Saturday, March 31st, 2001

Advance review (02:51 PM EST):

Bloody good (12:29 PM EST): It's rare that I actually outright push an R2 disc when the R1 is coming along soon thereafter, but for those who can buy R2 discs, check out this link on the Production I.G. page for what the Blood box set is going to look like and include. With news that Production I.G. is behind Synch Point, perhaps we'll start seeing some more boxes like this once they get their bearings in the U.S. market.

It's official (12:25 PM EST): We've gotten more confirmation in that Bandai has indeed licensed Love Hina. Take that one off of the fansub lists folks. Let's hope the people behind the menus for Bandai's DVD's can deal with a non-mech show. ;)

Friday, March 30th, 2001

Partial confirmation (09:33 PM EST): According to a second hand bit of information coming out of the Fanime con this weekend, a Production I.G. rep has indicated that Bandai Entertainment will be releasing Love Hina in the U.S.

New studio player (09:27 PM EST): According to Anime News Service, a new studio has started off with some big name titles. DIGITAL MANGA INC. has created a new subsidiary called SYNCH-POINT. The the acquisition titles are I’M GONNA BE AN ANGEL (TENSHI NI NARUMON) and FLCL. No word on formats or anything else at this time. Hopefully some details will be forthcoming.

Macross teases (12:52 PM EST): AnimEigo has posted some tantalizing pictures from their restoration of the Macross series. This show looks like it's getting an amazing restoration.

Delays and announcements (12:23 PM EST): According to a news update at Right Stuf, the first two Robotech DVD's are being delayed from 5/22 to 6/19. There's a twist though! ADV will be releasing Robotech Macross Saga Box DVD Set on 6/19! The set will feature an audio commentary track by Carl Macek (Story Editor for Robotech), production sketches and an international clip featuring French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese audio tracks.

New in R2 (08:21 AM EST): The latest batch of anime and Japanese movie DVD's have come in from CD Japan, which you can read here.

Thursday, March 29th, 2001

ADV teases (10:55 PM EST): Many are still giddy about the recent announcement of Nadia coming to DVD this June. Would the cover art push those people over the edge a bit more?

Advance review (10:19 PM EST): Due out on 5/1 from ADV Films is Gasaraki Vol. #4. If you've enjoyed the first three discs, panic not, the greatness continues!

AnimEigo teases (06:15 PM EST): With the return of the AnimEigo website recently, they've added a spot to inform folks what's in authoring stages right now (but not when to expect them, though we have some dates already): Urusei Yatsura Sets 2 & 3, Vampire Miyu, Baoh, and Oh My Goddess.

Disc delays revisited (06:12 PM EST): While there were new announcements today, there are again another set of discs being delayed. Dual Vol. #4 is now listing as a 4/10 release though some sites are listing a 4/24 release date for the concluding disc in this series. Also being delayed to 4/17 are the Cartoon Network edited dub only versions of Blue Submarine No. 6 and Gundam Wing Endless Waltz (which only contains the movie version and not the OVA version).

New title announcements (06:09 PM EST): More new things listed at Right Stuf today. Both coming from Manga, on 7/31 we can expect the 45 minute long Blood release to arrive in dual language format (no subtitled VHS being released apparently, DVD being the only way to get the Japanese language version) for 24.95$. On 6/26 we'll see the arrival of Landlock, a 90 minute feature that's also dual language and has a price of 29.99$.

Disc delays (10:55 AM EST): Now this should come as no surprise to anyone. At last notice, the VOTOMS DVD's (now completely disowned by CPM) being released by DVD LTD. under a sublicense, were intended to be released on 5/3. Shock and horror, there's yet another delay. The first five discs out of the thirteen to be released are now scheduled for a 5/29 release date. The remainder of the discs are now slated for a 6/15 release date. 

Anyone else just get a giggle over that and believe it?

Note to CPM: Stop sublicensing. It's only alienating customers. And the finger pointing isn't helping either.

Wednesday, March 28th, 2001

Newly reviewed (08:42 PM EST): Not content with just taking in Lost Universe the past couple of days, we've also made our way through the second volume of the Irresponsible Captain Tylor.

Advance review (07:46 PM EST): Due out on 4/10 from ADV Films is the final volume of Lost Universe, which we've given a spin and taken in. While it's not a show with big grand sweeping plans, it's turned itself into a fairly enjoyable romp in the late second half.

Later this week and into the weekend we'll also be reviewing some new discs that just arrived today, including Angel Links Vol. #1, Gasaraki Vol. #4 and Arc the Lad Vol. #1 as well as more Tylor.

New title announcement (07:05 PM EST): It's looking like today is announcement day. TRSI is now listing a 6/5 release date for Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #6 which brings the series to its conclusion with 5 full episodes and Arc the Lad Vol. #2 on 6/12 with another three episodes. Both discs retail for 29.99$.

Plug (06:26 PM EST): Shameless to be sure. Those who've enjoyed some of the more recent Divi-Chan pieces here on the site may be quite interested in this piece of fanart of Card Captor Sakura that's up for auction from one of my favorite artists, Riki LeCotey.

Macross update (03:06 PM EST): With their site back in working order late last week, AnimEigo also updated with some new numbers. According to their Macross page, the limited edition box set via direct order now has 11420 signups so far. They're also indicating (this may be old news) that the individual disc releases are likely to start around Christmas 2001. 

New title announcement (01:24 PM EST): Another new title announcement today. According to a post on the forum by ADV's David Williams, Nadia Vol. #1 will street on 6/19/2001. The disc will contain four episodes on a dual layered format, contain textless openings and endings as well as the two ADV created trailers for the show. For those inquiring about the special omake that Gainax created for the laserdisc release, there's no word on that yet, though it's apparently still being discussed/worked on. For those not familiar with the omake, the show is owned by Toho with Gainax used in a work for hire style situation. When the show was released on laserdisc, Gainax created some new short pieces of omake (i.e. extras) for the episodes, which Gainax themselves presumably retain the rights to. 

New title announcement (11:50 AM EST): At long last, it has been announced. According to the latest update from TRSI, 08/07/2001 will be the arrival date for the El-Hazard OVA DVD Box Set. The set, retailing for 120$ will contain the original 7 OVA episodes and the sequel four OVA episodes. This of course occurs less than two weeks after acquiring my region 2 copy of the second OVA disc. So my main question is... will there be the Japanese DTS track? Or the Japanese DD 5.1 remix track? Or will it be just the original non-remixed 2.0 tracks? Those who've seen the DD/DTS 5.1 mixes are pretty split about the new remixed opening song, so it'll be interesting to see which way this falls. Regardless, this is a long overdue set for many fans who've been tantalized with its release for quite awhile now. 

Tuesday, March 27th, 2001

Tylor problem (06:13 PM EST): Following up on last nights information about the 5 missing minutes of footage on the 4th volume of Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Shawne Kleckner of TRSI has posted information about what happened, what they're doing to correct it and what you may need to do to get your copy exchanged.

Press (06:06 PM EST): The latest round of announcements arrived from ADV today heralding their May releases such as BGC2040 Vol. #5, Gasaraki Vol. #4, more Farscape and a bunch of VHS stuff nobody here really touches anymore.

Akira update (06:02 PM EST): The Akira website has been updated again, this time with a few clips with some of the voice actors including Wendee Lee and Joshua Seth. There's also a clip of the movie itself that looks quite good. Be sure to check out the news section as well.

Monday, March 26th, 2001

Cover art (09:09 PM EST): A few new pieces have been added to our latest gallery, including some Rurouni Kenshin TV, Dual and Sailor Moon S. We've even acquired a copy of the cover art for the newly announced Assemble: Insert from TRSI. 

Title info (07:21 PM EST): Recently we posted information about a new show that hasn't even aired yet in Japan but is already licensed here in the U.S. by Pioneer. We did a bit more digging today and came across this Soul Taker site linked from the Pioneer Anime site in Japan. Also likely to be of interest to people is the NieA_7 site that they have up as well. Two shows to watch for that are likely to be announced coming from someone is Hand Maid May and Boy's Be... Definitely worth taking a peek through, even if they are all most in Japanese (or German as the case may be for Soul Taker!)

New title announcement (07:11 PM EST): Due out on 5/29 from Right Stuf, Assemble: Insert will be a 60 minute bilingual disc for 24.95$.

Tylor problem (05:10 PM EST): Much like the crew of the ship in the show Irresponsible Captain Tylor, the DVD's are experiencing a problem. Or more specifically, just Volume #4 of the newly released show. On I believe episode 23, there appears to be a chapter missing, which you can tell by the episode having a shorter running time (lengths seem to vary wildly among posters with most saying 3-4 minutes while others claiming 10-11 minutes). Some folks indicate that the missing footage is there and it works on their players (mostly Sony owners). I've chatted briefly with the folks at TRSI and they are currently investigating where this happened. According to those who proofed the final check disc everything was in place, so it'll take a day or so to track it all down and figure it all out.

TRSI has indicated that they will be replacing the disc once they isolate where it happened (so it doesn't happen again). I don't believe copies that are out there now in retailers are going to be recalled for the box set or the individual disc 4 but rather go with the swap out problem. The main indication I received from TRSI is that fans will not be left out in the cold over this. My guess is that we'll get the same level of satisfaction most AnimEigo Urusei Yatsura owners got from similar problems that plagued their first box set release.

Personal editorial: Over the course of the weekend, when the problem was discovered early Saturday morning, a large number of lengthy threads on our forums have been posted about it. Many heated words were said by a lot of people and a lot of calming words. There were repeated calls to "Why haven't the said anything yet". A lot of these calls were made at 7:00 Saturday morning. You know, when most people are either still sleeping or just getting up. Honestly, after reading a number of the posts that were made, it was one of the few situations where I honestly felt embarrassed to be an anime fan. For a variety of reasons, I certainly didn't want to get into the muck that was being raked there and pretty much said little. My sincere appreciation to those who posted the calming areas of the threads and told people to at least settle down until an actual business day. You have my thanks. 

My basic feeling at the end of all of this, having read almost every post related to the Tylor problem, is that a lot of people who read and post here must not ever do anything wrong or work in a job (or work at all for that matter) where they screwed up. Or where those they work with messed up, or dealt with a large project that already seemed cursed from the beginning. As others have said, spoiled indeed leaps directly to mind. Rereading some of my own posts, I'm definitely going to take some time to be reflective and re-evaluate my approach to things.

Sunday, March 25th, 2001

Newly reviewed (07:06 PM EST): Our time was a bit short this afternoon as we had a Boston area Anime on DVD Gathering (I hope everyone had a good time!) but I have managed to squeeze in one new review for Tenchi Universe Vol. #8. We also finished watching Lost Universe Vol. #6 this morning and should have that reviewed in a day or two. The series definitely ended better than Slayers!

Essential Collection (11:08 AM EST): It's been a little bit since we updated this area, but we've finally gotten all the pieces together and can now formally introduce Cowboy Bebop to the Essential Collection.

Saturday, March 24th, 2001

Newly reviewed (11:29 PM EST): I managed to fend off sleep a bit more to get the Gundam Wing Vol. #6 review done before the midnight hour.

Newly reviewed (10:20 PM EST): A busy week (and an extraordinarily long Earthian viewing session) threw off our review schedule a bit this week. First up on our latest reviews is Trigun Vol. #7. Also in the queue for reviews to be written is Gundam Wing 6 and Tenchi Universe 8. We'll also be taking in Lost Universe 6 tomorrow and hopefully will be able to write up the review for it.

New in R2 (06:32 PM EST): Will wonders never cease... yet another Japanese title with English subtitles has surfaced. Sean Kemp has sent in a review for the anamorphic and Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD release of The Boy Who Saw The Wind. Be sure to check out our R2 In English page as it's always being updated with new titles.

Humor (07:07 AM EST): I think this endeavour is something anime fans would be sure to help with...

Friday, March 23rd, 2001

New title announcement (12:03 PM EST): ADV has announced that Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #6 has been given a street date of 6/5/2001. This 6th and final volume contains the final five episodes, two of which were originally released as OVA's. 

Disc delay (11:36 AM EST): Instead of the previously listed date of 3/27, Buttobi CPU/I Dream of Mimi has been bumped up to a 5/1 release date. Early word from those who've seen screeners of the VHS version are very positive, with two particular folks I know saying it's one of the best non-tentacle hentai they've seen in years. Also, Blue Seed Vol. #2 which had a 3/27 date at almost all retailers is now expected sometime in June.

Opinion time (08:28 AM EST): A couple of new quick polls up this morning. First is your opinion on the recent changes to the VOTOMS release and the other is how you would like to see TRSI handle the massive amounts of Japanese writing in their Kare Kano release.

Checklist (08:27 AM EST): The Anime 2K1 Checklist has been updated through 4/10. I'm hesitant to go much further than that after all of the delays and changes during the month of March, making things even more complicated.

Thursday, March 22nd, 2001

Newly reviewed (09:00 PM EST): Now this was a challenge to watch.... Earthian Angelic Collection has finally made its way into our reviewed pile.

Akira outside the apple (07:59 PM EST): Amusingly, the way to encourage Akira to show up at theaters outside of New York City is to go see it at New York City. Those of you within the vicinity are encouraged to go see it, especially since it's a digital projection, and because it's your duty!

"Attention Akira Fans! If you want Akira to come to your city, support the theatrical release in New York City on Friday March 30th at the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street in Times Square. Your support will directly influence the upcoming theatrical release plans beyond the New York opening.

AMC EMPIRE 25
234 W. 42ND STREET
TIMES SQUARE
NEW YORK, NY 10036
T 212 398 2597

Take a road trip, tell a friend, spread the word, pass it on!!"

Manga press (06:36 PM EST): Manga has sent out a press release for the April release of Blackjack and another one for Appleseed. Check them out for the specs and show summaries.

Tylor goodness (06:25 PM EST): Lots of Tylor boxes are showing up in eager fans hands (we hope to have ours tomorrow) and so far the praise is good indeed according to forum posts. For those just now discovering the series and becoming addicted to the music, it's worth noting that Right Stuf is releasing two CD's (TV Vol. #1 and OVA Vol. #1) on May 10th for the sweet price of 14.95$ US. Hold off on those imports to be sure!

Price updates (05:51 PM EST): We've confirmed that the other subtitle only discs being produced by DVD Ltd., GoShogun, Hades Project Zeorymer and Rhea Gall Force, have all been upped to 29.95$ per disc. No information on whether these are hard subtitled or not.

Akira update (10:58 AM EST): The folks at Right Stuf have clued us into a change in the upcoming deluxe edition of Akira. The price has been upped from 34.95 to 39.95 but a limited number of them will also be in a special tin, more than likely similar to the ones for the Anchor Bay Hollywood releases such as Evil Dead and others. Akira Deluxe edition will contain an entire second DVD of extras such as the "Making of Akira", a documentary on the creation of the soundtrack and much more! This special edition will also be packaged in limited edition tin packaging (while supplies last).

Wednesday, March 21st, 2001

More new title announcements (09:21 PM EST): Just when I'm ready to go to bed... Right Stuf is now listing an 8/28 release date for Tylor, Irresponsible Captain OVA DVD Series Set 1-3. This will be another box set with three discs retailing for 89.95$. Total running time is 360 minutes.

New title announcements (09:08 PM EST): The Diamond Comics Previews have been updated with the April order forms for June release date timeframe releases. Some of these are known, some aren't and dates are not specified:

• Ranma 1/2 TV Vol. #2
• Akira (standard and SE)
• Arc the Lad Vol. #2
• Blue Seed Vol. #2
• Crest of the Stars Vol. #3
• Elf Princess Rane
• Fencer of Minerva
• Generator Gawl Vol. #4
• Gundam MS 08 Vol. #1
• Gundam Wing Vol. #8
• Gundam Wing Vol. #9
• Hades Project: Zeorymer Vol. #2 (and a box set for both)
• Jungle De Ikou
• Metal Fighter Miku
• Nadia: Secret of Bluewater Vol. #1
• Nightwalker Vol. #2
• Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #8
• Original Dirty Pair Vol. #1
• Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #9
• Sorcerer Hunters Vol. #2
• Sailor Moon S TV Collection 3
• Pure Love
• Tales Trilogy Compilation

Also of interest is the Hades Project disc 2 is listed as 29.95. This would indicate that like Votoms, Hades Project, GoShogun and Rhea Gall Force have been bumped up 10$ in price. Time will tell if these are hard subtitled as well.

Not so Luminous (08:53 PM EST): We received word this evening that the CD Japan listing of St. Luminous Mission High with an English dub was in error; there apparently is no English dub for this set.

Press (05:58 PM EST): ADV Films latest press release talks about the 5/15 release of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #5 while Manga's latest talks about their newly inked distribution deal with Pathe, a French company that will dub and distribute their anime onto VHS and DVD in Europe.

Funimation news (01:09 PM EST): Some new information has come in from AnimeNation regarding upcoming Funimation releases: 

"Beginning with the Dragonball Z "World Tournament saga," which premiers on home video in May, the DBZ home video releases will be simultaneously released on VHS and DVD. Episodes 14-19 of original Dragonball will hit home video sometime in June. August is set as the tentative release date for Dragonball Z movie 4, and movie 5 is currently scheduled for release in October.

Blue Gender will come to home video on VHS and DVD in late June, in an uncut version only. The Yu Yu Hakusho TV series will be debut on home video early this fall (September or October most likely) on VHS and DVD in TV edit and uncut versions."

As with past Funimation releases, it's best to consider this information good yet tentative, especially in regards to dates.

New title announcements part 2 (01:05 PM EST): Not to be outdone, ADV Films has given the official nod to a 6/12 release date for Arc the Lad Vol. #2.

New title announcements (12:10 PM EST): The TRSI site has updated with several new AnimEigo DVD dates, which are a bit hard to validate with AnimEigo at the moment as they're still somewhat offline.
 

For those who consider the splitting of the Miyu OVA's onto two DVD's instead of the one laserdisc that it was previously available on an evil idea, chew on this: the company producing the thirteen VOTOMS discs for CPM has now upped the price from 19.95 to 29.95 for this subtitle only show and it's indicated that the subtitles will be hard subtitles, which means no turning them off as they will be burned into the print, much like VHS. 

Talk about a double stabbing for the VOTOMS fans after nearly 5 months of delays. Originally solicited for 1/9 they're now expected on 5/3. Can you guess which show just fell off of my to-purchase list?

Tuesday, March 20th, 2001

Miscellaneous (06:25 PM EST): The folks at EMS delivery are bound and determined to make sure I don't watch more Earthian this week. After the arrival of the simply jaw dropping gorgeous region 2 Giant Robo box set yesterday, of which we took in the first episode (great dub!), they arrived again today bearing the region 2 Berserk limited edition box set. This set is lavishly designed. It's basically identical to the X-Files TV series boxes, as there are seven discs, but very similar to the Fushigi Yugi box as well. Folding out you get a lot of gorgeously drawn pencil works and underneath each disc is another. The included extras for the box (which is a slipcase and not a pullover like the Tenchi Muyo box) are a booklet and a absolutely stunning calendar for April 2001 through March 2002.

The discs themselves are great. Each disc is on a dual layered format with four episodes. Not only are the bitrates consistently in the high 8's to 9 but the show is also progressive to boot. The final and seventh disc only contains the last episode and then has a variety of extras we haven't even had a chance to look at yet.

From initial impressions, the Berserk box set is one of the sweetest looking sets I've seen in the past four years. Not only is it the packaging and design, but this is one of my favorite shows of recent years. Hard hitting, violent yet passionate and with an almost epic style story to be told. This show desperately needs to be licensed here to fill the void of hard edged mature fantasy anime. 

Monday, March 19th, 2001

In Tylor We Trust (09:19 PM EST): We've received word from the folks at TRSI tonight that lots of the Irresponsible Captain Tylor sets are now shipping and are winging their way to their owners. Expect more and more of them to fly out the doors over the next day or two. In the meantime, get your drool cup ready and check out our previous review of the first volume.

Akira Contest (09:17 PM EST): If you're in the New York City area, you may want to check out the contest running on the Akira 2001 website, which could net you some free tickets!

New reviews (08:16 PM EST): We're in the middle of watching a few things, such as Earthian Angelic Collection from Media Blasters as well as watching our newly arrived Giant Robo box set from Japan, so we'll be doing up reviews towards the second half of the week. In the meantime, we have a variety of reviews to add this evening:

Region 1:

• 3 X 3 Eyes by Jim Lazar
• Phantom Quest Corp. by David Owens
• Gestalt by David Owens
• Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz SE by David Owens
• Blue Seed Vol. #1 by Josh Galloway
• Serial Experiments Lain Vol. #1 by Dan Kuhn

Region 2:

• Rurouni Kenshin TV Vol. #1 by Ryan Carmichael
• Mobile Suit Gundam Movie 3 by Marcis Buhholcs
• FLCL Vol. #3 by Carlos Salgado
• Robot Carnival by Benjamin Andreu
• Turn A Gundam Vol. #1 by Elliott Logelin

New title announcement (07:14 AM EST): The folks at TRSI have updated with another tidbit sure to please. Sailor Moon S TV Series 5/6 DVD will arrive on 6/12/2001 with a running time of 140 minutes for 29.99$.

Sunday, March 18th, 2001

Contests (03:07 PM EST): In addition to our contest to give away 400$ worth of Fushigi Yugi DVD's and Virgin Fleet, we've added yet another one today where we'll give away a copy of Tenamonya Voyagers! And don't forget our contest sponsored by Right Stuf for the I Dream of Mimi/Buttobi CPU prize!

Newly reviewed (02:42 PM EST): With the series almost coming to a close, the fifth of six volumes, Lost Universe Vol. #5 brings in actual plot to the show and moves things forward. Who would have thought!

Newly reviewed (01:28 PM EST): Digging again into our backlog pile (which you can see to the right of here), we've completed our viewing and review of Sprite: Between Two Worlds.

Slightly advance review (12:04 PM EST): Due out on 3/27, the Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin Movie will bring more Meiji era romance and violence for its fans.

Newly licensed (09:49 AM EST): A bit more information has shown up regarding the Pioneer acquisition of Soul Taker, which you can find in the licensing section. Interestingly enough, this series is just getting ready for a TV broadcast in Japan next month.

Petitions (09:47 AM EST): We've updated the petition area a bit this morning, adding a new one directed at Funimation for their Dragonball Z releases and another for a push to get Megazone 23 Parts 2 & 3 subtitled.

Friday, March 16th, 2001

New title announcement (06:32 PM EST): Urban Vision has sent out their latest press release, this time announcing the June release of their Twilight of the Dark Master DVD. 

Bastard! Figure? (08:10 AM EST): With the upcoming special packaging of the Bastard! DVD to have a figure included, there's a good possibility that this is the figure that it will be. 

Press (07:53 AM EST): The folks at TOKYOPOP have sent out their latest press release heralding the 5/29 release of Spring & Chaos. Also be sure to check out the website they've designed for it, linked in the article. Apparently every DVD for it will contain a limited edition cel no less.

Thursday, March 15th, 2001

Advance review 2 (10:45 PM EST): Due out on 3/27 from ADV films is the third volume for Generator Gawl, which brings the future into the past and starts revealing itself even more openly. 

Advance review (09:44 PM EST): Due out on 4/17 from Urban Vision was a title that caught us off guard from our expectations of the content, Golgo 13: Queen Bee. Kudos to Urban Vision for yet another disc to feature a directors running commentary!

Kiki in R2 (05:53 PM EST): Some information has started to seep out regarding the June 8th Japanese release of Kiki's Delivery Service. According to the Ghibli page, it will contain Japanese and English 2.0 (presumably the Disney mix and not the Streamline one) as well as English subtitles. Extras seem to include storyboards, a 30 minute making of and a 4:45 trailer for their 2001 new theatrical movie. Price is a sweet 4700 yen.

Newly licensed? (11:56 AM EST): According to the latest listings at CD Japan, something interesting may be happening. Originally released on DVD in Japan in 1998 and 1999, the St. Luminous Mission High School series is oft-requested as it's a Pioneer title. At the time, Pioneer Japan was placing English dubs on their discs, such as Hakkenden (offered now in a new box set), but Luminous wasn't dubbed, so it couldn't be included.

According to the new box set information, this 13 episode series will contain the English dub. And the price is pretty darn good too for both a reissue with new material and condensed from the original release. Of course, a region 1 version is now even more likely, presumably from Pioneer US, but this is the first indication that the title may indeed be licensed.

Wednesday, March 14th, 2001

AnimEigo (09:31 PM EST): For those trying to access the AnimEigo site today, we've learned that their site is experiencing technical difficulties. For those who've quickly panicked, no, they're not going out of business. Shin may be going out of his mind, but that's been going on since the Macross project started!

Digital Omake (09:29 PM EST): A few new submissions today including Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #5, Dual Vol. 3 (an additional access) and Speed Racer: The Movie.

New feature (01:01 PM EST): As of today, we've got a brand new feature here at Anime on DVD that I'm really glad to have on board. Mariela Ortiz, familiar to folks on our forum, the chat and from her many convention panel questioning moments, has been running a page for awhile now that lists what shows have been licensed, by whom, and when they were announced as acquired. Her page has become something of a benchmark that many folks check to see if their favorite series have been licensed yet or not.

Mariela has taken me up on my offer to give her space here and a somewhat higher profile for her pages to spread the news about licensed shows. I'm really excited to have this area up and running especially as we go into convention season and the number of announcements always gets people both excited and confused. So be sure to check out the Grand High Licensing List, which will be added to our interactive sidebar later today.

Slight disc delay (12:16 PM EST): A bit of new information came in this morning regarding Bandai's Crest of the Stars release. As was previously known, volume 1 was delayed from March to May 15th. Naturally the May 1st date for volume 2 wasn't going to last. So what's being planned? Both volumes to arrive on 5/15 together. Sweeeet.

Sorcerer Hunters (07:35 AM EST): According to Anime News Service, they indicate via an email with ADV that Sorcerer Hunters 2 is now in the works for DVD. Before too many people misinterpret it, which has been done on our forums already, this is not the OVA series, but the second disc in the TV series release. 

Tuesday, March 13th, 2001

Akira Theatrical (06:00 PM EST): The Akira site has updated with a quite interesting comparison shot of the restoration being done on the film. Get your drool cups ready.

Escaflowne Theatrical (04:54 PM EST): For those lucky enough to live in the vicinity, Bandai has issued a press release for the theatrical showing of Escaflowne: A Girl from Gaia. My only question is... will it be in DTS? Ahh, you knew that was coming!

Kenshin Movie Packaging (11:03 AM EST): Some folks have started seeing the Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X movie DVD appearing in a few stores over the past couple of days and have come across a problem; there's no reversible cover! Recalling when the OVA's came out, ADV indicated that the movie would receive the same treatment, allowing those who don't want to see the Samurai X logo on the cover the ability to see the original Japanese logo. So what happened?

According to ADV, the printer goofed and there is indeed supposed to be a reversible cover, not just a Samurai X one. The printer will be redoing them (and handling the trade ins, as it was their error) with details to follow soon both here and from the ADV website.

Personally, I find the reversible covers to be something that the studios should try doing more of for all of their releases. With most fans here wanting the original artwork, and knowing the need to market the covers for the US market, this is one way we can get the best of both worlds. Hopefully we'll see more of these as time goes on.

Monday, March 12th, 2001

Year in Review (06:28 PM EST): Having mulled it over, Roman Martel has written up his Year in Review for 2000. Be sure to check it out!

Cover art (05:39 PM EST): Several new pieces added today to both Gallery 8 and Gallery 9, such as Cardcaptors Vol. #4, Blackjack, Appleseed, Rayearth TV Box 2, Samurai X Movie, Gundam Wing Vol. #7 and Generator Gawl Vol. #3.

3 Year Contest (05:29 PM EST): Continuing our three year anniversary celebration, we've added our second contest today!

Release date (05:16 PM EST): According to a post in the forum today from ADV DVD producer and general net point man David Williams, Gasaraki Vol. #4 has finally been given a 5/1/2001 release date. The street date was pushed back due to the amount of effort involved in this large dub, but finally, more Gasaraki soon!

Saturday, March 10th, 2001

Advance review (03:44 PM EST): Though some places may be putting it out early, we go by the officially set street dates here. Due out on 4/17 from ADV Films, we've completed our review of Martian Successor Nadesico Vol. #4.

Studio Challenge (09:37 AM EST): The February picture is now up for our Studio Challenge (a bit late due to our move). Things are progressing nicely... though I may not have to ship off any Absolut Mandarin to the folks at AnimEigo since they haven't filled even one shelf yet! 

Newly reviewed (08:52 AM EST): Our review of Sorcerer Hunters Vol. #1 is now complete, and we've even got a new alternate angle of it to post today as well!

Friday, March 9th, 2001

Disc delays (12:19 PM EST): Well, this certainly comes as no surprise. Right Stuf is reporting that the sublicensed titles to DVD Ltd. have experienced yet another delay. You may recall these were originally solicited for the beginning of January and have basically been delayed 2 weeks ever other week. Now due on 5/3 is Votoms Vol. #1-13, GoShogun, Hades Project: Zeorymer and Rhea Gall Force.

Thursday, March 8th, 2001

Newly reviewed (11:13 PM EST): I'm hoping to get a few reviews done this weekend and start catching up again. First up is the Street Fighter Alpha disc from Manga Entertainment, complete with a readers rating at the bottom!

More Evangelion? Nope... (05:41 PM EST): According to some rumblings after people have seen this picture, it started sounding like there's going to be some new Evangelion feature of some sort sometime next year. Unfortunately, we've learned that this is just truly highly elaborate fan art done up with no basis in reality. 

Readers ratings (11:04 AM EST): We're going to try it again.... with our having a new higher speed connection and the ability to work better, we're going to try adding a reader reviewing (outsourced) poll to each new review. We likely won't go back all that far for adding earlier ones due to time constraints. The first title to receive this is Black Heaven Vol. #3 and Gunsmith Cats.

Tylor update (09:17 AM EST): Direct from the folks at TRSI, we've gotten the word on where things stand:

We will be shipping Tylor DVD's on March 14 (these are done, and are being put in the Amaray cases and shrink-wrapped now). Some may eek out earlier, but they'd rather err on the side of caution.

First we will ship:
Direct Sales (those people who bought from them) - these are shipping via 2-day service.

Then we will ship: 
Retailers/Distributors

They will also ship I Dream of Mimi (Buttobi CPU) and Flint 3 & 4 on time (toward the end of the month). Mail Order Maiden 28 will follow in April.

As a side note, they're taking up things in much the way ADV Films and AnimEigo does from here on out in not announcing titles street dates until they've finished production on them. The Tylor OVA's are underway next, so we'll likely hear something about them in the next couple of months.

Wednesday, March 7th, 2001

Contest (05:35 PM EST): Why do only four contests in a month when you can do five.... the good folks at TRSI have supplied us with a disc to give away, their upcoming release of Buttobi/CPU!

Press (05:19 PM EST): Central Park Media's latest press releases have come out, and we've put the DVD related news here.

Cover art (05:14 PM EST): A few new pieces of art have made it into the gallery, such as Robotech Vol. #1, Angel Links Vol. #2 and Mail Order Maid 28.

It's alive! (02:32 PM EST): The Akira website is alive and has some neat information floating around in it, especially in the flash design pages! Very slick looking!

Disc delays (01:11 PM EST): A couple more delays came in today. Kishin Corps/Geo-Armor has slipped to a 5/22 release date while Pure Love has slipped to a 6/12 release date.

New title announcements (01:07 PM EST): A few new announcements today listed via Right Stuf, some previously known but worth reconfirming. Project A-ko Vs 1/2: Uncivil Wars on 6/12 for 29.99$ with a running time of 104 minutes. Pokemon Vol. #42 and Vol. #43 on 5/29 for 24.95$, Fushigi Yugi OVA box set on 5/29 for 74.95$ with a running time of 295 minutes, Fencer of Minerva on 6/12 for 29.99$ and a running time of 135 minutes. And finally, the Bastard DVD Limited Edition w/Action Figure is due out on 6/5 with a running time of 180 minutes for 49.95$. The DVD sans figure can be had for 29.99$.

Tuesday, March 6th, 2001

Disc delay (09:14 PM EST): The Right Stuf is also reporting a delay today, with Spring & Chaos being delayed from 3/27 to 5/29. 

Nadia DVD soon? (09:05 PM EST): According to the Right Stuf update today, the dub VHS version of Nadia Vol. #1 is due out on 6/19. As has been said, the DVD wouldn't be slated until after the dub is completed, so things are progressing there. At this rate, the first DVD will be announced before I've had a chance to watch any of the subtitled VHS versions I bought...

Monday, March 5th, 2001

Press (02:06 PM EST): The latest press release came in from ADV Films today, covering Nadesico, Arc the Lad and Evangelion. Check it out!

AnimEigo deadpool (01:34 PM EST): For those who've been keeping track, the AnimEigo deadpool continues on unchanged since its inception! AnimEigo's production manager was hoping to get something into replication in February and the last one of the batch sometime in April. February has ended, and so has 33% of his window! Will this mean a closer release window for everything else to get in under the wire? Or will it all come out after his projected dates and likely nullifying his chance for a raise this year? Only time will tell!

Disc delays (01:22 PM EST): According to the most recent Image Entertainment update, Crest of the Stars Vol. #1 has slipped all the way to 5/15 while Outlaw Star Collection 3 has slipped to 4/3. Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #5 and Sailor Victory have slipped to 3/13. Generator Gawl Vol. #3 now has a 3/27 date.

Contest (10:54 AM EST): Today is our three year anniversary! It's still hard to believe that I've been doing this for as long as I have and am still enjoying it! To celebrate our success, we're giving you the chance to score some of our DVD's! We're going to try and start a new contest every weekend for the remainder of the month, with all the contests ending on the 31st and announcing the winners on April 1st. The first contest, the one that will span the entire month, is for both Fushigi Yugi box sets! A 400$ value! Be sure to check it out!

Sakura dates (10:08 AM EST): Some debate has come up recently regarding the dates for Cardcaptor Sakura Vol. #3. According to the listing information at right stuf, 5/8 is the date to expect Vol. #3 on DVD. The dub version of #3 and #4 are due on the same day, but some DVD sites list a March date for Vol. #3 of the subtitled DVD edition. Going through the release lists on Right Stuf, this is the first mention through them of Vol. #3, and with the subtitled VHS version not due out till 5/8 either, I'm inclined to believe that date will be the start of a new marketing push for the show, and the original March date may have been tentative at best. 

Alternate angles (09:52 AM EST): Going by the alternate angle reviews and general comments on the disc, ADV's Gunsmith Cats: Bulletproof definitely has the look and feel of a bonafide smash disc. Audio, video, extras, menus, packaging... all are garnering A level responses from even the usual highly critical folks as they get a look at it. Check out Roman Martel's take on it as well as Lawrence Chu's review of it.

Digital Omake (09:43 AM EST): Several new pieces of omake have come in such as Sailor Moon S Vol. #1 (standalone player version), Dual Vol. #2, Neon Genesis Evangelion Vol. #4 and Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Special Edition.

Sunday, March 4th, 2001

Interesting possibility (07:56 AM EST): We received the press materials from Media Blasters this weekend for some of their upcoming releases, and notice something possibly quite interesting about the Magic Knights Rayearth Box Set 2 release. While it's all guesswork on my part, looking at how the package is show, it looks identical in type to the Card Captor Sakura and Mamotte Shugogotten DVD boxes that people have been snapping up at Animaxis. These are really nice fairly thick boxes that have the opening that "falls out" forward. People who got the Card Captor Sakura ones were practically falling over themselves with how great they are and how sweet they look on their shelves. If Media Blasters is using this style, I'll really be looking forward to it, especially if it's got some thickness/sturdiness to it.

New title announcements (07:43 AM EST): Still catching up, I've learned that Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #5 (of 6) with 5 episodes on it will be released on 5/15/2001. As we near the final two volumes of the series, hopefully some interesting extras will show up for this great series.

New in R2 Japan (07:03 AM EST): The latest batch of announcements came in this weekend from CD Japan with bunches of good things coming out in Japan in the next several months, including the dual versions of the Escaflowne (mmmm, DTS limited edition....). There's also notice of reissues of some older previously hard to find out of stock box sets. Note that these are reissues, not remasters.

Friday, March 2nd, 2001

More new title announcements (08:05 PM EST): A few more new announcements, and we'll add these and a few others to our database next week when things settle down. Due on 5/22, the first two volumes of Robotech have been announced. Each contains 6 episodes (150 minutes each) and retail for 14.95$. I've learned that instead of the proposed 2 discs + disc of extras mini box sets, that ADV is going to do one large box set at the end, that everyone will be able to get ahold of. No word on the extras DVD yet.

Cardcaptor Sakura Vol. #3 (subtitled) is due on 5/8 with four more episodes at 29.99$. The dub only edition of Cardcaptors Vol. #3 and Cardcaptors Vol. #4 will also arrive on 5/8 but with only three edited episodes and a price of 24.95$.

New title announcements (07:38 PM EST): I've only just started to briefly scan changes since Wednesday (we're still moving! yikes!) but it appears Media Blasters has scheduled a bunch of titles for a 6/26 release. Check out their latest press release, which also includes VHS, so read carefully!

Storage racks (07:32 PM EST): One of the more common questions I get, especially after posting a new studio challenge update, is "Where did you get those racks?!". While I've only been able to say from a local Boston area retailer, I've finally found their website. The item, "VID90" with feet, lists for 42$ and holds about 140 DVD's, give or take box sets/snappers and double keepcases. The local places charge 54.95$ for them. The actual creators of the shelves don't list shipping prices, as I'm sure it's fairly unique depending on the order, but for those interested, these are solid shelves. In fact, I just got done moving eight of them from the old house to the new house!