Unfortunately the day as finally come when Bandai Entertainment has announced they will be discontinuing sales for DVD/BD, manga, and novels. The warning signs came in last December when they announced that they would not be licensing/releasing any new series, as well as shutting down their own online store. They are the ones that licensed popular titles such as: Eureka Seven, Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, and many of the Gundam Series. March 1st, 2013 will be the official date of the discontinuation, but Bandai will only continue distributing to retailers until the end of October 2012.
Since the first announcement, I had stocked up on the series that I prioritized the most. I’d advise to any of you who have been stalling on purchasing any series that are released by them to make up your minds since god knows how long it will take for the process or handing over the license to another company, or the series ever being licensed again at all.
For those in North America who have been holding back because of some of the few ridiculous prices, I have a good recommendation for you.
I’ve only found out about RightStuf through a recommendation from a friend, and ever since I’ve been buying anime for the first time precisely because they are the ones who made it affordable. They host sales based on Publishers that changes every two weeks, something that you should take advantage of. Being the “SALES” fan, I’m crossing my fingers that some time between now and October, that RightStuf will have Bandai’s titles up for the sales. As soon as that happens, it’s the BEST time to make your purchases if you have a tight budget.
If you’re from Europe or anywhere else in the world, RightStuf does offer to ship internationally, but I can’t say how friendly the shipping fees will be (ALSO BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE SHIPPING FAQ). Without a doubt you’ll probably have to pay duty as well. Also, Canadians, heads up that while we can obtain free shipping as long as you purchase at least 155$, you WILL have to pay duty fees!!!! Since I go for the Free-Shipping deal, I usually end up paying 30 – 45$ for the duties. So be sure to consider that within your budget.
Hopefully this will help anyone else who weren’t aware of this company and been holding back buying Anime because of the prices.
PS: RIGHSTUF IS YOUR SAVIOR WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO PURCHASING ANY TITLES FROM SENTAI-FILMSWORK, I AM NOT JOKING. WAIT FOR THEIR SALE, AND GO GO GO!!!! I KEEP ON MISSING THEIR SALE THOUGH BY A FREAKING DAY! A DAY! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME UNIVERSE?!
