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Retro Anime Discussion |OT|

What retro anime titles are long overdue for a blu-ray release in North America?


  • Total voters
    80

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
YSmUu4y.png

Oh wow... I had no idea there was an OVA for Sancuary! Totally going to find that now...
Grain of salt though would be my advice. It's short and sweet (even moreso than Crying Freeman the OVA). However, this is one of those things like Geist vs. Genocyber. Violence aside, one can easily see the drop in animation quality from Geist to Genocyber as 1996 was a pretty awful year for anime. I may be getting ahead of myself but, check it out first and feel free to share how you felt it aligns to the manga. If you'd really like to do this thread a favor since the discussion is really about animation; may note whether or not it feels 96. I was unaware this existed too FYI until I did some digging. There was a cheap OVA in 2000 called Angel Sanctuary which some may have by title confused with.

I read the Freeman mangas prior to watching the OVAs and first OVA was pretty spot-on. There was plenty missing from the last though and I guess it's sorta understandable why.
 

Labolas

Member
I had the Crying Freeman manga (when they sold them in 3 large bulk volumes). Sanctuary would have been great to see a release. Go the OVAs and when they were produced; just not going to see animation like that again. Even by the mid-90's when anime character models became 'sharp edged' and bug-eyed to make it easier for the outsource animators.

Anyway, it'd be nice to see that again someday.

Bolded, I probably don't want to know but hopefully the fight was to condemn heavy use (if any) of DNR. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. This is why most still watch retro anime in the first place. It was ugly enough when during the DVD era we were seeing a bunch of titles released 4:3 simply get stretched and cropped to 16:9 with few every getting remaster. DNR absolutely destroys the final production and should be forbidden. That wouldn't have been so for Blu-ray if people would get it out of their heads that your can remaster or restore titles without the goal to cater them to 4K people. Off the soapbox anyway as I have no clue with the quall was about but I wouldn't doubt I'm too far off.

I guess it really depends on what your budget is too. If 1/3 of a project was crowdfunded, I'd understand that but no way would I toll in money for something basic they're going to mark 30% above retail for these titles. I was not part of this one but do know of one successful board game that not only hit goal but really sold well (and led to a 3rd wave of production). The guy who invented the game is a fellow marketer and sent me a courtesy copy of the game. However, some of those people really don't know what they're doing. Anyone who hasn't worked in business and is doing this without consultation from accountants should not be trusted. And I know that nearly all are attempting their own budgeting without an accountant :/

You and many others with the Dirty Pair Kickstarter. Question is: when? Most did this 3-years ago and probably aren't stopping their day to see if it will ever get finished. It was plenty financially viable. They didn't need to resub it either. Never trust the words people who take Kickstarter as their introduction to the business world. To give you an idea, when anime was more widely produced in the 90's and 2000's, every publisher had a full staff (including accountants to advise them on how the marketing could determine things as strict as print number). Some took that as an anecdote with Kickstarter that 'just print low' and you won't lose. That's right, but a decent team would start budgeting for a 2nd round production after the initial beta launch depending on the figures. They don't do that. It's usually one and done (if you want a copy and didn't pledge buy it on eBay). Back to Dirty Pair TV, this is a clear case of not knowing your target. Their broader target wanted a sub. There was a niche of a niche that wanted a dub release. The censorship (don't want to tag Runaway in here but he actually posted on this) I believe was done with the last releases in Japan. Scary too as that censorship was basically producers checking for IPs in anime that's over 35-years old. I always joke at how many pop cultural references were in the original Burn Up OVA; if that were ever pulled back for a new release; they'd censor all that out to the point of losing context of entire pieces of comedy. Anyway, my accountant friends would ask me what fans would want more of for that Dirty Pair release. I bet you anything people would prefer the demo films get released and additional production material as extras. The extras missing from modern Blu-rays is one reason I just don't care to buy the format anymore. Seems like these morons just drove the truck back to the 90's by thinking the majority of those who purchased the DVDs were looking for a dub. If that were the case, they should have gone through the headache of trying to license the first Sol Bianca OVAs (which people boycotted the DVD release because they only dubbed like 2-episodes). That'd be a case where just give the crybabies their dub anime.

I can empathize with that. To prefer Macross to be more like a Crusher Joe atmosphere was certainly more fun. I need to stop commenting on it as I haven't watched anything Macross for like 17-years.
Yeah fucking when that's the question. It has been roughly 3 years ago since I backed the project. I believe that they got around to dubbing earlier this year, I legit don't know what the fuck is taking so long. Tbh, I didn't even need to be dubbed, I just wanted to support a rerelease of Dirty Pair. I expect to be waiting til next year as well.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Yeah fucking when that's the question. It has been roughly 3 years ago since I backed the project. I believe that they got around to dubbing earlier this year, I legit don't know what the f*** is taking so long. Tbh, I didn't even need to be dubbed, I just wanted to support a rerelease of Dirty Pair. I expect to be waiting til next year as well.
You're going to have that one member ready my post and 'ahckshualleey' so be on the lookout. I'll just give you the facts. When they started the Dirty Pair TV Kickstarter, they had options as to how they were going to manage the money and what they'd use that on. The problem is in those heading the campaign as they clearly don't know the target audience of Dirty Pair TV in North America. Everyone wanted a Blu-ray subbed. I posted above but I'll say it again, there was a niche group who 'would have backed' to hear a new dub. Think about this too logically. If you were running a campaign and 85% of your target backers want a sub and 15% or less really cared for or wanted a 'new dub.' And that's exactly what's hold this up. They're pausing to collect more backers and have the dub actresses coming in and out. I had a joke in a private discussion on this too and he made a great point. He stated that if this was a mainline release (say Discotek) and they did an in-house dub, 'they'd likely have finished in less-than 3-months or weeks.' We're not talking hundreds of episodes either. Barely 40 episodes should have been done years ago. This is a dub project and that's where backer money is going for the Dirty Pair TV Kickstarter. Keep waiting as who knows if they budgeted everything out properly and end up coming up short due to running over budget. Every bit of this is 'how not' to do a Kickstarter.

TL;DR taking too long because they're focusing all money and attention on the dub and have been from the start. This is horribly mismanaged and will likely result in a much lower print than intended as the 'backed' funds are going to pay dub actors. By the way, in the 90's when dubbing was creeping into Western anime, the average American VA was being paid ballpark $75-100 tops per episodic session. If they're paying more...anyone backing this is gambling on an English dub. Imagine if they'd invested all that money into obtaining the student demos of Dirty Pair to add as extras?
 

Labolas

Member
You're going to have that one member ready my post and 'ahckshualleey' so be on the lookout. I'll just give you the facts. When they started the Dirty Pair TV Kickstarter, they had options as to how they were going to manage the money and what they'd use that on. The problem is in those heading the campaign as they clearly don't know the target audience of Dirty Pair TV in North America. Everyone wanted a Blu-ray subbed. I posted above but I'll say it again, there was a niche group who 'would have backed' to hear a new dub. Think about this too logically. If you were running a campaign and 85% of your target backers want a sub and 15% or less really cared for or wanted a 'new dub.' And that's exactly what's hold this up. They're pausing to collect more backers and have the dub actresses coming in and out. I had a joke in a private discussion on this too and he made a great point. He stated that if this was a mainline release (say Discotek) and they did an in-house dub, 'they'd likely have finished in less-than 3-months or weeks.' We're not talking hundreds of episodes either. Barely 40 episodes should have been done years ago. This is a dub project and that's where backer money is going for the Dirty Pair TV Kickstarter. Keep waiting as who knows if they budgeted everything out properly and end up coming up short due to running over budget. Every bit of this is 'how not' to do a Kickstarter.

TL;DR taking too long because they're focusing all money and attention on the dub and have been from the start. This is horribly mismanaged and will likely result in a much lower print than intended as the 'backed' funds are going to pay dub actors. By the way, in the 90's when dubbing was creeping into Western anime, the average American VA was being paid ballpark $75-100 tops per episodic session. If they're paying more...anyone backing this is gambling on an English dub. Imagine if they'd invested all that money into obtaining the student demos of Dirty Pair to add as extras?
Oh, yeah, thanks for the rundown on the situation. For sure, the dubbing is taking most, if not all, of the budget. And I think you are correct in your summarization of the project. Iirc, they had problems with getting vas in the studio and they claim that's what was holding everything up as well. The whole situation is kinda fucked and it kinda makes it hard for me to back projects like this in the future.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Oh, yeah, thanks for the rundown on the situation. For sure, the dubbing is taking most, if not all, of the budget. And I think you are correct in your summarization of the project. Iirc, they had problems with getting vas in the studio and they claim that's what was holding everything up as well. The whole situation is kinda fucked and it kinda makes it hard for me to back projects like this in the future.
It's a shame. They cannot be trusted to handle this and have probably left more backers to just opt out and purchase the last DVD release. You don't even have to be on the campaign to tell someone what a timeline looks like for this type of project. It doesn't take 3-years to do a restoration. The only information released pointing to the reason for the hold-up is the dub actors. I still can't get over that. People who've watched anime long enough too probably know that there were cases in dubbing anime in which the actors were paid little to nothing. Nothing says you've made a great investment more than cutting the original language audio, screwing the audio mix in the process and replacing original dialogue with an unknown English voice. Most dub actors have never understood the character they're voicing either. I think the least backers could be doing is leaving feedback about these delays with the dub. And in another 3-years if this Blu-ray ever releases; they can show their gratitude by switching audio to Japanese. This is all just pathetic.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Yeah fucking when that's the question. It has been roughly 3 years ago since I backed the project. I believe that they got around to dubbing earlier this year, I legit don't know what the fuck is taking so long. Tbh, I didn't even need to be dubbed, I just wanted to support a rerelease of Dirty Pair. I expect to be waiting til next year as well.
I decided to go back and read through the Kickstarter. Main page directs to the fact that it's a dub project. I work in marketing and what they're doing is amateurish and would have been completed 2-years ago if this was just a remastered of the sub. There's talk about the OVAs (which they've had rights to probably longer than anything else...), cringed when they mentioned throwing into one of the bundles Dirty Pair Flash and seems like the Japanese audio was already completed long ago. They clearly aren't breaking down this big 75% of backers money.

PyV8TAn.jpg


When I'm in a board meeting with my business any someone uses percentages; I ask them to put it to formula and break down every penny. This just says as you can see: dubbing, production expense and rights clearances. Okay...so how much money was that for those three line items? By the way, brief history on one reason English dub actors were paid so little...they're not doing very much. Matching lip movements to mouth flaps and botching dialogue with cheap ADRs is hardly a job worth more than $100/session. The latter two items are quite pricey but they must assume their backers like anecdotal information on how the money was spent. 3-years says a whole lot especially given they already had some of these things prior to starting the project. Good to see the majority of backers played it safe though and picked the low tier option.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I'm not sure who's still buying physical but I just checked Discotek's catalogue and not great news if you waited or are waiting to purchase low print titles release 2014 - 2019-ish. Last I checked the 'Out of Print (OOP)' section, there were less-than a handful of titles in there; if you didn't pick up those titles from a previous publisher or with Discotek...you'll soon find out why they've inflated in price. Not a good sign as they seem to be producing less than previous years and certain in comparison to 2019.

A few recently listed oop: GoShogun movie, TV series (all formats), HnK (Fist of the North Star) DVDs (all volumes), Dancouga, Govarian, Venus Wars (blu-ray & DVD), Galaxy Cyclone Braiger. Others which were already listed include: Crying Freeman OVAs (DVD), Madbull 34, Lupin the lll: The Fuma Conspiracy and not that anyone should care but Unico.

 

ranmafan

Member
I'm not sure who's still buying physical but I just checked Discotek's catalogue and not great news if you waited or are waiting to purchase low print titles release 2014 - 2019-ish. Last I checked the 'Out of Print (OOP)' section, there were less-than a handful of titles in there; if you didn't pick up those titles from a previous publisher or with Discotek...you'll soon find out why they've inflated in price. Not a good sign as they seem to be producing less than previous years and certain in comparison to 2019.

A few recently listed oop: GoShogun movie, TV series (all formats), HnK (Fist of the North Star) DVDs (all volumes), Dancouga, Govarian, Venus Wars (blu-ray & DVD), Galaxy Cyclone Braiger. Others which were already listed include: Crying Freeman OVAs (DVD), Madbull 34, Lupin the lll: The Fuma Conspiracy and not that anyone should care but Unico.

Damn, I still need to get Venus Wars and all, but can’t spend the money right now. Thankfully the store I use in Japan will probably have in in stock for a while, along with the sentai versions.

This is why I’m not taking any chances on Urusei Yatsura and buying them all on release date. Was glad I was able to get a copy of movie 2 Beautiful Dreamer once it went oop earlier in the year. I don’t want to miss out owning this series again.
 
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Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Damn, I still need to get Venus Wars and all, but can’t spend the money right now. Thankfully the store I use in Japan will probably have in in stock for a while, along with the sentai versions.

This is why I’m not taking any chances on Urusei Yatsura and buying them all on release date. Was glad I was able to get a copy of movie 2 Beautiful Dreamer once it went oop earlier in the year. I don’t want to miss out owning this series again.
I wouldn't gamble too much with Venus Wars. Just buy that as soon as you can. My story is that I didn't buy it on DVD when CPM released it in the early 2000s. I went back to buy it once Discotek released it around 2019 or so and it kept going out of stock. I nearly went back to buy the old cropped CPM DVD but caught them restocking and got it for $20 in early 2021. I'd check around on Amazon rather than Rightstuf. This does seem like a recent update and possibly get it for a decent price before it shoots through the roof (and it will). The DVD release and 1st blu-ray are the best by far. I think there was another blu-ray but I would not doubt that's been DNR'd...so not worth buying if you're likewise against 'restoration methods' of old IPs.

Urusei Yatsura by the pricing alone tells me that they probably didn't mass print it. They also seem to be rushing the release (not in a bad way but possibly to get them sold sooner domestic & internationally). I did miss a chance to buy Beautiful Dreamer but then again, I held off on the movies for the TV show. The TV show even one volume is not in my disposable income budget either. I chose to pass.
Yeah, I've put my anime media purchases ahead of everything to be safe. Especially Lupin.
I have a few Lupin the lll movies in my cart right now and have seen the prices jumping up $10 from one week to another. Rightstuf typically keeps a flat rate but when you monitor the inflation...that's usually a sign something's going on with the supply chain. I would say we'll see more oop Lupin lll movies and the seasons 1 & 2 (all volumes) are about to go too...
 

ranmafan

Member
I wouldn't gamble too much with Venus Wars. Just buy that as soon as you can. My story is that I didn't buy it on DVD when CPM released it in the early 2000s. I went back to buy it once Discotek released it around 2019 or so and it kept going out of stock. I nearly went back to buy the old cropped CPM DVD but caught them restocking and got it for $20 in early 2021. I'd check around on Amazon rather than Rightstuf. This does seem like a recent update and possibly get it for a decent price before it shoots through the roof (and it will). The DVD release and 1st blu-ray are the best by far. I think there was another blu-ray but I would not doubt that's been DNR'd...so not worth buying if you're likewise against 'restoration methods' of old IPs.

Urusei Yatsura by the pricing alone tells me that they probably didn't mass print it. They also seem to be rushing the release (not in a bad way but possibly to get them sold sooner domestic & internationally). I did miss a chance to buy Beautiful Dreamer but then again, I held off on the movies for the TV show. The TV show even one volume is not in my disposable income budget either. I chose to pass.
One thing I’m trying to figure out is what are the differences between the two releases of Venus Wars. Seems like the Discotek release has the old dub while the Sentai one maybe has the remastered video of the Japanese release that happened after the Discotek release. I wish I could find a comparison in order to think about what to pick up. Honestly video over dub always as I’m a Japanese audio only person myself. But like you said there might by some issues with that release and DNR so I’m going to have to figure it out. Biggest problem is just my budget for the next year is tight for saving.

I agree with you on UY, it’s too much of a gamble to put off buying it I think. Granted the quick release could be due to the fact that they had all the material pretty much prepared already it seemed, but with a show that old you never know. I wonder what happened to that supposed “beautiful dreamer will be back” comment I swore I heard earlier in the year. I was very lucky to get my copy when it went out of print. Of course that film has different licensors from what I’ve read in the past, so it’s not surprising to hear its issues.

I just wonder if Discotek is going to finish the series with the OVAs. Really hope they do. Would also like to see them get the special extra ova from a few years ago but that’s probably too much to ask for. I’m sure it’s a no brainer of a pick up but I always am cautious about my anime wishes.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
One thing I’m trying to figure out is what are the differences between the two releases of Venus Wars. Seems like the Discotek release has the old dub while the Sentai one maybe has the remastered video of the Japanese release that happened after the Discotek release. I wish I could find a comparison in order to think about what to pick up. Honestly video over dub always as I’m a Japanese audio only person myself. But like you said there might by some issues with that release and DNR so I’m going to have to figure it out. Biggest problem is just my budget for the next year is tight for saving.

I agree with you on UY, it’s too much of a gamble to put off buying it I think. Granted the quick release could be due to the fact that they had all the material pretty much prepared already it seemed, but with a show that old you never know. I wonder what happened to that supposed “beautiful dreamer will be back” comment I swore I heard earlier in the year. I was very lucky to get my copy when it went out of print. Of course that film has different licensors from what I’ve read in the past, so it’s not surprising to hear its issues.

I just wonder if Discotek is going to finish the series with the OVAs. Really hope they do. Would also like to see them get the special extra ova from a few years ago but that’s probably too much to ask for. I’m sure it’s a no brainer of a pick up but I always am cautious about my anime wishes.
It's weird and there is someone reading this thread who has the answers. But, I'm not going to tag him as the response is usually just to say how I got everything wrong. It's discussion so I'll give my best shot to answer the question about the Discotek release. Discotek license rescued Venus Wars from CPM and did a 16:9 widescreen remaster edition keeping the original dub (it's been a few years since watching but I did not 'take on' the dub to know). The DVD and Blu-ray from Discotek would have seemingly come out at the same time and you can read more about that here. I'm also not going to suggest to get wrapped in anime review bias as these tend to get sticky and leave out details HERE
One thing that does sound apparent is that Discotek remastered, licensed and then distributed these about 6-years ago or less. There's very little, if nothing for extras and no word on if this remaster was sourced from the same as the Japanese.

The latter...so...there's a JP entity (Shochiku) which I don't know much about but somehow their name is on the newer, cheaper Blu-ray released by Sentai. Was that version DNR'd? Don't know. How did Sentai get licensing or distribution of an IP purchased by Discotek less-than a decade ago? Don't know. What good would there be for you in purchasing the Sentai Blu-ray vs. the Discotek? Saving money. The Discotek Blu-ray has inflated to nearly $100 and the latter Sentai release is $17.99 + shipping (and import fees to Japan) if you buy from Amazon. I'd do more research if you're on the fence. It certainly is strange to see someone picking up any IP licensed by Discotek as they're usually the last physical market for anime in the West.

The reason I didn't buy Beautiful Dreamer before it went oop (if this explains me a bit better) was due to my OCD of refusing to buy movies based on a manga or TV series. Well, if you were willing to spend hundreds for those standalone DVD releases or VHS of U.Y., I guess but I didn't have that kind of money. When Beautiful Dreamer came out, I was more interested in seeing if they'd do an all-in-one TV series release following. I waited for years and just backed off. Then we finally get U.Y. on Blu-ray but for like $80 and split into 3 volumes (not unlike how they were selling Cat's Eye or City Hunter). I'm not concerned with restoration projects of these older TV series. If there was a remaster I'd be happy as long as we're not dealing with VHS or DVD boxset pricing...and it's actually more expensive if you add it all up. Therefore, I'm pretty sure I won't be buying U.Y. on Blu-ray unless Discotek does with it like they did for HnK (Fist of the North Star) and puts the full series into like 3 or 4 blu-rays. I'd even pay a small difference if they were to do that. Otherwise, it's just too expensive for me. Last note, they still have time to release a 'Dreamer' again unless they were talking about something else. I didn't see it on Discotek's oop list but I'm pretty sure it's been oop for a year or more now.

Knowing Discotek, if they get the licensing and distribution rights they will. However, expect it to be like most things they've done. For instance, with Kimagure Orange Road TV, they could have easily added the OVAs in with the movies in the same Blu-ray set. But just like Giant Robo had the Gin-Rei OVAs as a separate and Kimagure TV & OVAs + movie were separate; they'll likely finish a volume 3 TV set and release the OVAs as a standalone.
 

ranmafan

Member
Well Discotek had their latest announcements and looks like we can remove a couple of things off of the poll. Berserk will make many people happy for sure. For me I’m glad that they announced the UY Ovas. Shame about the master issues with episode 10 but good to hear they are releasing the best version of it they can.
 
Good on Discotek for managing to license Berserk; it'll likely turn into a strong, long-term seller for them. I do find it interesting their release is spread across only two BD-50s, unlike the UK's three discs. 25 episodes, two language tracks, and some extras is a lot for two discs, making me wonder if this was a licensor stipulation, since--when possible--Discotek usually aren't too stingy with their number of discs per episode.

Besides the Urusei Yatsura OVAs, glad to see they also nabbed the Mazinkaiser OVA and a few additional giant robo shows in God Sigma and Albegas.
 
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kunonabi

Member
I'm grabbing Lupin, Berserk, and Urusei Yatsura for sure so a good slate for me. Might be interesting to see the little mermaid adaptation but I'm such a mark for the original Disney version that it might be hard for me to give it a fair shot.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Well Discotek had their latest announcements and looks like we can remove a couple of things off of the poll. Berserk will make many people happy for sure. For me I’m glad that they announced the UY Ovas. Shame about the master issues with episode 10 but good to hear they are releasing the best version of it they can.
Their page is sometimes a bit goofy with me (sometimes doesn't load). Could you post the list in text of all the upcoming releases for the thread please?

Sorta figured Berserk would make it out eventually. Unfortunately, I'm unable to remove poll options...only add more. That's why you still see Gunbuster and UY up there still. It is good news though as Discotek are the best hands they could be in.
 

ranmafan

Member
Their page is sometimes a bit goofy with me (sometimes doesn't load). Could you post the list in text of all the upcoming releases for the thread please?

Sorta figured Berserk would make it out eventually. Unfortunately, I'm unable to remove poll options...only add more. That's why you still see Gunbuster and UY up there still. It is good news though as Discotek are the best hands they could be in.
Here is a list of the anime they announced:


  • Urusei Yatsura OVA series
  • MazinKaiser
  • Lupin the 3rd: The Secret Page of Marco Polo!
  • Lupin the 3rd: Princess of the Breeze!
  • Space Emperor God Sigma
  • Lightspeed Electroid Albegas
  • The Little Mermaid 1975
  • Sgt. Frog seasons 5-7
  • Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s
  • Futakoi Alternative
  • Tonagura!
  • Reborn: Special Fan Disc
  • Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple: Attack of Darkness (KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple OVA series)
  • Berserk 1997
Also here’s a link showing more info from anime news network


Shame on the poll. Would be nice to have a new one.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Here is a list of the anime they announced:


  • Urusei Yatsura OVA series
  • MazinKaiser
  • Lupin the 3rd: The Secret Page of Marco Polo!
  • Lupin the 3rd: Princess of the Breeze!
  • Space Emperor God Sigma
  • Lightspeed Electroid Albegas
  • The Little Mermaid 1975
  • Sgt. Frog seasons 5-7
  • Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s
  • Futakoi Alternative
  • Tonagura!
  • Reborn: Special Fan Disc
  • Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple: Attack of Darkness (KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple OVA series)
  • Berserk 1997
Also here’s a link showing more info from anime news network


Shame on the poll. Would be nice to have a new one.
Thank you. This should help others too take their pick. And I urge that as physical for anime is only going to be around so much longer. Therefore, outside Berserk TV...I don't see Discotek printing anything high for the other titles listed. They do waste money releasing those SD niche titles which ran almsot exclusively on Fox Kids in the 2000s; unless I'm confusing one of those.

Well, not really shame on it. Poll was created in like 2021 (a year after the thread) and does show what people wanted. Now we can see them finally getting it. Shame would be NeoTokyo not getting released. I would have taken that over some of these tedious Lupin lll movies (which are almost a dime a dozen...). I did add some OVA options to the last 3 and that pretty much said it: no one was visiting the thread on a regular basis to check the poll. That's fine too. The discussion is what's important and members are free to post their suggestions of titles which should be on blu-ray right here too. I mean, there's a lot. Think titles which never even made it to DVD or series which were never released in completion outside Japan. With retro anime, that's a long list and I'd be willing to be like 2 or 3 even know the titles if I post em'. Can't blame people though. Part of the reason in creating this thread was to let people discuss nostalgia experiences which is fun to read too. That is...if we're talking something where things were totally different (like pre-1999).
 
Started watching Akuma-kun 89 since it FINALLY got picked up for fan sub. Only watched the first two episodes and I honestly love it so far.
 

Pejo

Gold Member
I saw this article today on the localization and generally favorable dub of Cowboy Bebop. It's a great read and has lots of background on the general state of anime in the late 90s.

Man I wish we could go back to Anime being a niche thing for a group of enthusiasts instead of JJK brainrot "modern audience" crap that we're getting these days.

Stuff like this almost makes it feel more authentic, at least to me:
There was no prestige for an actor to do dub work, especially due to low pay (which continues to be a problem to this day). Just as an example, "Neon Genesis Evangelion," now regarded as a modern classic, was first released in the U.S. during the late 1990s on VHS, dubbed by ADV Films with a shoestring budget and a cast mostly made up of the studio's audio crew and recruits from local theater.
But I'm probably biased.
 

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt

Biggest Trails Stan
I saw this article today on the localization and generally favorable dub of Cowboy Bebop. It's a great read and has lots of background on the general state of anime in the late 90s.

Man I wish we could go back to Anime being a niche thing for a group of enthusiasts instead of JJK brainrot "modern audience" crap that we're getting these days.

Stuff like this almost makes it feel more authentic, at least to me:

But I'm probably biased
.

No you're not
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Macross: Do You Remember Love is getting a 4K remaster using new 35mm film scans. There’s going to be an expensive LE set through P-Bandai and also Amazon JP has the regular edition with a nice classic poster as a preorder bonus. That one is around $68+$28 shipping. Has English subs.

DQ4Mqa0.jpeg





Japanese blurays are obnoxiously expensive, but Harmony Gold (aka the worst human beings to ever walk the Earth) still prevent Macross from getting US releases afaik.
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
Macross: Do You Remember Love is getting a 4K remaster using new 35mm film scans. There’s going to be an expensive LE set through P-Bandai and also Amazon JP has the regular edition with a nice classic poster as a preorder bonus. That one is around $68+$28 shipping. Has English subs.

DQ4Mqa0.jpeg





Japanese blurays are obnoxiously expensive, but Harmony Gold (aka the worst human beings to ever walk the Earth) still prevent Macross from getting US releases afaik.
Min Mae.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Macross: Do You Remember Love is getting a 4K remaster using new 35mm film scans. There’s going to be an expensive LE set through P-Bandai and also Amazon JP has the regular edition with a nice classic poster as a preorder bonus. That one is around $68+$28 shipping. Has English subs.

DQ4Mqa0.jpeg





Japanese blurays are obnoxiously expensive, but Harmony Gold (aka the worst human beings to ever walk the Earth) still prevent Macross from getting US releases afaik.
And that post brought me out of the shadows. My only hope is that they don't attempt to run a new dub or DNR anything (which has been a fad with some retro anime releases to 4K).
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
And that post brought me out of the shadows. My only hope is that they don't attempt to run a new dub or DNR anything (which has been a fad with some retro anime releases to 4K).
I'm not sure film grain is genuinely a desirable trait for an animated remaster. It's an artifact that can be removed much easier than with live action frames, without messing with the detail of the original cels that are being represented. Of course a sloppy DNR job is not doing that properly by killing underlying detail, and an AI upscale is also introducing artificial information, etc.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Gunbuster didn't seem to get hit too strongly with DNR (if at all) and may have been de-grained otherwise. It often depends on those handling the release. DNR with Funimation releases has scrubbed out particular items from the original cels. However, when it's a company like Discotek/Eastern star...we tend to see that far less (e.g. -- Project A-Ko release although I'm unsure if that was 4K but certainly a huge improvement). Either way, folks should be exited for this. Often times relicensing these older titles can be extremely difficult or simply not possible. Other times, the negatives are simple lost or missing and some of these titles never even saw a DVD or bluray release. I never thought we'd see this. Thanks for sharing and the added extra of the trailer (region block won't get by me).
 

zokie

Member


Looking forward but expecting changes for a modern audience .... well , i can always go back to manga
 
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Renoir

Member
I know changes are going to be made. Just hope the fights are good. Hope they slap a high rating so we can get a nipple slip lol.
 

Rat Rage

Member
Macross: Do You Remember Love is getting a 4K remaster using new 35mm film scans. There’s going to be an expensive LE set through P-Bandai and also Amazon JP has the regular edition with a nice classic poster as a preorder bonus. That one is around $68+$28 shipping. Has English subs.

DQ4Mqa0.jpeg





Japanese blurays are obnoxiously expensive, but Harmony Gold (aka the worst human beings to ever walk the Earth) still prevent Macross from getting US releases afaik.

Great news! Macross: Do you remember Love is amazing. The internet will find a way... Great things will come from this new "source".
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Anyone know if they're doing a new Lupin III movie / special this year? I'm typically a sucker for those.
 

kunonabi

Member
Have they confirmed that they are censoring the new anime? If they are I'm skipping this
I hear it's done by the Urusei yatsura remake people so probably. I just don't get the point of this if they're just starting from the beginning. I mean sure it would be nice to see them unmangle some of the stories the original anime botched but still.

And without the OG Eng dub cast I can't muster up any interest even if they do somehow knock it out of the park.
 

The_hunter

Member
I hear it's done by the Urusei yatsura remake people so probably. I just don't get the point of this if they're just starting from the beginning. I mean sure it would be nice to see them unmangle some of the stories the original anime botched but still.

And without the OG Eng dub cast I can't muster up any interest even if they do somehow knock it out of the park.
Urusei Yatsura was remade by DavidPro. Ranma is being done by Mappa.
 

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt

Biggest Trails Stan
No GIF


I love MAPPA’s work, but let those animators rest, for fucks sake! They have enough series to work on as it is! Manga aren’t Pokémon, MAPPA, you don’t need to catch them all!

Are they the ones that worked on Attack on Titan? I remember watching a video of one of the head animators talking about the show and man did the guy have extreme bags under his eyes. I felt bad for the guy..
 

Doom85

Member
Are they the ones that worked on Attack on Titan? I remember watching a video of one of the head animators talking about the show and man did the guy have extreme bags under his eyes. I felt bad for the guy..

They took over from Studio Wit for Attack on Titan after Wit did the first three seasons. They also took over from Wit for Vinland Saga after Wit did the first season. Wit also dropped Ancient Magus’ Bride after one season (though in this case, a brand new studio, Studio Kafka, did Season 2). Time will tell if the announced Spy x Family Season 3 will still be animated by Wit who did the first two seasons alongside Cloverworks.

Needless to say, regardless of the high quality work they do, after these clear commitment issues, if Studio Wit ever says, “no, trust us, we’ll definitely finish this next series we tackle!”, we should all be:

Side Eye Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 

Valonquar

Member
Took some time today to re-watch some older stuff for the first time in decades:
Ninja Scroll (1993)
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I remember wearing out the VHS on this one back in the day. The pacing was a lot more fast than I remember. The story really didn't have time to fuck around.
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The violence and nudity was as gratuitous as I remember. The quick rooftop scene where Jubei slices through like 20 ninjas in 5 seconds still makes me laugh.

Perfect Blue (1997)
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The first time I saw Perfect Blue, was at an early anime con in Virgina, Katsucon 2 or 3 I think... The anime wasn't finished, and they somehow had an early screener copy of the movie. I had never heard of it. I was only in the room where it was being shown, because the same room was going to have an unfinished copy of The End of Evangelion showing directly after. The room was packed, mostly of Eva fans like me. This early screener copy had a lot of parts missing and segments were pre-empted by a countdown screen
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I found the story immediately captivating and the weird early editing added to the surreal nature of the film. The con crowd was particularly annoying however and kept groaning when it kept going, since they all just wanted to see Eva.
I never actually re-watched the film proper until today. Still a great film, and a brutal story. I'll probably do a re-watch of the other Satoshi Kon films later this week.
 
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