my first reaction after reading this.
[quote=chrisc]
[quote=TheCoffeeGod]
Wouldnât that be ironic if neo-ADV bought it.[/quote]
That would be horrible. Say goodbye to dubs forever![/quote]
Sentai doesnât release titles sub-only because they hate dubs. They do it because many of the titles in their catalog do not have enough sales potential to warrant the added cost. Something like Tayutama or Samurai Harem is very unlikely to move the 5000+ units needed to cover production of a dub. A lot of the titles in Funiâs catalog would be able to. However, I would seriously doubt they would have any reason to keep Funiâs dubbing studios open, when they already have their own. Regardless, itâs a mute point, as this is about as unlikely to happen as Lionâs Gate buying Warner Brothers.
Anyway, this news doesnât surprise me at all. Funimation just doesnât fit into Navarreâs business model, especially with BCI now out of the picture. Their main business has always been software sales and distribution, and they have done a lot more of that than they have ever done with the DVD publishing end of their business. Not to mention, the software sector has a slightly brighter future than physical media sales.
The funny thing is I keep reading comments like âI thought Funimation was Navarreâs biggest and most profitable divisionâ, âI thought it made up like 80% of the company,â or âI thought Funimation was their only profitable division.â I take it a lot of people donât read the earnings reports that Navarre puts out which show their publishing business has been in decline for some time. They also quite easily show that their publishing division only does a fraction of the revenue of their software and distribution businesses.
I guess people donât like to read and skip straight to commenting. Oh wait, I forgot. This is the internet. Thatâs what itâs for. 
I have a dollar. And thatâs my final offer, Funi.
I will double that! And throw in some free cookies! 
Funimation is still doing their PR song and dance about this ,but the words âmeets expectationsâ to me mean they just broke a slight over even and are now leaning more towards a drain with their new plans. We want to throw them off the side of the ship before they take us down with them. Hopefully a new Magical Mermaid can save them from the sharks that are circling ,but if not maybe one of those sharks will help them out.
Seriously though you donât start looking for someone to buy something if its still working so it really begs the question âWhat is broken and how bad?â. I know the answer ,but I donât feel like being anything except sarcastic and slightly amused about all this. Feel sorry for people that work there if the sell off gets them fired , loses the VAâs work ,and the loss it would bring of One Piece ,but for Funimation as a company. I canât really cause a lot of their practices piss me off. Every company does something that pisses me off ,but Funimation seems to do more then the rest.
With all of this I just said do I really want something to happen to Funimation? NO, because while I have my problems with them they do at a certain level help keep Anime from being a completely niche market. While in the end that could be a good or bad thing to some. To me its good because it keeps it out there so maybe some curious soul will try out one of the other flavors. (Flavors in this case being the other companies.) In the end Funimation has made a lot of the same mistakes others that are either gone or in a new lesser shell did. You have to wonder are all this those mistakes catching up to them?
This is the same thing Iâve been thinking. The only thing that separated Funimation from ADV is the fact that they had licenses like DBZ, Afro Samurai, and FMA. ADV had some big titles at times, but they were often shorter series like Evangelion and Full Metal Panic, and a 13 or 26 episode series cannot compete with a long series like DBZ or one with a cable run and big stars attached like Afro.
If you look at their business plans, there are nearly identical. They even both launched anime channels. Funimation even later changed itâs approach to mimick Anime Networks by focusing largely on VOD. The only difference in their businesses is that Funi never had manga or music divisions.
People can talk all they want about Funiâs planning and business savvy, but in the end, theyâre an entertainment company. The success of their business will ultimately depend on the properties they produce and license.
Funimation is the only Anime company that didnât get kicked under the table in the past few years. The news that Navarre wants to sell Funimation so they can can both expand. With anime/Manga companies still downsizing and closing, it just makes me a wonder.
[size=16]Funi CEO: Navarre to Distribute Titles Even After Possible Sale[/size]
posted on 2010-05-29 01:00 EDT
Gen Fukunaga: Sale to founders unlikely; 1st co-production to be revealed soon
All I have to say after reading that interview isâŚWOW!!!
JustâŚ
WOW!!!
And thatâs not a good wowâŚor a bad one either: more like ? really?
But then again, of course heâs gonna wanna make out looking all milk and honey. You need to look good for your prospective buyers.
I think people seem to forget that before Navarre bought them Funimation was not looking to good. Funimation really did not start to look good until Geneon went under , ADV started to wobble on its unicycle , and Bandai Entertainment started to get a long shaft from Japan. Without those Funimation swoop in like a vulture on a fresh carcass. Then started to make it look like they cared about all fans. After a while most of us started to see some of the true colors coming through. Thankfully by that time ADV became S23 and Media Blasters had started to pop in with some good stuff. Shame it was so easy for some to turn a blind eye.
Social Networking? Thatâs what theyâre worried about? That idea is gonna crash and burn. I donât think itâs good that this kind of change is coming to Funimation, they have put out a few good titles, but maybe theyâve got some good plans thatâll help float it out.
I wonder what the new Social Networking page would look like. Everything I have been reading lately is about them getting into Social Networking. How Adam on the Funimation blog said he is âstepping down from running conventions and events for FUNimation to manage the marketing on our new social site coming soonâ. How big is the thing? It kinda sounds like they are building a mini Facebook.
I just see Funimation wasting a lot of money if theyâre trying to create some kind of social networking site. Iâm sure theyâll try to rip off an established site, thatâs the funi way.
Slick
So what, they want to become the next MyFaceBookSpace? Thatâs not very Funi. What would they call it, anyhow, FuniNation? Lacking in inagimation.
[quote=ZakuAce]
[quote=TheCoffeeGod]
Foolish child.[/quote]
this.[/quote]
Some things still never change. :S
On the upside, LOL! Well played Coffee.
[quote=dragoon]
[quote=ZakuAce]
[quote=TheCoffeeGod]
Foolish child.[/quote]
this.[/quote]
Some things still never change. :S
On the upside, LOL! Well played Coffee. :P[/quote]
My response was well deserved. Oh, and welcome back!!!
[quote=chrisc]
My response was well deserved.[/quote]
Considering itâs not even remotely true, how do you justify it being âdeservedâ, other than being a pointless trollish comment?
[quote=TheCoffeeGod]
[quote=chrisc]
My response was well deserved.[/quote]
Considering itâs not even remotely true, how do you justify it being âdeservedâ, other than being a pointless trollish comment?[/quote]
IDK I just wanted to say it.
I donât dislike Neo-ADV but most of the animes needs a dub for me to even want to watch them. except for Clannad, To Love Ru, & Demon King Daimao animes like that.
My point is, your logic is so narrow-mindedly flawed, itâs almost not even worth commenting on.
However, since it was brought up, do you really think if neo-ADV actually had the funds to purchase FUNi outright, that things would be as they are now?
[quote=TheCoffeeGod]
My point is, your logic is so narrow-mindedly flawed, itâs almost not even worth commenting on.
However, since it was brought up, do you really think if neo-ADV actually had the funds to purchase FUNi outright, that things would be as they are now?[/quote]
No, I think FUNi would do all Neo-ADVâs sub-only releases, and Neo-ADV would do all the dubbed animes.