Wednesday, October 31st, 2001

Cover art (06:54 PM EST)

Wanderers no more (05:57 PM EST): According to Right Stuf, Pioneer has given the lost titles from El-Hazard: The Wanderers street dates to call their own. 12/11/01 - volume 2: The Ultimate Weapon, 02/05/2002 - volume 3: Winds of War and 04/02/2002 - volume 4: Final Adventures.

Contests (05:54 PM EST): Tonight is the last night to enter the big Saint Tail combo contest, so get your entries in while you can. We'll get our winner posted in tomorrow evenings update. Also take note that November is ADV CONTEST MONTH! That's right, contest month. We've got a DVD a day to give away from the good folks at ADV, so be sure to check out that contest!

Blue Gender note (05:43 PM EST): Over the past couple of days, some people have noticed that their copy of Blue Gender Vol. #1 from Funimation didn't contain an insert. Some assumed this to be normal (which means they did not read my review where I talked about the insert). We've heard from Funimation about it, and they're definitely going to help folks who didn't get one. If your copy of Blue Gender Vol. #1 did not contain an insert, please email them at truedbzfan@hotmail.com with your information and one will get to you.

And as a side note, for the many people who post in our forums, it's considered at the least highly impolite to post someone's email address and information without their consent. Please make sure you have permission to do so before doing it in the future.

Tuesday, October 30th, 2001

DVD Recorders (05:33 PM EST): Yup, it's getting close. The DVD recorders are starting to hit the consumer side market with the Philips DVDR1000 deck being one of the first ones to hit the US. Prices still sound to be fairly high, but not much worse than when DVD first came to market. I'm hoping to get my hands on one sometime early next year if funds permit.

What's that Watson? (05:29 PM EST): A bit more information has surfaced regarding Pioneer's release next year of Sherlock Hound. According to Right Stuf, the disc will be presented on a DVD-10; the English version will be on a separate side of the DVD from the Japanese version and contains 30-60 seconds more footage per episode than the digitally re-mastered Japanese Version.

New title announcement (05:26 PM EST): Only one new announcement for today, courtesy of Right Stuf. Listed with no date, Star Blazers: Comet Empire DVD Vol. 1 will arrive sometime with a 112 minute running time and English language only for 29.99$. We've been told by folks at TRSI that this title is "shipping today", hence the lack of a date. Ah, good old Voyager and their solicitations.

Monday, October 29th, 2001

Newly reviewed (09:21 PM EST): If you're looking for something unsettling to watch, I'm definitely going to recommend the title we just finished reviewing, Boogiepop Phantom Vol. #1. The late night series is probably one of the more stylishly creepy shows I've seen since Serial Experiments Lain. We'll also have a number of new reviews towards the end of the week, including Miyu TV Vol. #2, Gasaraki #7, Soul Hunter #1 and hopefully a peek at the new Those Who Hunt Elves disc. Yup, we got loaded up with review copies today.

Sunday, October 28th, 2001

Newly reviewed (02:48 PM EST): Finally finishing out the box set, we've managed to complete watching Urusei Yatsura TV Vol. #15 which brings us up to date and gets us in the mode of waiting for Macross to ship.

Big screen anime (02:03 PM EST): Last night we caught the local premier of Urban Vision's Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square. A decent sized group of locals from the site made it down there (we split over two or three nights due to schedules) and overall had a really great time. We took over a good part of the upper balcony, though it wasn't as easy to tell as it was with the Mayday Anime group, who were all properly attired in their Cafepress t-shirts, much like we do for our convention gatherings. One part of our group came up all the way from Connecticut to check out the movie (and to actually meet other anime fans we suspect; Connecticut seems to be underpopulated by fans), and we hope that their 2 1/2 hour journey was worthwhile. Judinging by what they bought at Tokyo Kid, it probably was.

As for the movie itself? I think it's visually one of the most stunning films I've seen this year, achieving what the Utena movie did with light colors with the dark brooding style that the D world requires. The animation is just drop dead gorgeous in so many areas, and so incredibly fluid. The backgrounds were just as fluid as the animation moving along the front, and the two really interacted well. It's definitely a great piece of work and one that I simply cannot wait to see again. The dub was pretty decent overall, with some of the secondary characters not being quite as good as should be, and there were a small number of unintentionally funny lines, but the one character the simply steals the show is the spirit in D's hand again. Right down to his very last line in the movie, he proved to be the real highlight.

If this movie shows up in your area, it's definitely worth checking out, even if you hate dubs. Things like this simply must be seen on a large screen, where your eyes are barely able to take it all in.

Contests (02:00 PM EST): We've posted the winner from last nights ending contest for the Saint Tail movie poster design as well as remembering to updated the Utena contest with those winners.

Saturday, October 27th, 2001

Alternate angles (11:33 AM EST): Catching up a bit more, we've added a slew of alternate angle reviews to our listings this morning:

Region 1 (North America)

• Crest of the Stars Vol. #3 by David Rehfeldt
• Starblazers Vol. #6 by Mike Breen
• Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #2 by Brian Shea
• Blue Gender Vol. #1 by Abood Rabbat
• Dragonball Z: Babidi: Descent by Brett Brown
• Dragonball Z: Lord Slug by Logan Goolsby

Region 4 (Australia)

• Blood: The Last Vampire by Edmund Lee
• Gunsmith  Cats by Adam Kath
• Castle of Cagliostro by Adam Kath
• Pokemon the First Movie by Adam Kath
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #2 by Adam Kath
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #3 by Adam Kath
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #4 by Adam Kath
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #5 by Adam Kath
• Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Vol. #6 by Adam Kath
• Burn Up W by Adam Kath
• Wicked City by Adam Kath

Newly reviewed (09:52 AM EST): Looks like one slipped by me last night, as Roman's got another review prepped for us today. Check out what he thought of the Kenji Miazawa based film, Night on the Galactic Railroad.

Friday, October 26th, 2001

Newly reviewed (10:35 PM EST): Roman Martel has sent in another new review tonight, this time looking at the Central Park Media release of Detonator Orgun.

Newly reviewed (10:15 PM EST): Due out next week from tokyopop, we've gotten a slightly earlier look at their release of Saint Tail Vol. #2, a disc that manages to correct and build upon what was done in the first volume.

Classic Gundam news (09:03 PM EST): Awhile back, some preliminary information came out regarding the release of Gundam 0080 and 0083. Well, forget about what was said, because things have changed. The release style for them is being done similar to the Japanese release, which for 0083 means a four disc release. Of course, lower episode counts should lead to more bitspace to play with for quality. But according to a post from Bandai's Charles McCarter, there's some other good stuff planned for the releases:

"The new 0080 and 0083 releases will follow the same pattern as the Japanese releases. In fact, we're using the new remastered DVD masters to make our DVD's and the video looks great.

We'll be including the extras you saw on the Japanese discs. And, of course, a Gundam Encyclopedia featuring the mobile suits of their respective series.

The covers, of course, will be reversible...

And--something you can't get on the Japanese DVD's--both the English and Japanese audio tracks will be presented in Dolby Digital 5.1."

More Region 2 in English (08:40 PM EST): Are you hard up for more Miaka and Tamahome after the Fushigi Yugi OVA release this past summer? Fushigi Yugi - Eikou den Vol.1 has finally been announced, the next chapter based on the novels that were announced at the conventions this past summer. The first of four OVA's, it's due on 12/21/2001 with the single 30 minute episode on it. On the plus side? It's in English and Japanese with Japanese subtitles. The inclusion of the dub would mean that when Pioneer USA gets the completed materials for the 2nd episode, we'll likely see the first of two domestic discs coming out for it early this coming spring. But if you can't wait and want to spend about 40$ and episode, there's an alternative for you.

Newly licensed (08:39 PM EST): ADV's keeping things rolling with yet another new date for us this week. Sorcerer On The Rocks has been given a street date of 01/15/2002. Both OVAs on one DVD with an SRP of $24.98.

Newly reviewed (09:46 AM EST): Originally scheduled to be reviewed last night before I simply collapsed after a long week, we've taken some time this morning to write our review of Bandai's latest entry in one of the best series of the year, Crest of the Stars Vol. #3.

Forum Buzz (08:21 AM EST): That's right, he's back again for his 8th installment of Forum Buzz, bringing you all the weird news, tidbits and other stories from the area where many don't dare to venture; the forums!

New in Region 2 (07:17 AM EST): Bound to be a huge seller (and streeting the day before my birthday, so bound to be my present to myself), Bandai Visual has slated 1/25/2002 as the release date for Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door. This two hour feature will include an anamorphic transfer, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Theatrical teaser(s), trailer(s), textless intro & outro. There's no sign of a DTS LE yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if one gets announced soon.

Thursday, October 25th, 2001

Newly reviewed (08:44 PM EST): Also just recently released, we've taken a look at Media Blaster's release of Space Travelers: The Animation. And yes, there is a live action movie (that came first) as well. Media Blaster's doesn't have that to my knowledge, but I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you've got a region free deck.

Newly reviewed (08:01 PM EST): After a bit of a delay in the mail (which is pretty normal these past few weeks), our copy of Funimation's Blue Gender Vol. #1 arrived and we've given it a pretty thorough spin before writing our review. We've also heard a fair number of complaints about the three episode per disc release, and one thing I personally like to do with a series is to see how it was released in Japan. I generally don't compare, but it's worth noting that this was released on DVD in early 2000 and is already out of print. And it ran for 13 discs, two episodes a piece for about 50-60$ a disc. Taking those facts in, I think I'll be quite happy with the Funimation version.

Get your wallets ready (12:22 PM EST): AnimEigo has added their Kimagure Orange Road Preorder Page:

---

AnimEigo is pleased to announce that Kimagure Orange Road, the TV Series, will be released on DVD February 1st, 2002. The complete 12 DVD Box set, containing all 48 episodes as well as our copious liner notes, will be available by preorder only for $240.00 + $10.00 S&H.

We have deliberately held off announcing this preorder until we are well along in the preproduction process. We have completely rechecked and revised the subtitles (we are never satisfied!) and video tweaking and sweetening is underway. We expect to begin authoring sometime in November.

---

CPM tidbits (10:00 AM EST): Sniffing around the Central Park Media site a bit, we noticed some previously unmentioned titles being listed. Due out on 04/09/2002 on their Anime 18 label, they'll be releasing Night Shift Nurses, which runs for 90 minutes and retails for 29.99$. The tag for this title? "The doctor is in!" Oh my.

Also due on 04/09/2002 from them is the CPM release of Roujin Z. This title was originally sublicensed to Image Entertainment way back in the early days of DVD and was given a decent if somewhat rough treatment at the time. This is the first of a series of remasters and re-releases of some of those previously sublicensed titles, so hopefully they'll fair better this time. A quick look at the region 2 release of this movie however doesn't give too much hope, as that version is non-anamorphic as well. But if print quality and the transfer can be improved over the image release, I'll be glad to get rid of my snapper version.

AnimEigo tidbits (09:52 AM EST): The AnimEigo site has updated with some tidbits on titles that are moving through production at the moment. Vampire Princess Miyu OVA Vol. #2 is almost done being authored and they're looking to get it out before Christmas. Superdimensional Fortress Macross is moving along, with menu designs being completed and implemented. The first disc is almost done being authored and the second and third are in progress. December is still being looked at for the ship month. Baoh continues to be delayed due to difficulties with the authoring house (wish we could find out more about that). Bubblegum Crash is at the final moments of its authoring, and a likely late-November release is planned. My personal favorite, Otaku no Video, has started its authoring process. The menus have been started and they're going over the subtitles to tweak and revise in hopes of a December release. And finally, one of the best TV series ever has begun its premastering. Kimagure Orange Road's getting things rolling with that as well as some menu design and subtitle tweaking, with hopes for a January release.

Wednesday, October 24th, 2001

Correction (06:48 PM EST): After mentioning the Pilot Candidate price increase the other day, we contacted Bandai to find out what's up with it, since price changes mid-series is rare. According to Jerry Chu, it's incorrect, and the price for the series remains 24.95$ for Pilot Candidate.

New title announcement (06:45 PM EST): One new listing up at Right Stuf tonight. Pioneer's scheduled Sherlock Hound for a 2/26/2002 release. This bilingual disc has a running time of 125 minutes and a price tag of 29.99$.

Press (06:37 PM EST): Synch-Point's press release for Fooly Cooly Vol. #1 has arrived today, complete with an image of at least one of the covers for volume #1!

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2001

New title announcement (08:54 PM EST): He's been awful quiet lately, probably because he's been playing with the special feature found on this newly announced disc. David Williams of ADV has announce that Plastic Little DVD has been given a street date of 2/5/02. English and Japanese audio with an English subtitle track and a song only subtitle track for use with the English audio. Extras include a production portfolio, the original ADV trailer and the Jiggle Counter. MSRP is $24.98.

DVD Bloodlust (04:51 PM EST): Seems that there's some interesting information cropping up regarding the 2002 DVD release of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. According to the official sites message board, the region 1 DVD will not have the Japanese language track, even though one exists for the region 2 release. This presents an interesting dilemma for some fans on both sides of the audio track. Vampire Hunter D is a Japanese property, written in Japanese, translated into English and animated in Japan with the lip synch to English. The theatrical run in Japan ran with Japanese subtitles and the English audio. According to Japanese retailer AMO Tokyo, the region 2 release will contain both the English and Japanese audio tracks, Japanese subtitle and some flavor of both Dolby Digital and DTS as well as being anamorphically encoded (we presume the region 1 version will be anamorphic as well).

But where do you sit with which language track? Some will argue that English is the default, others will cite the script being done in Japanese and losing something in the translation to the dubbing. Oh, the humanity of it all!

Personally, we're going to see it theatrically this weekend (in English), we're going to pick up the region 2 disc since it's due on 12/19/2001 as I'd love to hear the Japanese track (especially if any of the Japanese actors are reprising their roles from the original movie) and I doubt DTS will make it to region 1, and we'll definitely be picking up the region 1 copy next year for a site review. So keep me out of the arguments please, as I'll certainly be putting my money back into their production.

Disc delays (04:49 PM EST): According to the Right Stuf update today, the El-Hazard: Wanderers discs are on indefinite delay for volumes 2-4. Originally all four discs were to be released in the space of something like six weeks, so it's likely something crept up into things and they're going to be spread out. I'd guess, based on info I've seen, that we'll see another volume by the end of the year (which is what, 2 months away at most?) and the remaining volumes early next year.

Monday, October 22nd, 2001

Bandai kicks ass (06:56 PM EST): Plain and simple. Some of the specs have arrived for the Jin-Roh release. The 29.99$ version will have Japanese DTS Audio, Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles and trailers. The 60$ SE will have a Special Edition Slip Case Packaging, Jin-Roh Original CD Soundtrack, Japanese DTS, Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles, Interviews with Cast and Creators, 12 Page Jin-Roh Booklet, Japanese Theatrical Trailers, English Theatrical Trailers, and supposedly more.

Soul Taker goodies (06:55 PM EST): According to a bit more info added to the Right stuf site, Soul Taker's features will include Holographic Foil Cover, Anamorphic, non-credit openings and closings songs, art gallery, and a 16 page Soultaker Encyclopedia Booklet. This is going to be one sweet release!

New title announcements (05:37 PM EST): The Right Stuf site has updated with some known and some new information this evening:

• Gundam MS 08th: Miller's Report | 03/19/2002 | 50 minutes | 29.98$ | Bandai
• Jin-Roh | 03/05/2002 | 102 minutes | 29.98$ | Bandai
• Jin-Roh SE | 03/05/2002 | 142 minutes | 59.98$ | Bandai
• Magic Woman M | 01/08/2002 | 60 minutes| 29.98$ | CPM
• Now and Then, Here and There 1 | 01/08/2002 | 125 minutes | 29.98$ | CPM
• Pilot Candidate Vol. #3| 03/05/2002 | 75 minutes | 29.98$ | Bandai
• Soul Taker Vol. #1 | 02/26/2002 | 75 minutes | 29.98$ | Pioneer
• Z-Mind | 03/19/2002 | 150 minutes | 34.98$ | Bandai

Curiously, there seems to be a price increase going on with some Bandai titles. Pilot Candidate Vol. #1 was solicited with a 24.95$ price tag, but #3 is up to 29.98$. Looking elsewhere on Right Stuf, Vol. #2 has also been bumped up to 29.98$. Some other retailers list it as 24.95$ however. Has Bandai's flirtation with the 24.95$ price point not worked out as hoped? Note that the two volumes of Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories have also been bumped up from 24.95$ to 29.98$

Press 04:33 PM EST): The official word has come down in press release form from Urban Vision talking about their latest acquisition, Strange Dawn, due on 1/22/2002. Check out the press release for specs and other features.

Sunday, October 21st, 2001

Newly reviewed 03:32 PM EST): Now that we're once again down to nearly just hentai in our pile, and limited time to actually watch said hentai, we've been able to start digging into our Lum pile and have pulled out a brief review of Urusei Yatsura TV Vol. #14.

Almost Essential 08:50 AM EST): The first title added to our planned subgenre of "almost essential" titles has been added to the Anime on DVD Recommends page. Our first and second selection? Battle Angel and Saber Marionette J. We had requested about 10 different titles to fill in the gaps here, and after our mention of it yesterday, we received this one pretty darn quick, so we might see some of the others showing up soon.

Divi update (08:37 AM EST): A few new submissions have come in with Divi-Chan artwork, which we've added to Gallery 4.

Contests completed (08:26 AM EST): We've gotten the results for Saint Tail Contest #2 and Saint Tail Contest #3! Remember, contest #4 ends on 10/27  while contest #5 ends on 10/31! And don't forget to check out the Utena contests!

Saturday, October 20th, 2001

More newly reviewed (04:02 PM EST): Finding yourself hard to be offended lately? Looking for something to give you the shivers? Is you life feeling somewhat depressed over the past month or so? If so, definitely get a copy of Ping Pong Club Vol. #4: Loser's Club and find your outlook on life dramatically challenged.

Newly reviewed (02:52 PM EST): Catching up a little more on our own viewing, we've finally managed to make our way through Very Private Lesson, a late August release from Media Blasters.

Alternate angles (10:57 AM EST): We've made a good dent in catching up on our region 1 alternate angles. We've got about 15 or so region 4/Australian reviews we're going to try and get to this weekend as well, but that depends on whether we take the time to watch new shows or try to get these reader submitted reviews posted.

Region 1 (North America)

• Angel Links Vol. #4 by David Rehfeldt
• Blue Gender Vol. #1 by Mark McPherson
• Demon City Shinjuku by Jon Turner
• El-Hazard OVA Box Set by Edmund Lee
• Gatekeepers Vol. #1 by Matt Newkirk
• Gasaraki Vol. #6 by Roman Martel
• Gasaraki Vol. #6 by Mark McPherson
• Key the Metal Idol Vol. #1 by Brian Shea
• Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #2 by Alex Bornstein
• Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #2 by Mark McPherson
• Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #3 by Mark McPherson
• NieA_7 Vol. #2 by Roman Martel
• Princess Nine Vol. #1 by Roman Martel
• Very Private Lesson by Aaron J. Heiner

AoD  Recommends (09:15 AM EST): We've added Panda Go Panda to our Anime on DVD Recommends section today, since it's the only one of about 10 that we requested months ago that arrived (it actually arrived quite awhile ago, but we waited on the promise of others to show).

Press (08:24 AM EST): Manga has sent out a new press release touting the 120,000+ copy movement of their release of Blood on VHS & DVD.

Friday, October 19th, 2001

Newly reviewed (09:26 PM EST): Chock full with seven episodes, we took a couple of nights to take in the first of four volumes of El-Hazard: The Wanderers Vol. #1.

Newly reviewed (08:25 PM EST): We've tried to make something of a dent in our hentai pile, and tonight have our review up for NuTech Entertainment's 3 disc release of the Shusaku Box Set.

Licensing rumor (05:30 PM EST): Earlier we had mentioned that Strange Dawn had been licensed, but we weren't sure who had it. Being a Pioneer Japan show, we made the natural assumption that it would likely be by Pioneer USA. We've been informed by Pioneer USA today that they do not have this title.

Press (01:49 PM EST): The folks at Manga have sent out their press release to talk about what their November DVD release of Shadow Skill: The Movie will be like.

Licensing rumors (01:45 PM EST): Nobody has stepped forward yet to claim Strange Dawn, but odds are leaning in Pioneer's favor at the moment. We've also heard half-serious rumors that indicate that tokyopop has acquired Initial D for domestic release. There's information on AnimeNation's  news section that tokyopop has acquired the Love Hina, Cowboy Bebop and Initial D manga, which also leads to them announcing the anime. There's no sourcing other than tokyopop directly.  As always, for the official list of what's licensed, check out the section run here by Mariela.

New poll (01:35 PM EST): We spoke with some of the folks at Funimation via email today, and at their request we've added a new poll to see which Lupin TV Specials people would like to see released on DVD first, prior to the movies. We've added a Funimation polls page along with our other existing polls, so check it out!

Forum Buzz (08:12 AM EST): On the heels of the massive amount of new information garnered yesterday, this weeks Forum Buzz has arrived! Rejoice!

Thursday, October 18th, 2001

Press (10:43 PM EST): Two new press releases out today, the first a rare one from the folks at Pioneer, this time talking about the spring 2002 release for the new Armitage movie, which they've gotten Juliette Lewis to do the voice for Naomi. There's also a release out regarding the director of FLCL appearing at the recently opened OmochaBox retail store.

Newly reviewed (10:28 PM EST): We've finished up two shows this evening, the El-Hazard: Wanderers Vol. #1 from Pioneer and the three disc box set of Shusaku from NuTech Entertainment. We'll be writing up our reviews tomorrow for those, but in the meantime we've got Megan's review of Pioneer's recent release of Hand Maid May Vol. #2 and Roman Martel has sent in his next review for Armored Troopers VOTOMS Vol. #8.

TRSI deals again (06:21 PM EST): This is starting to become a regular occurrence, but it's helped save readers here a fair bit of money, so I'm willing to help. Right Stuf has updated their weekly sales page with some titles people might be interested in. In addition to the previously mentioned Arc the Lad Vol. #1 for 15$, they've added the awful Genocyber for 23$ (17$ off list), the cool Magic Knight Rayearth Season 2 box for 129$ (70$ off) and Saber Marionette J Collection 3 for 30$ (15$ off), but the real deal is for hentai fans. You can pick up the Shusaku box set for 30$ (30$ off). Frankly, this is all this set is worth as each disc has one 30 minute episode, but getting all three discs for 30$ is a good deal.

More new title announcements & dates (02:59 PM EST): Not to be outdone, the Bandai Entertainment site has updated today with some new information with some rescheduling and minor and major announcements (these will be updated in our database within a day or so):

New title announcement (11:58 AM EST): Thanks to forum reader William G for the heads up, but the Pioneer Animation site has updated with something new. On 02/12/2002, Pioneer will be releasing the highly sought after Pretty Sammy DVD Collection. This collection will include The Mihoshi Special and have a total running time of 165 minutes. With this announcement, Pioneer has very few titles left in their back catalog. The original Armitage III OVA's are likely due next spring when the new movie is released, Chisa Live in L.A. is something we'll probably never see, the Crimson Blade I'm not sure about (I believe that may be part of the new Hakkenden set?) and the much sought after Magical Project S TV series. And, of course, an uncut Japanese language presentation of Dog of Flanders would help smooth out some ruffled feathers from that release problem a couple of years ago. But regardless, Pioneer is very close to being done with their back catalog.

Newly announced/licensed  (06:59 AM EST): The Diamond Comics site has updated with its usual array of minimal information for their January targeted release items, and there's some interesting anime listings in there. Betterman Vol. #1 (DVD only) for 29.99$, Gasaraki Vol. #8 will show up to bring that series to a conclusion, the Love Hina Vol. #1 with box will be 34.98$ while being 29.98$ without one. Sailor Moon SS Collection 1 also arrives in this timeframe for 29.99 (combining two VHS releases much like the S series). It also appears that someone has indeed licensed the Strange Dawn series, presumably Pioneer, as I believe it's a Pioneer show. But if not, will the real owner please stand up?

Wednesday, October 17th, 2001

Newly reviewed (06:33 PM EST): Making sure we have something new to offer today, Megan's sent in her next review, this time covering Bandai's release of Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #3.

Tuesday, October 16th, 2001

New title announcements (05:01 PM EST): The Right Stuf site has updated with some new titles today. Saint Tail Vol. #3 will street on 01/22/2002 with four more bilingual episodes. Vampire Princess Miyu TV Vol. #3 will also street that day with four more bilingual episodes and the unedited original Japanese opening and an image gallery. We've also updated the image gallery with the covers for both of those titles.

Monday, October 15th, 2001

Newly reviewed (07:57 PM EST): We had intended to make some major ground this past weekend with reviews and alternate angles, but there's a local problem with our cable modem, and I essentially had no connectivity after Saturday afternoon till sometime this evening. We'll try to get caught up later this week with things, as well as picking a winner for the 2nd Saint Tail contest.

But in the meantime, let's make up for the "day off" with some new content served piping fresh hot for you. We watched 21 episodes of anime yesterday, and I've finished my reviews for ADV's upcoming release of Robotech Legacy Box Set 4: The Masters, Right Stuf's brand new release of Yamamoto Yohko, Starship Girl OVA series and NieA_7 Vol. #2 from Pioneer. Roman Martel has sent in his latest review for the VOTOMS library, this time talking about Armored Troopers VOTOMS Vol. #7. And to help finish off this pile of reviews, Megan Morris has sent in a batch, talking about Central Park Media's release of Garaga, Right Stuf's release of Flint the Time Detective #3, Viz's release of Ranma 1/2: Random Rhapsody Vol. #5 and Bandai's release of Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. #2.

Phew! And that's on top of the 10 episodes we watched on Saturday! Chew on that for awhile, as well as check out the forums where we've added a brand new section called the English Track, devoted to talking about English dubs on DVD's.

Saturday, October 13th, 2001

Newly reviewed (05:16 PM EST): Dipping again into the pile, we've finished our review of the 10/23/2001 release of Original Dirty Pair Vol. #2, coming to you from ADV Films. You too can now see Yuri reading Playgirl (and Mughi too!).

Newly reviewed (04:03 PM EST): Making more headway on the pile of shows to watch, we've finished watching the 10/23/2001 release of Getter Robo Vol. #3 by ADV Films.

Newly reviewed (03:03 PM EST): We got our grubby hands on Oh My Goddess Vol. #2 this week and checked it out this morning so we can file our full review.

Friday, October 12th, 2001

New artwork (07:40 AM EST): The official Robotech site now has the cover art for all 9 volumes of Macross as well as the box and all the DVD's.

Thursday, October 11th, 2001

Newly reviewed (10:33 PM EST): Our last new review for the evening is the recent Media Blasters release of Marriage, a nice simple two-part OVA show.

Forum Buzz (09:47 PM EST): Forum Buzz returns again this week (on time!) and contains more tidbits and general silliness that goes on in our forums. If this keeps up, moderators in other forums are going to start submitting pieces to Sean to make sure they get some coverage....

Advance review (09:39 PM EST): Due out on 11/06/2001, Bandai Entertainment's release of Pilot Candidate Vol. #1 will hit store shelves. Will it hit your DVD shelf though?

Newly reviewed (08:44 PM EST): Depending on where you get your discs from, this just came out this past week. Our first new review this evening is for the latest entry in the Kyoto Arc from Media Blasters, Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #11: Faces of Evil. Also included in the disc is a very cool trailer for upcoming series Berserk.

Correction and a nice deal (06:26 PM EST): I've been informed this evening that the date given for Arc the Lad Vol. #6 earlier this week is incorrect. Instead of streeting on 12/18/2001, it'll street on 01/22/2002 but still containing the final five episodes of the series. For those interested in this series since it dropped to fewer discs, you may want to check out Right Stuf as they have vol. #1 on sale for 15$.

Nice deal (12:21 PM EST): The just about to be released Yamamoto Yohko, Starship Girl from TRSI is getting something of a good price on it if you order direct from them. Ending today, the price is 50% of it's normal 39.99$ for the six OVA's, so you're talking about 20 bucks plus shipping. This has apparently been running for a few days (retail forum members are aware of it) and today is the final day for this brief super-sale.

Site gatherings (12:10 PM EST): Our recently appointed Site Social Director has been getting things rolling and we've got three Boston area gatherings coming up for the month of October. The first is on the 13th, spearheaded by MegaZone for a round of Fire & Ice in Harvard Square.

The second and third gatherings are related to the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust theatrical premier in Boston for the weekend of the 27th and 28th:
 

Wednesday, October 10th, 2001

New title announcement (12:50 PM EST): Keeping up on getting as much Nadia out as possible, Nadia Vol. #6 has been given a street date of 01/29/2002 with four episodes for 29.99$.

Tuesday, October 9th, 2001

New title announcement (06:28 PM EST): Charles McCarter of Bandai posted some sweet information to the forums this afternoon that's going to make a lot of SMJ fans happy. Saber Marionette J Again now has a release date of 01/08/2002. The set will be two DVD-9's with three episodes on each disc and will retail for 34.98$. Features and extras include: Japanese, English, Spanish audio, English subtitles, Textless Opening Collection, Textless Ending Collection, Saber Marionette Commercial Collection and a Production Art Gallery.

"As you might know, each Opening and Ending for Saber Marionette J to X was different, so there are numerous openings/closings." Charles went on to say.

"The Commercial collection features Japanese TV spots for Saber Marionette J, Saber Marionette J Again, and Saber Marionette J to X"

Lost Lambs! (06:27 PM EST): While going through their lists and checking it many times, the folks over at AnimEigo have come up with a list of people whose names they cannot contact by email. They're going by other information to try and track them down, but probably can't do it all by the time necessary. Please check this list to see if your name is on it and get in contact with them.

New title announcement (05:38 PM EST): David Williams of ADV Films has posted a new announcement for us today. Arc the Lad : Day of Reckoning has been assigned a street date of 01/22/2002. This disc contains 5 episodes and brings the series to a close.

Newly released (01:42 PM EST): We've updated our upcoming reviews listing on the right to reflect the box of DVD wuv we received today. Take note that our copy of Oh! My Goddess Vol. #2 came direct from AnimEigo, so expect more copies to be showing up anytime now.

Newly reviewed (11:32 AM EST): Let's call today Ghibli review day. We've got a review of Kiki's Delivery Service by Bryan Chaney, a review of My Neighbor Totoro by Matthew Whiteley and another My Neighbor Totoro review by Robert Atendido.

New contest (11:08 AM EST): A new contest has been added that runs through the 24th, courtesy of the good folks at the Big Apple Anime Festival. They've provided us with a couple of copies of the limited edition of Revolutionary Girl Utena DVD as well as tickets to the Big Apple Anime festival.

Press (09:56 AM EST): There's another new magazine in town that's going to give some coverage to anime. Check out the press release to the up and coming PLAY magazine. And things are looking as if they're moving along when it comes to the Matrix Anime Project, as mentioned by this press release from Warner Bros. about it. We're trying to get a preview copy of this disc so we can check out how well the Matrix will convert to anime form.

Contest closure (09:51 AM EST): Though it took a few days for all the entries to be checked and double checked, our panel of judges (forum moderators and licensing maven Mariela) have provided us with some winners. Check out the Boogiepop Phantom contest page to see their winning entries!

Digital Omake (09:44 AM EST): Also updated today is our Digital Omake section, with shows such as Ceres #2, Hand Maid May #2 and Oh My Goddess Vol. #1.

Petitions (09:28 AM EST): We've added a petition this morning for Yoroiden Samurai Troopers to our petitions page.

New title announcements (08:42 AM EST): The Right Stuf site is listing some new titles this morning. Pilot Candidate Vol. #2 has a 1/8/02 release date, FLCL Vol. #1 with a 1/29/02 release date (containing the first two whacked OVA's) and I'm Gonna Be An Angel Vol. #1 for the end of the year. NuTech is also listing for a 11/30/01 release Desert Island Story X across four volumes for 24.95$ and a box set for 79.99$. We've also gone through a large chunk of the release database and tried cleaning it up as we've sort of faltered on it recently. The only thing not added is the NuTech hentai titles, as they've continually slipped every date and are just more effort than they're worth trying to keep track of.

Site gatherings (08:28 AM EST): In addition to the couple of site gatherings in Boston at the end of this month to check out the premier of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, there's another gathering taking place on Saturday, 10/13, as a regular get-together. Folks are meeting at14:00 (2PM), at one of our regular hangouts, Fire+Ice in Harvard Square. Check out our Conventions & Gatherings forums for more information on both events.

Monday, October 8th, 2001

Advance review (09:59 PM EST): Due out on 10/23/2001, Central Park Media will unleash their finest disc in their library with the release of Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie. Don't have it on order yet? tsk tsk...

Job hunters take note (04:26 PM EST): Have you been looking for that position of Production Coordinator for an up and coming anime company in the U.S.? If so, check out this information from Tokyopop.

That spirit.... (04:15 PM EST): That Entrepreneurial Spirit.... Oliver Chin has returned this month with his later column that appears in the Comic Retailer magazine, reprinted on this site with his permission. Be sure to check that one and his other columns out.

Press (03:03 PM EST): The first bit of press information has surfaced today courtesy of the folks at Synch-Point, talking about their December release of I'm Gonna Be An Angel. We've also gotten a look at one version of the cover, as it's a reversible cover. And in what I believe is a first, there's going to be a second English subtitle track that's going to be a bit more fan-oriented than normal tracks, in that it retains things such as honorifics. They're testing it out with this title, so it may not appear on others (and is probably only useful with cultural shows anyway) but it's something that a lot of people are interested in seeing.

Sunday, October 7th, 2001

Saint Tail contests (06:11 PM EST): The first Saint Tail contest has ended, but there's still four more to go throughout the month! Be sure to check 'em all out!

Advance review (10:20 AM EST): Due out on 10/16/2001, Bandai Entertainment has prepared another sweet helping of Roger and Dorothy in the form of Big O Vol. #3. This show simply must have more made in Japan!

Saturday, October 6th, 2001

Cosplay recommended (11:44 PM EST): If you're like me, and well, you absolutely suck at making costumes but you really want to get into cosplay at next years convention circuit, I heartily recommend checking out Funakupo Stuffies! Thankfully, I'll be going as Kubo from Otaku no Video next year, so my costume is all set. How about you?

Newly reviewed (03:31 PM EST): Adding another series to the completed pile is Angel Links Vol. #4, the series that took place in the Outlaw Star world yet didn't quite live up to that series as many had hoped.

Newly licensed (02:56 PM EST): There's a whole lot of licensing going on these days, and some new ones have crept out into the daylight. On our forums today, David Williams of ADV Films posted this:

"Matt Greenfield should be announcing at Ani-Magic that ADV has picked up the original Japanese versions of Southern Cross and Mospeada and will be releasing them on DVD. Details haven't been finalized yet and as the release plan is set I'll be sure and post. Of course everyone here knows Southern Cross and Mospeada formed the second and third arcs of Robotech."

It only took over fifteen years since the original release of Robotech, but we're finally getting all of the original series as originally presented. Genesis Climber Mospeada just completed it's region 2 release, so hopefully there'll be some checking out of the great covers and the supplements used to see what can be acquired.

More on Macross (09:16 AM EST): Robert Woodhead of AnimEigo has sent out the latest update on how Macross is progressing: "As of today, the restoration process is fully complete, and authoring of the first 3 discs (out of 9) is underway. We have already received several check discs for the first DVD, and are busy debugging the menus. We are on schedule for an early/mid December release, and if we catch a  few breaks, it'll be out earlier."

Be sure to fill out your info with them, as preordering ends on November 1st!

Eva movie's delayed again (09:12 AM EST): The folks at Manga have updated their coming attractions list through next year (but after the way it was shifted so heavily this year, we aren't adding anything to our database again), and it appears that even after getting new dates just this past summer for the Evangelion movies, they've got new ones. And it also confirms con reports that the double disc set has been split up to two separate releases again. Death & Rebirth will arrive on 04/30/2002 for $29.95 while Evangelion the Movie will arrive on 07/30/2002 for $29.95. Check out this link for other potential 2002 street dates.

Escaflowne Contest (08:16 AM EST): The fifth days winner has been chosen in our contest for the Escaflowne Tarot Card deck, and congratulations go out to Liliana Liu! We've got another stack of ten decks to give away, but we'll probably wait until January to do those like this contest, as there's something special being worked on for the next two months. In the mean time, keep checking out the Saint Tail contests sponsored by tokyopop!

Friday, October 5th, 2001

Forum Buzz! (09:47 PM EST): Though a day later than usual, Forum Buzz is back this week with another recap of forum events, in-jokes and other kinds of silly yet interesting information. Eventually, we'll have to add Chat Buzz... Sean?

Newly reviewed (07:20 PM EST): We've gotten seriously behind this week due to other commitments (Buffy, Angel, home installations) but we're starting to dig again at the end of the week, and we've got another disc review completed today. This time we've taken a look at the solid release known as Gundam MS 08th Team Vol. #2.

Press (06:43 PM EST): Time to satisfy that morbid curiosity my friends, because on January 22nd, Bandai Entertainment will be releasing the G-Saviour live action Gundam movie on DVD in the US. Thankfully, unlike the animated version of the classic series, this one is bilingual. Check out all the specs and details here.

Escaflowne Contest (09:18 PM EST): The fourth days winner has been chosen in our contest for the Escaflowne Tarot Card deck, and congratulations go out to Jamie White! One more day, one more deck! Get your entry in today!

Newly reviewed (09:12 AM EST): Starting to show up now, but due on 10/9/2001, TRSI's release of the final animated episodes of Tylor takes place with Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA Collection 3, or for those who waited it out, the entire collected series in one big amaray case.

Thursday, October 4th, 2001

Escaflowne Contest (10:11 PM EST): The third days winner has been chosen in our contest for the Escaflowne Tarot Card deck, and congratulations go out to Dawn Jesse! Two more days, two more decks! Get your entry in for all two days!

Pilot Candidate FYI (06:23 PM EST): We received our review copy of Pilot Candidate Vol. #1 today, and while giving it a checkout while checking email, there's some oddities about this release. The first is that the dub was done by Mix Magic Studios, Inc in Hollywood CA, so this is a new studio doing it. Curiously, the section listing this on the video is listed as "Voiseover". Also worth noting is that Bandai Entertainment did not produce this show, but just the DVD side of it with what they were given. Bandai Visual of Japan is handling this show apparently. So what's that mean? Looks like dubtitles folks. Word for word throughout most of the first episode that I saw.

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2001

Escaflowne Contest (09:52 PM EST): The second days winner has been chosen in our contest for the Escaflowne Tarot Card deck, and congratulations go out to Dan Anderson! Three more days, three more decks! Get your entry in for all three days!

R2 in English (06:39 AM EST): This might fall under the too good to be true category, but the three disc set on the Making of Mononoke that runs for 399 minutes is now being listed as having English subtitles. This purchase just became a heck of a lot easier. Keep in mind that CD Japan has been given the wrong information on occasion, so this may not be accurate.

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2001

Escaflowne Contest (06:03 PM EST): The first days winner has been chosen in our contest for the Escaflowne Tarot Card deck, and congratulations go out to Jessica Crotty! Four more days, four more decks! Get your entry in for all four days!

Cover art (05:42 PM EST): Several new pieces have been added to gallery 5 tonight, including the VHS cover for Ah! My Goddess (DVD will presumably be the same), Niea_7, Hand Maid May and more.

Press (05:32 PM EST): A few new press releases have come in today from the folks at ADV, talking about Robotech, Orphen and Dirty Pair Flash.

Back to the theaters (05:25 PM EST): According to the www.akira2001.com site, the movie is heading back to the theaters for another run. Check out the listings to see if it's near you, as it's definitely a flick to catch on the big screen.

Chat time (05:15 PM EST): AOL Japanimation Station is having a live chat promoting the Utena Movie Release in October. The Chat will be this Wednesday, Oct 3rd (8:00pm to 10:00pm ET): Hosted by Eric Thomann, DVD coordinator of Utena TV series and Utena the movie.

New title announcement (05:08 PM EST): It's been a bit of a dry spell, but David Williams is back posting another new title announcement for us today. Due on 12/18/2001 is Soul Hunter Vol. #1, a disc that will start off with five episodes for 29.99$.

A look to the future (04:58 PM EST): Through the miracle of simply knowing how to read website urls, we've got a peek into the future of CPM DVD's through February. Let's do a month by month on them.

December:

Spaceship Agga Ruter on 12/11/2001 with Storyboards, Production Design Sketch Gallery, Art Gallery, Character Sketches. The Ping Pong Club Rots in Hell streets the same day with seven bilingual episodes.

January:

Magic Woman M arrives on 1/8/2002 from their Anime 18 line. No features are yet set. Now and Then, Here and There: Discord and Doom also streets on 1/8/2002, presenting the first five episodes of this highly anticipated series from director Akitaroh Daichi. Features for this include Art Gallery, Cast and Production List, Textless Closing, Character Sketches, Mechanical Sketches, Background Sketches, Storyboards.

February:

Beast City will finally arrive on 2/12/2002 from the Anime 18 line while the very anticipated Labyrinth of Flames will also street then. And one of CPM's most delayed titles from the past couple of years, Strange Love, is also set now for a 2/12/2002 release date.

Monday, October 1st, 2001

BAAF (08:43 PM EST): I've gotten a number of questions on this lately, and while I've been replying to them in email, I thought it worthwhile bringing up here. The upcoming Big Apple Anime Festival is indeed still a go from the folks organizing it, and I believe they're still adding some new Japanese guests to the list. While what's happened in NYC in September has altered that city, the folks behind this event are intent on bringing the festival off as planned. So ignore anything you hear otherwise!

DTS comes to Region 1 (04:32 PM EST): Well, did that get your attention? Surprise folks, DTS has finally come to region 1. The first title that I've seen to sport it is the newly released Inmu from NuTech Entertainment. Unfortunately, it's not actually on the anime itself, but in the 12 minute video that introduces viewers to Asia Carrera. You get both DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1 for that. The actual show itself is your standard stereo track. But we're getting close!

Actually, aside from the obvious nudity in the "Get to know Asia" segment, this is something I'd really like to see showing up on various regular DVD's. Having a rotating gallery of voice actors and actresses talking about themselves, the roles they play and how they get into character would be rather interesting. I mean, how many people here would like to have a nice 12 minute segment of Hilary Haag talking about her roles in BGC2040 or Princess 9?

As for Inmu itself, and it's having an adult star doing the voice work, my initial impressions are that so far it's your standard anime dub with some better, or rather "more into it" acting. There's some rough spots to work with, but this is just the start of things. Unfortunately, we got volume 2 before volume 1, and damnit, plot means something in hentai, so we'll not be able to review this for a little bit.