I haven't posted in a while, I've been pretty tired and low on time of late. This post is me catching up on everything I've been wanting to say for the past week so forgive me if it's a bit long.
Seeing all the people interested in a original Dragonball line has me wondering about the possibilities. My big question is how well known is that series with more casual fans. I never saw it back in the day and have only seen it in the past three years. Was it aired before Z in the U.S., or soon after? If not, was it ever shown on U.S. t.v.? How long has it been available on dvd in the U.S.? When you have conversations with more casual fans ( I don't have any friends who are Dragonball fans ) do they know about Dragonball? Do they like it as much as Z?
My gut reaction is that Z is more popular, but most fans still really like DB. Even so releasing a DB character this year is probably too soon. I'd like to see kid Goku in 2015 though. We'll have a lot more of Z covered by then, and with kid Goku the only DB release we'll have even more Z on the way. Goku in any form has got to be a big seller so I don't think it's a risk. Once he's released, the fans can start really debating what they want to see from DB and just having him in the line makes fan favorites like Tien ( shirtless ), Yamcha ( Gi ) make a lot more sense. They'd work for both series, that would have to boost their profitability.
nice.
All kidding aside, I'm pretty sure that MOST of us, if not all will buy anything they release.
My personal "wish list"
Mr Satan
Ultimate Gohan
Fat Buu
Kid Buu
Nappa
Bulma
Chi-chi
Roshi....
Ok, my list is too damned long.
I'll be happy when they start releaseing " background civillians" as becuase by that point, they will have made everyone else
Yes! Someone else who lists Bulma as a priority! I'd actually like to see your full list. It gives me, and everyone else, a good idea what the most wanted figures actually are. The more people that share their views on the line, the closer we come to the truth.
Nope, disagree. 4 a year, big guys and small guys staggered keeps people wanting more. NEVER give your auidence everything they want right away. You'll loose more people that way.
YES, you will loose some people along the way if you stagger, becuase they're too impatient to wait, but overall you'll loose less, and SOME of those guys will come back when you put out another "BIG GUN" and then they might go back and get some of the little guys you made before. Doing buisness in this way creates a slow burning desire in your customers that keeps them coming back for more.
Giving them a buffet of everything they want up front means they will gorge themselves, and then go away for good, not paying much, if any attention to you from then on.
I agree with this. The line should be aiming for 5-6 releases a year, containing 1-2 of the more "risky" characters. The line should still sell well enough that even if the risky choice lives up to it's name. It would fill out the roster and have plenty of big guns to keep everyone's interest. Krillin seems like the first of this type of this release. He was a good first pick, he might not be quite on Goku or Vegeta's level, but he was always really popular for a B lister. Hopefully Krillin sells well and Bandai can continue to push the line into more off beat areas.
It's a simple given that probably most people will only buy prestige line versions of the favorites and their favorites are probably mostly main characters.
You can theorise and strategise all you want, fact remains this line isn't a cheap one, and people collecting side characters or completionists don't make up the lion's share of the market. The Lion's share is the people who buy the characters who're most popular and those aren't (most) side characters.
You can all keep makin your lists and that's fine, but I'm not expecting side characters ever. If they do, that's cool, but for the reasons I just mentioned, I'm not gonna expect it. I'd rather be surprised than disappointed. (Granted I'm not gonna buy many side characters anyway, expensive stuff this is.)
You know, I never really saw this line as a expensive one. Not close to cheap for sure, but at the rate they are released it seems very easy to keep up with. I wonder how the perception of S.H. Figuarts' price is among other fans. I'm not rich by any means but I still spend a lot more on Transformers than I do on this and it doesn't really seem hard. Maybe my perception on price has been a little warped by high prices on third party and masterpiece Transformers. Don't even get me stated on Macross
. What does everyone on this thread think? Does this line seem expensive to you?
Finally, the silly random train of thought of the day.
Been watching a lot of Dragonball in Japanese lately. It's kinda screwing up my ability to remember the U.S. name for things. What's the Kinto Un called in English again?
I've also started to pick up on some basic Japanese words. The most recent being bak-in-na ( I have no idea how to spell it ) = imposible. They say that a lot in Dragonball don't they. I haven't even got to Z yet, when Vegeta gets going I'm probably going to be hearing that word in my sleep.
( in Vegeta voice ) Ka-ka-rot, bakina.
Ka-ka-rot! Bakina! Hmm... Ka-ka-rot bakina, sounds kinda like what a fancy restaurant would call their carrot cake. ( In Homer voice ) Mmmmmm... impossibly good carrot cake....
