February 17th, 2022
Strike the Blood Anime Adaptation vs. Light Novels
Anime Relations: Strike the Blood, Strike the Blood II, Strike the Blood III, Strike the Blood IV, Strike the Blood Final
Blog Index
VS.
Strike the Blood is one of my all-time favorite series, but you may be surprised to hear it wasn't always that way. When I first watched the anime as it aired from Fall 2013 to Summer 2014, I didn't like it, one big reason being the pacing was way too fast, and I'm very, very, very sensitive to pacing that is way too fast. One reason this happened is the first season adapted the first 6 light novels into 22 episodes, with episodes 23 and 24 at the time not being canon before being expanded in the 17th light novel volume. 22 episodes as I would find out later was not enough adequate space to properly adapt the light novels. In late 2015, I ordered a Strike the Blood B2 wall scroll from AmiAmi. One of the things I always really liked most about the series was the artwork, it easily remains one of my all-time favorite series in terms of the character designs by far (said character designs were originally done by Manyako and adapted into anime by Keiichi Sano who was later joined by Hideki Furukawa beginning with Strike the Blood III), as well as the fanservicey official artwork. This greatly helped lead to me ordering that wall scroll, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars of merch years later (Ex: Link, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4) totalling more than $16,000 (not exaggerating) leading to the following images in the spoiler tag below being quite accurate.
That was a lot of gushing about this series, and especially Yukina ♥... Anyway, that B2 wall scroll purchase of all things later led to me giving the series an extremely rare second chance (this is basically the only time I've done this) by purchasing the light novels as well as the manga. Since reading the light novels, I've come to absolutely love the series with the light novel becoming my #1 favorite series in print form (no manga, novel, or light novel comes close), but have noticed when comparing the light novels to the anime that the anime is indeed not a good adaptation as too much content is cut and compressed. An inevitable thing with adaptations is certain things will get cut due to a variety of reasons, one being time constraints, as well as when trying to translate something from one medium, in this case a light novel where 3rd-person narration drives things, to another, an anime which is a visual medium.
Here I'll lay out many of the minor to significant differences between the anime and light novels to point out how they differ. If you liked the Strike the Blood anime, I'd really highly recommend reading the light novels as they're much better and will help you figure out more what's going on due to the amount of content that is missing. It may even lead to you enjoying the anime more despite the missing content which keeps the anime from being decent overall. Since reading the light novels, I've gone from disliking the anime to absolutely loving it despite it still not being good.
Note:
-Each volume has an Intro and an Outro.
-The APPEND are side-stories which have not been adapted into anime.
-The Disappearing Holy Lance Arc is anime original and AFAIK was not adapted into the light novels.
-Volumes 7, 8, and most of 10 were not adapted into anime.
-Volume 17 is an adaptation of Episodes 23-24 of the anime, and thus those episodes aren't on this list as the anime for once came first.
-Volume 18 is an adaptation of the 2015 Kingdom of the Valkyria OVA.
-Many things explained through narration in the light novel tend to not be explained in the anime.
-Natsuki Minamiya gets mad when Kojou calls her "Natsuki" in the light novel instead of by her last name, while in the anime she gets mad about him using "Natsuki-chan", with "chan" being the problem. This could be a result of how the series was translated however as the light novel translation has no honorifics.
-For those curious about the manga adaptation, I won't be comparing it to the light novels nor the anime as it's even more compressed due to time constraints, but here's what covered what.
-My comparisons are being done using the official English translation by Jeremiah Bourque for Yen Press, and whoever translated the series for Crunchyroll (they weren't credited because of course Crunchyroll would do that).
Volume 1: The Right Arm of the Saint - Manga volumes 1-3
Volume 2: From the Warlord's Empire - Manga volumes 3-6
Volume 3: The Amphisbaena - Manga volumes 6-8
Volume 4: Labyrinth of the Blue Witch - Not adapted
Volume 5: Fiesta for the Observers - Not adapted
Volume 6: Return of the Alchemist - Manga volumes 8-10
Season 1
Episode 1 | Volume 1 Chapter 1
-The Intro with Kojou's backstory and later Yukina's with her ready to head out on her mission which takes up nearly all of the Intro is not adapted.
-Many infodumps are greatly condensed at great expense.
-Kojou finding out that Yukina transferred into his school, and into his younger sister's class (And her sister spilling his past) is not adapted.
-Kojou's conversation about The Lion King Organization with Natsuki is not adapted.
Episode 2 | Volume 1 Chapter 2
Episode 3 | Volume 1
Episode 4 | Volume 1
Episode 5 | Volume 2
Episode 6 | Volume 2
Episode 7 | Volume 2
Episode 8 | Volume 2
Episode 9 | Volume 3
Episode 10 | Volume 3
Episode 11 | Volume 3
Episode 12 | Volume 3 Chapters 4-5
-Natsuki is almost completely absent unlike in the light novel.
-Sayaka fawning over Yukina is cut out.
-Yukina's and La Folia's fights are much shorter.
Episode 13 | Volume 4 Chapters 1-2 + Beginning of 3
-The Intro with La Folia, Sayaka, and Vattler having a meeting while La Folia and Vattler are watching a magical girl anime is not adapted. La Folia learning about the Halloween Eve Festival is still partially adapted, but while at the airport with Sayaka while Vattler is not there like in the light novel.
-The homeroom scene in Chapter 1 with Astarte as a teacher due to Natsuki's abscence is not adapted.
-Students trying to recruit Kojou for the Halloween Eve Festival events to get close to Yukina, later Asagi is not adapted.
-Kanon coming to Kojou's classroom to ask if she could stay overnight which she does with Asagi, Motoki, and Rin is not adapted.
-Everyone learning about Yuuma for the first time takes place at the airport instead of in Kojou's room with the picture being on a phone in the anime but in an album in the light novel.
-The party held at the Akatsuki apartment to celebrate Kanon getting out of the hospital is not adapted.
-Kanon sneaking into Kojou's room to have a discussion about what happened in Volume 3 and later being caught by Yukina misunderstanding the situation as she's discovered in bed with Kojou is not adapted.
-The introduction of the Meyer Sisters is greatly compressed.
-Kojou being late to the airport with flashbacks of the night before is not adapted.
-Asagi and Motoki wearing masks to be in disguise is not adapted.
-The cafeteria scene with the whole group is greatly compressed, with the phone calls Asagi and Motoki receive resulting in them leaving take place instead at the top of Keystone Gate and simultaneously instead of staggered. The contents of the phone calls Asagi and Motoki receive are almost completely cut out. The phone call also happens the same time as the one Kojou gets from La Folia and Sayaka which happened well after they had already left in the light novel.
-La Folia's and Sayaka's phone call with Kojou is greatly compressed, with mention of Kanon being completely absent. Sayaka getting mad about Kojou being with Yukina is also absent from the phone call.
-Kojou's conversation with Yuuma at the top of Keystone Gate is compressed down to just his relationship with Yukina.
-After Kojou is warped to the bathroom and sees Astarte and Kanon bathing by accident, in the anime he doesn't later accidentally run naked into his apartment and freak Nagisa and Yuuma out.
-Asagi's conversation with Mogwai about the spatial distortions and events happening around Itogami Island is placed in Episode 14 instead.
-Kojou's conversation with Yukina about the incident in the bathroom doesn't have Astarte nor Kanon interject.
-Kojou going onto the veranda of his apartment due to Yuuma and Nagisa having girl talk in the bathroom and later seeing a black hooded figure in the park below which turned out to be Rudolph Eustach who didn't remember Kojou and fighting him briefly before he vanishes due to the spatial warps is not adapted.
-Kojou's encounter with Yuuma at night has her treating a cheek wound from debris caused by a bench destroyed in said battle in the light novel while in the anime she is treating Kojou's finger wound from her startling him while he's drinking a glass of water, dropping the glass and cuts his finger when picking it up.
Episode 14 | Volume 4 | Chapter 3 + Beginning of 4
-Asagi's conversation with Mogwai from Chapter 2 about the spatial distortions and events happening around Itogami Island is adapted in this episode instead of the last one. Additionally, when Charioteer appears, their name is not mentioned like in the light novel, and the convesation is greatly compressed with the Halloween Eve Festival not being mentioned at all.
-The flashback about Yuuma's past occurs at the end of the episode instead of the beginning and the portion with the castle is instead adapted in the beginning of Episode 15. The portion with Kojou and Nagisa is greatly shortened, with no mention of Yuuma cutting her hair nor the secret base.
-The hotel scene with La Folia and Sayaka is shortened, with them later calling Kojou and wondering why they're hearing a girl's voice being omitted.
-Yukina explaining to Kojou what a witch is is cut out during the conversation about how Kojou ended up in Yuuma's body.
-Motoki's conversation with Mogwai is greatly compressed.
-The café scene with Astarte, Kanase, Kojou, and Yukina omits them telling Kojou in Yuuma's body how a pretty girl present herself. Kojou being dragged into the bathroom by Astarte and Yukina to put makeup on is not adapted.
-Kojou and Yukina's fight with men in black robes with Misaki later appearing is not adapted.
-The anime added a spatial warp where Kojou and Yukina end up in a girl's changing room.
Episode 15 | Volume 4 | Chapter 4
-The flashback with Yuuma in the castle from the start of Chapter 3 is adapted in this episode instead of the last one. Said flashback omits the portion with Kojou and Nagisa as it was partially adapted in the prior episode.
-Vattler's conversation explaining what the Prison Barrier is is condensed, and Kojou realizing the spatial warps were meant for the purpose of finding it is omitted. Also Vattler explains why he is just watching the chaos unfold prior to Kojou figuring it out instead unlike in the light novel.
-When the Meyer Sisters attack, both Kojou and Yukina are immediately caught in the anime when in the light novel Yukina fights their Guardian briefly. Kojou feeling powerless while Yukina fights is not adapted.
-Yukina knowing who the Meyer Sisters are and them praising Yukina for it is not adapted. Them also wondering what Yukina is also not adapted.
-Motoki's conversation with Mogwai is completely cut out, along with Motoki planning to intervene in the conflict before the Prison Barrier appears.
-Sayaka and La Folia wondering what's with Kojou being in a girl's body is greatly condensed.
-Kojou wondering why his hand hurts as Grimoire 539 burns is not adapted.
-After La Folia says she and Sayaka will "take care of" the Meyer Sisters, they don't respond back as much as in the light novel.
-La Folia and Sayaka talking about the Meyer Sisters pact with their devils and age is not adapted.
-Yukina responding to Kojou's statement that he's used to seeing witches is not adapted.
-Yuuma explaining who her mother Aya Tokoyogi exactly is is not adapted.
-La Folia meeting back up with the Aldegian knights is not adapted.
-La Folia wanting Sayaka to go help Kojou and Yukina after La Folia leaves Japan so Sayaka's bodyguard mission is complete is outright stated in the anime while in the light novel, Sayaka figures out La Folia's intentions herself.
-Yuuma asking how one sends prisoners into the Prison Void is omitted, instead jumping straight to explaining what Natsuki is.
-Yuuma asking Kojou how it felt to be in her body is not adapted.
-Natsuki's convo with Kojou after waking up is compressed to just her flicking his forehead.
-The scene with Le Bleu stabbing Yuuma is compressed.
Episode 16 | Volume 5 | Chapter 1
-The outro from Volume 4 with Vattler and Nagisa is adapted in this episode instead. The battle is greatly shortened and Nagisa replies much more quickly.
-Vattler's convo with Nagisa in the intro is omitted.
-Asagi complaining about the long hours she put in is changed to just her being disappointed it's so late while the Halloween Eve Festival is going on.
-Asagi's reply to Mogwai about the Island Guard having taken care of the Witches is omitted before explaining upcoming dangers.
-Asagi going to Keystone Gate to get on a monorail home is omitted. Her buying a drink there and having a convo with one of the workers talking about the Prison Barrier is omitted. Instead of Asagi receiving candy from her before being asked about "her daughter" (Sana), she receives it from a man on a sidewalk.
-Schota D's remarks after attacking of the prisoners about them being weak is cut out.
-Schota D's confrontation with Aya Tokoyogi is omitted.
-Aya Tokoyogi explains what she did to Natsuki right away rather than the prisoners talking about it first and asking what it meant.
-The prisoners talking about finding Natsuki is omitted.
-Yukina arguing with Kojou about staying behind is shortened.
-Sayaka arrives at the Prison Barrier in a Kettenkrad in the anime instead of a chariot with a mechanical horse like in the light novel.
-Sayaka doesn't ask about Kojou being back in his own body, and Natsuki is omitted from their conversation during their escape, while the topic of Aya Tokoyogi is shortened to just about her being Yuuma's mother.
-Sayaka, Yukina, and Kojou not knowing how to stop the chariot with the mechanical horse before it crashes is not adapted, especially as they're riding in a Kettenkrad in the anime instead.
-Asagi looking out the window while she gets her order at the restaurant is not adapted. The restaurant scene instead immediately starts with Sana eating the pancakes.
-Sayaka, Yukina, and Kojou don't arrive via elevator to the guest house at MAR.
-Mimori opens the door after the doorbell is rung right away rather than after Kojou asks about if she could do a favor for him.
-Nagisa explaining how she was also at the guest house to clean, pick up clothes, and cook is omitted. This takes place after Mimori briefly looks at Yuuma in the anime instead of before.
-Mimori explaining more about Yuuma's wound is omitted, and Kojou doesn't prop Yuuma's torso up before Mimori fondles Yuuma's breasts.
-Mimori asking "You're Yukina Himeragi, yes?" is cut out along with Yukina asking if she's a Hyper-Adapter.
-Mimori asking what's the point of being a physician if you can't fondle breasts of cute girls is cut out.
-Mimori having her cheek up against Yuuma's breasts while having a nosebleed is cut out.
-When Sayaka explains why she put Nagisa to sleep, her explaining why is condensed to just Nagisa not knowing Kojou is a vampire instead of also who Yukina is, and that Kojou and Yuuma had switched bodies. Her also explaining the "other" reason is omitted.
-Sayaka telling Kojou to strip his clothes so she can see his wound and Kojou initially refusing when misunderstanding what Sayaka meant is cut out and he just shows the wound right away when asked.
-When Sayaka shows Kojou her bare foot, Kojou asking if she wants him to lick it like she's a princess is cut out.
-Sayaka explaining that she wants Kojou to drink her blood instead of Yukina's to help heal Kojou's wound and Kojou asking about how much Sayaka likes Yukina is cut out. Sayaka explaining she wants Kojou drinking her blood to be secret is also cut out.
Episode 17 | Volume 5 | End of Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Beginning of 3
-Aya Tokoyogi does not ask the men from the Socials branch of LCO about how she thought the escape plan was entrusted to the Philosophy branch. The men don't respond about her being LCO's leader or how they felt the Meyer Sisters couldn't break her out of the Prison Barrier. Also the reason why they ask Aya to come with them is omitted.
-Aya doesn't call the men from LCO peasants nor do they mention how they believe Aya has no place in LCO anymore. Aya doesn't tell them what she had done to Natsuki in order to get a hold of the Black Bible again.
-Sayaka doesn't respond to Kojou like a tsundere after he apologizes for making them worry about him collapsing from hunger.
-When Yukina's nurses outfit is revealed, the anime didn't have her standing in embarrassment like in the light novel illustration.
-Sayaka doesn't ask if the little girl next to Asagi on the TV is Asagi's little sister with Kojou later responding how Asagi doesn't have a little sister, and saying it could have been a relative's kid.
-Yukina doesn't ask if the broadcast on the TV is being sent to every display in the city which meant the prisoners would know where Natsuki is.
-The "Ride of the Valkyries" performance that Asagi is watching with Sana at the Halloween Eve Festival is not shown, nor Kojou calling leading to Asagi telling Sana to come with her to a better spot to take the call after seeing Kojou's name on the display.
-Kojou doesn't ask where Asagi is with Asagi telling him where she is. Asagi also doesn't respond "geh" to Kojou telling her she saw her on TV. He also isn't able to try to tell Asagi who Sana is before he's cut off by Sana.
-Asagi doesn't tell Mogwai what's going on isn't funny when she's running away from Kiliga Gilika.
-Mogwai doesn't tell Asagi that the bulkheads are being destroyed faster than expected as the temperature coming from Kiliga is higher than what they can handle.
-When Asagi tells Sana she'll protect her, she doesn't mention how she doesn't want Demon Sanctuary natives to be looked down upon.
-Mogwai doesn't tell Asagi that Kiliga will catch up in 12 seconds which was something that factored in Asagi's plan to slow him down.
-Kiliga doesn't respond "You little bitch!" when the water floods the hallway as Asagi and Sana escape.
-Kiliga doesn't mention how he was disappointed when he heard the Witch of the Void (Natsuki) had lost her powers before saying Asagi is well worth burning to ash.
-Asagi in the light novel was wearing street clothes that were a mess after her escape from Kiliga while in the anime she's weaing her school uniform which isn't dirty at all.
-Asagi doesn't tell Astarte that Kiliga seemed to be after Natsuki who looks so much like Sana.
-Gigliola Ghirardi doesn't mention fully what caused her to be put into the Prison Barrier by Natsuki at the Hispania Demon Prison.
-Gigliola doesn't mention how an Old Guard vampire like her has more than one Beast Vassal.
-When Asagi is shielding Sana, the anime has the bees already surrounding them and they're flat on the ground, while the light novel has them kneeling in an illustration, and Sana whispers into Asagi's ears with Asagi's eyes widening as the bees begin to attack.
-Kojou talking with Sayaka and Yukina after Asagi is attacked occurs in an elevator in the light novel while they're on the road in the Kettenkrad in the anime.
-In the light novel Kojou is the one saying the phone won't connect when in the anime it's Sayaka.
-Sayaka trying to get in contact with the Island Guard on her phone is not adapted.
-Gigliola when asking if Vattler is going to hunt down all the prisoners, she doesn't ask if he's doing it for sport. Vattler doesn't mention how he's looking for an opponent for rehabilitation or how he's recovering from injury (his fight with Nagisa).
-Gigliola doesn't say anything when Vattler attacks the Island Guard that were under her control thanks to her Beast Vassal and Vattler doesn't ask if she's using them as human shields.
Episode 18 | Volume 5 | Chapters 3-4
-Meiga's conversation with Aya Tokoyogi is in this episode instead of Episode 17 which covers chapters the end of Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and the beginning of Chapter 3.
-When Kojou explains why he took Asagi and Sana to the Oceanus Grave II, Sayaka doesn't reply back saying he had a point.
-When Yukina asks if Asagi and Natsuki are not hurt, Kojou doesn't mention what Sana is or her current state. Yukina also doesn't suggest sending Asagi back to her own residence, and Kojou doesn't mention how she's refusing and has fallen for Sana.
-Asagi's convo with Kojou after his phone call with Yukina and Sayaka is not adapted.
-Kojou's conversation with Kira is greatly shortened.
-Kojou doesn't wash off dried blood in the bath in the anime.
-The girls as they leave the bath don't remark on how cute they think Kojou is.
-Sana diving into the bath with Asagi and Kojou thinking she was drowning is not adapted.
-When Asagi asks Kojou if he's attracted to men like Vattler, Yuuma isn't mentioned in the anime. Asagi mentioned Yuuma had a bit of a boyish feeling.
-When Asagi asks if Sana is the key to the Prison Barrier, the conversation about Aya Tokoyogi, what she did to Natsuki, and Yuuma Tokoyogi are not mentioned. The convo switches to Sana's sudden personality switch. Also this convo happens after Sana wakes up in the anime while it's before in the light novel as she's being put to sleep.
-After Asagi remarks that of course a yukata looks good on her, she doesn't ask why Kojou is in a Boston Celtics jersey with Kojou explaining and Asagi not knowing as she doesn't follow basketball.
-When Asagi asks why Mogwai is contacting her through the TV, he doesn't mention it was because Asagi's smartphone battery was dead. Asagi also doesn't reach for the power cord to turn the TV off like she did in the light novel. She also doesn't mention how the first day of the festival is a write-off because of her work.
-Mogwai mentions the monorails are still down instead of Asagi.
-It's not mentioned that Sayaka had used a shikigami to see what Kojou, Asagi, and Sana were doing. She also doesn't call him a "Pervergenitor."
-Sayaka doesn't remark about how beautiful she thinks Asagi is and how Kojou doesn't seem to notice.
-Yukina doesn't ask Vattler if he wants Kojou to drink Asagi's blood. Vattler explaining how he wants Kojou to awaken all of Avrora's Beast Vassals and that Asagi would be a good spiritual medium candidate to help, him also asking what is why there's a Fourth Primogenitor and wanting to find out why is also not adapted.
-Broodt Dumblegraff doesn't interrupt Vattler's conversation with Yukina and Sayaka in the anime unlike in the light novel. Yukina and Sayaka also don't see Vattler's Beast Vassal get cut and react in shock.
-Schtola D doesn't remark how he's late to the party or how Vattler was sent flying by Broodt Dumblegraff.
-When Sayaka attacks Schtola D, she doesn't ask what a shrimp like him is doing to Yukina.
-The scene with Mimori starts in the operation room rather than the living room where she sees the lights and TV are still on and there's a half-eaten former frozen pizza. Nagisa being asleep in the bedroom is not shown.
-Mimori doesn't pull out her cellphone to call the police before the connection dies and there's earthquake-like tremors.
-Kojou doesn't mention anything about Broodt Dumblegraff's armor and how much it reminds him of Rudolf Eustach's, nor does he enter a convo with him.
-Vattler's explation of what the House of Georgius is is shortened down to them being dragon slayers that aren't seen often.
-Broodt Dumblegraff doesn't talk much at all and doesn't mention what his armor is.
-Jagan summoning Beast Vassals to guard against the damage from Vattler's battle from spreading is not shown. Kira mentions there's other vampires around to do something similar while Kojou sees them in the light novel. Kira also doesn't mention that if Vattler was serious, he could destroy Itogami City in several minutes.
-Lydianne doesn't say anything about Asagi's yukata.
-Vattler's convo with Tobias is not adapted.
-Sayaka's battle with Schtola D is greatly shortened. Schtola D wondering what Sayaka's weapon is, and Sayaka wondering if he's a Hyper-Adapter before it's revealed he's a Deva are among the things cut out.
-Schtola D's remarks about Sayaka being taller than him and how he hates women being taller than him is not adapted.
-Kojou doesn't mention how he's sorry he left things on Sayaka's shoulders, Sayaka doesn't ask why he's helping her and where's Yukina, and Kojou doesn't pick up Sayaka up like she's a princess with her replying she's too big for that sort of thing.
-Kojou accidentally touching Sayaka's breasts while carrying her is not adapted.
-When Yukina and Sana show up, Sayaka doesn't mention how she wants Kojou to put her down. Sayaka doesn't remark how the Witch of the Void looks in person with Yukina adding "Cuter than you expected?"
-Kojou doesn't talk about bringing Sana to MAR.
-Schtola D was sent back to the Prison Barrier after being defeated by Sayaka in the anime while in the light novel when Aya Tokoyogi shows up, he is angry about her having tricked him and used him, with her later defeating him with her guardian, L'Ombre.
Episode 19 | Volume 5 | Chapter 5
-When Sayaka is tending to Kojou's wounds, he's already awake in the anime where in the light novel he first asks where he is, and Sayaka then explains she carried him to the clinic room at the ferry terminal, as well as why an ambulance couldn't come (the fighting cut off the highway).
-Kojou doesn't tell Sayaka that he was sorry for the trouble he caused her, and doesn't ask about Yukina and Sana.
-Kojou doesn't cough up blood when Sayaka starts to strip. When he later asks if she's a side-tie panties kind of girl, Sayaka doesn't explain she wears them because of the holster on her right thigh that holds her cursed arrows.
-When Yuuma walks in on Sayaka and Kojou, she doesn't say she didn't mean to intrude. When she later says to finish what Sayaka started with the three of them, she doesn't say to Sayaka "It's all right. We will not let Kojou die here."
-The flashback Yukina sees with Aya and Natsuki happens on the roof in the anime while it's in a classroom in the light novel. Their conversation is compressed, excluding how they're both witches and what Aya plans to do with the Black Bible, and why Natsuki hesitates to hand over the Black Bible.
-In the anime Aya explains that Natsuki is merely a tool created by the Gigafloat Management Corporation to control the prison barrier, while in the light novel it's explained that relationship is why a witch like Natsuki is allowed to roam free. After she later mentions Natsuki will fall into an eternal sleep in another world alone, Natsuki doesn't later reply to this with how it was kind of Aya to worry about her.
-When Yukina is in a dream with Kojou and Sayaka appearing in the classroom, when Sayaka tells Yukina to go to the club together, she doesn't mention that she's Kojou's watcher, with Kojou later being confused.
-When Yuuma is further stripping Sayaka, she doesn't take off her bra in the anime unlike in the light novel, where afterward she explains she did it because she was embarrassed to be the only one dressed a certain way as she's in a hospital gown. Kojou doesn't later apologize explaining Yuuma had always been this way, and Sayaka replying back as to how someone like Kojou would be close friends with Yuuma.
-When Yuuma is explaining how Kojou can get his powers back, the topic of the Fourth Primogenitor and how such a thing shouldn't exist isn't mentioned.
-While Kojou is drinking Yuuma's blood, before she loses conciousness, she doesn't explain she hit her limit.
-Motoki Yaze's conversation with Koyomi Shizuka is cut short. It doesn't delve into what Aya was planning to do with the Black Bible, or how Yaze asks if Koyomi wants to watch till the incident is over before she replies she has other business to attend to.
-Vampires are excluded from Aya's conversation with Yukina on if a world with various supernatural beings should exist. Aya does not explain how a man-made island that couldn't exist without magic would be a perfect stage for her experiment after Yukina asks why she's subjecting Itogami Island to it.
-When Yukina asks why Aya would kill hundreds of thousands to remake the world as she sees correct, when she's talking about how witches are treated, she doesn't mention what was done to "her friend" Natsuki.
-Aya doesn't explain how the Black Bible needed the proper alignment of the stars, how things would end once the night and Halloween Eve Festival ends, and how the island would sink before then.
-Aya and Yukina's conversation doesn't delve into it's said vampire primogenitors are cursed by gods, or how those who create worlds in their own image can be called God.
-Yukina doesn't tell Aya that if people curse her, it's not just because she's a witch, that no one will accept her if she uses the fact she's a witch to hurt others, and to shut off the Black Bible and to surrender immediately.
-When Natsuki explains how she got her memories back, she doesn't mention how she needs to thank Asagi later for her giving Kojou a nosebleed in the bath on the Oceanus Grave II. Kojou doesn't reply back saying how his blood isn't a bath bomb with Yukina glaring at him after guessing what happened.
-Natsuki doesn't tell Yukina to distract Aya, doesn't ask "Ponytail" (Sayaka) if Yuuma is still concious, and Kojou having a Beast Vassal attack only to dematerialize so Yukina could attack is omitted.
-When Natsuki tells Aya to come back to the prison barrier, she doesn't mention how turning on the LCO sorcerers would haunt her. She also doesn't ask Kojou about his Beast Vassals, specifically the one keeping the entire island from collapsing, with Yukina explaining they'd defeat her before then.
-Meiga's conversation with Shizuka is compressed. He doesn't first remark to himself that the mist has lifted, with Shizuka later walking in explaining what happened. He doesn't reply back saying how he was able to get into the museum and how he should thank Aya Tokoyogi. In the anime, Shizuka asks if he had been using Aya.
-Meiga's manacle doesn't glow, with Shizuka explaining Natsuki regained her power, with Meiga later explaining it's too late as the manacle breaks and falls to the floor.
-The fireworks scenes in the Outro is cut down to Kojou and Yukina already being in Natsuki's secret spot. When Natsuki tells Kojou not to call her by her first name, she doesn't mention that she may permit him to call her Sana.
-When Yukina talks to Kojou after Yuuma kissed him and left and says he was full of openings, she didn't mention how his body had been hijacked by her the other day.
-This light novel illustration was changed a bit. Yukina and Kojou are wearing different clothes and Yukina doesn't slightly grab his shirt in the anime, instead glaring at him from a distance.
Episode 20 | Volume 6 | Chapters 1-2
-Nagisa trying to wake up Kojou to show him the new coat she bought for the field trip in the Intro is not adapted.
-When Kou Amatsuka meets Kensei Kanase, he doesn't drop dozens of bullets to the floor from his battles. Their conversation is compressed, with many of the soldiers Kou took out not being shown. He also doesn't mention what he had done to them.
-Kou and Kensei's fight for the Hard Core containing the Wiseman's Blood isn't shown.
-Yukina imagining Kojou and Nagisa's arguing is not adapted.
-Yukina runs out of the shower when the shikigami breaches her barrier while in the light novel it's while she's polishing Snowdrift Wolf that she rushes to see what happened where she later puts Snowdrift Wolf down and instead grabs a knife as it's easier to use indoors.
-Yukina and Kojou taking the monorail to school where after Kojou finally snaps Yukina out of her daze, Yukina tells Kojou that she'll be relieved of her watcher duties for the field trip is not adapted.
-Home-ec class where Asagi is trying to learn how to cook for Kojou because he'll be alone as a result of Nagisa and Yukina being on the field trip is not adapted.
-The conversation with Kanon, Kojou, Nagisa, and Yukina omits the subject of travel bags, and how there's already Kojou's sports bag at home, but it stinks is omitted, along with how Nagisa thinks Kojou complains too much.
-Kanon being in a daze before Kojou snaps her out of it with her mentioning she's just so happy because the ice cream is tasty is omitted.
-When Kou Amatsuka first meets Kojou, he doesn't give him a greeting with Kojou replying back before he mentions the silver-haired girl (Kanon) is pretty. When Kojou later asks if he's trying to kidnap Kanon, the subject of Kojou being a vampire with a lot of magical power isn't mentioned in the anime.
-The lamppost that Kou Amatsuka absorbs isn't first cut in half and falls to the ground while he's fighting in the anime like in the light novel.
-Kojou doesn't ask about Kanon and Nagisa after the fight ended with Yukina mentioning they were in changing rooms, with her mentioning she just got out of one in the anime. In the light novel Kojou remarks about Yukina's open shirt being a result of her coming out of the changing room with Yukina noticing while she mentions she was just having her three sizes measured by the staff and hadn't yet gone in a changing room, while in the anime he just mentions her shirt is open.
-When Kojou goes to see Natsuki, in the light novel after saying he wanted to ask her something, he pauses realizing he may get hit like usual because he said "Natsuki" instead of "Ms. Ninamiya" while in the anime he doesn't pause at all with Astarte immediately telling him Natsuki's present at the moment. Astarte doesn't ask if Kojou's concerned with something before Kojou says he wanted to talk to Natsuki about stuff, with Astarte saying she'd be happy to converse instead. She doesn't give him romance advice in the anime nor brings him tea.
-When Astarte tells Kojou what alchemists want, he doesn't go "God? It's not to turn iron and lead into gold?" with Astarte later replying on transmutations, turning imperfect things into perfect things, saying 'God' is a word with a vague definition. When she mentions Kojou as one example of a being that has achieved near eternal life, she doesn't say that Kojou is on the opposite spectrum of 'God'.
-The bell doesn't later ring during Kojou's conversation with Astarte with her later pouring more tea for Kojou.
-Kojou's conversation with Asagi is compressed, with the subject of alchemists being omitted along with Asagi telling Kojou "Didn't you read that in middle school history class?!"
-When Asagi tells Kojou she can't find much on the incident at Adelard Abbey, she doesn't mention the Gigafloat Management Corporations archives records everything, Kojou doesn't ask why the data was deleted, and Asagi doesn't tell Kojou that it must have been deleted on purpose and that if she checked the logs, she could find out who did it but it feels kinda dangerous.
-Natsuki doesn't mention that Kanon can't see her father Kensei while he's serving his sentence.
-Kojou leaving school after the supplementary lessons before meeting up with Yukina isn't shown in the anime with Kojou telling her that's where he was and how Asagi had left before him.
-Yuuho Tanahara teaching Asagi how to cook with Asagi later realizing one of her earrings is missing isn't adapted.
-Yukina doesn't explain to Kojou why the Itogami Island branch office of the Lion King Agency looks like an antique store.
-When Kojou meets the shikigami modeled after Sayaka, he doesn't remark how the real Sayaka would have reacted to him while wearing a maid outfit. Yukina doesn't remark that Kojou had been staring at the shikigami's chest excessively.
-When Yukina mentions that her master is in High God Forest, Kojou doesn't reply in shock about how that's in Kansai and wondering how far away that is.
-When Yukina asks if she can continue her watcher duties, the subject of an acting watcher isn't mentioned, nor what's happened to the real Sayaka in detail. What happened to Sayaka is only briefly mentioned that she's serving a suspension for using her weapon without permission during the prior arc.
-Senmu is bald in the light novel but has hair in the anime. His conservation with Kou Amatsuka is compressed, with Kou not mentioning Senmu arrived earlier than expected, Senmu not asking how long Kou was going to make him wait, the Island Guard and the ward Kensei Kanase put up aren't mentioned.
-When Senmu asks if that's the real Wiseman's Blood, Kou doesn't have a disgusted look on his face when he nods his head, saying how he couldn't mistake the legacy left behind by his master.
-Senmu asking if it's okay for Kou to give him the Hard Core isn't adapted.
-Senmu's bodyguards are killed by Kou in the anime while in the light novel they're consumed with the Wiseman's Blood along with Senmu while they were trying to save him. Senmu doesn't later ask Kou why he betrayed him.
-When Asagi calls Kojou, she doesn't ask if was home yet, Kojou doesn't tell her he's in District Six, Asagi doesn't reply in shock about that being the love hotel district and Kojou later mentioning he's at an antique shop run by an acquaintance of Yukina's. When Kojou tells Asagi to get away from the Adelard Abbey, he doesn't mention it's because the Island Guard is guarding that place, and Asagi doesn't tell Kojou she'll do one last pass before she goes home.
Episode 21 | Volume 6 | End of Chapter 2-Beginning of Chapter 4
-In the anime, Kojou is already where Asagi is while in the light novel, he gets on a monorail trying to call Asagi on the way before realizing why she wouldn't pick up, and later wonders where she is and tries looking for her. He doesn't find her with a cookbook in the anime unlike in the light novel which omitted her trying to learn how to cook for Kojou while Nagisa would be away on the class trip.
-Kojou doesn't bring up to Asagi the red-and-white checkered alchemist with her saying she thought he was some washed-up actor, and Kojou doesn't reply sarcastically that maybe a vampire and his watcher kicked his ass.
Episode 22 | Volume 6
Season 2
Episode 1 | Volume 9
Episode 2 | Volume 9
Episode 3 | Volume 9
Episode 4 | Volume 11
Episode 5 | Volume 11
Episode 6 | Volume 12
Episode 7 | Volume 12
Episode 8 | Volume 12
Season 3
Episode 1 | Volume 13
Episode 2 | Volume 13
Episode 3 | Volume 13
Episode 4 | Volume 14
Episode 5 | Volume 14
Episode 6 | Volume 14
Episode 7 | Volume 15
Episode 8 | Volume 15
Episode 9 | Volume 15
Episode 10 | Volume 15
Season 4
Episode 1 | Volume 16
Episode 2 | Volume 16
Episode 3 | Volume 16
Episode 4 | Volume 19
Episode 5 | Volume 19
Episode 6 | Volume 19
Episode 7 | Volume 20
Episode 8 | Volume 20
Episode 9 | Volume 20
Episode 10 | Volume 21
Episode 11 | Volume 21
Episode 12 | Volume 21
Season 5
Episode 1 | Volume 22
Episode 2 | Volume 22
Episode 3 | Volume 22
Episode 4 | Volume 22
VS.Strike the Blood is one of my all-time favorite series, but you may be surprised to hear it wasn't always that way. When I first watched the anime as it aired from Fall 2013 to Summer 2014, I didn't like it, one big reason being the pacing was way too fast, and I'm very, very, very sensitive to pacing that is way too fast. One reason this happened is the first season adapted the first 6 light novels into 22 episodes, with episodes 23 and 24 at the time not being canon before being expanded in the 17th light novel volume. 22 episodes as I would find out later was not enough adequate space to properly adapt the light novels. In late 2015, I ordered a Strike the Blood B2 wall scroll from AmiAmi. One of the things I always really liked most about the series was the artwork, it easily remains one of my all-time favorite series in terms of the character designs by far (said character designs were originally done by Manyako and adapted into anime by Keiichi Sano who was later joined by Hideki Furukawa beginning with Strike the Blood III), as well as the fanservicey official artwork. This greatly helped lead to me ordering that wall scroll, and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars of merch years later (Ex: Link, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4) totalling more than $16,000 (not exaggerating) leading to the following images in the spoiler tag below being quite accurate.
In August 2022 as my love for the series and its main female character grew exponentially, it also led to Yukina Himeragi finally dethroning Houki Shinonono as my waifu, a status she had held since March 2012 and looked like she would never lose. My love for her has grown so immensely strong my room now has Yukina Himeragi quite literally everywhere on the walls and even the ceiling (same energy). I don't simply want to see her, I need to see her everywhere. If it says「ストライク・ザ・ブラッド」on it, I most likely have it, even things like a small store display for the light novels and many promo posters for the stores. I have around 90% or more of all the Strike the Blood merchandise that has ever been made, and most likely have the largest collection of Strike the Blood merch in the United States. Safe to say, this franchise and especially Yukina Himeragi ♥ have an absolutely massive hold on me.
That was a lot of gushing about this series, and especially Yukina ♥... Anyway, that B2 wall scroll purchase of all things later led to me giving the series an extremely rare second chance (this is basically the only time I've done this) by purchasing the light novels as well as the manga. Since reading the light novels, I've come to absolutely love the series with the light novel becoming my #1 favorite series in print form (no manga, novel, or light novel comes close), but have noticed when comparing the light novels to the anime that the anime is indeed not a good adaptation as too much content is cut and compressed. An inevitable thing with adaptations is certain things will get cut due to a variety of reasons, one being time constraints, as well as when trying to translate something from one medium, in this case a light novel where 3rd-person narration drives things, to another, an anime which is a visual medium.
Here I'll lay out many of the minor to significant differences between the anime and light novels to point out how they differ. If you liked the Strike the Blood anime, I'd really highly recommend reading the light novels as they're much better and will help you figure out more what's going on due to the amount of content that is missing. It may even lead to you enjoying the anime more despite the missing content which keeps the anime from being decent overall. Since reading the light novels, I've gone from disliking the anime to absolutely loving it despite it still not being good.
Note:
-Each volume has an Intro and an Outro.
-The APPEND are side-stories which have not been adapted into anime.
-The Disappearing Holy Lance Arc is anime original and AFAIK was not adapted into the light novels.
-Volumes 7, 8, and most of 10 were not adapted into anime.
-Volume 17 is an adaptation of Episodes 23-24 of the anime, and thus those episodes aren't on this list as the anime for once came first.
-Volume 18 is an adaptation of the 2015 Kingdom of the Valkyria OVA.
-Many things explained through narration in the light novel tend to not be explained in the anime.
-Natsuki Minamiya gets mad when Kojou calls her "Natsuki" in the light novel instead of by her last name, while in the anime she gets mad about him using "Natsuki-chan", with "chan" being the problem. This could be a result of how the series was translated however as the light novel translation has no honorifics.
-For those curious about the manga adaptation, I won't be comparing it to the light novels nor the anime as it's even more compressed due to time constraints, but here's what covered what.
-My comparisons are being done using the official English translation by Jeremiah Bourque for Yen Press, and whoever translated the series for Crunchyroll (they weren't credited because of course Crunchyroll would do that).
Volume 1: The Right Arm of the Saint - Manga volumes 1-3
Volume 2: From the Warlord's Empire - Manga volumes 3-6
Volume 3: The Amphisbaena - Manga volumes 6-8
Volume 4: Labyrinth of the Blue Witch - Not adapted
Volume 5: Fiesta for the Observers - Not adapted
Volume 6: Return of the Alchemist - Manga volumes 8-10
Season 1
Episode 1 | Volume 1 Chapter 1
-The Intro with Kojou's backstory and later Yukina's with her ready to head out on her mission which takes up nearly all of the Intro is not adapted.
-Many infodumps are greatly condensed at great expense.
-Kojou finding out that Yukina transferred into his school, and into his younger sister's class (And her sister spilling his past) is not adapted.
-Kojou's conversation about The Lion King Organization with Natsuki is not adapted.
Episode 2 | Volume 1 Chapter 2
Episode 3 | Volume 1
Episode 4 | Volume 1
Episode 5 | Volume 2
Episode 6 | Volume 2
Episode 7 | Volume 2
Episode 8 | Volume 2
Episode 9 | Volume 3
Episode 10 | Volume 3
Episode 11 | Volume 3
Episode 12 | Volume 3 Chapters 4-5
-Natsuki is almost completely absent unlike in the light novel.
-Sayaka fawning over Yukina is cut out.
-Yukina's and La Folia's fights are much shorter.
Episode 13 | Volume 4 Chapters 1-2 + Beginning of 3
-The Intro with La Folia, Sayaka, and Vattler having a meeting while La Folia and Vattler are watching a magical girl anime is not adapted. La Folia learning about the Halloween Eve Festival is still partially adapted, but while at the airport with Sayaka while Vattler is not there like in the light novel.
-The homeroom scene in Chapter 1 with Astarte as a teacher due to Natsuki's abscence is not adapted.
-Students trying to recruit Kojou for the Halloween Eve Festival events to get close to Yukina, later Asagi is not adapted.
-Kanon coming to Kojou's classroom to ask if she could stay overnight which she does with Asagi, Motoki, and Rin is not adapted.
-Everyone learning about Yuuma for the first time takes place at the airport instead of in Kojou's room with the picture being on a phone in the anime but in an album in the light novel.
-The party held at the Akatsuki apartment to celebrate Kanon getting out of the hospital is not adapted.
-Kanon sneaking into Kojou's room to have a discussion about what happened in Volume 3 and later being caught by Yukina misunderstanding the situation as she's discovered in bed with Kojou is not adapted.
-The introduction of the Meyer Sisters is greatly compressed.
-Kojou being late to the airport with flashbacks of the night before is not adapted.
-Asagi and Motoki wearing masks to be in disguise is not adapted.
-The cafeteria scene with the whole group is greatly compressed, with the phone calls Asagi and Motoki receive resulting in them leaving take place instead at the top of Keystone Gate and simultaneously instead of staggered. The contents of the phone calls Asagi and Motoki receive are almost completely cut out. The phone call also happens the same time as the one Kojou gets from La Folia and Sayaka which happened well after they had already left in the light novel.
-La Folia's and Sayaka's phone call with Kojou is greatly compressed, with mention of Kanon being completely absent. Sayaka getting mad about Kojou being with Yukina is also absent from the phone call.
-Kojou's conversation with Yuuma at the top of Keystone Gate is compressed down to just his relationship with Yukina.
-After Kojou is warped to the bathroom and sees Astarte and Kanon bathing by accident, in the anime he doesn't later accidentally run naked into his apartment and freak Nagisa and Yuuma out.
-Asagi's conversation with Mogwai about the spatial distortions and events happening around Itogami Island is placed in Episode 14 instead.
-Kojou's conversation with Yukina about the incident in the bathroom doesn't have Astarte nor Kanon interject.
-Kojou going onto the veranda of his apartment due to Yuuma and Nagisa having girl talk in the bathroom and later seeing a black hooded figure in the park below which turned out to be Rudolph Eustach who didn't remember Kojou and fighting him briefly before he vanishes due to the spatial warps is not adapted.
-Kojou's encounter with Yuuma at night has her treating a cheek wound from debris caused by a bench destroyed in said battle in the light novel while in the anime she is treating Kojou's finger wound from her startling him while he's drinking a glass of water, dropping the glass and cuts his finger when picking it up.
Episode 14 | Volume 4 | Chapter 3 + Beginning of 4
-Asagi's conversation with Mogwai from Chapter 2 about the spatial distortions and events happening around Itogami Island is adapted in this episode instead of the last one. Additionally, when Charioteer appears, their name is not mentioned like in the light novel, and the convesation is greatly compressed with the Halloween Eve Festival not being mentioned at all.
-The flashback about Yuuma's past occurs at the end of the episode instead of the beginning and the portion with the castle is instead adapted in the beginning of Episode 15. The portion with Kojou and Nagisa is greatly shortened, with no mention of Yuuma cutting her hair nor the secret base.
-The hotel scene with La Folia and Sayaka is shortened, with them later calling Kojou and wondering why they're hearing a girl's voice being omitted.
-Yukina explaining to Kojou what a witch is is cut out during the conversation about how Kojou ended up in Yuuma's body.
-Motoki's conversation with Mogwai is greatly compressed.
-The café scene with Astarte, Kanase, Kojou, and Yukina omits them telling Kojou in Yuuma's body how a pretty girl present herself. Kojou being dragged into the bathroom by Astarte and Yukina to put makeup on is not adapted.
-Kojou and Yukina's fight with men in black robes with Misaki later appearing is not adapted.
-The anime added a spatial warp where Kojou and Yukina end up in a girl's changing room.
Episode 15 | Volume 4 | Chapter 4
-The flashback with Yuuma in the castle from the start of Chapter 3 is adapted in this episode instead of the last one. Said flashback omits the portion with Kojou and Nagisa as it was partially adapted in the prior episode.
-Vattler's conversation explaining what the Prison Barrier is is condensed, and Kojou realizing the spatial warps were meant for the purpose of finding it is omitted. Also Vattler explains why he is just watching the chaos unfold prior to Kojou figuring it out instead unlike in the light novel.
-When the Meyer Sisters attack, both Kojou and Yukina are immediately caught in the anime when in the light novel Yukina fights their Guardian briefly. Kojou feeling powerless while Yukina fights is not adapted.
-Yukina knowing who the Meyer Sisters are and them praising Yukina for it is not adapted. Them also wondering what Yukina is also not adapted.
-Motoki's conversation with Mogwai is completely cut out, along with Motoki planning to intervene in the conflict before the Prison Barrier appears.
-Sayaka and La Folia wondering what's with Kojou being in a girl's body is greatly condensed.
-Kojou wondering why his hand hurts as Grimoire 539 burns is not adapted.
-After La Folia says she and Sayaka will "take care of" the Meyer Sisters, they don't respond back as much as in the light novel.
-La Folia and Sayaka talking about the Meyer Sisters pact with their devils and age is not adapted.
-Yukina responding to Kojou's statement that he's used to seeing witches is not adapted.
-Yuuma explaining who her mother Aya Tokoyogi exactly is is not adapted.
-La Folia meeting back up with the Aldegian knights is not adapted.
-La Folia wanting Sayaka to go help Kojou and Yukina after La Folia leaves Japan so Sayaka's bodyguard mission is complete is outright stated in the anime while in the light novel, Sayaka figures out La Folia's intentions herself.
-Yuuma asking how one sends prisoners into the Prison Void is omitted, instead jumping straight to explaining what Natsuki is.
-Yuuma asking Kojou how it felt to be in her body is not adapted.
-Natsuki's convo with Kojou after waking up is compressed to just her flicking his forehead.
-The scene with Le Bleu stabbing Yuuma is compressed.
Episode 16 | Volume 5 | Chapter 1
-The outro from Volume 4 with Vattler and Nagisa is adapted in this episode instead. The battle is greatly shortened and Nagisa replies much more quickly.
-Vattler's convo with Nagisa in the intro is omitted.
-Asagi complaining about the long hours she put in is changed to just her being disappointed it's so late while the Halloween Eve Festival is going on.
-Asagi's reply to Mogwai about the Island Guard having taken care of the Witches is omitted before explaining upcoming dangers.
-Asagi going to Keystone Gate to get on a monorail home is omitted. Her buying a drink there and having a convo with one of the workers talking about the Prison Barrier is omitted. Instead of Asagi receiving candy from her before being asked about "her daughter" (Sana), she receives it from a man on a sidewalk.
-Schota D's remarks after attacking of the prisoners about them being weak is cut out.
-Schota D's confrontation with Aya Tokoyogi is omitted.
-Aya Tokoyogi explains what she did to Natsuki right away rather than the prisoners talking about it first and asking what it meant.
-The prisoners talking about finding Natsuki is omitted.
-Yukina arguing with Kojou about staying behind is shortened.
-Sayaka arrives at the Prison Barrier in a Kettenkrad in the anime instead of a chariot with a mechanical horse like in the light novel.
-Sayaka doesn't ask about Kojou being back in his own body, and Natsuki is omitted from their conversation during their escape, while the topic of Aya Tokoyogi is shortened to just about her being Yuuma's mother.
-Sayaka, Yukina, and Kojou not knowing how to stop the chariot with the mechanical horse before it crashes is not adapted, especially as they're riding in a Kettenkrad in the anime instead.
-Asagi looking out the window while she gets her order at the restaurant is not adapted. The restaurant scene instead immediately starts with Sana eating the pancakes.
-Sayaka, Yukina, and Kojou don't arrive via elevator to the guest house at MAR.
-Mimori opens the door after the doorbell is rung right away rather than after Kojou asks about if she could do a favor for him.
-Nagisa explaining how she was also at the guest house to clean, pick up clothes, and cook is omitted. This takes place after Mimori briefly looks at Yuuma in the anime instead of before.
-Mimori explaining more about Yuuma's wound is omitted, and Kojou doesn't prop Yuuma's torso up before Mimori fondles Yuuma's breasts.
-Mimori asking "You're Yukina Himeragi, yes?" is cut out along with Yukina asking if she's a Hyper-Adapter.
-Mimori asking what's the point of being a physician if you can't fondle breasts of cute girls is cut out.
-Mimori having her cheek up against Yuuma's breasts while having a nosebleed is cut out.
-When Sayaka explains why she put Nagisa to sleep, her explaining why is condensed to just Nagisa not knowing Kojou is a vampire instead of also who Yukina is, and that Kojou and Yuuma had switched bodies. Her also explaining the "other" reason is omitted.
-Sayaka telling Kojou to strip his clothes so she can see his wound and Kojou initially refusing when misunderstanding what Sayaka meant is cut out and he just shows the wound right away when asked.
-When Sayaka shows Kojou her bare foot, Kojou asking if she wants him to lick it like she's a princess is cut out.
-Sayaka explaining that she wants Kojou to drink her blood instead of Yukina's to help heal Kojou's wound and Kojou asking about how much Sayaka likes Yukina is cut out. Sayaka explaining she wants Kojou drinking her blood to be secret is also cut out.
Episode 17 | Volume 5 | End of Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Beginning of 3
-Aya Tokoyogi does not ask the men from the Socials branch of LCO about how she thought the escape plan was entrusted to the Philosophy branch. The men don't respond about her being LCO's leader or how they felt the Meyer Sisters couldn't break her out of the Prison Barrier. Also the reason why they ask Aya to come with them is omitted.
-Aya doesn't call the men from LCO peasants nor do they mention how they believe Aya has no place in LCO anymore. Aya doesn't tell them what she had done to Natsuki in order to get a hold of the Black Bible again.
-Sayaka doesn't respond to Kojou like a tsundere after he apologizes for making them worry about him collapsing from hunger.
-When Yukina's nurses outfit is revealed, the anime didn't have her standing in embarrassment like in the light novel illustration.
-Sayaka doesn't ask if the little girl next to Asagi on the TV is Asagi's little sister with Kojou later responding how Asagi doesn't have a little sister, and saying it could have been a relative's kid.
-Yukina doesn't ask if the broadcast on the TV is being sent to every display in the city which meant the prisoners would know where Natsuki is.
-The "Ride of the Valkyries" performance that Asagi is watching with Sana at the Halloween Eve Festival is not shown, nor Kojou calling leading to Asagi telling Sana to come with her to a better spot to take the call after seeing Kojou's name on the display.
-Kojou doesn't ask where Asagi is with Asagi telling him where she is. Asagi also doesn't respond "geh" to Kojou telling her she saw her on TV. He also isn't able to try to tell Asagi who Sana is before he's cut off by Sana.
-Asagi doesn't tell Mogwai what's going on isn't funny when she's running away from Kiliga Gilika.
-Mogwai doesn't tell Asagi that the bulkheads are being destroyed faster than expected as the temperature coming from Kiliga is higher than what they can handle.
-When Asagi tells Sana she'll protect her, she doesn't mention how she doesn't want Demon Sanctuary natives to be looked down upon.
-Mogwai doesn't tell Asagi that Kiliga will catch up in 12 seconds which was something that factored in Asagi's plan to slow him down.
-Kiliga doesn't respond "You little bitch!" when the water floods the hallway as Asagi and Sana escape.
-Kiliga doesn't mention how he was disappointed when he heard the Witch of the Void (Natsuki) had lost her powers before saying Asagi is well worth burning to ash.
-Asagi in the light novel was wearing street clothes that were a mess after her escape from Kiliga while in the anime she's weaing her school uniform which isn't dirty at all.
-Asagi doesn't tell Astarte that Kiliga seemed to be after Natsuki who looks so much like Sana.
-Gigliola Ghirardi doesn't mention fully what caused her to be put into the Prison Barrier by Natsuki at the Hispania Demon Prison.
-Gigliola doesn't mention how an Old Guard vampire like her has more than one Beast Vassal.
-When Asagi is shielding Sana, the anime has the bees already surrounding them and they're flat on the ground, while the light novel has them kneeling in an illustration, and Sana whispers into Asagi's ears with Asagi's eyes widening as the bees begin to attack.
-Kojou talking with Sayaka and Yukina after Asagi is attacked occurs in an elevator in the light novel while they're on the road in the Kettenkrad in the anime.
-In the light novel Kojou is the one saying the phone won't connect when in the anime it's Sayaka.
-Sayaka trying to get in contact with the Island Guard on her phone is not adapted.
-Gigliola when asking if Vattler is going to hunt down all the prisoners, she doesn't ask if he's doing it for sport. Vattler doesn't mention how he's looking for an opponent for rehabilitation or how he's recovering from injury (his fight with Nagisa).
-Gigliola doesn't say anything when Vattler attacks the Island Guard that were under her control thanks to her Beast Vassal and Vattler doesn't ask if she's using them as human shields.
Episode 18 | Volume 5 | Chapters 3-4
-Meiga's conversation with Aya Tokoyogi is in this episode instead of Episode 17 which covers chapters the end of Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and the beginning of Chapter 3.
-When Kojou explains why he took Asagi and Sana to the Oceanus Grave II, Sayaka doesn't reply back saying he had a point.
-When Yukina asks if Asagi and Natsuki are not hurt, Kojou doesn't mention what Sana is or her current state. Yukina also doesn't suggest sending Asagi back to her own residence, and Kojou doesn't mention how she's refusing and has fallen for Sana.
-Asagi's convo with Kojou after his phone call with Yukina and Sayaka is not adapted.
-Kojou's conversation with Kira is greatly shortened.
-Kojou doesn't wash off dried blood in the bath in the anime.
-The girls as they leave the bath don't remark on how cute they think Kojou is.
-Sana diving into the bath with Asagi and Kojou thinking she was drowning is not adapted.
-When Asagi asks Kojou if he's attracted to men like Vattler, Yuuma isn't mentioned in the anime. Asagi mentioned Yuuma had a bit of a boyish feeling.
-When Asagi asks if Sana is the key to the Prison Barrier, the conversation about Aya Tokoyogi, what she did to Natsuki, and Yuuma Tokoyogi are not mentioned. The convo switches to Sana's sudden personality switch. Also this convo happens after Sana wakes up in the anime while it's before in the light novel as she's being put to sleep.
-After Asagi remarks that of course a yukata looks good on her, she doesn't ask why Kojou is in a Boston Celtics jersey with Kojou explaining and Asagi not knowing as she doesn't follow basketball.
-When Asagi asks why Mogwai is contacting her through the TV, he doesn't mention it was because Asagi's smartphone battery was dead. Asagi also doesn't reach for the power cord to turn the TV off like she did in the light novel. She also doesn't mention how the first day of the festival is a write-off because of her work.
-Mogwai mentions the monorails are still down instead of Asagi.
-It's not mentioned that Sayaka had used a shikigami to see what Kojou, Asagi, and Sana were doing. She also doesn't call him a "Pervergenitor."
-Sayaka doesn't remark about how beautiful she thinks Asagi is and how Kojou doesn't seem to notice.
-Yukina doesn't ask Vattler if he wants Kojou to drink Asagi's blood. Vattler explaining how he wants Kojou to awaken all of Avrora's Beast Vassals and that Asagi would be a good spiritual medium candidate to help, him also asking what is why there's a Fourth Primogenitor and wanting to find out why is also not adapted.
-Broodt Dumblegraff doesn't interrupt Vattler's conversation with Yukina and Sayaka in the anime unlike in the light novel. Yukina and Sayaka also don't see Vattler's Beast Vassal get cut and react in shock.
-Schtola D doesn't remark how he's late to the party or how Vattler was sent flying by Broodt Dumblegraff.
-When Sayaka attacks Schtola D, she doesn't ask what a shrimp like him is doing to Yukina.
-The scene with Mimori starts in the operation room rather than the living room where she sees the lights and TV are still on and there's a half-eaten former frozen pizza. Nagisa being asleep in the bedroom is not shown.
-Mimori doesn't pull out her cellphone to call the police before the connection dies and there's earthquake-like tremors.
-Kojou doesn't mention anything about Broodt Dumblegraff's armor and how much it reminds him of Rudolf Eustach's, nor does he enter a convo with him.
-Vattler's explation of what the House of Georgius is is shortened down to them being dragon slayers that aren't seen often.
-Broodt Dumblegraff doesn't talk much at all and doesn't mention what his armor is.
-Jagan summoning Beast Vassals to guard against the damage from Vattler's battle from spreading is not shown. Kira mentions there's other vampires around to do something similar while Kojou sees them in the light novel. Kira also doesn't mention that if Vattler was serious, he could destroy Itogami City in several minutes.
-Lydianne doesn't say anything about Asagi's yukata.
-Vattler's convo with Tobias is not adapted.
-Sayaka's battle with Schtola D is greatly shortened. Schtola D wondering what Sayaka's weapon is, and Sayaka wondering if he's a Hyper-Adapter before it's revealed he's a Deva are among the things cut out.
-Schtola D's remarks about Sayaka being taller than him and how he hates women being taller than him is not adapted.
-Kojou doesn't mention how he's sorry he left things on Sayaka's shoulders, Sayaka doesn't ask why he's helping her and where's Yukina, and Kojou doesn't pick up Sayaka up like she's a princess with her replying she's too big for that sort of thing.
-Kojou accidentally touching Sayaka's breasts while carrying her is not adapted.
-When Yukina and Sana show up, Sayaka doesn't mention how she wants Kojou to put her down. Sayaka doesn't remark how the Witch of the Void looks in person with Yukina adding "Cuter than you expected?"
-Kojou doesn't talk about bringing Sana to MAR.
-Schtola D was sent back to the Prison Barrier after being defeated by Sayaka in the anime while in the light novel when Aya Tokoyogi shows up, he is angry about her having tricked him and used him, with her later defeating him with her guardian, L'Ombre.
Episode 19 | Volume 5 | Chapter 5
-When Sayaka is tending to Kojou's wounds, he's already awake in the anime where in the light novel he first asks where he is, and Sayaka then explains she carried him to the clinic room at the ferry terminal, as well as why an ambulance couldn't come (the fighting cut off the highway).
-Kojou doesn't tell Sayaka that he was sorry for the trouble he caused her, and doesn't ask about Yukina and Sana.
-Kojou doesn't cough up blood when Sayaka starts to strip. When he later asks if she's a side-tie panties kind of girl, Sayaka doesn't explain she wears them because of the holster on her right thigh that holds her cursed arrows.
-When Yuuma walks in on Sayaka and Kojou, she doesn't say she didn't mean to intrude. When she later says to finish what Sayaka started with the three of them, she doesn't say to Sayaka "It's all right. We will not let Kojou die here."
-The flashback Yukina sees with Aya and Natsuki happens on the roof in the anime while it's in a classroom in the light novel. Their conversation is compressed, excluding how they're both witches and what Aya plans to do with the Black Bible, and why Natsuki hesitates to hand over the Black Bible.
-In the anime Aya explains that Natsuki is merely a tool created by the Gigafloat Management Corporation to control the prison barrier, while in the light novel it's explained that relationship is why a witch like Natsuki is allowed to roam free. After she later mentions Natsuki will fall into an eternal sleep in another world alone, Natsuki doesn't later reply to this with how it was kind of Aya to worry about her.
-When Yukina is in a dream with Kojou and Sayaka appearing in the classroom, when Sayaka tells Yukina to go to the club together, she doesn't mention that she's Kojou's watcher, with Kojou later being confused.
-When Yuuma is further stripping Sayaka, she doesn't take off her bra in the anime unlike in the light novel, where afterward she explains she did it because she was embarrassed to be the only one dressed a certain way as she's in a hospital gown. Kojou doesn't later apologize explaining Yuuma had always been this way, and Sayaka replying back as to how someone like Kojou would be close friends with Yuuma.
-When Yuuma is explaining how Kojou can get his powers back, the topic of the Fourth Primogenitor and how such a thing shouldn't exist isn't mentioned.
-While Kojou is drinking Yuuma's blood, before she loses conciousness, she doesn't explain she hit her limit.
-Motoki Yaze's conversation with Koyomi Shizuka is cut short. It doesn't delve into what Aya was planning to do with the Black Bible, or how Yaze asks if Koyomi wants to watch till the incident is over before she replies she has other business to attend to.
-Vampires are excluded from Aya's conversation with Yukina on if a world with various supernatural beings should exist. Aya does not explain how a man-made island that couldn't exist without magic would be a perfect stage for her experiment after Yukina asks why she's subjecting Itogami Island to it.
-When Yukina asks why Aya would kill hundreds of thousands to remake the world as she sees correct, when she's talking about how witches are treated, she doesn't mention what was done to "her friend" Natsuki.
-Aya doesn't explain how the Black Bible needed the proper alignment of the stars, how things would end once the night and Halloween Eve Festival ends, and how the island would sink before then.
-Aya and Yukina's conversation doesn't delve into it's said vampire primogenitors are cursed by gods, or how those who create worlds in their own image can be called God.
-Yukina doesn't tell Aya that if people curse her, it's not just because she's a witch, that no one will accept her if she uses the fact she's a witch to hurt others, and to shut off the Black Bible and to surrender immediately.
-When Natsuki explains how she got her memories back, she doesn't mention how she needs to thank Asagi later for her giving Kojou a nosebleed in the bath on the Oceanus Grave II. Kojou doesn't reply back saying how his blood isn't a bath bomb with Yukina glaring at him after guessing what happened.
-Natsuki doesn't tell Yukina to distract Aya, doesn't ask "Ponytail" (Sayaka) if Yuuma is still concious, and Kojou having a Beast Vassal attack only to dematerialize so Yukina could attack is omitted.
-When Natsuki tells Aya to come back to the prison barrier, she doesn't mention how turning on the LCO sorcerers would haunt her. She also doesn't ask Kojou about his Beast Vassals, specifically the one keeping the entire island from collapsing, with Yukina explaining they'd defeat her before then.
-Meiga's conversation with Shizuka is compressed. He doesn't first remark to himself that the mist has lifted, with Shizuka later walking in explaining what happened. He doesn't reply back saying how he was able to get into the museum and how he should thank Aya Tokoyogi. In the anime, Shizuka asks if he had been using Aya.
-Meiga's manacle doesn't glow, with Shizuka explaining Natsuki regained her power, with Meiga later explaining it's too late as the manacle breaks and falls to the floor.
-The fireworks scenes in the Outro is cut down to Kojou and Yukina already being in Natsuki's secret spot. When Natsuki tells Kojou not to call her by her first name, she doesn't mention that she may permit him to call her Sana.
-When Yukina talks to Kojou after Yuuma kissed him and left and says he was full of openings, she didn't mention how his body had been hijacked by her the other day.
-This light novel illustration was changed a bit. Yukina and Kojou are wearing different clothes and Yukina doesn't slightly grab his shirt in the anime, instead glaring at him from a distance.
Episode 20 | Volume 6 | Chapters 1-2
-Nagisa trying to wake up Kojou to show him the new coat she bought for the field trip in the Intro is not adapted.
-When Kou Amatsuka meets Kensei Kanase, he doesn't drop dozens of bullets to the floor from his battles. Their conversation is compressed, with many of the soldiers Kou took out not being shown. He also doesn't mention what he had done to them.
-Kou and Kensei's fight for the Hard Core containing the Wiseman's Blood isn't shown.
-Yukina imagining Kojou and Nagisa's arguing is not adapted.
-Yukina runs out of the shower when the shikigami breaches her barrier while in the light novel it's while she's polishing Snowdrift Wolf that she rushes to see what happened where she later puts Snowdrift Wolf down and instead grabs a knife as it's easier to use indoors.
-Yukina and Kojou taking the monorail to school where after Kojou finally snaps Yukina out of her daze, Yukina tells Kojou that she'll be relieved of her watcher duties for the field trip is not adapted.
-Home-ec class where Asagi is trying to learn how to cook for Kojou because he'll be alone as a result of Nagisa and Yukina being on the field trip is not adapted.
-The conversation with Kanon, Kojou, Nagisa, and Yukina omits the subject of travel bags, and how there's already Kojou's sports bag at home, but it stinks is omitted, along with how Nagisa thinks Kojou complains too much.
-Kanon being in a daze before Kojou snaps her out of it with her mentioning she's just so happy because the ice cream is tasty is omitted.
-When Kou Amatsuka first meets Kojou, he doesn't give him a greeting with Kojou replying back before he mentions the silver-haired girl (Kanon) is pretty. When Kojou later asks if he's trying to kidnap Kanon, the subject of Kojou being a vampire with a lot of magical power isn't mentioned in the anime.
-The lamppost that Kou Amatsuka absorbs isn't first cut in half and falls to the ground while he's fighting in the anime like in the light novel.
-Kojou doesn't ask about Kanon and Nagisa after the fight ended with Yukina mentioning they were in changing rooms, with her mentioning she just got out of one in the anime. In the light novel Kojou remarks about Yukina's open shirt being a result of her coming out of the changing room with Yukina noticing while she mentions she was just having her three sizes measured by the staff and hadn't yet gone in a changing room, while in the anime he just mentions her shirt is open.
-When Kojou goes to see Natsuki, in the light novel after saying he wanted to ask her something, he pauses realizing he may get hit like usual because he said "Natsuki" instead of "Ms. Ninamiya" while in the anime he doesn't pause at all with Astarte immediately telling him Natsuki's present at the moment. Astarte doesn't ask if Kojou's concerned with something before Kojou says he wanted to talk to Natsuki about stuff, with Astarte saying she'd be happy to converse instead. She doesn't give him romance advice in the anime nor brings him tea.
-When Astarte tells Kojou what alchemists want, he doesn't go "God? It's not to turn iron and lead into gold?" with Astarte later replying on transmutations, turning imperfect things into perfect things, saying 'God' is a word with a vague definition. When she mentions Kojou as one example of a being that has achieved near eternal life, she doesn't say that Kojou is on the opposite spectrum of 'God'.
-The bell doesn't later ring during Kojou's conversation with Astarte with her later pouring more tea for Kojou.
-Kojou's conversation with Asagi is compressed, with the subject of alchemists being omitted along with Asagi telling Kojou "Didn't you read that in middle school history class?!"
-When Asagi tells Kojou she can't find much on the incident at Adelard Abbey, she doesn't mention the Gigafloat Management Corporations archives records everything, Kojou doesn't ask why the data was deleted, and Asagi doesn't tell Kojou that it must have been deleted on purpose and that if she checked the logs, she could find out who did it but it feels kinda dangerous.
-Natsuki doesn't mention that Kanon can't see her father Kensei while he's serving his sentence.
-Kojou leaving school after the supplementary lessons before meeting up with Yukina isn't shown in the anime with Kojou telling her that's where he was and how Asagi had left before him.
-Yuuho Tanahara teaching Asagi how to cook with Asagi later realizing one of her earrings is missing isn't adapted.
-Yukina doesn't explain to Kojou why the Itogami Island branch office of the Lion King Agency looks like an antique store.
-When Kojou meets the shikigami modeled after Sayaka, he doesn't remark how the real Sayaka would have reacted to him while wearing a maid outfit. Yukina doesn't remark that Kojou had been staring at the shikigami's chest excessively.
-When Yukina mentions that her master is in High God Forest, Kojou doesn't reply in shock about how that's in Kansai and wondering how far away that is.
-When Yukina asks if she can continue her watcher duties, the subject of an acting watcher isn't mentioned, nor what's happened to the real Sayaka in detail. What happened to Sayaka is only briefly mentioned that she's serving a suspension for using her weapon without permission during the prior arc.
-Senmu is bald in the light novel but has hair in the anime. His conservation with Kou Amatsuka is compressed, with Kou not mentioning Senmu arrived earlier than expected, Senmu not asking how long Kou was going to make him wait, the Island Guard and the ward Kensei Kanase put up aren't mentioned.
-When Senmu asks if that's the real Wiseman's Blood, Kou doesn't have a disgusted look on his face when he nods his head, saying how he couldn't mistake the legacy left behind by his master.
-Senmu asking if it's okay for Kou to give him the Hard Core isn't adapted.
-Senmu's bodyguards are killed by Kou in the anime while in the light novel they're consumed with the Wiseman's Blood along with Senmu while they were trying to save him. Senmu doesn't later ask Kou why he betrayed him.
-When Asagi calls Kojou, she doesn't ask if was home yet, Kojou doesn't tell her he's in District Six, Asagi doesn't reply in shock about that being the love hotel district and Kojou later mentioning he's at an antique shop run by an acquaintance of Yukina's. When Kojou tells Asagi to get away from the Adelard Abbey, he doesn't mention it's because the Island Guard is guarding that place, and Asagi doesn't tell Kojou she'll do one last pass before she goes home.
Episode 21 | Volume 6 | End of Chapter 2-Beginning of Chapter 4
-In the anime, Kojou is already where Asagi is while in the light novel, he gets on a monorail trying to call Asagi on the way before realizing why she wouldn't pick up, and later wonders where she is and tries looking for her. He doesn't find her with a cookbook in the anime unlike in the light novel which omitted her trying to learn how to cook for Kojou while Nagisa would be away on the class trip.
-Kojou doesn't bring up to Asagi the red-and-white checkered alchemist with her saying she thought he was some washed-up actor, and Kojou doesn't reply sarcastically that maybe a vampire and his watcher kicked his ass.
Episode 22 | Volume 6
Season 2
Episode 1 | Volume 9
Episode 2 | Volume 9
Episode 3 | Volume 9
Episode 4 | Volume 11
Episode 5 | Volume 11
Episode 6 | Volume 12
Episode 7 | Volume 12
Episode 8 | Volume 12
Season 3
Episode 1 | Volume 13
Episode 2 | Volume 13
Episode 3 | Volume 13
Episode 4 | Volume 14
Episode 5 | Volume 14
Episode 6 | Volume 14
Episode 7 | Volume 15
Episode 8 | Volume 15
Episode 9 | Volume 15
Episode 10 | Volume 15
Season 4
Episode 1 | Volume 16
Episode 2 | Volume 16
Episode 3 | Volume 16
Episode 4 | Volume 19
Episode 5 | Volume 19
Episode 6 | Volume 19
Episode 7 | Volume 20
Episode 8 | Volume 20
Episode 9 | Volume 20
Episode 10 | Volume 21
Episode 11 | Volume 21
Episode 12 | Volume 21
Season 5
Episode 1 | Volume 22
Episode 2 | Volume 22
Episode 3 | Volume 22
Episode 4 | Volume 22
Posted by BigOnAnime | Feb 17, 2022 10:00 PM | 0 comments
April 24th, 2021
Japanese Licensor Logo Quirks For North American Releases
Blog Index
On most North American anime Blu-ray and DVD releases, you'll find on the packaging and/or disc startup the logo(s) of the company/companies that hold the international rights. This tells you who the company releasing the discs had to go through to acquire the North American rights to that specific title. For FUNimation, they put the JP logo(s) on the front, spine, back, and discs, though in 2017 began to stop putting their logo and the JP logo(s) on the front cover. Most other companies meanwhile put the logo(s) on only the back cover and disc art. Here are certain quirks about logo placement and usage with certain companies.
Aniplex
-Bandai Entertainment and Sentai Filmworks would put their logo on the front and spine.
Bandai Visual
-Bandai Entertainment and Geneon Entertainment USA often used the Emotion logo.
-Logo not used by Sentai Filmworks, instead using "Licensed from BANDAI VISUAL CO., LTD." on the copyright.
Dentsu
-Logo virtually unused except on Angelic Layer (ADV Films), Final Fantasy Unlimited (ADV Films), and Tetsujin 28 (Geneon Entertainment USA-Logo present on the front cover too).
-Wording can also be weird.
Fuji Creative Corporation
-Logo not present on FUNimation's release of Gonna be the Twin-Taill! despite appearing on the not final covers online.
Genco
-Logo never used.
Geneon Entertainment Japan
-Geneon Entertainment USA would use the Rondo Robe logo instead.
Gonzo
-ADV Films would put their logo on the spine.
-Sentai Filmworks would put their logo on the front and spine.
Kadokawa
-Logo not used by Discotek Media except for D.N.Angel which had no logos on the ADV Films DVDs.
-Logo not on the packaging for FUNimation's releases of Steins;Gate S1 except for the disc startup.
Kodansha
-Logo not used on Aniplex USA's release of Bakemonogatari. This is the only entry in the Monogatari franchise Aniplex Japan does not have international rights to as seen here.
-Logo not used on Discotek Media's release of Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie 2: The Sealed Card.
-Logo not used for Sentai Filmworks' releases of Negima! and Negima!? despite being used on the FUNimation releases. Logo also not used for their releases of the Initial D movies and UQ Holder!.
Marvelous Entertainment
-Logo used only by FUNimation. Logo would appear on disc startup of Media Blasters releases however.
Media Factory
-Logo never used by anyone except for FUNimation. Would appear on the disc startup of Media Blasters releases however.
-Logo not on the packaging for FUNimation's releases of Aria: The Scarlet Ammo except for the disc startup.
NHK
-Logo never used.
NTV
-Logo used only by FUNimation.
Pony Canyon
-Logo seldom used. AnimEigo would use "Licensed to AnimEigo, Inc. by Pony Canyon, Inc." instead on the packaging.
Showgate
-ADV Films would put their logo on the front cover as well.
-Logo not used by Discotek Media.
Starchild
-ADV Films would put their logo on the front and spine, but Sentai Filmworks would put their logo only on the back cover.
Studio Pierrot
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
Sunrise
-Logo not used on Discotek Media's release of s-CRY-ed.
-Logo not used by Sentai Filmworks for The Big O, but used for all other titles they acquired from Sunrise.
Tezuka Productions
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
TMS Entertainment
-Logo used on the front of the Sentai Filmworks release of Lupin III Part 6.
T.O Entertainment
-Logo never used.
TOHO Animation
-Logo appears on the spine of Sentai Filmworks releases.
TV Tokyo
-Logo never used on packaging or disc startups. For whatever reason, the logo is used only for streams starting in the mid 2010's.
Yomiuri TV
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
Additional Company Information
-Aniplex was previously known by SPE Visual Works, then SME Visual Works, then finally Aniplex which is when their logo would finally start to appear on releases.
-Bandai Visual is now known as Bandai Namco Arts.
-Emotion is an anime label for Bandai Visual (now known as Bandai Namco Arts).
-Geneon Entertainment Japan was previously known as Pioneer LDC, then Geneon Universal Entertainment, and is currently known as NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan (not to be confused with Universal US).
-Media Factory's logo has largely been retired in the years after they were bought by Kadokawa. Media Factory shows re-released by FUNimation have had their logo changed to Kadokawa.
-Rondo Robe was an anime label for Geneon Entertainment Japan, it has since been retired.
-Showgate is now known as Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures. They were previously known as Amuse Video before becoming Toshiba Entertainment, then Showgate.
-Starchild was the anime label of King Records, it has since been retired.
On most North American anime Blu-ray and DVD releases, you'll find on the packaging and/or disc startup the logo(s) of the company/companies that hold the international rights. This tells you who the company releasing the discs had to go through to acquire the North American rights to that specific title. For FUNimation, they put the JP logo(s) on the front, spine, back, and discs, though in 2017 began to stop putting their logo and the JP logo(s) on the front cover. Most other companies meanwhile put the logo(s) on only the back cover and disc art. Here are certain quirks about logo placement and usage with certain companies.
Aniplex
-Bandai Entertainment and Sentai Filmworks would put their logo on the front and spine.
Bandai Visual
-Bandai Entertainment and Geneon Entertainment USA often used the Emotion logo.
-Logo not used by Sentai Filmworks, instead using "Licensed from BANDAI VISUAL CO., LTD." on the copyright.
Dentsu
-Logo virtually unused except on Angelic Layer (ADV Films), Final Fantasy Unlimited (ADV Films), and Tetsujin 28 (Geneon Entertainment USA-Logo present on the front cover too).
-Wording can also be weird.
Fuji Creative Corporation
-Logo not present on FUNimation's release of Gonna be the Twin-Taill! despite appearing on the not final covers online.
Genco
-Logo never used.
Geneon Entertainment Japan
-Geneon Entertainment USA would use the Rondo Robe logo instead.
Gonzo
-ADV Films would put their logo on the spine.
-Sentai Filmworks would put their logo on the front and spine.
Kadokawa
-Logo not used by Discotek Media except for D.N.Angel which had no logos on the ADV Films DVDs.
-Logo not on the packaging for FUNimation's releases of Steins;Gate S1 except for the disc startup.
Kodansha
-Logo not used on Aniplex USA's release of Bakemonogatari. This is the only entry in the Monogatari franchise Aniplex Japan does not have international rights to as seen here.
-Logo not used on Discotek Media's release of Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie 2: The Sealed Card.
-Logo not used for Sentai Filmworks' releases of Negima! and Negima!? despite being used on the FUNimation releases. Logo also not used for their releases of the Initial D movies and UQ Holder!.
Marvelous Entertainment
-Logo used only by FUNimation. Logo would appear on disc startup of Media Blasters releases however.
Media Factory
-Logo never used by anyone except for FUNimation. Would appear on the disc startup of Media Blasters releases however.
-Logo not on the packaging for FUNimation's releases of Aria: The Scarlet Ammo except for the disc startup.
NHK
-Logo never used.
NTV
-Logo used only by FUNimation.
Pony Canyon
-Logo seldom used. AnimEigo would use "Licensed to AnimEigo, Inc. by Pony Canyon, Inc." instead on the packaging.
Showgate
-ADV Films would put their logo on the front cover as well.
-Logo not used by Discotek Media.
Starchild
-ADV Films would put their logo on the front and spine, but Sentai Filmworks would put their logo only on the back cover.
Studio Pierrot
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
Sunrise
-Logo not used on Discotek Media's release of s-CRY-ed.
-Logo not used by Sentai Filmworks for The Big O, but used for all other titles they acquired from Sunrise.
Tezuka Productions
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
TMS Entertainment
-Logo used on the front of the Sentai Filmworks release of Lupin III Part 6.
T.O Entertainment
-Logo never used.
TOHO Animation
-Logo appears on the spine of Sentai Filmworks releases.
TV Tokyo
-Logo never used on packaging or disc startups. For whatever reason, the logo is used only for streams starting in the mid 2010's.
Yomiuri TV
-Logo never used on packaging, seldom used on streaming and disc startups.
Additional Company Information
-Aniplex was previously known by SPE Visual Works, then SME Visual Works, then finally Aniplex which is when their logo would finally start to appear on releases.
-Bandai Visual is now known as Bandai Namco Arts.
-Emotion is an anime label for Bandai Visual (now known as Bandai Namco Arts).
-Geneon Entertainment Japan was previously known as Pioneer LDC, then Geneon Universal Entertainment, and is currently known as NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan (not to be confused with Universal US).
-Media Factory's logo has largely been retired in the years after they were bought by Kadokawa. Media Factory shows re-released by FUNimation have had their logo changed to Kadokawa.
-Rondo Robe was an anime label for Geneon Entertainment Japan, it has since been retired.
-Showgate is now known as Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures. They were previously known as Amuse Video before becoming Toshiba Entertainment, then Showgate.
-Starchild was the anime label of King Records, it has since been retired.
Posted by BigOnAnime | Apr 24, 2021 12:41 AM | 0 comments
November 29th, 2016
Toei Animation Tries It: Being @#$%ing Stupid
Blog Index
Toei Animation can be absolutely infuriating with many of the things they do, hence you have that trollface above (which I found off of Google Images). They have quite the negative reputation with many fans for great reason because of this. Below are a bunch of stupid things they've done,some of which caused them to miss out on money/make less than they could have (*Cough*Dragon Ball Super simulcast*Cough*).
Age ratings on the UK and Australian Digimon Adventure DVDs.
http://www.fandompost.com/oldforums/showthread.php?13051&p=124016&viewfull=1#post124016
http://www.fandompost.com/oldforums/showthread.php?13051&p=124055&viewfull=1#post124055
Animating Ojamajo Doremi in HD, but storing it on composite tapes and then deleting the original masters.
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=11992886#post11992886
Blocking the UK from getting simulcasts of popular Toei Animation shows for no good logical reason.
Cropping Dragon Ball Z Kai: Final Chapters to 16:9 for TV and home video and making everything have a green tint.
http://i.imgur.com/mKQoFeS.jpg (Dragon Box (left) vs. DBZKFC (right))
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=29427
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=826015#p826015
https://twitter.com/Jose_CNN/status/818215104965648384
Cropping One Piece from 16:9 to 4:3 on DVD in Japan, while FUNimation had no problem doing 16:9 One Piece.
Giving AB in France the ONA masters for Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold instead of the home video masters.
https://www.amazon.fr/product-reviews/B01HRQLBL6/ref=acr_zeitgeist_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0
Not allowing Pretty Cure to be simulcast unless someone gets the entire franchise in one single go.
https://fandompost.vbulletin.net/forum/anime-manga-discussions/us-blu-ray-dvd-and-simulcast-industry-news/38742-winter-2015-anime-lineup/page15#post463587
[Seriously, are you fucking kidding me here? That's hundreds of episodes of a magical girl franchise that's niche over here.]
[June 2020 update] Toei finally saw the light, I'm leaving this up to show how stupid they were about this originally. Bundling everything together as the years went by just got more ridiculous and expensive over time.
https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1275484925911683072
Preventing Manga UK from getting Dragon Ball Z for years over a TV deal that would never work out.
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701211312889856
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701353986367489
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701459250778112
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701537529131008
Preventing a simulcast for Dragon Ball Super until Episode 63.
https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/790033506663485440
https://twitter.com/gravitypriest/status/790262851332083714
[Crunchyroll crashed when it launched. That really says something about the demand, Toei. A simulcast was going to be better than a TV deal.]
Removing their own credits from Rowdy Sumo Wrestler Matsutaro
https://twitter.com/Mendinso/status/791826679886929920
Spoiling Digimon Adventure tri. 2-3 at the English Dub theatrical screening for 1.
Terrible DVDs through Toei Animation USA that were very mishandled.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2009-12-03 (Timestamp: 49:35)
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=327590#327590
[They both functioned terribly and had serious translation errors even those with hardly any knowledge of Japanese could notice.]
Terrible Translations
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/710124070432542720 (See whole thread)
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541743831914668032
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541747925823807488
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541752480980545536
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541752769028571136
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541755020916846593
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541758704811769856
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541764725542244352
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541766986603450368
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541771620717969408
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541773574668050433
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541776176587743233
https://twitter.com/sonotoridesu/status/737508824622370817
Tossing the master audio tapes for Dragon Ball Z, forever screwing over the Japanese audio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA1St_lORuM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qddtHLJMV5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqEzK6lTsYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n09NFFXyFc
Toei Animation can be absolutely infuriating with many of the things they do, hence you have that trollface above (which I found off of Google Images). They have quite the negative reputation with many fans for great reason because of this. Below are a bunch of stupid things they've done,some of which caused them to miss out on money/make less than they could have (*Cough*Dragon Ball Super simulcast*Cough*).
Age ratings on the UK and Australian Digimon Adventure DVDs.
http://www.fandompost.com/oldforums/showthread.php?13051&p=124016&viewfull=1#post124016
http://www.fandompost.com/oldforums/showthread.php?13051&p=124055&viewfull=1#post124055
Animating Ojamajo Doremi in HD, but storing it on composite tapes and then deleting the original masters.
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=11992886#post11992886
Blocking the UK from getting simulcasts of popular Toei Animation shows for no good logical reason.
Cropping Dragon Ball Z Kai: Final Chapters to 16:9 for TV and home video and making everything have a green tint.
http://i.imgur.com/mKQoFeS.jpg (Dragon Box (left) vs. DBZKFC (right))
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=29427
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=826015#p826015
https://twitter.com/Jose_CNN/status/818215104965648384
Cropping One Piece from 16:9 to 4:3 on DVD in Japan, while FUNimation had no problem doing 16:9 One Piece.
The season began broadcasting on Fuji Television on June 20, 2004 and ended March 27, 2005, lasting 33 episodes. One Piece began airing in high definition, wide screen format with the premiere of the 207th episode. Despite this, the Japanese DVD release remained in 4:3 fullscreen format until the beginning of the 8th season. The beginning of this season (through to 205) has had an English-language release by Funimation. In October 2011, Funimation announced they had acquired the remaining episodes of this season, along with the entirety of the following season for release as part of their own US "Season Four". The press release stated that the episodes would be featured in 16:9 widescreen starting with episode 207 as had been originally broadcast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_One_Piece_episodes_(season_7)Giving AB in France the ONA masters for Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold instead of the home video masters.
https://www.amazon.fr/product-reviews/B01HRQLBL6/ref=acr_zeitgeist_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0
Not allowing Pretty Cure to be simulcast unless someone gets the entire franchise in one single go.
CR has tried to license Precure but I've been told Toei wants to sell it as a package deal (the entire thing)
https://twitter.com/aers00/status/556630595480981504https://fandompost.vbulletin.net/forum/anime-manga-discussions/us-blu-ray-dvd-and-simulcast-industry-news/38742-winter-2015-anime-lineup/page15#post463587
[Seriously, are you fucking kidding me here? That's hundreds of episodes of a magical girl franchise that's niche over here.]
[June 2020 update] Toei finally saw the light, I'm leaving this up to show how stupid they were about this originally. Bundling everything together as the years went by just got more ridiculous and expensive over time.
https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/1275484925911683072
Preventing Manga UK from getting Dragon Ball Z for years over a TV deal that would never work out.
Jerome_Mazandarani said:
That isn't my fault and it isn't Manga's fault. I'm serious. You have no idea how long and how hard I fought to get the DBZ license for the UK. Do you know why it took so long? Because Toei did not want to license it for DVD b4 they managed to get it back onto TV here. It was only once they realised UK TV channels are crap that we got the deal done. That's what is eternally frustrating to me. I get so much shit from "fans" for things that are totally out of my control. That's the boring reality.
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701102118400000That isn't my fault and it isn't Manga's fault. I'm serious. You have no idea how long and how hard I fought to get the DBZ license for the UK. Do you know why it took so long? Because Toei did not want to license it for DVD b4 they managed to get it back onto TV here. It was only once they realised UK TV channels are crap that we got the deal done. That's what is eternally frustrating to me. I get so much shit from "fans" for things that are totally out of my control. That's the boring reality.
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701211312889856
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701353986367489
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701459250778112
https://twitter.com/AskJeromeMaz/status/625701537529131008
Preventing a simulcast for Dragon Ball Super until Episode 63.
https://twitter.com/Crunchyroll/status/790033506663485440
https://twitter.com/gravitypriest/status/790262851332083714
[Crunchyroll crashed when it launched. That really says something about the demand, Toei. A simulcast was going to be better than a TV deal.]
Removing their own credits from Rowdy Sumo Wrestler Matsutaro
https://twitter.com/Mendinso/status/791826679886929920
Spoiling Digimon Adventure tri. 2-3 at the English Dub theatrical screening for 1.
Terrible DVDs through Toei Animation USA that were very mishandled.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2009-12-03 (Timestamp: 49:35)
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=327590#327590
[They both functioned terribly and had serious translation errors even those with hardly any knowledge of Japanese could notice.]
Terrible Translations
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/710124070432542720 (See whole thread)
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541743831914668032
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541747925823807488
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541752480980545536
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541752769028571136
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541755020916846593
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541758704811769856
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541764725542244352
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541766986603450368
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541771620717969408
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541773574668050433
https://twitter.com/NJ_/status/541776176587743233
https://twitter.com/sonotoridesu/status/737508824622370817
Tossing the master audio tapes for Dragon Ball Z, forever screwing over the Japanese audio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA1St_lORuM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qddtHLJMV5I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqEzK6lTsYw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n09NFFXyFc
Posted by BigOnAnime | Nov 29, 2016 11:54 PM | 0 comments
May 4th, 2016
Misconceptions English-Speaking Anime Fans Have About Anime
Blog Index
As I've learned more and more about how anime production, how the anime industry works, as well as other miscellaneous things, the more ignorance I see about it from the anime community, and the more annoyed I get. So let me breakdown some things people are believing that are false.
Anime Is Animated In 1080P
As of June 2016, this still is not the case for most shows. Even just six years ago, there were various shows animated below 720P, and many shows still received DVD-only releases even in Japan. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for example was animated in 540P, and then upscaled for broadcast. Today, most shows are animated in at least 720P, and are upscaled for broadcast. There are some shows that are animated in or close to 1080P, but they're still rare. Even Fate/Zero from 2011 was not animated in 1080P.
Additionally, digitally-animated anime is forever locked in the resolution it was made in, so Blu-ray releases of many shows will never be truly 1080P. Gurren Lagann for example will never be true 1080P even though it was recomposited rather than upscaled.
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/798162611036569600
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/798177376374956032
Anime Is Mainstream In Japan
Not really. While there are mainstream stuff such as Studio Ghibli movies, One Piece, Naruto, Case Closed, Crayon Shin-Chan, and Sazae-san, most anime is niche even in Japan. The vast majority of anime these days airs late at night around 10PM-3AM.
Anime Isn't Hand-Drawn Anymore
This is completely false. While the animation process has involved computers for quite some time now, quite a bit of the animation is still hand-drawn (whether it be on paper or on tablets). The computer is handling the coloring.
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/802340871572058113
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2014-09-26/.79158 (Third question)
Bigger Budget=Better Animation
This is a huge fallacy. One Punch Man which has AMAZING animation had an average budget. What matters is time, and the talent/skill of the staff.
Attack on Titan was nicknamed "Attack on Stills" while it was airing due to its heavy usage of panning and still shots due to production problems, and even after getting more animators, it still had problems. It did have its moments of great animation throughout though.
Companies Are Censoring Shows
It's quite rare for this to happen these days. When it comes to simulcasts, the reason why you'll see say the Crunchyroll and FUNimation streams contain the usual censors (weird sunlight, black bars, steam, etc.) is because they're getting what the other broadcasters in Japan are showing. The fansubs meanwhile are using the AT-X rips. AT-X is a premium channel in Japan (think like HBO) that gets to show uncensored versions of shows, and can even get to show episodes much earlier than everyone else. This footage is not allowed to be used for simulcasts under any circumstances. On the home video release, you will see the uncut footage. Though there have been a few rare instances over the years where the company accidentally released the TV version of a show (Ex: Sankarea, Martian Successor Nadesico, His and Her Circumstances). Also, FUNimation does later on replace the TV version streams with the home video version for their subscribers. Crunchyroll unfortunately rarely ever has the Blu-ray version for shows they simulcasted.
Crappy-looking Animation Means the Show is Having Production Problems and Has QUALITY
Sometimes that stuff is intentional. See the following below:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-09-30/the-joy-of-sakuga/.93579
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2014-01-26
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=4186173#4186173
FUNimation Is Raising Prices Dramatically
Not really. FUNimation and most of the R1 companies have kept the same cour set/complete set prices since singles died in 2010. The only increase that was done was for a select few Limited Editions that had items in them, they received a $15 increase, the only Regular Edition release that saw an increase was the one for Brother's Conflict ($74.98 MSRP instead of $64.98 MSRP).
Standard FUNimation Pricing Key:
Cour DVD-only Sets: $59.98 (RE) $64.98 (LE's)
Cour Combo Packs: $64.98 (RE's) $69.98 (Pre-2016 LE's, now only for LE's without items) $84.98 (Current LE's with items)
If Aniplex is on the Production Committee They Have International Rights
Yes and no. Many shows Aniplex has been on the production committee for shows they didn't have international rights for. The Perfect Insider was Fuji Creative Corportation, Love Lab was Dentsu, Kiznaiver was Crunchyroll/ABC Asahi, D.Gray-man was Dentsu, Big Windup! was Kodansha, Love, Election & Chocolate was TBS, and the list goes on.
Lower Prices=Higher Sales in the R1 Anime Industry
Tons of fans are under this assumption, but it's false. Fans here have always had what's known as inelastic demand, as the price goes up or down, sales don't really increase that much. An example of this was when Geneon Entertainment tried different price points on singles (3-5 episodes a disc) when that was how all anime was first released here. They tried $29.98 (the standard across the board except with VX+artbox releases ($10 more)), $24.98, and $19.98, and as explained in a 2009 ANNCast (timestamps: 44:20-49:22, 66:00-67:50) by Chad Kime (the former Head of Marketing there), sales didn't really increase. Also the reason why their MSRP's for two-cour box sets stayed at $199.98 for so long is because they continued to sell at that price.
Also, singles were dropped in an effort to increase sales and to keep anime on store shelves when retailers stopped accepting later volumes of shows due to shelf space problems. The result of singles being dropped, the price dropping, and sales not picking up enough to offset that can be seen in the following via a 2013 JETRO report.
Text version of ANNCast Timestamps (has some typos)
More on the 2013 JETRO report
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episodes 25 and 26 Looked Like Crap Because They Ran Out of Money
Hideaki Anno, the director of the series changed how he wanted to do things, and time became an issue, that is the real reason why the show had issues. Shirobako plays out something like this where the director changes things, things are then getting redone, and it ends up greatly affecting the production and deadlines.
The Airing Date Determines When a Company Can Release a Show in North America
The airing dates have never mattered, what matters is the date of the final/most recent Japanese release. Companies typically have to wait six months to about a year after the Japanese release finishes before they can put out their own release due to reverse-importation fears (i.e. fear that JP fans won't buy the expensive Japanese discs (why they're so expensive) and will instead import cheaper ones from overseas). Exceptions can happen (Ex: Dragon Ball Z: Refurrection F (released in the same month), Kill la Kill (first volume was released before final JP volume), but they're very rare.
The Animation Studio Decides Whether More of a Show Is Made
Most times no, as animation studios are rarely present on the production committee (so they're typically just hired studios), so they almost always have no say whether or not a series will continue. When they are present, sometimes they're towards the very bottom, like with One Punch Man's for example, Madhouse is towards the bottom of the production committee.
The Animation Studio/Disc Distributor in Japan Handles International Rights
Many times the animation studio can be the one handling international rights, but not always. Typically it's mainly Sunrise, Gainax, and Production I.G that have handled international rights for their shows. As for the home video distributor, it's not always the case. Many times you'll see say Aniplex, Showgate (now known as Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures (who rarely distributes their own discs, only publishing them)), or NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan be the licensor, but you'll rarely see say Warner Bros. Japan and Pony Canyon (mainly on older titles before Ponycan USA was started up) handle international rights.
The Animation Studio Matters A LOT
This is something that I was once fixated on, but now, I no longer know who is animating the show's I'm watching, because ultimately it doesn't matter that much. The animation studio tends to not have very many actual employees, including say A-1 Pictures. Also you'll notice many directors and script writers have worked for various anime at various studios as they're freelancers. Many don't belong to one single studio. What matters is the staff, not the animation studio. There are times where you can have expectations for studios as they're not working for hire such as Kyoto Animation, Sunrise (to an extent), or Studio Ghibli, but most times the animation studio isn't the driving factor as to whether a show will be good or not. Also most studios outsource their animation, particularly when they fall behind.
The Anime Will Continue After the Manga/Light Novel Ends
Complete adaptations are extremely rare, so this is definitely not the case for most series. The main purpose for most late-night anime's existence is to promote the source material, and to increase the sales. When the source material ends, there's no longer anything new to promote, and the series drops in popularity. It is very rarely worth it for the publisher to push for another season. So the chances of a series continuing after the source material ends pretty much drops to nearly zero.
ufotable Ran Out of Budget For God Eater Because of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Budget Works
They ran out of time due to them falling behind on Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2. They also had to do a ton of outsourcing.
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/613656123581800448
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/613656207082061824
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/616182828364111872
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/620233816435748864
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/620233926049722368
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/625327305288773632
Universal Owns FUNimation
They're now owned by Sony Pictures TV, but this still applies.
No, they entered into a distribution deal, nothing more, nothing less. Also this is separate from their NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan licenses (Ex: Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Tokyo Ravens), other companies such as Sentai Filmworks for instance are still getting some NBCUJ titles (Ex: The Fruit of Grisaia, When They Cry: Kai, Hatenkou Yugi).
(Note how with the covers I showed, it says "NBCUniversal Enertainment Japan (A Comcast Company)" on the Universal logo. It is not the same logo. Note why there seems to be two Universal logos on the Universal Pictures UK release for Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign).
What Is Shown On TV Is the Final Product
This is rarely the case. Many shows will have censors, either due to broadcasting standards, or to give people another reason to buy the discs. Additionally, lots of anime get scenes retouched for the home video release, and may even feature additional footage that gives the episodes a much longer run-time than the original TV broadcast. Shaft shows are the most notorious when it comes to changes. An example of that below from Nisekoi.
http://www.otakutale.com/2014/nisekoi-tv-blu-ray-comparisons/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now below, in an effort to further help people understand how things work... If you're very curious to know even more about how various things in the anime industry work, I highly, highly recommend you check out these links.
Some Relevant Links About Anime Production and/Or the Anime Industry (Some were used above)
All About Licensing: Part I
All About Licensing Part II: The Contract
All About Licensing: Part III
ANNCast - The Last Days of Bandai Entertainment USA
ANNCast - The Life and Kime of Geneon, USA
A "Shirobako" Guide To Anime Industry Salaries
Behind The Scenes! Kyoto Animation Making of Kanon
Dimension W Production Diary
Does Budget Affect Animation Quality? To What Extent?
Dragon Ball Super Production Issues Explained
Guest Post: Anime and Sales Analysis, by Yuyucow
Guest Post by Yuyucow: Anime Sales Analysis Part 2
Guest Post by Yuyucow: For an internet FREE of KyoAni myths
How Is Anime Changing Visually These Days?
Photography and resolution of anime
Producer: No Square-Enix Anime Lost Money in 8 Years
Sakuga: The Animation of Anime (2013 presentation)
Sales FAQ/Guide (This site is also a great source for anime sales numbers, maintained by something (that is his username))
Shirobako’s Glossary, with Pictures and Annotations
The Anime Economy - Part 1: Let's Make An Anime!
The Anime Economy - Part 2: Shiny Discs
The Anime Economy - Part 3: Digital Pennies
The Joy of Sakuga
The reasoning behind a lack of Haruhi S3 (Updated March 2015)
What's A Light Novel?
Who on Earth is A-1 Pictures? | Anime Studio Spotlight
Why Aniplex Sells $500 Box Sets
Why Doesn’t Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Look Great On Blu-ray?
Why Sailor Moon Crystal S3 has better animation than the prior seasons
Why The Anime Studio Doesn't Really Matter | Anime Studio Spotlight
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part I
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part II
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part III
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part IV
Great Columns That Are Regularly Updated
Answerman - Anime News Network
Sakuga Blog - Sakugabooru
As I've learned more and more about how anime production, how the anime industry works, as well as other miscellaneous things, the more ignorance I see about it from the anime community, and the more annoyed I get. So let me breakdown some things people are believing that are false.
Anime Is Animated In 1080P
As of June 2016, this still is not the case for most shows. Even just six years ago, there were various shows animated below 720P, and many shows still received DVD-only releases even in Japan. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for example was animated in 540P, and then upscaled for broadcast. Today, most shows are animated in at least 720P, and are upscaled for broadcast. There are some shows that are animated in or close to 1080P, but they're still rare. Even Fate/Zero from 2011 was not animated in 1080P.
Additionally, digitally-animated anime is forever locked in the resolution it was made in, so Blu-ray releases of many shows will never be truly 1080P. Gurren Lagann for example will never be true 1080P even though it was recomposited rather than upscaled.
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/798162611036569600
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/798177376374956032
Anime Is Mainstream In Japan
Not really. While there are mainstream stuff such as Studio Ghibli movies, One Piece, Naruto, Case Closed, Crayon Shin-Chan, and Sazae-san, most anime is niche even in Japan. The vast majority of anime these days airs late at night around 10PM-3AM.
Anime Isn't Hand-Drawn Anymore
This is completely false. While the animation process has involved computers for quite some time now, quite a bit of the animation is still hand-drawn (whether it be on paper or on tablets). The computer is handling the coloring.
https://twitter.com/Thomasintokyo/status/802340871572058113
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2014-09-26/.79158 (Third question)
Bigger Budget=Better Animation
This is a huge fallacy. One Punch Man which has AMAZING animation had an average budget. What matters is time, and the talent/skill of the staff.
Attack on Titan was nicknamed "Attack on Stills" while it was airing due to its heavy usage of panning and still shots due to production problems, and even after getting more animators, it still had problems. It did have its moments of great animation throughout though.
Companies Are Censoring Shows
It's quite rare for this to happen these days. When it comes to simulcasts, the reason why you'll see say the Crunchyroll and FUNimation streams contain the usual censors (weird sunlight, black bars, steam, etc.) is because they're getting what the other broadcasters in Japan are showing. The fansubs meanwhile are using the AT-X rips. AT-X is a premium channel in Japan (think like HBO) that gets to show uncensored versions of shows, and can even get to show episodes much earlier than everyone else. This footage is not allowed to be used for simulcasts under any circumstances. On the home video release, you will see the uncut footage. Though there have been a few rare instances over the years where the company accidentally released the TV version of a show (Ex: Sankarea, Martian Successor Nadesico, His and Her Circumstances). Also, FUNimation does later on replace the TV version streams with the home video version for their subscribers. Crunchyroll unfortunately rarely ever has the Blu-ray version for shows they simulcasted.
Crappy-looking Animation Means the Show is Having Production Problems and Has QUALITY
Sometimes that stuff is intentional. See the following below:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-09-30/the-joy-of-sakuga/.93579
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2014-01-26
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/bbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=4186173#4186173
FUNimation Is Raising Prices Dramatically
Not really. FUNimation and most of the R1 companies have kept the same cour set/complete set prices since singles died in 2010. The only increase that was done was for a select few Limited Editions that had items in them, they received a $15 increase, the only Regular Edition release that saw an increase was the one for Brother's Conflict ($74.98 MSRP instead of $64.98 MSRP).
Standard FUNimation Pricing Key:
Cour DVD-only Sets: $59.98 (RE) $64.98 (LE's)
Cour Combo Packs: $64.98 (RE's) $69.98 (Pre-2016 LE's, now only for LE's without items) $84.98 (Current LE's with items)
If Aniplex is on the Production Committee They Have International Rights
Yes and no. Many shows Aniplex has been on the production committee for shows they didn't have international rights for. The Perfect Insider was Fuji Creative Corportation, Love Lab was Dentsu, Kiznaiver was Crunchyroll/ABC Asahi, D.Gray-man was Dentsu, Big Windup! was Kodansha, Love, Election & Chocolate was TBS, and the list goes on.
Lower Prices=Higher Sales in the R1 Anime Industry
Tons of fans are under this assumption, but it's false. Fans here have always had what's known as inelastic demand, as the price goes up or down, sales don't really increase that much. An example of this was when Geneon Entertainment tried different price points on singles (3-5 episodes a disc) when that was how all anime was first released here. They tried $29.98 (the standard across the board except with VX+artbox releases ($10 more)), $24.98, and $19.98, and as explained in a 2009 ANNCast (timestamps: 44:20-49:22, 66:00-67:50) by Chad Kime (the former Head of Marketing there), sales didn't really increase. Also the reason why their MSRP's for two-cour box sets stayed at $199.98 for so long is because they continued to sell at that price.
Also, singles were dropped in an effort to increase sales and to keep anime on store shelves when retailers stopped accepting later volumes of shows due to shelf space problems. The result of singles being dropped, the price dropping, and sales not picking up enough to offset that can be seen in the following via a 2013 JETRO report.
Text version of ANNCast Timestamps (has some typos)
More on the 2013 JETRO report
Neon Genesis Evangelion Episodes 25 and 26 Looked Like Crap Because They Ran Out of Money
Hideaki Anno, the director of the series changed how he wanted to do things, and time became an issue, that is the real reason why the show had issues. Shirobako plays out something like this where the director changes things, things are then getting redone, and it ends up greatly affecting the production and deadlines.
The Airing Date Determines When a Company Can Release a Show in North America
The airing dates have never mattered, what matters is the date of the final/most recent Japanese release. Companies typically have to wait six months to about a year after the Japanese release finishes before they can put out their own release due to reverse-importation fears (i.e. fear that JP fans won't buy the expensive Japanese discs (why they're so expensive) and will instead import cheaper ones from overseas). Exceptions can happen (Ex: Dragon Ball Z: Refurrection F (released in the same month), Kill la Kill (first volume was released before final JP volume), but they're very rare.
The Animation Studio Decides Whether More of a Show Is Made
Most times no, as animation studios are rarely present on the production committee (so they're typically just hired studios), so they almost always have no say whether or not a series will continue. When they are present, sometimes they're towards the very bottom, like with One Punch Man's for example, Madhouse is towards the bottom of the production committee.
製作 - ヒーロー協会本部（バンダイビジュアル、テレビ東京、アサツー ディ・ケイ、ジェイアール東日本企画、集英社、ランティス、バンプレスト、マッドハウス、グッドスマイルカンパニー）
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%91%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3#.E3.82.B9.E3.82.BF.E3.83.83.E3.83.95The Animation Studio/Disc Distributor in Japan Handles International Rights
Many times the animation studio can be the one handling international rights, but not always. Typically it's mainly Sunrise, Gainax, and Production I.G that have handled international rights for their shows. As for the home video distributor, it's not always the case. Many times you'll see say Aniplex, Showgate (now known as Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures (who rarely distributes their own discs, only publishing them)), or NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan be the licensor, but you'll rarely see say Warner Bros. Japan and Pony Canyon (mainly on older titles before Ponycan USA was started up) handle international rights.
The Animation Studio Matters A LOT
This is something that I was once fixated on, but now, I no longer know who is animating the show's I'm watching, because ultimately it doesn't matter that much. The animation studio tends to not have very many actual employees, including say A-1 Pictures. Also you'll notice many directors and script writers have worked for various anime at various studios as they're freelancers. Many don't belong to one single studio. What matters is the staff, not the animation studio. There are times where you can have expectations for studios as they're not working for hire such as Kyoto Animation, Sunrise (to an extent), or Studio Ghibli, but most times the animation studio isn't the driving factor as to whether a show will be good or not. Also most studios outsource their animation, particularly when they fall behind.
The Anime Will Continue After the Manga/Light Novel Ends
Complete adaptations are extremely rare, so this is definitely not the case for most series. The main purpose for most late-night anime's existence is to promote the source material, and to increase the sales. When the source material ends, there's no longer anything new to promote, and the series drops in popularity. It is very rarely worth it for the publisher to push for another season. So the chances of a series continuing after the source material ends pretty much drops to nearly zero.
ufotable Ran Out of Budget For God Eater Because of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Budget Works
They ran out of time due to them falling behind on Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works 2. They also had to do a ton of outsourcing.
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/613656123581800448
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/613656207082061824
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/616182828364111872
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/620233816435748864
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/620233926049722368
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/625327305288773632
Universal Owns FUNimation
They're now owned by Sony Pictures TV, but this still applies.
No, they entered into a distribution deal, nothing more, nothing less. Also this is separate from their NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan licenses (Ex: Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, Tokyo Ravens), other companies such as Sentai Filmworks for instance are still getting some NBCUJ titles (Ex: The Fruit of Grisaia, When They Cry: Kai, Hatenkou Yugi).
(Note how with the covers I showed, it says "NBCUniversal Enertainment Japan (A Comcast Company)" on the Universal logo. It is not the same logo. Note why there seems to be two Universal logos on the Universal Pictures UK release for Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign).
I know you answered the question of why the Universal Pictures logo is appearing before certain Funimation shows a few weeks ago (it's because Universal Studios Japan, formerly Geneon, is the licensor for that show). But now Funimation is announcing that Universal is distributing their discs too! Does this mean Funimation is becoming part of Universal? Will only Funimation be able to get Universal/Geneon anime, and will Funimation be able to get anything else?
Nope. In terms of licensing and publishing, the deal Funimation announced this week to distribute Funimation DVDs and Blu-rays will mean very little.
Funimation is, compared to a major movie studio, a "smaller" publisher. They're not SUPER small by any means, but they're small enough that they simply don't have the muscle to get their product into stores like Target and Wal-Mart on a regular basis. When they do, if those stores decide to withhold payment or return a bunch of discs, Funimation would have very little recourse but to take their lumps. A bigger studio gives them a lot more leverage. "Really? You're not gonna pay me on time? Guess you're not getting the new Jurassic World Blu-ray on release day! How sad, guys." Dealing with retailers and other credit-based businesses often comes down to stupid games like that. Being a bigger animal really helps. A lot. Having Universal Studios distribute for Funimation is exactly the same relationship Viz has with Warner Bros. Pictures. And lest you think this is a new thing, Warner Music Group used to distribute for Central Park Media, and Orion Pictures distributed for Streamline Pictures. (Those didn't work out so well, but that's a story for another day.)
As a result of this deal, Funimation will get more product into Target and Wal-Mart. Those stores are less likely to worry about cartoon boobs when it comes from a major studio. The discs will get put onto more prominent shelves, and might even find their way into circulars and other things that will really move units. (This isn't without risk, of course -- Wal-Mart is so huge that if they return a bunch of product, that can REALLY hurt.) It will be harder for anime specialty retailers, who probably won't get as good of a deal, but if they're smart about it, it could be really good for Funimation's disc sales. Or not. Time will tell.
But what of the combination between Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Japan, the anime licensor? Well, despite having roughly the same name, the same logo, and much of the same release slate, the two entities are actually separate companies. They do work together a lot, but one hand is absolutely not talking to the other. However, there is always the possibility that as a result of this deal, someone at Universal will notice that anime is the only segment of the home Video Market that's booming, and want to get in on that as a publisher. At that point, we might have a situation like we have with Warner Bros. and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, where they're testing the waters in becoming an anime publisher themselves, likely grabbing something from their Japanese sister company. OR, and this is purely conjecture, they might inquire if Funimation might be for sale. Depending on how much they offer, upper management could get positively frothy at the possibility!
But none of that is what has come to pass, so we don't need to worry. But as anime gets more and more mainstream, I do expect some bigger American companies to want to get in on the action somehow.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-06-26/.89649 (Last question)Nope. In terms of licensing and publishing, the deal Funimation announced this week to distribute Funimation DVDs and Blu-rays will mean very little.
Funimation is, compared to a major movie studio, a "smaller" publisher. They're not SUPER small by any means, but they're small enough that they simply don't have the muscle to get their product into stores like Target and Wal-Mart on a regular basis. When they do, if those stores decide to withhold payment or return a bunch of discs, Funimation would have very little recourse but to take their lumps. A bigger studio gives them a lot more leverage. "Really? You're not gonna pay me on time? Guess you're not getting the new Jurassic World Blu-ray on release day! How sad, guys." Dealing with retailers and other credit-based businesses often comes down to stupid games like that. Being a bigger animal really helps. A lot. Having Universal Studios distribute for Funimation is exactly the same relationship Viz has with Warner Bros. Pictures. And lest you think this is a new thing, Warner Music Group used to distribute for Central Park Media, and Orion Pictures distributed for Streamline Pictures. (Those didn't work out so well, but that's a story for another day.)
As a result of this deal, Funimation will get more product into Target and Wal-Mart. Those stores are less likely to worry about cartoon boobs when it comes from a major studio. The discs will get put onto more prominent shelves, and might even find their way into circulars and other things that will really move units. (This isn't without risk, of course -- Wal-Mart is so huge that if they return a bunch of product, that can REALLY hurt.) It will be harder for anime specialty retailers, who probably won't get as good of a deal, but if they're smart about it, it could be really good for Funimation's disc sales. Or not. Time will tell.
But what of the combination between Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Universal Studios Japan, the anime licensor? Well, despite having roughly the same name, the same logo, and much of the same release slate, the two entities are actually separate companies. They do work together a lot, but one hand is absolutely not talking to the other. However, there is always the possibility that as a result of this deal, someone at Universal will notice that anime is the only segment of the home Video Market that's booming, and want to get in on that as a publisher. At that point, we might have a situation like we have with Warner Bros. and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, where they're testing the waters in becoming an anime publisher themselves, likely grabbing something from their Japanese sister company. OR, and this is purely conjecture, they might inquire if Funimation might be for sale. Depending on how much they offer, upper management could get positively frothy at the possibility!
But none of that is what has come to pass, so we don't need to worry. But as anime gets more and more mainstream, I do expect some bigger American companies to want to get in on the action somehow.
What Is Shown On TV Is the Final Product
This is rarely the case. Many shows will have censors, either due to broadcasting standards, or to give people another reason to buy the discs. Additionally, lots of anime get scenes retouched for the home video release, and may even feature additional footage that gives the episodes a much longer run-time than the original TV broadcast. Shaft shows are the most notorious when it comes to changes. An example of that below from Nisekoi.
http://www.otakutale.com/2014/nisekoi-tv-blu-ray-comparisons/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now below, in an effort to further help people understand how things work... If you're very curious to know even more about how various things in the anime industry work, I highly, highly recommend you check out these links.
Some Relevant Links About Anime Production and/Or the Anime Industry (Some were used above)
All About Licensing: Part I
All About Licensing Part II: The Contract
All About Licensing: Part III
ANNCast - The Last Days of Bandai Entertainment USA
ANNCast - The Life and Kime of Geneon, USA
A "Shirobako" Guide To Anime Industry Salaries
Behind The Scenes! Kyoto Animation Making of Kanon
Dimension W Production Diary
Does Budget Affect Animation Quality? To What Extent?
Dragon Ball Super Production Issues Explained
Guest Post: Anime and Sales Analysis, by Yuyucow
Guest Post by Yuyucow: Anime Sales Analysis Part 2
Guest Post by Yuyucow: For an internet FREE of KyoAni myths
How Is Anime Changing Visually These Days?
Photography and resolution of anime
Producer: No Square-Enix Anime Lost Money in 8 Years
Sakuga: The Animation of Anime (2013 presentation)
Sales FAQ/Guide (This site is also a great source for anime sales numbers, maintained by something (that is his username))
Shirobako’s Glossary, with Pictures and Annotations
The Anime Economy - Part 1: Let's Make An Anime!
The Anime Economy - Part 2: Shiny Discs
The Anime Economy - Part 3: Digital Pennies
The Joy of Sakuga
The reasoning behind a lack of Haruhi S3 (Updated March 2015)
What's A Light Novel?
Who on Earth is A-1 Pictures? | Anime Studio Spotlight
Why Aniplex Sells $500 Box Sets
Why Doesn’t Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Look Great On Blu-ray?
Why Sailor Moon Crystal S3 has better animation than the prior seasons
Why The Anime Studio Doesn't Really Matter | Anime Studio Spotlight
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part I
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part II
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part III
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part IV
Great Columns That Are Regularly Updated
Answerman - Anime News Network
Sakuga Blog - Sakugabooru
Posted by BigOnAnime | May 4, 2016 3:27 AM | 0 comments
March 14th, 2016
Anime Openings and Endings I Really Like/Love
Blog Index
I love these things so much at this point, I might as well make a list of ones that I really like/love. Links will be provided only if there's a legal stream to said OP/ED (usually from FUNimation). Note: This list of course may never be comprehensive given the sheer number of openings/endings I've seen since becoming an anime fan in November 2008.
-Attack on Titan: Opening 1 and 2
-Baccano!: Opening
-Dimension W: Opening
-Durarara!!: Opening 2
-Durarara!!x2 Sho: Ending
-Eden of the East Movie 2: Paradise Lost: Opening
-Hayate the Combat Butler!!: Opening 2
-Honey and Clover: Ending 1
-IS: Infinite Stratos: Opening and Ending
-IS: Infinite Stratos 2: Opening and Ending
-Kaleido Star: Opening 2 and 3
-Nana: Opening 2
-Nisekoi: Opening
-Psycho-Pass 2: Opening
-Shakugan no Shana: Opening 1 and 2
-Shakugan no Shana Second: Opening 1, Ending 1
-Starship Operators: Opening
-Star Driver: Opening 1 and 2
-Strike the Blood: Opening 2
-The Vision of Escaflowne: Opening
I love these things so much at this point, I might as well make a list of ones that I really like/love. Links will be provided only if there's a legal stream to said OP/ED (usually from FUNimation). Note: This list of course may never be comprehensive given the sheer number of openings/endings I've seen since becoming an anime fan in November 2008.
-Attack on Titan: Opening 1 and 2
-Baccano!: Opening
-Dimension W: Opening
-Durarara!!: Opening 2
-Durarara!!x2 Sho: Ending
-Eden of the East Movie 2: Paradise Lost: Opening
-Hayate the Combat Butler!!: Opening 2
-Honey and Clover: Ending 1
-IS: Infinite Stratos: Opening and Ending
-IS: Infinite Stratos 2: Opening and Ending
-Kaleido Star: Opening 2 and 3
-Nana: Opening 2
-Nisekoi: Opening
-Psycho-Pass 2: Opening
-Shakugan no Shana: Opening 1 and 2
-Shakugan no Shana Second: Opening 1, Ending 1
-Starship Operators: Opening
-Star Driver: Opening 1 and 2
-Strike the Blood: Opening 2
-The Vision of Escaflowne: Opening
Posted by BigOnAnime | Mar 14, 2016 11:45 PM | 0 comments
January 25th, 2016
How I Feel About R1 Anime Licensors
Blog Index
[This is still a work in-progress.]
As I've become rather critical of my anime releases and am seemingly not very happy anymore, I thought I'd make a list of how I feel about various companies, past and present.
For the record, here's what I consider the "bare minimum" of what I ask for in an anime release.
http://i.imgur.com/p18xstN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KoORM9I.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qIxnYzN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6MOgb7A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Z4n7QTd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mLyXJck.jpg
A good cover, good inside art, and good disc art, that's literally the bare minimum I'm asking for. Sadly that isn't met very often these days.
ADV Films
The Good
-Had some pretty neat inserts.
The Bad
-Lack of chipboard on some artboxes.
-Stripping extras from thinpaks. I respect them trying to find a way to get the singles (which pay the bills) to keep selling but yeah...
-Didn't do inside artwork often.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
-Would drill a small hole into the UPC of products they'd heavily discount/give away at conventions.
What I loved them for: The effort they put into their releases (Even though much of said stuff came from the Japanese releases), from the artboxes, to the physical extras, to trying to get a bunch of extras, to the Easter Eggs they would put on releases, some of the extras they themselves made (Such as what's on Neon Genesis Evangelion).
Aniplex of America
The Good
The Bad
(Note, some of these things are due/possibly due to Aniplex Japan)
-Cutting out JP extras, both physical and on-disc. For the prices they charge, and who they are, this is not acceptable and shouldn't be happening. They used to not do this.
-Imports being priced far higher than it costs to import from Amazon Japan WITH shipping.
-Increased holdback times for when titles release. Now they come out/get completed about the same time Sentai or FUNi would have released said titles.
-Dropped chipboard.
-Not subbing special features on imports, and said special features not hitting the domestic release.
-Not keeping various things in-print.
-No artboxes.
-Not putting some extras they put on their YouTube page onto their releases.
-Doesn't care about catalog titles, and Aniplex Japan not allowing anyone but Aniplex USA to touch Aniplex shows. So catalog shows are SOL.
-Excluding some JP staff in credits.
-Will not release some shows and let them rot on streaming no matter what.
-Doesn't use digipaks. (Bit of a nitpick but...)
Bandai Entertainment
The Good
The Bad
-No Blu-ray Anime Legends sets.
-Never did inside artwork.
-Messed with mouthflaps when the English dub didn't match.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Discotek Media
The Good
The Bad
-Barebones with extras, even clean OP/ED can fail to make it to their releases.
-Many releases lack inside-artwork.
FUNimation Entertainment
(As of late 2016, I no longer want them touching anything I care about anymore. That's how much they've frustrated me.)
The Good
-As of early 2016 now always lets people now of licenses that are about to expire in advance, bringing back chipboard boxes (Despite peeling issues), items in LE's (When that was standard for them), some very neat PE's (Like the FMA CE, one of the holy grails of my anime collection).
The Bad
(See also... http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=770171 http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=779846)
-S.A.V.E. banners. Reversible-covers are not a solution as you lose whatever artwork was in the prior release to get said cover.
-Since mid-2012 disc art has been abysmal 99.9% of the time.
-Lack of items in most post-2012 LE's.
-Peeling chipboard boxes (Problem on their 2011-present LE's, not their singles artboxes).
-Taking on more than they can chew. (As of 2014)
-Numerous QC issues.
-Piss poor PR
-For a brief time they never bothered to get any of the extras from the previous releases on license-rescues.
-Dragon Ball Z, they've handled it poorly.
-Anime Classics line not having real spines under the slip-cover.
-Lack of gift with purchases that went away that have now become FUNimation Shop Exclusives for a considerable mark-up.
-Upping standard LE MSRP by $25 and only including artcards to show for it.
-Rarely ever licenses anime from more than a few years ago anymore.
-Constant re-releases (This no longer happens).
-No artwork on filler boxes anymore.
-Doesn't know what the meaning of consistency with releases means.
-Doesn't always avoid recasts, sometimes shows they don't care about bringing back cast members to maintain consistency.
-Did Premium Editions that felt rather cheap, and were unpractical.
-Choosing to go with artwork over actual JP booklet content in booklets.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Geneon Entertainment
The Good
The Bad
-Never really bothered to get booklets from the Japanese releases of some shows while the competition, like ADV Films and FUNi sometimes did.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Media Blasters
The Good
The Bad
-Trying to defend crappy things they've done in the past.
-DVD-Rs (I will never buy a brand new in-print Media Blasters release on DVD ever again because of this until this nonsense stops).
-Constant, constant, constant delays. (Understandable given they're a living corpse but still.)
-Huge lack of licenses.
NIS America
The Good
The Bad
-Doesn't license anything anymore.
Ponycan USA
The Good
The Bad
-Lack of REs.
-Excluding JP extras on a few series.
-Locked subs for releases that cost so much it's a small discount from ordering off Amazon Japan.
-No artboxes.
RightStuf
(Nozomi Entertainment/Lucky Penny!)
The Good
The Bad
-Abandoned thinpaks in chipboard boxes.
-Inside artwork is a rarity.
-Lack of Blu-ray releases.
Sentai Filmworks
The Good
The Bad
-Briefly used stackpaks.
VIZ Media
The Good
The Bad
[This is still a work in-progress.]
As I've become rather critical of my anime releases and am seemingly not very happy anymore, I thought I'd make a list of how I feel about various companies, past and present.
For the record, here's what I consider the "bare minimum" of what I ask for in an anime release.
http://i.imgur.com/p18xstN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KoORM9I.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qIxnYzN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6MOgb7A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Z4n7QTd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mLyXJck.jpg
A good cover, good inside art, and good disc art, that's literally the bare minimum I'm asking for. Sadly that isn't met very often these days.
ADV Films
The Good
-Had some pretty neat inserts.
The Bad
-Lack of chipboard on some artboxes.
-Stripping extras from thinpaks. I respect them trying to find a way to get the singles (which pay the bills) to keep selling but yeah...
-Didn't do inside artwork often.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
-Would drill a small hole into the UPC of products they'd heavily discount/give away at conventions.
What I loved them for: The effort they put into their releases (Even though much of said stuff came from the Japanese releases), from the artboxes, to the physical extras, to trying to get a bunch of extras, to the Easter Eggs they would put on releases, some of the extras they themselves made (Such as what's on Neon Genesis Evangelion).
Aniplex of America
The Good
The Bad
(Note, some of these things are due/possibly due to Aniplex Japan)
-Cutting out JP extras, both physical and on-disc. For the prices they charge, and who they are, this is not acceptable and shouldn't be happening. They used to not do this.
-Imports being priced far higher than it costs to import from Amazon Japan WITH shipping.
-Increased holdback times for when titles release. Now they come out/get completed about the same time Sentai or FUNi would have released said titles.
-Dropped chipboard.
-Not subbing special features on imports, and said special features not hitting the domestic release.
-Not keeping various things in-print.
-No artboxes.
-Not putting some extras they put on their YouTube page onto their releases.
-Doesn't care about catalog titles, and Aniplex Japan not allowing anyone but Aniplex USA to touch Aniplex shows. So catalog shows are SOL.
-Excluding some JP staff in credits.
-Will not release some shows and let them rot on streaming no matter what.
-Doesn't use digipaks. (Bit of a nitpick but...)
Bandai Entertainment
The Good
The Bad
-No Blu-ray Anime Legends sets.
-Never did inside artwork.
-Messed with mouthflaps when the English dub didn't match.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Discotek Media
The Good
The Bad
-Barebones with extras, even clean OP/ED can fail to make it to their releases.
-Many releases lack inside-artwork.
FUNimation Entertainment
(As of late 2016, I no longer want them touching anything I care about anymore. That's how much they've frustrated me.)
The Good
-As of early 2016 now always lets people now of licenses that are about to expire in advance, bringing back chipboard boxes (Despite peeling issues), items in LE's (When that was standard for them), some very neat PE's (Like the FMA CE, one of the holy grails of my anime collection).
The Bad
(See also... http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=770171 http://myanimelist.net/blog.php?eid=779846)
-S.A.V.E. banners. Reversible-covers are not a solution as you lose whatever artwork was in the prior release to get said cover.
-Since mid-2012 disc art has been abysmal 99.9% of the time.
-Lack of items in most post-2012 LE's.
-Peeling chipboard boxes (Problem on their 2011-present LE's, not their singles artboxes).
-Taking on more than they can chew. (As of 2014)
-Numerous QC issues.
-Piss poor PR
-For a brief time they never bothered to get any of the extras from the previous releases on license-rescues.
-Dragon Ball Z, they've handled it poorly.
-Anime Classics line not having real spines under the slip-cover.
-Lack of gift with purchases that went away that have now become FUNimation Shop Exclusives for a considerable mark-up.
-Upping standard LE MSRP by $25 and only including artcards to show for it.
-Rarely ever licenses anime from more than a few years ago anymore.
-Constant re-releases (This no longer happens).
-No artwork on filler boxes anymore.
-Doesn't know what the meaning of consistency with releases means.
-Doesn't always avoid recasts, sometimes shows they don't care about bringing back cast members to maintain consistency.
-Did Premium Editions that felt rather cheap, and were unpractical.
-Choosing to go with artwork over actual JP booklet content in booklets.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Geneon Entertainment
The Good
The Bad
-Never really bothered to get booklets from the Japanese releases of some shows while the competition, like ADV Films and FUNi sometimes did.
-Did credits wrong. Leave them alone, roll the translated credits later.
Media Blasters
The Good
The Bad
-Trying to defend crappy things they've done in the past.
-DVD-Rs (I will never buy a brand new in-print Media Blasters release on DVD ever again because of this until this nonsense stops).
-Constant, constant, constant delays. (Understandable given they're a living corpse but still.)
-Huge lack of licenses.
NIS America
The Good
The Bad
-Doesn't license anything anymore.
Ponycan USA
The Good
The Bad
-Lack of REs.
-Excluding JP extras on a few series.
-Locked subs for releases that cost so much it's a small discount from ordering off Amazon Japan.
-No artboxes.
RightStuf
(Nozomi Entertainment/Lucky Penny!)
The Good
The Bad
-Abandoned thinpaks in chipboard boxes.
-Inside artwork is a rarity.
-Lack of Blu-ray releases.
Sentai Filmworks
The Good
The Bad
-Briefly used stackpaks.
VIZ Media
The Good
The Bad
Posted by BigOnAnime | Jan 25, 2016 4:11 AM | 0 comments
January 10th, 2016
Anime I Own on DVD/BD
Blog Index
A list of TV anime I own on DVD/BD (As well as UMD and VHS). My collection: http://bigonanime.filmaf.com/owned (Note some things I own are not in FilmAF's database, mostly imports.) ANN: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/MyAnime/collection.php?user=ShanaFan852 (For UMD's and VHS)
TV Series
Movies/OVA Series
[Work in Progress. Click here for now to see the list of TV series I own.]
A list of TV anime I own on DVD/BD (As well as UMD and VHS). My collection: http://bigonanime.filmaf.com/owned (Note some things I own are not in FilmAF's database, mostly imports.) ANN: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/MyAnime/collection.php?user=ShanaFan852 (For UMD's and VHS)
TV Series
Movies/OVA Series
[Work in Progress. Click here for now to see the list of TV series I own.]
Posted by BigOnAnime | Jan 10, 2016 4:59 AM | 0 comments
June 24th, 2012
My Stance on Fansubs and Scanlations
Blog Index
(Read the edit note at the bottom first.)
So this is an issue that has gotten me a lot of crap in the past before. I'll be blunt, I feel fansubs and scanlations are hurting the anime industry in North America.
Fansubs have not a whole lot of use anymore in North America. With the advent of streaming and simulcasts, you can watch just about anything legally for free, or a small subscription fee at like The Anime Network's site.
Years ago they were more useful. You had to wait two years for the show to come out on DVD, and this is when anime was still released in 2-4 episode singles for $30 a piece ($40 if you got a volume with an artbox). 12/13 episode series would cost you $90, 24/26 episode series, over $200.
There were no legal streams, so if you wanted to try a show, you pretty much were going to spend at least $90 on a show you had never seen, and if you didn't like the show, you were screwed. With fansubs, you could watch shows as they aired, and you could preview them so you knew what they were like, and would know whether or not it was worth the money to you. And of course, you could watch those shows that would never get licensed as it's very unreasonable to expect everything to get licensed in some way.
Now, most shows every season get simulcasts. If there's a show you want to watch, it's pretty much going to get a simulcast from Crunchyroll, VIZ Media, or FUNimation. Of course, there will be that one show usually that nobody picks up, but may or may not get picked up later. Now, how are fansubs hurting the industry?
A problem today is the anime industry in North America is crumbling. Sales have been falling every year since 2005 as I pointed out in one of my previous blog entries. Why? One reason is fansubs. People sticking with just fansubs, and not going back and buying shows.
Many will just watch fansubs for shows they can watch legally online for free (Or for a small subscription fee), through DVD's, BD's, Netflix, etc. and ignoring the legal options they're given. While this irks me, what really irks me is never going back and buying and supporting those favorite shows you watched through fansubs. Is Clannad your favorite anime? Did you watch it through fansubs? Then go out and buy Clannad.
Now I'm not saying you need to go out and buy every single show you watched through fansubs. It's completely unreasonable, especially when for some shows, you'd have to import them, and that puts you at around $600 for 12 episodes, and around $1000 for 24/26 episodes as Japanese anime DVD's and Blu-rays are expensive. Then there are also shows that are OOP, and going for like $200 on Amazon. Buying from sellers only supports sellers, not the show or company that released the show. And of course, why pay for a show you did not care about (Except for a few reasons I won't cover)? Hated Ikki Tousen with a passion? Watched it through fansubs? Then you don't need to go out and support it as why should you spend money on something you didn't like?
I find fansubs more okay on stuff that doesn't get picked up, so for something like Hyouka which as of this blog post hasn't been licensed in any way, shape or form, I find watching it through fansubs fine. However, if it comes out here and you really loved the show, I feel you should support it. Then there's stuff that only part of it came over here legally, like SD Gundam and MAR. Support the half that got put out, and then watch the other half through fansubs.
Now, as for people in other regions, I find it okay. The markets in places like the UK and Europe will get the short end of the stick at times, and have far fewer shows coming out. Does this mean they can't watch these shows? No, they can watch through fansubs. However if that one favorite show of yours comes out in your region, I'd go out and support it.
Next up, scanlations. We all know how in recent years companies have gotten more aggressive with them. One Manga removed everything, VIZ Media ordered Mangastream to stop doing a few Shonen Jump/Shueisha series, and Manga Fox removes a manga after it gets licensed in North America. While we've had stuff like JManga and Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, there are still lots of series that just don't come over here, so scanlations have plenty of meaning still.
Scanlations I'm more lenient with as there are still so many series that you can't read legally here for free, or the series got cancelled/put on an indefinite hiatus (Zatch Bell!, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Strawberry 100%, and Gintama to name a few), so only part of it is here legally. I have a problem with reading scanlations and not going back and buying the series if it's available here (Same logic from the fansub argument applies here. This is where scanlations hurt the market.), but when it comes to those series that aren't licensed here, I'm fine with it.
You could in the end import the manga if it's not licensed here as while the shipping costs would be kinda painful, manga is relatively cheap in Japan, with the average manga volume costing around $5 (Half the usual price here in North America). It would be ideal, but it's not for everyone because of those shipping costs.
So in the end, if your favorite manga or anime is out here, and in-print, go out and support it if you watched through fansubs/read through scanlations. Also if you watched through Netflix, or legal streams, it would be encouraged to do it as well as legal streams and Netflix doesn't bring in nearly as much money as buying the Blu-rays and DVD's does.
[Edit: March 2016]
A good amount of my thoughts still remain the same as of March 2016, others do not. I no longer feel it's fansubs that are hurting the industry, but rather the illegal streaming sites (some of which now rival the legal sources in Alexa rank and also have ads, torrenting is not as bad as giving money to pirates with ads) which actually are now more full of rips of legal streams than fansubs. Fansubs are not what they used to be. Also fansubs can still serve good uses, sometimes the official release drops the ball in some way, it can be video quality, or it can be severe translation errors not present in the fansubs. Still, I do feel you should try to support a series you love in some way if possible.
Also as for costs of importing, when I made this blog post, the yen was rather strong compared to the dollar ($1=80 yen, now it's much weaker (currently a little more than $1=113 yen), so the costs of importing aren't as high. A one cour show will currently cost you $300+, a two cour show will cost you around $500+. Still expensive, but not as expensive as I made it out to be at the time. These aren't exact figures, and are mainly based off Amazon Japan after discounts, not other stores such as CDJapan who charge full MSRP.
Lastly, as I've come to learn in recent years, one of the main factors for a decline in disc sales was not fansubs, but rather the market being inelastic (not to the same extent the Japanese anime market is of course), and the lowering of prices not being enough to increase revenue. So when singles died in 2010 (very few shows came out in singles that year, and in late 2008/part of 2009 were starting to fade away), the cost of anime went way down, and as such, sales didn't increase enough to offset things, and sales plummeted.
https://fandompost.vbulletin.net/forum/anime-manga-discussions/us-blu-ray-dvd-and-simulcast-industry-news/23997-jetro-north-american-anime-market-2012-report
https://twitter.com/Xythar/status/707723326072852481
https://i.imgur.com/u6hVSjI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/e622UO6.jpg
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1snsi4f
(Read the edit note at the bottom first.)
So this is an issue that has gotten me a lot of crap in the past before. I'll be blunt, I feel fansubs and scanlations are hurting the anime industry in North America.
Fansubs have not a whole lot of use anymore in North America. With the advent of streaming and simulcasts, you can watch just about anything legally for free, or a small subscription fee at like The Anime Network's site.
Years ago they were more useful. You had to wait two years for the show to come out on DVD, and this is when anime was still released in 2-4 episode singles for $30 a piece ($40 if you got a volume with an artbox). 12/13 episode series would cost you $90, 24/26 episode series, over $200.
There were no legal streams, so if you wanted to try a show, you pretty much were going to spend at least $90 on a show you had never seen, and if you didn't like the show, you were screwed. With fansubs, you could watch shows as they aired, and you could preview them so you knew what they were like, and would know whether or not it was worth the money to you. And of course, you could watch those shows that would never get licensed as it's very unreasonable to expect everything to get licensed in some way.
Now, most shows every season get simulcasts. If there's a show you want to watch, it's pretty much going to get a simulcast from Crunchyroll, VIZ Media, or FUNimation. Of course, there will be that one show usually that nobody picks up, but may or may not get picked up later. Now, how are fansubs hurting the industry?
A problem today is the anime industry in North America is crumbling. Sales have been falling every year since 2005 as I pointed out in one of my previous blog entries. Why? One reason is fansubs. People sticking with just fansubs, and not going back and buying shows.
Many will just watch fansubs for shows they can watch legally online for free (Or for a small subscription fee), through DVD's, BD's, Netflix, etc. and ignoring the legal options they're given. While this irks me, what really irks me is never going back and buying and supporting those favorite shows you watched through fansubs. Is Clannad your favorite anime? Did you watch it through fansubs? Then go out and buy Clannad.
Now I'm not saying you need to go out and buy every single show you watched through fansubs. It's completely unreasonable, especially when for some shows, you'd have to import them, and that puts you at around $600 for 12 episodes, and around $1000 for 24/26 episodes as Japanese anime DVD's and Blu-rays are expensive. Then there are also shows that are OOP, and going for like $200 on Amazon. Buying from sellers only supports sellers, not the show or company that released the show. And of course, why pay for a show you did not care about (Except for a few reasons I won't cover)? Hated Ikki Tousen with a passion? Watched it through fansubs? Then you don't need to go out and support it as why should you spend money on something you didn't like?
I find fansubs more okay on stuff that doesn't get picked up, so for something like Hyouka which as of this blog post hasn't been licensed in any way, shape or form, I find watching it through fansubs fine. However, if it comes out here and you really loved the show, I feel you should support it. Then there's stuff that only part of it came over here legally, like SD Gundam and MAR. Support the half that got put out, and then watch the other half through fansubs.
Now, as for people in other regions, I find it okay. The markets in places like the UK and Europe will get the short end of the stick at times, and have far fewer shows coming out. Does this mean they can't watch these shows? No, they can watch through fansubs. However if that one favorite show of yours comes out in your region, I'd go out and support it.
Next up, scanlations. We all know how in recent years companies have gotten more aggressive with them. One Manga removed everything, VIZ Media ordered Mangastream to stop doing a few Shonen Jump/Shueisha series, and Manga Fox removes a manga after it gets licensed in North America. While we've had stuff like JManga and Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, there are still lots of series that just don't come over here, so scanlations have plenty of meaning still.
Scanlations I'm more lenient with as there are still so many series that you can't read legally here for free, or the series got cancelled/put on an indefinite hiatus (Zatch Bell!, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Strawberry 100%, and Gintama to name a few), so only part of it is here legally. I have a problem with reading scanlations and not going back and buying the series if it's available here (Same logic from the fansub argument applies here. This is where scanlations hurt the market.), but when it comes to those series that aren't licensed here, I'm fine with it.
You could in the end import the manga if it's not licensed here as while the shipping costs would be kinda painful, manga is relatively cheap in Japan, with the average manga volume costing around $5 (Half the usual price here in North America). It would be ideal, but it's not for everyone because of those shipping costs.
So in the end, if your favorite manga or anime is out here, and in-print, go out and support it if you watched through fansubs/read through scanlations. Also if you watched through Netflix, or legal streams, it would be encouraged to do it as well as legal streams and Netflix doesn't bring in nearly as much money as buying the Blu-rays and DVD's does.
[Edit: March 2016]
A good amount of my thoughts still remain the same as of March 2016, others do not. I no longer feel it's fansubs that are hurting the industry, but rather the illegal streaming sites (some of which now rival the legal sources in Alexa rank and also have ads, torrenting is not as bad as giving money to pirates with ads) which actually are now more full of rips of legal streams than fansubs. Fansubs are not what they used to be. Also fansubs can still serve good uses, sometimes the official release drops the ball in some way, it can be video quality, or it can be severe translation errors not present in the fansubs. Still, I do feel you should try to support a series you love in some way if possible.
Also as for costs of importing, when I made this blog post, the yen was rather strong compared to the dollar ($1=80 yen, now it's much weaker (currently a little more than $1=113 yen), so the costs of importing aren't as high. A one cour show will currently cost you $300+, a two cour show will cost you around $500+. Still expensive, but not as expensive as I made it out to be at the time. These aren't exact figures, and are mainly based off Amazon Japan after discounts, not other stores such as CDJapan who charge full MSRP.
Lastly, as I've come to learn in recent years, one of the main factors for a decline in disc sales was not fansubs, but rather the market being inelastic (not to the same extent the Japanese anime market is of course), and the lowering of prices not being enough to increase revenue. So when singles died in 2010 (very few shows came out in singles that year, and in late 2008/part of 2009 were starting to fade away), the cost of anime went way down, and as such, sales didn't increase enough to offset things, and sales plummeted.
https://fandompost.vbulletin.net/forum/anime-manga-discussions/us-blu-ray-dvd-and-simulcast-industry-news/23997-jetro-north-american-anime-market-2012-report
https://twitter.com/Xythar/status/707723326072852481
https://i.imgur.com/u6hVSjI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/e622UO6.jpg
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1snsi4f
Posted by BigOnAnime | Jun 24, 2012 1:51 AM | 1 comments
May 20th, 2012
Does Everything Truly Look Good on Blu-ray?
Blog Index
[Edit 2015]In the time since I made this post, many links don't work properly anymore, I've edited in what I can with the internet archive and other places so this entry still serves its purpose. Please note that ImageShack links will not work anymore as they've purged all images that were uploaded for free back when they were a free service, so many of those can't be helped.
Also here's a helpful link for those wondering what cel-animated shows have been upscaled rather than properly remastered.
And some quick things to note I've learned since. The best you can get with cel-animation is a proper remaster, and sometimes unfortunately you have grain removal, whether intentional or from how the film was stored. It is possible to have grain removal without smudging and smearing everything. For digital, most of the time an upscale is the best you can get as it's locked in whatever resolution it was animated in. The best you can get is recompositing, which is something that was done on titles like Gurren Lagann, Working!!, Kannagi, and Elfen Lied. Lastly, some series such as Garden of Sinners were animated at a resolution higher than what DVD can show, so when they were finally released on Blu-ray, the Blu-rays just simply revealed all the detail DVD couldn't show.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So as Blu-ray grows in popularity, so does the number of people who eat up the "Blu-ray is always better." mentality, and those who will want to purchase those worrying their DVD's will become like VHS tapes. Truth be told I had that mindset as well. However, I later got a grasp of reality.
Blu-ray can make some shows look absolutely visually stunning, especially when it comes to remastering older shows, mainly stuff older than 2000. Take a look at some of these remasters (Please note, some shots may have spoilers, view at your own risk.).
https://web.archive.org/web/20111229185831/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1955414&postcount=112 Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection
https://web.archive.org/web/20111225142307/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1967097&postcount=21 Howl's Moving Castle -This is the biggest improvement over the DVD I have ever seen.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519230346/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1853658&postcount=73 Serial Experiments Lain
The Vision of Escaflowne
Now for stuff that was released when Blu-ray was around, as in the stuff was released on both Blu-ray and DVD. Things can look pretty freaking awesome still.
https://web.archive.org/web/20151124031529/http://cfile25.uf.tistory.com/original/135C23174BE5B221155851 Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance
Redline
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Hanasaku Iroha
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
So, where is your "Blu-ray isn't always better claim" supposed to be? Well, here it is. Believe it or not, Blu-ray doesn't always have a massive advantage over the DVD. Sometimes it can look only a little better than the DVD (An upscale), or it can look worse than the DVD (A poorly done upscale). Prepare to see the horrors of shitty Blu-rays. If you thought Blu-ray was always better (And on a massive scale), prepare to be shocked.
Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana Second
Fairy Tail-Note, no Blu-rays for the show exist in Japan. FUNimation did their own (poor) upscale.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519225122/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1906418 FLCL
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo-Notice clearly in the 4th shot how the DVD has more lines in her hair than the Blu-ray does.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519223202/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1824068&postcount=36 Blue Submarine No. 6
What's wrong with these shots? The problem is the smudging and smearing of lines, resulting in blobs of colors. If you've watched a ton of anime, you'd know none are supposed to look like that.
Now, upscales that don't look like shit. Many of these are worth the money, others, not so much as you could get the same result from upscaling the DVD.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519224421/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1811670&postcount=14 Ga-Rei-Zero
Last Exile
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519225112/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1898300&postcount=61 Baccano!
Chobits-To my knowledge, no Blu-rays for Chobits exist in Japan ([Edit]As of 2015 they now do), so this would be just another FUNimation upscale.
Spice & Wolf Season 1 (US BD)-Look at the post below it for comparisons between the Japanese BD, and FUNimation's BD.
Paranoia Agent
So all in all, it really depends on the title. Many Blu-rays can look fantastic (When remastered properly), others can be good/decent upscales, and some look like they came out of a garbage can, mainly just so the studio could make a quick buck. Most Blu-rays for newer shows look quite good (I have seen/heard of a few examples where it doesn't look good or stellar such as Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and Chu-Bra!! however), so those are on the safe side. As Blu-ray becomes more dominant for anime in Japan (Most Blu-rays in Japan are for anime), and anime DVD's die out, prepare to get used to Blu-ray more.
Where I got these shots:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140406204711/http://muhootsaver.tistory.com/notice/1294
Some things to note, that blog is no longer updated by the creator anymore (He does use his Twitter account still, and has updates there), but it still has an abundance of screenshots, and will remain quite useful. Also, any links leading to a place called "The Fandom Post", some things happened to that place, so any links that don't work (As a result of what happened there), change "/forums" to "/oldforums", and the URL will then work.
[Edit 2015]In the time since I made this post, many links don't work properly anymore, I've edited in what I can with the internet archive and other places so this entry still serves its purpose. Please note that ImageShack links will not work anymore as they've purged all images that were uploaded for free back when they were a free service, so many of those can't be helped.
Also here's a helpful link for those wondering what cel-animated shows have been upscaled rather than properly remastered.
And some quick things to note I've learned since. The best you can get with cel-animation is a proper remaster, and sometimes unfortunately you have grain removal, whether intentional or from how the film was stored. It is possible to have grain removal without smudging and smearing everything. For digital, most of the time an upscale is the best you can get as it's locked in whatever resolution it was animated in. The best you can get is recompositing, which is something that was done on titles like Gurren Lagann, Working!!, Kannagi, and Elfen Lied. Lastly, some series such as Garden of Sinners were animated at a resolution higher than what DVD can show, so when they were finally released on Blu-ray, the Blu-rays just simply revealed all the detail DVD couldn't show.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So as Blu-ray grows in popularity, so does the number of people who eat up the "Blu-ray is always better." mentality, and those who will want to purchase those worrying their DVD's will become like VHS tapes. Truth be told I had that mindset as well. However, I later got a grasp of reality.
Blu-ray can make some shows look absolutely visually stunning, especially when it comes to remastering older shows, mainly stuff older than 2000. Take a look at some of these remasters (Please note, some shots may have spoilers, view at your own risk.).
https://web.archive.org/web/20111229185831/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1955414&postcount=112 Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection
https://web.archive.org/web/20111225142307/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1967097&postcount=21 Howl's Moving Castle -This is the biggest improvement over the DVD I have ever seen.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519230346/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1853658&postcount=73 Serial Experiments Lain
The Vision of Escaflowne
Now for stuff that was released when Blu-ray was around, as in the stuff was released on both Blu-ray and DVD. Things can look pretty freaking awesome still.
https://web.archive.org/web/20151124031529/http://cfile25.uf.tistory.com/original/135C23174BE5B221155851 Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance
Redline
Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
Hanasaku Iroha
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
So, where is your "Blu-ray isn't always better claim" supposed to be? Well, here it is. Believe it or not, Blu-ray doesn't always have a massive advantage over the DVD. Sometimes it can look only a little better than the DVD (An upscale), or it can look worse than the DVD (A poorly done upscale). Prepare to see the horrors of shitty Blu-rays. If you thought Blu-ray was always better (And on a massive scale), prepare to be shocked.
Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana Second
Fairy Tail-Note, no Blu-rays for the show exist in Japan. FUNimation did their own (poor) upscale.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519225122/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1906418 FLCL
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo-Notice clearly in the 4th shot how the DVD has more lines in her hair than the Blu-ray does.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519223202/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1824068&postcount=36 Blue Submarine No. 6
What's wrong with these shots? The problem is the smudging and smearing of lines, resulting in blobs of colors. If you've watched a ton of anime, you'd know none are supposed to look like that.
Now, upscales that don't look like shit. Many of these are worth the money, others, not so much as you could get the same result from upscaling the DVD.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519224421/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1811670&postcount=14 Ga-Rei-Zero
Last Exile
https://web.archive.org/web/20110519225112/http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showpost.php?p=1898300&postcount=61 Baccano!
Chobits-To my knowledge, no Blu-rays for Chobits exist in Japan ([Edit]As of 2015 they now do), so this would be just another FUNimation upscale.
Spice & Wolf Season 1 (US BD)-Look at the post below it for comparisons between the Japanese BD, and FUNimation's BD.
Paranoia Agent
So all in all, it really depends on the title. Many Blu-rays can look fantastic (When remastered properly), others can be good/decent upscales, and some look like they came out of a garbage can, mainly just so the studio could make a quick buck. Most Blu-rays for newer shows look quite good (I have seen/heard of a few examples where it doesn't look good or stellar such as Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and Chu-Bra!! however), so those are on the safe side. As Blu-ray becomes more dominant for anime in Japan (Most Blu-rays in Japan are for anime), and anime DVD's die out, prepare to get used to Blu-ray more.
Where I got these shots:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140406204711/http://muhootsaver.tistory.com/notice/1294
Some things to note, that blog is no longer updated by the creator anymore (He does use his Twitter account still, and has updates there), but it still has an abundance of screenshots, and will remain quite useful. Also, any links leading to a place called "The Fandom Post", some things happened to that place, so any links that don't work (As a result of what happened there), change "/forums" to "/oldforums", and the URL will then work.
Posted by BigOnAnime | May 20, 2012 12:45 AM | 2 comments
May 12th, 2012
State of the North American Anime Market 2012
Blog Index
So with all that's been going on this year for the North American anime market, I thought I'd blog on it.
So early this year news came in that Bandai Entertainment was basically shutting down. This didn't really come as a shocker to many as we knew for years Bandai was having problems. They weren't doing all that much. As a result, some things they had picked up like Turn-A Gundam, Nichijou, and Gosick went back to the Japanese licensors, frustrating the fans who really wanted those shows.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-02/bandai-entertainment-to-stop-releasing-new-dvds-bds-manga
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/bandai_downsizing_ken_iyadomi_interview
Soon after, Media Blasters announces they're laying off 60% of their staff and people started to freak. People freaked out even more when months later, Sentai Filmworks snatched up Queens Blade Rebellion, a sequel to basically the only thing Media Blasters was releasing these days.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-10/media-blasters-lays-off-60-percent-of-its-staff
Just when people had enough, news came in that FUNimation Entertainment sued Sentai Filmworks. This one really enraged people as no matter who wins, we the fans will lose. The court case begins this October.
[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-13/funimation-sues-a.d-vision-sentai-others-for-us$8-million[/url]
Things just got so bad in January, the first three weeks we got those three stories. Many were saying the sky was falling
Though the thing is, this market has been dying for years. It hit it's peak around 2003 during the Anime Boom.
[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-15/america-2009-anime-market-pegged-at-us$2.741-billion[/url]
Some factors that basically are going into why sales keep falling, especially that 35% drop between 2009 and 2010 are (In no particular order):
1. The economy
2. Piracy
3. The stuff getting cheaper, and the number of people buying not increasing enough to justify said lower price
4. Many people falling out of the fandom, many being buyers
5. People finding anime to be overpriced, and not buying as a result
Reason 1 makes sense, but I feel it's not as big of a factor as people make it out to be. Sales were declining well before the recession of 2008. We also saw in 2011 how this thing sold out before it's release date when there were 800 copies.
http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/VxMkwdBsx4O2jD-3w9/browse/item/90689/4/0/0
(Please note it was priced at $400 not $500 before it sold out)
Reason 2 is one that I consider a major factor. Piracy has basically become more of the mainstream thing to do, and pretty much everyone these days knows how to pirate things. Many people these days simply ignore legal options they have in their region completely, and fail to see the point in buying anime. When I go to places that aren't ANN, Fandom Post/Mania, forums for anime licensors, it becomes pretty tough to find people who will not pirate, or those that pirate, but will go back and buy the show in the end, which basically cancels things out.
Considering I have even been laughed at various places for buying anime (R1 releases, not the expensive R2 releases), it's a bad sign.
Now I'm not saying you have to buy every single show you like, or every anime you've ever watched, however I feel you should at least support your favorites, or at least make miniscule sacrifices like watching legal streams (If available). As many people say, if you love something, you should support it.
Now reason 3 probably seems strange for many people. Why would the stuff getting cheaper lead to less profits? Well the thing is, the anime fandom can be a weird one in how many people who'd pay $20 for a show are the same people who'd pay $100+.
One great example is how for years Geneon Entertainment priced their complete series box sets for 24/26 episode shows at $200 (Which was still cheaper than buying 7 $30 singles). However they stated when they later lowered prices to around where everyone else was at, sales did not increase for them much. There simply just weren't enough more people buying to justify the price drop.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2009-12-03
This sort of thing is true also in Japan. If you weren't already aware, Japan prices their anime at fairly high prices. Your average box set is at least $150, so that $370 price tag for the Fate/Zero Blu-ray Box I believe it or not is completely normal to them. For singles, they release stuff in two to four episode singles, with the price running from about $60-$100, so your 12 episode show will cost around $600 to own, and the real kicker is their cost of living is much higher, and their salaries are much lower than over here.
The reason behind the high prices was explained best in this ANN article a while back. The unfortunate fact is they have to price this stuff that high to turn out a profit as when they lower the price, sales hardly increase as the otaku completely defy logic. There have been tons of cheap re-releases where the prices can match our prices sometimes (Which in Japan is a massive bargain), and more than 90% of them sell absolutely horribly.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2012-03-07
Reason 4 makes plenty of sense. Many people simply just grow out of anime, and many of these people are buyers. However many of them are not being replaced by new fans these days, so when they fall out, the number of buyers continue to decrease. I feel like a rare breed these days, someone that actually buys anime. I know other people who feel the same.
Now reason 5 is something that annoys me. The price of anime has fallen a ton in the past decade, to the point you could argue more easily that anime is actually underpriced here. Singles are basically completely gone, the things you had to pay $30 for to get 3-4 episodes (DBZ cost $2,610 for 276/291 episodes back in the days thanks to them), and if you paid $10 more with one volume, you could get that artbox to house all the volumes. The only show this year that is being released in singles (Aside from the final things Bandai put out February 7th) to my knowledge is Puella Magi Madoka Magica which believe it or not is being priced the same as shows were in 2005. $90 for 12/13 episode shows was how things were back then.
2009 is the year where singles started to completely disappear. One of the last shows to be released in singles with an artbox was Baccano! from FUNimation. From then on, they basically abandoned singles for new shows for the 12 episode parts you see today. In 2010, when you'd see singles, they were priced at $20, and were around 6 episodes instead of 3-4. 2011 saw hardly anything, and now here we are in 2012 where Madoka is the only show out there being released in singles. Aniplex of America is pretty much the only company now that will use the singles model as everyone else has completely abandoned them in favor of 12 episode parts.
That ANN article goes well more into how things aren't working too well with prices being lower than ever. Newer fans who find Madoka's pricing "highway robbery" I highly recommend checking that out so you can see just how good you have it now.
So, I've explained many reasons why the market is in decline, so who's left in the game? Currently now we basically have these companies:
Major Players: Sentai Filmworks and FUNimation Entertainment
Secondary Players: NIS America, Aniplex of America, Discotek, Nozomi Entertainment (Rightstuf International)
Don't do much: Media Blasters (I'm basically writing them off as dead now), AnimeEigo, Manga Entertainment, and VIZ Media (They release DVD's only for Bleach, Naruto Shippuden, and Pokemon now, and nothing else)
And then you got the companies that dabble in anime.
All in all, things just keep looking more grim for the market here. When the Jetro report that adds in 2010 and 2011 into the mix next April on ANN, I hope to see a sales increase, but I won't get my hopes up.
So with all that's been going on this year for the North American anime market, I thought I'd blog on it.
So early this year news came in that Bandai Entertainment was basically shutting down. This didn't really come as a shocker to many as we knew for years Bandai was having problems. They weren't doing all that much. As a result, some things they had picked up like Turn-A Gundam, Nichijou, and Gosick went back to the Japanese licensors, frustrating the fans who really wanted those shows.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-02/bandai-entertainment-to-stop-releasing-new-dvds-bds-manga
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/bandai_downsizing_ken_iyadomi_interview
Soon after, Media Blasters announces they're laying off 60% of their staff and people started to freak. People freaked out even more when months later, Sentai Filmworks snatched up Queens Blade Rebellion, a sequel to basically the only thing Media Blasters was releasing these days.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-10/media-blasters-lays-off-60-percent-of-its-staff
Just when people had enough, news came in that FUNimation Entertainment sued Sentai Filmworks. This one really enraged people as no matter who wins, we the fans will lose. The court case begins this October.
[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-01-13/funimation-sues-a.d-vision-sentai-others-for-us$8-million[/url]
Things just got so bad in January, the first three weeks we got those three stories. Many were saying the sky was falling
Though the thing is, this market has been dying for years. It hit it's peak around 2003 during the Anime Boom.
[url]http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-15/america-2009-anime-market-pegged-at-us$2.741-billion[/url]
Some factors that basically are going into why sales keep falling, especially that 35% drop between 2009 and 2010 are (In no particular order):
1. The economy
2. Piracy
3. The stuff getting cheaper, and the number of people buying not increasing enough to justify said lower price
4. Many people falling out of the fandom, many being buyers
5. People finding anime to be overpriced, and not buying as a result
Reason 1 makes sense, but I feel it's not as big of a factor as people make it out to be. Sales were declining well before the recession of 2008. We also saw in 2011 how this thing sold out before it's release date when there were 800 copies.
http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/VxMkwdBsx4O2jD-3w9/browse/item/90689/4/0/0
(Please note it was priced at $400 not $500 before it sold out)
Reason 2 is one that I consider a major factor. Piracy has basically become more of the mainstream thing to do, and pretty much everyone these days knows how to pirate things. Many people these days simply ignore legal options they have in their region completely, and fail to see the point in buying anime. When I go to places that aren't ANN, Fandom Post/Mania, forums for anime licensors, it becomes pretty tough to find people who will not pirate, or those that pirate, but will go back and buy the show in the end, which basically cancels things out.
Considering I have even been laughed at various places for buying anime (R1 releases, not the expensive R2 releases), it's a bad sign.
Now I'm not saying you have to buy every single show you like, or every anime you've ever watched, however I feel you should at least support your favorites, or at least make miniscule sacrifices like watching legal streams (If available). As many people say, if you love something, you should support it.
Now reason 3 probably seems strange for many people. Why would the stuff getting cheaper lead to less profits? Well the thing is, the anime fandom can be a weird one in how many people who'd pay $20 for a show are the same people who'd pay $100+.
One great example is how for years Geneon Entertainment priced their complete series box sets for 24/26 episode shows at $200 (Which was still cheaper than buying 7 $30 singles). However they stated when they later lowered prices to around where everyone else was at, sales did not increase for them much. There simply just weren't enough more people buying to justify the price drop.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast/2009-12-03
This sort of thing is true also in Japan. If you weren't already aware, Japan prices their anime at fairly high prices. Your average box set is at least $150, so that $370 price tag for the Fate/Zero Blu-ray Box I believe it or not is completely normal to them. For singles, they release stuff in two to four episode singles, with the price running from about $60-$100, so your 12 episode show will cost around $600 to own, and the real kicker is their cost of living is much higher, and their salaries are much lower than over here.
The reason behind the high prices was explained best in this ANN article a while back. The unfortunate fact is they have to price this stuff that high to turn out a profit as when they lower the price, sales hardly increase as the otaku completely defy logic. There have been tons of cheap re-releases where the prices can match our prices sometimes (Which in Japan is a massive bargain), and more than 90% of them sell absolutely horribly.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2012-03-07
Reason 4 makes plenty of sense. Many people simply just grow out of anime, and many of these people are buyers. However many of them are not being replaced by new fans these days, so when they fall out, the number of buyers continue to decrease. I feel like a rare breed these days, someone that actually buys anime. I know other people who feel the same.
Now reason 5 is something that annoys me. The price of anime has fallen a ton in the past decade, to the point you could argue more easily that anime is actually underpriced here. Singles are basically completely gone, the things you had to pay $30 for to get 3-4 episodes (DBZ cost $2,610 for 276/291 episodes back in the days thanks to them), and if you paid $10 more with one volume, you could get that artbox to house all the volumes. The only show this year that is being released in singles (Aside from the final things Bandai put out February 7th) to my knowledge is Puella Magi Madoka Magica which believe it or not is being priced the same as shows were in 2005. $90 for 12/13 episode shows was how things were back then.
2009 is the year where singles started to completely disappear. One of the last shows to be released in singles with an artbox was Baccano! from FUNimation. From then on, they basically abandoned singles for new shows for the 12 episode parts you see today. In 2010, when you'd see singles, they were priced at $20, and were around 6 episodes instead of 3-4. 2011 saw hardly anything, and now here we are in 2012 where Madoka is the only show out there being released in singles. Aniplex of America is pretty much the only company now that will use the singles model as everyone else has completely abandoned them in favor of 12 episode parts.
That ANN article goes well more into how things aren't working too well with prices being lower than ever. Newer fans who find Madoka's pricing "highway robbery" I highly recommend checking that out so you can see just how good you have it now.
So, I've explained many reasons why the market is in decline, so who's left in the game? Currently now we basically have these companies:
Major Players: Sentai Filmworks and FUNimation Entertainment
Secondary Players: NIS America, Aniplex of America, Discotek, Nozomi Entertainment (Rightstuf International)
Don't do much: Media Blasters (I'm basically writing them off as dead now), AnimeEigo, Manga Entertainment, and VIZ Media (They release DVD's only for Bleach, Naruto Shippuden, and Pokemon now, and nothing else)
And then you got the companies that dabble in anime.
All in all, things just keep looking more grim for the market here. When the Jetro report that adds in 2010 and 2011 into the mix next April on ANN, I hope to see a sales increase, but I won't get my hopes up.
Posted by BigOnAnime | May 12, 2012 9:47 AM | 1 comments