I just noticed this news on AnimeOnDVD.com myself... My comments:
1) Bandai Visual USA either did not do proper market research, or they should fire whoever person or whatever company that did the research
immediately.
2) Assuming no price adjustments are going to be made, GAII discs will probably sell worse than the Toei discs. In any case, apart from Gunbuster 2 (which probably still has enough fans that will pay $39 for 2 eps/disc), Bandai Visual USA is
doomed.
3) "You know if your anime company is in trouble when" ... "the webmaster of a major Anime-on-DVD site comments:"
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Chris Beveridge
I was in such a fit of laughter over Galaxy Angel Rune that I lost track of time
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4) The math:
Volume 1 - 1 episode = $20/episode (MSRP)
Volume 2-4 - 4 episodes - $12.50/episode (MSRP)
Total cost (MSRP) = $170 for 13 episodes.
In the past, several companies (especially Pioneer/Geneon) have released 13 episodes series on 4 discs before, at the normal MSRP of $30 per disc. That makes the total series cost $120. Bandai Visual USA is $50 more than that.
5) The price point will probably cause no B&M store in the US to carry their DVDs. The lack of a dub makes the DVDs even less interesting from a casual fan point of view. That leaves the hardcore anime fan that already does most of it's anime buying online: but unless such a fan is terribly rich or a huge GA fan, they're likely to spend their cash on something with more value for money.
6) Maybe they'd get the point if we all send them postcards with "condolences on your imminent bankruptcy"
