Yuku free message boards

Yusaku Godai wrote:

Viz has always treated the anime like it was impossible for them to sell, I don't think they'd invest more money into it ever again.

Are they nuts? It would be like Wizard of Oz? A real yawner, let's keep it on the shelf and never let anyone see it. Gone With the Wind? The guy has too big of ears. Never sell. Ditch it!

Maison Ikkoku is that classic Bordeaux that only gets sweeter with age. After a company has already put in the time and investment to produce and dub this anime, why would they let it whither on the vine? I just don't get it. *Shakes head* Something's just not right. If anything, one ought to think Viz could at least regard it as a signature/prestige piece of work, one that ought to be on the shelf for the sake of anime, for the sake of art itself.

Well, I got my copies. I'll hang on to those and cherish them.

Really, DrewMG, I hope you got lucky and got through on that sale cause it looks like it may be a long night for Maison Ikkoku ahead.

HA!...although sadly some Powers-That-Be actually WERE reluctant to give Clark Gable leading-man roles because of his ears. Morons.

That's not surprising. And it just goes to show the type of decision sometimes made. And revenge to that idea is the monolithic status that film has achieved over the years. I chose that film as an example on purpose. It's one of my wife's favorite movies, and Clark Gable is one of my wife's favorite actors ever. There is something in that movie that has captured the imagination of a nation ever since, some film critics be damned. And there's something in Gable's performance that Americans have come to appreciate. Maison Ikkoku is the human story that is a diamond in the rough. It's a story that doesn't grow old. Although other anime has been made that has higher production values, is newer, etc, most anime just doesn't compare to it. Like Gone With the Wind, its impact has not diminished with time. 22 years later, we're still talking about it. Will we be talking about it in another 20 years? I really don't see why we shouldn't.

I think the elephant in the room that no one is talking about here is that Part 8 of Maison Ikkoku anime has apparently gone out of print by being sold out after only 18 months on the shelf. For Viz to regard the anime as it was impossible for them to sell under such circumstance is silly. How is it that Viz should continue to regard this as impossible to sell? Can anyone explain the mentality behind this? Looks like hot potatoes to me. The only way I could see Viz regarded this as impossible to sell is if they did not print many copies and it has taken this long to sell those. But if they didn't print many copies, how was it economical for them to print in the first place?

The fact is that Maison Ikkoku IS a classic. It is a classic that deserves to be in print. After Viz has gone through all the effort to dub and produce this anime for the U.S. and Canada, why would they just abandon it after it sells out barely 18 months on the shelf? Boggles the mind.