Company will make final shipment of manga, novels to
retailers by end of October; BDs/DVDs by November 30
[News via AnimeNewsNetwork]
Bandai Entertainment, the subsidiary of Namco Bandai
Holdings (USA) that handles anime and manga in North America, announced on
Friday that the company will discontinue sales of its Blu-ray Discs, DVDs,
manga, and novels. The company noted that it will make its final shipment of
manga and novels to retailers by the end of October. Additionally, the company
will make its final shipment of home video products to wholesale customers on
November 30.
Bandai Entertainment had announced in January that it
would stop offering new DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and manga releases in February.
Since February, the company had continued to produce and distribute its
existing catalog lineup, but it no longer produced and distributed new
releases.
Bandai Entertainment had closed its own online store last
December.
So what will happen to all the Gundam UC BDs that have not been released yet (e.g., Episode 6 and 7)?
ReplyDeleteIf they in their lineup then it will be rlsed. Otherwise someone else will pick it up I guess. What was the reason anyway? Low sales rate?
ReplyDeleteI think the Japanese side is responsible for Gundam UC in all languages, so this shouldn't affect them.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure that another licensing company will pickup the Bandai stuff and release them on DVD and or BluRay for the US market.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Bandai is:
a. the prices for the DVD's and BluRays were severely overpriced so people weren't buying them
b. Bandai just blamed the pirates
In short, if we had more episodes per release and they were priced at a reasonable amount, I think more people would have been inclined to purchase them. Now, no one is going to purchase it because you can't.
From this, I get the feeling that Bandai might be considering to phase out the Gundam franchise. It's been going for over 30 years now, and I don't see them really doing anything more after Gundam Age completes aside from remastering the older series, airing them on TV, and then releasing remastered Gunpla kits.
I suspect that maybe Viz Media might pick up the Gundam franchise, and start re-releasing all of them on DVD as well as licensing and localizing all the manga series. I would love to purchase the Gundam 00 series all on BluRay as well as get all the manga volumes. But if we don't get them, well, then I can't buy them.
Phase out gundam? After how much age has caused kits to sell? HAHAHAHA. I actually respect you but that post is a tad bit delusional.
ReplyDeletei agree with you, maybe the series it's just not that good, but the kits are different, these days people think that the end of everything is near, that's just bullsh1t
DeleteI Agree. Gundam still has lots of life, in the fact that it is a franchise, not a series. What I mean by this is, look at something like Final Fantasy. Each main entry is an entirely new world, with new laws, characters, and narrative. Each FF is different in the fact that it's an entirely different universe then it's predecessor, always keeping it fresh in that prospect. And while the newer FFs aren't the strongest in the franchise they are stale to play. While they do have common elements in them (what makes it Final Fantasy) I tend to have a less "played one, played them all" feeling as to something like Call of Duty. Same thing with Gundam, it's franchise is set over multiple timelines, and with each adding something new to the Gundamverse. There's many new ideas they can create a new Gundam story in the fact that they're not restricted to one universe's laws and events. Plus Gundam is a classic, the way that it's influenced mecha anime and other things is quite spectacular. Becoming an icon in it's home country in the process. LONG LIVE GUNDAM! SIEGE ZEON! For the preservation of our blue and pure world! And all that good stuff.
Deletei like how everyone think that this will begin to mark the end of the gundam and stuff... gundam i'ts to mecha like dragon ball is to shonen, it's a classic, they just can't kill it just like that, maybe this is just a lapsus
ReplyDeletethis +1
DeleteWhat a shame. I was going through and getting all the Gundam series on DVD, but if eBay prices get too outrageous I'll have no choice but to pirate.
ReplyDeleteRest In Peace Bandai Entertainment. We will never forget you and all the times you entertained us with kickass anime over the years. It's so sad to see you go while there is still so many Gundam series that haven't been released yet, but alas death is a part of life and we must all find a way to move on. "And so I'll take with me the memories to be my sunshine in the rain. It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."
ReplyDeleteSo is this the curtain call of Gundam for the US? I hope not and another company pick up the licenses asap.
ReplyDeleteShame on you Bandai (Japan), your refusal to cope with the changing market and cannibalizing your own subsidiary Bandai (America) means everyone suffers.
Money plays a big role in this.
ReplyDeleteHow can they make money when DVD's don't sell? Who is to blame? Fansubs. Ask yourself, how many people buy DVD's when they download fansubs? Same thing goes for scanlations.
You can't deny it. The proof is on youtube and in so many AMV's that people make. It's funny how people have money to spend on model kits but not on a DVD.
Now I gotta get English sub DVD's from now on... *Sad face*
xxxnike thank you-so overpriced stock heh? It's due to expensive licences and price of airing shows in tv...And viz media after Bandai? Man are you sick?
ReplyDeleteBtw. I also think that it's just some normal stuff and Gundam infinite mode is still on;]
ReplyDeleteIgnore Nike, he has no idea what he's talking about...
ReplyDelete