Sony acquires Funimation

[Zontar]

https://www.funimation.com/blog/2017/08/01/funimation-agrees-acquired-sony-pictures-television-networks/

Fuck Sony.

I don't even know what to say except that I'm now probably going to cancel my FunimationNow subscription because Fuck Sony. They ruin everything they touch and now they're about to do the same for anime beyond Aniplex's bullshit.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Not Funimation! Nooo! Not that site I've totally heard of and use daily for all my Funimation needs! Like wow, I use Funimation so much they might as well call me the King of Funimation. But now that Sony has bought my kingdom, as the King of Funimation I feel totally betrayed, like for realz.
This is the end of my epic, years long reign of Funimation and all its Funimation centered activities.

Good night sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

 

[Saelune]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english? Then you know what Funimation is.

 

[Zontar]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Funimation is the largest anime distributor in the US domestic market (US and Canada), largest of the big two (the other being Sentai), king of physical distribution and second largest streaming service for anime (first being Crunchyroll).

Sony, who own Aniplex, which has a US subsidiary that is the perpetual third place amongst the big two, the Dark Horse to North America's anime DC and Marvel, has just bought them, so it's time to panic.

First Amazon entered the industry and started royally fucking things up with their double paywall and constant delays, then Netflix entered and started fucking things up with their refusal to air anything until the season is long over, now this. Fucking normies are ruining anime again.

NORMIES OUT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

 

[Asita]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english? Then you know what Funimation is.

Now, let's not overgeneralize. I mean Funimation was not responsible for Poison Suction (4Kids), or Big Green (AB Group). That said, they were also not responsible for the Ghost Stories dub, which is a mark against everyone but ADV Films. Because it is glorious.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english?

Japanese or Spanish.

 

[09philj]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english? Then you know what Funimation is.

Now, let's not overgeneralize. I mean Funimation was not responsible for Poison Suction (4Kids), or Big Green (AB Group). That said, they were also not responsible for the Ghost Stories dub, which is a mark against everyone but ADV Films. Because it is glorious.

Manga Entertainment is the big one in the UK.

 

[Saelune]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english? Then you know what Funimation is.

Now, let's not overgeneralize. I mean Funimation was not responsible for Poison Suction (4Kids), or Big Green (AB Group). That said, they were also not responsible for the Ghost Stories dub, which is a mark against everyone but ADV Films. Because it is glorious.

I meant it more like "You cant throw something at an english dubbed anime section without hitting something Funimation worked on.

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english?

Japanese or Spanish.

Dont know about spanish. *shrug*

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Hasn't anime ruined itself with Steam Greenlight levels of crap by now? What can Sony possibly do to make it any worse?

 

[Zontar]

Hasn't anime ruined itself with Steam Greenlight levels of crap by now? What can Sony possibly do to make it any worse?

Anime's been on a bit of a boom these past 5 years and the quality's been going up too.

Not anymore it's not though, not with Sony owned Aniplex now being under the same banner as Funimation. Sony is many things, incompetent to the point of hiring Tom Rothman being one of them. And now they own one of the big two.

 

[bluegate]

Let's first just wait and see how things develop before losing our heads?

 

[Tony2077]

i love funimation and i doubt the way i am that will change anytime soon

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Not that I'm an expert or anything but wasn't it somewhat of a consistent failure to try to get americans into anime? I know there's a fanbase among, you know, nerds but it seems fairly nich?. I know that in some european countries, my own included, a lot of people grew up with anime, even some fairly obscure stuff like Dr. Slump and... a whole bunch of Magical Girl stuff more or less riding the coattails of Sailor Moon.

But in America it always seemed to be a matter of too little, too late and not very well done. Wasn't Dragonball Z aired there before OG Dragonball ever made it onto TV? And then there's that weird shit 4Kids has been doing in some misguided attempt to make everything they got their hand on childfriendly which is why I imagine a lot of american anime geeks prefer subs over dubs.

Where I'm going with this is, I doubt whatever Sony's gonna do with Funimation is gonna have a huge impact on the english speaking anime community at large. Because I can't imagine anime in America being handled any worse than it already is. Not that it's much better in Europe these days, the glory days of syndication and distribution of quality anime are long over and the channel that has been showing it here in Germany switched to scripted reality television with little other purp9se than dehumanizing the poor.

 

[hermes]

Fuck anime distributor and publishers companies and their constant treating my countrymen as less than an afterthought and as fourth class citizens. Fuck anime distributor and publishers companies for treating the content creators like expendable assets that can be grind into dust until they are literally exhausted to sickness and death or drove to suicide.

Anime outside of Japan is an extreme commodity from an elitist industry. Even when you pay for it, you are treated with a wall that denies most content because your hardearned money is not good enough. That means the best and only way to get access to it is piracy. We few ones that actually pay for it are treated like schmucks by those that do far less and get way more, and as dirt by those that get our money.

So, I hope funimation gets a budget boost that allows them to work better on a global market. Failing that, I hope greedy, elitist anime publishers die in a fire and content creators switch to better work conditions, like self publishing, Internet distribution, Patreon or some serious media publishers (like, yes, Netflix or Amazon), even if it means less regularity.

 

[Fox12]

This would be extremely distressing if I knew what Funimation was or what the acquisition entailed.

Ever watch Anime in english?

Japanese or Spanish.

Have you ever purchased any anime whatsoever for less than $120? Have you seen any anime dubbed? That's Funimation.

 

[Wakey87]

I do still buy Anime, not realy into dubs tho.
Sentai have been picking up pace the last few years and putting sub only releases out at reasonable prices.

Tbh I did hear about this earlier but didn't pay it any mind, but now I know they own Aniplex I'm kinda worried all anime is going be unreasonably priced from now on.

 

[Zontar]

self publishing, Internet distribution, Patreon or some serious media publishers (like, yes, Netflix or Amazon), even if it means less regularity.

Given how the entire industry is a very hobbyist driven one where I'd be genuinely surprised if the number of people who are a part of it brake a million, that isn't likely to happen.

As it stands the industry caters to a very small demographic, where income stems pretty much entirely from BluRay sales with streaming rights and the like being only an afterthought, where 5,000 units is the brake even point, and where the three top selling series of all time sold just above 20,000 units after their initial run and two subsequent reprints over the years.

Anime is a shockingly niche thing and I, as someone who has imported 4 series in their entirety from Japan (3 of which have native English subs mind you) am one of the few gaijin who has enough money and little sense to say I support the industry. Because odd as it may seem those 4 series did more to support the industry financially then the hundreds of series I've bought from Funimation, Sentai, Aniplex and some of the minor distributors.

Someone please for the love of god send help.

 

[balladbird]

hmm... Sony owns Aniplex... Aniplex USA's asinine blu-ray prices are the reason I had to spend enough to put a down payment on a car just to own Fate/Zero and UBW...

this acquisition doesn't bode well for my hobby collecting anime on blu ray.