Three More Geneon Titles Rescued
AD Vision affiliated licensor Sentai Filmworks has announced its acquisition of the Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, Kannazuki no Miko, and Dokkoida?! anime television series formerly distributed in America by Geneon.
The first half of Daphne in the Brilliant Blue will be released in a 13 episode bilingual two-disc DVD collection on August 18th. The release will retail at $39.98.
Kannazuki no Miko will be re-released under the new American title “Destiny of the Shrine Maiden” in a bilingual double disc set that contains the entire 12 episode series. The release will retail at $39.98 beginning August 25.
Dokkoida?! will also be re-released on August 25 as a bilingual $39.98 double disc set containing the entire 12 episode series.
So, three more mediocre re-releases from a distributor that’s trying its hardest to convince everyone that it’s not just ADV under a different name.
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Someone has to come to the conclusion eventually that something either criminally or civilly fraudulent has been going with ADV for at least the last year.
Why would you abandon the ADV name if you weren’t trying to pull something (say, with Sojitz — or any supposed new investors running around) while trying to position yourself for _when_ (in your opinion) the other remaining companies die so that you can be the only game left when they do?
I’m still in the belief that the few remaining people at ADV have been trying to rip the industry off and now basically are left to license-rescue, because no one in right mind in Japan will work with them.
I recently organized a convention and got a nasty reponse from ADV when I asked for permission to screen some of their titles a couple days prior. It was totally my fault for not being able to get to it until then, but the tone of the response I received was uncalled for.
I hate getting into arguments about the quality of anime because everyone’s opinion is different, but I think Dokkoida?! is excellent and should be watched by everyone. Haven’t made my way into the other two just yet.
I kind of wish ADV would quit with the drama and go and get acquired by someone already. Their “rebuilding” phase is going to last another few years, assuming they can last that long… and trying to rewrite their entire business plan in order to convince us they’re not as shortsighted as we fear they may have been, could take even longer.
I think DOKKOIDA?! is bad, but has some good characters; that DAPHNE IN THE BRILLIANT BLUE is absolutely atrocious; and KANNAZUKI NO MIKO is actually sort of fun, even if rather typical at times…. but I’m struggling to wonder if I should be glad that ADV is doing something with themselves.
I kind of wish ADV would quit with the drama and go and get acquired by someone already.
But who would want them?
Several things brought me to the conclusion that ADV is trying to pull some major baloney (read: criminal and civil fraud) to position itself for the rest of the collapse:
1) Comments made during the Anime Central panel last year which appeared to indicate that they might be involved in some sort of operations to identify dying brands and what titles they can leech (which see the quickness of their acquisition of CPM titles once CPM went Chapter 7).
2) Just what did they give Sojitz to get the titles back in February of 2008 after the month in which they basically had lost all their titles?
2b) What COULD they have given Sojitz for that privilege?
2c) What’s to say they gave them anything at all??
I’m still not entirely of the opinion that they didn’t do an end around on Sojitz and illegally reasserted the rights to release material they had no right to release after Sojitz pulled the plug.
3) And then we get to Sojitz’ stake in ADV (which was a little less than 20%, IIRC). With what could that stake have been purchased back? And, if Sojitz is still holding that stake and ADV was actively trying to F them over, then what stops ADV from creating all these “front companies” and gutting ADV to where ADV Films exists in name only?
Hence, Sentai.
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In short, I think Greenfield, Ledford, and Williams have a lot of explaining to do.
Here’s what I see them doing:
They’re basically trying to put on the good mask that they are a workable company (though I think Robert (Anime Corner Store) had it right when he said that they were trying to keep the lights on there), while machinating toward the day that Funimation (especially), Bandai, and Viz throw in the towel.
Once that happens (and I think we all can agree that’s going to happen), then those guys pick the litter and basically become #1 because they were the last parties standing.
THAT is the “rebuilding phase”, Aaron. There is no other rebuilding (really, for any of the companies) unless they are the only company left.
Steven is right — no one would want ADV in this environment. The Japanese won’t work with them, the American TV networks told them where to go years ago (which see Sgt. Frog), and Funimation has over half the market share in this country. It would be better to let ADV die and buy up what’s left of it in the BK Sale.
In fact, that’s what I think Gen Fukunaga was trying to do last year — he, in his quest to be the only licensor left, either went to Greenfield, Ledford, and Williams with a number or basically said privately that he would take his chances in such a bankruptcy of what is left of ADV.
ADV died 18 months ago. They have no regard for good business practice at all. It’s a shame, because they used to be my favorite company. Now, if there is to be an anime industry left at all, they gotta go and go yesterday!
You also said ADV would close shop before Expo last year. You are a very psychotic person. Someone who runs around every website trying to try to pretend to be some know it all full of lies, except R1 sites where people have brains like AOD kicked you out and banned you. You are nothing more than a troll. Disgusting. At least fansubbers that you attack help popularize anime, you on the other hand are helping destroy it. Wisen up because no one in the industry is buying your pretend oracle knowledge. You are no sage my friend. The only one buying into your lies are people who don’t know how much you troll everywhere on the respected sites. Go peddle your knowledge about anime in Hongkong. You’re probably being paid by some pirate outfit to destabilize the industry.
Vicky: I said precisely that — and I am equally disturbed as to how they are proclaiming to remain in business.
This is, of course, even though they have completely discarded their licensing arm to a “front company” (which see the last comment the blogger made to this announcement!) and have no realistic future unless the entire anime industry dies and they just pick up the scraps.
Vicky, they banned me because they do not wish to deal with the issues at hand without being literally 2X4’d in the face. Otherwise, frankly, they should ban me from all anime as a threat to anime — in more ways than I care to mention here.
One thing I have learned is that people do not want to deal with the reality that the fans’ conduct has gutted anime like a bunch of vampires sucking the blood out of a victim. Now, where’s the blood coming from?
You know what? If the fansubbers popularized anime, then fuck them and the fans that came in as a result. The blood of studios like Gonzo in Japan and Geneon USA here (and Bandai Visual USA) is on their hands — and, by your words, it would appear to be on yours as well.
I am being paid by no one, bitch. The fansubbers are the ones deliberately destabilizing the industry.
WAKE UP!
Didna say fansubbers were good, I was only saying they were better than you. You do nothing positive for anime. The fansubbers at least sold a few anime to us buyers.
No wander the AnimeNewsNetwork Editor In Chief called you out long ago for your rambling and saying you knew nothing and you had no credibility. If he did not believe your ramblings, no one will. You’re just spouting more stuff to make everyone miserable like on anime usenet where they are sick of your lies.
There is no “positive for anime” anymore, idiot.
Seriously, the fansubbers have taken all the positive out of anime in the chase to be the only thing left once they kill all the legit industry.
Then they start going after each other.
You’re talking about Zac, I assume?? That arrogant bitch needs to get his head out of the Darth Vader mask.
I’m not going to have credibility to anyone whose agenda is to completely bury their heads in the sand and just sit there watching the entire anime landscape go to utter garbage.
Vicky, if you really feel that way, get me banned from every convention — every show — every voice talent — everything.
My own speculation is that after ADV was unable or unwilling to pay Sojitz, most Japanese licensors have become hesitant to work with the company. So by branding itself with a new name, Sentai Filmworks, ADV may be hoping to revive itself and escape from the blacklist that licensors associate with the name “ADV Films.”
If indeed licensors aren’t willing to license new properties to ADV/Sentai, it’s wise of the company to spend what money it has on repackaging titles that have already been translated and dubbed for them by other distributors.
I do agree that something seems particularly fishy about recent ADV releases when they re-released the Battle Angel DVD that they were forced to recall years ago, without changing the content of the license violating disc at all, just changing the cover to hide the fact that the disc contains an unlicensed translation. Sudden DVD re-releases of other titles like Princess Minerva and Guy that should have had their domestic distribution licenses expire years ago also seems very suspicious.
My only question is, would the Japanese really fall for ADV with just a different name, when it’s still the same people behind the wheel. It would still essentially be Ledford and Greenfield doing all the negotiations. Plus it’s very evident to everyone that ADV is doing all the work on Sentai titles.
John,in regards to Battle Angel, Guy and Minerva, if you find their releases “fishy”, or have reason to question their legality, why would you continue to sell them? If you really do believe that may be illegal, then I have to question the morals behind continuing their availability on your website. The fact that your site and Right Stuf, both either active or previous anime licensors, sold these was part of the reason I didn’t question their validity. I was willing to believe that you were of higher moral caliber, and would not sell essentially “bootleg” DVD’s. Perhaps I was wrong to trust your site???
Another possibility, is that the Japanese rights holders to these properties realize that nobody really wants these properties anymore. Many other industry sources have said that the Japanese realize the NA market is quickly drying up and are willing to take whatever money they can get for titles. If ADV came back to them and said, “Hey, remember that OVA we released 10 years ago, mind if we have it back”, they would probably be willing to take whatever cash they could get for such an old title.
As for starcade, I don’t think he’s crazy, though perhaps a bit of a conspiracy theorist. Though ADV having a meeting talking about other distributors and who they expect to go out of business wouldn’t be surprising. Actually companies do this quite often. Best Buy had plans in place for months to go after Circuit City’s customers when it became evident they weren’t coming out of bankruptcy.
I do things are going to get quite bad in R1 this year and next. I think Right Stuf, with it’s niche markets will be okay, and Media Blasters will probably pull through. But given the situation with anime at Best Buy and the over problems with their parent companies, I’m beginning to worry a bit about Funimation, and especially Bandai. I know there had been talk for some time about dropping Navarre entirely as a vendor at Best Buy, because of ongoing quality control issues with the company and Funimation. It even got to the point where other companies, like Media Blasters and Simon and Schuster/Viz, were forced to find other vendors to ship in their products. Media Blasters, for instance, is now shipped in by Ingram (same as ADV.) And as for Bandai, well, their recent release problems, and killing of dubs says it all.
I think I would take the days of $30 singles back, if we could also have back Geneon, ADV (in it’s former glory), CPM, Funimation (with decent video quality), and all the releases we use to enjoy it. These days it can be very hard to be an anime fan, especially if you prefer dubs.
I actually enjoyed Dokkoida, but purchased it sometime in 2007 (IIRC) during one of the “fire sales” after Geneon’s collapse and it turned out to be one of the original pressings from 2004 with the extra trinkets inside. If the original batch never completely sold in 3 years, what are the chances it’ll do better the second time around?
If Sentai is going to do little more than license-rescue, surely there was ONE single title with good sales chances waiting to be rescued, that could be had for the money they paid for the licenses for these three?
(Personally I’d love a Trigun thinpak)
John: “Unwilling” or “unable” to pay, it’s fraud.
Their mouths wrote checks their asses couldn’t cash. They made promises that, in no way (with both the explosions of fansubbing and of Funimation), they knew they could keep.
Take a good look at the television status of Gurren Lagann, as one great example. How long did ADV have that title (while trying to get it on TV)? Then, they lose it to Bandai, and Bandai has the deal with Sci-Fi within about one month.
And then there’s the questions I put above: How did ADV reacquire the Sojitz rights for those 4-4 1/2 months? DID ADV reacquire those rights? Or did ADV simply do an end-around, and, when Sojitz finally caught them, they were already talking to Funimation…
The only reason I can’t believe a lot of the arguments that a lot of fans have against the industry vis-a-vis the effect of fansubbing is that it would mean massive fraud industry -> fans. I _do_ believe, however, there is some fraud by some members of the industry toward others.
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As for “why put out stuff that there is serious question on”: Does the site basically have a choice, if they wish to stay in business??
Your speculation:
Bandai’s a goner vis-a-vis R1, at least “other than Gundam”. They clearly do not have the money to make a working, viable DVD product — which see all their “replicator issues”.
Funimation is getting down there, especially if the licensors in Japan insist on major penalties for the security breaches, etc. They probably _are_ dead vis-a-vis same-day streaming, as they just are not going to be able to compete with illegitimate channels and the criminals behind them.
And then there’s Viz, who really wants to disown their part of the R1 industry and base everything off of manga.
I’m stunned, frankly, there’s an R1 industry _today_. I do not know what is keeping the house of cards up.