AnimeSuki Forums

Marcus H. · 2017-04-04, 21:08

You know how there's not enough anime for everyone worldwide (and not just in America)?
Well, guess what? Amazon's Anime Strike has decided to gate their option for legal anime streaming under a double paywall.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/...and-anime-fans

Seriously, have they considered profiling how much an anime fan is willing to spend on a show?

SeijiSensei · 2017-04-04, 21:27

Anime Strike has been a sore subject since it was announced. I'm a Prime subscriber, and I still don't want to fork over another $60/year for a really limited catalog. I'm also one of those Netflix subscribers mentioned in that article who has resorted to streaming to watch shows like Little Witch Academia as it airs rather than waiting for Netflix to release the whole thing at the end. I had no qualms about torrenting Fune wo Amu either rather than waiting for it to appear on Prime. Turns out it was never going to end up there in the first place.

I was hoping we'd see consolidation among the streaming services like the recent CR/Funi deal. Instead we're seeing more fragmentation. I suspect the production committees were enticed by the big bucks Amazon and Netflix can offer, but in the long run having many competing services offering different chunks of each season's offerings cannot succeed.

I don't think either Netflix or Amazon made much of an effort to understand the anime market. Netflix thinks everyone wants to binge-watch complete series, and neither of them seems to be targeting the real audience of people like us. My guess is that they see anime as something additional to offer their current subscriberships rather than attract new viewers from the existing base of anime viewers.

Sentai appears to have thrown in its lot with Amazon this season. I don't know whether that means they'll fold their theanimenetwork.com streaming service, but I can't imagine it has many subscribers.

Dextro · 2017-04-05, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

Anime Strike has been a sore subject since it was announced. I'm a Prime subscriber, and I still don't want to fork over another $60/year for a really limited catalog. I'm also one of those Netflix subscribers mentioned in that article who has resorted to streaming to watch shows like Little Witch Academia as it airs rather than waiting for Netflix to release the whole thing at the end. I had no qualms about torrenting Fune wo Amu either rather than waiting for it to appear on Prime. Turns out it was never going to end up there in the first place.

You know the sad part? Those of us outside of Amazon countries could get Fune wo Amu as it came out in the Prime Video international as it aired for 7€ a month (3€ for 6 months).

Considering I was already subscribed for The Grand Tour and The Man in the High Castle it was a pretty nice perk to have. It almost makes up for the fact that I couldn't legaly watch over half the rest of the season shows

Dextro · 2017-08-03, 15:55

So it looks like Sony is buying 95% of Funimation. What do you guys think?

IceHism · 2017-08-03, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dextro

So it looks like Sony is buying 95% of Funimation. What do you guys think?

Sony already owns aniplex and a-1, guess they wanted a distribution channel.

SeijiSensei · 2017-08-04, 06:49

The division that owns Aniplex is based in Japan and has nothing to do with Sony Pictures, the LA-based subsidiary buying Funimation.

ANN, unsurprisingly, has a lot of discussion about this. Start with this column by Justin Sevakis: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answ...-08-02/.119577

Kanon · 2017-08-06, 12:37

I was going to complain in the Violet Evergarden thread but I was too late, so here I am. This seems like an appropriate thread to discuss the subject.

The Netflix situation is really starting to piss me off. Ever since they started to license seasonal shows, it feels like we've taken ten steps backwards. Simulcasting has been a thing for quite some time now, how can they expect us to wait months (Kakegurui won't be available until 2018! That's a six months wait at the least!) to watch them? Things have evolved, people don't want to wait that long to watch their shows anymore. Get on with the fucking times already.

I'm glad we at least still have some great people around willing to fansub these shows for us. Dead groups even rose back from the grave. If I didn't know any better, I'd start thinking Netflix's true goal is to bring back the golden age of fansubbing

Guardian Enzo · 2017-08-06, 17:09

I think the production committees in Japan know that serious Western anime fans aren't going to wait for Netflix, but they're happy to take Netflix' money - and why shouldn't they be? Serious fans will fansub, a few folks who aren't anime fans generally will watch series on Netflix three months later and never know the difference. Where the model breaks down for me is Netflix itself - if they're not getting anime fans this can't really be profitable for them. Sooner or later they'll either acknowledge reality and change their distribution strategy or bail on anime altogether.

Kanon · 2017-08-06, 17:39

I'm not sure what Netflix is expecting to gain by doing that either. Maybe buying straight from the source costs them less money than letting somebody else license the anime for simulcasting and then getting it for their catalog later? I'm not sure how it all works.

Or maybe they're just hoping their Netflix original creations will bring in fans that will stick around for their hyperlatecast.

Guardian Enzo · 2017-08-06, 21:15

Yeah, there are really only two possibilities that seem remotely realistic. One, they think they can expand the anime audience outside hardcore fans by enough to make their release strategy profitable. Two, they think hardcore fans will eventually cave and play by their rules (which i don't believe will ever happen).

Of course there is a third possibility - they just don't give a flip whether this makes money or not, because in the big picture anime money is spit in the ocean. They just want to be a thorn in Amazon's side and try and hurt the competition as much as possible while establishing themselves as a presence in a niche market.

BetoJR · 2017-08-07, 13:24

But, honestly, some fans (like me) actually don't mind the "Netflix experience"? Maybe I'm not hardcore enough, like you guys imply? I dunno, in my experience - and in the company I keep - I'm hardly alone. Perhaps you guys should rethink your concepts a bit? Or not. Whatever floats your boat. But, hey, I already have a Netflix account, anyway, so waiting for a new anime show is hardly a really hard thing to do (at least for me and a few of my friends, tho). It would be a different thing if I had to pay for a different service, perhaps.

Just my two cents.

Dextro · 2017-08-07, 13:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetoJR

But, honestly, some fans (like me) actually don't mind the "Netflix experience"? Maybe I'm not hardcore enough, like you guys imply? I dunno, in my experience - and in the company I keep - I'm hardly alone. Perhaps you guys should rethink your concepts a bit? Or not. Whatever floats your boat. But, hey, I already have a Netflix account, anyway, so waiting for a new anime show is hardly a really hard thing to do (at least for me and a few of my friends, tho). It would be a different thing if I had to pay for a different service, perhaps.

Just my two cents.

It depends on what you're after. Back when I was in college it was common for me to binge watch shows more than I followed the weekly releases but nowadays I just want to sit down and watch 30min or 1h of anime each weak and keeping up with what's coming out in Japan and seeing people's reactions live is the thing I most value nowadays.

I still binge watch occasionally but that's no longer my main focus. I'm not criticizing people who do it though, in fact I believe those are the majority, but there's a very vocal group of very passionate fans who are more interested in the simulcast option it seems and Netflix almost seems like they're actively trying to repel those people. Same thing happens with american RL TV shows actually. Amazon seems much more disposed to doing weekly releases instead of dumping whole seasons at once.

Marcus H. · 2017-08-07, 18:13

Japanese companies know the dedication of anime fans, but they also know that Netflix and Amazon is willing to give huge sums of money to get themselves involves. I've heard a post in a similar discussion where Trigger, in a convention event, expected that people had watched the two cours of LWA despite Netflix's staggered release schedule.

My only concern about this is that, despite Japan's knowledge on what the fans are doing and what the big shots in America are doing, they haven't done anything to deliver a better service. Are they waiting for America to make the realization?

Guardian Enzo · 2017-08-07, 18:53

From their perspective, why rock the boat? As long as the checks from Netflix and Amazon don't bounce, why should a production committee in Japan care if their distribution model makes any sense?

BetoJR · 2017-08-08, 12:11

I don't think anyone is "rocking the boat", per se. They're just providing more content for their costumers. And I, for one, am delighted for more, included in the fee I'm already paying them. You're not? Okay, don't rock my boat, then.

Guardian Enzo · 2017-08-08, 14:53

I'm just curious - what specifically is that a response to? Who exactly is rocking the boat, and what boat are they rocking?

Marcus H. · 2017-08-09, 22:42

Quote:

From their perspective, why rock the boat? As long as the checks from Netflix and Amazon don't bounce, why should a production committee in Japan care if their distribution model makes any sense?

Netflix and Amazon's more direct involvement in anime projects IS already rocking the boat for me.
Also, Japan should be aware that any long-term maintenance of the anime industry cannot work with what they have right now.

IceHism · 2017-08-10, 01:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Netflix and Amazon's more direct involvement in anime projects IS already rocking the boat for me.
Also, Japan should be aware that any long-term maintenance of the anime industry cannot work with what they have right now.

i don't think you get it. International companies licensing these anime shows is the long-term maintenance of the anime industry. Anime would be completely stagnant and even decreasing if not for the money they get from foreign markets.

Marcus H. · 2017-08-10, 01:48

Nonono, I understand that. But the "strings attached" (like having to adapt to double paywalls or the concept of binge watching) weren't necessary. Why can't it just be the money? That's the only thing that Japan needs.

IceHism · 2017-08-10, 01:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus H.

Nonono, I understand that. But the "strings attached" (like having to adapt to double paywalls or the concept of binge watching) weren't necessary. Why can't it just be the money? That's the only thing that Japan needs.

Japan doesn't decide how amazon or netflix distribute or market the product . Amazon and netflix are doing that.

2017-04-04, 21:08	Link #221
Marcus H. Princess or Plunderer? Join Date: May 2009 Location: the Philippines	You know how there's not enough anime for everyone worldwide (and not just in America)? Well, guess what? Amazon's Anime Strike has decided to gate their option for legal anime streaming under a double paywall. http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/...and-anime-fans Seriously, have they considered profiling how much an anime fan is willing to spend on a show? __________________ Continuing: White Sand Aquatope (6/24) and Vanitas S2 (0/12), The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 and Bofuri S2 (3/12). 2021: Restaurant to Another World S2 (3/12), takt Op. Destiny (1/12) and Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale (1/12). 2022: Yuusha Yamemasu (1/12), Kaguya-sama S3, Mob Psycho 100 III (Oct06), Bleach: 1000 Year Blood War (2/13) and Chainsaw Man (6/12). Spring 2023: Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! (4/12), Skip to Loafer, Tonikaku Kawaii S2 (1/12), Otonari ni Ginga (5/12) and Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (3/13). Contact me on Wikia and MyAnimeList. Anime List Status ~ Watching: 33. Completed: 468. Plan to watch: 39.

2017-04-04, 21:27	Link #222
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	Anime Strike has been a sore subject since it was announced. I'm a Prime subscriber, and I still don't want to fork over another $60/year for a really limited catalog. I'm also one of those Netflix subscribers mentioned in that article who has resorted to streaming to watch shows like Little Witch Academia as it airs rather than waiting for Netflix to release the whole thing at the end. I had no qualms about torrenting Fune wo Amu either rather than waiting for it to appear on Prime. Turns out it was never going to end up there in the first place. I was hoping we'd see consolidation among the streaming services like the recent CR/Funi deal. Instead we're seeing more fragmentation. I suspect the production committees were enticed by the big bucks Amazon and Netflix can offer, but in the long run having many competing services offering different chunks of each season's offerings cannot succeed. I don't think either Netflix or Amazon made much of an effort to understand the anime market. Netflix thinks everyone wants to binge-watch complete series, and neither of them seems to be targeting the real audience of people like us. My guess is that they see anime as something additional to offer their current subscriberships rather than attract new viewers from the existing base of anime viewers. Sentai appears to have thrown in its lot with Amazon this season. I don't know whether that means they'll fold their theanimenetwork.com streaming service, but I can't imagine it has many subscribers. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2017-08-03, 15:55	Link #224
Dextro He Without a Title Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: The land of tempura	So it looks like Sony is buying 95% of Funimation. What do you guys think? __________________

2017-08-04, 06:49	Link #226
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	The division that owns Aniplex is based in Japan and has nothing to do with Sony Pictures, the LA-based subsidiary buying Funimation. ANN, unsurprisingly, has a lot of discussion about this. Start with this column by Justin Sevakis: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answ...-08-02/.119577 __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2017-08-06, 12:37	Link #227
Kanon Kana Hanazawa ♥ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: France Age: 37	I was going to complain in the Violet Evergarden thread but I was too late, so here I am. This seems like an appropriate thread to discuss the subject. The Netflix situation is really starting to piss me off. Ever since they started to license seasonal shows, it feels like we've taken ten steps backwards. Simulcasting has been a thing for quite some time now, how can they expect us to wait months (Kakegurui won't be available until 2018! That's a six months wait at the least!) to watch them? Things have evolved, people don't want to wait that long to watch their shows anymore. Get on with the fucking times already. I'm glad we at least still have some great people around willing to fansub these shows for us. Dead groups even rose back from the grave. If I didn't know any better, I'd start thinking Netflix's true goal is to bring back the golden age of fansubbing __________________

2017-08-06, 17:39	Link #229
Kanon Kana Hanazawa ♥ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: France Age: 37	I'm not sure what Netflix is expecting to gain by doing that either. Maybe buying straight from the source costs them less money than letting somebody else license the anime for simulcasting and then getting it for their catalog later? I'm not sure how it all works. Or maybe they're just hoping their Netflix original creations will bring in fans that will stick around for their hyperlatecast. __________________

2017-08-07, 18:13	Link #233
Marcus H. Princess or Plunderer? Join Date: May 2009 Location: the Philippines	Japanese companies know the dedication of anime fans, but they also know that Netflix and Amazon is willing to give huge sums of money to get themselves involves. I've heard a post in a similar discussion where Trigger, in a convention event, expected that people had watched the two cours of LWA despite Netflix's staggered release schedule. My only concern about this is that, despite Japan's knowledge on what the fans are doing and what the big shots in America are doing, they haven't done anything to deliver a better service. Are they waiting for America to make the realization? __________________ Continuing: White Sand Aquatope (6/24) and Vanitas S2 (0/12), The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 and Bofuri S2 (3/12). 2021: Restaurant to Another World S2 (3/12), takt Op. Destiny (1/12) and Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale (1/12). 2022: Yuusha Yamemasu (1/12), Kaguya-sama S3, Mob Psycho 100 III (Oct06), Bleach: 1000 Year Blood War (2/13) and Chainsaw Man (6/12). Spring 2023: Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! (4/12), Skip to Loafer, Tonikaku Kawaii S2 (1/12), Otonari ni Ginga (5/12) and Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (3/13). Contact me on Wikia and MyAnimeList. Anime List Status ~ Watching: 33. Completed: 468. Plan to watch: 39.

2017-08-10, 01:48	Link #239
Marcus H. Princess or Plunderer? Join Date: May 2009 Location: the Philippines	Nonono, I understand that. But the "strings attached" (like having to adapt to double paywalls or the concept of binge watching) weren't necessary. Why can't it just be the money? That's the only thing that Japan needs. __________________ Continuing: White Sand Aquatope (6/24) and Vanitas S2 (0/12), The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 and Bofuri S2 (3/12). 2021: Restaurant to Another World S2 (3/12), takt Op. Destiny (1/12) and Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale (1/12). 2022: Yuusha Yamemasu (1/12), Kaguya-sama S3, Mob Psycho 100 III (Oct06), Bleach: 1000 Year Blood War (2/13) and Chainsaw Man (6/12). Spring 2023: Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! (4/12), Skip to Loafer, Tonikaku Kawaii S2 (1/12), Otonari ni Ginga (5/12) and Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia (3/13). Contact me on Wikia and MyAnimeList. Anime List Status ~ Watching: 33. Completed: 468. Plan to watch: 39.