No More Yawara from AnimEigo?
AnimEigo CEO Robert Woodhead has revealed, “It is with deep regret that we must announce that so far, we have not been able to secure a license to release the rest of Yawara.” AnimEigo released a DVD boxed set containing the first 40 episodes of the 124 episode television series in 2008.
Well, I’m one of the people that has bought this DVD collection, and I’m grateful to have at least 40 episodes. It’s better than none.
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I may sound inexperienced in the area of anime licensing so please bare with me. It would seem to me that a company should secure the rights to all the episodes of an anime series before releasing it, especially one that has a finite amount of episodes. By selling consumers an incomplete package as AnimEigo did it makes us question whether or not we should purchase future anime releases from them. I understand the reasoning behind a company not releasing or having a limited pressing on any additional DVDs for a particular anime series that is performing badly, regardless if I enjoy the series or not. It’s another thing when the company purchases a block of episodes and then has to go back to the negotiating table for more later on. I personally wanted to buy Yawara but now, knowing that theirs a very slim chance AnimEigo will acquire anymore, I will most likely not. I could just see myself enjoying this series very much and then being upset that I can’t watch the rest of the 84 episodes and have a true ending. Wake up AnimEigo! You’ve been around for a very long time and many of those companies that were right there with you at the beginning have disappeared. I wouldn’t want to see you go next.
Disco: I’m sure the chunk of eps Animeigo got are self-contained. And as a guy who only owns half of Shin Lupin(anime and manga), and can’t even legally watch the entire second half on tv, because of some comic book parodies [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDpcLdxbFTI&playnext_from=TL&videos=HdQbYo2mgfA ], I totally feel for Yawara fans. [Especially since I also only own the first season of Cat’s Eye from that ImaginAsian thing, and I have to keep my Cockpit and Macross DYRL tapes, because I can’t get ’em on R1 DVD.]
But Animeigo is a boutique company, and just getting this portion of that show was probably a pain, given Urasawa’s current popularity in Japan. Besides, it’s not like they did a half-assed job with the eps they did release. So, if you really wanna see it, you should at least buy this set so you can compensate them for the efforts they did make to bring Yawara here at all. It’s not any easier on them, either-especially in light of the suckonomy.
Sadly, Im not surprised. Animeigo is pretty much out of the anime industry, a sad, sad fate for the company that brought us Oh! My Goddess and Bubblegum Crisis. They simply can’t compete in today’s market. Considering the vintage of the show, it’s amazing they even attempted it at all.
My guess is they either couldn’t afford all of the episodes of couldn’t afford to release all of the episode if they had rights to the entire series.
Either way, I’m picking it up.
I don’t believe AnimEigo really cares about being part of the anime industry. In the 90s, maybe, but they seem pretty content being a niche company releasing niche films (Samurai flicks, older anime, etc).
And that’s not a complaint or a criticism at all. The fact that they are still around is amazing. Having purchased every single volume of Urusei Yatsura directly from them I’d like to think zealous fans like myself had something to do with that. 😉
Why, someone else who hauled in a UY lot! I did that too, every single volume all at once for $366. That was something.
But oh so worth it! Without sounding too old: they just don’t make anime like that any more.
The episode with the killer potatoes still haunts my dreams…
We knew YAWARA was a lengthy television series when the company announced their plans to distribute the first forty episodes. And honestly, I never expected them to release the series in its entirety. AnimEigo is very small, comparatively, and so emphasizes quality in infrequent bundles over quantity.
I wonder why AnimEigo didn’t have problems with acquiring and releasing past series that were of considerable size, such as Urusei Yatsura, You’re Under Arrest and Kimagure Orange Road. I guess Ive been burnt too many times in the past by incomplete series (my first being Zenki by Software Sculptors). I find it hard to shell out $70+ dollars for a part of an incomplete series, even one that I really wanted to see in it’s entirety. I guess Im just of the completist mindset. It even irks me when there’s a TV special that goes along with a long running series (Ah! My Goddess and Rozen Maiden for example) that may never be released in the U.S.
UY, YUA, and KOR had the support of years of fanbases via the manga, the LDs, and/or the tapes. Also, the economy was more in their favor, in regards to paying a premium for a chunk of show. Now, for those same 40 eps @ $100+, you can buy at least three different newer series. Though, when you think about it, it’s not the first time Animeigo didn’t finish a series. For example, ADV/S23 licensed the rest of YUA. Anyway, I’d rather pay for part of a series which is good(or reported to be as such) then for an entire series which is crap.
Good to know this series will be ‘fansub rescued’ and eventually finished ^_^