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Bandai wraps up Anime Village and moves to Dot-Anime.US
- By Phyl Good
- Published 08/4/2008
- Anime and Manga
- Unrated
Phyl Good
View all articles by Phyl Good
Those people used to visiting Bandai Entertainment's Anime Village site are encountering a new message on that page, as of August 1: "So that we may streamline our operations, expand into new areas, and serve you, our valued customers and visitors better, effective immediately, ANIMEVILLAGE.COM has been merged with DOT-ANIME.US! Please update your links and bookmarks accordingly."
Back in May, Bandai Namco Holdings announced that its subsidiary, Bandai Visual USA, would be wrapped up and all the company's assets combined with those of Bandai Entertainment. The official dissolution of BV USA was to occur on July 1, with BE's gradual acquisition and merging of all licensing, marketing, distribution, and other functions to be completed by the end of September.
The July 1 dissolution went as planned, and this move is another part of the rollover. Bandai Visual USA had set up its Dot-Anime site a few months ago, to stream free episodes, place trailers, and promote the purchasing of DVDs. Naturally it would have been unproductive and redundant to maintain both websites, so the merging of Dot-Anime and Anime Village was inevitable from the start.
Over at Bandai Entertainment's official site, the blogger named Richard posted a bit more information, particularly addressing those who are accustomed to purchasing Broccoli products from Dot-Anime: "All your favorite Bandai Entertainment and Honneamise titles will be available from one website! Broccoli fans, not to fear! We're not kicking our friends out... we're importing their goods into our warehouse so you can still order through dot-anime.us as well!"
There were four or five different blogs at the Dot-Anime.US site, and most of those had already disappeared. What remains is the "Store Manager Diary," and the "From Japan" blog, though neither has been updated since June. Updates will likely begin again, one assumes, when the final details of the absorption of BV USA have been accomplished.
Looking at the tabs across the top of the main page, there seem to be more than before. I'm just going by memory but I would say the "Merchandise" tab is new, and possibly the "Blu-Ray" as well. And I would guess, judging from the reassurance to buyers of Broccoli merchandise, that the "Books" tab is probably also new. And every page has the special announcement: more products coming soon.
The Dot-Anime.US store recently established on Amazon.com is still there, for now. There's been no mention, so far, of how (or if!) it plays into the new Dot-Anime arrangements.
Back in May, Bandai Namco Holdings announced that its subsidiary, Bandai Visual USA, would be wrapped up and all the company's assets combined with those of Bandai Entertainment. The official dissolution of BV USA was to occur on July 1, with BE's gradual acquisition and merging of all licensing, marketing, distribution, and other functions to be completed by the end of September.
The July 1 dissolution went as planned, and this move is another part of the rollover. Bandai Visual USA had set up its Dot-Anime site a few months ago, to stream free episodes, place trailers, and promote the purchasing of DVDs. Naturally it would have been unproductive and redundant to maintain both websites, so the merging of Dot-Anime and Anime Village was inevitable from the start.
Over at Bandai Entertainment's official site, the blogger named Richard posted a bit more information, particularly addressing those who are accustomed to purchasing Broccoli products from Dot-Anime: "All your favorite Bandai Entertainment and Honneamise titles will be available from one website! Broccoli fans, not to fear! We're not kicking our friends out... we're importing their goods into our warehouse so you can still order through dot-anime.us as well!"
There were four or five different blogs at the Dot-Anime.US site, and most of those had already disappeared. What remains is the "Store Manager Diary," and the "From Japan" blog, though neither has been updated since June. Updates will likely begin again, one assumes, when the final details of the absorption of BV USA have been accomplished.
Looking at the tabs across the top of the main page, there seem to be more than before. I'm just going by memory but I would say the "Merchandise" tab is new, and possibly the "Blu-Ray" as well. And I would guess, judging from the reassurance to buyers of Broccoli merchandise, that the "Books" tab is probably also new. And every page has the special announcement: more products coming soon.
The Dot-Anime.US store recently established on Amazon.com is still there, for now. There's been no mention, so far, of how (or if!) it plays into the new Dot-Anime arrangements.