Couple of slow days to be sure! I followed up on the Dominion piece with CPM, and it is being done in-house by them, and should definitely make the 04/1999 street date. A firm date will be followed up sometime soon. Now all we need is more hard info on the Tenchi Box Set!

NEWS: 12/26/98
Starting early next month, I'll be doing a monthly newsletter email version of the previous months news, information and lots more stuff. To sign up, add your name below or visit the very bottom of the page and put your address in there!

NEWS: 12/25/98
First, here's something to spread around the net. I've added a new petition to "SAVE OUR EPISODES!". This petition is designed for both VHS and DVD fans who want their episodes both uncut and with openings and endings attached to EACH episode, as the show was originally presented in Japan. For too long, there's been little said or done about this. Let's make this a top issue and spread the word to the newsgroups and other anime sites. Add your name to this petition!

Also today we have THREE full reviews of Record of Lodoss War. Included is my own as well as 2 submitted alternate angle reviews.

And not to be left out today, Pete Plank has provided us with a review of the first two volumes of the region 2 title, Virus Buster Serge. Check'em out!

NEWS: 12/23/98
You know, I thought it was going to be a slow week. People getting ready for the holidays, very few to no announcements... *sigh* Never works! But, here is my holiday wish to everyone who visits here.

First up, here's my wife's first article, entitled "The Creation of a Female Anime Fan". Be sure to check it out, but remember, she's mine!

Next up comes word from Diamond's January Previews (usually for items shipping in March/April timeframe) is the Dominion Tank Police listing for 39.99$. Also raising eyebrows is the TENCHI MUYO COLLECTION THX BOX SET DVDS running at 119.98$ SRP. Two discs containing the OVA episodes. The 3rd disc is supposed to be a big "bonus" disc with all kinds of nifties in there like the new Encyclopedia. Details are VERY sketchy, so no flying off the handle yet folks. There may be a ton of goodies included, and I'd like to give Pioneer the benefit of the doubt for now. If the one or two Pioneer reps who read this site want to elaborate early one, please do so.

And last, but by absolutely no means least, Roman Martel has provided us with a most excellent Anime Primer. For those into DVD that are looking at the curious little genre this is possibly the best way to learn more about everything going on. Be sure to spread links to this page on other DVD sites!

NEWS: 12/21/98
Record of Lodoss War has finally sold out at several places. I'm not sure of the number of copies pressed (any Image folks out there?) but it has definitely gotten several people excited about the product. I'll be getting mine tomorrow and will do a short review of the first episode. Time's short this week due to holidays

And, being the opinionated person that I am (yes, I take pride in that), I've put up a new article entitled, "Fatal Fists of Tekken's High Kick". I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'll get ready for my pummeling in the forum!

NEWS: 12/20/98
Just a few minor adjustments today. Those of you using an 800x600 monitor will notice larger windows as the image on the left has shrunk down a touch. I've also updated Tenchi in Tokyo with some new information and a cover graphic, as well as updating all the Battle Athlete titles with different story info.

NEWS: 12/19/98
Be sure to check out an early review of what looks to be a fantastic disc set. Kevin Cook over at DVD Animania has posted a rundown on both discs.

And, in a move that finally completes a project that's taken some time, the ADSC has now assumed complete control of the petitions. Petitions previously found on the ADSC page are now merged with the petitions found linked to your left. Edwin will now be administrating those and following up with companies as the lead in that respect. We hope now that we're providing one unified front, fans can feel better knowing that the Anime on DVD team are doing their best lobbying for them and their interests. All updates on petitions and responses to them will be found on the ADSC page from here on out.

NEWS: 12/17/98
Here's a quote from Mr. Woodhead from rec.arts.anime.misc today:

BTW, if it isn't obvious, a lot of AnimEigo stuff will be coming out on DVD in '99. The major question here is one of which titles and when, and we'll make an announcement on that soon.

Please note that the release listed below has been updated to reflect a few changes. This does include a live link to the M2K site for the packaging upgrade, as well as some additions from Mr. Woodhead of Animeigo.

From Paul Bader, CEO of Multimedia 200, comes an open letter to the anime community concerning M-2K's "Bubblegum Crisis DVD Suite". While I know to some extent that this won't please everyone (after all, how could anything please everyone), I personally find this to be very encouraging and it certainly clears up some issues. I'm sure that there will be plenty of discussion in the forum, and I look forward to comments there from everyone.

On a different note, something that most likely will generate a lot of comment as well, Record of Lodoss War is definitely confirmed for the 22nd. Quality-hounds get ready!

NEWS: 12/16/98
My review of the first volume of Pokemon is up now.

Curious to see what the upcoming keepcases and new disc artwork will be like for the 2nd pressing of Bubblegum Crisis? Well, hop over to the review and check them out. Be forewarned, they're quality 48KB graphics...

NEWS: 12/15/98
Well, isn't that curious. The Fushigi DVD tentative information on the Studio Pierrot page mentioned on the 12th isn't listed anymore. Unless you look at the page source and see that it's simply commented out. A jumping of the gun perhaps?

NEWS: 12/14/98
Even though we've known about it for awhile, I got the "formal" email announcement for Fatal Fury today (and hopefully a contact finally within Viz). Read it here to see what else was said. And, as a side note on Viz, this was the reply to my question of whether we'll see more titles in '99: "As for 99, definitely more will come!"

And finally bringing me up to date and fully compliant, here is my review of Demon City Shinjuku.

Also, be sure to check out the latest poll in the column to the left of here on the main page.

And to prove I don't always wait till the last day, here's my December editorial! I look forward to the follow-up up in the forum on this one.

NEWS: 12/12/98
While Fushigi may be looking a little further away than we hoped, it may be one killer app to look forward to. Check out this page from Studio Pierrot (in English no less) that Daniel Markiewicz found updated on 12/12... Pioneer looking into doing domestic DVD box sets warms my heart!

NEWS: 12/11/98
In case you haven't already, be sure to check out this press release from Multimedia 2000. I'll admit to being a bit happy at seeing the site mentioned there. Also, be sure to check this thread out in the forum for some replies from M2K on their upcoming re-release with keepcase packaging and other info.

QUICKBITS: 12/10/98
From Animenation comes word that Lodoss is ready and waiting to be shipped and that 12/22 is a solid go date.

Magic Knight Rayearth under the "very likely" category comes from Derek Sherman via Clark Chang on the Rayearth Mailing List.

I think the odds are pretty good. After all, we're not stupid. Everyone's been asking for DVD lately so we'll eventually oblige. But for now, VHS will have to do. On the other hand, how many people here would be interested in buying an LD box set of Rayearth if we did one? We were thinking of doing a sign up list like AnimEigo did with KOR. Any interest?

Make sure you send them some mail, ne?

And just to clear up any earlier confusion, Pokemon is definitely English only. While this is a disappointment, I'm not terribly surprised. So from next week on, we'll have new anime every week for the rest of the year... and almost every week in January. Talk about a difference from last year!

NEWS: 12/09/98
Definitely confirmed for next week is the first volume of Pokemon, which can be found right now over at Animenation.

Well, that didn't take long. Record of Lodoss War has been pushed back to 12/22/1998; maybe they got a ton of orders in and are making more? Well, we'll see.

A quick email from Mr. O'Donnell of CPM as well as Tom Smith of the always up to date Anime New Release Clearing House let me know today that the three previously mentioned titles from Central Park Media via Digital Versatile Disc, Inc will indeed be coming out on 01/15/1998 as opposed to the 12/15 date that was bandied about here recently. In addition to that, I've also learned that on that same day we'll see titles such as La Blue Girl Vol. 1, Vol. 2 & Vol.3, Twin Angels and Venus 5. For those who don't know, those are Anime 18 titles... can Urotsukidoji be far behind?

NEWS: 12/08/98
Several new petitions have been added today. Have you signed them yet?

Following up with Robert Woodhead of Animeigo on their reaction to the sales of Bubblegum Crisis, they're getting a lot of positive feedback and their attitude is now "Which titles should we release next" as opposed to "Will we release anything else". Count me in for just about everything you've got!

I also did some follow-up with Central Park Media regarding a few issues. It was recently mentioned that the Arslan DVD insert from a PR pack was larger than others, causing some to wonder if we're going to get more odd packaging. The package will be two Amaray keepcases inside the box, similar to what we recently saw with the Lodoss Box. There is no need for concern here! Also, the titles mentioned over the weekend from CPM & DVD Ltd. may not actually street until January 15ish or so, as CPM just reviewed their first submission of box artwork. So the 15th of December may simply be known as Lodoss Day!

NEWS: 12/06/98
All right, let's dig right into it today!

First and foremost, be sure to read the update to the King of the Hill article from Edwin. It makes a distinction clear that I brought up in the forum myself this past Saturday.

I'd also like to take a minute to say thanks to several people. Steve Tannenhill over at DVD Resource, Jeff McNeal at The Big Picture and Peter Bracke at the DVD File for helping out and make awareness of the Animeigo LD/DVD survey. Their help in bringing exposure to this will hopefully benefit us all! Thanks guys!

Digital Versatile Disc, Inc. has announced a few street dates for titles they've licensed from Central Park Media. I'm a bit surprised at their announcement, mostly due to the fact that I had heard from Mr. O'Donnell of CPM that they may be swapping them for other titles. But, more anime is good! The potential bad thing for fans is that they're scheduled for the "big" day of 12/15! The day of Lodoss! (we hope!). If these titles make it out, expect to see Cyber City Oedo 808, Odin Photon Space Sailor Starlight as well as Tokyo Babylon. December is definitely turning into a good month for us!

Late yesterday evening, we put up our new home entertainment center, rearranged the hideous amount of gear and wires we have, and then inaugurated it with, what else, some anime! So be sure to check out my new review for The Venus Wars.

And while your at it, check out the alternate angle review for Bubblegum Crisis by Jason Landers.

NEWS: 12/04/98
The week of 12/15 has the potential to be huge for one reason alone: Record of Lodoss War has just been announced for that date. If true, I will be having a truly merry Christmas between that and the hopefully soon-to-be-delivered Kimagure Orange Road laserdisc set. The week after looks to have Pokemon Vol. 1 as well, but that may be delayed from what some whispers have come through...

I'll have an alternate angle review for Bubblegum Crisis hopefully tomorrow, as I'm waiting for the author to provide his name (no handles for reviews!).

Those who read the forums have been on their toes lately, with a lot of posting and discussion going on. One of the biggest topics is the Urusei Yatsura potential set release, causing some to raise their eyebrows at the price (which seems quite reasonable to the LD crowd, but rankles among the VHS->DVD crowd, understandably). I'm still of the thought that the price is equivalent to what CPM would do for a show of that length... but I'm sure Animeigo will get an earful either way.

On a final note for today, I want to talk briefly about Anime Village. They recently had a site redesign, and have their Village Officials slowly getting back into the forum and actually listening to their fans, i.e. customers, again. Sadly, as was suspected by many recently, the mention on their site of alternate formats was indeed referring to CD's. After having one VO post that they essentially don't see DVD in the foreseeable future (even though Bandai Visual is releasing many of the newer shows on DVD, such as Blue Submarine #6 and Cowboy Bebop as reviewed here), their U.S. counterpart, with a much larger DVD market base, is not doing it. There have been several comments by visitors there since essentially saying, "Call me when you're serious about things". I'm definitely in that camp. 1999 is looking like a very big year for anime on DVD, and like many others, VHS just won't cut it anymore. I'm definitely feeling hollow from the entire AV experience now.

NEWS: 12/03/98
In case you didn't notice the new minibanner above for Animeigo, it's there for a good reason - they're gathering information to find out interest in getting Urusei Yatsura on DVD! If you've signed the petition here, GO THERE NOW and add your name! This could be a good sized turning point for DVD!

NEWS: 12/02/98
For your reading pleasure, my Grappler Baki review is now up. We're going to try and watch Demon City Shinjuku tomorrow so I can pretty much get caught up with the exception of Venus Wars.

Just a touch of housecleaning around here today. The main page should load faster now, as the November news has shifted to its own section. Every month, there's more and more news... definitely a good sign! The forum has also been streamlined some, and I'm going to be doing some other minimal yet essential streamlining of almost all pages so things not only load faster, but look better as well.

Going by the poll to your left, there's a good number of people visiting here that don't have players (though I'm hoping a few are waiting for Christmas!). If you don't have one yet, what're you waiting for? Share in the forum so we can persuade you more easily! Muahahahaha!

NEWS: 12/01/98 - An evening update
Come, look into the future with me and see what will certainly be my most anticipated Pioneer release after Fushigi this year. Serial Experiments Lain Lif 1 & 2 are reviewed in our Region 2 section by Pete Plank today. And with the cryptic saying of the show on the PANIME US site, I think we're in like Flynn to see it next year.

I've had a few people email me with emails they got from Image over the past few days (thanks guys!) that the Lodoss discs have been approved, and we're likely to see them soon. I'm still gambling a pre-Christmas date, so December could be a very good month for us!

And if you haven't been following, check out the forum regarding Bubblegum Crisis, both in terms of future plans for keepcases as well as availability of it at online stores.

Also arrived today are copies of Grappler Baki and Demon City Shinjuku. However, with a sick wife at home, I'm more likely to let her watch her newly arrived Sliding Doors disc before I can check any of these out.

Once again showing great customer relations, Mr. Whybark from Multimedia 2000 sent me this missive about the packaging, the reasons behind it, and what their plans are. Check it out here and join in the forum discussion afterwards.

Also today, Edwin Peregrina of the ADSC provides his first full article for Anime on DVD entitled "King of the Hill". Be sure to give it a look, it's quite extensive and in-depth!