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Editor in Chief Charles McCarter
Production Manager
Assistant
Organizational Consultant
Copy Editors
Staff Writers
Production &
Contributors
SPJA Site Administrator
Special Thanks To:
Contacting EX EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga © 1996-2000 EX, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. All Rights Reserved. |
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Anime fans are a greedy lot. You have to admit it. If you want to entice the fans to buy something, just stick in some free goodies and they swoop in like vultures on the Serengeti. It's not pretty. If you don't believe me, check out some of the recent action on E-bay. A
lot of "free" stuff given away by anime companies at summer conventions is
winding up there for auction. Case in point: The Wanted 2000 DVD produced
by Pioneer and Bandai Entertainment. This DVD contains trailers showcasing
upcoming and current catalog titles for Pioneer, Bandai Entertainment, and
Viz. It was a promotional item, handed out free during Anime Expo and Comic
Con International in San Diego. Yet, there it was on E-bay with bids up to
$25. Twenty-five dollars? Are people insane? That's as much as some
full-length anime DVDs with programming other than trailers cost!Another illustrative example is the Escaflowne North American Premiere
Movie Guide created for the Anime Expo Premiere. Another free item that was
handed out to anyone and everyone. Yet, this too, is on E-bay. Why?Greed. Anime fans want to see everything, own everything. They think they
have the right to nag people until every last scrap of material used in the
making of something is uncovered, examined, duplicated, and finally sold to
the highest bidder. Or at least, sometimes it seems that way.And many companies try to accommodate the fan's need for "more stuff." Just
look at the recent amount of titles available on DVD. Companies are
experimenting with different strategies, and including lots of free goodies
in the form of printed materials or DVD Extras.Yet, I'm reminded of Audrey II, the plant in
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS who just
keeps screaming "Feed me!" as I listen to the rants and raves about how X
company did this wrong and Y company didn't do the best they could have
with Title A.Most peculiar to me is the world of DVD Extras and how much people complain
about them. The fact that they are Extras should be a clue that their
inclusion is at the discretion of the companies, and that they're not
required to put anything at all. Sure, I agree that when companies try to
tout trailers as the only significant extra on the disc that they're on
pretty thin ice, but when people complain that they only got five minutes
of interview footage on the disc or only 40 stills of image, I think the
argument is wearing a little thin. If you're interested in the background,
go out and by the art books and mooks and the like. It's all subjective
folks. And while, for example, image galleries may not be everyone's cup of
tea, at least an effort was made to include something. After all, with DVD,
you're already getting better video and audio quality, subtitles and dubs
in one package, and at usually a more reasonable price. But some fans still
want—no, demand—more. After all, the play's the thing. Everything
else is just gravy (or icing, depending on which food-based metaphor you
prefer). At some point, the gravy (or icing) train is going to end and the
free mini-posters and the finger puppets and the tarot cards will have
dried up.Anime fans sometimes need to be reminded that they have it a lot better
than fans even a few short years ago. And, back in my day, we didn't have
no fancy shiny disc things with anime. In fact, we didn't even have
subtitled anime. We just had 18th gen copies of DIRTY PAIR, and even though
the red in Kei's hair bled all over the screen, we liked it.Maybe it's time for the fans to get back in touch with that aspect of
anime. So before you complain that the DVD
of BOO BOO RUBBER PANIC doesn't
have 5.1 audio or the complete
image gallery of all 210 settei sheets, dig
out your old tapes and remind yourself of what anime used to be in the
U.S., and where it has gone. As my high school algebra teacher used to say,
"This isn't Burger King. You can't have it your way." But in this case,
he's wrong. A lot of times we can, but when we can't we should take things
in stride.Ex animo,
Charles McCarter |
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