to a whole lot of people, and I'm sure you asked them: "Here's what we're thinking of releasing, here's our vision, and here's how much we're gonna charge. Would you pay for that?"

If you had asked ME those questions regarding your current products at your current price points, I'd have answered "no" without a moment's hesitation. I'm not nice, but at least I'm honest, and I'd have outlined my reasons for that "no" just as I have above. Conversely, I'm sure you got a whole lot of remarks from 4Kids bashers saying things like "Oh, if a real company came along that cared about the fans, I'd buy anything they put out at any price."

From your remark of "the fans didn't support AN Entertainment", it sounds like you received/believed more of the latter remarks than you believed remarks like mine. If so (and maybe that's not the case), then AN's a victim of its own optimism, maybe. I dunno. If you've made back your money on the three titles you've licensed, then I'd call it a successful experiment and I commend you for your work. I'd have rather seen AN license several smaller titles than Hale+Guu (stuff along the lines of Kamichu! or Kasimasi, maybe), but that's neither here nor there at this point. You put out some good titles, and that's what counts.

If you'd agree to license Tenshi na Konamaiki, I give you my word that I will pre-order the full box set. ^_^ It's not gonna happen, of course, but I hate to miss the chance for the shameless plug. See? That's keeping the title alive, right there. For free.

Take a look at current and upcoming domestic releases like Air Gear, Beck, School Rumble, Black Lagoon. $29.98 per volume is still industry standard for a single new anime DVD because that's the price necessary to recover licensing and production costs.
For what it's worth, I'm not supporting those titles either, because frankly, none of those titles is worth the price. If I'm not gonna pay $7 / episode for something as good as Hale + Guu, I'm sure not gonna shovel out that much for Beck. I wouldn't take Beck for free, for crying out loud.

I also feel obligated to state that AN Entertainment didn't sustain its advertising for its series because there's no proven reason to do so. As a retailer, we see the way sales drop off for older titles, and in our experience, no amount of advertising short of national TV broadcast will significantly reinvigorate sales of a catalog title.
But if it's free on your own forum (for which you're paying), as Prons' shameless Ideon plugs are, I don't see the reason NOT to do it. All a title needs is a champion to keep the fires burning, and let's face it, you've only got three titles to plug. I regularly plug Tenshi na Konamaiki and Mysterious Cities of Gold, and as a result, I know a few people who've looked up those series and enjoyed them as a result. I'm not saying you're gonna double your sales, but at least in my case, it might've helped you make a few sales before you had to throw a title like Risky Safety on clearance. I'm now looking to purchase the title as a result of this thread, because I now know it's more than just a cutesy little bit o' fluff. How many more people have dismissed it before now, just because they didn't know any differently?

It's all well and good to say that a series like Risky Safety has received critical acclaim, and that the fans know that. Truth is, I doubt that a lot of fans still realize that. It's free to remind them, and it doesn't take a lot of time. Look, I just did. ^_^

It's just unfortunate for us that American consumers seemed to be uninterested in our titles, and didn't seem particularly eager to help support a small, fan oriented licensor.
I'm totally eager to support a fan oriented licensor, but as I noted earlier, "nice" and "integrity" have a limited dollar value.

So if there's blame to be placed, perhaps we made mistakes like trying to price our titles at a cost that would keep the company afloat...
The only thing you can be blamed for there is common sense.

...chosing to license titles that we thought were good rather than licensing better selling, poor quality titles like Burst Angel...
Not only shouldn't AN be blamed for this, you should be commended for trying to prevent the subsequent decline in IQ points caused by such a title.

[aorta]

I bought all of Risky Safety at the price it was orignally sold for on AN. A couple of months later the price has been slashed for a huge discount. Not that I really care because I wanted to support the company.

I get the idea that many people figured Miami Guns would go the same way. Why pay full price, when in a year it will be really cheap?

It's not just AN that does this. I see boxsets that cost less than the first volume. It's not that hard to wait.

I have on complaints with AN at all, I like Risky Safety a lot. I think they should have the artwork at a higher price as the demand for it seemed to be pretty high.

[Area88]

Guys lets not get too patronising and adopt the 'i could have done it better mentality' because without starting up our own anime company we will never actually know.

I am very interested to see if ImaginAsian's original strategy will prove successful or even revolutionary for the industry as a whole. While older anime titles are obviously of more niche value, i have always thought that buyers who support these shows are much more loyal to the companies they buy from since they are often older, more mature and have a larger income.

The majority of fans and supposed otaku that only pick up newer shows are swamped by hundrends of similiar shows while there is substantially less for fans who want to pick up more vintage shows making them more open to picking up anything that really categorises as an older show.

It's a bit like how anime fandom was in 2000 when very few new shows were actually coming out so people pretty much bought everything that made it onto the shelves.

Overall if licenses for older shows can be attained at relatively low cost then i still think there is a signifcant gap in the market to profit from.

[Dan]

Well, it seems like everything here has wrapped up pretty nicely. Which is not common with a lot of threads. Although I would like to adress this

In terms of disc count for Guu, I'd like to point out that when we began releasing Guu TV more than a year ago, 7 discs was industry standard. Today the industry standard for a 26 episode series seems to be 6 discs considering that Air Gear, Tsubasa, Higurashi, Karin, Rozen Maiden, Kurau, Paniponi Dash, and numerous other current and upcoming 26 episode shows are 6 volume releases.

If anything, it was well on its way out of 7 volumes. Which would also make a series beginning then not very future-safe. Low episode counts has been a big issue since well before last year, and the almost blanket adaptation of 3 and 6 volumes for a half and full season series respectively is understood as what consumers will endure. Even then, the more savvy ones just wait for the thinpaks (which are sometimes on fewer discs, even). I almost only buy R2s - and rarely, and very intriguing R1 limited editions. I think the market follows like me in that respect, if it isn't time sensitive then why NOT wait?

If AN ever tries domestic releases again, you should really hold a huge poll in the forums asking people what they think. Then get the most cynical and blunt people to tell you how it is. If you think to release another Miami Guns, hopefully they'll hesitate you. If its an "Air Gear, Beck, School Rumble, Black Lagoon", then you'll probably get some enthusiastic support (of course, those will be in high competition and may be impossible). I'm not saying AN shouldn't take risks, but there's no way you couldn't have forseen low enthusiasm for R/S and Miami Guns, and even H*G after strained negotiations.

[John]

I bought all of Risky Safety at the price it was orignally sold for on AN. A couple of months later the price has been slashed for a huge discount. Not that I really care because I wanted to support the company.

I get the idea that many people figured Miami Guns would go the same way. Why pay full price, when in a year it will be really cheap?

It's not just AN that does this. I see boxsets that cost less than the first volume. It's not that hard to wait.

I have on complaints with AN at all, I like Risky Safety a lot. I think they should have the artwork at a higher price as the demand for it seemed to be pretty high.

Just wanted to address these points, because I think they're representative of a lot of the anime community. I can assure you that we struggled for as long as we could to resist slashing the price on our releases. We're aware that quickly discounting the price feels like a betrayal to those who supported the initial, full priced release. Since we're also a retailer, we're very conscious of the impact that discounted releases have on consumer spending habits. Regrettably, it wasn't greed that motivated our price discounts, but rather absolute necessity.

The sentiment that we should have charged more for the Risky Safety artwork has floated around here for the same reason. But considering the minimal consumer interest we've seen in Risky Safety over the past 5 years, we anticipated possibly not selling any of the production art. We certainly never even guessed that it would all sell out overnight. Once again, we apologise to those who were interested but weren't able to get any of the art.

And finally, to everyone in this discussion, thanks for your constructive criticism and your civility.

[Dan]

We certainly never even guessed that it would all sell out overnight. Once again, we apologise to those who were interested but weren't able to get any of the art.


Wow, it did? How much of it did you have? I find this really interesting since I am also a collector of in-house materials, but there tends to be little competition for auctions of these, even on big name sites. And the idea that a relatively small name like Risky Safety selling out very quickly is intriguing.

What I feel I can take from this is that with the availability and knowledge, Americans would probably go for this kind of thing more readily. So I wonder, is it that they are largely unaware or unwilling to search for these sorts of things, or that they do not like the methods they have to go through to get them? Its very interesting.

On another note, with the sales of the art, have you seen any spike in sales of the series?

[John]

Since the art has come up again, a few years ago Studio A.P.P.P. sold all of the original production art for Risky Safety to AnimeNation. A few weeks ago, to coincide with the announcement that the license was expiring, we sorted all of the "cuts," pulling out set-ups that included display worthy character shots. We sorted those into 5 pound lots and ended up with roughly 80 total lots. Unexpectedly, at $10 per lot, they sold out in under 24 hours.

I'm now personally the owner of the remaining 15 or so large boxes of miscellaneous art - mostly stuff like hands, feet, trees and backgrounds, backs of character's heads, partially obscured characters, etc. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with all of it, but I couldn't bear to see it discarded, and we didn't consider it material of a quality worthy of selling.

When the moratium announcement on Risky Safety went out, sales did suddenly increase exponentially. And sales are still strong now that the show is so cheap, and there are only a few months left to get it. We're very gratified that more people are in posession of, and hopefully watching the series, but sadly for us, at its current price, we're not actually making any profit. We're just trying to dispose of the copies in our inventory while we still have legal right to do so.