movies/tv Manglobe files for Bankruptcy

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Manglobe, the anime studio behind Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy, Michiko & Hatchin and the recent summer anime, Gangsta, announced it was filing for Bankruptcy this week. The animators are scrambling to find new jobs, while at least one movie hangs in balance (it was due to air later this year).

 

It saddens me that such a unique studio is shutting its doors. It's struggled a great deal over the years, keeping to its desire to make unique and nonconforming anime, instead of the ever popular high school centered, trope filled anime that dominates each season (I am not against these anime, it's just being out of high school myself, I cannot find enjoyment in a majority of these anime, and being a female viewer, I am not out for fanservice {or manservice like Free}). I like the deeper, psychological, and really all Seinen anime (check out Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin...best Seinen show out there IMO)....

 

With that all aside, what are your thoughts on this studio? Did you like any of their anime? What do you think this means for the anime industry as a whole?

I read that Ufotable, responsible for the amazing Fate series as of late, is also struggling financially and may go the same path.

 

 http://fusion.net/story/208246/manglobe-anime-studio-samurai-champloo-filed-bankruptcy/

 

 

[Standard User 2,127]

I'm not a huge anime fan, but unique/small/startup studios that go down in any industry are bad in my eyes. A unique vision is necessary (in my opinion) to keep pushing boundaries and find new...y'know, things. Industries are varied and I'm tired, okay?

 

It seems like the only industry where small studios are doing fine is the gaming industry, and that even is largely thanks to Valve with the Steam platform--itself a large studio that effectively decides the fates of smaller studios. 

 

Basically, we need variety rather than a few large, dominating groups that produce the same trope-filled garbage year after year.

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I do not entirely understand how anime can make decent money to begin with in regards to how Japan 'runs' their anime. Shows here are based on ratings in terms of how many people view the show, like FIM. Ratings determine whether or not a show keeps going (or if the toys sell). In Japan, a show is entirely made and not often cancelled mid production. It doesn't base it's revenue on ratings but on the merchandise based on the show it sells after the fact. It seems to me that if an anime is successful enough, it will get a continuation, especially if it is an adaptation from a light novel series or manga.

One of the articles I read talked about how this is the beginning of the "death of anime." It's not so much the anime industry itself, but how it makes its money. A majority of a shows profits come from DVD/digital sales, but with torrenting and illegal streaming so abundant and easy to get to/use, you don't have to subscribe to Cruncyroll/Hulu/other pay to stream sites, when you see it free illegally. That's the bad thing about torrenting and illegal streaming. Plus, at least in the West, the merchandise you can buy based on an anime is hard to come buy so its gets difficult to support a show in the regard....and Manglobe really focused on concepts that would be better accepted in the West. Gangsta is a picture perfect example of this.

 

That difference is where an entertainment industry like gaming can have the variety in genres with a lot of "little guys" involved. Their success is dependant on sales of their merch, but the industry is so much more open to variety and uniqueness. However, its seems to me that not many Western Indie games are not all that popular in the East (don't quote me on that one, I am still an "old school" gamer with my PS2 and Gamecube {i do have a 3DS}, but I overall focus on games made in the East).

The other difference is the platforms. Gaming just has more to offer, whereas with any TV show, it's fairly limited to TV or streaming outside of "hard copies" Mobile gaming is the biggest boost Indie developers have to staying alive as far as the future of gaming goes, and Steam seems to be the only reliable place for console Indies to shine.  Because of these differences, I see the gaming industry far surpassing any other entertainment industry out there as far as where a majority of people get their entertainment from. Even Hollywood and the music industry are suffering due to the success of games (it's already happened monetary wise)..

[Guncakes 80]

Have yet to watch Samurai Champloo (even though it's been on my plan to watch list for a while, and Hunter x Hunter is keeping me busy), but this sucks. Hopefully they can get out of this rut.