FUNimation selling extra Dragon Boxes at Dallas Comic Con

[TheGreatness25]

@ABED, you know exactly what I meant by my words and you know I want being literal with them. If you want to turn the argument onto that fact, let me be literal. FUNimation is over pricing the Dragon Boxes. It's a cardboard box with a plastic disc that has episode of a TV show that you could get damn near for free. It's better quality of that show, sure, but no shows MSRP is as high as FUNimation is putting it out for. There will always be people who buy it, but that doesn't make it less scumbaggy or money-hungry. Either way, that's not the real problem. The real problem is how they're so casual about the whole thing and try to spin it like everything is fine. That's just extra salt in the wound. No company should treat its fans like that. If they sold it for $80, I'd be fine, but this price is ridiculous. On top of that, they're basically rubbing salt in the wound by making it seem like it's a good thing for fans. You don't treat fans like that.

[Gyt Kaliba]

If they sold it for $80, I'd be fine, but this price is ridiculous.

How would $80 for a re-re-re-release of something (even if it's in the best quality) that's only a fraction of the overall franchise, be much better than $100? Overpricing is still overpricing.

[ABED]

@ABED, you know exactly what I meant by my words and you know I want being literal with them. If you want to turn the argument onto that fact, let me be literal. FUNimation is over pricing the Dragon Boxes. It's a cardboard box with a plastic disc that has episode of a TV show that you could get damn near for free. It's better quality of that show, sure, but no shows MSRP is as high as FUNimation is putting it out for. There will always be people who buy it, but that doesn't make it less scumbaggy or money-hungry. Either way, that's not the real problem. The real problem is how they're so casual about the whole thing and try to spin it like everything is fine. That's just extra salt in the wound. No company should treat its fans like that. If they sold it for $80, I'd be fine, but this price is ridiculous. On top of that, they're basically rubbing salt in the wound by making it seem like it's a good thing for fans. You don't treat fans like that.

Choose a different word than "theft" and "rape".

The wound is creating a need for the DBoxes to begin with. This doesn't apply to you, you aren't buying them.

All I read is "no company should charge such high prices" and "Companies that charge high prices are greedy and money hungry, fans that want stuff cheap aren't." My big issue with this is that it could be a dumb move as they might not sell at those prices. If they do, then i was wrong and someone wanted them badly. The problem i have with high prices is if I feel like I'm being nickel and dimed. If I didn't have the DBoxes, I don't know if I wouldn't have paid 150 bucks for the sets. It baffles me that you are more bugged by someone who isn't even you shilling out a few extra dollars than you are them screwing with the picture. Charging over MSRP=EVIL! but cutting 25% of the picture and screwing with the quality and colors = meh, I'm not missing anything important.

On the list of crap that FUNi has pulled with this series, charging a few extra bucks for a limited release item is low.

[superrayman3]

If they sold it for $80, I'd be fine, but this price is ridiculous.

How would $80 for a re-re-re-release of something (even if it's in the best quality) that's only a fraction of the overall franchise, be much better than $100? Overpricing is still overpricing.

Because the DBOX's originally retailed around the $80 price range when they first came out so it would stand to reason that since these are coming directly from the company who put them out in the first place that FUNi should sell these DBOX's at the price they originally asked for when they came out, asking for more than that from them IS nickel and dimeing to a poor unsuspecting sap who doesn't know any better no matter how you look at it (and I feel sorry for any person who did pay FUNi those jacked up prices to get these), most of us aren't asking for FUNi to simply give these away for free all we're asking is they be priced appropriately and charging 2x-3x more than the original retail price is not pricing appropriately at all.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

I wouldn't feel sorry for anyone who bought these, they should know better.

[Gyt Kaliba]

I'm not saying they're not overpricing them - I've already said I'm disappointed with FUNi on this instance. I was just questioning why $80 was much better pricing, even when these first started coming out - the Dragon Boxes were already a re-release technically anyway, so that pricing on top of coming out way too soon after the Season Sets, so that price range was already pretty ridiculous even when these first started coming out. Just a small thing I was pointing out.

That said though, before the online overpricing came in, I don't think I ever actually saw one of these sets going for that much, at least not in person. My copy of the first Box was only about $50 from Hastings, and I only caved on that since I only had to put $30 in on it myself.

[TheGreatness25]

What I really don't understand is why all of this is happening. I believe they couldn't justify the cost of production for the Dragon Boxes. That's fine, but you paid for the rights to the footage. Why not cut the cardboard and the book and release a stripped down version (I mean look at Kai's release, there's even a white background!) of that footage? You paid for it, just use it.

Again, my personal opinion is that $150 is way too much for one Dragon Box. But I have yet to see anybody argue my true gripe about this - hoe FUNimation is so nonchalant about it, almost as if patting the fans on the head, while creating a hilarious price for the Dragon Box.

Whatever they have done to the picture isn't even the topic, they can do whatever they want to the show when they have the distribution rights. Having a different tint and cutting off the top and bottom (don't be over dramatic by saying 25%) does not inhibit one from enjoying the show, only inhibits people who want to have what Japan has from enjoying.

Anyway, if you think this is fine, I'm glad. You should submit your application to FUNimation. I, personally, feel that it's outrageous to treat the fans who made them who they are today with such disrespect. Again, the price is silly, but to try to swerve the fans the way they did, it's just sad. Major respect points lost.

[sayian_nation_]

Selling one of the Dragon Boxes for $150 to fans who would begrudgingly buy them because of their love for the series is thievery, to be honest. That's $1,050 for all of them. You don't do that to your fans. In today's world, paying nearly $4 for ONE episode is ludicrous. Sorry, but it is. There is nothing special about this release, to be honest. It's got a cute box and book. Oohhh! Meanwhile it's the same show they released several times over. I can watch it on their channel and Hulu for nearly no cost. What's $50 per year for their channel? In addition to DB, I get access to their giant library.

I know the big thing is, "If you don't like it, don't buy it!" but the fact that they'd even have the audacity to try to sell these things for a price that they are definitely not worth is just shady. They're getting their prices based on morons on eBay.

The Dragon Boxes aren't worth that much. I know we're conditioned to believe that OMG we just have to get the show as it was intended. But let me ask you something, are you a fan of the series or a fan of the Dragon Box colors and the top and bottom of the picture? It's the same show. I know that the Dragon Box looks nicer, but you're not missing out on anything. This is me speaking as someone who has them and the Japanese ones. It's nice to have, it's cute to look at, but it's really not worth it at all.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that whoever thinks FUNimation is in the right here probably got these things as they came out for $40 and don't care if others have to spend over a grand on them.

These sets aren't worth that much. Sure, some fans will feel a burning need to get them, but it's really a giant ripoff. I will support FUNimation all day long, but even I'm not going to say that they're right in this case.

I'm one of those "morons" on ebay. If the person buys it though then who's really the moron? If nobody paid those prices, then nobody can sell them for those prices. Do you own the set by any chance?

[sayian_nation_]

I do agree that they should of put them up for retail price. Coming especially from the source itself not try and sell them like it was second hand.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

What I really don't understand is why all of this is happening. I believe they couldn't justify the cost of production for the Dragon Boxes. That's fine, but you paid for the rights to the footage. Why not cut the cardboard and the book and release a stripped down version (I mean look at Kai's release, there's even a white background!) of that footage? You paid for it, just use it.

The best explanation is they probably can't. The deal with Toei is that it could have been that they only could release it in that format and in a limited run. For the level sets they used their masters from the OB's I believe, if they had access to the Dbox masters and were allowed to use them then why didn't they? It would have made the whole process easier as the Dbox masters probably didn't need that much work doing to them.

That is only reason I can come up with, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt on this as anime licensor's have been known to give their licensee's restrictions/guidelines.

[ABED]

Whatever they have done to the picture isn't even the topic, they can do whatever they want to the show when they have the distribution rights. Having a different tint and cutting off the top and bottom (don't be over dramatic by saying 25%)

I don't know what the percentage is, it could be 20 or 25%. Either way, that's a good chunk.

does not inhibit one from enjoying the show, only inhibits people who want to have what Japan has from enjoying.

Don't speak for people. This does inhibit me from enjoying the show. I know I'm losing something and it's not minor. Hell, I don't like watching TV shows in syndication because I'm likely losing a minute or two. I want shows uncut, bottom line, and I'm willing to pay for it.

This price isn't even a problem to you, you aren't buying them but you hold such a ridiculously strong opinion on this topic.

[TheGreatness25]

Oh so if it's not an issue to me, I shouldn't have an opinion on the topic? Okay, sorry everybody else! Got mine, f you ha!

Is that better?

Sorry, I didn't mean to call eBay sellers morons. I take that one back, it's not your problem if someone pays that much for it, but then again, it's not up to you to care, that's FUNimation's job. I do own them and the Japanese ones. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't have an opinion on how FUNimation treats their fanbase.

[ABED]

Oh so if it's not an issue to me, I shouldn't have an opinion on the topic? Okay, sorry everybody else! Got mine, f you ha!

Is that better?

Sorry, I didn't mean to call eBay sellers morons. I take that one back, it's not your problem if someone pays that much for it, but then again, it's not up to you to care, that's FUNimation's job. I do own them and the Japanese ones. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't have an opinion on how FUNimation treats their fanbase.

An opinion is fine, but why have such a strong opinion when you aren't affected by it especially on an issue so trivial?

Cutting the picture affects EVERYONE. This sales tactic only affects a very select crowd, so which shows more disrespect? Remember the way they marketed the season sets? The Way it was Meant to be Seen! That was actual dishonesty.

[VegettoEX]

An opinion is fine, but why have such a strong opinion when you aren't affected by it especially on an issue so trivial?

Your opinion this entire time has come off as incredibly corporate-defensive... which makes zero sense unless you're personally an investor in Group 1200 Media... and your opinion is just as worthless as anyone else's since the matter's so "trivial."

By my reading, you're the only one that hasn't actually taken a step back to look at this from the other side. Do so before any more contributions, please. You're getting extremely out-of-control here and in many other conversations you're participating in.

[superrayman3]

The best explanation is they probably can't. The deal with Toei is that it could have been that they only could release it in that format and in a limited run.

That's possible but until someone from FUNi or someone who knows the specifics of the deal with Toei confirms or denys it, that's purely speculation, but to be fair so is the other argument so you could be right.

For the level sets they used their masters from the OB's I believe, if they had access to the Dbox masters and were allowed to use them then why didn't they? It would have made the whole process easier as the Dbox masters probably didn't need that much work doing to them.

While the DBOX remastering was great for 2003 there are still many issues with the footage, for one thing a good number of splicing marks still exist on the footage and some film damage wasn't cleaned up (a good amount of it was but not all of it), not only that but I'm pretty sure the DBOX masters FUNi got from Toei were more likely than not the original DBOX footage lifted directly from the DVD's which were already encoded at 480p so if FUNi were to use that for the level sets they'd have to upscale it from 480p to 1080p which is a practice that is more often than not heavily frowned upon in the Blu-ray world.

[coola]

To be perfectly honest, if that unsold is true, I'm not sure what is worse, producing more units, only to sell them for more than makrket price, or destroy remaining unsold copies (Like Anime Sols want to do, with Creamy Mami and other anime)

[B]

It was implied that it was for collectors. The box was geared to a niche audience of a niche audience. JPN language w/ ENG subtitles is the default setting which should give you a pretty big clue as to whom this set is marketted to.

None of that implies a limited inventory. Heck, in this digital age, any physical release of any kind is a collector's item. If these were supposedly never going to see the light of day again, they should have said so(if "not selling well" was a factor, maybe letting people know that the product in question would disappear soon might light a fire under some bellies to get their butts to Amazon, but I don't work for FUNimation). They never even actually, properly announced this crucial fact; it was an answer in an interview with ANN. As far as I can see it, there's no defending it, and there continues to be no defending of the fact that no official company in my home country of America is selling Dragon Ball Z, the most popular anime on Earth, unaltered to the masses.

[ABED]

Your opinion this entire time has come off as incredibly corporate-defensive... which makes zero sense unless you're personally an investor in Group 1200 Media... and your opinion is just as worthless as anyone else's since the matter's so "trivial."

By my reading, you're the only one that hasn't actually taken a step back to look at this from the other side. Do so before any more contributions, please. You're getting extremely out-of-control here and in many other conversations you're participating in.

That's not actually true. I have said that I do think they are too high for me personally and think it's a tad high and probably won't sell, but I'm not the one throwing out the words "theft" and "rape" because someone spends a few dollars more on some dvds. This isn't corporate speak, not that I have any problem with corporations. And it only seems like it makes zero sense to you, but it makes perfect sense to me. I stand up for a company's choice to sell something without resorting to force, even if I do think the price might be foolishly high. I don't have to have any skin in the game. I fully believe that a company has a right to sell at any price they see fit. I'm fully able to see the argument from the other side, but I don't ultimately believe it holds much water. You say that I haven't taken a step back to see it from the other side, but where has anyone else seen it from the other side? All I keep seeing is "FUNi's price is too high, they are horrible to their fans." I am honestly not seeing your issue with my post beyond the possible issue with me calling the issue trivial.

How is this out of control? I wasn't sarcastic, I explained my reasons and didn't resort to name calling.

None of that implies a limited inventory. Heck, in this digital age, any physical release of any kind is a collector's item. If these were supposedly never going to see the light of day again, they should have said so(if "not selling well" was a factor, maybe letting people know that the product in question would disappear soon might light a fire under some bellies to get their butts to Amazon, but I don't work for FUNimation). They never even actually, properly announced this crucial fact; it was an answer in an interview with ANN. As far as I can see it, there's no defending it, and there continues to be no defending of the fact that no official company in my home country of America is selling Dragon Ball Z, the most popular anime on Earth, unaltered to the masses.

I think it implies it, the set wasn't being sold to the masses. I wish it had been more clear, but I'm not upset about the issue because I bought them early. I wish many companies were in greater contact with their audience about these sorts of things and I absolutely agree that it's indefensible that the show isn't sold unaltered. It's like Star Wars, I agree that Lucas had a right to do what he did, but in the days where it wouldn't be that costly to sell the untouched films alongside the special editions, I don't see any good argument, technological or artistic for not selling the originals.

[TheGreatness25]

I love how you harp on the words "steal," "thief," and "rape," but those are actually commonly-used slang terms for feeling like you're being ripped off. I also said that I didn't mean them in the literal sense. As I said, if you feel uncomfortable with such terms, I made a whole new post just for you to irritate what I'm saying without using such terms.

You're the one saying, "Oh, for A FEW EXTRA dollars." A few extra dollars? Going from the original $80 to $150 is a $70 difference. That's an 87.5% increase in price. Or, going from what they generally sold for on Amazon as they were coming out ($40), that's a 137.5% increase in price. I apologize to you for using "thief," "rape," and "steal," though I did clearly use them as they as slang based on the context. But you should really look at how you're misusing terms. "A few" does not fit into your argument.

[ABED]

I love how you harp on the words "steal," "thief," and "rape," but those are actually commonly-used slang terms for feeling like you're being ripped off. I also said that I didn't mean them in the literal sense. As I said, if you feel uncomfortable with such terms, I made a whole new post just for you to irritate what I'm saying without using such terms.

You're the one saying, "Oh, for A FEW EXTRA dollars." A few extra dollars? Going from the original $80 to $150 is a $70 difference. That's an 87.5% increase in price. Or, going from what they generally sold for on Amazon as they were coming out ($40), that's a 137.5% increase in price. I apologize to you for using "thief," "rape," and "steal," though I did clearly use them as they as slang based on the context. But you should really look at how you're misusing terms. "A few" does not fit into your argument.

But they are loaded terms, and I don't care for it because 1 - it cheapens them, and 2 - I can't tell if you mean literal theft. I've run into types who do think it is literal theft to sell at prices they believe to be too high. Clearly you don't mean them in the literal sense, but the economist in me likes to be precise when using words like theft and coercion.

A few isn't a slang term, it's an approximation and I don't think 70 bucks is a lot. It all depends on the individual. I wouldn't buy at those prices most likely, but if this was a country wide sale, I doubt they would sell them at that price point. I think it's helpful to put it in context, it's a limited crowd with a niche market.

"I made a whole new post just for you to irritate what I'm saying without using such terms"
I don't know what you're getting at here.