Dragonbox singles question

[Kid Trunks]

28 episodes of Batman: TAS costs $40.

Actually, I think Best Buy is (or at least was) having a sale on the TAS season sets to make way for the Complete series set coming in November. I picked up Season 1 for a little under $20.

And I got Volume 2 for what would be about $15 last week.

[Hujio]

Maybe to you guys its not that bad (for Japan). But no matter where in the world I am, I'd still lose $800 or so on that set. Sure, its roughly $30 a disc and lots of extras, but I'm coming from a very personal point-of-view on how much its worth.

I'm not saying that to me it's not bad, nor am I suggesting that anyone has to go buy them. I totally sympathize with you, I mean $800 is $800. In fact, I personally hate that CDs and DVDs are so expensive in Japan. I typically can't justify buying them because of that fact alone. I don't blame you at all if you don't buy it; that's a lot of money. I was simply pointing out what comes with the Dragon Box (i.e. more than just the discs) and showing that if you have the money right now, and you want to buy the Dragon Box, it is a better deal than buying all of the singles.

Is the price justified when compared to similar Japanese items? I think so. Is it justified when compared to similar over seas items, like the United States? Hell no! But in the end you're comparing apples to oranges, since there's really nothing like the Dragon Boxes in North America. I hope this all makes sense... because I'm really not trying to argue over this. Just pointing facts.

[Kendamu]

I was trying to diffuse the idea of an argument as well in my last post (toward the end of the first page, right before Mike's post). So, don't worry, I'm not trying to argue, either.

[Saiyan]

Is there a particular reason why DVDs are so expensive in Japan?

[VegettoEX]

Is there a particular reason why DVDs are so expensive in Japan?

It's a business model they decided to go with and it's "the Japanese way" to do it like that. No change can happen.

[Kendamu]

Is there a particular reason why DVDs are so expensive in Japan?

It's a business model they decided to go with and it's "the Japanese way" to do it like that. No change can happen.

Very true. Changing "the Japanese way" is like trying to make applesauce out of a rock.

[SSJ2bardock]

Is there a particular reason why DVDs are so expensive in Japan?

It's a business model they decided to go with and it's "the Japanese way" to do it like that. No change can happen.

Very true. Changing "the Japanese way" is like trying to make applesauce out of a rock.

Which, to the best of my knowledge, cannot be done.

[Mayuri Furiza Kurotsuchi]

It's a business model they decided to go with and it's "the Japanese way" to do it like that. No change can happen.

Very true. Changing "the Japanese way" is like trying to make applesauce out of a rock.

Which, to the best of my knowledge, cannot be done.

They're doing a pretty good job over there though. Unlike America, the DVDs actually sell pretty well.

[Kid Trunks]

Very true. Changing "the Japanese way" is like trying to make applesauce out of a rock.

Which, to the best of my knowledge, cannot be done.

They're doing a pretty good job over there though. Unlike America, the DVDs actually sell pretty well.

I thought the season sets were selling well. No?

[Kendamu]

Which, to the best of my knowledge, cannot be done.

They're doing a pretty good job over there though. Unlike America, the DVDs actually sell pretty well.

I thought the season sets were selling well. No?

They are.

[MajinVejitaXV]

I thought the season sets were selling well. No?

They are.

<accountant>

Yes, that's because FUNimation already made their money on DragonBall Z with the original singles and UUE's to a lesser degree (read: 3 episodes, $24.95). Now, everything they make is gravy. Had they tried selling the series for this much out of the gate, their DVD business would have lasted...two months? Three?

So, a slapdash "remaster" and "redub" later, 25-40 episodes for $49.95 = people who already bought the series and anyone who didn't but was vaguely interested picks it up. More money, but not a huge risk either way.

Meanwhile, companies like Bandai and Geneon who are selling their shows at reasonable but not insane prices, are failing since they're mostly new properties that they can't run around selling for $2-3 an episode. The trade is, their discs are actually (for the most part) the sterling example of what an anime DVD should be.

Sadly, most people don't care. They'd rather watch macroblocked, cropped (not talking DBZ, making generalizations here) anime that cost $20 for as many episodes on their $500 Costco plasma and talk about how sweet it looks

</accountant>

-Corey