Media Blasters License Updates
Media Blasters has formally confirmed that it will not release any further Bakuman anime domestically, “due to sales,” after releasing the series’ first 7 episodes on domestic DVD last year. Media Blasters furthermore stated that the series may be re-licensed for American distribution by Viz. Media Blasters has also announced that the odds of it actually releasing the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei anime that it confirmed acquisition of in February 2010 are now “50/50.”
Considering Viz Media’s distribution restrictions due to its affiliation with Warner Bros., if Bakuman sold too poorly for Media Blasters, Viz won’t touch it.
Source: Anime News Network
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Does “due to sales” include inconsistent release schedules, too?
I still think it could have performed better if MB had split the first season in two sets with 12 or 13 episodes each. In the current market climate, single volumes are suicide. A BD release probably would have helped, too, since there are many consumers who make a point of not buying native HD shows on DVD.
Media Blasters suffers from a lack of promotion these days. Granted they were never as prominent as ADV or Geneon back in the day, but things are definitely worse. You hardly hear from them unless you check into news feeds.
This is unfortunate, because Media Blasters is just about the only distributor that goes to a lot of conventions. I can usually count on seeing them a mid-sized cons, and as a vendor, it’s always nice to be able to pick up stock from someone directly.
The problem is, a majority of their items are hentai titles. Out of 4 tables they have set up, one table will have “normal” titles, if that; the rest is occupied by hentai or yaoi. Then again, Kenshin is about the only license they still have that many fans care about, except maybe Genshiken. Other titles are generally overlooked.
I agree on the single release schedule; it might be more profitable per disc, but you have to sell those to customers, and they aren’t buying.
I agree with the BluRay point too, except that only applies to the more dedicated fan who demands that sort of quality. In my experience, BluRays sell way less than DVDs because many of the fans don’t have BluRay players, which is a reflection on the state of physical media and the comparitively small technological leap from DVD to BD over VHS to DVD; after all, we’re still playing discs, so what’s the difference? I’ve had several customers turn down DVD/BluRay combos (which is a fantastic marketing idea) because they feel they’re being charged a much higher price for the BluRay they never intend to use and demand DVD only releases that may never come.