Tuesday 12 May 2015

It doesn't need to be like this.

Not too long ago Cute High Earth Defense club LOVE finished airing... it came out in an interview that if the sale of the episodes through dvd and blue ray goes well we may get a season two.

I knew this really only meant Japan but still i was hell bent on supporting this show... in a stellar season it was one of my faves... So i knew i would be buying the dvd or blu ray over here.
Funimation streamed it so they probably got the distribution license, there 13 episode series range from 50-70 which is a bit high for me but i love the show enough where that is reasonable.
I had no idea how wrong i would be.

Funimation does not have the home video License... Pony canyon does.

What does this mean?
It means i'm not getting Cute high earth defence club love.... at least not untill it's packed at 13 episodes in on purchase... and/or it goes on sale.

Okay lets back up a second...
lets talk about selling anime in japan.

Japanese DVDs and Blurays (as far as i've seen) only have 1-2 episodes per disk on them.
They also cost around 7000 Yen.
which is (approximately) 70-75 bucks
for 2 episodes.

This is problematic for a few reasons.

The biggest one being that if you tried to tell someone in north america they need to spend 70 bucks for 40 minutes of content they would laugh at you.

Granted when buying anime on dvd had a big boom (it may have been sooner but due to my age it felt like this book was in the late Nineties and early Aughts) the prices weren't too far off.
The first dvd i ever bought on my own was the cardcaptor sakura movie... it was 50 bucks.
The first boxset i ever bought was Sailor moon uncut.... it was 120
Those prices in todays market are just obscene.

Today you never seen 4 episodes per disk sets... EVERYTHING is done by cour (13 episode chunks)

My personal guildline is
13 = 30-50 (and i really have to love the show for it to be 50 OR it needs to have enough goodies to warrent the higher price [read as NISA boxsets])
26 = as close to 50 as i can manage.
Movies = 20-30 bucks
52 = (I have to love the show enough to commit to that much time) 70-100 TOPS

I refuse to buy anything less then 13 episodes.

So when a japanese company from a japanese market comes here and prices out a show...
well we get Aniplex and Pony Canyon.
you know who else pulled this shit? Geneon.... and well they don't distribute here anymore.

Back to the topic at hand... Cute high earth defense club love is going on sale for 70 bucks for 4 episodes.

I don't like to swear online but my immediate reaction was "you have to be fucking kidding"
When my friend told me about this i was convinced that it was actually the japanese prices... cause we don't put out 4 episode disks anymore... they don't sell as well here as cours do... 
We already have to deal with the aniplex tax (read as Aniplex prices range from 70-150 on a given show) we don't need another Comapny charging these outrageous prices.
I loved the show
I want a season two
But until i can get it all for the 30-50 bucks i am willing to pay for a 13 episode show it will not happen.
i don't care if that means i never get it.
I mean i'm sad but i rather be sad and stick to my guns instead of happy i got a show and being part of the problem.

Like, i mean i can't say this for sure cause i own it.... but actually no... i can say with certanty that if Natsume yuujinchou, My all time fav anime... one i need to rewatch every few months or i get sad, were sold for 70 bucks for 4 episodes... i wouldn't own it...

and if i can't spend that much on my fav show... no way i can spend it on a show i greatly enjoyed.

I rarely wish for comapnies to fail but i hope Pony canyon fails.
I hope the north american market rejects their bullshit prices and they leave.
same with aniplex... but they already seem to be letting their quality slip so it's only a matter of time before the pull a geneon.

I am so upset about this... why do companies make it so hard for me to give them money....
had they done 4 episodes for 20 bucks.... maybe i would have considered... it's sub only so thats still stupid high.... but 70 bucks? thats a slap to the face.

oh well... maybe 5 or 6 years down the road right stuff with have it on sale for a decent price.
i can wait.

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