Summary
Now that anime is a multi-billion dollar industry, it should come as no surprise that companies have carved out a niche for themselves in producing premium physical media of your favorite anime series. Some of these releases tend to beworth a lot of money down the line, and considering the costs to produce these releases are much lower than what they charge, these limited releases tend to be very lucrative despite not many units being produced. However, before we got to this point, Bandai Visual decided they wanted to make their mark on the home video market by creating a label for premium anime releases. Ultimately, the endeavor was doomed to fail, and the reasons may surprise you.
Who Are Bandai?
Bandai Namco Studiosis a Japanese toy manufacturer and a producer of various entertainment products. Founded in 1950, Bandai has grown to become one of the largest and most well-known toy companies in the world. The company is part of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., which was formed through the merger of Bandai and Namco in 2005. Bandai operates internationally, with subsidiaries and partnerships around the world. The company adapts its products for different markets, ensuring a broad and diverse customer base. They are known for their commitment toinnovation and quality. The company invests in research and development to create new and exciting products, often incorporating the latest technologies. Their influence spans across toys, video games, anime, and merchandise, making them a key player in global pop culture.
What was the Bandai Visual/Honneamise Label (And What Was its Purpose)?
The Bandai Visual/Honneamise label was a notable initiative within the anime and entertainment industry that sought to make anime a more premium product in America. The Honneamise label was named after the Gainex filmRoyal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise(1987), and was aimed at delivering premium, high-quality anime titles to a discerning audience. The label focused on several key aspects:
Notable Releases under Honneamise
The Honneamise label included a variety ofinfluential and popular anime titles. Some of the notable releases were:
What was the Idea Behind the Label?
The Bandai Visual/Honneamise label was intended to be a pioneer in high-quality anime releases, catering to a niche market of dedicated fans and collectors. The line would primarily be focusing on the new BluRay and HD-DVD market (which other anime companies had been hesitant to enter in America until theFormat Warswere over). Some releases wouldalso include a DVD. Booklets and special packaging would be produced for every release. Each release would have no more than two episodes (in the case of a couple of these, there would only be one episode per release). Finally, all the releases would retail for far more than what the average anime DVD would cost, thus putting it out of range for the average consumer.
Why Did the Company Approach Things this Way (And the Disastrous Result)?
In Japan, Bandai Visual had success by catering to theotaku market,a term Japanese uses for people who are ultra-fans of their perspective hobbies, and willing to spend lots of money on that hobby. Otaku typically take pride in their collection of media and toys from their favorite hobby, and will spend tons of money to get them. The hope was that by making something unique and displayable, this business model could be transferred to America and become a beloved label like the Criterion Collection was. The problem with this thinking is that at the time, anime itself was a niche product in America. In Japan, anime was mainstream, while the otaku market was niche but dedicated.
By trying to replicate this model in a country where anime had yet to become the multi-billion dollar industry it is today, they were targeting a niche crowd in a niche marketplace. What’s more, anime was just on the cusp of becoming truly affordable. For years, anime companies would release DVD’s with somewhere between 3 and 5 episodes per disc at $30 a pop. As the hobby became ever more mainstream, companies likeFunimationstarted experimenting with season sets of certain titles where one could get a couple dozen episodes for somewhere between $35 to $50.
Now, here was Bandai, introducing a new label where $40 to $70 would get one 1 to 2 episodes (or a movie). There just weren’t enough fans who were willing to spend the kind of money on these releases to make it profitable. The company never altered their strategy either. They attempted for years to make this list before Bandai ultimately shuttered their American anime division altogether (even the division that was turning in a small profit). These days, premium releases are commonplace thanks to NiS America and some of theCrunchyrollstore exclusives, but it’s always good to look back at past mistakes and realize where things went wrong (and what improvements can be made).
