I just found out this morning that FUNimation is losing the license to Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. The movie sequel to the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime is going, too. A metaphorical dark cloud has been hanging over my head ever since.
So, now I guess I'd better buy all the "Brotherhood" DVDs. I hope I have the money for that. I was hoping they'd put out some special edition type thing before the license expired. That's what I was saving up for. I couldn't care less about the movie. It was awful.
Still, that's the least of my worries. From what I hear, the license is reverting back to Aniplex, which is a company that likes to jack up the prices on DVDs, sell them for a limited time, and then just sit on their properties as the titles waste away. I'm afraid that the series will be largely forgotten after that happens.
Then again, it's probably largely forgotten as far as Japan is concerned. I read a blog detailing that Japanese audiences are much less sentimental about their series than American audiences. Of course, anime and manga is made for Japanese consumers. The foreign markets are just added bonuses. This makes sense, but it also makes me feel powerless.
I had a feeling that this would happen someday. I just never expected it so soon. This is the worst Groundhog Day ever!