Anime DVDs are Souvenirs

(This post was inspired by 'a talk' given by Seth Godin.)

|295x300px|KANNAGI_DVD_DISCWhen I first got into anime in the late 1990's, information about anime was minimal and hard to find. The few English-language anime magazines didn't have websites. There were only a handful of English-language anime websites period. There was nothing like Anime News Network.

Here's how I found out about anime:  Suncoast, the DVD retail store. They used to have the largest anime selection out there (back then, a whole shelf). I'd stop by every week or two, and see what was new.

(Amazon sold anime back then, but they had an incomplete selection and meager discounts.  With shipping, it was often cheaper to go to Suncoast, especially if you had a Suncoast rewards card that got you $5 or $10 off your purchase.)

Imagine:  I first learned about anime after it had been released in America. And I would decide to buy a DVD based entirely on the packaging and the information contained thereon. That was the only information available to me. If I'd gone home and looked it up on the web, I'd literally get 0 hits.

We live in different times now, but most American anime companies are still operating as though it's 1998.

Today, when I buy an anime DVD, I'm buying a souvenir of a show that I already like. I've already researched it. I've probably already watched it (at least, an episode or two). And honestly, there's a good chance I'll never watch that DVD.

Seriously, how many anime DVDs do you own that you've never watched? Probably a significant fraction of your collection.

That's just reality. It explains a few things:


 * It explains why anime DVD sales are down.  For fans, DVDs are supplements, not the main introduction and source of content.
 * It explains why conventions aren't as exciting as they used to be.  We don't find out about new, weird anime there.  And any announcements will appear on Anime News Network within hours.

What does this mean for the anime/manga industry? Perhaps that they should increase their investment in other merchandise. Perhaps they should invest less time and money in DVD production. Do those DVDs really need to be awesome?

I don't know. What do you think? Comments below.