CEO: Bang Zoom to Cease Anime Dubbing in 2011 Without Fan Support

You know, I still say a lot of the downturn in anime was tied to an overall downturn in consumer spending, and that's backed up by FUNimation's relatively glowing panels in the past year - "anime is recovering ahead of the rest of the economy" and all that. However, it's going to be a leaner industry, and that not piracy as much as even though anime's recovered, getting back to a boom level is impossible given the current level of consumer spending and the purchasing habits that were ingrained during rougher times. There is no going back to 240 dollars for 26 episodes, which will effect variety.
 
So from my skimming of it, the majority of anime fans still think it's 2001 when DVRAB cost 40 dollars for 3 episodes.

Ugh. I think these people buy the first price out of a car salesman's voice, too.
 
Unfortuantely, it's little better for Non-funimation series.

Look at Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, and Gundam 00.

Better yet, look at the second season releases for 00 and CG. It's abrely better than the old days.
 
Like others have mentioned, Bang Zoom hasn't been dubbing much anime for awhile now so count me in the group of people puzzled as to why he waited this long to talk about it. Also, even if another "Boom" in anime comes(not counting on it anytime soon)that wouldn't guarantee more work for Bang Zoom as most if not every distributor in R1 either handles their dubs in-house, New York or Canada, I can't imagine Sherman doesn't already accept that. Don't get me wrong I've always enjoyed their work and wish they had more, I'm just trying to understand his motivation and timing for these remarks.
 
But it is better. I can understand wanting the value to be even better, but way too many anime fans look at the improvement and say it's worse.
 
BlazBlue's English voicedub was recorded at BangZoom.

http://www.aksysgames.com/forums/topic/423 - Source

Bet you didn't know that.
 
Ah, but Tony Oliver does voiceover work at places besides Bang Zoom, it's just he puts a bit more effort in his work for BZ since Bang Zoom is the only place he directs dubs plus he also does that AIVA stuff.
 
As an illustrator and sequential arts major myself, that really resonates with me. Yeah, having quality merch to offer as an incentive doesn't seem like a bad idea at all.
 
And this is why you see Ouran, FMA, DBZ and Fruba stuff in every anime store and even many bookstores in N. America. It is why Hetalia merch will likely be similarly omnipresent. FUNimation gets the merch game. Watch online however you want, but the second you buy that Alchemist watch or that Ouran keychain, Funi just made a buck on you. Probably a lot more.
 
^^(Just finished placing order on Ouran and Speed Grapher while his FMA:B stream is in another tab. All owned by FUNi)

I'm sorry, what are we talking about?
 
Yeah, when 50% or more of the market is one company, and that company is doing everything in house, Bang Zoom is going to be hurting no matter how sales are.
 
No one uses Bang Zoom, which is why I think this is just business whining at its finest,

Think about it. When the corabination of FUNi/Sentai Works alone, you cover about a good majority of possible good licenses. Not factoring in Bandai taking all the Gundam and popular mecha shows, and ViZ taking the shounen, what does Bang Zoom get?

Scraps. Mostly from Bandai. Haruhi Season 2 is the best they can get, and we all know how that's going to fly in the states
 
30 dollar boxset from day one, only way to make it work. Atleast they'll get the movie too, which for a fraction of the content they can sell for the same MSRP.
 
It would suck if they stopped dubbing anime. California has some of the best dubbing studios in the industry. A lot of the shows they and Animaze worked on I've been buying for the last decade.
 
This is a "cheap shot" that I meant to post on another forum but backed off in respect to the forum's merabers.

The moment NYAV Post developed the capability to direct LA actors as well as NY actors, the sudden diversity and opening up of casting decisions eliminated the niche BZ carved out for itself, which was in bringing as many new voices to the table as possible. In other worRAB, NYAV Post made BZ irrelevant.

Not to mention I'd trust Michael Sinterniklaas with an animated adaptation of one of my properties far more than Eric Sherman, especially after Sherman's comments here. I'd go with the guy who gets the job done, not with the guy who's whining.

Okay there's the sentimental reason that the woman I absolutely positively would want to voice the lead heroine in any adaptation of my novel's within driving distance of NYAV Post, but that's besides the point.
 
Anime companies in the US like Media Blasters have commented on how difficult it is to get anime DVRAB into stores. It's even harder to get anime toys, and such into stores. If it's not on TV, no one will even talk to you. That's even the companies themselves. Hasbro, Mattel, Bandai, Jakk's Pacific, Spin Masters, none will take your series license if it's not on TV. If some how you manage to get a deal with a company, Toys"R"Us isn't going to want product that doesn't have a marketing deal. So you're stuck to online, anime specialty stores, and cons. Not the biggest of markets. You tend to see stuff from series that are on TV get picked up by companies.

The reason merch works in Japan is that everything there is on TV to market the other products. They serve as a 22 minute ad for manga, action figures, keychains, video games, etc. There aren't many venues for anime in North America. It makes things even more difficult when the audience's only exposure to that 22 minute ad, is to buy it.
 
True. But that's still the old model. Casual, TV watching fans aren't the problem as far as the industry is concerned (even though a good chunk of them are unlikely to buy the DVD's or merch either), it's all of us hardcore fans who watch online... and buy stuff online and generally live online. It's possible to keep everything online and still turn a profit. They need to convert to viral marketing campaigns, fan involvement, and generally try to figure out what merch we all want and then provide it. Whining about how it's impossible to get stuff into stores isn't the answer. Licensing or creating something REALLY NIFTY is. And who knows, maybe whatever they import, or cook up gains a cult status and enRAB up in such maligned stores as Hot Topic (actually HT will acquire anime merch licenses from time to time anyway...).

Marketing is guerrilla warfare nowadays; the industry itself is shrinking, the economy sucks, and networks and major toy companies are hesitant to take a risk on ANYTHING. They (the American anime industry) need to stop thinking like giant companies and start thinking like entrepreneurs. They need to focus on good craftsmanship and design, only commission small runs of things (for obvious budget reasons and to create scarcity) and innovative products. I mean, geeze, look at http://www.etsy.com or http://www.threadless.com those are doing quite well. And http://www.lulu.com is proving that print isn't dead. It just isn't in the hanRAB of massive conglomerates anymore (as a side note, my comic arrived today, I am muchly pleased to see my work professionally printed).
 
There's also the fact that the nuraber of stores is shrinking. In the past five years, a great many of the smaller DVD and music stores have closed. As far as toys go, KB is gone and I doubt Toys R Us is far behind. So that leaves...basically Wal-Mart and Target as the main toy retailers.
 
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