An Open Letter to Odex
Odex is just about the only company in South-East Asia that licenses anime, but unfortunately their products are pretty low quality and few people buy them. They also maintain a low profile in the Singaporean anime community with virtually zero presence in anime-related events and online communities.
This picture has absolutely no relation to the topic
Recently, Odex hinted that they are teaming up with IPOS to catch anime downloaders in Singapore, sort of like RIAS (Singapore’s RIAA) except for anime. Feeling bored, I sent them an e-mail regarding this rumour exactly one week ago but apparently Odex does not have the habit of checking their inbox, or perhaps they have a filter that automagically redirects everything into the spam box.
Well, here it is…
Hi,
I am DarkMirage, the owner of darkmirage.com. I run one of the more well-known anime blogs in Singapore and I have been involved in the online anime community for quite some time. I write to you with regards to some recent rumours regarding your company and your company’s operations in general.
There have been reports recently that Odex is going to team up with IPOS to target anime downloaders in Singapore. This was first reported in the community by a source close to your company and subsequently confirmed after the recent focus group by kwok, the owner of the blog lolicontrol, who participated in it.
Although I can understand your concerns, I disagree with this decision. But I am sure you have already heard similar objections from many sources so I will move on as this is not what I want to talk about.
The issue I am trying to raise was actually brought up by another local blogger, albeit in a blunter manner.
If you overlook drmchsr0’s usual over-dramatization of the issue, there is an important point to note. Your company has never been engaging the community. Unlike American distributors with their anime conventions, you do not appear at local events. I have met employees of American companies, such as ADV, online and they participate in forum discussions and community events just like the rest.
A recent example would be Bandai’s asosbrigade.com viral marketing campaign for Haruhi Suzumiya. I created a parody site at code-geass.com and the person in-charge of the site at Bandai actually added me to his MySpace friends. The fans KNOW that Bandai cares. We know that Bandai has been reading forums and anime blogs for feedback. The little things count.
When American fans are unhappy with something, they know where to find the people to speak to. Your recent focus group is about the only thing similar in nature that I have ever heard of from your company. I know of local anime fans who do not even know your company’s name.
The issue with IPOS is yet another side-effect of this isolation. You have your reasons for making such a decision, but you have to tell us what they are and keep us informed. But you don’t. Instead, we have to rely on rumours and second-hand information to get a vague idea of what Odex is really up to. And when we do that, the conclusions we come to are most definitely NOT in your company’s favour.
The same goes for your DVD releases. No one knows anything about your products until someone notices them on a LaserFlair shelf. You can hardly blame poor sales on downloaders alone (or at all). The lack of publicity on your part is just inexcusable, it’s almost as if you don’t want to sell those DVDs. The least you can do is to keep your website updated.
Because of your company’s isolation from the rest of the anime community in Singapore, you are seen as an outsider. In America, there is genuine support coming from the fans for the companies there because they feel that the companies pay them the respect they deserve as the consumers. The credits at the end of promotional video on asosbrigade even thanked fansub watchers who support the DVD releases. That means a LOT to the fans who obviously downloaded the fansubs (illegally you might say) and are now eagerly awaiting the R1 Haruhi DVDs’ release.
On the other hand, Singaporean fans view Odex as a non-entity that is outside the community. I have not met a single person who is looking forward to your Haruhi release, which may or may not exist at all since all we know about your future releases come from anonymous rumours. Personally I am looking forward to the R1 release which I plan on getting and I already own the R2 set. But I can’t say the same for Odex’s release.
It all boils down to a PR problem. Your company’s behaviour rubs fans the wrong way and you do not make any (noticeable) attempts at engaging us and addressing our grievances. The impression we get from past experiences is that Odex hates us. You do not bother to correct this impression, so we assume it to be true. You cannot expect local fans to support your products in a situation like this.
I have a very simple suggestion for Odex: create an official blog. You can post all your new releases and acquisitions there and keep us updated what the hell is going on so that we do not have to rely on rumours. When the fans are unhappy with something, we can bring it up there and get a discussion going. Some problems may not be so easily resolved, but at least we will know what is Odex’s official stand instead of making assumptions that are usually negative.
It does not take a whole lot of effort to maintain a blog and the benefits to your PR are enormous. All you have to do is to let the fans know what you are doing. Look at how the Japanese companies do it. Hell, if you cannot find someone to do it, I can even volunteer darkmirage.com for it. Free of charge even, if money is your concern (which it often seems to be).
I dare say that if you do go ahead with the IPOS plan, you will not see the slightest increase in sales. On the other hand, if you engage the community through a blog, forum discussions, feedback sessions and by participating in anime-related events such as Cosfest, support for your products and brand will build up naturally.
For the sake of the local anime community, I sincerely urge that you reconsider your company’s business practices.
One more episode downloaded does not equate to one less Odex DVD sold. You cannot force the consumers to like your products.
Thank you for your time,
DarkMirage
Or to summarize: Odex needs a PR department. A new one if it already has one, but I bet it doesn’t.
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Actually if IPOS is really going to go along with this, the easiest thing for them to do is to take down the name of everyone who walks into one of the anime goods import shops and then subpoena his/her ISP. You can probably get a >95% conviction rate.
It’s not a huge stretch to say that piracy created the entire anime community in Singapore, generating a ton of previously untapped export revenues for Japanese companies in the forms of figurines, goods and those R2 Haruhi DVDs that will be arriving at my doorsteps in about two weeks.
Please don’t kill anime.
P.S. Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora episode one ROCKED!!!… No officer, I didn’t download it. I just…uh…took a flight to Japan to catch it on TV last week.
January 9th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Haha Now I wished I worked there (So I can try and convince them to give us better DVDs and all) but I have no Jap knowledge so I can’t translate… haha… Crap… Nice letter but ODEX had to ignore it… Maybe we should do the Signing thing (Forgot the word to use haha…) and slap in there face!… Hahahahaha XD…
January 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
It just so happens they have NO PR department! It’s a fact.
Let’s not talk about the local anime community. Let’s talk about the mainstream who seeks certain entertainment. With like ZERO advertisements and publicity, no one buys no shit.
And no, airing anime at late night Central channel does not equate to publicity. If you have the money to license so many titles, please spare that little bit on advertising. I don’t even see a single fucking flyer of ODEX.
Monopoly != sales
January 9th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Monopoly = sales, in one way or another.
Of course, in this case, with the ease of internet and downloading, strictly speaking, Odex does not enjoy a monopoly. I’m sick of people throwing this term around like they fucking understand it (and no, the US-Singapore FTA does not feature highly too). With such leakages (the main culprit being the Internet), it is no wonder that ODEX is trying to plug the leaks with Intellectual Property Protection.
I don’t mind them doing it, its economics after all, but the so-called benefits that arrive with it is not be displayed at all. One reason I can think of though is that they are, to a lesser extent, a smaller carbon copy of Microsoft at its peak, out-muscling any bids for anime for promising young fansubbing companies through good PR with the licensing companies and so on, which sort of explains why quality, fansub and design-wise, they’re not making much (if any) effort on improvement at all.
Ditto to engaging the local anime community. Agree with you DM.
January 9th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Even with perfect monopoly, there will not be any sales if your products suck. You’ll just kill the entire industry. Yay.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Oh well I’m no geniuses, not to mention a smart A scorer… But I’m just stating my point of views about this issue which I might not even understand… Anyway I still would love it if they let fansub downloading legal (For unlicensed animes)… Haha… XD
January 9th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
This concern can be summed up by this phrase:
Welcome to The Monopoly!
Greater part of Singapore’s enconomy is dominated by either a single corporation (including government-linked companies) or much of the market share of a specific market is dominated by mentioned corporations. Heck, even in political arena, only one party dominates the entire Parliament (if we were to buy the whole “transparency, meritocracy & fairness” crap).
If ODEX really goes into such a plan, I daresay that the so-called “busted” incidents (i.e. heightened awareness from media sources of authorities arresting Internet users who downloaded copyright-protected content) will be on-and-off: the media will report it once in a while to force the “Protect Intellectual Property” message down the general public. Once again, bloggers will be casted as “the evil insurgents” that threatens the stability of Singapore.
Ironic, isn’t it? Psuedo-Legalism-Confuscianism philosophy enshrined by our Government. Yet while Confucius talked about benevolence, his followers made China closed its doors to outside world after Adm. Zheng He’s death, claiming the external influence “pollute China’s intellectual purity.” Or along those lines.
Anyways, I have a very close relative living up North. I’m looking at you Kurogane: my friends think it’s ludicrous to move to Malaysia, but I think otherwise. In short, I’m packing up in a few years time.
January 10th, 2007 at 12:30 am
I won’t mind paying for animes if ODEX actually bothers to release them on DVDs. I would even pay a premium if the quality/packaging is on par with the R1/R2 releases.
Releasing animes on VCDs is just plain lazy. VCDs is soooo 1997. (Back during the time when S’pore is so rampant with those illegal makeshift VCDs stalls).
January 10th, 2007 at 12:49 am
http://miyamoto-sensei.com/lolicontrol/2007/01/09/i-talked-to-my-friend-who-took-me-to-odex/
> and he wants me to clarify that:
> the govt wants to [clamp] down on ONLINE piracy,
> not only directed at anime piracy
How many times has this been discussed ? I mean, companies try to sell their shit, fans want to watch anime, and the internet is good or evil depending on where you stand. It’s all the same, all the time.
And btw I doubt that a PR department wowould automatically make any products any better.
But who cares. companies and govts around the globe are trying, and failing.
As long as the internet stands, we are legion XD
January 10th, 2007 at 3:08 am
You know, I find it kind of amusing that Odex are making a song and dance about ditching VCD for DVD just when the rest of the world is gearing up for the newer HD formats ^^
January 10th, 2007 at 4:43 am
If they don’t even have a PR department, why in the world would they pay people to read emails from people they don’t care about?
January 10th, 2007 at 6:13 am
boo! where’s the rant. where’s the rage. we need more level headed posts like these from you, Paper and less drama.
January 10th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Eh bro,
the letter too long lah. Should try to make your point within three succinct paragraphs. effective communications is an art:
Tell them what you are about to tell them. Tell them what you want to tell them. Tell them what you told them.
January 10th, 2007 at 11:38 am
You guys -_-; it’s the only way to negotiate - official lingo.
January 10th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Hey, I just figured out something. Technically, Bittorrent is a file-SHARING program, not file-DOWNLOADING. We are in short being sent files from our friends all over the world, not downloading them from the sources(eg. the fansubbers) So let’s share the bittorrent files instead of downloading them!
January 10th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I doubt that odex will reply to your email,even after all the trouble u took writing,or rather typing it. We all know how screwed up Odex is.
January 10th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
“Hey, I just figured out something. Technically, Bittorrent is a file-SHARING program, not file-DOWNLOADING. We are in short being sent files from our friends all over the world, not downloading them from the sources(eg. the fansubbers) So let’s share the bittorrent files instead of downloading them!”
Except for that every data receivement on your computer, from watching porn to visiting this site, is downloading… Sharing is just a perdyfull name for the same shit :P
January 10th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
So…we go back to DLing anime? Or do we just wait and see if ODEX grows a brain and listens to us?
January 10th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Well, what is said is sometimes impossible to be carried out.
January 10th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
It would be very easy to criticise Odex, but what’s the point? They wouldn’t listen, they are too caught up in their inefficiency already. Monopoly economies always end up like this: stagnated, incompetent, inefficient, extremely bureacratic, etc etc…
I would advise anyone reading this to continue your limewiring, youtubing, bittorrenting and whatever have you. If they really do carry this out, it’ll be like trying to catch a swarm of bees with a spaghetti ladle: only a few unlucky will be caught. The only way for us to completely win is to go to our schools’ computers and use them to d/l…hahaha (I do that)…sorry for those non-students.
Another possible occurence is that they will catch a few but the rest of us will still be happily d/ling our crack. That works too, unless, you, the reader get’s scared. Don’t worry, if you gothe way of the matyr, you get instant otaku celebrity status. Either it works out in your favor. Or not, depending on your values.
January 10th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Keep cool. In any case, what are the chances that IPOS will come after anime downloaders before music downloaders. Heck, they’ve caught the music people plenty of times before already, sure have experience in that area.
Furthermore, if you are talking about dragging in the US-SG FTA…
Who has more voice? RIAA/RIAS or ODEX? Consider that too.