I have a digital library of all the old anime that was released on LaserDisc only and never made it to DVD. Streaming varies in quality and early DVD releases of anime sucked. My wife is the one that makes me watch long series...otherwise I wouldn't tackle anything beyond 26 episodes. I don't hate streaming; I think I get caught up on not owning whatever it is I'm watching on streaming platforms. It's like digital Blockbuster.
I'm pretty sure you just gave a small description of "Sleepy" John Estes (a character) from the manga / OVA called 'Mad Bull 34.' He is with a lot of women in the OVA and is pretty corrupt. He gets pretty violent in some scenes, too. The overall character is training a younger intern cop Daizaburo "Eddie" Ban (who I think they mentioned transfered to NYPD from Japan???) and sometimes comes off as a nice guy. He smokes and sleeps a lot when he's not working.
They're not porn but there were a lot of strong scenes in Mad Bull 34. So, I imagine to a teenager...they may have thought that.
He's drawn as a giant like you described, too.
Congrats! Always nice to rediscover something from times past. So, was it Golgo 13: The Professional, Queen Bee, or the much later made TV series?
I believe it was The Professional
Never heard of that YouTube user. On the topic of YouTube - many write into this thread wanting to watch classic anime but not having money or resources for some of the streaming apps or hard media. I suggest checking out several YouTube channels or just type in: "retro anime movies/OVAs/series" and you'll find quite a bit that you can watch freely.
characterdesignreferences.com
characterdesignreferences.com
I'm saving those pages and uploading the artwork to my external hard driveBugglegum Crisis fans may want to check out this wealth of production and design art:
Art of Bubblegum Crisis
It's the year 2032. Genom, a mega corporation with immense power and global influence, is the main producers of the so called ‘‘Boomers’’ cyborgs. While these machines are intended to serve mankind, they become deadly instruments in the hands of ruthless individuals…
Art of Bubblegum Crisis (part 2)
It's the year 2032. Genom, a mega corporation with immense power and global influence, is the main producers of the so called ‘‘Boomers’’ cyborgs. While these machines are intended to serve mankind, they become deadly instruments in the hands of ruthless individuals…
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. By the way, is there any reason why anyone should buy the re-releases of Bubblegum Crisis DVD or blu-ray set (considering most already own one of the many AnimeEigo releases)?
I'm saving those pages and uploading the artwork to my external hard drive
I have the 4-disc collectors edition that AnimeEigo released in 2004. It still seems pretty common to find that one. It appeared that Discotek's DVD release was the exact same or similar to the 2004 AE release.
I'm not sure why I thought it was Discotek that had released Bubblegum Crisis on bluray. I must be confusing with something else. Anyway, I was told that there were issues with the picture and that they stripped blu-ray version of all extras.
) was left off the prism set but seems to have been included in the current one. I think the video transfer is otherwise the same though.
It's about time Cyber City Oedo was given a North American blu-ray release. Those DVD releases were old.
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Gunbuster has a pretty good fanbase. So far, all that I know of a blu-ray release is the Japanese one...which I believe was limited. Although some may object...I'd also petition for Gall Force to be released in a blu-ray set but that's likely not going to happen.
The regular edition of the Japanese BD box set is still widely available, though it doesn't feature English subtitles. There was also a Complete Edition, containing a nice extras disc and booklet, which released alongside the normal set and is now only available on the secondary market.
I forgot Dominion Tank Police and the Gunsmith Cats OVAs! Europe has a blu-ray release for Berserk TV. The others...I imagine are still being held off pretty much everywhere outside of Japan. I see Berserk getting a release by someone soon. Anime Works were the last to give it a full North America release and that was like 15years ago.
Viz Media is a bit different than they were back when they first released Maison Ikkoku. They were more independent. Now, they belong to Warner Brothers...and I don't see Warner Bros big with taking risks for older anime that were not in exaggerated popularity during their DVD release.
VIZ is owned by Hitotsubashi Group, a conglomerate that includes Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions; Warner Bros. is only contracted as their home-video distributor. Considering VIZ has sales data on both Takahashi's anime and manga properties, they'd be one of the most likely candidates to license something like Maison Ikkoku; they're also potentially in a fairly good spot for the series, with the Sailor Moon BDs having ended and the aforementioned re-release of the manga.
Was not aware that VIZ had a link to Shogakukan. The thing I see holding back a blu-ray release is it's lasting popularity. Maison Ikkoku indeed had a following back in the 80's and 90's. However, Ranma 1/2 and Sailer Moon have always remained popular throughout the 2000's and 2010's. My skepticism comes from the fact that Japan would seemingly be the only ones interested in publishing a blu-ray release of Maison Ikkoku. If it was someone like Discotek; we'd have it for sure. But since it's VIZ...I really only see them promoting their best selling anime from the past. Although, I remain hopeful they will consider there are still fans and there still is money worth putting into a N.A. blu-ray release.
True, Maison Ikkoku's popularity in North America is lower than certain other Takahashi works or a franchise like Sailor Moon. At the same time, VIZ has kept Maison Ikkoku circulating in both print and video formats, since the early 1990s; the final DVD box set was released in 2006, and this most recent manga version is the series' fourth North American edition, when counting the 30-or-so page floppies. Price and format-licensing issues would potentially be a more likely reason for the lack of a domestic Blu-ray. The two, initial Japanese BD sets for the TV series were released in late 2013 & early 2014 and (using quick-and-dirty math) were roughly $385 each; a single, priced-down set was made available in 2017 for roughly $365. VIZ would probably be willing to do a multipart set, but obviously nowhere near the Japanese prices. We're now at a point, where all those Japanese sets are--if not out-of-print--largely unavailable, which should increase the ability to obtain more reasonable N.A. licensing. None of this means, of course, we'll see a domestic BD set, but VIZ's current video release schedule is fairly light and they're again pushing the manga.
Seems like I'd have to read and research more into VIZ's video operations to actually understand how they decide on what to and what to not license based on a certain demographic. Unless you can send out some data to help with that. It's been a sorta blind ambition of mine to see them release Maison Ikkoku on blu-ray. I don't really care if they remaster or not...I never got a chance to buy the DVD's when they were in print and only got as far as completing the manga. I'd like a simple subbed release on blu-ray and that's about it...hd or sd...it really doesn't matter as long as it's the complete series.
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on here previously; video market is getting killed and yet it's unnecessary. Those who really appreciate any kind of film medium are going to buy physical and not opt for a streaming rental service which often censors and limits the content you have access to. I like to keep things retro not just in a sense of memory but also to have a physical collection to know there's something to go to when I'm not willing to pay our new rental stores like For Maison Ikkoku, the recent Japanese disc releases could be purchased either on BD or DVD and were produced from a new telecine transfer (I don't own these sets, but from pictures, they look quite nice). Whatever VIZ, or anyone else for that matter, could license would almost certainly be based on these most recent Japanese materials. I don't have any inside data to provide, but experience suggests the only thing that would prevent an eventual domestic BD would either be ridiculously expensive licensing costs or that the show just isn't available to license for some other reason. Worth considering, Takahashi's works are popular throughout Europe, and as far as I'm aware, they also have not seen a BD of Maison Ikkoku; there's a good chance the license cost (and possibly other stipulations) surrounding the series has thus far kept it off the table for international release.Seems like I'd have to read and research more into VIZ's video operations to actually understand how they decide on what to and what to not license based on a certain demographic. Unless you can send out some data to help with that. It's been a sorta blind ambition of mine to see them release Maison Ikkoku on blu-ray. I don't really care if they remaster or not...I never got a chance to buy the DVD's when they were in print and only got as far as completing the manga. I'd like a simple subbed release on blu-ray and that's about it...hd or sd...it really doesn't matter as long as it's the complete series.
Someone who works in marketing and analytics for Discotek would probably be able to say if that's a larger series they'd pick up for release. I believe it would sell if they promote it well enough. It's not going to sell more than 10,000 units but probably enough to get it a limited release to boot for those who are interested. At this point, most of the older anime OVA, movie, and TV remasters are being purchased exclusively by physical media collectors and enthusiasts. It's like I've discussed withblockbuster...er...crunchyroll for that kind of media.
It makes for good discussion non-the-less. That's why I made the poll. If the thread had more publicity; I'd have a broader idea of what classic anime fans want released on blu-ray. It really seemed like Maison Ikkoku had a large Western following but it didn't get as much international TV airing as shows like Ranma 1/2 did. Of those I suggested in the poll...I would assume that the Berserk may be the only title getting a blu-ray release sometime in the next year or so in North America. The others still seem far off. However, I'm always surprised when I see another seemingly rare title getting a remaster on DVD or blu-ray. Excellent information though! Thanks for your research and insight into that area.
Takani's work is phenomenal. Really captures the boots-on-the-ground feeling in mobile suit conflicts.
It is very pretty but the story makes no sense.
I have a lot of anime in my classic collection that I sometimes take 6 or more years to get around watching. Perfect Blue is a pretty good one to stumble on if you've never seen it. It seems like at the time Kon made that - Western audiences were really getting taken in by Japanese animation. Heck, Roger Corman watched and reviewed Perfect Blue when it was getting it's Manga Video release in the U.S. It's pretty tough to reach that standard of storytelling and animation nowadays if you're going for traditional method. By the way, if you held onto your VCR...there's a lot of good anime that came out on VHS and never made it to DVD or Blu-ray that's now affordable and worth watching!
Gunsmith Cats may have only been 3 episodes but they put a lot into those three. It's long overdue for a blu-ray release. I still have the ADV VHS and a digital rip of the episodes. You might want to watch Riding Bean if you liked the Gunsmith Cats OVA or Manga and have not yet seen it! It's 45-minutes of great animation, action, and Bean's finest and only time on screen.
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I don't know if I'd say it didn't make sense so much as most(maybe all) of the plot threads, hints and general end point go unanswered/nowhere since the series died before it could address them. They tried to cover some of it in Crash (Like the Mason being Largo stuff) but didn't really do that well and Crash was generally pretty crap anyway.
Heh, I thought I was the only one.
I completely forgot about that. I think it was a limited run but I'll check it out. Thanks for sharing that link!?
Gunsmith Cats — AnimEigo
Based on the manga by Kenichi SONODA Audio: Japanese, English Subtitles: English / English SDH / Captions Format: BD-50 Region: Region-Free Rating: 18+, Run Time: 87 min Released: 1995 Aspect Ratio: 4:3, COLOR Extras: Poster, 2xSticker Sheets, 2xPostcards, New Artwork, Color & Line Art, 3 C
That was the case with some 80's anime I'd like to get into but couldn't because the story just wasn't that great. Another debate which has been similar are the comparisons of story on Vampire Hunter D and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Most seem to side with Bloodlust being the better story. I tend to like Go Nagai spin-offs and sequels more than the originals myself.
Back then it was ok for a manga/anime to start off slow.
True. Anime has certainly changed in the 20 years since that came out. I'm not saying it so much as a negative it just surprised me a bit. The only thing really bugging me about it is the low deaf digital look to a lot of it.
I'm watching Maze: the Mega Burst Space (an anime series that which faded into obscurity before the end of the 21st century); it starts off super slow and I'm only watching this because I remember liking something about it when I last saw it about 18-years ago on VHS. Can't say slower is better as I'm trying to see if my wife will like it. The slow start with the story doesn't help engage much of an audience which is likely why both the U.S. and Japan completely abandoned this anime (Japan didn't even release it on DVD). They also made a movie for Maze which was denied a home video release in all countries...including Japan.
