You got $20 this week? I've a recommendation.
So.
I’ll lead with the news report I first read.
CEO: Bang Zoom to Cease Anime Dubbing in 2011 Without Fan Support
President Eric P. Sherman cites fans watching fansubs, not buying DVDs
…and of course everyone else & their kid brother [i.e. most manga&anime bloggers] have linked to it.
key quote:
Anime is going to die.Unless YOU change. Right now. Stop stealing. If you have committed theft, robbery, shop-lifting, or just “downloading some stuff through torrent reactor,” then just stop doing it — now. You probably wouldn’t go into a supermarket and put a package of swiss cheese under your shirt and walk out without paying. Nor would you walk into Best Buy and try to walk out with Guitar Hero, bypassing the cash register. Why? Is it because you might get caught? Or are there other issues, such as standards of morality, that dictate how you live your life.
The net, for all it’s charms, is also a dark and dangerous place. When you’re navigating it, you need to ask yourself this question: Is this right, just because it is so easy? You need to understand that quality entertainment costs a lot to create. And if there is no one paying for this content, it just won’t be made anymore. If no one bought tickets to a Lady Ga Ga show, she would not do the tour. That’s just how it works. For some reason, people don’t mind stealing their anime. I’m here to tell you flat out: This is wrong. You are doing something bad. And you need to stop it.
[emphasis Sherman’s.]
Again, So.
I’ve an excellent suggestion, one that will educate you about the process while simultaneously adding some black ink to Bang Zoom! Entertainment’s bottom line. Consider this to be a pledge drive of sorts, with it’s own very special “Thank You Gift” in the form of a DVD well worth the $20.
Go. Buy this DVD.
http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com/purchase
I’m not selling you a pig in a poke: you can go preview the first five chapters right now at Crunchyroll
Not only will your purchase benefit Bang Zoom! — a company that has recently, publicly noted they could use a bit more commerce — but you will also be in possession of one of the best recent documentaries on the production of American anime localizations, and if enough of us buy this first volume, it might prompt Bang Zoom! to release the next two planned DVDs in the series — I can only assume they are sitting on hours of interview footage and are waiting until it’s economically viable to do another DVD release. (these things cost money)
From their FAQ: “There are no other DVDs available anywhere in the world like this that we know of.”
Damn straight.
If nothing else, you need to see Lance Henriksen [yes, Bishop from Aliens and from the ’96-99 Fox show Millennium] talk about voice acting, and how it’s different from other aspects of the craft.
See, this is where it’s easy to make a difference:
Buy a DVD you know you want anyway. Prove that you’re an intellectual, reflective fan who is interested in the process (or interested in becoming part of that process as there really is no other tutorial available on how to become an anime dub VA) and simultaneously inject some capital directly into one of the few companies that produce quality dubs.
$20.
Two manga.
One DVD. (in fact, you get one DVD in this deal)
5 Starbucks.
3 Fast Food dinners.
24 beers, or two bottles (or one box) of wine.
Crap advertised on late-nite TV.
A single hardcover book.
116 packs of ramen. (OK, so this comparison is a little harsh)
Still: Can we find $20 in our budget this week for the best and indeed only documentary on the American Anime business? You owe it to yourself to own this DVD, and if nothing else, a spike in sales would shut Eric Sherman up.
Whether you like or hate him, it has to be worth the money, right?
And if 2010-2011 does in fact spell the end of [American] anime — you’ll be in possession of one of very few historical documents on the industry — win-lose-win all around!
Comment by Matt Blind — 6 May 2010, 23:21 #