NEWS: 12/30/99

Site status: Tonight's update will likely be the last one until Sunday at the earliest. Now now, this isn't Y2K paranoia by any stretch. I've just got a lot of work related responsibilities over the next two days and will be focusing on that. If there's anything new that comes up, you can be sure it'll hit the forum, chat or the community email list (check out our polls at the community site!). For my international readers, best of luck in the next day. To everyone in western hemisphere with me, I'll see you on the other side!

Anime Village follow-up: Three bits of information to bring up following the late night announcement last night. First up, the DVD's will be released by Bandai Entertainment, or under that label. Bandai Entertainment is what you've seen listed on the dubbed VHS tapes released to retailers while Anime Village is on the subtitled releases. Hence, we will from here on out in the news page refer to the DVD's and any news concerning them as Bandai Entertainment products. 

Second, just to make sure everyone is on the same page and the rumors don't keep getting propagated as fact, Blue Submarine No. 6 is a four episode OVA series, not six. The series just had the third volume released in Japan and I believe the fourth volume, entitled "End", is due in April 2000. For those wondering (as I've gotten several emails on it), the volumes in Japan have been released the same way, though the price is roughly 6,800 yen each. A special limited edition DTS version was just released as well (with a bonus DTS CD I believe) for 9,800 yen. From what I can tell of the Bandai Entertainment schedule, this release definitely looks like the exception rather than the norm.

Thirdly, Cowboy Bebop news. According to some information that came up in our chat room last night, the series looks like it will be released in a 5/4/4/4/4/5 format and there was also an inference that Session 0 may see a release in region 1 as well. You can check out our reviews of the Region 2 releases Cowboy Bebop Session 0, Session 1, Session 2 and Session 3.

Hardware: Dustin Blaine Javier has sent in a great detailed review of his Pioneer DVL-919 DVD/LD player. This is definitely one of the best combo players out there from what I've read! Something for those 25 people on the Anime Village poll to consider? :)

NEWS: 12/29/99

Anime Village makes it official: Word has come down on the Anime Village's first foray into the digital anime world. Due out in April 2000, we'll see Blue Submarine No. 6 (Vol. 1 of 4, 5.1 Japanese language, 2.0 English, 1st OVA) for 24.98, Cowboy Bebop (Vol. 1 of 6, 2.0 English and Japanese language) for 29.98 and Eat-Man '98 (2 disc set, 2.0 Japanese, episodes 1 & 2 in 2.0 English, episodes 1-12) for 39.98. From what I can tell, the sales of Eat-Man 98 dubs weren't that hot, so the rest of the series isn't being done in a dub. Hence the DVD having only the first two episodes dubbed. I'm sure this will spark much discussion in the chat and in the forums. Though not listed in their update, these titles all contain English subtitles. 

Manga UK goes DVD: Rod Shaile of Manga Entertainment sent out an email to UK Manga email club members listing the titles in the works for DVD in the UK in 2000. They include Akira, Legend of the Overfiend & Demon Womb, Street Fighter The Movie, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Ninja Scroll, X, Macross Plus: The Movie, Patlabor 1, Patlabor 2, Blackjack, Sword for Truth, the Guyver series, Angel Cop series, Evangelion movies, Street Fighter Alpha movie, Ghost Sweeper, Devilman 1 & 2, Virus with more to be announced.

New titles: According to the Right Stuf website, Media Blasters will be releasing the cut version of Kite on DVD on April 25th for 24.95. This looks to contain the two available episodes. You can check out the details here. I'm really disappointed that Media Blasters didn't try and do an uncut version as the DVD format would truly let them do it right. Perhaps another version will be made in the future.

Mixed signals: I try to give Bandai Visual (Japan) the benefit of the doubt, with their worries of re-importation of lower priced DVD's to the Japanese market. However, they're sending some odd signals with their newly released Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket DVD's. Though not listed on any sites I'd been able to find catalog listings for, these DVD's contain the Anime Village English Language dub on them. No subtitles, but the dub is there. One has to wonder who they're marketing the dub to. A novelty for Japanese consumers? Curious minds want to know. Update: From what I've been told, these are basically being offered as an extra, similar to Outlaw Star's box set having the first disc subtitled. Hopefully we'll see the Gundam titles hit our shores in 2000.

NEWS: 12/28/99

Forum: Please note, for those of you who link directly to the forum, that there's a change that was made this evening. We apologize in advance for having to have people create their accounts again.

A peek into the future: This past summer, Pioneer announced their acquisition of the Sol Bianca OVA series that AIC is currently producing. I admit to not hitting many actual Japanese sites due to the language barrier, but while browsing AIC today I noticed that Sol Bianca has its own site. The six OVA series, which doesn't look like it will complete until June 2000, definitely looks interesting but what was really noteworthy is that the region 2 releases contain both a Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtrack. Knowing Pioneer, we should at the least expect the Dolby Digital 5.1 track (though I do wish they'd start picking up the 5.1 tracks as well, there's an untapped market there of DTS hungry DVD owners). With the limited number of episodes and the late release of them, I'll gamble a release schedule similar to the Battle Athletes OVA series. But that's pure speculation on my part.

NEWS: 12/27/99

French anime on DVD: Jean-Sebastien Sullivan has sent in some info found on a French website. Apparently AK Video has released their City Hunter DVD and it is impressive (with a 7.43 average bitrate no less!). Other titles in the works from them include: Mysterious Cities of Gold 3 Pack, Harlock TV and movie and something called Capitaine Flam. Check out this image sent in for the covers.

Alternate angles: Justin Emerson has dipped into the 1999 catalog releases and has sent in a new review for the Tokyo Babylon disc released by CPM/DVD Ltd.

Hee hee: Not DVD related, but still funny (and a portent of an ongoing joke), User Friendly has finally tackled the Pokemon phenomenon. I'd recommend reading the past 2 years of this strip as well, it's one of my favorites!

NEWS: 12/26/99

AniPoll: Anime Village has a rather interesting poll on their main page that every reader here should go over right now and vote on. Special Operation: Anime 2000 from the Bandai Entertainments Digital Production Team also appears to be getting ready to make some announcements in the near future. Will our holiday wishes come true?

NEWS: 12/25/99

Play it some more: With our bellies full of Christmas dinner goodness, we got comfy this evening and took in the second disc of Fushigi Yugi: Suzaku Box Set and have compiled some thoughts on it. No da?

Now what?: So you've woken up this morning and dashed to the tree and shredded all that wrapping paper. New DVD player there, eh? Congratulations and welcome aboard! But what to buy? Lots of choices there! DVD EXPRESS has a Customer Essential List of titles up that includes a top ten of anime titles which is definitely worth checking out. Check out our own Essential Anime Collection as well as what most people here are buying. There's lots more to come and well over 100 discs out now to start building your collection with!

Our final present: As promised, our Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Edition contest has ended and a holiday winner has been chosen. Thanks to everyone who entered (and the many people who had them all correct too!). Our next contest will start sometime in January and we're looking for contest ideas. It's gotta be tough though, since we're giving away all eight volumes of Battle Athletes Victory!

Manga's got it right: According to an email sent in to me, Manga was asked if they managed to secure the DVD rights for their new acquisition, Ghost Sweeper Mikami. According to the response from Manga, they did indeed do that, and in fact have DVD rights for all their titles. Nothing should be in dispute there then.

Card Captor DVD: According to a conversation with Distribution Manager James Dye of Nelvana, any rumors of them not doing a subtitled version are completely false. A subtitled release is currently being worked on and will be available in both the U.S. and Canada. He even goes on to state that it will be acceptable for DVD duplication. Quality masters indeed! Chances of seeing this title released in 2000 on DVD may just be looking up as well as indicating a shift in how companies are approaching both the mainstream market and the anime market. As always, if you're sending email to the folks at any company, always be polite! Thanks to Derek Sherman for sending me the info. 

NEWS: 12/24/99

Best of 1999: With no more new releases in sight for this year, we're kicking off our Best of 1999 section of the site today starting with the reader polling of the best DVD released in 1999. We'll be adding more to this in the next couple of weeks as we finish up our own little bits!

Twas the night before...: I was all set to write up a nice little bit with those words tonight, but have decided to let the crew over at Pioneer take the spotlight as they've done just the right kind. I'd like to wish each and every one a happy holiday and to thank you for your contributions and suggestions for this site during the past year. I look forward each and every day to chatting with the many fans who visit here and really do enjoy everything that goes on with everyone. Thank you for making it a great year!

NEWS: 12/23/99

Put it in a bag and smack it around: DVD EXPRESS is now listing Catnapped! in their catalog (through search only at the moment) but the rather surprising thing is that it's listed as a dub only. Animenation lists it as a dub and a sub. If it's a dub only, it may be due to something being cut or altered in the dub version, but this is rather surprising coming from Pioneer especially when a subtitled VHS version is available. 

Ask Ladycat: Getting in just under the wire before we quiet down for the holiday weekend (though we'll still be found in the forum and in the chat room), Ladycat has sent in a new column with questions and answers about HK DVD's, recordable DVD players and more! Remember, no question is too great or small for her keen insights!

Alternate angles: We've got two great alternate angle reviews lined up today. Justin Emerson, who has written several reviews here to date, sends in some detailed thoughts on the Fushigi Yugi: Suzaku box set. After that, settle in to an in-depth review of the Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer disc by Steve Brandon who is taking a break from his Tenchi reviews.

NEWS: 12/22/99

Cover additions: Check out the upcoming page for new cover images for Nazca Vol. #1 and Tenchi in Tokyo Vol. #8. You can also click through the image (it will take you to our affiliate, DVD EXPRESS) where you can click on their image to view an enlarged one. The Nazca cover looks real sweet. In addition, I've posted in the forum a picture of the upcoming Ninja Cadets show from Media Blasters. January looks to be a lot of fun and definitely a better way of kicking off the year than 1999 had!

In production: Our in production page has been updated to reflect potential titles Manga Entertainment is setting to release in 2000.

Alternate angles: We've got four new alternate angle reviews today for you to peruse, especially for those who don't care much for my opinion. :) Aviv Arad has sent in the first alternate review for Fushigi Yugi while Tye Arnett has sent in reviews for Battle Athletes OVA Vol. #1, Vol. #2 and Vol. #3.

NEWS: 12/21/99

New review: With all the holiday bustle and delays in the mail, I finally got in my copy of Ninja Resurrection this past weekend and have taken the time to sit down and go over it in-depth. This was definitely a surprising disc!

DVD Amnesia: Our second contest for December has been completed and Damien Daurio is our winner of the Wind Named Amnesia DVD! Congratulations to Damien! Don't forget that our Tenchi OVA Box set contest is still going through Friday. The questions are tough, but a lot of people are getting them all right, so take heart!

Animation for a new generation: Most of us have seen this saying on our ADV Films DVD's and press releases. Today, I got in my latest issue of Ken Crane's catalog, and who graces the cover? Ninja Resurrection, Battle Angel and Neon Genesis Evangelion. There's also a nice 2 page spread in the center with those titles getting the big nod as well as an entire page of titles from Pioneer and others. It's definitely good to see more places getting interested in the scene.

NEWS: 12/20/99

Trigun revisited: Contrary to information posted earlier today from DVD File, Trigun Vol #1: The $$60,000,000,000 Man will be streeting on 3/28/2000 for 29.95. It will contain four episodes complete with openings and endings. 

Close but no cigar?: The Legend of Crystania movie is related to the Lodoss family of OVA's, TV series and novels, but how does it rate on its own? Check out our early review of it!

Anime Village details: Though we're still waiting on the official confirm from Anime Village, some information has been acquired regarding the initial three titles due in April. According to the Diamond Distributors update, Cowboy Bebop will debut for 29.99 with 5 (five) episodes on the first disc. Blue Submarine 6 will have 1 (one) episode for 24.98 (which may be due to contractual obligations, as the VHS was released the same way). Eatman 98 has no information beyond the price of 29.99. 

Stacking up: Originally announced for May of 99 but then delayed indefinitely, Slayers: The Motion Picture has a date of 2/8 now. With video issues known as the reason behind the delay, how will this release look? Check out our early exclusive review!

Anime on DVD in print: Well, not really, but Bethany Neal who does a lot of our Divi-chan pictures here at the site sent in my Christmas present today. Click on the picture for an enlarged view!

Pioneer shift: According to today's DVD File new release listings, Pioneer will be releasing Trigun on 3/14/2000. The interesting thing to note is that they list the price as 24.95$. Pioneer Entertainment's new release listings haven't been updated with it yet, so I can't verify it, but if it's true, one of the early hopes I had for DVD may be happening. With dubs being the largest segment of anime tapes that selling, DVD may eventually move from subtitled level pricing to dub level pricing. After all, the difference in price is one reason many dub fans cite not buying subtitled tapes. We'll update this when we know more.

Otakunization: Though it's just over eight months away, Otakon 2000 is now in the works and they've got dates. August 4-6. Yoshitoshi ABe, the original character designer for serial experiments lain, and production 2nd's Yasuyuki Ueda, the creator of the lain series are the first confirmed guests for the convention. Whether or not I'm invited as a panelist this year, I'm definitely making the trip.  

NEWS: 12/19/99

DVD revisited: Kenneth Cho and EX have revisited the DVD format in their latest feature article for their web magazine. It's quite good and has several interesting quotes from various studios. Be sure to check it out.

I want more!: The final volume of Battle Athletes Victory has been viewed today, and dang it, I want more! This series marks the completion of the first full 26 episode TV series released in region 1 on DVD for anime. It also marks its entry into our Essential Anime Collection, so be sure to check that out as well!

Ask Ladycat: Christy's got a new column in this week that covers several topics, so be sure to see what readers have been asking. And don't forget, you can send your questions to her as well!

Philosophy in a Teacup: And this is the latest installment with the pan-dimensional fantasy world of "Cup & Saucer" featuring our hapless shmuck, a psychotic rodent, and a killer Elfgirl called Blender. We've got plenty of cameos, so watch and see how many you can identify!

NEWS: 12/17/99

New review: The last Central Park Media release of the year, Wild Cardz was released day and date with the VHS tape. CPM gets a kudos in that department, but how does the disc hold up itself? You have to read the review to find out...

Super sweet: Though we've got awhile before the DVD release should hit (anamorphic and in 5.1, please), you can check out the theatrical site ADV has set up for it's upcoming release of Spriggan.

New next week: Zip! Nothing new comes out next week. In fact, I believe we're in a bit of a lull until 1/11 when several titles may start showing up. This is one of those opportunity weeks for those who've just joined the format to catch up on some older releases and for those of us who buy a lot to take a breather. 

Alternate angle: I'm so swamped I'm actually falling behind! Thankfully, Mike Kiefl has sent in an alternate angle review for Battle Athletes Victory #8. Be forewarned, alternate angle reviews may contain spoilers!

FAQ: We've updated the FAQ today with a few bits on packaging and cases. As always, if you think something should be in there, especially you forum regulars, send it in!

Fushigi packaging and more: Though the problem appears to be extremely minimal, it sounds like a few Fushigi sets have shipped without the lovely booklets enclosed. I haven't heard of any issues with the slipcover missing yet, but it's still early in the release. Additionally, the last release of El-Hazard: The Alternative World had many copies that did not contain the redemption card for the poker card set. Before heading off to the forum to complain, be sure to call Pioneer's customer service (handled by The Right Stuf, so don't be surprised) at: 1-800-421-1621. And if you have concerns about packaging issues in general or anything else Pioneer related, you can always write them where they'll take more notice (after all, an email is a 1/10th a penny a dozen, if that). The address for that is:

NEWS: 12/16/99

Fushigi update 1: We're swamped with product to review here and not enough time! We have completed the first disc in the Fushigi Yugi box set though, and have expanded into the content for it in our updated review. We are trying hard to not reach into spoilers here, and will leave that territory for the alternate angle reviews as they start to come in over the weekend and into next week.

Do the Eva Shuffle: According to Image Entertainment's 12/15 news update, Neon Genesis Evangelion has been bumped from 12/21 (as previously known) to 1/11. As it gets closer, presumably after January, we'll likely hear whether this is firm or not. There just seem to be too many replication variables right now.

In production: It's been a wild Wednesday and Thursday, let me tell you. Though the week started off quiet, Wednesday produced a deluge of in-production titles as well as glimmers of what to expect from Anime Village in April. Central Park Media updated their WebConnex page that you access via their DVD-ROM features for the Winter 99 releases. Check out the newly updated in-production page for all the titles CPM/Anime 18 have in store.

Polling: We've added four new polling questions to our page today, so stop by and add your opinions to them!

NEWS: 12/15/99

Fushigi reviewed: No, I haven't watched the entire thing yet. Heh. It'll likely take us a week or so to get through everything, but we're going to build onto our review with each step we make, but we have some initial thoughts up on the packaging itself as well as some bits on the first disc. Check it out!

Anime Village flood begins: According to Previews magazine, in late march/early April, Anime Village will begin releasing some of their anime shows on the digital format of choice. Blue Submarine 6 #1 (24.95), Cowboy Bebop #1 (29.99) and Eatman 98 Vol. #1 (29.99). I'm getting more information on these releases right now and should have more on these in the next day or two.

More new announcements: Warner Bros. looks to have the Pokemon movie out in March (26.98). In addition to the previously known Sakura Diaries, Revolutionary Girl Utena 2 there is Trigun Vol. #1 from Pioneer. Another show that's listed, and I have no idea who it's from or what it's about is Sailor and the Seven Ballz. Anyone?

Fushigi hits: The big news of the day is the impending arrival of Fushigi Yugi. Like vultures over the body in a desert, many chat members (myself included) were watching as copies flew out of the warehouse at DVD Express last night and today. The initial copy count? 2000! Talk about impressive! There have been reports that some other online stores, including Amazon and Reel, have not gotten in what they've ordered and are beginning to shift arrival times anywhere from 2-3 days to 4-6 weeks. 

Important note for Fushigi buyers: Since there's always a chance of something being wrong with anything you buy, or something missing (in this case a booklet or possibly even a disc), make sure you save the shrink-wrap until you've made sure you've got everything and it all plays well. For some reason, Pioneer has placed the UPC code only on the shrink-wrap. This'll make it fun for people who use tracking software at home for their collections that are UPC based.

Tenchi contest: Okay, I've gotten a few complaints about the Tenchi contest, which means that yes it's a bit hard. I've clarified a couple of questions since to some people there may be some vagueness to them. I also put in a bit that clarifies that all the characters asking Who Am I? are available on region 1 DVD's that are out through 12/13/1999.

Various: The next couple of days are going to be really hectic around here. Wondering why? Here's just a bit of what we have to watch and review for everyone...

NEWS: 12/14/99

Final 1999 contest: The final contest for 1999 is now under way for the site here. We've done a lot of contests during this year and given away 29 discs this year and it's been a heck of a lot of fun doing it, both in terms of being able to do it and to see some of the incredible entries for the essays or the sneaky comments by people in the general email random drawings. I swear, the number of people who've tried to hypnotize me via email is quite large. We'll be kicking off 2000 with a great contest by giving away the entire Battle Athletes Victory TV series in one whack, but 1999 will close with the Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Edition being given away. My thanks to everyone who has participated this year!

Catnapped! update: According to the Right Stuf, Catnapped! will indeed be a "hybrid" or dual language DVD. Perhaps the lower price is simply reflected at the market it's being aimed for. 

Anime ranks high: With a lot of stores starting to compile their best of and editors picks for DVD's of 1999, Amazon has put up their 50 best of the year. Out of the entire list, only one anime shows up, and it's definitely one that deserves it. Ranking in at number 21, Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Edition.

NEWS: 12/13/99

Pioneer release news: Pioneer put in a few new announcements today for the first half of March 2000. On 3/7, Catnapped! arrives for the price of 24.95, which makes me figure it's probably a dub only DVD. On 3/14, Pioneer releases two more discs for Viz, Pokémon - Charizard! and Pokémon - Totally Togepi!

Alternative to Ebay?: Anthony Cogan wrote in to let me know about a new venture that has started that anime fans may find some use for in the near future if not now. Check out the site DVD's 4 Less where you may find a new home for your unwanted anime discs as opposed to Ebay or other auction sites.

Required reading: Both old and new fans alike are bound to find some great information in this primer for the Dragon Ball world sent in by Mike Kiefl. With the possibility of real subtitled Dragon Ball DVD's coming out in 2000, you can be sure we'll be referencing this primer a lot!

Solid state hardware: Muljadi Budiman has sent in a great in-depth review of one of the kings of DVD players, the Sony DVP-S7700 player. This is one sweet model to be sure.

Rubber suit fans rejoice: According to a post on the forum from an ADV Films representative, the ink has just dried on releasing the Gamera 2 and Gamera 3 domestically. I had originally posted here that the DVD was likely, but had misread what was stated in the post. At this point, nothing has been determined in terms of format. Since this was just done, don't expect any dates or other information right away. 

NEWS: 12/12/99

Hardware: Dave Seid has sent in a great review of one of Toshiba's big DVD players, their 5109 Progressive Scan player. Talk about a piece of equipment to have in the rack...

First look: Though it's not my review, Edward Etkin has sent in a great review of what looks to be a great quality disc. Check out what he has to say about ADV's newest release, Ninja Resurrection. I'll be waiting outside next to my mailbox for my copy to arrive.

Region 2: Peter Weber has sent in a look at another region 2 release, Mahou Tsukai Tai Vol. #1 along with the cover artwork. Yet another show that looks like it should be brought over and soon!

Gundam as official as can be: During the gig at the Rafael Film Center yesterday to introduce the first three episodes of Gundam Wing to the public as well as many other Anime Village shows. Ken Iyadomi of AV (also the producer for Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Gundam W among others) was apparently very direct in saying that Gundam 08th MS Team would not only definitely be getting the VHS treatment here in the U.S., but that it is also very definitely slated for "the shiny treatment". That's DVD for you new readers. Thanks to Ben Longman and others for the news!

NEWS: 12/11/99

Philosophy in a Teacup: The pandemonium continues this week in the second installment of the widely read column by His Lordship Chaos. How many facevaults does he pull this week? You'll only know after you read it...

Alternate angles: You want 'em, we got 'em. Check out Sean Kemp's take on Battle Angel, Thong Chau's take on it as well and Jon Van Dalen's take on A Wind Named Amnesia. As a side note, we've revamped slightly how the region 1 review page is set up for alternate angle reviews. Since we've gotten so many on some titles, the list was getting a bit unwieldy and hopefully this fix will smooth things out.

Top ten update: The overall top ten list has been updated and a shift is starting to occur. Though Pioneer owns 60% of the chart, the other 40% is split up between Manga with both Macross Plus discs and ADV Films which is making their way into the charts with Sakura Wars and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Fushigi does manage to claim the top spot again as Tenchi Forever begins to slow down, but three Lain discs are still continually selling. The December titles have been updated as well which contain a bit more variety.

Contests and a note for many of our readers: Our first contest has ended for December and the winner of the random drawing had a great entry as well, so check it out. Our second contest has started, so make sure you get the goods on that as well. I do however want to talk a bit about the first contest, or more specifically the entries themselves.

In the random drawing, I had asked for people to tell me what their ultimate Christmas present would be to get this year. Naturally there were a lot of anime DVD's listed, a lot of home theater gear (glad to see a lot of people wanting HDTV's) and general peace and goodwill towards all entries. There were also a lot of entries, and I mean a lot, from people who wanted something that's just hard to give. Many asked for the courage to ask certain people out and others to tell close friends their true feelings towards them. While reading many of these entries I must admit I sympathized greatly with them, as I've been in exactly the same situation. Though it's not within the normal realm of the news page here or the site in general, I would just like to urge these readers to take that chance and tell that person whom you hold special to you just how you feel. You may not get what you want, but you don't know unless you try. We're not here on this world all that long as time is measured and we get very few chances at the things that really and truly count. Take those chances and feel alive during them. Someone urged me the same a few years ago and I let my feelings be known to someone and it worked out rather well. Besides, the world could end in 20 days. :)

NEWS: 12/10/99

Confirmed next week: Next week's a great week for a lot of readers out there. Confirmed in at DVD Express is Battle Athletes Victory #8 (500 copies), Tenchi in Tokyo #7 (900 copies) and Wild Cardz (400 copies). Where's Fushigi Yugi you ask? Well... it'll be out next week, but it looks like several retailers won't be getting their stock until Monday or Tuesday at the earliest. This happened this week with a big Warner Bros. title, Deep Blue Sea, as the production facilities are stamping out discs as fast as they can, but the folks doing the work are only human. 

A new DVD: Next week, the penultimate release for the Tenchi in Tokyo series, A New Career arrives. I've gotten an advance copy of it and have completed my review for it.

A ghost of a chance: I've gotten some word on the missing in action title, A Chinese Ghost Story. It looks like there were some serious issues with the audio, so the release has been put on hold. It is highly unlikely that it will be a 1999 release, but will be out sometime in 2000.

Region 2 news you can use: "Ryu" sent me some information about a couple of upcoming titles in Japan that will likely have an impact on domestic releases next year. 12/18 will see the release of Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and 1/25 will see the start of Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories from Bandai Visual. With Bandai having the rule that a region 1 release can only happen after it's been on DVD in region 2 for six months at the least, we're looking at a possibility of a late 2000 release for these shows. Also of interest, though I don't know what format Italy uses, Yamato Video will be releasing 23 episodes of the first Lupin TV series and all 40 episodes of the Rose of Versailles early next year.

Lucky lucky: For those of you in northern California, the Rafael Film Center will be premiering the Gundam Wing show on December 11th. Also showing: Saber Marionette J Again (Dec 12, 21), Blue Submarine No. 6 (Dec 13), The Clamp School (Dec 16, 19), Cowboy Bebop (Dec 17), The Vision of Escaflowne (Dec 23). Check out the Gundam Official site for info on the Gundam showing and the Film Center for general information.

Coming this weekend: Several bits and pieces lined up, including some Battle Angel reviews, an interesting change to the top ten list, a new Philosophy in a Teacup and possibly a primer as well. And as always, lots of people talking in the forums!

NEWS: 12/09/99

Tentatively speaking: There's another potential gaggle of titles due out next week, and we should see: Battle Athletes Victory #8, Fushigi Yugi Box Set, Tenchi in Tokyo Vol. #7 and Wild Cardz. 

Eva slips: Though I think most of us knew the 12/21 date for Neon Genesis Evangelion was tentative at best, it seems those suspicions have been confirmed via a couple of emails I've gotten from reliable sources. From what I can tell, Eva looks to hit in late January or early February.

Ninja Resurrection: For those like me waiting on this title and the weird shipping pattern to distributors that this week has been, DVD Express got their copies in late last night (600) and should be shipping shortly.

NEWS: 12/08/99

Good Gally: Good? Nah. Great! We've just gotten done watching Battle Angel from ADV and we're stoked. Our full review is now up.

No more sweaty Palm: Palm Pictures, the parent company of Manga Entertainment, has signed a one year deal to use the Macrovision copy protection process on all of its DVD and VHS products. Check out the press release here.

A new view: For those wondering, I believe right now about 30% of our readership is made up of women. Anime is definitely growing in all sorts of ways, and more women viewers are definitely a big part of the changing face not only of the products in the market, but in fandom itself. With that in mind, here's an article (first of many?) by Tena Mastrangelo entitled, "The Pros and Cons of Being a Female Anime Fan". Be sure to check out her two great sites that she runs as well, Sailor Starlights and Eternal Senshi!

Big box of Lain: Well, Yesterday was the 7th and we compiled all of our email entries (over 1500!) and randomly selected our winner. Congratulations go out to Peter Ward who won all four volumes of Serial Experiments Lain and an Anime on DVD T-Shirt! Be sure to check out two more contests towards the end of the month where we'll give away two more Build an Anime Library sets, Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Edition and all eight volumes of Battle Athletes Victory! And don't forget to enter our El-Hazard #1 contest!

Upcoming with a question: We've added a new page at the end of the upcoming titles list that includes titles that are known to be in production as well as rumored titles. Bear in mind, as the page that they're on indicates, that these are never concrete until an official announcement is made. With more studios producing DVD's these days, we're starting to hear more plans and "things in the works" that you guys want to hear about. If you know of any yourself, you can always email us with them!

Alternate angle: The third of four volumes of El-Hazard, The Alternative World has shipped this week and in addition to our review last Thursday, Roman Martel has sent in his thoughts on one of his more favored series.

NEWS: 12/07/99

Urusei Yatsura update: According to a mailing list update from Robert Woodhead, UY TV DVD 1 is being finalized as a bug has been isolated and workaround has been put in place in regards to subtitling issues. The next four volumes are now being worked on as they have their method down and expect them to be finalized by early January. After that? Replication time!

New title: Pioneer update today and their latest announcement is the Dog of Flanders movie, due out on 3/7/2000.

Starblazers update: Patrick Judy talked more with the folks at Voyager recently in regards to their Starblazers plans. Apparently they're looking more towards a January if not later date now, but otherwise little has changed. It was also restated that the DVD's will be done just like the collectors edition VHS tapes that came out a few years ago (opening, episodes, closing).

DVD in the UK: Dan Jackson wrote in to let me know that there are some new things coming out in the UK soon for anime DVD's. ADV Films UK will be releasing both Tekken and Sonic The Hedgehog hopefully sometime before Christmas according to a rep from the studio. 

NEWS: 12/06/99

The ADV Witch Project: Is it real or a hoax? Over the weekend I was sent in a review for ADV's Legend of Crystania Movie DVD due out on 2/8/2000. I'm not vouching for it's authenticity since it is being sent in this early, so reader beware.

Getting primed for Eva: With the first volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion only two weeks away, Jeff Williams has sent in a fantastic in depth primer for this landmark TV series yet avoids spoilers. If you're still on the fence about this disc or are new to anime and wondering what all the buzz is about, this is the primer for you to read.

Alternate angles: Checking in today with some views on a few discs, Meng Vang comments on Grave of the Fireflies and Peter checks in with Sakura Wars.

Retailing: As the holiday season looms even closer, we've got two new retailer reviews for you to check out. Jeff Mace checks in with some thoughts on Record Town/Saturday Matinee in West Virginia and Rohan brings a point of view in on international ordering from Reel.com.

NEWS: 12/05/99

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: How could I not lead with a quote like that? Though it's not the end of the year, it's close, and this is when I wrote a similar article last year. Check out the 1999 Anime on DVD Year In Review for all the thrills, spills and chills of the year and a look into 2000.

Whoops: In my review for Midnight Panther, I omitted a rather good part of the disc, the DVD-ROM content. I'm fixing that right here and now with an updated review.

Tea time: In his sixteenth installment, His Lordship Chaos begins a new multi story arc with this column, entitled "There's a Pan Dimension in my ice box!!!"

Will it be big?: Speculation is running about how well the first volume of Evangelion will sell, but anime retailers seem to be feeling really positive about it, especially since December is usually a slow month. Check out what Right Stuf says about it here in this December product listing (scroll down a bit or just do a search for Eva). Thanks to Adam Schenker for the tip.

NEWS: 12/04/99

Manga title information: DVD Animania scored big with a list of likely candidates of titles Manga will be bringing out next year. Danielle Opyt of Manga indicated that the first title should be Castle of Cagliostro, originally due in October, would lead the new charge in February. How this jives with information on the Right Stuf site with Perfect Blue supposedly ready for a 2/24 release and X/1999 having a 3/21 release, we'll have to wait and see. There's quite a number of titles that they seem to want to put out, and if they pull it off, 2000 will definitely be a competitive year all around for anime DVD's. Hat's off to Kevin for getting the info.

Better late than never: Image Entertainment has finally gotten the information for the 12/21 release of Neon Genesis Evangelion 0:1 from ADV Films. In a what is likely a typo, they list the running time as 240 minutes. A couple of sites have already listed the show as having "four one hour episodes". It does contain four episodes, but only of the 25 minute variety.

It returns: We recently axed the monthly Onelist update mailing list since... well, we weren't doing it. We've refigured the mailing list a bit and it's now active again. There will be a join button at the bottom of this page, and you can click here to our community page on Onelist.

NEWS: 12/03/99

New and upcoming: Some good stuff coming out next week, so we'll have a few new reviews and there are bound to be some alternate reviews sent in, especially for ADV's new releases. Titles are firmly coming out next week include Battle Angel (750 copies), Dragonball Z #16 (250 copies), Dragonball Z #17 (250 copies) which finishes out the Pioneer releases of the series and El-Hazard, The Alternative World Vol. #3: The Ruler of the Universe (900 copies) which was reviewed here yesterday. There's no sign of  Ninja Resurrection yet. I've also been told that DVD Express now has Ninja Cadets up for preorder as well, though it can only be found in search. That'll be sweet at 14.97!

Top ten: The November top ten has been finalized and it's little surprise that the first volume of Evangelion has snagged the top spot, though it hasn't made it into the overall top ten yet. What some people may find interesting is the first two days for December which shows a little more variety in the list.

Alternate angles: Justin Emerson chimes in this week with a look at the classic title Grave of the Fireflies while Justin Hui sends in a review of the region 0 version of Macross: Do You Remember Love.

A step back, two forward: One title has fallen out of next weeks schedule, though it's hardly a surprise. Battle Athletes Victory #8 has made the drop back a week to 12/14. This isn't surprising at all as I believe nearly each volume has fallen back a week each time. On the plus side, it looks like we may have dates for two other titles. According to the Right Stuf website, Perfect Blue will have a date of 2/24/2000 and X/1999 will hit on 3/21. Too bad they couldn't get that one out while it was still 1999, but perhaps quality control will be better on these two titles from Manga.

NEWS: 12/02/99

Three new nights: A new review is now up for your discriminating tastes. El-Hazard, The Alternative World Vol. #3: The Ruler of the Universe! is now added to our growing library of titles.

So close yet so far: According to a post on the Animeigo DVD mailing list today, Robert Woodhead gave a more accurate assessment of the Urusei Yatsura TV Box 1 release; February is looking pretty likely. This is based both on small authoring snags on volumes 2 - 5 (vol. 1 is complete) and the absolute horrid logjam of replication facilities at the moment. To give you an idea, there were approximately a million DVD's sold in the first year of the formats release. The week after Thanksgiving there were a million DVD's sold. There's only so many replicators to go around. This does continue to give hope for an absolutely sterling set when it does arrive.

Coming soon: I've been asked by a few people to post a list of titles arriving next week on Thursday instead of Friday, since the posting on Friday is done after the titles arrive at DVD Express and the pre-order discount is gone. I'd done it this way in the past so people would know what titles actually did arrive. So we'll do it a little different from here on out. Next week is a plethora of titles to keep almost anyone happy. Scheduled to come out is Battle Angel, Battle Athletes Victory #8, Dragonball Z #16, Dragonball Z #17, El-Hazard, The Alternative World Vol. #3 and Ninja Resurrection. A Chinese Ghost Story no longer has a date listed and I've been unable to get any information regarding a new date. And as a personal recommendation, there are two very excellent titles coming out next week that I want to mention; Falcon and the Snowman and the Pink Floyd: The Wall DVD. They may even get a spin before the anime does!
 

NEWS: 12/01/99

Contests: With a new Divi-chan picture up courtesy of Bethany Neal, we're kicking off our first in a series of contests for December. The current contest has a copy of El-Hazard, The Alternative World Vol. #1 up for grabs. Later in the month, we'll have a copy of the Tenchi Muyo Ultimate Edition DVD box set up. And don't forget about our Build an Anime Library Collection contest that has all four volumes of Serial Experiments Lain up for grabs!