Why must anime be so expensive?

[Hatori]

i was just wondering, why must anime be sooooo expensive? i want to buy soooooooo much, BUT- it'll add up to like $300, $400! and like, for example, That 70's Show, it'll be like $20-$30 for the first season, while some sort of anime is like money out of nowhere! please explain. i feel like i'm getting ripped off while i'm buying one DVD movie for like $25 while i can get a whole season of an American show or w/e for such a low price like that!

[Hatori]

*cries* this is my list of crap i want of anime and manga:

Anime Yuna-Chan wants?

Best Buy:

Maison Ikkoku Disk Pack Volume1
$49.99
Maison Ikkoku Disk Pack Volume 3
$49.99
Maison Ikkoku Disk Pack Volume 4
$49.99
InuYasha 2nd Season
$59.99
Sailor Moon Super S: Thin Pack Boxset
$87.99

Game Stop:

Ranama ｽ Season 1
$50

Manga Yuna-Chan wants??r

Borders:

Tokyo Mew Mew whole set
$70
Maison Ikkoku whole set
???
And just about anyother manga I can think of off the top of my head.

[mandolin]

A show produced in the US, and sold in the US, is always gonna be cheaper.

US tv show involves ... slapping the episodes onto dvd's, and distribution costs.

Anime involves ... licensing the title, importing it, getting it translated, subtitled and/or dubbed (which means paying some actors), and finally distribution. Oh yeah, and royalties.

More money to get the product to the consumer means the consumer is hit with higher costs to cover all the production costs.

I buy all the anime I watch. Though admittedly, I watch them free first... *cough*.

Support your favorite anime by buying it legitimately.

[Hatori]

ebear215 wrote:
tell me about it! the cheatpest I could buy a season of inuyasha for was like $50! It wasnt that bad though because it had 54 episodes. I think its because they know the geeky fans will go crazy for it and wast their life savings on everything to do with the show.
Does their plan work? YOU tell me! LOL
:):):)

OMG! i begged my parents sooooooooooo much for my bday for the 1st season of IY and it was just about $90 for just only 5 disks with like only 20 episodes! i just really get HOW the 2nd season is cheaper than the 1st and it's NEWER! /_\ well, it saves my parents $40!
where the crap did the Poke`Mon Theme song come from? i just started to play on my WMP since i saved it there from a Cd.... if i really could-i seem like a dork now- i would buy the 1st season of Poke`Gay. the shows after teh 1st season really sucked lots and became gay. but i still play the games since they are fun. ;

[Hatori]

mandolin wrote:
A show produced in the US, and sold in the US, is always gonna be cheaper.

US tv show involves ... slapping the episodes onto dvd's, and distribution costs.

Anime involves ... licensing the title, importing it, getting it translated, subtitled and/or dubbed (which means paying some actors), and finally distribution. Oh yeah, and royalties.

More money to get the product to the consumer means the consumer is hit with higher costs to cover all the production costs.

I buy all the anime I watch. Though admittedly, I watch them free first... *cough*.

Support your favorite anime by buying it legitimately.

i'm like screwed /_\ i really wish i had a job- then i could get EVERYTHING!
*sighs* stupid things taht make it so expensieve. my best friend, J, and i are always trying to buy manga. she is getting W Juliet and NGE (Neon Genisis Evangelion)(anime and manga) and we are like BROKE wiht all we are buying!

OH NO! NOT THE TEAM ROCKET SONG ON NOW!

[mandolin]

It is expensive, I agree. I can't afford to buy everything I want right away. I'm 26 years old, and am still buying things that I've watched in the past. I've already seen all 5 seasons of Sailor Moon, but last month I just bought Super S on DVD (the same one in your wish list!).

So much to do... so little money....

[Hatori]

mandolin wrote:
It is expensive, I agree. I can't afford to buy everything I want right away. I'm 26 years old, and am still buying things that I've watched in the past. I've already seen all 5 seasons of Sailor Moon, but last month I just bought Super S on DVD (the same one in your wish list!).

So much to do... so little money....

*El gaspo*
well, yur 26 and you have to pay for a house and w/e you know, while i'm still 12 and i just get small jobs from my neighbors.... by the way, i've been waiting for them to pay me...... well, i don'tmind, they always *litterally* over pay me, but they are really nice though, so i'm don't mind.

[nprz]

I would guess that anime costs a lot because it is from Japan, and anime there cost at least 2x as much as the U.S.
You think you are getting it hard, think of the poor Japanese where the anime comes from.
If you don't care about quality subtitles, then get imports from Hong Kong. I got most of my DVDs from there and a series only cost like $30. The DVD boxes look different, but as long as the anime is the same, I'm happy. Sometimes I even get Chinese subtitles with it B)

[Harisenbon]

Also, in addition to licensing, translating, voice actors, US distribution, etc...

Anime is Japan is VERY expensive. For adult-oriented anime (evangelion, cowboy bebop, etc) you're looking to spend at least 70 to 80 a video. The Cowboy Bebop box set is around 500-600 dollars.

Anime in America is cheap compared to what Japanese anime fans spend.

[mandolin]

I wonder if Japanese people import (err... re-import? un-export? haha) american subbed Anime for the cost difference...

[b4d0m3n]

I wonder if this is a grammatical question or problem. A problem, I think. :p

[Infidel]

http://www.sphiatt.com

[Harisenbon]

I have a strange feeling that a lot of those DVDs are illegal bootlegs. Especially the section of "imported subs."

Are they really legit?