The Bakemonogatari Delay: By the Numbers

It’s hard to believe, but over 320 days since the first episode of Bakemonogatari aired on July 3, 2009, the show is still not complete. It has been almost 3 months since the latest episode was released. It was easily the most popular show of 2009, dominating the chatter in anime fandom both in Japan and out. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at this incredible – unprecedented? – delay from a couple different perspectives.

TV Tokyo’s Overseas Plans

Via ANN.

So TV Tokyo is going to try and focus on overseas marketing in order to increase its revenue.  One of their executives cites this as the only way to preserve the industry in the long run.  Now the question is, is this a good idea?

ADV’s PiQ magazine is a variety-type

ANN and comics212 report more information on PiQ. It will cover games and movies in addition to anime and manga. The size and price will be a little smaller. The overall review seems to be that it will end up like any other magazine on the market: lacking in Newtype USA‘s defining features like right-to-left pagination or even its 9″x12″ size. Plus the information and buzz words on the cover are all different.

20% Anime
20% Gaming
20% U.S. Comics / Japanese Manga
20% Genre Movies / TV / Home Video
10% Toys / Collectibles
5% Gadgets / Hi-Tech Gear
5% Lifestyle (fashion, accessories, events)

Not that it being like other magazines is necessarily bad. Discussion on comics212 says that it’s a good move to tap into the video game market and readership, which is wider than the anime readership. And if the Newtype license really was too expensive, then PiQ is bound to make some money, even if just a little more than its predecessor.

~Crisu

ANN’s video ads on YouTube

Anime News Network made video ads that were shown at various conventions in 2007. They’ve now uploaded them to YouTube for the rest of the anime community to see.

My favorite is the digging one, which has awesome cinematography (and epic music), but the other two are kinda badly directed. ^^; Kudos to the on-screen kiss, though.

The whole idea of that scene is .. rather awkward. Cheating with anime, mm? How scandalous. It depends on what they’re watching, though, really.

( Link to ANN’s profile on YouTube )

~Crisu

Build your own Gundam for just $730 million

ANN, Kotaku, and Pink Tentacle share some research reported by SciencePortal.jp about how much the construction of a Gundam-like mobile suit will cost. This machine will be able to walk only; it can neither fly nor carry any weapons. But the price for raw parts and necessary electronic components, using real estimations, is roughly 80 billion yen, or about 730 million US dollars.

This doesn’t count fuel or maintenance costs … not to mention it can’t really walk anywhere useful. Because of its expected 43.4-ton weight, unless its legs were pyramidal so as to spread out the downward force they exert on the ground, each step would cause the mobile suit to sink into the earth.

PiQ to replace Newtype USA

To follow up on my previous entry, ANN updates that the new magazine that will replace Newtype USA in March is one titled PiQ.

Japanator, jokingly I believe, guesses the acronym to mean “Pigs in Question.” I don’t think it has any definition, but should be read as a single word — a homonym to pique as in ‘this magazine should pique your interest’ or peek as in ‘take a peek into anime news.’

Speculation is that Newtype USA didn’t turn up enough profits for A.D. Vision and wasn’t worth renewing the license. I guess PiQ is their own publication, so we’ll see how much of a quality change it is. In the meantime, domestic Newtype magazine isn’t necessarily dead, as another company can pick it up.

ADV had sent all its current magazine subscribers an email with the clause, “All existing subscribers will have their remaining issues fulfilled at a two-to-one ratio,” but I don’t know if that means their subscriptions are extended by double the amount … or if they will receive double-issues in the mail for their remaining months. The former makes a lot more sense. ^^;

~Crisu

Newtype USA no more!

ANN reports that, according to ADV, there will be no more Newtype USA after February. Whether this means the last issue is February’s or March’s is yet unknown.

Another magazine will replace Newtype USA we also don’t know what it is. If it’s going to be another one by Kadokawa Shoten, I hope it’s Comptiq. :3 Because Lucky Star needs to get serialized.

I haven’t bought any Newtype USA ever, I think…  Not sure if it was too expensive for most people, or if there was competition from another source.  Maybe the new magazine will be like Megami or Comp H’s and have pinup posters, because that’s why I buy the Japanese ones even though I can’t read half of them yet.  ^^;  So I pay for the posters more or less, with an investment on being able to read them someday.

I’ve liked how the magazine is large like other Japanese magazines, although it is a bit hard to put on a Western bookshelf…

~Crisu

ANN’s Kanon DVD 1 review

I first found out about it on 2D-Complex (although it looks like the post has been removed; it was a bit angry): ANN has already reviewed the first DVD for Kanon, and it just feels a little biased.

Of course no review can be completely unbiased, but the reviewer seems to know very little about the original game and hates moe. This is a little tragic for a review about a Key visual novel. So I went onto the discussion boards to comment on the thread related to the review and to the preview episode that ANN is hosting. I guess I’m calling for assistance from anyone who wants to give Kanon a proper defense .. or at least a little representation from the population who loves the uguu’s and fighto-da-yo’s and knows that it won’t be 100% cute forever when the drama kicks in.

I’m not saying flame and raid the place, but I think it’ll get overrun by “I like the dub better because the voices aren’t annoyingly squeaky” opinions, and I’d rather there be some balance. Kanon’s moe appeal is part of what made it so successful, in my opinion. Why did it even get a remake in the first place? Toei’s animation was terrible; Kyoto Animation was requested by many fans to step in and give the series the artistic presentation it deserved. And I’m glad the original voice actors were all willing to come back, because that’s the other third of the series’s magic (art/presentation, voices/music, and plot/story are the three).

I realize I am biased myself way towards the cuteness of the series. I know that the English language and dialect just can’t have the same intonation and effect as the Japanese language. Regarding the dub by itself, it’s a good dub; I think it will capture American audiences and slowly introduce them to something great. But I hope that some become curious and try to investigate as to why the original Japanese version was so successful with their voices.

The two discussion threads are here and here. Maybe I’m getting carried away about nothing, but I figure ANN was a large-enough place that visitors would read and form opinions based on discussions on their forums.

~Crisu

Pic unrelated, but I like it