• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Retro Anime Discussion |OT|

What retro anime titles are long overdue for a blu-ray release in North America?


  • Total voters
    74

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Not really. We never got Touch or any non soccer related Anime except maybe Mila Superstar or in Japanese Attack No 1.

Shoot did air like once on TV but due to school I never had the opportunity to watch it back then. Kickers and Captain Tsubasa were the most popular ones In Germany

I discovered all of the others when I went to university. I guess it always depends what sport is popular in the Country.

I can guess that Eyeshield 21 was also very popular in America since it was Football.
Like I said, mostly European and Latin American places were airing the futbol (soccer) related anime. I'm from the U.S. but I recall someone asking me if I had seen "Super Campeones" when I arrived in Mexico. I had no clue what they were talking about until later discovering it was Captain Tsubasa. Mexico isn't too big on subbed anime and dubs are the standard which can be annoying. Live action movies are usually subbed in Spanish but for some reason they will go overboard on localizing anime (to the point of even dubbing intro/outro songs in Spanish with odd-ball lyrics). The dubs mostly are being translated from a dubbed English scripting (not even a Japanese script); which leaves dialogue with many errors. I'm trying to convince my wife to watch more of the subbed anime and move on from dubs in general.
 
I can guess that Eyeshield 21 was also very popular in America since it was Football.
While difficult to verify with numbers, Eyeshield 21 likely wasn't especially popular. For fans of the manga, the full series was released by its licensee, VIZ; although, it also settled into a four-book-a-month schedule and ended two years after its Japanese counterpart. As for anime, Crunchyroll streamed the entire series, whereas home video rights were grabbed by Sentai Filmworks; Sentai released the initial 52 episodes and seemingly dropped the series, thereafter. In a more anecdotal sense, Eyeshield wasn't a franchise that seemed to draw much heat from the fan community in the U.S.; and as others have mentioned, sports anime and manga usually only see middling success in the States, more so if a major focus is on the intricacies of the actual sport.
 
Last edited:
Bubblegum Crisis...Futurescape? That could be localizing nearly every futurist anime from the 80's into a title which sounds like an old PC game. I also got a kick out of Thunder Warrior. Fandora did have an infamously terrible dub if I'm correct? I'm not sure if that was a fandub but finding clips of it is something else.

Case in point...


Yeah the Fandora dub was some weird scenario where it was made in an attempt to sell to Western markets via mail order direct from Japan. It never had any kind of retail release and almost nobody bought it. It's generally considered lost media at this point, or at least, the dub of the second OVA. That was by far the worst of the 3 though. =P
 
Last edited:
My younger sister snitched on my VHS collection. I had Wicked City on VHS and I recall her reading the synopsis from the back of the tape to my mom. My dad didn't mind. I got a, "don't watch that Japanese smut" lecture and kept the tape. @Tesseract what tape was it that pissed off your parents?
Are you sure your sister didn't snitch on you watching Ranma one panty? Your sister saw you as a potential panty raider who would go ORASHIIII! I DID IT!
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Yeah the Fandora dub was some weird scenario where it was made in an attempt to sell to Western markets via mail order direct from Japan. It never had any kind of retail release and almost nobody bought it. It's generally considered lost media at this point, or at least, the dub of the second OVA. That was by far the worst of the 3 though. =P
For the record, had the dub been lost...it would not have made for that great of a loss. I read from the info on the clip posted that they were charging quite a bit for those odd-ball dubs. I do recall mail order anime on VHS. Not from that distributor but from some of the more mainline distributors of the 80's/90's to the West. Some have pointed out regarding the dub how it seems to have been in a home-made format due to the amateurish handling of the audio.
 

Shouta

Member
Eyeshield 21 was really good as I recall. It had pretty enjoyable writing but some really stupid shit in there too. It's still one of the only American Football series in anime as far as I know too.
 
For the record, had the dub been lost...it would not have made for that great of a loss. I read from the info on the clip posted that they were charging quite a bit for those odd-ball dubs. I do recall mail order anime on VHS. Not from that distributor but from some of the more mainline distributors of the 80's/90's to the West. Some have pointed out regarding the dub how it seems to have been in a home-made format due to the amateurish handling of the audio.
Yeah it's pretty much a junk dub like the Best Video DYRL dub. And yeah it was an expensive tape complete with international shipping prices of the day. Most people didn't even know it existed in the first place though. Fansub is pretty much the way to go if one wants to watch Fandora. Though admittedly, Fandora itself isn't very good to begin with... =P
 

kunonabi

Member
Eyeshield 21 was really good as I recall. It had pretty enjoyable writing but some really stupid shit in there too. It's still one of the only American Football series in anime as far as I know too.
The anime plays kind of loose with football rules compared to the manga and the filler is pretty bad. That said, I actually like it better than the manga since it doesnt shit the bed and completely undercut the entire emotional drive of the show just to add a godawful final arc.

Its American release was totally botched as it got turned into a kiddy show as some sort of weird sports advertisement block that I think was web only. It made it to crunchyroll afterwards well after the show was done. I got into the show myself after stumbling onto a Ps2 game for it which oddly enough turned to out to be one of the greatest anime video games ever.

I love the anime as when it its firing on all cylinders it's pretty special and the score is amazing.
 

Durask

Member
Just wondering anyone else didn't care much for Cowboy Bebop?
I watched it a while back and thought it was OK but certainly not even in my top ten.
Few weeks ago watched a few episodes again and once again didn't click with me. What is the point of the show - "life sucks and then you die"?
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Just wondering anyone else didn't care much for Cowboy Bebop?
I watched it a while back and thought it was OK but certainly not even in my top ten.
Few weeks ago watched a few episodes again and once again didn't click with me. What is the point of the show - "life sucks and then you die"?
I started a sub topic in the thread last Summer about popular anime titles I've (we've) never seen. I bought the Cowboy Bebop Remix set sometime back in 2013 when I was buying hundreds of oop and common retro anime titles on VHS and DVD (my original collection was accidentally tossed during a move in 2011). Anyway, I moved that collection with me to Mexico between 2016 & 2019. When Bebop came in, I noticed it was still in the shrink wrap...and it still is. I have many great titles in my collection I have not yet seen but Bebop is pretty low on my list. I hear mixed reviews on it. Some say it's worth watching only for the ambient and the soundtrack. Others seem to put it up as one of the best anime of the 90's (usually when Trigun or NGE are the topic). I still haven't watched it and if I did, I'm not sure what my thoughts would be. I'm not against stories with nihilistic themes in older anime (particularly the 80's was best with this); but based on your post...you may not be the only one who isn't floored by Bebop. To be fair, I never got the hype surrounding DBZ or NGE. I watched them (parts of DBZ) and didn't find them to be all that entertaining.
 

kunonabi

Member
Just wondering anyone else didn't care much for Cowboy Bebop?
I watched it a while back and thought it was OK but certainly not even in my top ten.
Few weeks ago watched a few episodes again and once again didn't click with me. What is the point of the show - "life sucks and then you die"?
I never liked Bebop and honestly think all the other series by the same director are better. Well, aside from that terrorist thing and that Carol and Tuesday crap anyway.
 

kunonabi

Member
Just wondering anyone else didn't care much for Cowboy Bebop?
I watched it a while back and thought it was OK but certainly not even in my top ten.
Few weeks ago watched a few episodes again and once again didn't click with me. What is the point of the show - "life sucks and then you die"?
I never liked Bebop and honestly think all the other series by the same director are better. Well, aside from that terrorist thing and that Carol and Tuesday crap anyway.
 

Shouta

Member
Bebop is good but it's overhyped in English speaking/western communities. I can understand why though. Watanabe was heavily influenced by western films and it shows in how he does his works. It makes it familiar and considering how well the show itself is executed, makes it really easy dive into it for most people.
 

Durask

Member
I never liked Bebop and honestly think all the other series by the same director are better. Well, aside from that terrorist thing and that Carol and Tuesday crap anyway.
I think I only watched Samurai Champloo which I liked but once again it wasn't an OMG GREAT show for me, more like "yeah that was pretty good" type show.
 
Regarding Cowboy Bebop, opinion often rests on how much the viewer connects in some respects to the characters, especially Spike since it's essentially his show. Not being particularly engaged by, let alone sympathetic to, the events transpiring will likely leave the series falling flat. Quality varies episode-to-episode, but Cowboy Bebop's core story does resonate with a lot of people. Worth considering is it's very much a cross-over title outside of Japan, meaning there are international viewers who quite enjoy Cowboy Bebop, but otherwise don't particularly watch other Japanese animated shows or movies.

Also, not wanting to seem disingenuous, I find Cowboy Bebop is generally deserving of its praise, baring in mind there are wonky, hyperbolic takes on every piece of popular entertainment.
 
Last edited:

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
It would seem that there was someone more challenging with that resonated in anime during the OVA boom which sorta died off in the late-90's. I'm glad I'm reading a lot about Bebop. In once instance J JunkerWoland makes some points that would be mostly tropes...but tropes that would interest me to watch it eventually (considering I've had it on the shelf for over 7-years now). Then again, seems like there are other disputes which add emphasis to that part about me watching it eventually. There are titles in my collection I would much sooner rewatch than take on Cowboy Bebop. I don't get hype on live-action TV shows, movies, and especially not with anime. Some of my favorite anime movies for instance do not have a modern release or modern audience and likely wouldn't fare well with them. Akira gets a lot of hype for it's visuals but it's more to do with the way it was early promoted in the West. Space Runaway Space Runaway has listed a myriad of titles in here which are just as visually stunning and mostly unknown to this day to Western audiences.
 
I'm glad I'm reading a lot about Bebop. In once instance J JunkerWoland makes some points that would be mostly tropes...but tropes that would interest me to watch it eventually (considering I've had it on the shelf for over 7-years now).
Cowboy Bebop is a character-driven action piece. Needing to find enjoyable elements in the cast, especially Spike, isn't a trope; it's the reality of any entertainment that places character at the top of its premise. With the show's episodic nature and the lack of a grand revelation in Spike's narrative through line, if a viewer isn't compelled by the characters, then they're investing time across 26 episodes in only nice production values and an arguably catchy soundtrack. Whether live action or animated, Western or Eastern produced, shows like Cowboy Bebop rise or fall on the viewer's interest in their characters.

That said, none of my comments on Cowboy Bebop are meant as a recommendations, but to anyone looking for suggestions, watch the initial two or three episodes; if nothing grabs you, then you probably found your answer.
 
Last edited:

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I've been watching the anime adaptation of 'Bastard!!' given I liked the manga. I've had the DVD sitting around for awhile. I'm on episode 4 going onto 5 and it's pretty solid. Seems like the production values are fairly decent for a 90's anime but the story seems a bit rushed. Don't get me wrong - I am the guy who can't stand series or anything that surpasses 12-episodes. However, I think Bastard could have gone as far as 12 but it may not have been good to see if it meant cutting down on the production quality of the episodes.


lwswBqu.jpg
 
I've been watching the anime adaptation of 'Bastard!!' given I liked the manga. I've had the DVD sitting around for awhile. I'm on episode 4 going onto 5 and it's pretty solid. Seems like the production values are fairly decent for a 90's anime but the story seems a bit rushed. Don't get me wrong - I am the guy who can't stand series or anything that surpasses 12-episodes. However, I think Bastard could have gone as far as 12 but it may not have been good to see if it meant cutting down on the production quality of the episodes.
I haven't seen those Bastard!! OVAs in forever. I'd be curious to rewatch them again and see how they hold up. I remember I originally watched them because some raw DBZ tapes I owned had commercials for the Super Famicom game and it made me want to watch the anime. =P



On the subject of sword and sorcery, I recently rewatched my old dvd of Amon Saga.

MaRfeVt.jpg


1986 OVA that has the usual swords, magic and monster fare you find in pretty much all of these types. Main character is on a revenge quest, meets some friends along the way and include a princess for saving and some half-baked love affair. Not the worst OVA but very average and really lacks any decent action to add some excitement. The whole thing is kinda dull, which is a shame because there's potentially for some good fun. It being a 1986 OVA, there's some blood and violence, though other than the occasional decapitation or sword through the head, there's nothing too major in that department.

It was directed by Shunji Oga, who, among other things, was one of the of the main episode directors of Cobra, an assistant director on Golgo 13: The Professional and the main director on the very good 2008 Golgo 13 series. Unfortunately he doesn't bring anything special to this project beyond some nice atmosphere and compositions. Maybe more interesting is art director Mitsuharu Miyamae, who has been an art director and background artist on an assload of stuff. Some notables include art director on Macross: DYRL, Dirty Pair: Project Eden, City Hunter and the infamous Violence Jack: Evil Town - the latter being more the style of this OVA. And of course we have the famous Final Fantasy artists Yoshitaka Amano, who was one of the original creators on the project and provided all the original character design.

Amano being extra important in this case as this OVA actually saw a US release by Manga video in 2001. It's clear with the Amano connection, character designs, setting and such that Manga was hoping to attract the Vampire Hunter D crowd (And amusingly there's a minor character who looks very similar to D) and maybe obtain some kind of cult following. Obviously it didn't work and considering the anime fanbase during that period, this OVA must have seemed positively ancient.

It has yet to see any kind of re-release, which it desperately needs as the DVD looks like crap. Video quality can be really poor at times (Sometimes looking like a botched VHS conversion), the color is waaay too dark and you get issues like blurring during certain panning shots.

It's an interesting obscurity but can't be recommended unless you're a "hardcore" or just a general fan of 80s B-movie sword and sorcery stuff.

 
Last edited:

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I haven't seen those Bastard!! OVAs in forever. I'd be curious to rewatch them again and see how they hold up. I remember I originally watched them because some raw DBZ tapes I owned had commercials for the Super Famicom game and it made me want to watch the anime. =P



On the subject of sword and sorcery, I recently rewatched my old dvd of Amon Saga.

MaRfeVt.jpg


1986 OVA that has the usual swords, magic and monster fare you find in pretty much all of these types. Main character is on a revenge quest, meets some friends along the way and include a princess for saving and some half-baked love affair. Not the worst OVA but very average and really lacks any decent action to add some excitement. The whole thing is kinda dull, which is a shame because there's potentially for some good fun. It being a 1986 OVA, there's some blood and violence, though other than the occasional decapitation or sword through the head, there's nothing too major in that department.

It was directed by Shunji Oga, who, among other things, was one of the of the main episode directors of Cobra, an assistant director on Golgo 13: The Professional and the main director on the very good 2008 Golgo 13 series. Unfortunately he doesn't bring anything special to this project beyond some nice atmosphere and compositions. Maybe more interesting is art director Mitsuharu Miyamae, who has been an art director and background artist on an assload of stuff. Some notables include art director on Macross: DYRL, Dirty Pair: Project Eden, City Hunter and the infamous Violence Jack: Evil Town - the latter being more the style of this OVA. And of course we have the famous Final Fantasy artists Yoshitaka Amano, who was one of the original creators on the project and provided all the original character design.

Amano being extra important in this case as this OVA actually saw a US release by Manga video in 2001. It's clear with the Amano connection, character designs, setting and such that Manga was hoping to attract the Vampire Hunter D crowd (And amusingly there's a minor character who looks very similar to D) and maybe obtain some kind of cult following. Obviously it didn't work and considering the anime fanbase during that period, this OVA must have seemed positively ancient.

It has yet to see any kind of re-release, which it desperately needs as the DVD looks like crap. Video quality can be really poor at times (Sometimes looking like a botched VHS conversion), the color is waaay too dark and you get issues like blurring during certain panning shots.

It's an interesting obscurity but can't be recommended unless you're a "hardcore" or just a general fan of 80s B-movie sword and sorcery stuff.
Running through the pictures you dropped is like taking a visual journey through Amon Saga itself. I believe I had this and it's one of about 25 titles that I still have yet to retrieve from my farmhouse in Illinois (I've already imported anime 3 times to Mexico from 2016-2019). The combined effots of Amano and Oga make this extra interesting and worth seeing again. I get how the DVD may not have looked well as U.S. Manga had this habit (along with CPM) of doing fast transfers of their material from VHS to DVD. ADV, Urban Vision, and Pioneer always seemed to put a bit more work into making their releases actually NOT look like their VHS release. Thanks for the share Space Runaway Space Runaway . Regarding "Bastard!!" I finished all 6 episodes and was not disappointed. They keep it short but sweet. Feels on fire, though. I mean, animation was very smooth throughout most of the episodes, I love that artstyle, soundtrack hits hard, and Dark (Darsh?) Shnieder hits home as a protagonist.
 
Last edited:
Running through the pictures you dropped is like taking a visual journey through Amon Saga itself. I believe I had this and it's one of about 25 titles that I still have yet to retrieve from my farmhouse in Illinois (I've already imported anime 3 times to Mexico from 2016-2019). The combined effots of Amano and Oga make this extra interesting and worth seeing again. I get how the DVD may not have looked well as U.S. Manga had this habit (along with CPM) of doing fast transfers of their material from VHS to DVD. ADV, Urban Vision, and Pioneer always seemed to put a bit more work into making their releases actually NOT look like their VHS release. Thanks for the share Space Runaway Space Runaway . Regarding "Bastard!!" I finished all 6 episodes and was not disappointed. They keep it short but sweet. Feels on fire, though. I mean, animation was very smooth throughout most of the episodes, I love that artstyle, soundtrack hits hard, and Dark (Darsh?) Shnieder hits home as a protagonist.
Yeah Amon Saga had a VHS release alongside the DVD but I never saw that version, so I'm unsure if they just used that for the DVD or not. Most everyone was still on SD TVs at the time so I'm going to assume they did. =P

I can somewhat tolerate weak image quality but the darkness really destroys the backgrounds and eliminates all the visible detail in many shots. Also doesn't help that most of the OVA is at night. I wouldn't mind watching a restored release (Promo posters and cels floating around give you an idea of how it could look) but that won't happen as only a dozen people would buy it.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Yeah Amon Saga had a VHS release alongside the DVD but I never saw that version, so I'm unsure if they just used that for the DVD or not. Most everyone was still on SD TVs at the time so I'm going to assume they did. =P

I can somewhat tolerate weak image quality but the darkness really destroys the backgrounds and eliminates all the visible detail in many shots. Also doesn't help that most of the OVA is at night. I wouldn't mind watching a restored release (Promo posters and cels floating around give you an idea of how it could look) but that won't happen as only a dozen people would buy it.
Tough finding clean up on some of those, though. Seems like a lot of that media is just getting left in the dust. I'm surprised even went as far as to remaster Kimagure Orange Road. Please do share if you could. Not sure where you get that massive photo library from these classics but it's amazing that you share them here.

I tend not to get into very much mainstream anime but my wife insisted I find a medieval/fantasy anime to follow up Bastard!! I thought, well...it's been years since I picked up Berserk the 1997 Remaster collection...and I've never watched a single episode (for which reason Mista Mista is even shaking his head); just one episode in and we were sold. So, Berserk really isn't hype - it lives up to it's reputation. No spoilers please...only on the 3rd episode.
 
Tough finding clean up on some of those, though. Seems like a lot of that media is just getting left in the dust. I'm surprised even went as far as to remaster Kimagure Orange Road. Please do share if you could. Not sure where you get that massive photo library from these classics but it's amazing that you share them here.

I tend not to get into very much mainstream anime but my wife insisted I find a medieval/fantasy anime to follow up Bastard!! I thought, well...it's been years since I picked up Berserk the 1997 Remaster collection...and I've never watched a single episode (for which reason Mista is even shaking his head); just one episode in and we were sold. So, Berserk really isn't hype - it lives up to it's reputation. No spoilers please...only on the 3rd episode.
Looking into it, it appears the DVD is in fact a VHS transfer poorly upscaled for the DVD. I'm gonna have to find an LD rip as it should look better than this DVD. And for the screenshots, I've just been capturing them myself using VLC. I usually delete them after posting them here... :lollipop_grinning_sweat:

And don't worry I'd never spoil Berserk for first timers. Though must make a mention of the ear pleasing audio and fantastic soundtrack.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Looking into it, it appears the DVD is in fact a VHS transfer poorly upscaled for the DVD. I'm gonna have to find an LD rip as it should look better than this DVD. And for the screenshots, I've just been capturing them myself using VLC. I usually delete them after posting them here... :lollipop_grinning_sweat:

And don't worry I'd never spoil Berserk for first timers. Though must make a mention of the ear pleasing audio and fantastic soundtrack.
Don't delete those pictures or at minimum email them to me via Google Drive (DM). No one is elaborating posts that well right now. Takes dedication. Any idea why LD was given so much better treatment that DVD (even being mostly 4:3 and SD)? Seems like from reading about some of the classic 20th-century movies were also treated better on LD. A whole video format that just seemingly was ignored by Western society. I never knew anyone who owned a player and all movie commercials would advertise the latest movies for Betamax and VHS when I was a kid. LD was there too...but they didn't get the publicity.

No, don't spoil Berserk. I've no clue where it's going because I had only read a couple volumes of the manga in random order when I was younger and have owned the full series remaster about 8-years. I finally dusted it off to watch because my wife wanted me to show her some anime she had never seen that was based around D & D material or Medieval themes. I really need to ask Space Runaway Space Runaway ... was Record of Lodoss war the OVA any good? You're pretty transparent. I watched a few episodes of the series over a decade ago and just wasn't able to get into it. But I don't remember much about it. I never gave the OVA a go, though.
 

Labolas

Member
Tough finding clean up on some of those, though. Seems like a lot of that media is just getting left in the dust. I'm surprised even went as far as to remaster Kimagure Orange Road. Please do share if you could. Not sure where you get that massive photo library from these classics but it's amazing that you share them here.

I tend not to get into very much mainstream anime but my wife insisted I find a medieval/fantasy anime to follow up Bastard!! I thought, well...it's been years since I picked up Berserk the 1997 Remaster collection...and I've never watched a single episode (for which reason Mista Mista is even shaking his head); just one episode in and we were sold. So, Berserk really isn't hype - it lives up to it's reputation. No spoilers please...only on the 3rd episode.
Well buckle in. It definitely holds up in terms of quality.

I'm thinking about trying out one of the Patlabor movies out on blu ray.
 

Labolas

Member
Just finished watching the first Patlarbor movie. Pretty good. It isn't as crazy and over the top as I thought it was going to be, but it holds up pretty well. It kinda reminds me of Ghost in the Shell in how it is paced. Animation makes the world lived in and feels real. The scenery was beautiful. The dub is serviceable and watchable. Again though it's very dialogue heavy so it may be a turn off for some but I think the mech designs and animation is at least worth the watch.
 

NahaNago

Member
Just finished watching the first Patlarbor movie. Pretty good. It isn't as crazy and over the top as I thought it was going to be, but it holds up pretty well. It kinda reminds me of Ghost in the Shell in how it is paced. Animation makes the world lived in and feels real. The scenery was beautiful. The dub is serviceable and watchable. Again though it's very dialogue heavy so it may be a turn off for some but I think the mech designs and animation is at least worth the watch.
It's been ages since I last seen that movie.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Well buckle in. It definitely holds up in terms of quality.

I'm thinking about trying out one of the Patlabor movies out on blu ray.
Glad to see you posting. Quick question for you...are you a half-and-half guy like me in terms of watching anime dubbed and subbed? Nothing to be ashamed of. The Western anime community seems to have shifted toward older audiences watching subs only. I'm not too snobby on dubs but will go for subbed anime when it's something long-running or that was super localized and starts losing context through the dub language/ad lib voice-acting.

I'm noticing that with Berserk. It stands out differently from other Medieval themed anime I've watched...which is a decent amount. I know many wonder why I never watched Berserk sooner given I've owned the Remaster set that was released by Anime Works in the 2000's. I tend to be an OVA/anime movie kind of person. I'm not big into episodic series (especially with stuff that surpasses 50 episodes). To me, I started in the art world as a 3-panel comic artist. So, reading or watching things which can't convey a story arc, punch line, or idea in less than 6-episodes seems sometimes pointless to me. That's just me. I've seen hundreds of OVAs and movies but no more than 30 episodic anime series in my 21-years of watching anime. Berserk is like #31 and my wife and I were on a medieval anime streak. That and I own most of the "hyped" anime series on DVD of the 90's and this is the first I've decided to take on with a lot of talk behind it after feeling fairly disappointed with the turnout of NGE.
 
Don't delete those pictures or at minimum email them to me via Google Drive (DM). No one is elaborating posts that well right now. Takes dedication. Any idea why LD was given so much better treatment that DVD (even being mostly 4:3 and SD)? Seems like from reading about some of the classic 20th-century movies were also treated better on LD. A whole video format that just seemingly was ignored by Western society. I never knew anyone who owned a player and all movie commercials would advertise the latest movies for Betamax and VHS when I was a kid. LD was there too...but they didn't get the publicity.

No, don't spoil Berserk. I've no clue where it's going because I had only read a couple volumes of the manga in random order when I was younger and have owned the full series remaster about 8-years. I finally dusted it off to watch because my wife wanted me to show her some anime she had never seen that was based around D & D material or Medieval themes. I really need to ask Space Runaway Space Runaway ... was Record of Lodoss war the OVA any good? You're pretty transparent. I watched a few episodes of the series over a decade ago and just wasn't able to get into it. But I don't remember much about it. I never gave the OVA a go, though.

From what I can tell only a VHS and LD version exist in Japan. Manga commissioned the DVD themselves but used a VHS for the transfer. =/ And yeah, I'd see LD's for sale but I never knew anyone who ever owned the format until years after it died.

Yeah the Lodoss OVA series is pretty good if you're into more D&D type fantasy. The TV series is weak though.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
From what I can tell only a VHS and LD version exist in Japan. Manga commissioned the DVD themselves but used a VHS for the transfer. =/ And yeah, I'd see LD's for sale but I never knew anyone who ever owned the format until years after it died.

Yeah the Lodoss OVA series is pretty good if you're into more D&D type fantasy. The TV series is weak though.
I had contemplated buying the Lodoss OVA on blu-ray last year but many people had that rebuttal regarding it being boring. I don't doubt it if that opinion is coming from multiple people who had seen it. It could be that they were just referring to the TV series. Either way, I like a good Medieval-fantasy with D & D elements. Another one I watch (OVA) a few years back that's still in my collection and seems to be a bit on the untold of side anime was "The Weathering Continent." I vaguely remember the story itself. Seems like random good guys fighting some demons or something and going into a cave of skeletons being haunted by some kind of ghost. Funny thing is that I recall getting close to finishing it but turning it off for some reason. I still have it on DVD and recall it only being like 2 episodes. Seems to me that it was really slow and I must have just gotten to a point where I didn't even care to find out what happened in the last 10-minutes of the OVA.
 
I had contemplated buying the Lodoss OVA on blu-ray last year but many people had that rebuttal regarding it being boring. I don't doubt it if that opinion is coming from multiple people who had seen it. It could be that they were just referring to the TV series. Either way, I like a good Medieval-fantasy with D & D elements. Another one I watch (OVA) a few years back that's still in my collection and seems to be a bit on the untold of side anime was "The Weathering Continent." I vaguely remember the story itself. Seems like random good guys fighting some demons or something and going into a cave of skeletons being haunted by some kind of ghost. Funny thing is that I recall getting close to finishing it but turning it off for some reason. I still have it on DVD and recall it only being like 2 episodes. Seems to me that it was really slow and I must have just gotten to a point where I didn't even care to find out what happened in the last 10-minutes of the OVA.
I can't say I found Lodoss boring but I've found plenty of stuff boring that others like so who am I to say. ;) One "sword and sorcery" OVA I've always wanted to like was Legend of Lemnear. The comic series is decent but the OVA kinda full on stinks. Too bad because the Urushihara artstyle, coloring and general visuals are very nice.

Also that actually reminded me. I had bought a VHS fansub of The Weathering Continent a hundred years ago and never watched it. Eventually I moved and it got packed away and I totally forgot it existed. =P
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I can't say I found Lodoss boring but I've found plenty of stuff boring that others like so who am I to say. ;) One "sword and sorcery" OVA I've always wanted to like was Legend of Lemnear. The comic series is decent but the OVA kinda full on stinks. Too bad because the Urushihara artstyle, coloring and general visuals are very nice.

Also that actually reminded me. I had bought a VHS fansub of The Weathering Continent a hundred years ago and never watched it. Eventually I moved and it got packed away and I totally forgot it existed. =P
I believe I have Legend of Lemnear on a hard drive of downloaded OVAs and I've never seen it. I haven't heard anything about it to convince me that it's worth watching and I may just delete it. Wasn't the phyiscal copy of that one of those rare LD exclusives?

The Weathering Content I believe was released by Anime Works and has nice cover art...post on the DVD in landscape framing (which you never see on DVDs...). I wish I could say there was something special to get you to dig up that fansub but it's pretty anti-climactic. I thought the ending that I got near watching was sorta interesting but you have to force yourself through the first episode to get there and I recall it being dull and seeing a lot of recycled animation.

Seems like Anime Works (aside from releasing numerous obscure and unpopular anime from the 90's) would release anime lumped into the categories of: ninjas, sci-fi/weird, and Medieval. They were like the turd of 90's anime distributors and yet somehow they ended up getting Berserk??? How did that happen?
 

NahaNago

Member
If you like 90s anime I would recommend it.
Yeah the 90s has so many great anime. Majority of my collection comes from that time period. I finally caved in and bought that sonic the movie anime. I swear that movie has been 90 dollars for like forever and I finally caved in.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Yeah the 90s has so many great anime. Majority of my collection comes from that time period. I finally caved in and bought that sonic the movie anime. I swear that movie has been 90 dollars for like forever and I finally caved in.

Hah ya. I had a bunch of 90s anime in my collection. I sold a lot of hte collectors edition boxed sets recently after ripping the DVDs
 
Last edited:

NahaNago

Member
Hah ya. I had a bunch of 90s anime in my collection. I sold a lot of hte collectors edition boxed sets recently after ripping the DVDs
I was going to do that with my dvd collection but got lazy and ended up selling nearly everything that wasn't anime. I will never sell my anime collection. I've sold nearly all my games, books, and manga though. A twinge of regret for selling my books.

edit: I think I'll try and rip some of them since I plan on traveling. There is no way I'm ripping all of them.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
Hah ya. I had a bunch of 90s anime in my collection. I sold a lot of hte collectors edition boxed sets recently after ripping the DVDs
Man don't sell those! I hope you kept some. I ran an inventory on the prices of some of my anime DVDs from the 90's that are oop. One small boxset was going for over $350 used. I get many who ask me where they can buy the classic titles to start a collection. Bad news on that is the fact that if it's not a mass-printed mainstream title - I can only advise them to have a lot of money to throw away and try eBay (because those DVDs are so expensive now). Hard to think this but a lot of the anime that wasn't super big that was released on DVD in the 90's may never see a release beyond that and that leads many to trying to watch rips on YouTube instead of buying physical collections.

I've always wanted to check Outlaw Star to see how it was. It had a blu-ray release which has kept the price down for now and the print number is high.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Man don't sell those! I hope you kept some. I ran an inventory on the prices of some of my anime DVDs from the 90's that are oop. One small boxset was going for over $350 used. I get many who ask me where they can buy the classic titles to start a collection. Bad news on that is the fact that if it's not a mass-printed mainstream title - I can only advise them to have a lot of money to throw away and try eBay (because those DVDs are so expensive now). Hard to think this but a lot of the anime that wasn't super big that was released on DVD in the 90's may never see a release beyond that and that leads many to trying to watch rips on YouTube instead of buying physical collections.

I've always wanted to check Outlaw Star to see how it was. It had a blu-ray release which has kept the price down for now and the print number is high.


I always check prices before I sell. Recently sold the complete Berserk Box of War. I dont do physical media anymore (except comic book collected editions) so Im happy to sell to someone who will enjoy them (at a fair price!)
 
Seems like Anime Works (aside from releasing numerous obscure and unpopular anime from the 90's) would release anime lumped into the categories of: ninjas, sci-fi/weird, and Medieval. They were like the turd of 90's anime distributors and yet somehow they ended up getting Berserk??? How did that happen?
AnimeWorks was just the anime imprint of Media Blasters, which formerly maintained a significant catalog of popular titles. The AnimeWorks' logo on cases and video bumper on discs were used inconsistently, but technically anything from Media Blasters that wasn't live-action or adult material was AnimeWorks. As for the original Berserk TV series, purportedly, Media Blasters outbid everyone for it.
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
I always check prices before I sell. Recently sold the complete Berserk Box of War. I dont do physical media anymore (except comic book collected editions) so Im happy to sell to someone who will enjoy them (at a fair price!)
That's kinda like what I did with most of my retro games and consoles a few years back. I liked having them around but as emulators started rolling out; I felt better to just capitolize on them. Speaking of Berserk, I'm on episode 8 of my first watch of the original 97' series. No spoilers!
 

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
AnimeWorks was just the anime imprint of Media Blasters, which formerly maintained a significant catalog of popular titles. The AnimeWorks' logo on cases and video bumper on discs were used inconsistently, but technically anything from Media Blasters that wasn't live-action or adult material was AnimeWorks. As for the original Berserk TV series, purportedly, Media Blasters outbid everyone for it.
That sounds familiar with some of the other distrubtors of the 2000's and before. How did Media Blasters outbid everyone else. Seems like ADV or CPM would have put up more than Media Blasters.
 
That sounds familiar with some of the other distrubtors of the 2000's and before. How did Media Blasters outbid everyone else. Seems like ADV or CPM would have put up more than Media Blasters.
The only real answer is Media Blasters was willing to outspend other interested parties. Keep in mind, Media Blasters was releasing TV shows like Magic Knight Rayearth and Rurouni Kenshin, even before announcing the Berserk license in 2001--they were a fairly large operation, at the time. Regarding CPM, it's questionable, whether they would have been a real suitor for Berserk; the business didn't transition well into the DVD-era and was one of the first companies to show weakness, when the market began to contract around 2005.
 
Last edited:

Happosai

Hold onto your panties
The only real answer is Media Blasters was willing to outspend other interested parties. Keep in mind, Media Blasters was releasing TV shows like Magic Knight Rayearth and Rurouni Kenshin, even before announcing the Berserk license in 2001--they were a fairly large operation, at the time. Regarding CPM, it's questionable, whether they would have been a real suitor for Berserk; the business didn't transition well into the DVD-era and was one of the first companies to show weakness, when the market began to contract around 2005.
I'm surprised that the U.S. hasn't seen a major blu-ray release of Berserk TV. It seems like one was planned, though.
 
Top Bottom