Ask John: Are Anime DVDs With Low Episode Counts a New Trend?

Question:
I was recently disappointed at the number of episodes on the Gantz and Shamen King DVDs that I bought. Is this a current trend to package fewer episodes for a given price point? Should retailers be consistent in letting their customers know how many episodes are on each disk?

Answer:
Since I’m not in a position to speak for anime distributors such as AD Vision and 4Kids/Funimation, the companies that produced the domestic Gantz and Shaman King DVDs, I can only provide a few theories. It can be said that American anime fans are a bit lucky because we get DVDs with more episodes per disc and lower average price per episodes than Japanese fans do. On the other hand, Japanese anime DVDs are often cited to have better image quality than domestic anime DVDs, and Japanese consumers get most anime titles on DVD much sooner than American consumers do. For example, the Japanese Gantz DVDs contain two episodes each and retail at 5,800 yen, or roughly $55 per disc. Relatively speaking, considering that the domestic Gantz DVDs are basically identical to the Japanese discs, $18 each for the domestic discs doesn’t seem so bad. (However, 13 discs having two episodes each at an $18 each retail price makes collecting the entire series slightly more expensive than buying an equal length series with a more conventional American disc count.)

AD Vision frequently refers to varying retail prices and release formats as retail experiments- attempts to find the optimum method for releasing anime that satisfies consumers and thereby generates the most profit. AD Vision may have decided to replicate the Japanese Gantz DVDs as an experiment. The Gantz anime was one that was frequently discussed in the fan community before its domestic release. AD Vision may have theorized that a lower retail price per disc, coupled with the advance buzz about that title, may have encouraged an above average number of consumer purchases. It’s also possible that AD Vision was contractually obligated to retain the distribution format that the series had in Japan. Considering that the domestic and Japanese DVD release of the Gantz TV series are now simultaneously ongoing, it’s possible that including three, four or more episodes on each domestic DVD would have resulted in the series being completely released on American DVD before it’s all available on DVD in Japan.

Likewise, the domestic DVD release of Inuyasha seems to be a duplication of the Japanese DVD release. The Japanese Inuyasha DVDs have 3 episodes each. The American Inuyasha DVDs have 3 episodes each. However, the theory of maintaining similarity between the Japanese and American DVD releases doesn’t apply to Shaman King. In what seems to be a rare exception, the Japanese Shaman King DVDs contain 4 episode each, but the American discs have only 3 episodes each. However, the Japanese Shaman King DVDs retail at 4,500 yen each, or roughly $43 each, and the American version DVDs retail at $20 each. FUNimation has already been known to experiment with trying to offer consumers the best value by balancing episode count with retail price. It’s quite possible that the American Shaman King DVDs have been strategically designed to offer the most content at the lowest price possible without losing money on the release.

Distributors and retailers unquestionably do have some responsibility to consumers. Consumers have a right to expect and demand a certain level of quality out of domestic anime DVDs. But consumers themselves also have some degree of responsibility in the consumer market. As a standard rule of thumb, anime DVDs do list their running time on their external packaging, and most anime DVDs list their episode count on their sleeves. I don’t think that distribution companies should feel an obligation to emblazon their DVDs with big, bright stickers that announce how many episodes are included on each disc. I also don’t think that domestic distributors are obligated to include any particular number of anime episodes on each DVD they release. Episode counts are determined by market conditions and licensing contracts more than abstract expectations from consumers. I think that domestic anime companies realize that their best interests are served by giving consumers exactly what consumers want. But theory sometimes conflicts with practical ability, and at times even consumers don’t seem to be certain of what they want. A case in point is FUNimation’s initial American DVD release of Fruits Basket. The DVDs had a retail price well above industry standard, but the discs also contained more episodes than industry standard, making the show less expensive in its entirety than a more typical release pattern. However, even though the four disc Fruits Basket release was actually cheaper for 26 total episodes than six to eight disc releases of other 26 episode series, consumers didn’t support the $40 per disc price point.

So while consumers don’t seem to be agreeable to single anime DVDs that retail above $30 each, I also don’t think we’ll see a marked trend toward American anime DVDs with lower episode counts. The Gantz TV series has been the only 26 episode long TV series released in America on a two episode per disc basis, and with only 4 of 13 discs available, AD Vision has already hinted at plans to begin releasing future discs with more than 2 episodes in response to significant consumer negativity toward the 2 episode per disc format.

I think that consumers have some responsibility to actually pay attention to the anime DVDs they consider purchasing and the information available about them. Ultimately it’s up to consumers and anime fans to support releases, titles, and distributors that they like and approve of. Remember that when you purchase an anime DVD, you’re not only purchasing a video disc, you’re contributing to the companies that make and release anime and allowing them to continue making and releasing anime. No matter how good a title is or how how much you appreciate a particular retailer or distributor, those things won’t continue to exist without financial support from consumer purchases. I recommend that when you consider purchasing an anime DVD, you compare it to other similar anime DVDs, but more importantly, consider what it’s worth to you. In my opinion, 25 minutes of excellence is worth more than 250 minutes of crap.