Wednesday, January 31st, 2001

Digital omake (09:53 PM EST):

Petitions (09:42 PM EST): Two more petitions were submitted to us today. Check out the petition section for links to get Magical Twilight brought to DVD and a call for Manga to recall the Wings of Honneamise disc.

Anime Love (09:36 PM EST): Valentines Day is just around the corner, and all you single fans are searching for your perfect anime mate (hey! Don't do that to that DVD!). The folks at Anime Love are having their first contest, which you can read all about here, and maybe get in on some of that good wuv.

Revolutionize the DVD (09:07 PM EST): According to Anime News Service, Central Park Media has acquired the Utena movie for domestic distribution with an eye towards a 4th quarter DVD/VHS release. It's also indicated that they will try to reassemble the English voice cast from the TV series to do the movie. While finally getting the movie set, it does strike me as odd to have not gotten more of the TV series as well as mention that it might not be possible to get them all back for the movie. It doesn't bode well for the English cast returning for more TV episodes.

Akira (07:02 PM EST): We're probably going to be hearing more about Akira in the next few weeks, and it looks like Pioneer is doing things right by giving the title it's own website. Someone want to watch that site until it updates? Thanks!

Tuesday, January 30th, 2001

YUA TV 2 (10:29 PM EST): While the first You're Under Arrest TV series is due out this year from AnimEigo, the 2nd series is getting underway in Japan, and the latest online English edition of NewType has an interview with series director Shogo Kawamoto. You know, I'm somewhat surprised there isn't a petition yet for AnimEigo to get the 2nd TV series...

DVD player contest (07:52 PM EST): While we can't afford to give away a DVD player, one of our sponsors has a contest for one right now where entering is as simple as getting on their email list. Check out Planet Anime for more info.

Newly reviewed (07:45 PM EST): Our latest review is the newly released Gundam Wing Vol. #5. Having seen the series on TV previously, it's been interesting to watch it with the Japanese language at last, but I do have to admit some of the usual thrill just isn't there, having seen it already. I'm thinking of passing on some of the upcoming TV fare so I don't get my discs "spoiled" ahead of time...

SMJ Update (07:26 PM EST): The Anime Village site updated with this new information today: Saber Marionette J DVD Collection 1 has been released to mass-production, and should be arriving in stores soon. It contains the first 9 episodes of SMJ on 2 DVD's. as well as a character databank and exclusive music video on the 2nd disc. The discs use a clean new master from Japan in order to provide the best video and audio source possible for this TV series.

New title announcement (06:07 PM EST): The next volume has been announced for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Look for Vol. #5 to arrive on 3/27.

Petitions (05:45 PM EST): Two new petitions up today. The first one is to urge CPM to release the remainder of Area 88 on DVD (though I'd prefer a new single disc release with all three episodes, getting the first one a proper remaster with new techniques). This is one of those classic series that simply must be brought out in its entirety. I mean, I sold off my laserdiscs of it dagnabit!

The other one is to urge any studio to bring out FLCL from Gainax in region 1. The pool of interested companies for that appears to be dwindling however...

Patlabor... dubbed? (05:45 PM EST): Since the mention earlier of Patlabor TV coming to DVD from Central Park Media, most of us had figured it'd be in the same subtitled only configuration that the VHS were. After all, CPM does have 13 volumes of Votoms scheduled for ice picking that are sub only. But you crafty readers out there send off emails to the companies and occasionally glean some new information.

The latest appears that the Patlabor TV (not the OVA's or New Files) will indeed be bilingual. And according to one statement, the sales of the first volume will give indication as to whether they'll go forward with the other Patlabor series. 

Urban Vision updates (05:41 PM EST): The press release for Golgo 13: Queen Bee arrived late last night, and it looks like it's another disc worthy of the Special Edition title. What separates it from regular discs? How about 5.1 for both English and Japanese language as well as being the second disc to have a Japanese language commentary? This time around the audio commentary is by the Japanese Director and Executive Producer!

SF Alpha Contest (05:39 PM EST): This week DVD Talk has a special giveaway from the folks at Manga - they're giving away 9 hand drawn and painted cels from the Street Fighter Alpha movie. Each animated cel is unique, an original, and highly collectable. In addition to the cels they will be giving away 10 copies of the highly anticipated anime DVD - Street Fighter Alpha. 

Kenshin TV (05:36 PM EST): For those who sent in their Kenshin Vol. #1 TV discs to Media Blasters for an exchange due to the audio problems, you'll be happy to know that Media Blasters began shipping them out last week and some are already arriving in fans hands. We've learned that there is no discernable difference in packaging however, so picking out which is good and which is bad will be tricky until the old stock runs out. One suggestion by a forum reader is that the cellophane wrapped discs may be the new ones while the shrinkwrapped ones may be the older ones.

Monday, January 29th, 2001

Viz on DVD (08:06 PM EST): Well, this is looking to be positively stunningly good news if it bears out. According to an interview on the Ranma 1/2 Perfect Edition website with Viz producer/translator Toshifumi Yoshida, both Ranma 1/2 and at least the first 36 episodes of Maison Ikkoku are DVD bound. And having season six of Ranma 1/2 simultaneous (though people will complain about only 3 episodes per disc) with the VHS is good and even better having the earlier seasons in box sets will definitely make things interesting later this year.

Kudos to the folks at Perfect Edition for getting such big news.

Pioneer's Akira (06:33 PM EST): After the article in Variety last Friday, a more full press release about the upcoming theatrical and home video release of Akira came out today from Pioneer..

February info (06:12 PM EST): Though usually when I mention things like this, I still find a way to keep things going smoothly, February looks to be a "challenge" month for me. My wife and I made an offer on a home this past weekend (which was accepted). We'll be spending a lot of time throughout February going through closing issues and the like, with it all being settled at the end of the month. We'll do our best to keep up on things though, but if you don't see us updating as often as we do now, don't panic! :)

CPM tidbits (05:51 PM EST): The folks at trsi coaxed out a bit more information from the folks at Central Park Media regarding their upcoming releases mentioned in the chat. According to their main page, RG Vega DVD will arrive on 6/12, Maze TV Box DVD (4 discs) during summer 2001, Patlabor TV DVD during late summer 2001 and Night of the Galactic Railroad during October. From information we're seeing pop up in email conversations with CPM by other readers, it appears that the Maze box set will be the broadcast version and not the more fanservice oriented Japanese home video/LD release which has made the fansub run over the years.

Media Blasters bit (05:45 PM EST): Jim Lazar of Anime Prime has gotten some new information out of Media Blasters regarding the upcoming Mezzo Forte title we talked about recently:

"I've just received information from John Sirabella (President of Media Blasters) about Mezzo Forte. Since this Green Bunny title has scenes of a sexual nature, they will be releasing both an uncut version on their Kitty label and an edited version on their AnimeWorks label. As always, I suggest you get the unedited version. Both will apparently be released on separate DVDs."

Sunday, January 28th, 2001

Advance review (04:23 PM EST): One more review for the weekend, this time around the 2/13 release from Pioneer for Viz, Fatal Fury: Double Impact, containing both of the OVA's from 92 and 93.

Saturday, January 27th, 2001

Advance review (10:20 PM EST): Due out on 2/6 (at least from retailers who don't break street dates) is the first big release from Bandai in 2001; Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Special Edition.

New title announcement (09:16 PM EST): Urban Vision will be unleashing their newest disc on April 17th with the title Golgo 13: Queen Bee. MSRP is 29.95$.

Newly reviewed (09:10 PM EST): Our latest review is the December release of Gestalt from Media Blasters.

Lum goodness (08:53 PM EST): If you weren't sure about the box set, you can now pick up the first Urusei Yatsura volume directly from AnimEigo. The disc is also going to be available from normal retail methods sometime in late February. MSRP is 24.95

Friday, January 26th, 2001

Akira (11:24 AM EST): News, news at last on Akira. This is one of the top five searches people make on this site and in emails to me. Where's Akira? What's new on it? The folks at Pioneer have been pretty hush hush about it, though I've heard a few whispers of just how cool it's going to be. According to this information on Yahoo today, it's expected release is indeed the 4th quarter of 2001, which is what I've been expecting all along. They mention the new dub being produced as well as the restoration and hi-def remastering going on, which gives hope for an anamorphic transfer for the DVD. Anyone want to lay odds on this becoming the disc of the year much like Princess Mononoke did last year?

This weekend (11:22 AM EST): Usually on the weekend we do a variety of updates, and this weekend won't be too different, but I wanted to give folks a heads up on it. We're entering the next phase in our lives here (I turned 30 today, Belldandy help me) and going off to do a ton of home viewings this weekend as we're going to be buying a new one sometime hopefully within the next few months. Weekends might become a bit lighter, but in the meantime, some new things we'll have up will be reviews for Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Gestalt and the Fatal Fury OVA disc as well as the possibility of Neon Genesis Evangelion 0:4 if it shows up in time. We're also planning a two-disc and graphic novel contest to start up as well. We just need to think up of a really cool contest idea, which is always the hardest part. 

Thursday, January 25th, 2001

Alternate angles (11:28 PM EST): A few more have been cleared for posting tonight;

• Gasaraki Vol. #3 by David Owens
• Princess Mononoke by Marcus Phillip Degen
• Outlaw Star Collection 2 by David Owens
• Black Heaven Vol. #2 by Jme Wheeler
• Hyperdoll by David Owens

Site gathering (10:25 PM EST): The next site gathering is occurring this coming Saturday in New York City. There's also folks getting together for Katsucon, so be sure to check out our Conventions & Gatherings forum for more information.

New cover art (09:33 PM EST): Some new pieces were added to gallery six today, with the first two Blue Seed covers, Sailor Moon S TV 1 and Escaflowne 3 and 4. As always, these may not be the final art for the covers.

Newly reviewed (09:19 PM EST): A few discs made their way to us today and the first to be reviewed is the very fun title, Fake from Media Blasters.

New title announcement (08:30 PM EST): According to an update at Right Stuf (outside of all the Bandai titles we already knew about), they list a new release in their adult section called Kizuna coming from a company called Ariztical for a list price of 29.95$ and containing two 30 minute episodes. Release date is 4/23 and it appears to be subtitled only. 

Starting the buzz (05:47 PM EST): There's a title coming out later this year from Media Blasters that's generating quite a bit of interest, especially since it's their first co-production with a Japanese company. Some discussion started up today in the forum when both pictures and a movie from the official Japanese site became known for Mezzo Forte, which you can read about here. You can also check out what Media Blasters has to say about it on their site in their future releases/acquisitions section. It's not surprising to see the creator of Kite being on this project considering how well the title has done for them. It may just be me, but Yasuomi Umetsu's style with these pictures remind me heavily of Steve Rude's art on the classic independent comic book series Nexus.

Ch-ch-changes... (05:36 PM EST): It's tempting to put a little midi up when I have that header... just kidding! I'd never embed music on the set. 

According to a post on the forum today by David Williams of ADV, two delays are coming up. Gunsmith Cats: Bulletproof and Sorcerer Hunters Vol. #1 are being bumped back to a 3/27 release. One of the reasons for this after their just being announced a week or two ago is the small amount of lead-time for retailers to make proper orders and for the sales folks at ADV to do their jobs. Just think how hard it was to find Slayers OVA, Dirty Pair Flash and the Cutey Honeys, which also all had very short solicitation windows.

Press (05:33 PM EST): Manga's sent out their latest announcement talking about their February and March release of the Street Fighter TV series.

CPM updates (05:25 PM EST): A few corrections came in this morning from the folks at CPM regarding the info we pulled from the transcript (a transcript which to me proves that our moderated chat is definitely the way to go; half a dozen people read it with me to find the nuggets and almost all of them got headaches trying to read it). In the updated information, we've removed the mention of the Ah! My Goddess movie as that was said by a fan and not a CPM person. They'll also be trying to get more Utena out this year, not specifically this summer as we posted and the DVD Pure Love will not have subtitles.

Wednesday, January 24th, 2001

CPM chat tidbits 2 (10:48 PM EST): John Leissler sent us a transcript of the chat, which contained these nuggets of info:

• Area 88 parts 2 and 3 don't have any plans to be done
• They do not have the DVD rights for the Yu Yu Hakusho they put on VHS
• RG Veda will be on DVD this summer
• Maze TV will be out this summer
• Patlabor TV 1 (episodes 1-5) late 2001
• Night on Galactic Railroad will be coming to DVD
• Pure Love will not be subtitled

CPM chat tidbits (08:31 PM EST): Josh Flowers has sent us some info from the currently-running chat on AOL with CPM. Here's some of the interesting bits:

• They are in the process of doing proper Japanese credits on their discs and was mentioned specifically with regards to Harlock Saga, Angel Sancutary Nightwalker.
• They will be trying to get more Utena out this year.
• There was some talk about this site, and they commented that they do read and might start posting (it should be noted some have posted in the past and we talk with them on occasion).
• In regards to subtitled hentai titles on DVD, their initial research led them to believe there wasn't a market for it. After some recent new information came to their attention, they do realize there is a market for it and from July 1st on, all DVD's will be subtitled. 

Alternate angles (08:31 PM EST): I'm going to try and knock off a few alternate angles this evening, though likely not all of them. We should be all caught up by the weekend though:

• Black Heaven Vol. #1 by Kenneth Lee
• Virgin Fleet by David Owens
• Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #4 by Lawrence Chu
• Record of Lodoss War TV by Michael Schmitt
• Slayers Next by Seton Williams
• Dragonball Z: Double Cross by Darby Ira Phillips

New title announcements (08:17 PM EST): A couple of new announcements came out today via the Right Stuf site. Due on 3/27 is Tenchi Universe Vol. #8 which completes that series and on 4/27 the final volume of Black Heaven will be out with an odd running time of 80 minutes. Both discs have an MSRP of 29.95.

Sneak peeks (06:46 PM EST): The Bandai Entertainment site has updated with a few snapshots of some of their upcoming series to give people a taste. Shows included are Crest of the Stars, Angel Links, Big O and Pilot Candidate.

Press & date change (05:45 PM EST): ADV has four new press releases today. Among notable announcements is the Gasaraki Vol. #5 for a 5/22 release date and a street date change for Arc the Lad, from 3/27 to 4/17. No jokes about tying the release for that DVD to the PS1 game by Working Designs. Seriously.

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2001

Divi-chan (09:15 PM EST): We're trying to catch up on some of our side projects, one of which is the Divi-chan design contest we had in December. It takes a bit of time to set things up for each of the images, so don't expect a flood of them. We've added two new ones tonight, one for the Chibi Divi and a Rose Divi.

Digital omake (07:50 PM EST): A new piece of omake, one I thought we had put in before but apparently hadn't, has come in today for the Slayers: Book of Spells disc.

Monday, January 22nd, 2001

Eva movie info (08:45 PM EST): According to an article at Anime News Network, the US release of the Evangelion movies will have everything that the Japanese discs had in terms of extras. As for 5.1 sound, the Japanese side definitely won't as "Anno does not believe in 5.1 surround sound". Of course, the article indicated that the response came from ADV Films instead of the actual license holder of Manga, so how much of it is valid is in question in my mind. 

Chat time (08:13 PM EST): This Wednesday on AOL's Japanimation Station (keyword:Japanimation) a live chat with Central Park Media's DVD production staff, including Dubbing Manager Tom Wayland, Production Coordinator Ross Lefko, Production Supervisor Mike Palan, and DVD Coordinator Eric Thomann.

This is the first chance for fans to talk one-on-one with the production staff to talk about the process of making DVD's. It's this Wednesday, 1/24/01 from 8 to 10 PM EST. For those who attend, be sure to let us know what you find out!

New title announcements (05:42 PM EST): Two new ones today have cropped up. First is Angel Links Vol. #2, due on 6/5. Also due on this date is the entire six episode OVA series "Bastard!!" for an MSRP of 29.99$. This is one of those early titles many of us wanted and petitioned for. I'm surprised it's being released at such a low price as I never really considered it an old title, but at least I can say we've got some cheap Bastard! coming out this summer.

Sunday, January 21st, 2001

Newly reviewed (06:13 PM EST): Wow, what a weekend. As our weekends are three days long, we managed to pack in a few extra reviews. With our review for Martian Successor Nadesico Vol. #3 now completed, we've done a full eight reviews since Friday morning. We'll be having a review for Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #4 in the next day or two as well as a few others throughout the week.

Advance review (02:43 PM EST): It's a review I know you've all been waiting for, Monster Rancher Vol. #4, due out on 3/20 from ADV Films.

Newly reviewed 2 (12:12 PM EST): Being a big fan of submarine movies, we sat down this morning to watch the latest from Central Park Media, Silent Service. If you're a fan of submarine movies, you'll likely want to snare this one.

Newly reviewed (00:25 AM EST): Late into the night we go, reviewing away. The latest in our hit parade? Another great showing in the form of Gasaraki Vol. #3.

Saturday, January 20th, 2001

New box sets (10:32 PM EST): The folks at Central Park Media are releasing two new box sets in the coming months. Due out on 4/17 is the "Must Have Anime Mainstream DVD 4-Pack" which contains Wrath of the Ninja, Revolutionary Girl Utena Vol. #1, Darkside Blues and the upcoming Complete Shamanic Princess for the list price of 129.98$. Also due out on the same day is the "Must Have Anime Adult DVD 3-Pack" which will contain Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend, Midnight Panther and Demon Beast Invasion and will list for 89.98$. Obviously you won't find the adult pack at your local mall retailer, and all of the releases are still available in single disc form. 

Advance review (10:31 PM EST): One of our more eagerly awaited discs from ADV Films made it into our mailbox recently. Due out on 2/13 is Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #4, which brings us another four episodes of Knight Saber goodness.

Super Techno Arts (05:28 PM EST): Regular reader and forum post John Andersen, aka Kyoya, posted some interesting new information today about the company Super Tecnho Arts, which is the US branch of APPP, which some of you may recall from the credits of some shows. They've been in the US for about two years now but have been working mostly on the audio for their Japanese releases at Skywalker Ranch as opposed to releasing things here, but they're always planning, and planning is half the battle.

According to the post, "[...] a DVD release of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure here in the U.S., the rep from Super Techno Arts commented that the series could be released this year during the Summer or Fall on DVD. As of now, they are currently looking at several DVD mastering houses to do the work. Please note that this DVD release date is tentative. The DVD will feature Japanese with English subtitles, and an English dub track."

Also mentioned, "[...] extras for the U.S. DVD release of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and the rep commented that the release could see interviews with the Japanese production staff and the Skywalker Sound production staff, along with animation storyboards. Again, the rep commented that this is all tentative."

And here's the interesting bit about a potential sequel to a completely unrelated show, "As for a U.S. DVD release of Robot Carnival, the rep said that they would like to release it on DVD, however, again this is still tentative. One juicy bit of news I was able to gather, is that APPP is currently thinking about a sequel to Robot Carnival, and again they are only discussing it, nothing has been set in stone."

Newly reviewed  (05:26 PM EST): A big box of discs came in from ADV yesterday, so we're making our way through all of them this weekend. First up and reviewed is Neon Genesis Evangelion Collection 0:3, the series where you wish you could buy different inserts for the covers.

Friday, January 19th, 2001

Newly licensed  (10:41 PM EST): Not long after announcing their acquisition of Yu Yu Hakusho, Funimation is at it again in announcing their acquisition of Blue Gender for stateside release. You can read about both acquisitions here.

Newly reviewed (10:38 PM EST): We've got our latest review up tonight in the form of Card Captor Sakura Vol. #2. Not to be out done, an alternate angle of the same disc has arrived today!

Tylor update (04:05 PM EST): The Right Stuf site has updated with the following information on the Tylor DVD release:

Unconfirmed (01:17 PM EST): According to two independent sources today that I find quite reliable, we've learned that starting this summer, CPM will be changing how they deal with their Anime 18, or hentai, DVD releases. Instead of the way things are going, with there being no subtitles but still providing Japanese language, they will be listening to fans wishes for subtitles on these titles and will change their existing method. While titles currently announced can't be changed in time due to scheduling and other issues, this bodes well for future release of both Anime 18 and their regular titles. We're extremely pleased to hear this if it does pan out and will probably revise our previous plans about not reviewing unsubbed CPM product.

Press (01:15 PM EST): The latest announcements from ADV came in today, covering February and March releases.

Newly reviewed (11:23 AM EST): Taking advantage of a little time, Amethyst and I watched Monster Rancher Vol. #3 today. While she laughed anytime Mocchi was on screen, I was amused to see the box art for Nadia on DVD on the insert.

Thursday, January 18th, 2001

R2 reviews (09:42 PM EST): A couple of new region 2 reviews have made their way into our library tonight. Marcis Buhholcs talks about the fast-selling Mobile Suit Gundam Movie 1 disc while Dylan Hall looks at Rurouni Kenshin TV Vol. #16.

New in R2 (07:17 PM EST): The folks at CD Japan have sent out their latest update of what's coming out in the next few months, including such titles as Heroic Legend of Arslan and a bunch of Gall Force releases.

Press (07:05 PM EST): The latest full announcement came out today from ADV Films, heralding their March release of Arc the Lad on DVD.

Petitions (06:46 PM EST): Two new petitions were submitted today, one for an uncut bilingual release of Digimon and another for a remaster of Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #1.

Wednesday, January 17th, 2001

Coming out of its shell (10:20 PM EST): Though it's been a few years since its release, Ghost in the Shell is getting the kudos it deserves as mainstream America gets hip to this whole DVD thing.

Dragonball DVD's (10:07 PM EST): AnimeNation is reporting today that Funimation will release the third Dragonball  movie (Mystical Adventure) on DVD on February 27th for an MSRP of 24.95$. No details were given, but Animenation believes it will be dub only. Funimation also indicated that they will be releasing one DBZ disc per month. We've received a follow-up from other sources that indicate it will definitely be bilingual.

Diamond updates (08:40 PM EST): The Diamond Comics distributor has updated their February catalog with titles shipping in the April-ish release range. A lot are already known of course, but notably absent is the ADV titles for the most part. Expect a bit more than this in April.

• Black Heaven Vol. #4
• Blue Submarine Edited/Dub Only
• Cardcaptor Sakura Vol. #4
• Crest of the Stars Vol. #2
• Geo Armor Kishin Corps
• Gundam Wing Vol. #7
• Lost Universe Vol. #6
• Magic Knights Rayearth Collection 2
• Moldiver Perfect Collection
• Nightwalker Vol. #1
• Pet Shop of Horrors (actually in Feb)
• Saber Marionette J Vol. #3 (summer)
• Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #7
• Spring & Chaos
• Slayers Try
• TriAngle

Upcoming lists (06:50 PM EST): The upcoming list by date has been fixed (mysteriously enough, all by itself). The by-studio one hasn't done a self-repair, so that one may be unavailable a tad long while I pray to Belldandy. The by date list has had two additions to it; running time and volume number. Please keep in mind that often we won't know the running time until close to release and for some series, we simply won't know the number of volumes, such as Kenshin TV and Sailor Moon S. We'll do our best though.

Slight delay (05:58 PM EST): The 2/20 release of Gunsmith Cats has been bumped back a week to 2/27. Fear not folks, Rally is on her way. I personally can't wait to hear how that car sounds on DVD.

Site item (05:43 PM EST): I swear I had nothing to do with this other than giving a nod to it going ahead. It looks like we might be having an actual site calendar made some time....

Tuesday, January 16th, 2001

Cover art (10:18 PM EST): Two new pieces made it into the galleries today from Gundam Wing Vol. #6 and Outlaw Star Vol. #3. Mike Toole of Anime Jump has also supplied us with images for Angel Links Vol. #1 (hot!), Dark Soldier D and Dual Vol. #4

Newly reviewed (09:40 PM EST): Can a title sell a disc? If it's named Virgin Fleet, it's got a good shot. The question is whether it'll stay in your collection after you watch it.

Monday, January 15th, 2001

Newly reviewed (05:19 PM EST): Leave it to us to enjoy something the majority of people seem to hate. We spent the weekend catching up on a few things, which includes the complete 12 episode double disc release of Don't Leave Me Alone, Daisy.

Slayers Next (03:35 PM EST): We managed to get through a few things this weekend, once again cleaning the slate for the most part of what we need to watch. Well, other than Slayers Next. We've added to the right panel here a countdown so you too can keep track of where we are in viewing this set. We might make some more progress this week, but there's about ten discs coming in, so it'll probably get bumped again. Unless the petition that's running to get us to watch it faster gets a lot of signatures. The counter petition is making progress too. Check the forum for those!

Press (03:30 PM EST): The March 2001 announcements came in today for titles released by Right Stuf, which includes some story information on the two Flint the Time Detective discs as well as the Buttobi discs. Check it out!

Sunday, January 14th, 2001

Digital Omake (09:14 PM EST): A new hidden extra has shown up today courtesy of Dave Simpson. This time around it's on the Slayers Next box set.

New in Japan (08:53 PM EST): The latest announcements for CD, DVD and VHS have come out via CD Japan this weekend and there's some money grabbers in there. Notably the Video Girl Ai, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro and the final (?) episode of FLCL.

Saturday, January 13th, 2001

Advance review (10:04 PM EST): Sometimes when we get review copies, we get interesting things with them. When Serial Experiments Lain came out, we got that spiffy little 12 minute DVD. When Black Heaven came out, we got a slide of the first releases cover. When we got Pet Shop of Horrors from Urban Vision yesterday, we got the promotional sell sheet and a bag of cute animal crackers. Finally, something that didn't take up additional space after I got it! Pet Shop of Horrors is due out on 2/27.

Friday, January 12th, 2001

Cover art (10:35 PM EST): I'm in love. I'm anxious. I simply can't wait. And what do they do? They give out the cover art. What title is it that has me all excited? Crest of the Stars. Beautiful! I must possess this disc. We've also added Nadesico Vol. #3 and a few others today, so take a peek at our Upcoming Cover Art!

Alternate angles and R2 (08:57 PM EST): A few new reviews have slid into our mailbox today for your reading pleasure. We're hoping to get through Pet Shop of Horrors and Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy this weekend and maybe another episode or two of Slayers Next...

• Gasaraki Vol. #2 by Nathan Roberts
• Record of Lodoss War TV by Roeland Das
• Dragonball Z: History of Trunks by Mike LaBrie
• Lupin III 1st TV Season (Italian release) by Giovanni Di Chiara
• Steel Angel Kurumi Vol. #3 by Sammy Soliman
• FLCL Vol. #3 by Greco Espinoza
• Golden Boy Vol. #1 by Kenneth Lee

Bebop box set (06:59 PM EST): One of the more overlooked aspects of the announcements yesterday from Bandai was the November planned release of a Cowboy Bebop box set, priced 20$ more than the current discs. Pricing higher for a box is a bit odd to begin with, but there are supposedly a lot of extras that are being worked on to be included (and hopefully sold separately). Speculation of course will run wild for awhile, but my hope is that the boxes will contain a space for the upcoming movie...

CPM TriAngle controversy (05:50 PM EST): Following-up on this bit from the other day, we did receive confirmation that this disc will definitely not contain subtitles for the Japanese language track. 

First Gundam controversy (05:50 PM EST): This should hopefully settle down some of the hyperbole going on around the anime net today in regards to First Gundam. Ken Iyadomi of Bandai Entertainment has had a statement posted to Anime Village today that clarifies the position of Bandai US in regards to this title. After reading it, one must note that it's rather rare that we get this level of detailed response and explanation in regards to why something is occurring as it is. I also applaud them for responding as quickly as they have to it rather than let it fester for days or weeks. While the situation isn't ideal, there is still hope at the end of the tunnel.

Site note (09:48 AM EST): Due to a wrong mouseclick on my part, I accidentally blew away the left sidebar last night without knowing it. Throughout today I will be working on rebuilding it as well as working something new with the right sidebar. What's there right now is a placeholder.

Looking at the info (08:11 AM EST): Casting First Gundam aside for the moment, there's a lot of really great things coming out going by the list that got announced yesterday. The big thing that has apparently gone under a lot of peoples radar is the price drop. After the Crest of the Stars and Angel Links discs, new series that follow the typical 4/3/3/3 style release will have a lower price of 24.95. And this appears to be across the board so far and right around the time I'd hoped we might start seeing some reversion of pricing from subtitled to dubbed as the dubbed market begins a greater DVD acceptance.

The second noteworthy thing is other than the Gundam shows and the finishing of Escaflowne, there's no VHS announcements for Big O, Angel Links, Crest of the Stars and Pilot Candidate. I had thought they may do VHS versions of shows they're doing for broadcast, but none listed for Big O or Pilot Candidate, though those may show later. 

A third interesting thing is the speeding up of a few releases. We already reported on the Escaflowne discs being doubled up and coming out six months faster, but it also looks like the Gundam Wing discs are getting a boost, gaining two months with two volumes being released together in July. Which do people find better? One or two series released quickly or five or six series spread out? And which is a better business decision?

So while fans do continue to broil over First Gundam (I've had people tell me they've lost all respect for Bandai to canceling all their preorders for their products) there's a lot of great news coming out of this update.

SMJ tidbit (08:09 AM EST): Originally announced for a 1/9 release and then bumped to 1/30, Bandai's moved Saber Marionette J Collection 1 to a 2/13 release. Why? According to a recent update, a brand new video master was received late last year which necessitated some extra intensive disc checks to get the best quality available.

First Gundam (08:03 AM EST): Throughout the night a lot of interesting email came into our mailbox regarding the First Gundam TV series and its release. Looking at Anime Village, they indicate "The Mobile Suit Gundam DVD's (also known as "First Gundam") that are being released in August are the video and audio-enhanced US TV Broadcast English Language version. The Japanese track could not be added due to the editing required. Please note that the other Gundam DVD's (MS08th, 0080, and 0083) are being released in their uncut bilingual format."

The more astute Gundam fans have gotten in touch with me and pointed out the lack of a region 2 release yet other than the three movies, which had their audio re-recorded due to deteriorating materials. With this as a possibility for the TV series, the lack of a release which has slowed up such shows as Slayers, Video Girl Ai and many other titles in the past, there looks to be a couple of reasons why. With the First Gundam discs that are planned being the TV version (which means edited), it's obviously a good thing to not have the Japanese on there, edited as well. 

What does this bode for a future release? Providing an uncut dub was done first, a bilingual release is still a possibility down the road, likely after the R2's get rolling. If no uncut was done due to the editing (and supposed added footage) then there's a strong chance for some subtitled collections similar to what we've seen from Bandai so far.

Thursday, January 11th, 2001

Upcoming pages (11:06 PM EST): The upcoming pages are experiencing some "technical difficulties" at the moment that may last a few days while we try and get in touch with our hosting folks. In the meantime, we've put up a few temporary upcoming pages.

First Gundam (08:35 PM EST): The upcoming release of the original Gundam TV series, being titled "First Gundam", has been confirmed to be dub only on DVD. 

AnimEigo deadpool (08:17 PM EST): This is one of the reasons I enjoy the "style" of AnimEigo. They're currently running a pool that you can enter to guess when certain titles will go into replication in the next few months. If you're the closest on all of them, you could even win the Macross TV set. So what shows are in the queue for a potential release between February and April? How about Baoh, Oh My Goddess, Urusei Yatsura TV Box 2, Urusei Yatsura TV Box 3 and Vampire Princess Miyu. 

You know guys, I am trying to buy a house in the next few months. This ain't helping.

Region 2 miscellany (07:43 PM EST): Taking a stroll through CD Japan today, we came across a few interesting things we expect to see in announcements soon. The folks who own Video Girl Ai, a favorite among some (it's one of my early loves) is being released in Japan for around 90$, though it doesn't mention a running time or episode count. This may help a region 1 release become a reality as the rights holder didn't want a region 1 release out before theirs. 

What's really tickled my fancy is the next in line from the Ghibli/Disney releases. On 3/7, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro will make its Japanese debut and it's a touch different from Manga's US release. This 1979 movie will be presented in a 16:9 anamorphic transfer with both English and Japanese audio as well as English subtitles. It's unknown which English dub, but I'd guess the Manga dub as the old Streamline dub wasn't done for an uncut version I believe. Extras include trailers, textless opening sequence and storyboard art. According to the blurb at CD Japan, "This DVD release is produced from a new master utilizing high-definition telecine." The price? A sweet 4935 yen, or about 43$ US. And the inclusion of subtitles for this release bodes extremely well for the next couple of titles... Kiki's Delivery Service and Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

Cover art (07:04 PM EST): A lot of new cover art went into the galleries today. The good folks at Right Stuf sent us six pieces, including Eva 4 and 5, Buttobi (click here to see the Japanese LD covers for this show), Flint 3 and 4 and Bubblegum Crisis 2040 #4. We also got another eleven off of Express, such as Harlock Saga and the Aika discs. Thanks to Bill Russell for supplying the Express titles that had new art. Check 'em out!

New title announcements 2 (06:05 PM EST): The latest press release came in today from Urban Vision heralding the 2/27 release of Pet Shop of Horrors. This disc will have some pretty interesting extras, including deleted scenes, an English commentary track by the dub director and dub cast (a first for a US anime disc) and the English track remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital.

New title announcements (05:35 PM EST): The folks at Bandai updated their Anime Village site today with the first partial listing of titles they'll be releasing throughout 2001. 

• Gundam Wing: The Movie - SPECIAL DVD - February
• Saber Marionette J - DVD COLLECTION 1 - February
• Crest of the Stars - DVD 1 - March
• Angel Links - DVD 1 - April
• Dark Soldier D - DVD - April
• Big O - DVD 1 - June
• Gundam MS08th - DVD 1 - July
• Mobile Suit Gundam (TV dub)- DVD 1 - August
• Gundam 0083 - DVD 1 - September
• Gundam 0080 - DVD 1 - October
• Pilot Candidate - DVD 1 - November

Click here to see the full list of volumes and their corresponding release dates as well as info on the Cowboy Bebop box set and info on the various TV version DVD's. We're currently trying to get information about the First Gundam TV series which is being listed as a TV only dub on DVD. We'll be updating our upcoming database later tonight.

Wednesday, January 10th, 2001

Advance review (10:27 PM EST): With a lot of titles due out at the end of the month, you can imagine how glad I am at getting a jump on a few of them. Due on 1/23, ADV Films will release Lost Universe Vol. #4 and we've just finished our review of it.

Site gatherings (09:21 PM EST): There's a slew of gatherings being planned these days in the Conventions & Gatherings subforum, from Boston, MA to LA/SoCal and San Francisco to New York City!

New title announcements (08:50 PM EST): Two new title announcements came in, one of them from yesterday that I wasn't sure was anime at first. Coming on 3/27, I Dream of Mimi (known as Buttobi CPU in Japan) with the three complete OVA's for 29.99$ in Japanese and English with English subtitles from the folks at Right Stuf. This is one of those hentai discs that has no tentacles and looks really cute. Check out some of the searches on Yahoo for LD covers and more.

The second new title announcement, one we had on the rumor list, comes from Central Park Media. Due on 4/10, TriAngle will arrive with a running time of 60 minutes for a price of 29.99$. What's missing? Well, since it's a hentai title from CPM, apparently it can't contain subtitles anymore, at least according to the update at Right Stuf today. 2001 is off to a great start from CPM with the Urotsukidoji movies 3 & 4 being bilingual but unsubbed and now TriAngle joins that crowd. With the general distaste fans have for dubbed hentai, and especially myself, I've decided simply to not review these titles where CPM for some reason can't make the extra minimal effort to put a subtitle track on there along with the already included Japanese language. Frankly, it boggles my mind that it's being done like that. For those who think I may be going a bit strong about this... wait till it happens to a mainstream title you want.

Tuesday, January 9th, 2001

Advance review (09:47 PM EST): Not due out until later this month (though some B&M stores seem to be selling it early), we've completed our review for ADV's release of Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma.

Anime goes VSDA (08:14 PM EST): Unsurprisingly, some information has come out of the VSDA/CES conventions this weekend in regards to the anime world. According to a reliable forum post, Funimation has acquired the rights to Yu-Yu Hakusho. Rhino has acquired the rights to the classic Gatchaman series, which "redrum" mentioning that "...they'll release it as Battle of the Planets but I've been told that the extras on the DVD will include Japanese Gatchaman episodes subbed in English. They cannot release stand-alone Gatchaman releases due to contractual reasons with Tatsunoko."

New title announcements (06:27 PM EST): The folks at AnimeNation have sent us some new information they received today about some upcoming titles for ADV in February. Just when you thought February was all figured out...

• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #4 (100 minutes - 2/13  - $29.98)
• Sorcerer Hunters Vol. #1 (165 minutes - 2/20 - $29.98 - eps. 1-7)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #4 (75 minutes - 2/13 - $29.98)
• Martian Successor Nadesico Vol. #4 (100 minutes - 2/27 - $29.98)
• Gunsmith Cats: Bulletproof (90 minutes + 35 minute "Making of" and text free opening - 2/20 - $29.98)
• Sakura Dairies Vol. #4 (90 minutes -  2/27 - $24.98)

Monday, January 8th, 2001

Battle Angel (10:03 PM EST): With the mad scramble since the announcement of Battle Angel's DVD going on hiatus, speculation has run wild wondering what the cause could be. Hm.

Digital omake (09:47 PM EST): The Phantom Quest Corp omake has been tweaked with a second avenue towards opening it. As with all the omake, we simply can't list the way to get to it for all players. If you're having a problem, check out the thread in the main forum.

Newly reviewed (09:36 PM EST): A small bounty of titles arrived on our doorstep today (we kept UPS, FedEx and the postal service busy today!). Newly arrived items in the anime department include Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy, Blood Reign, Lost Universe Vol. #4, Monster Rancher #3, Monster Rancher #4 and the first title we reviewed of the batch, Jubei-Chan Vol. #4, bringing the series to its dramatic conclusion.

New delay (06:15 PM EST): Sorta kinda. When the announcement via Right Stuf came out for Arc the Lad Vol. #1 for a 1/23 release date, it shouldn't have been there. The actual street date is 3/27, which explains why so few retailers list it.

Sunday, January 7th, 2001

Digital Omake (07:49 PM EST): I originally wanted to hold this one until we could get a better way of accessing the extra, but none has come forth. Check out the digital omake page for a tip on how to access 22 minutes worth of extras on the Phantom Quest Corp disc.

Newly reviewed (01:40 PM EST): Still not able to get into Slayers Next, we've taken a detour into far more entertaining territory; Dragonball Z: History of Trunks.

Top ten (01:33 PM EST): The first week of any month is usually interesting to see in the top ten by month as there is generally some non-anime discs in there, but this time around it's chock full of anime. At the end of January we'll begin updating the overall top ten for 2001.

Studio Challenge (01:31 PM EST): One thing we forgot to do over the New Year's weekend was update the studio challenge page. That's been corrected now and the growing number of discs are making some serious headway...

Saturday, January 6th, 2001

Affiliate quick bit (06:33 AM EST): Our affiliate issue from this morning has been cleared up. For some mysterious reason we likely won't know until Monday, a bunch of affiliates were simply terminated, myself and a few others in the anime community being among them. They're back on track now.

New title announcements (11:08 AM EST): A couple of new ones cropped up on Right Stuf last night. Due on 2/27 is the first Urusei Yatsura TV volume, 1/10 will see the release of Spirit of Wonder and 3/20 will see Monster Rancher Vol. #4.

Title delays (11:05 AM EST): Coming as no surprise since they haven't met any of their street dates previously, the NuTech discs for Central Park Media have all experienced delays. Rhea Gall Force, Hades Project Zeorymer and GoShogun have all been delayed to 2/27/10. The 13 volumes of Votoms will start on 2/6/01 and be staggered through March instead of all coming out on 1/16/01.

Affiliate quick bit (09:32 AM EST): For those who have noted the Express.com and buy.com affiliate links not working, we found that out ourselves this morning. We're currently researching why our affiliate account with the third party vendor has been suspended (along with a few other sites as well).

Friday, January 5th, 2001

Newly reviewed (10:04 PM EST): Making another dent in our backlog and taking a break from Slayers Next (yes, we still haven't been able to really get into Slayers TV) we've completed our review of the very fun and enjoyable Outlaw Star Collection 2.

New title announcements (06:22 PM EST): A couple of new titles got announced today. Due out on 3/27, Flint the Time Detective volumes 3 & 4 will ship, TV dub version only for the low price of 14.98$.

Bandai follows up (01:47 PM EST): We heard this afternoon from Bandai that they have indeed acquired both the previously known Big O as well as Pilot Candidate (let's all get used to saying it now) for both broadcast and home video. Details for the home video release will be forthcoming at some point, but again, I've got little doubt we have anything to worry about on that front. 

Tylor OVA count (01:02 PM EST): A follow-up from TRSI indicates that the Tylor OVA's will be released across three discs as opposed to the 5 VHS tapes it took.

New title announcement... sort of (11:57 AM EST): According to this news piece here, talking about Bandai's shows on Cartoon Network that are coming up (Outlaw Star, Big O), they also mention "Pilot Candidate" which is otherwise known as Candidate for Goddess. As this focuses only on broadcast, no mention of home video, but knowing how well Bandai's treated their shows to date with DVD, I'd expect it (and Big O) to show this year. 

Tylor TV update (11:39 AM EST): I'm thinking of calling this Right Stuf Newsday! We've gotten further word of where the TV series stands today. "Disc 1 approved. Disc 2-4 should be approved this weekend. Pressing 5 days total - shipping within 10 days. Will ship every order by UPS Blue. (No extra charge to our customers on this)." The weather in the Midwest has really messed things up for a lot of companies, and it affected the timely delivery of the check discs to the folks at TRSI to go over. For those who can't get UPS shipments for whatever reason, I'd let them know.

TRSI confirms (10:13 AM EST): The folks at Right Stuf have confirmed yesterdays mention of Boogiepop Phantom and added a very tentative timeframe of a July release. With regards to KareKano, they've also given us a very very tentative date of September. This is one of those "drive you mad" kind of titles, much like ADV's Excel Saga, so the length of time its taking isn't surprising to some. And with several titles under their belt for DVD release prior to KareKano, things should be looking good for that.

Tylor OVA tidbits (09:16 AM EST): While things get very close with the Tylor TV series arriving, some initial information has come out regarding the release of the OVA series. The OVA's begin their release in April, though what you get is dependent on where you get it from. Those who are ordering the Tylor TV series from Right Stuf are getting early shipment coupons for the OVA's if you order from them for it. They will ship all the OVA discs for the April date. If you're buying through other retailers, the OVA discs will be released one a month. No word yet on how many OVA discs there will be (there were I believe 5 OVA VHS tapes). 

Thursday, January 4th, 2001

January contest (09:59 PM EST): How about something pretty big for our first contest of the year? Starting things off on the right foot, the folks at Right Stuf are sponsoring this one by offering the Irresponsible Captain Tylor box set as the prize!

Out of print? (09:37 PM EST): According to some news posted at AnimeNation, ADV is taking several sub and dub VHS tapes out of circulation, the majority of them being single episode tapes that have since been released as compilations. Curiously listed as being taken out of circulation is the Battle Angel DVD. If it's due to an expired license, boy am I glad that they did this title early on!

Newly licensed? (09:34 PM EST): I may be a bit out of the loop on this one, but according to a post on the forum, it's indicated that a magazine that lists various titles released and coming soon have an ad from Right Stuf that has a character from Boogiepop Phantom. There's been some decent buzz on this title in the online fan circuit, hopefully we'll hear more soon.

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2001

Cover Art (09:53 PM EST): A slight facelift for the Upcoming Release Gallery gallery has completed this evening as well as 14 new pieces of cover artwork added.

Outlaw Star follow-up (08:11 PM EST): And this is why I try to avoid the rumors out there for the most part. According to more information that surfaced today, the reason behind the 15 episode run of Outlaw Star was due to Cartoon Network only listing the first 15. The 15 listed are indeed in order as they originally aired in Japan. Regardless, we still like the DVD's better. :)

Tuesday, January 2nd, 2001

Outlaw Star (09:18 PM EST): According to a few reports making their way out into the net, the Cartoon Network run of Outlaw Star will be a bit shorter than the original release. Instead of the 26 episodes being released to DVD, about 15 or so will make their way to the small screen. *hack hack hack*. Pardon my cough. Don't pass up the DVD kiddies.

Big time rumor (09:10 PM EST): File this one under the totally unchecked section, especially since its origin is the anime newsgroups. Since the initial mention of Urban Vision trying to acquire cult favorite Berserk, there's been little motion beyond some normal licensing issues. Does it go beyond that though? According to information posted to rec.arts.anime.misc, which appeared on Animenation and UMJAMS;

"According to a rumor posted on the rec.arts.anime.misc newsgroup, the reason for Urban Vision's stalled acquisition of the domestic rights to the Berserk anime TV series is that the Japanese licensor would not include DVD distribution rights, which was a deal breaker for Urban Vision."

Well, just another Japanese anime company playing with the rights. I can imagine DVD being a deal breaker easily, since it's fast becoming the dominant market. No DVD rights? Sorry, not bothering to license.... ah, how the times change.

As we mentioned a few days ago, Berserk is indeed coming to DVD in region 2 (no subtitles), so the faithful who never went for the laserdiscs may want to look there.

New title announcements (09:01 PM EST): Tonight's update is a little late (our first car breakdown of the year. Ah, the joys of standing out in below zero windchill waiting for a tow truck that won't break down on its way to get you!) but we've got some sweet new title announcements:

• Rurouni Kenshin Shadow of The Wolf (28-31) due on 4/24
• Magic Knight Rayearth II (Memorial Collection 2) due on 4/24 (199$ price, 725 minutes worth of show)
• Kishin Corps (recently renamed to Geo Armor) due on 4/24 (24.95 for 240 minutes, complete OVA series)
• Moldiver Perfect Collection due on 4/24 (19.95 for 180 minutes, complete OVA series)

Just about all of those are highly anticipated by many, especially Kishin Corp which has some great classic mecha action in a WWII meets invading aliens (which I thought were cool) action/adventure. Moldiver is also another great compilation from Pioneer, which I believe just leaves... Hakkenden! With luck we'll see that and El-Hazard OVA's this year.

And for those wigging over the 50$ price increase in Rayearth, keep in mind the first box set was around 500 minutes with this one giving you 225 more minutes for your buck.

Monday, January 1st, 2001

Newly reviewed (01:28 PM EST): Let's start off the new year with a new review! We did the marathon session this weekend, though I've only just now been able to get the review written, and took in the entire series in almost one viewing. Check out our thoughts on the Record of Lodoss War TV series box set.

I'd like to thank the academy... (10:31 AM EST): What a way to wake up to the new year. According to the folks at Animefringe, we're among the top twenty five must-visit sites! Anime on DVD checked in at spot #3, just behind Anime Web Turnpike and Anime News Network. Thanks to those who voted for us.