Viz and their fans? (Also: banning of Metropolisforever)

[strobe_z]

I'm wondering why Viz seems to be so apathetic to their fan-base? Their website doesn't feature a forum (like Darkhorse), and they never seem to respond to requests/questions.

There's a lot of things I'd like to know - do they have any plans for another Tezuka series after Phoenix? How 'bout a re-release of Black Jack (done right, this time!).

I'm also curious if they have plans to re-release any of Rumiko Takahashi's Urusei Yatsura series now that Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 are finished.

I just find Viz so... infuriatingly close-mouthed about everything they do.

[cmoon]

I've also knocked on Viz's door a couple times (electronically) and received either no response or a standardized response that was useless.

I also wonder if VIZ has any other plans for Tezuka.

[putrocca]

Why doesn't VIZ listen to fans? Short answer: becuase listening to fans doesn't get you more money, listening to statisticians and market analysts does. VIZ is the most financially successful anime company out there for a reason, and that is very careful marketing and ignoring all else.

As for Viz's plans for more Tezuka, all I know is that when I talked to some Tezuka Productions representatives and remarked, "And when Viz runs out of Phoenix then they won't be putting out any Tezuka either," they exchanged glances and hinted that something might be in the works. So we may have cause to hope there. My personall guess/hope is that Viz might return to putting out Black Jack, which would be excellent.

As to why Viz's site etc. doesn't cater to fans, right now Viz is the 900 lb. gorrilla of the Anime industry raking in huge profits from major popular kids' titles like Naruto, Bleach, Hikaru no Go, One Piece plus Shounen Jump and Shoujo Beat. Their editors are regularly and reliably rude to and dismissive of any fans other than their target audience (teens for these series) and they don't try to get more customers by having a nice web page because they know they won't make big money there. The flip side of that is that Viz is also the only US company financially solid enough right now to gamble on Tezuka series, and with their new Signature Series for adults they have editors spending time and money on some really good seinen (grown-up) titles like Naoki Urasawa's Monster and 20th Century Boys, trying to get other adult readers. So, while Viz doensn't communicate with fans, their Signature Series is still very much pro-Tezuka and I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up another title, most likely a long, big-name one, since they prefer long series, so BJ is most likely.

VIZ also prefers manga with an anime attached, so if they pick up the BJ manga they will almost certainly pick up at least one of the two TV series as well. Typically they put out the manga for a year before they start putting out the anime. Thus, if I'm right and they announce BJ after they run out of Phoenix, we can expect BJ to start serialization some time in late 07 early 08, and the anime in late 08 early 09...

But all this is only speculation. Viz is the one major anime company I've never gotten to talk to a representative from so in many ways they're the corporation I know the least about. I'll have to work on that.

[cmoon]

Ha! Then they should pick up phoenix 2772!

[putrocca]

Viz doesn't do solo movies or short series, they only do long series. Even the 13 episode Phoenix TV series would be a bit on the short side for them, though Mediablasters already got that. Black Jack TV is 50+ eps, which is more along the lines of what they prefer.

Naruto: 203 eps and counting
One Piece: 250 eps and counting
Bleach: 100 eps and counting
Monster: 74 eps
Hikaru no Go: 75 eps
Ranma 1/2: 8 seasons

[strobe_z]

All good points Ada, however, I wasn't really counting on Viz listening to fans to dictate their marketing strategy. The point of my original post was that Viz just doesn't seem to care about ANY of their fans.. not just the ones outside their target demographics.

However, I'm quite sure their apathy largely stems from the fact that they have deep pockets backing them up and that they are still the 900lbs Gorilla and have been basically since the outset.

[Blockhead]

Most of Tezuka's work is thirty years old or more. Viz just isn't set up to be in that business. Like strobe_z said, they like to work with current licenses, so they can ship lots of units.

Aside from the new-ish Astroboy TV show (which is pretty different both in art and tone from the Astroboy manga) it's not like there's too much keeping Tezuka's work in the eyes and minds of the casual North American comics reader.

The same could be said of Dark Horse. Even though they release "darker" or "more grown-up" manga like Oldboy and Path of the Asassin, those have a current movie tie-in (Kill Bill for POTA, and, uhm, Oldboy for, err, Oldboy.)

Tokyopop is even worse.

It's not because they hate their fans, it's because they are big operations and need to ship HUGE (well, relative to other publishers, maybe not to X-Men) quantities in order to grow and stay solvent.

Fortunately, the market for vintage manga is large enough that some publishers can put things out without having to do the quantities that the big boys need to. Vertical Inc. and Drawn & Quarterly (although their manga output is very limited) are good examples.

I remember in the early 90s (during my youth) North American Manga publishers were a lot more adventurous in what they published because a safe audience had not yet been established. Now it's a lot of violence, porno, bling bling bling. Gee, don't I sound like a bitter old man?

[cmoon]

I really don't know drawn and quarterly, but the fact they are putting out those moomin comics is encouraging. Has anyone sent them a nice e-mail asking them if they've considered anything by Tezuka?

[putrocca]

I actually work for Tokyopop as a columnist so I know several of their executives and I've asked them all about Tezuka. They say they'd love to put some out but becuase the licenses are expensive and the sales are poor they literally can't afford to. Cyborg 009 is the rock bottom lowest selling title Tokyopop puts out, and it's the only thing they have that's close to Tezuka.

The new Astro Boy series aside, there are now 2 fat juicy new Black Jack series waiting for US release, and the market is ready for them becuase of the recent DVD distribution of the OAV series, so I wouldn't be too surprised to find one of the companies (probably VIZ or a smaller one like CPM) picking them up. I also wouldn't be surprised if they don't.

[Metropolisforever]

And who could forget that ridiculous edit VIZ made to the FullMetal Alchemist manga?

Removing religious references will only make the story dumber...

At least they're not as bad as the .

[Metropolisforever]

[UnluckyLukeGR]

[strobe_z]

[Kevin]

[Metropolisforever]

Violence + Porno = $$$

Why do you think the ultraviolent animes, like Trinity Blood and the hardcore porn, like Jiburiru - The Devil Angel are always incredibly popular?