Bad, Bad Viz

[Skiks]

I just hope they don't try to get around that by only showing the ending that was in the magazine and skipping the actual volume ending altogether . . . I can just see Viz doing that, though.

No Viz is a business first they will release ongoing arcs in order without skipping because thats how they work. If they cared about potential buyer confusion they would be releasing the RSE arcs already.

I wouldn't be annoyed by this if their speed for trasnlating and releasing wasn't so annoying. If RS remakes do come, they better release them quick and start with the RS remakes chapters soon after. -_-'

They got a hold of BW early, this guys have the resources, they're just freaking lazy.

Thats not it this series doesn't hold priority. It's not Naruto or bleach so you're lucky it's a volume every two months. Thats pretty fast all things considered. Viz does not solely publish pokemon.

 

[ForeverFlame]

Thats not a big deal. I bet they're waiting for the RS remakes before doing those books.

This issue in a nutshell.

They timed the GS arc so it would be published around the same time as HGSS. They're probably waiting for the RSEmakes before they publish the RSE arc.

 

[chamo-chan]

I wrote a letter a while ago (but it's a physical letter, since I was dumb and didn't realize that I could have just used that e-mail instead), so I have no response yet.

I'm still just mostly glad we are letting them know about the other volumes. I'm pretty sure they already knew about the R/S arc up to the Emerald arc, but I think letting them know that we are interested in those arcs is important if they ever decide to translate them sometime in the (near, far, whatever) future.
I know that there is also a possibility that this may not work, and I'm prepared to face that, but, it never hurts to try, now does it?
I'll keep trying.

 

[Evilchibi_pichu]

See her death is just one example. A real recent one would Marla dying and what she had to do with the Spider Slayers and that was ages ago. Yet that was brought back for a bit to move along the story. Sure each panel mentions what to read if you want to know more but it's not like it really hurts the story. Some readers may not even mind the "spoilers" in fact. I guess if they were fans enough to know it's an ongoing they could just hold off reading till the new books are out. I'm tempted to say it will happen sooner rather than later. Maybe if you do read the past issue something will be spoiled sure but offhanded the DPPt story arc can keep going regardless if you know all the details.
On a better note it is possible to enjoy a story where you know the ending. Sure you know certain things but the how this happened sometimes is more important then what happened. It all depends on how you view it.

Ahh, I understand now. It's interesting to see comic books do that sort of thing. Yeah, I would agree about holding off except that the fans can get impatient so I don't see many of them doing that regardless. Most fans would probably play catch up in any way they can rather than wait for a "what if" that Viz holds (and I applaud those that don't and wait patiently for the company). The DPPt arc can definitely keep going without previousknowledge and to be honest, I did see the massive spoilers also as a recap of what had happened. But, I think the massive spoilers would be better appericated by those who know what it's talking about rather for the newer fans that are going to be confused until they read the FRLG/E arcs.

Good point about the "how"s; I didn't think of that. And that's true, some people can do that. I just can't help but feel that the whole ending for FRLG/E arcs adds to the whole mystique of Saki and knowing much about her and the endings decreases that some.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. If kids are fans of the series they'll be likely to buy any of the books.

In fact, the fact that the older volumes sold well enough for Viz to decide to translate more than one arc at once goes to show that their target demographic is willing to buy the older volumes too.

I think that depends if the kids know about RS to buy it over (or with) the BW arcs. In all honesty, I can see more kids buying BW as it's all the rage now than the RS arc (which they might not know or care about yet) even if they are fans. But, that's not to say the kids won't be the RS arc too since it would have Pokemon on the cover. Of course, when the remakes come out then it'll be a different story...

I was under the impression that it was mostly the older fans of PokeSpe that helped sell the older volumes and get the ball rolling rather than their target demographic?

 

[The Great Butler]

Do you think they have time to aswer everyone individually? No. And on top of that, they are representing Viz so they can't say just anything that pops to their mind. And yes, I know they care about money, but this is the way we will show them that we are ready to buy their products. And Viz just needs to trust that the arc's STORY is good. Because it is! Viz has to bring something fresh to markets sometimes, by themselves. Even if Viz is the publisher of mass popular manga, it must take some risks sometimes. Republishing Pokémon was a risk, for example.

But thank you for still taking part in this by sending the e-mail. : ) We thank you.

Maybe I'm just being naive, but I just can't believe that Viz wouldn't listen to any of its readers. Especially if there's lots of them wanting the same thing. And hey, they will read them and sometimes even bother answering. Even if it's just a formal letter.

1000 of us is not a bankable majority to market to. I'm being generous with that number by the way.

In fact, the fact that the older volumes sold well enough for Viz to decide to translate more than one arc at once goes to show that their target demographic is willing to buy the older volumes too.

This is another issue, but Lugia and Ho-oh are still much more recognizable (and therefore marketable) than Kyogre and Groudon, and so on.

I have to give them credit, though. The reply's already sitting in my inbox as I type this. Here it is:

>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I recently learned that there are no plans to publish the Ruby & Sapphire,
Emerald and FireRed & LeafGreen story arcs of Pokemon Adventures upon the
conclusion of the currently-running Gold & Silver arc.
>
> I am writing to express that I am very disappointed by this decision. One of
the reasons I have been a loyal supporter of the adaptations thus far is because
I have eagerly anticipated these arcs, especially the Emerald arc. With the
apparent abandoning of the translations of these three story arcs, I am
questioning whether or not following Diamond & Pearl and Black & White is still
worth it. As a loyal purchaser of your product I am writing to urge you to
reconsider this decision, because I am not the only one who is extremely
disappointed by it.

Basically, we are relaunching with vol. 30: Diamond and Pearl/Platinum.

Unless of course, enough people demand the volumes in between?

...actually, I didn't open that until I went to paste it, and now I take back that credit I gave them. Not even an actual form letter... two copy/pasted lines.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

So again, nothing we didn't already know. What they call "relaunching" is already two volumes in.

 

[1dbad]

I think that depends if the kids know about RS to buy it over (or with) the BW arcs. In all honesty, I can see more kids buying BW as it's all the rage now than the RS arc (which they might not know or care about yet) even if they are fans. But, that's not to say the kids won't be the RS arc too since it would have Pokemon on the cover. Of course, when the remakes come out then it'll be a different story...

Oh I definitely agree, but I still think enough people would buy them (remakes or not) that it would still be worth publishing them.

I was under the impression that it was mostly the older fans of PokeSpe that helped sell the older volumes and get the ball rolling rather than their target demographic?

To be honest I was under that exact same impression myself, but I can't say for sure since I don't know what group is the biggest percentage of their buyers.

This is another issue, but Lugia and Ho-oh are still much more recognizable (and therefore marketable) than Kyogre and Groudon, and so on.

I wasn't just talking about Gold/Silver/Crystal though. I was also talking about the Red/Blue/Green and Yellow arcs when I mentioned older volumes. :3

Not even an actual form letter... two copy/pasted lines.

That you, and two others users (at least) have gotten. (one of those two or more other users being myself)

 

[The Great Butler]

So again, nothing we didn't already know. What they call "relaunching" is already two volumes in.

Still a much more explicit skip than "no plans currently to release" is.

 

[Dreamingflower]

Yaay finaly my internet provider is back on. I have missed a lot in my absent. Viz dissapointed me more that first. I was actually hoping for RS, FRLG and E arc. I really wanted to buy them. There goes my dream of having those arcs in my bookshelf. T.T How could they do that to us. A company should think about all the fans buying the manga and not wait till a remake of RS it's not even sure if it will come. They're are letting a change for gaining money slip with those decissions.

 

[TehLulzMastur]

*Sigh*

Aren't they aware that the better strategy would be to not translate the DP arc yet, and just translate the RS, FRLG and Emerald arcs now? I'm going through PokeSpe for the first time, and there's no way in hell I'm going to skip to DP before I see the RS arc. Who in their right minds would do that, other then the people who've already read the series in some form or another, and are just buying them for a collection? Here's all Viz need to do: Stop translating the DP arc for a little while, and just focus on releasing two volumes in one day. For example, instead of releasing, say, Volume 33 on December 6th, release both Volume 15 and Volume 16 on that day. Hell, if they delay the BW arc for a while, they could sometimes have a day where they release three volumes at once. Assuming that this three volume thing would happen every third release day, and that the first release day of the RS arc is a three volume day, then we could be at the end of the Emerald arc by December of 2012. And yes, judging by how Viz is handling their releases right now, all of this is possible.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Still a much more explicit skip than "no plans currently to release" is.

...No it's not. What with the My First Wides there's no reason to expect they'd go with the smaller volumes anyway, which means that they'd tighten the release schedule since one volume of that would be what, six months of their normal releases?

 

[1dbad]

...No it's not.

I think it is. The fact that they never say that they "currently have no plans to release the FireRed/LeafGreen Emerald" seems to suggest that we won't get those arcs at all. At least with them saying that they "currently have no plans to release R/S" means we could still get it at some point; and if that was the case with the FR/LG and Emerald arcs I don't get why they wouldn't say the same thing about them too.

And actually, the "relaunch" thing could mean that we won't get the R/S, FR/LG and Emerald arcs at all. I mean, stopping the series at the end of G/S/C arc and starting again with the D/P arc would be a relaunch, after all.

What with the My First Wides there's no reason to expect they'd go with the smaller volumes anyway, which means that they'd tighten the release schedule since one volume of that would be what, six months of their normal releases?

That's true, but who's to say that they even plan to release the Ruby/Sapphire wide-bans?

 

[Evilchibi_pichu]

Oh I definitely agree, but I still think enough people would buy them (remakes or not) that it would still be worth publishing them.

Yeah, that's true. It would probably take a while, I think, since kids would have a buying limit. Maybe they could publish a certain amount to see how well it sells to see if it's worth publishing more.

To be honest I was under that exact same impression myself, but I can't say for sure since I don't know what group is the biggest percentage of their buyers.

Glad to know I'm not the only one! I would love to see what age groups have the highest sells, but that probably wouldn't be possible. I wonder if Viz has any idea...

...No it's not. What with the My First Wides there's no reason to expect they'd go with the smaller volumes anyway, which means that they'd tighten the release schedule since one volume of that would be what, six months of their normal releases?

Aren't wide-bans a bit more expensive to publish here than the regular books? All the wide-bans I've seen are 11 bucks or more. Viz seems to have different prices for the different sections of their manga (One Shoujo Beat manga was 10$, but their kids line is only 8$), so selling the wide-bans might be not a good idea. It could stop some buyers if the DP and BW manga they're selling will be cheaper.

 

[The Great Butler]

Forgive my cluelessness, but what is a Wide-Ban?

 

[Maxim]

Releasing only the Wide-Bans, without standard volumes?

That'd be too... unexpected, wouldn't it?

I mean, all previous volumes were released in standard format and when people are buying mangas, they expect a 150-200-page book. Wide-ban as the only available format for PokeSpe RS would probably astonish most people.

 

[hailflameblast]

Forgive my cluelessness, but what is a Wide-Ban?

A Wide-Ban is a larger volume, (A5 size according to Wikipedia) which some manga use to reprint in lesser volumes. So if an arc took say 10 nomal volumes, it might fit into 6 wide bans. They are costlier obviously to both publish and buy.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Well of course they're more expensive, since they're bigger. But not greatly so, and I see many of them on shelves for a variety of different series. The biggest problem with them is that the bindings tend to break easier simply due to the size.

But they still sell, since they're basically (usually) three volumes for the price of two.

 

[TehLulzMastur]

Where can I find Viz's email? And no, I don't care if other people here think it won't make a difference. Viz wants money, and we need to prove to them that we're willing to give them that money. Just because kids are the target demographic, that doesn't mean that they don't care what we have to say. I wouldn't be surprised if our demographic makes up most of the people who read Viz's PokeSpe translations. I never see kids in book stores here in Ireland looking at the manga section, and when they do they barely buy anything. Maybe that's just here, though. Anyway, my point is that Viz cares about us. Well, they care about our money, but you know what I mean. If our all of our demographic stopped reading Pokemon Adventures, Viz would stop releasing Pokemon Adventures. It's as simple as that.

(Never mind, I just found Viz's email. But my point still stands!)

 

[Aegon]

I also sent an email to VIZ about this. It won't make much of a difference, I know, but there's no point in not trying. I can see why they'd want to keep the RS arc for later, when the remakes arrive, but it's very unfair on fans - who pay for the volumes, thus keeping VIZ in business!

 

[Platinum fan.]

Off topice but Kids do look at manga. I've seen kids and a teenager reading the Viz version of Diamond, Pearl, Platinum volume 1 in places like Books A Million. When I was in Arlington at a Borders I met a young girl looking for volume 11 and 12 of the GSC arc and she had on a Pikachu shirt. I'm always surprised to see other people in the flesh reading and buying Pokemon Adventures from bookstores because besides us on the forums I don't run into any fans of Pokemon anymore. Other then the videos games there are few of us out in the open anymore. It's a good feeling though because people buying them means Viz did the right thing in bringing it back and going beyond the Yellow arc. Now if we can just convince them to get RS, FRLG, and Emerald out then we're all set. There is a good chance they'll do HGSS after Platinum so I think that arc is safe.