Single Volume Anime DVDs

[OtterNmyWater]

Do people still buy single volume DVDs of an anime series? Or do they prefer the complete collections that have less discs and take up less space?

[Illusion of Terra]

definitely complete collections. from the things I've bought they were much cheaper, and often came with some additional stuff and menu and whatnot. but often there aren't complete collections (at least for long running titles).

[Seshi]

I only want the complete collection. I really don’t like that they market the single vol ones.. seems like such a waste to me. 

[OtterNmyWater]

10 hours ago, Seshi said:

I only want the complete collection. I really don’t like that they market the single vol ones.. seems like such a waste to me. 

Most of the single volume DVDs pre-date the complete collections. When I first got into anime that was the norm. 

[Seshi]

35 minutes ago, OtterNmyWater said:

Most of the single volume DVDs pre-date the complete collections. When I first got into anime that was the norm. 

Yeah, Demon Slayer is releasing like that right now. But I still wouldn’t buy them like that, even if I plan to own them when they all release. 

[Serge heartless]

I remember seeing anime dvds in the 90s like 4 eps for $20. And I was like no one is going to buy this when they can go onlineand buy a whole series bootleg  for the same price. Now though I can get whole seasons for 30-40 it depends on the series.  Im guessing they found out people don't want to spend $20 for 4 eps anymore. 

[efaardvark]

3 hours ago, The History Kid said:

$20 for 4 episodes really wasn't that bad.  Especially if you were someone that put emphasis on quality.  Then there was the whole "boxart" idea, that sold too.  A lot of those single volume collections that acquired the full collection and the boxart are now worth bank.  They were just geared to a different type of collector.

This  ^^^  some people will gladly pay hundreds of dollars for the boxart and collectable items included in a nice "exclusive" package.  Often they can even be a good investment in a dollars and cents sense if they're good quality and the series turns out well.

There's also - believe it or not - people who look for ways to make sure that the artists get paid for their work, including buying official DVDs, even overpriced ones.

[Serge heartless]

7 hours ago, The History Kid said:

$20 for 4 episodes really wasn't that bad.  Especially if you were someone that put emphasis on quality.  Then there was the whole "boxart" idea, that sold too.  A lot of those single volume collections that acquired the full collection and the boxart are now worth bank.  They were just geared to a different type of collector.

I never saw boxart or anything that came with most dvds in the 90s.  Or single dvds with a few eps really came with anything.  At the time also finding anime was too much of a pain in the 90s, cause hardly anyone had it besides sun cost, or other places that over charged everything. It was just easier to get it online.  At least now like dragon ball super collections, or boku no hero, and attack on titan season are around $30 now. I rather it stay that way.  A few animes are really hard to get like the Fate/zero series, and Fate/stay night unlimited blade works tv series. And magi kingdom of magic, are really hard to get on dvd. 

Edited September 26, 2019 by Serge heartless

[Beocat]

It depends really. People buy both today, otherwise they wouldn't still make DVDs for 4 episodes. 

 

Some, like @The History Kid said, buy it for the aesthetics, though that isn't always the case either.  For instance, my Tenchi VHS were very artful, though my Banner of the Stars individual DVDs (back then there was no complete collection option) had no artsy design when combined (albeit the coverart more than made up for it). Then, you look at Space Brothers and each season's complete collection combines to form a well planned image. I remember the FMA dvds had sn image when combined, though I gave mine away to a friend a long time ago. It all really depends on how much love and effort a company puts into the coverart. 

 

 

I personally prefer boxsets as they minimize the use of space for storage. I currently use two giant DVD caninents with sliding glass doors to store my anime collection in and that is an expensive investment to make. I tend to buy individual DVDs for anime that don't offer a boxset or are out of print with limited availability. Beggars can't be choosers after all.

[Serge heartless]

I think I started getting real DVDs around the 2000s, since prices dropped. Remember also back then my high school buddies didn't care about bootleg also, and could get them the whole series of FLCL for like $10. Or Mai-hime or Vandread for like $20.   Once I started buying real copies around the 2000s, you can tell that the real dvds have a lot higher picture then bootlegs. 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Serge heartless

[Geano]

I have always preferred to buy anything in bulk or in its complete collection rather then individually. This includes DVDs I guess it just makes me feel more accomplished. 

[Blue Dragon]

I can appreciate the art of DVD covers, and wanting to support the industry...but some of the prices when I was younger were really...unreasonable.

Four episodes or 5 episodes were sometimes given, but not always. I had started buying the Inu Yasha series back in the day...and there were only three episodes per disc. If you're getting it new at like Best Buy, it was between $20/$30 a pop (not necessarily counting tax.)

Especially if you're looking a massive anime series like Inu Yasha: $30 for 3 episodes (which is how they were originally sold,) and there's 193 episodes that's roughly $1,920. Probably not counting sales tax. That is not something I can afford to invest XD I regret not saving my money now that I'm in my 30s...I should have been more discerning in which series I purchased (but, hey, hindsight's 20/20.)

But...that's me personality, and I'm not much of a collector, so I can respect people who enjoy collecting the art. There are certainly series I do still have that I will never get rid of that have lovely cover art and I want to keep. I just don't think it's viable to do it for every anime series that comes out XD At least, not on my budget!

[Serge heartless]

2 hours ago, Blue Dragon said:

I can appreciate the art of DVD covers, and wanting to support the industry...but some of the prices when I was younger were really...unreasonable.

Four episodes or 5 episodes were sometimes given, but not always. I had started buying the Inu Yasha series back in the day...and there were only three episodes per disc. If you're getting it new at like Best Buy, it was between $20/$30 a pop (not necessarily counting tax.)

Especially if you're looking a massive anime series like Inu Yasha: $30 for 3 episodes (which is how they were originally sold,) and there's 193 episodes that's roughly $1,920. Probably not counting sales tax. That is not something I can afford to invest XD I regret not saving my money now that I'm in my 30s...I should have been more discerning in which series I purchased (but, hey, hindsight's 20/20.)

But...that's me personality, and I'm not much of a collector, so I can respect people who enjoy collecting the art. There are certainly series I do still have that I will never get rid of that have lovely cover art and I want to keep. I just don't think it's viable to do it for every anime series that comes out XD At least, not on my budget!

this pretty much is why 4 eps for $20 is a bad idea. Image if DBZ was $20 for 4 eps.  Man you would need your life savings.  

[efaardvark]

3 hours ago, Serge heartless said:

Image if DBZ was $20 for 4 eps

I don't go in for those animes with hundreds of episodes anyway.  2 or 3 filler eps and I drop it.  I don't see how people can stick with a series for that long without some sort of ending/closure.  I'm also a binge-watcher and usually I don't start watching a series until it is already over.  I'd be highly unlikely to even start something like Naruto or DBZ.

[Serge heartless]

6 hours ago, The History Kid said:

Not that I disagree, but have you seen some of these collections? Have you seen some of the stories of people dropping over a thousand dollars just for a unit in a mobile game?

Otaku are crazy.

I don't care though, since I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on anime and games.  DvDs have become kind of niche now, most people I see goto the dvd bins for $10-$5. How many people now adays want to spend full price for a dvd, when you can just get netflix.  We have a couple of japanese culture stores in town, but none of them sell dvds, cause they were losing money.  Now take into account that the people who have thousands of dollars to spend, which is around the 1%. Then take into account that people actually buy anime dvds, which is other less then maybe 10% of people.  Making a anime for $20 for 4 eps isn't a great idea. 

4 hours ago, efaardvark said:

I don't go in for those animes with hundreds of episodes anyway.  2 or 3 filler eps and I drop it.  I don't see how people can stick with a series for that long without some sort of ending/closure.  I'm also a binge-watcher and usually I don't start watching a series until it is already over.  I'd be highly unlikely to even start something like Naruto or DBZ.

Yes but there are people who will get all 9 seasons of DBZ. Or get all seasons of One piece, or Naruto. You think these people are going to spend $20 for 4 eps? 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Serge heartless

[Serge heartless]

Yes but games, and figures are a lot different then DVDs.  I like collecting dvds, but im not going to spend $20 for 4 eps.  I rather just spend $30 for a season.  Anime movies are kind of different, since they have a lot of production and more quality. 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Serge heartless

[efaardvark]

At the risk of going even further off the OPs topic, if we're talking streaming vs buying then the other issue I have is that I tend to lose access to stuff if I rely on streaming.  I have a few discs/collections that I've bought specifically because I either could not find them on streaming sites or they disappeared off the streaming site I'd been viewing them on.  If I like it enough to buy it in the first place then I probably don't care too much about the price of the DVD.  I mean, I'm not going to buy it at $1000/disc but even $100/season might be a consideration.  Like I said, I don't go for the animes with multiple seasons anyway, so if we're talking $100 for 12 or 24 episodes that works out to about $5-10 per episode.  Ridiculous, but not out of the question. 

As others have said, a lot depends on the quality of the packaging.  If it is no-frills (no insert, poor/minimal artwork, etc.) then $20 for a season on DVD seems reasonable.  If it is good quality - maybe even something I'd put out in front of the rest on the book shelf as a display item - then I might be ok with $100 per season.  Maybe even more, depending.