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[JunkerWoland]

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.

While possible, I don't believe there's any evidence of a scuttled U.S. release for Berserk (1997) on Blu-ray. Any related buzz for a domestic version may have stemmed from assumptions made due to BDs in Australia, France, and the U.K. While we do know Media Blasters no longer holds the rights, VIZ and the Crunchyroll-FUNimation partnership splitting the CG movies and CG TV series, respectively, may have created barriers to companies licensing the 1997 show. As things currently stand, it also probably doesn't help the two biggest players in the U.S. market, FUNimation & Section 23 Films, are mostly interested in battling to license series from each new season of anime, rather than exploring older material.

 

[Space Runaway]

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?

For one such as yourself I'd still give it a watch. The visuals are there, with Urushihara's art style represented fairly accurately and Urushihara himself was the animation director, so you get some decent animated sequences too. Plus at 45 minutes it's over quick. You just have to be aware that it's total B-movie junk with a weak story and a lot of T&A. For physical it did get a DVD release. I'm not sure what they used as a source but it's certainly a better transfer than Amon Saga.

edit: Removed since that part was already covered.

 

[JunkerWoland]

AnimEigo released a preview for their next Kickstater campaign, MADOX-01 (link). No start date was provided, but the preview does offer some interesting stretch goals, including an improved restoration of source materials ($100k) and getting Shinji Aramaki to fix an animation mistake in the film ($125k).

 

[NahaNago]

Just finished sonic the hedgehog the movie anime. Not as good as I remember it honestly. The goofiness kind of kills it in my opinion. Plus more time could have been spent on making the scenery more impressive. I kept thinking ghost in the shell movie when watching but a low budget version. Metal sonic didn't match the rest of the pacing of the movie. A super serious silent antagonist with everyone else being comical and light hearted. I really just want a movie that matches the seriousness of the bad guy plus the detail they would put in to that kind of character would be impressive. Still it was an enjoyable watch.

edit: I'm also glad to find out I own all three street fighter anime movies. I was thinking I was still missing one.( I had lent my old copies to a guy at work and he quit but I didn't know his phone number so I never saw him again).

 

[Happosai]

For one such as yourself I'd still give it a watch. The visuals are there, with Urushihara's art style represented fairly accurately and Urushihara himself was the animation director, so you get some decent animated sequences too. Plus at 45 minutes it's over quick. You just have to be aware that it's total B-movie junk with a weak story and a lot of T&A. For physical it did get a DVD release. I'm not sure what they used as a source but it's certainly a better transfer than Amon Saga.


edit: Removed since that part was already covered.

I'll check it out. It's not top priority but it would be a fun one to get around to seeing. Again, thanks for adding those pictures. I do vaguely remember a release on DVD. I'm going to say it was CPM and had big letters on the side of the cover saying "Anime DVD." A guy already pointed out how CPM never really rebounded after the VHS era. I've compared the picture quality and ratio to some of the VHS' I owned and there's really not much of a different with any given CPM title that was released on DVD from VHS. The only thing would be some added extras and obviously being able to choose between a possibly atrocious dub or the original Japanese audio.

 

[Happosai]

AnimEigo released a preview for their next Kickstater campaign, MADOX-01 (link). No start date was provided, but the preview does offer some interesting stretch goals, including an improved restoration of source materials ($100k) and getting Shinji Aramaki to fix an animation mistake in the film ($125k).

AnimeEIgo is kinda low-effort on their releases and if someone had the money to fund this - I would say it's cool. But they're asking a lot for something that will likely be a limited release. You tell me -- does it seem to you like they're really going to use 100,000 to improve source material or just take half that and then close the fundraiser down?

 

[JunkerWoland]

AnimeEIgo is kinda low-effort on their releases and if someone had the money to fund this - I would say it's cool. But they're asking a lot for something that will likely be a limited release. You tell me -- does it seem to you like they're really going to use 100,000 to improve source material or just take half that and then close the fundraiser down?

The extra restoration pass is a stretch goal. For it to be added to the product, the fundraising campaign needs to reach a total of $100k, which going by the preview would mean they'd be allocating around $22.5k for the enhanced remastering. As for the rest of your post, the cost of the standalone Blu-ray or the basic set, which includes an art book and chipboard box, are roughly inline with current retail prices of anime releases in the U.S.; this would also be AnimEigo's sixth Kickstarter campaign for an anime release. Their most recent campaign, Megazone 23, will start shipping product to backers by the end of March.

 

[Happosai]

The extra restoration pass is a stretch goal. For it to be added to the product, the fundraising campaign needs to reach a total of $100k, which going by the preview would mean they'd be allocating around $22.5k for the enhanced remastering. As for the rest of your post, the cost of the standalone Blu-ray or the basic set, which includes an art book and chipboard box, are roughly inline with current retail prices of anime releases in the U.S.; this would also be AnimEigo's sixth Kickstarter campaign for an anime release. Their most recent campaign, Megazone 23, will start shipping product to backers by the end of March.

I think it's cool when they're pushing these crowd funding campaigns for titles which are long oop and have a cult following. However, I recall the topic of their work on Megazone 23 was not showing any major differences between 2 ADV releases on DVD in the 2000's. I know I sound like a broken record (search this thread for validation) but I argue heavily the blu-ray release of any one of those listed in the poll at the top of the thread (Maison Ikkoku and Gunbuster being my top picks and NeoTokyo not far behind).

 

[JunkerWoland]

However, I recall the topic of their work on Megazone 23 was not showing any major differences between 2 ADV releases on DVD in the 2000's.

AnimEigo's forthcoming discs for Megazone 23 uses the Japanese Blu-ray masters as its source. Reaction to the Japanese release has generally been very favorable, and we should assume the U.S. set's video will essentially be identical. The only current issue related to the campaign was AnimEigo considering a DNR pass on the masters, due to a misguided notion of making the image more suitable for 4K displays; the backers largely opposed the suggestion, and it was subsequently dropped.

 

[Space Runaway]

I'll check it out. It's not top priority but it would be a fun one to get around to seeing. Again, thanks for adding those pictures. I do vaguely remember a release on DVD. I'm going to say it was CPM and had big letters on the side of the cover saying "Anime DVD." A guy already pointed out how CPM never really rebounded after the VHS era. I've compared the picture quality and ratio to some of the VHS' I owned and there's really not much of a different with any given CPM title that was released on DVD from VHS. The only thing would be some added extras and obviously being able to choose between a possibly atrocious dub or the original Japanese audio.

Yeah the DVD had the big "Anime DVD" running down the side of the case, though it was a US Manga Corps division release. Was a motif they had on all their DVDs at the time. Area 88, Gall Force, Grappler Baki Venus Wars...they all had it except with differing colors. =P They did eventually re-release all of them with different box art. The first time I watched Lemnear was their VHS release in dub format and like many US Manga Corps dubs, the voices were terrible and made the viewing experience much worse than it would have been. =P

 

[Space Runaway]

AnimEigo released a preview for their next Kickstater campaign, MADOX-01 (link). No start date was provided, but the preview does offer some interesting stretch goals, including an improved restoration of source materials ($100k) and getting Shinji Aramaki to fix an animation mistake in the film ($125k).

That's pretty cool. I've never been the biggest fan of that OVA but as mecha porn it's ace. Especially those opening shots

 

[Happosai]

Yeah the DVD had the big "Anime DVD" running down the side of the case, though it was a US Manga Corps division release. Was a motif they had on all their DVDs at the time. Area 88, Gall Force, Grappler Baki Venus Wars...they all had it except with differing colors. =P They did eventually re-release all of them with different box art. The first time I watched Lemnear was their VHS release in dub format and like many US Manga Corps dubs, the voices were terrible and made the viewing experience much worse than it would have been. =P

I can't imagine what that dub sounded like. Yeah, I recall CPM giving some of those a second DVD release but not really changing much in terms of the overall quality from the first release or the VHS. I have the Discotek release of Venus Wars but I haven't watched it yet to see what/if there are any differences.

 

[Space Runaway]

I can't imagine what that dub sounded like. Yeah, I recall CPM giving some of those a second DVD release but not really changing much in terms of the overall quality from the first release or the VHS. I have the Discotek release of Venus Wars but I haven't watched it yet to see what/if there are any differences.

Pretty noticeable different between that and the Discotek release.

Though the bluray is the way to go now. =P

 

[JunkerWoland]

That's pretty cool. I've never been the biggest fan of that OVA but as mecha porn it's ace. Especially those opening shots

MADOX-01 isn't particularly a favorite of mine and more generally says something that it'll potentially take this crowdfunding campaign to get a HD print of the show created. This in mind, I do appreciate that they're offering a somewhat economical option in just the Blu-ray.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

https://www.ign.com/articles/hellsing-movie-adaptation-amazon-john-wick-writer

Live-action Hellsing on the way. It could work in the right hands. With largely western characters and action focus, I'm surprised it hasn't been adapted already.

 

[Labolas]

https://www.ign.com/articles/hellsing-movie-adaptation-amazon-john-wick-writer

Live-action Hellsing on the way. It could work in the right hands. With largely western characters and action focus, I'm surprised it hasn't been adapted already.

Eh yeah, I can see it working as well. This isn't like Dragonball or Cowboy Bebop where it's really hard to pull off in a live-action format.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Is the ADV name coming back? I had this pop up on my amazon recommendations. It's a new re-release of Elfien Lied and the ADV name is in the corner.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VCKKD27/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Happosai]

Is the ADV name coming back? I had this pop up on my amazon recommendations. It's a new re-release of Elfien Lied and the ADV name is in the corner.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VCKKD27/?tag=neogaf0e-20

No clue as to why they left the ADV stamp on I but when ADV liquidated and was bought up by Dental; all Section 23 rights went with them as well. ADV/Section 23 had joint distribution rights for Elfen Lied.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Is the ADV name coming back? I had this pop up on my amazon recommendations. It's a new re-release of Elfien Lied and the ADV name is in the corner.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VCKKD27/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Going by Sentai's storefront, they are doing a reprint of Elfen Lied in April (link). Related, even the Elfen Lied Steelbook release from 2019 carried the ADV logo. Sentai's holding company owns most (or all) of ADV's intellectual property (such as brand trademark) and maintains many of its old contracts, through various subsidiary companies. If I were to guess, since Sentai itself hasn't technically re-licensed Elfen Lied, any new releases of the series need to feature the originally contracted production info and logos.

Sentai also kinda addresses such situations in its website FAQ (link):

Why do you sell titles from ADV, Kraken Releasings, Maiden Japan or other non-Sentai publishers?
We may offer a limited number of third-party titles that are available for sale on our store due to the existing partnerships between Sentai and these publishers.

 

[Pejo]

Man, just did a full rewatch of Rurouni Kenshin, what a great series. Even that cheesey ass intro song, so good.

Also, I know it's not quite "retro" but did anyone else watch Maoyuu Maou? I just finished it up last week and thought it was really good until the last two episodes where everything got confusing and rushed.

 

[Happosai]

Man, just did a full rewatch of Rurouni Kenshin, what a great series. Even that cheesey ass intro song, so good.

Also, I know it's not quite "retro" but did anyone else watch Maoyuu Maou? I just finished it up last week and thought it was really good until the last two episodes where everything got confusing and rushed.

There were two series' / anime adaptations for Kenshin if I remember correctly. I watched a few episodes but that was nearly 20-years ago. By memory, I recall Kenshin having an "x" shaped scar on his face. Lot of cheesy intro songs on late-90's anime intros. I'm watching Berserk 97 with my wife right now and about half-way through (first time ever watching) and we love it but we hate the opening and ending songs. It's a Medieval-fantasy anime and didn't deserve the crappy alternative rock intro (with awful vocals) and the Tom Waits-sounding outro. I'm guessing it was late 90's budget problems that kept them from giving it a real musical score for the opening.

The latter...never heard of it - so I wouldn't be the person to answer that but possibly someone else here or @SLoWMoTIoN who may have more familiarity with 2000's anime titles.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Man, just did a full rewatch of Rurouni Kenshin, what a great series. Even that cheesey ass intro song, so good.

Also, I know it's not quite "retro" but did anyone else watch Maoyuu Maou? I just finished it up last week and thought it was really good until the last two episodes where everything got confusing and rushed.

While I haven't done a thorough viewing in some time, Kenshin remains one of my favorite franchises from the period. I also can't help parroting the usual disappointment in the later third of the story never receiving a proper animated adaptation, but at least the manga is fully available in English.

As for Maoyuu, I generally enjoyed the show, but it suffers from the same content churn that's been negatively affecting anime for the last 15-or-so years. A hypothetical 90s version of the series would have been at least 26 episodes; sure, some of the content may have been uneven, original material, but there would have been more room to develop the light novel's story. Instead, the show as it exists was just another product in a multi-media franchise. It also probably doesn't help the story, and particularly the anime adaptation, is a less successful attempt at replicating the Spice & Wolf formula of having fantasy characters tackle real-world sociopolitical and economic issues.

 

[Pejo]

While I haven't done a thorough viewing in some time, Kenshin remains one of my favorite franchises from the period. I also can't help parroting the usual disappointment in the later third of the story never receiving a proper animated adaptation, but at least the manga is fully available in English.

As for Maoyuu, I generally enjoyed the show, but it suffers from the same content churn that's been negatively affecting anime for the last 15-or-so years. A hypothetical 90s version of the series would have been at least 26 episodes; sure, some of the content may have been uneven, original material, but there would have been more room to develop the light novel's story. Instead, the show as it exists was just another product in a multi-media franchise. It also probably doesn't help the story, and particularly the anime adaptation, is a less successful attempt at replicating the Spice & Wolf formula of having fantasy characters tackle real-world sociopolitical and economic issues.

Interesting point, and yea it definitely felt like they compressed too much outside of the first 5 or so episodes, which I thought were great.

I'll have to check out Spice & Wolf, I didn't know it was that type of show.

 

[JunkerWoland]

I'll have to check out Spice & Wolf, I didn't know it was that type of show.

One thing I will say about Spice and Wolf is it's a fairly self-serious show, despite featuring an anthropomorphic-wolf girl. The story rests on the relationship between the two main characters and their current scheme at hand, rather than the type of comedic elements found in Maoyuu. To put it another way, it's more a straight drama just with, ya know, a wolf girl.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Man, just did a full rewatch of Rurouni Kenshin, what a great series. Even that cheesey ass intro song, so good.

Also, I know it's not quite "retro" but did anyone else watch Maoyuu Maou? I just finished it up last week and thought it was really good until the last two episodes where everything got confusing and rushed.

Try reading the LN or manga. I know for a fact the LN ended like 8+ years ago. So yeah.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

While I haven't done a thorough viewing in some time, Kenshin remains one of my favorite franchises from the period. I also can't help parroting the usual disappointment in the later third of the story never receiving a proper animated adaptation, but at least the manga is fully available in English.

As for Maoyuu, I generally enjoyed the show, but it suffers from the same content churn that's been negatively affecting anime for the last 15-or-so years. A hypothetical 90s version of the series would have been at least 26 episodes; sure, some of the content may have been uneven, original material, but there would have been more room to develop the light novel's story.

Maoyuu's LN ended a year before the anime aired. So technically it could have just followed the LN completely.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Maoyuu's LN ended a year before the anime aired. So technically it could have just followed the LN completely.

This is true, but even adhering to the light novel doesn't necessarily mean it would have worked any better in the 13-episode format. More generally, the greater episode counts found in previous decades provided the opportunity to better develop story & plot, regardless of fidelity to original source material. For Maoyuu, there were also several manga adaptations still in active serialization, during the anime's broadcast. It's likely the anime was produced to be just another quasi-standalone media product in what was then a larger franchise, whereas I'm more inclined to believe the approach to a hypothetical version of the series in the 1990s (or earlier 2000s) would have been different.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Possibly of interest, Discotek had been teasing a big announcement for an online panel that was held earlier today. A rundown of product updates and new licenses can be found over at ANN (link).

The company's big news was cancelling their forthcoming upscale-HD release of Project A-Ko, because they managed to find an original 35mm print of the film. Instead of the upscale, they'll be producing a new HD transfer. (The only lackluster news, in my opinion, is they're having new cover art created by the artist behind the Skullgirls game; hopefully they'll still offer a reversible cover with an original JP image.)

Anyway, they also posted a preview vid:

 

[Space Runaway]

Possibly of interest, Discotek had been teasing a big announcement for an online panel that was held earlier today. A rundown of product updates and new licenses can be found over at ANN (link).

The company's big news was cancelling their forthcoming upscale-HD release of Project A-Ko, because they managed to find an original 35mm print of the film. Instead of the upscale, they'll be producing a new HD transfer. (The only lackluster news, in my opinion, is they're having new cover art created by the artist behind the Skullgirls game; hopefully they'll still offer a reversible cover with an original JP image.)

Anyway, they also posted a preview vid:

Great news. The planned upscale seemed rather questionable but this version will be a must buy.

Also interesting the colors on the video provided are closer to the original release and not the remastered version that superseded it. Fine by me though as I preferred those colors over the yellow heavy remaster.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Great news. The planned upscale seemed rather questionable but this version will be a must buy.

Also interesting the colors on the video provided are closer to the original release and not the remastered version that superseded it. Fine by me though as I preferred those colors over the yellow heavy remaster.

Going by Discotek's Project A-Ko announcement from last year, unless things change, we'll presumably still see the results of their upscale efforts for the three sequels. In fairness to the company, they did state the films would be getting "extensive frame-by-frame restoration," prior to the upscale. I guess we'll see, though this is great news, regarding the first film.

Otherwise, I passed on Discotek's remastered DVDs. By the time they hit, I wasn't overly interesting in purchasing another SD release, to the point I don't remember even looking for reviews of the final product. Doing a quick search, the color difference may be the result of the Discotek editions apparently being sourced from LaserDiscs.

 

[Happosai]

Going by Discotek's Project A-Ko announcement from last year, unless things change, we'll presumably still see the results of their upscale efforts for the three sequels. In fairness to the company, they did state the films would be getting "extensive frame-by-frame restoration," prior to the upscale. I guess we'll see, though this is great news, regarding the first film.

Otherwise, I passed on Discotek's remastered DVDs. By the time they hit, I wasn't overly interesting in purchasing another SD release, to the point I don't remember even looking for reviews of the final product. Doing a quick search, the color difference may be the result of the Discotek editions apparently being sourced from LaserDiscs.

Quick question J JunkerWoland . You've become pretty vocal in this thread in terms of tech info and distribution insights over the past week or so - how do you know all this? We've had people visit the thread who actually work for these distributors. Just curious.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Anything good coming in 2021 as far as retro releases this year? I don't keep up with announcements so much.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Quick question J JunkerWoland . You've become pretty vocal in this thread in terms of tech info and distribution insights over the past week or so - how do you know all this? We've had people visit the thread who actually work for these distributors. Just curious.

I'm just old, at least in terms of the U.S. anime & manga industry. I've done various things within the fan community and to a lesser extent provided some freelance work, but I've never had official involvement with any related company, past or present.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Anything good coming in 2021 as far as retro releases this year? I don't keep up with announcements so much.

Probably depends on what you're into and what goes for retro, nowadays. Not to shill a particular retailer, but an easy way to see what's coming in the next few months (even if you buy elsewhere) is to browse anime at RightStufAnime.com and sort the listings by "Release Date, New to Old."

Currently, I'm most looking forward to the Megazone 23 set from AnimEigo; it was a crowdfunding project, but can be ordered from the company's website. Right Stuf's own label has a BD set coming for The Irresponsible Captain Tylor; and while it only dates from 2004 to 2011, one of yesterday's announcements from Discotek was all of the Keroro Gunso (Sgt. Frog) television series (it'll be standard definition on BD). GKIDS is supposed to release the Evangelion TV series and its two 90s movies on BD this year. Urusei Yatsura: Only You should also be releasing later this year on BD, though it's seeming like the rest of the franchise's films may not hit until 2022.

Additionally, the U.S. release of The Rose of Versailles on BD should also be mentioned. I've never managed to get into the anime or manga, but it's a pretty significant production.

 

[NahaNago]

I was thinking that I'd like a reboot of Tenchi. Not with the super sexualized style of his younger brother's anime and not with the super vibrant and sharp version as well but a warm and washed out? color of the old anime. Photon was nice and a prequel would be awesome.

Probably depends on what you're into and what goes for retro, nowadays. Not to shill a particular retailer, but an easy way to see what's coming in the next few months (even if you buy elsewhere) is to browse anime at RightStufAnime.com and sort the listings by "Release Date, New to Old."

Currently, I'm most looking forward to the Megazone 23 set from AnimEigo; it was a crowdfunding project, but can be ordered from the company's website. Right Stuf's own label has a BD set coming for The Irresponsible Captain Tylor; and while it only dates from 2004 to 2011, one of yesterday's announcements from Discotek was all of the Keroro Gunso (Sgt. Frog) television series (it'll be standard definition on BD). GKIDS is supposed to release the Evangelion TV series and its two 90s movies on BD this year. Urusei Yatsura: Only You should also be releasing later this year on BD, though it's seeming like the rest of the franchise's films may not hit until 2022.

Additionally, the U.S. release of The Rose of Versailles on BD should also be mentioned. I've never managed to get into the anime or manga, but it's a pretty significant production.

I'd probably get the Urusei movie. I was always planning on collecting that series. I was also never able to get into Rose of Versailles but then again it was a shojo and there are very few shojo I'm into. Skip beat and new glass mask is about it I think for shojo's i liked or I'm sure are shojos. Then again is sailor moon shojo or shonen? I want to say shonen because of the anime but the manga totally looks shoujo.

edit: then again shojo means for girls I thought and sailor moon's target audience is girls. They just also happen to have a large male audience as well for some and certain reasons

 

[JunkerWoland]

I was thinking that I'd like a reboot of Tenchi. Not with the super sexualized style of his younger brother's anime and not with the super vibrant and sharp version as well but a warm and washed out? color of the old anime. Photon was nice and a prequel would be awesome.


I'd probably get the Urusei movie. I was always planning on collecting that series. I was also never able to get into Rose of Versailles but then again it was a shojo and there are very few shojo I'm into. Skip beat and new glass mask is about it I think for shojo's i liked or I'm sure are shojos. Then again is sailor moon shojo or shonen? I want to say shonen because of the anime but the manga totally looks shoujo.

edit: then again shojo means for girls I thought and sailor moon's target audience is girls. They just also happen to have a large male audience as well for some and certain reasons

Not sure what I'd want from more Tenchi Muyo!, though it probably wouldn't be a reboot. I still haven't caught-up with the newer episodes in the core Ryo-Ohki story line and can't honestly say how I currently feel about the series' direction. The mix of FUNi having the third OVA and the fourth & fifth OVA being consigned to streaming has likely kept viewing a low priority. Generally speaking, I'm not sure I particularly care for how the series' visuals have adapted to modern, digital animation.

For Rose of Versailles, the series touches on a peculiarity of my not caring much for entertainment that plays too heavily with historical figures. I don't mind historical settings, but using Rose of Versailles as example, I'm less interested in content focused on fictionalized interpretations of Marie Antoinette.

Otherwise, I'm pretty much open to anything, including shoujo content. Traditionally with manga, the categorical distinction comes from the target audience of the magazine in which the title features. Take for instance works by CLAMP: because of the group's art style, there's a tendency suggest all their titles are shoujo, but many have run in shonen or seinen publications. In the case of Sailor Moon, the manga ran in a shoujo magazine, but it's safe to say the 90s animated adaptation found a notable male audience. I enjoy both original renditions of Sailor Moon, though it's a shame how the anime continues to be handled in the U.S.

 

[Happosai]

I was thinking that I'd like a reboot of Tenchi. Not with the super sexualized style of his younger brother's anime and not with the super vibrant and sharp version as well but a warm and washed out? color of the old anime. Photon was nice and a prequel would be awesome.


I'd probably get the Urusei movie. I was always planning on collecting that series. I was also never able to get into Rose of Versailles but then again it was a shojo and there are very few shojo I'm into. Skip beat and new glass mask is about it I think for shojo's i liked or I'm sure are shojos. Then again is sailor moon shojo or shonen? I want to say shonen because of the anime but the manga totally looks shoujo.

edit: then again shojo means for girls I thought and sailor moon's target audience is girls. They just also happen to have a large male audience as well for some and certain reasons

Agreed that Tenchi really doesn't need any reboots. The blu-rays are gradually going out of print and I would pick those up if you haven't already. About Photon, Discotek did release it again but I'm not sure they changed anything from the CPM release. It was fairly well-set with the short episodes and likely wouldn't be a good fit for a prequel either given the change in demand on anime today.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

This is true, but even adhering to the light novel doesn't necessarily mean it would have worked any better in the 13-episode format. More generally, the greater episode counts found in previous decades provided the opportunity to better develop story & plot, regardless of fidelity to original source material. For Maoyuu, there were also several manga adaptations still in active serialization, during the anime's broadcast. It's likely the anime was produced to be just another quasi-standalone media product in what was then a larger franchise, whereas I'm more inclined to believe the approach to a hypothetical version of the series in the 1990s (or earlier 2000s) would have been different.

I was just saying they had enough material to adapt and they should have made it a 39 ep thing.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Agreed that Tenchi really doesn't need any reboots. The blu-rays are gradually going out of print and I would pick those up if you haven't already. About Photon, Discotek did release it again but I'm not sure they changed anything from the CPM release. It was fairly well-set with the short episodes and likely wouldn't be a good fit for a prequel either given the change in demand on anime today.

I sorta liked that weird spin off with the brother

 

[Happosai]

I sorta liked that weird spin off with the brother

I didn't catch this one but I'd wager without watching 3 episodes that it's better than 5-minutesof GXP. That was a nightmare to watch...

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Just slightly better lol.

 

[NahaNago]

Agreed that Tenchi really doesn't need any reboots. The blu-rays are gradually going out of print and I would pick those up if you haven't already. About Photon, Discotek did release it again but I'm not sure they changed anything from the CPM release. It was fairly well-set with the short episodes and likely wouldn't be a good fit for a prequel either given the change in demand on anime today.

Agreed that Tenchi really doesn't need any reboots. The blu-rays are gradually going out of print and I would pick those up if you haven't already. About Photon, Discotek did release it again but I'm not sure they changed anything from the CPM release. It was fairly well-set with the short episodes and likely wouldn't be a good fit for a prequel either given the change in demand on anime today.

I'll have to think about it. I already own everything on dvd except that last season with the 4 minute episodes though. Photon is definitely not a good fit with today's anime.

I sorta liked that weird spin off with the brother

I enjoyed it. I just thought that it was a bit more risque than I was looking for in a tenchi show. The brother was a monster. I'd kind of liked to have seen how he was raised in order to be that skilled. Seems like that it would be a ton of fun to see him interact with Tenchi's harem.

Not sure what I'd want from more Tenchi Muyo!, though it probably wouldn't be a reboot. I still haven't caught-up with the newer episodes in the core Ryo-Ohki story line and can't honestly say how I currently feel about the series' direction. The mix of FUNi having the third OVA and the fourth & fifth OVA being consigned to streaming has likely kept viewing a low priority. Generally speaking, I'm not sure I particularly care for how the series' visuals have adapted to modern, digital animation.

For Rose of Versailles, the series touches on a peculiarity of my not caring much for entertainment that plays too heavily with historical figures. I don't mind historical settings, but using Rose of Versailles as example, I'm less interested in content focused on fictionalized interpretations of Marie Antoinette.

Otherwise, I'm pretty much open to anything, including shoujo content. Traditionally with manga, the categorical distinction comes from the target audience of the magazine in which the title features. Take for instance works by CLAMP: because of the group's art style, there's a tendency suggest all their titles are shoujo, but many have run in shonen or seinen publications. In the case of Sailor Moon, the manga ran in a shoujo magazine, but it's safe to say the 90s animated adaptation found a notable male audience. I enjoy both original renditions of Sailor Moon, though it's a shame how the anime continues to be handled in the U.S.

You've lost me on the 3-5 ova. The new look is definitely weird. It is just too bright and vibrant for my taste. It's been awhile since we had Tenchi content so For Tenchi I would go back and fill up the holes in the story. Tenchi's grandfather's journey from prince to living on earth. Ryoko's space pirate days and Tenchi's brother upbringing would also make a good story.

The art style of Rose of Versailles was too much of turn off for me that I don't know anything about the anime except that it has something to do with swords and roses if I remember that right.

I can definitely see CLAMP's work being in seinen. Their stuff can get really weird. That X movie was just weird. All of the monster fighting kept me thinking that it was for boys. The new style for the most recent sailor moon series just didn't look good to me. I understand they were trying to be more faithful to the manga but it just doesn't look right now.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Only the original two Tenchi OVAs were any good. And they were quite good, as I remember it, but I only have them on videotape and havent watched them in ages. Also the original TV series and first few movies. What I've seen of the 3rd OVA onward is just a mess, and I basically give up by default on anything the guy credited as the franchise creator touches. Just my opinion though.

 

[Happosai]

Only the original two Tenchi OVAs were any good. And they were quite good, as I remember it, but I only have them on videotape and havent watched them in ages. Also the original TV series and first few movies. What I've seen of the 3rd OVA onward is just a mess, and I basically give up by default on anything the guy credited as the franchise creator touches. Just my opinion though.

I've owned the first OVAs for Tenchi Muyo in nearly every format you except LaserDisc. The blue rays are nice but upon watching them again last Summer (first time in about 9-years); beyond episode 8 they sorta lost context. Not to say the remaining episodes after 8 in the original OVA aren't fun, but they don't fit in as well with the first 7 episodes. The TV series when I saw it 21-years ago was awesome. I rewatched it last Summer too and found it...okay. Good but it didn't age well with me I guess. I always felt the second movie and Shin Tenchi Muyo (Tenchi in Tokyo) seemed like the same idea and signalled the franchise was getting worse. Movie 1 I'll agree was a good production. The newer additions...I only knew about GXP and watched it 14-years ago and still remember the stink.

 

[NahaNago]

Only the original two Tenchi OVAs were any good. And they were quite good, as I remember it, but I only have them on videotape and havent watched them in ages. Also the original TV series and first few movies. What I've seen of the 3rd OVA onward is just a mess, and I basically give up by default on anything the guy credited as the franchise creator touches. Just my opinion though.

I have them on dvd. I think. So I've definitely watched to up to the 3rd OVA. I need to do more research on the series.

Not sure what I'd want from more Tenchi Muyo!, though it probably wouldn't be a reboot. I still haven't caught-up with the newer episodes in the core Ryo-Ohki story line and can't honestly say how I currently feel about the series' direction. The mix of FUNi having the third OVA and the fourth & fifth OVA being consigned to streaming has likely kept viewing a low priority. Generally speaking, I'm not sure I particularly care for how the series' visuals have adapted to modern, digital animation.

I think I see what you are talking about with the last two ovas. i'll watch them tomorrow when I wake up.

Most of the ovas I've seen in the past were just the one episode or movie type so I've always viewed ovas as tv movies rather than the episodes Tenchi seems to have so I'm completely lost now on Tenchi ova.

 

[JunkerWoland]

You've lost me on the 3-5 ova

Here ya go: OVA 3 and OVA 4 & 5 (both links are legal streaming).

The new style for the most recent sailor moon series just didn't look good to me. I understand they were trying to be more faithful to the manga but it just doesn't look right now.

Visually, the main issue with Sailor Moon Crystal is the cheap animation, both in terms of motion and maintaining consistent design work. The amount of content they tried to cram into 13-episode seasons also didn't help; the end result felt more like a clip show. Overall, though, the more manga-styled look may have gone over better, if the drawings weren't constantly turning into muddy blobs of color. On the other hand, the new Eternal movies seem to be striking a balance between the manga and anime designs. I look forward to eventually watching both films.

 

[Happosai]

I'll have to think about it. I already own everything on dvd except that last season with the 4 minute episodes though. Photon is definitely not a good fit with today's anime.

I enjoyed it. I just thought that it was a bit more risque than I was looking for in a tenchi show. The brother was a monster. I'd kind of liked to have seen how he was raised in order to be that skilled. Seems like that it would be a ton of fun to see him interact with Tenchi's harem.

You've lost me on the 3-5 ova. The new look is definitely weird. It is just too bright and vibrant for my taste. It's been awhile since we had Tenchi content so For Tenchi I would go back and fill up the holes in the story. Tenchi's grandfather's journey from prince to living on earth. Ryoko's space pirate days and Tenchi's brother upbringing would also make a good story.

The art style of Rose of Versailles was too much of turn off for me that I don't know anything about the anime except that it has something to do with swords and roses if I remember that right.

I can definitely see CLAMP's work being in seinen. Their stuff can get really weird. That X movie was just weird. All of the monster fighting kept me thinking that it was for boys. The new style for the most recent sailor moon series just didn't look good to me. I understand they were trying to be more faithful to the manga but it just doesn't look right now.

Lot there to cover. X the movie had some great animation and but the trailer was actually better than the movie itself. Seems like it was a bit disorganized and maybe I just wasn't a good audience to analyse the movie. I remember it was weird that when U.S. Manga was promoting it - they threw a clipping for it into American Hit Parader magazines. It was also given an MPAA R-rating. Seems like the U.S. promotion was to try to introduce those who had never seen anime into it as if it were a U.S. product. That promo was a dub only VHS.

Here was the trailer. It's a dub but a good lure into a sub-par movie overall. I think I tried rewatching it and falling asleep half way through.

 

[JunkerWoland]

It was also given an MPAA R-rating. Seems like the U.S. promotion was to try to introduce those who had never seen anime into it as if it were a U.S. product.

Not that I ever saw it in theaters, but the X film had a limited (if not extremely limited) theatrical run in the U.S., so it would have needed to be rated.

Otherwise, the art & animation in the X movie is gorgeous, likely attributable to Rintaro's directing and an in-its-prime Madhouse studio producing, but as a film it's closer to hour and a half long music video.

 

[NahaNago]

Lot there to cover. X the movie had some great animation and but the trailer was actually better than the movie itself. Seems like it was a bit disorganized and maybe I just wasn't a good audience to analyse the movie. I remember it was weird that when U.S. Manga was promoting it - they threw a clipping for it into American Hit Parader magazines. It was also given an MPAA R-rating. Seems like the U.S. promotion was to try to introduce those who had never seen anime into it as if it were a U.S. product. That promo was a dub only VHS.

Here was the trailer. It's a dub but a good lure into a sub-par movie overall. I think I tried rewatching it and falling asleep half way through.

That trailer makes me question if I even saw the same movie. Trailers tend to be better than the movie most the time especially these days where the put the best parts of the movie in them. After trying to find out if I saw the movie because of that trailer , come to find out it had a series. I had no idea. I had watched the movie.

edit: on trailers being better than the movies. I was thinking that maybe short films will be the new digital streaming path. You get a action packed movie , smaller budget , and you can make more movies as a result. plus folks are conditioned to watch short videos anyways thanks to youtube.

 

[JunkerWoland]

Related to Discotek's forthcoming Project A-Ko release, they shared a comparison of the raw LaserDisc, what was going to be their remastered upscale of the LD, and the new 4K scan (compression artifacts are due to the site): Link.

While it doesn't hold a candle to the new HD print, the remastered upscale looks like it would have been a noticeable upgrade over past DVD releases--should bode well for the remaining three movies that are receiving similar treatment.