Mecha Talk

The new year isn't being so nice for anime industry news, as ANN reports that Bandai Entertainment is basically pulling a Geneon and withdrawing from the anime distribution business. Unfortunately, this means that Turn A Gundam is canceled, although it seems like we're still getting the second MSG collection since it's already solicited and comes out in early February. This is a case where I'm very unhappy to be proven right about never getting Turn A, since I was really looking forward to buying it. We don't know what this means for Gundam or other franchises like Code Geass, so let's refrain from crazy speculation and the usual sky is falling hysteria.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

It really is a damn shame, and after listening to episode 92 of Gundamn, you guys were more than justified in your wait and see attitude. I think it's safe to say that silence is not really a good thing from a company, and while extremely disappointing, it's not completely unexpected either after the Bandai Entertainment online store closed shopped. Apparently Bandai Entertainment will still be operating in a licensing capacity, so here's to hoping that Funimation or another publisher gets the rights to the shows being dropped, because I personally was looking forward to all three (Turn A, Nichijou, and Gosick.)

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PSN: Amuro2X

As much as I find Turn A over rated even I can't help but feel down on this. Would this also affect Unicorn Gundam?

Only the DVD release, which is handled by BEI. The Blu-rays are released directly by Bandai Visual/Honneamise.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

Well that means I'm screwed, as I don't have a blu-ray player and can't afford one.

Well I can't say this isn't more than a little alarming. It always seemed like Bandai and Funimation were the only big, stable NA anime companies. I just hope Funimation will stick around.

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"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting their coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended."

This is really sad. Bandai Entertainment licensed some of my favorite properties: Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Escaflowne, and the Gundam franchise. To see them go under like this is tough on me.

And damn it, I wanted to own Turn A Gundam!

well

suppose i'd better go get Code Geass R2 then.

...Damn, does this mean the Legends release of Geass is going to stall out?

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I've never regretted anything in my life...except those 15 min I spent watching the beginning of Dragonball Evolution ~Johnny Yong Bosch

I suppose it's a good thing I've already gotten mostly everything I wanted out of Bandai. I had been waiting on a Kurokami blu ray box set but I got the $40 bundle they sold on the website with all the singles. I suppose there's still Gurren-Lagann, but meh, I think I can pass on that.

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"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting their coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended."

It seems this flood of releases on Feb. 7, including the R2 Anime Legends, is Bandai's last set of releases. It explains why they're packing so many items in that one day, when for years they've only trickled things out.

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

As long as I still get Unicorn 5 and 6, I'm okay.
But still, this is sad.
I guess that us getting the Origin stateside(Assuming even that it happens) in some way, shape or form has gone from "snowball's chance in hell" to "definitely not happening"

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No Gundam AGE either.

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"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting their coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended."

The positive that most here seem to be ignoring is that the report claims they are exiting distribution, not licensing. Meaning it's completely possible they might just license/coordinate releases of titles through a more proven company like FUNimation. I'd be lieing if I didn't say this was sad news and that we'd all guessed this was sadly coming the last few years but at the same time there is still a glimmer of hope to be had. We might have to wait a bit longer but the door hasn't completely shut on Gundam and all those other fine series we enjoy.

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Gundam AGEs Forum- Three destinies will form discussion.

Yes, they will keep licensing things to people, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything for Gundam. If Bandai couldn't get their flagship franchise to consistently sell well under their own management, do you think other companies like FUNi or Sentai want to take that risk themselves?

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"What did catch my eye, however, was a podcast named Gundamn!. At first I thought it was a podcast about firearms and [rednecks] discussing their collection, but after looking at the episode titles I was sold." - Xhavalor

PSN: amuromsz006

I'm just trying to offer the positive. Maybe this is it; the final hurrah and could the last one out please turn off the lights. But with even a slight glimmer of hope offered, I think it's important to keep that in mind and hope something comes of it.

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Gundam AGEs Forum- Three destinies will form discussion.

unfortunately funimation hit an snag with there dvd arm there semi-parent company Vavarre is shutting down it's Home Video arm cutting off funmation and there other divisions from putting out new media in 2012 I beleve this leaves Manga owned by Starz who has an existing relationship with BEI even handling the TV rights of gundam 00 and Sentai who i don't believe sell any titles that ADV didn't already own before going under.
http://www.japanator.com/navarre-ceases ... 0973.phtml

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Ah, that's good to know. Thanks for the heads-up.

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I've never regretted anything in my life...except those 15 min I spent watching the beginning of Dragonball Evolution ~Johnny Yong Bosch

The ANN article says more info will come in an interview on Tuesday, so stay tuned!

...I knew things weren't the greatest, but this punched me in the gut. I thought we'd see more sub releases over dubs, but I didn't think they'd outright shut their doors to physical media. Thanks, indeed, for the Feb.7th release info, which I had not heard. Too bad for Turn-A, and now my chances at Gundam X have pretty much gone flying out the window. So much for old promises. I wonder what will happen to juggernauts like Cowboy Bebop? Are they going to get re-released by Funimation? Can they really absorb another catalog? And along that same line, the current supply of Bandai DVDs, are they all headed for permanently out of print then?

The Bandai Visual model may work for something like Unicorn just barely...but that is not feasible in these times for your normal anime series.

Bandai Entertainment has released a good chunk of my favorite anime over the years, and really gave CN a boost in content. This is sad. I know Geneon/Pioneer and US Manga Corps and such went out, but I never thought it'd be possible for BEI. It almost seems as crazy as if Funimation went under. (And I sometimes wonder about their business model, which seems to be expanding and absorbing too fast to be sustainable).

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"May you rest in peace, the betrayed and outraged Milliardo Peacecraft."

Well Funimation isn't the only Anime Distributor on the US shores. You have Viz media which is involved with releasing the Naruto and Bleach dvds and they were also responsable for the release of Inyuasha series. I'm not sure but I think ADV films is still in business which released the Evangelion series. I'm pretty sure Anime Works went out of business. Sony Pictures was involved with the release of Cowboy Bebop the movie. They were also involved in the releases of Paprika and Steamboy, I actually found my Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex : Solid State Society dvd, and the interesting thing is that there is a label that reads Manga video and Bandai Entertainment. Now that I think of it didn't Bandai work with Manga to bring Gundam 00 to sify? Though if I had to guess Bandai would probably release things through Manga Video.