
The astute observer may notice that a number of harder-to-find titles are being offered in these machines. Elf Princess Raine, Geobreeders, and Patlabor – all quality, yet sadly out of print titles – will be offered for sale and rent in the kiosks.
Really, if FUNimation and Section23 weren’t on board with this, the service would shrivel and die quickly. Because really, as much as I love Ramen Fighter Miki and Tweeny Witches, they’re not the type of show that would set people’s minds and wallets aflame.
My only real concern is that general fan interest may not allow these to have a huge amount of longevity. Placement, pricing of purchases, and the all-important fan wilingness are all potential sticking points for the service. The rental pricing is fair, with the normal Redbox fees of $1 per DVD, $2 per Blu-Ray, so that end of the price spectrum is a non-issue.
However,, given how fussy anime fans are, it’s tough to really say how the market will latch onto this idea. I’d love to be proven wrong, since it’s an excellent idea that could help all players in this market win.