Ask John: Is Sony’s Distribution of Blood+ Good for Fans?

Question:
I am glad to see Blood+ liscensed, but not by Sony. They never got around to finishing Cyborg 009. What would make me think that they would handle this show any different? It’s not fair. Why didn’t Funimation flash some cash or ADV get into it? (Maybe because they spent all their money on Macross. What a waste.) What do you think will be the fate of Blood+? It looks grim to me, literally.

Answer:
To be honest, my instinctive first reaction to the news that Sony will be distributing the Blood+ television series on international home video was the same as yours. I still harbor some resentment toward Sony for releasing the Street Fighter II motion picture on American DVD in a cropped pan & scan, dubbed, censored, and edited only version. And it’s true that Sony never finished its release of the 2001 Cyborg 009 television series, although in their defense, Columbia Pictures never actually announced plans to release the entire series on American DVD. However, after some deliberation I’ve concluded that fans may not need to worry about the domestic release of the Blood+ TV show.

Sony has not yet announced plans to release Blood+ in America. America is included in Sony’s worldwide distribution license for the show, but that doesn’t mean that the show will actually be released in America. Presumably it will be, but we should temper our expectations with the reality of facts. The fact that the series was licensed for worldwide distribution probably has a lot to do with why it will be distributed by Sony. American licensors usually acquire distribution rights for America or North America only because licensing distribution rights for multiple countries costs more. FUNimation may have been able to “flash some cash,” but Sony undoubtedly has more money to spend, and wider international distribution options than an American licensor like AD Vision or FUNimation. An international powerhouse is clearly a more financially advantageous partner for a Japanese distributor than a mere American distributor. Furthermore, it’s quite possible that Sony was the only distributor that could afford to license the Blood+ anime. FUNimation has been acquiring a lot of other shows recently, and with the debt owed to them from the now bankrupt Musicland Company, FUNimation may not have had the resources to license an expensive, heavyweight title like Blood+. AD Vision seems to be even more strapped for cash considering that the company hasn’t been licensing much these days, and has even canceled some of its licenses.

Columbia Tri-Star started out unsteadily, similar to FUNimation’s early days as an anime licensor. Sony’s first American anime release, Street Fighter II, was a terribly localized production, just like FUNimation’s early, fumbling releases of Dragonball were heavily censored and edited. But FUNimation has developed into a fan favorite distributor, and Sony’s releases have gotten more respectable with experience as well. From early, poor releases like the Street Fighter II movie, Sony’s American anime DVD releases have evolved into satisfying, praiseworthy releases like the Cowboy Bebop movie, Tokyo Godfathers, and an uncut, multilingual Steamboy DVD released in a standard disc and fan friendly, limited special edition. Judging by the direction in which Sony’s American releases of anime have gone, I think that fans will have nothing to worry about when and if Sony decides to release Blood+ on American DVD.