Original animation is insanely expensive. A Pewdiepie or a Critical Role can maybe fund a project like that with streaming; Team Four Star doesn't have those kind of numbers. They've shown they can bring out, what, two two-minute shorts in a year? That get less than a million views apiece? Using what look like ripped video game models? That's not sustainable.
And again, it's all based on the goodwill of an audience that is increasingly alienated as the content they care about is sidelined, delayed, and finally canceled after years of unfulfilled promises.
That's not, like, a comfortable situation, but it's the one they find themselves in. By all outside indications, unless they've got some amazing income stream that nobody knows about, I'd be surprised if they're still in business in a year.
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:27:10 PM
Pretty sure TFS is their full-time job, and they've been living off it for the last few years off of nothing but Patreon and ad revenue from their gaming channel/Twitch streams. If they were able to live off of that up until now, they'll probably do even better now without having to dedicate so much of their time and effort to DBZA.
TFS are doing fine as-is, it's absolutely idiotic to suggest that they throw all that away and try to find other jobs. The fans who watch their gaming content won't stop just because DBZA is.
Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:26:39 PM
People are already not watching their gaming content. Check out their recent view numbers compared to 2-3 years ago.
Their gaming channel is operating at a level that could support one person reasonably. MasakoX's solo channel performs about as well
. A big team? Not a chance.
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:28:24 PM
Continuing to be TFS and simply redefining what that means > Dissolving the company voluntarily because some fans are butthurt about DBZA > Forcing themselves to work while burned out at releasing a shitty Franchise Zombie caricature of DBZA just for the sake of those butthurt fans while risking further wrath from Toei.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:26:15 PM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Let me rephrase, then. Based on what we have seen recently, I am not impressed, and would categorize those who are impressed as easily made so.
Seriously, what have they been up to lately?
FF 7 MA — Not my personal jam, but if you like it, then sure. Brings in respectable numbers. Probably a break-even proposition considering how much it likely costs to produce.
A gaming channel that, again, would bring in respectable numbers if it were just one person but can't possibly be profitable enough to support a large team.
Original animation that is short, low-quality, and doesn't come out regularly. Almost certainly a money sink.
A Patreon promising original content that has so far not materialized.
Did I miss anything?
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:32:13 PM
Then leave. If you don't like what they're putting out, then stop watching it.
The universe does not revolve around you. Not all entertainment is made for you. And they are not obligated to do work that they do not want to do just to please you. Team Four Star does not work for you. You are not their boss, you do not dictate what they create, and you are not the final arbiter of what is and is not quality entertainment. What you are is a single drop in the pond that is the audience.
If you're not enjoying the work they're putting out, then you are welcome to take your drop and go find someone whose work you do enjoy.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:38:59 PM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.It's not a matter of whether I like the work. I'm just one person, my personal taste doesn't particularly matter. What I'm questioning is whether what they're doing is going to sustain them as a business.
At the rate they're going, I'd be surprised if they last another year.
And that's unfortunate, because I really do appreciate a lot of their work and would like to see them do well for themselves. I'd feel better about DBZA ending if I thought they were replacing it with something that could sustain them, even if it was something I didn't personally care for.
Problem is, they're not.
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:44:16 PM
No, it's a matter of whether you like the work. You're trying to make it into a grand point about business sustainability in order to make it sound less personal as if you have any idea what the future of their business is going to look like. But this is about you personally not liking their content.
Otherwise, why would you care so much what their financials look like? You already suggested that they should quit TFS voluntarily and just go find other jobs, so what does it matter if, worst-case scenario, they go out of business and just go find other jobs? Hell, you suggested that they should court bankruptcy in order to deliver Majin Buu!
It is transparently obvious that you're mad about them ending DBZA and are trying to disguise that anger under a veil of "Enlightened Business Sea Lion Just Concerned About the Company" to try and get to a roundabout point of saying that they need to do the Buu arc.
Edited by TobiasDrake on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:49:29 PM
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Doing the Buu arc would be one way forward. Coming out with some amazing new original thing that could actually replace it would be another, but they've shown no sign of actually doing that. What they're currently doing is neither, and that's unfortunate.
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:55:02 PM
Yeah, see, this guy is what I mean by that sort of butthurt fan that no one will miss leaving the fanbase.
Seriously, TFS has built up a huge fanbase over a decade of work and while there are going to be a number that drop off after feeling "jilted" because TFS "lied" to the fanbase is going to be way smaller than the people who actually stick around to support them because they love the personalities behind the show, too. I love their streaming and gameplay work and I'll continue to support that even if some people are little bitches about them stopping the series for a plethora of good reasons.
And besides, it's not like they haven't been working on original stuff.
Edited by theLibrarian on Feb 11th 2020 at 2:57:02 PM
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And they've been totally spending that time doing nothing at all.
On another note, let's simmer down a little, shall we? I don't agree with High Crate but I think this convo's gonna need to cool a little.
Edited by fredhot16 on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:02:14 AM
Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.![]()
and
Edited by fredhot16 on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:04:16 AM
Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.For the past like two years they've been doing TFS At The Table every Tuesday. Now that the campaign is over they're playing various other tabletop games in that slot and Lani is doing the next campaign for it. As for the dubbed movie it's called "Hells".
Not to mention they've also been working on FF 7 MA, which has also proven pretty popular.
What you, Crate, think isn't worth following them for probably is worth following them for for someone with less garbage opinions.
MOD NOTE: You were doing fine before that
excessive bit of rudeness. Chill.
Edited by nombretomado on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:14:23 AM
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They were doing both of those former things concurrently with 60. The dub has been out for almost as long as 60 has. I watched Hells, and while I think the film itself was kind of incoherent, the dub was well-made. Good on them, and I hope they got fairly compensated for it, but it still doesn't explain what they've been doing since then.
The D&D campaign is cool if that's what you're into, but like the other gaming stuff, all it takes is a look at the numbers to know that it's not enough to support a large team. And even that's over with now IIRC.
As for Bojack / DBZA, I don't think spending a year and a half banging their heads against a script with nothing to show for it should exactly increase my confidence that their next project is going to be a showstopper.
Edited by HighCrate on Feb 11th 2020 at 1:09:03 AM
It is impressive that DBZA lasted this long. The only other Abridged series I can think of that even got anywhere near this length are Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged and (funnily enough) Alternate Reality Dragon Ball Z, and ARDBZ didn't have anywhere near the production values and quality that DBZA had.
Edited by PushoverMediaCritic on Feb 11th 2020 at 2:07:12 AM

Does this count as one of the second-most privileged things said on this forum or just one of the more naive ones?
"Go hard or go home"? Come, come.
Because it's so easy to get a job, right? And take care of yourself in between, say, multiple failed interviews?
Edited by fredhot16 on Feb 11th 2020 at 12:13:41 PM
Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.