08-31-2002, 09:33 AM
I think that is the reason why so many of us are here buying HK DVDs. I was extremely pleased when Pioneer released metropolis with a bonus disc for Cn$26.99 and I jumped all over it.
However, I wistfully look at the Battle of the Planets releases sitting there for Cn$20 for two episodes thinking that I'd be out well over $100 if I wanted the whole series (which I do).
I do watch the R1 releases and try to encourage the companies to release DVDs more affordably buy buying the bargains when they do come out. Unfortunately, the companies are slow in getting the point. The prices are coming down but still not enough.
In defense of the Bandai, Pioneer, and any other companies producing R1 releases, they do have to pay someone to negotiate the deal, pay the company that originally produced the anime, pay a team of people to master the DVD, pay someone to translate the story, pay someone to time it, pay voice actors for dubbed copies, pay someone for box art, pay someone to handle production, pay someone to handle distribution, pay the distributors, and pay the clerk at the store. That's a lot of people to pay with my $20 purchase.
We get the benefit of streamlining this process. HK company rips someone elses DVD, maybe does some translation (I use this term lightly with some of the HK releases), produces the DVD with some slapped together or copied artwork, ships to our distributors here, and we buy straight from the distributor. There are a lot less people that we have to worry about paying with the HK process.
I guess I'll be happy when I can buy a 26 episode series on DVD for $100 or so. Then I'll feel like it's worth it to swear off the HK releases (except for the ones I can't wait for the R1 release of... but that's another rant).
It would be nice if the Japanese companies could just release the DVDs here without all the middle men along the way.
However, I wistfully look at the Battle of the Planets releases sitting there for Cn$20 for two episodes thinking that I'd be out well over $100 if I wanted the whole series (which I do).
I do watch the R1 releases and try to encourage the companies to release DVDs more affordably buy buying the bargains when they do come out. Unfortunately, the companies are slow in getting the point. The prices are coming down but still not enough.
In defense of the Bandai, Pioneer, and any other companies producing R1 releases, they do have to pay someone to negotiate the deal, pay the company that originally produced the anime, pay a team of people to master the DVD, pay someone to translate the story, pay someone to time it, pay voice actors for dubbed copies, pay someone for box art, pay someone to handle production, pay someone to handle distribution, pay the distributors, and pay the clerk at the store. That's a lot of people to pay with my $20 purchase.
We get the benefit of streamlining this process. HK company rips someone elses DVD, maybe does some translation (I use this term lightly with some of the HK releases), produces the DVD with some slapped together or copied artwork, ships to our distributors here, and we buy straight from the distributor. There are a lot less people that we have to worry about paying with the HK process.
I guess I'll be happy when I can buy a 26 episode series on DVD for $100 or so. Then I'll feel like it's worth it to swear off the HK releases (except for the ones I can't wait for the R1 release of... but that's another rant).
It would be nice if the Japanese companies could just release the DVDs here without all the middle men along the way.
Gullible isn't in the dictionary.