Written: 06/24/96
Anime Watch is a column about Anime (Japanese Animation) written by Jay Scott Raymond. The views herein are expressly my own and are written without concern for the sensibilities of those poor benighted fools not yet indoctrinated into the Anime Way.
My last two columns had calm and rational discussions of their subject matter; clearly its time for a good old fashioned rant! The bee in my bonnet this time around is the way some companies package their Anime. I'm not talking about cardboard box vs clamshell cases. Let me give you an example of what bugs me.
A company which shall remain nameless, but whose initials are Streamline Pictures is in the habit of taking shows that have half hour episodes and making them available with one episode per tape! This is especially annoying with shows like Babel II that come in four episodes. Let's see, four episodes, each 25 - 30 minutes in length. It would make sense to put all four episodes on one standard two hour VHS tape, right? Actually, Streamline does make them available that way, about two or three months after the single episode tapes have been in the stores.
Maybe I'm cynical, but I have to ask why Streamline and others (others do this on occasion too, but Streamline is the most blatant offender) do this. I don't believe in ESP so I won't claim that I know why they do it, but I'll tell you how it looks to most fans I've talked to. The opinion I hear most is that they are taking shameless advantage of their best customers, the dedicated Anime fans, for quick monetary gain. Some might object that they are a commercial company and their purpose is monetary gain, which I agree with. However, a company that wants to stay around should be aware that there is more to business than a quick buck. Specifically, there is building of customer loyalty; and you don't earn that by blatantly ripping off your best customers.
Of course, it could be worse. At least they only charge about $15 for these half hour tapes, as opposed to about $20 to $25 for the two hour compilation. There was a time when some companies charged $30 to $40 for a half hour tape. Animeigo in particular was once noted for this, and they almost went out of business because of it. The issue for me, though, isn't the price per tape charge; its the fact that they put a lower priced compilation out as soon as the dedicated fans have had enough time to buy the more expensive version, and they do it repeatedly. This isn't a one time lapse. They have done this with every show with half hour episodes that they've put out! It is clearly their standard operating procedure.
Hopefully they will see the error of their ways. Hopefully they will see that this isn't a good way to do business. Hopefully it will be soon, because even some of the most dedicated Otaku (Anime fans) that I know (myself included) are getting very leery of anything that comes out in half hour increments, and are letting such shows sit on the store shelf, waiting for the inevitable compilation. If it doesn't get bought, it doesn't get reordered. If it doesn't get reordered the profits of the company that produces it are reduced.
Simple, isn't it?
Yours In Anime,
Jay The Obscure