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[Red Rackham's Revenge]

I also watched Vampire Wars. There was a vampire but no wars. It mostly sucked shit. Lots of talking for very little story. No real action until the very end, which is just a basic shootout. Had a decent budget yet never really made worthwhile use of it. Some gore but...eh. Seems to have been based on a light novel series. Perhaps if I was familiar with those then this OVA would have maybe held some value. This actually got licenced and released on VHS and DVD by Manga video. I imagine this was a "regretful rental" to many. The best thing about the OVA was the JP box art which Manga video didn't even use. =P

The art is amazing. It looked familiar, so I did a little research and it looks like the artist is Noriyoshi Ohrai. He did movie posters for Star Wars, Beastmaster, Godzilla, the Goonies and more. He also did art for some Metal Gear games.

I found some great covers he did for a magazine called SF Adventure. I hope there are higher res scan out there somewhere. They'd make some great prints.

Spoiler: March 1983

Spoiler: May 1983

Sorry, I know this post is a bit off-topic. Just thought I'd post what I found for those who may be interested.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Plus one for desert punk lol. Not super retro I know but it's fun.

 

[Happosai]

The art is amazing. It looked familiar, so I did a little research and it looks like the artist is Noriyoshi Ohrai. He did movie posters for Star Wars, Beastmaster, Godzilla, the Goonies and more. He also did art for some Metal Gear games.

I found some great covers he did for a magazine called SF Adventure. I hope there are higher res scan out there somewhere. They'd make some great prints.

Spoiler: March 1983

Spoiler: May 1983

Sorry, I know this post is a bit off-topic. Just thought I'd post what I found for those who may be interested.

Space Runaway the first OVA looks interesting and I'm not sure where you find these rare titles. Without this thread...it's likely no Westerner would ever bother to read or research that they even existed. Guys like Kenny Lauderdale are not those super top-rated anime promoters and it's because he digs into the obscurities of the past. I feel animation in general lost so much of its edge from the 2000's till now that we need to keep the classics (even the rare and weird ones) in discussion.

About Vampire Wars...so...I've got that and I have never seen it. I bought a triple set of "Wars" translated anime titles back in like 2015 on eBay: Big Wars, Psychic Wars, and Vampire Wars. As I've mentioned more than enough I really liked Big Wars. Psychic Wars was dull and only stays in my anime collection as it's something retro to balance the other DVDs lol. Umm, I was holding off on Vampire Wars after reading multiple differing opinions on it.The majority said it was trash but there were others comparing it to the trash which can be fun found in B-movies. I don't mind a lot of dialogue and having the action sequences fit into the end. Just as long as I found something fun about it. Even if that's a weird kinda fun. Even though I have that DVD release, I have a stack of higher quality titles which are unwatched in my collection I'd need to iron through first before watching Vampire Wars. Perhaps post some screen shots of it? But no spoilers even if it is trash...please.

Thanks for sharing the info about the original cover art Red Rackham's Revenge . That's actually pretty amazing! I can't believe that was painted buy the same guy who pretty much sold movies on their amazing artwork alone. I may speculate that it was possibly not used for the U.S. releases for either copyrighting on the artwork or simply because they knew that selling such a brilliant painting to a lackluster title in the U.S. would probably be going more ambitious than they needed to with it. You didn't derail at all. It's all relevant to the topic of the cover art and it's another part of art history that should be appreciated and shared.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Does anyone remember Saber Marinette? I dug that one a lot. I bought the complete boxset on a fire sale from rightstuf years ago and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure how it would hold up today but I remember being invested in the characters.

 

[Happosai]

Does anyone remember Saber Marinette? I dug that one a lot. I bought the complete boxset on a fire sale from rightstuf years ago and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure how it would hold up today but I remember being invested in the characters.

Yes. But I saw only parts during the VHS anime era. It did have a following but I think that sorta fell off in the early 2000's as anime in the West was changing in its portability.

 

[Space Runaway]

About Vampire Wars...so...I've got that and I have never seen it. I bought a triple set of "Wars" translated anime titles back in like 2015 on eBay: Big Wars, Psychic Wars, and Vampire Wars. As I've mentioned more than enough I really liked Big Wars. Psychic Wars was dull and only stays in my anime collection as it's something retro to balance the other DVDs lol. Umm, I was holding off on Vampire Wars after reading multiple differing opinions on it.The majority said it was trash but there were others comparing it to the trash which can be fun found in B-movies. I don't mind a lot of dialogue and having the action sequences fit into the end. Just as long as I found something fun about it. Even if that's a weird kinda fun. Even though I have that DVD release, I have a stack of higher quality titles which are unwatched in my collection I'd need to iron through first before watching Vampire Wars. Perhaps post some screen shots of it? But no spoilers even if it is trash...please.

It's definitely not as good as Big Wars and is actually very comparable to Psychic Wars except Psychic Wars is more interesting. You get a better end action sequence in Vampires though. I'm not sure which I'd say is better so perhaps just prepare yourself for a similar experience whenever you watch it. =P

edit: You requested some spoiler free screens.

And various shooting guns at stuff.

Does anyone remember Saber Marinette? I dug that one a lot. I bought the complete boxset on a fire sale from rightstuf years ago and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure how it would hold up today but I remember being invested in the characters.

Yeah though Saber Marionette R was more to my taste. Course it's radically different than J or J to X and kinda hard to compare.

 

[Evangelion Unit-01]

Ghost in the Shell 4K on sale at Amazon and Best Buy. $7.99
TKOFromTokyo

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

www.amazon.com

 

[TKOFromTokyo]

Ghost in the Shell 4K on sale at Amazon and Best Buy. $7.99
TKOFromTokyo

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

www.amazon.com

Thanks, picked up the BB steel book for $14.99 two weeks ago. I like where your heads at!

 

[Evangelion Unit-01]

Thanks, picked up the BB steel book for $14.99 two weeks ago. I like where your heads at!

Figured you might like this one. I bought it too. You’re enabling me to break my no physical media rule.

 

[Happosai]

Ghost in the Shell 4K on sale at Amazon and Best Buy. $7.99
TKOFromTokyo

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

Amazon.com: Ghost in the Shell [4k + Blu-ray + Digital] : Mamoru Oshii, Yoshimasa Mizou, Shigeru Watanabe, Ken Iyadomi, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Manga Entertainment: Movies & TV

www.amazon.com

I like the idea and all. I stated in an earlier thread that I've never watched GotS as I tried years to avoid mainstream anime of the 90's. However, I had also considered giving it a watch. Space Runaway informed me in an earlier post that the first Western release was the only fully intact version of the film. Is the 4K going to have the changed or altered scenes of will it be the original version in UHD?

 

[Evangelion Unit-01]

I like the idea and all. I stated in an earlier thread that I've never watched GotS as I tried years to avoid mainstream anime of the 90's. However, I had also considered giving it a watch. Space Runaway informed me in an earlier post that the first Western release was the only fully intact version of the film. Is the 4K going to have the changed or altered scenes of will it be the original version in UHD?

I honestly haven't watched too much anime compared to most people that would post in these type threads. Definitely more of a casual fan. A lot of the anime I enjoy tend to be from the late 80s through late 90s-Ghibli movies, Evangelion, Akira, Perfect Blue, Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop to name a few. I'm definitely more of a mainstream fan simply because I was exposed to very limited anime growing up. I didn't watch any until I was in high school. I like browsing through this thread and looking for new (old) stuff to watch.

 

[Happosai]

I honestly haven't watched too much anime compared to most people that would post in these type threads. Definitely more of a casual fan. A lot of the anime I enjoy tend to be from the late 80s through late 90s-Ghibli movies, Evangelion, Akira, Perfect Blue, Ghost in the Shell, and Cowboy Bebop to name a few. I'm definitely more of a mainstream fan simply because I was exposed to very limited anime growing up. I didn't watch any until I was in high school. I like browsing through this thread and looking for new (old) stuff to watch.

It's cool. To most, mainstream really was all that was available unless you were like me and you were deliberately trying to find obscure titles (this was in the late-90's). If you started watching during the DVD generation - early on there weren't that many titles released on DVD. It was mostly things that were newly being mass released in the U.S. and Japan (Perfect Blue was one of those at the time in like 2002/03). Cowboy Bebop I recall catching on with Americans some 5-years or so after it was introduced in Japan. You had some exposure, though. I mean, what you listed above...there's a whole generation now that maybe knows one of those (likely Evangelion) and can't list anything else. Anime fans now are like Netflix enthusiasts or other fandom or hobbyists. They tend to look toward what new series or new season is coming out and it's not convenient for them to waste time on titles which were likely made before they were born. That's why I made this thread. GAF had some strong classic anime debate threads back in the day and when I joined this year...I noticed all the talk of retro anime had died off and there were no threads made on the subject for 5-or-more years.

You also get posters in this thread who will give detailed production accounts of the classic titles which also serves more like a historical animation lesson mixed with pop cultural history of time's past.

We need the newer generation to keep doing what they do so that the genre doesn't die off in the West completely. But I'm a film/music history nut and I particularly didn't want to see younger generations being deprived of knowing about or seeing older anime and developing an appreciation. If feel that's also part of GAF's history, too. There are a lot of classic cinema threads that pop up here and the age average of users here I was guess is around 32-45 (people who were exposed to much more growing up) as was I.

 

[silentstorm]

So, has anyone seen the old Kinnikuman anime from the 80's?

I enjoy the manga a lot and keep wishing some studio would just pick it up and remake everything and go beyond the Throne Arc, but it doesn't seem like it will happen, it's just i have looked at some clips of the old show and aside from filler arcs which maybe are cool, the anime just seems to change announcers and add comedic characters to react to and comment everything in a way that isn't done in the manga and feels pointless, and that seems to be a general thing with the anime.

 

[Space Runaway]

So, has anyone seen the old Kinnikuman anime from the 80's?

I enjoy the manga a lot and keep wishing some studio would just pick it up and remake everything and go beyond the Throne Arc, but it doesn't seem like it will happen, it's just i have looked at some clips of the old show and aside from filler arcs which maybe are cool, the anime just seems to change announcers and add comedic characters to react to and comment everything in a way that isn't done in the manga and feels pointless, and that seems to be a general thing with the anime.

I've seen something like a dozen episodes but that's it. I've wanted to watch the full series but it's a pretty serious time investment so I've been wary of getting started. =P

I do remember they brought it back with a "new gen" sequel series in the 00s though I only saw one of the movies. Did get some decent videogames from Aki out of though.

 

[Mobile Suit Gooch]

I just preordered Akria on Ultra HD from Funimation.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I'm disappointed by the video quality of vampire hunter d bloodlust on blu ray. I remember it being such a gorgeous film when it came out. It doesn't look all that much better than the dvd.

 

[Evangelion Unit-01]

It's cool. To most, mainstream really was all that was available unless you were like me and you were deliberately trying to find obscure titles (this was in the late-90's). If you started watching during the DVD generation - early on there weren't that many titles released on DVD. It was mostly things that were newly being mass released in the U.S. and Japan (Perfect Blue was one of those at the time in like 2002/03). Cowboy Bebop I recall catching on with Americans some 5-years or so after it was introduced in Japan. You had some exposure, though. I mean, what you listed above...there's a whole generation now that maybe knows one of those (likely Evangelion) and can't list anything else. Anime fans now are like Netflix enthusiasts or other fandom or hobbyists. They tend to look toward what new series or new season is coming out and it's not convenient for them to waste time on titles which were likely made before they were born. That's why I made this thread. GAF had some strong classic anime debate threads back in the day and when I joined this year...I noticed all the talk of retro anime had died off and there were no threads made on the subject for 5-or-more years.

You also get posters in this thread who will give detailed production accounts of the classic titles which also serves more like a historical animation lesson mixed with pop cultural history of time's past.

We need the newer generation to keep doing what they do so that the genre doesn't die off in the West completely. But I'm a film/music history nut and I particularly didn't want to see younger generations being deprived of knowing about or seeing older anime and developing an appreciation. If feel that's also part of GAF's history, too. There are a lot of classic cinema threads that pop up here and the age average of users here I was guess is around 32-45 (people who were exposed to much more growing up) as was I.

I think there is something to be said about appreciating the foundations of any medium. That said, my exposure is still very limited so this thread helps someone like me.

 

[silentstorm]

I've seen something like a dozen episodes but that's it. I've wanted to watch the full series but it's a pretty serious time investment so I've been wary of getting started. =P

I do remember they brought it back with a "new gen" sequel series in the 00s though I only saw one of the movies. Did get some decent videogames from Aki out of though.

Huh, if the episodes were the start of the series, pre-Choujin Olympics, then you saw the very worst of the series, those few dozen chapters are really rough.

It does seem interesting because the anime from what i read and clips i have seen is pretty different from the manga, even more focus on comedy is present and characters that aren't wrestlers appear a lot more just to talk about matches and react to stuff, heck, while in the manga, Suguru's love interest barely appears and entire arcs go without her appearing or even being mentioned, the anime gives him a new love interest that is always watching and near him and gets with him at the end while his manga love interest falls for the final villain...which did not happen in the manga at all.

It just seems like an alternate universe, also, Kinnikuman games should come back, it's the perfect franchise for crazy wrestling games and the old series came back in 2011 which only added way more wrestlers to use, and the games didn't even adapt all arcs from the sequel so there are still some wrestlers unused from there.

And if you want female wrestlers...well, there is the spin-off Kinnikuman Lady but i found that one boring with really lame fights and characters being far more generically cute, the main character is just an all nice clumsy girl who happens to be powerful and is gorgeous with big breasts...which in contrast to the cowardly but still ultimately brave Suguru who could also be a jerk makes her way more generic of a shounen heroine.

...Yes, i happen to really enjoy Kinnikuman and it's manga, come on, studios, we need a new anime to retell the story and also adapt everything from the 2011 revival onwards, i want Akuma Shogun to face THE MAN, that is the actual name of a villain there, THE MAN, and he's great, and yes, Akuma Shogun was in games already and he's a villain, he just comes back several arcs later and unlike what many Shounen series do where former villains are now weak, Akuma Shogun is still a massive awesome threat that can wreck everything and his fight with THE MAN is awesome.

 

[Happosai]

Huh, if the episodes were the start of the series, pre-Choujin Olympics, then you saw the very worst of the series, those few dozen chapters are really rough.

It does seem interesting because the anime from what i read and clips i have seen is pretty different from the manga, even more focus on comedy is present and characters that aren't wrestlers appear a lot more just to talk about matches and react to stuff, heck, while in the manga, Suguru's love interest barely appears and entire arcs go without her appearing or even being mentioned, the anime gives him a new love interest that is always watching and near him and gets with him at the end while his manga love interest falls for the final villain...which did not happen in the manga at all.

It just seems like an alternate universe, also, Kinnikuman games should come back, it's the perfect franchise for crazy wrestling games and the old series came back in 2011 which only added way more wrestlers to use, and the games didn't even adapt all arcs from the sequel so there are still some wrestlers unused from there.

And if you want female wrestlers...well, there is the spin-off Kinnikuman Lady but i found that one boring with really lame fights and characters being far more generically cute, the main character is just an all nice clumsy girl who happens to be powerful and is gorgeous with big breasts...which in contrast to the cowardly but still ultimately brave Suguru who could also be a jerk makes her way more generic of a shounen heroine.

...Yes, i happen to really enjoy Kinnikuman and it's manga, come on, studios, we need a new anime to retell the story and also adapt everything from the 2011 revival onwards, i want Akuma Shogun to face THE MAN, that is the actual name of a villain there, THE MAN, and he's great, and yes, Akuma Shogun was in games already and he's a villain, he just comes back several arcs later and unlike what many Shounen series do where former villains are now weak, Akuma Shogun is still a massive awesome threat that can wreck everything and his fight with THE MAN is awesome.

I admit I enjoyed it too but never read the manga. Very few cases in which I read a manga before watching an anime and that's just my habitual preference. However, with Kinnikuman it always stood out as something completely different from all the other anime of it's time. I don't think many realized that it was a remake by the time the 2000's reboot started as it had very little exposure in the West prior. The only hint was that I believe the title said something like "the Kinnikuman legacy." I doubt the original anime will ever get released in the U.S.
Discotek typically only releases things which Americans had already seen previously which means they're more likely to release the reboot than the original. However, you can always try to find the Japanese releases and important them if it's really worth it.

 

[Happosai]

I just preordered Akria on Ultra HD from Funimation.

I'm disappointed by the video quality of vampire hunter d bloodlust on blu ray. I remember it being such a gorgeous film when it came out. It doesn't look all that much better than the dvd.

Mobile Suit Gooch Enjoy that on blu-ray and let us know how it pans out compared to the two previous DVD editions. If you're up for some comedy, try looking up the original English dub (which Funimation replaced for very obvious reasons) with Cam Clarke. The original dub is something legendary and I think made people reconsider watching dubs of anime and switched to subbed. It's awful and all the East-coast accents in there just make it worse for such a high production film.

OmegaSupreme Not all blu-rays are H.D. I haven't checked the specs out for Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust but I've noticed this with other blu-rays of anime compared to my DVD copies. Many of my DVD anime were remasters and already had great quality. Obviously, the point of buying blu-ray is to see the picture upscaled from the DVD and possibly better audio as well. That has not been the case with many older releases of anime to blu-ray. It's possible that they're not really remastering anything and they're just polishing transfers from existing DVD releases and selling them as blu-ray to make a few extra dollars. Discotek flat-out admits when they release SD Blu-rays. I don't get the point, though. If it's SD...then it's not really optimizing the potential of the blu-ray laser or picture...so it's basically a covert name for "we just released that anime title on blu-ray with SD DVD quality because you'll buy it in the smaller blue packaging." I think it also comes down to a lot of distributors being unable to obtain the rights to work with the original film to create a real remaster to blu-ray quality. For example, EatMan was released by Emotion/Bandai on the VHS I had in very basic picture and subbed. The blu-ray (which I believe they marked as SD) is pretty much just the VHS version on disc. I see no difference in picture quality of Eatman on blu-ray any more than I would see if I watched it on a new VHS through a Hi-Fi 4-head VCR. Hold onto your DVD copy. The one more likely to get upscaling is going to be the original Vampire Hunter D as it had a much bigger following than the sequel.

 

[silentstorm]

I admit I enjoyed it too but never read the manga. Very few cases in which I read a manga before watching an anime and that's just my habitual preference. However, with Kinnikuman it always stood out as something completely different from all the other anime of it's time. I don't think many realized that it was a remake by the time the 2000's reboot started as it had very little exposure in the West prior. The only hint was that I believe the title said something like "the Kinnikuman legacy." I doubt the original anime will ever get released in the U.S.
Discotek typically only releases things which Americans had already seen previously which means they're more likely to release the reboot than the original. However, you can always try to find the Japanese releases and important them if it's really worth it.

Toys for the first series came out in America even though only the sequel got any dub.

The reason why the first series was ignored by America and Europe though were Brockenman, a literal nazi villain dressed like a SS officer with a gas attack genuinely compared to gas chambers in concentration camps in the series, he is ripped in half in the manga with his foe then drinking blood dripping from his torso...or turned into noodles and eaten in the anime.

The problem comes from his son, though, Brocken Jr, dressed the same way but he is a hero, to be fair, he doesn't reference anything to do with nazis aside from his outfit, doesn't have his dad's gas attack and never talks about eugenics and is friends with americans, russians, british men and so forth without caring and never talks about glorious Germany or the war.

The anime makes it worse as though Brocken is either wearing his uniform or shirtless, the anime tends, from what i can tell, have him reference nazi stuff and even wear more clothes like a swastika shirt while still being completely heroic...America and Europe didn't want to dub a series where a german with a SS outfit who also regularly uses clothes with swastikas is a hero, the last one is strange since i don't recall Brocken wearing swastika shirts in the manga, but from clips, the anime also tends to change outfits, Meat in particular seems to always be wearing clothes he never uses in the manga.

 

[Space Runaway]

Huh, if the episodes were the start of the series, pre-Choujin Olympics, then you saw the very worst of the series, those few dozen chapters are really rough.

I didn't have any issue with it's quality or anything. I just stopped because at that time I didn't want to commit to a show that went over 100 episodes. =P

It does seem interesting because the anime from what i read and clips i have seen is pretty different from the manga, even more focus on comedy is present and characters that aren't wrestlers appear a lot more just to talk about matches and react to stuff, heck, while in the manga, Suguru's love interest barely appears and entire arcs go without her appearing or even being mentioned, the anime gives him a new love interest that is always watching and near him and gets with him at the end while his manga love interest falls for the final villain...which did not happen in the manga at all.

I recall Toei handled the initial 20-ish eps of HnK that way too. Straying off from the comic and including a bunch of original content and characters. Luckily it course corrected. I'll end up watching the Kinnikuman tv series before reading the comic so I guess I'll only notice the changes after the fact.

Kinnikuman games should come back, it's the perfect franchise for crazy wrestling games and the old series came back in 2011 which only added way more wrestlers to use, and the games didn't even adapt all arcs from the sequel so there are still some wrestlers unused from there.

And if you want female wrestlers...well, there is the spin-off Kinnikuman Lady but i found that one boring with really lame fights and characters being far more generically cute, the main character is just an all nice clumsy girl who happens to be powerful and is gorgeous with big breasts...which in contrast to the cowardly but still ultimately brave Suguru who could also be a jerk makes her way more generic of a shounen heroine.

I remember playing the original MUSCLE game on NES on few years back and it was atrocious. =P Luckily the games came a long way since then and AKI was arguably the best wrestling developer at the time.

And for spin-offs I wouldn't tackle that until after seeing the main series. Well unless it had been a superior watch or something.

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

I found this old interview from Monkey Punch (RIP) I thought some of you might be interested in:

 

[kunonabi]

I found this old interview from Monkey Punch (RIP) I thought some of you might be interested in:

Spoiler

Great find. I always love his perspective on things and his inspirations are so obvious once he mentions them.

 

[Happosai]

I found this old interview from Monkey Punch (RIP) I thought some of you might be interested in:

Spoiler

That's an amazing interview and I feel bad not knowing Monkey Punch had passed away. I had the original comics and I've always stood on his side regarding the dislike of a "softer" Lupin that Miyazaki created. Lupin was never completely identical to his manga persona in any of the T.V. series but series 1 and 2 hit closest. He got extremely soft by the end of the 70's and was like the family friendly Lupin. Then again, most anime writers tend to shift away from their manga roots.

By the way, why did you put the article with a spoiler tag? People visiting this thread need to read this.

 

[Red Rackham's Revenge]

That's an amazing interview and I feel bad not knowing Monkey Punch had passed away. I had the original comics and I've always stood on his side regarding the dislike of a "softer" Lupin that Miyazaki created. Lupin was never completely identical to his manga persona in any of the T.V. series but series 1 and 2 hit closest. He got extremely soft by the end of the 70's and was like the family friendly Lupin. Then again, most anime writers tend to shift away from their manga roots.

By the way, why did you put the article with a spoiler tag? People visiting this thread need to read this.

To be honest, I only found out he passed when I just looked him up the other day. Besides wanting to watch Cagliostro as a kid but having no access to it, I don't have much of a history with Lupin before about a year back when I became interested and started watching Part IV. I'm keen on watching the whole thing though if I can get access to it because I like the character.

I thought it might make it easier for some to scroll the thread as the picture is quite large. I didn't intend to hide it, but I've fixed it now.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Lupin is cool, but I never much cared for MP's take. With two points of exception:
- His art style is very unique and striking, so very different from his contemporaries.
- He was dedicated to telling stories with plot twists, which I am a sucker for.
The weird, jokey-rapey tone of the comics was a huge turnoff to me and probably many others. But he definitely did some things "right."

 

[kunonabi]

Lupin is cool, but I never much cared for MP's take. With two points of exception:
- His art style is very unique and striking, so very different from his contemporaries.
- He was dedicated to telling stories with plot twists, which I am a sucker for.
The weird, jokey-rapey tone of the comics was a huge turnoff to me and probably many others. But he definitely did some things "right."

The best part of Lupin is that you can fit those characters into just about any tone and style. Serious, silly, gonzo sci-fi, gritty crime, family adventure, or artsy adult stories can all work. Being able to come up with characters that flexible is no easy feat.

 

[Lupin the Third]

The best part of Lupin is that you can fit those characters into just about any tone and style. Serious, silly, gonzo sci-fi, gritty crime, family adventure, or artsy adult stories can all work. Being able to come up with characters that flexible is no easy feat.

Seconded.

 

[Space Runaway]

No fun zone lately but I managed to slip a viewing of this in.

Explorer Woman Ray

Two short OVAs of the Indiana Jones(-lite) variety from 89. Although adapted from a comic I've no clue if either OVA is a retelling from comic chapters or original content.

The main reason I gave this a go was because I always remembered seeing the tape on the shelf at like Blockbuster or Suncoast and figured I'd finally see what it's like. =P

First OVA has two twins in possession of this OVA's macguffin (Which kinda looks like a Guyver unit at times) and want to use it to find treasure. They're being pursued by people who end up being crew for the series Belloq standin and go to Ray for help. There's some vague backstory to Ray's relationship with the Belloq guy and her missing father but its only flavor at best as the OVA doesn't dwell on much due to the 30 minute run-time. Unfortunately none of the action is great barring an opening train sequence (More to say on that), Ray is kind of a stick in the mud character and it feels like she spends half the OVA riding around in a fan boat. Usual ending where everything gets destroyed and nobody comes away with anything.

Second OVA continues with Ray in pursuit of the Belloq guy. She ditches the twins who decide to follow her cause she might need help or something. Whole first half basically follows the same pattern. Belloq guy is doing shit at location, cut to Ray walking through areas, cut to the twins doing things that are supposed to be "funny" or "cute" and then repeat. Second half is low rent action which leaves everything destroyed(again) in a very lackluster ending that's also kind of eye rolling.

Both are pretty forgettable and hampered by their run time. At 30 minutes the story pretty much starts ending right as it gets going and there's little room for character. Course then again rando 80s GI Joe episodes are able to pack in more story, action and character moments into 20-ish minutes than either of these OVAs (With about the same level of maturity) so maybe the scripts are just weak. =P Still, not the worst thing I've watched or anything. Just really basic and forgettable.

Also one thing of note, all the promo and advertising art show Ray as a brunette and the twins with red and blue hair. I have to assume these are the comic colors but the OVA does not use this color scheme and if they were going to make these changes then I'm not sure why they weren't advertised that way as well. The back of the JP VHS box pretty much "Nopes" the cover designs.

Both OVAs were released a month apart but the first ova looks better than the second. While the second is standard basic ova production the first has moments of above-average animation as there seems to be a pretty noticeable a and b team thing going on. Though what must be mentioned is the opening train sequence which is done in a different style than the rest of the ova. It features much better animation and direction compared to the rest of the ova and basically tricks you into thinking you were going to get an OVA with that level production. Nope. =P When I have time I'll have to look into the crew to see who was responsible for the good stuff.

This is another OVA I don't think made it off of VHS and LD.

Anyone ever end up seeing this before?

(Sorry if that was ramble-y I had to write it quick) =P

 

[Happosai]

The best part of Lupin is that you can fit those characters into just about any tone and style. Serious, silly, gonzo sci-fi, gritty crime, family adventure, or artsy adult stories can all work. Being able to come up with characters that flexible is no easy feat.

All manga characters are typically adapted differently by screen writers. I think it was seen by the producers at the time of the first and second seasons of Lupin that adapting his full manga persona would result in limited ratings and popularity. Also, possible cancellation after or during the first season for obvious reasons. Lupin really was ravenous over-the-top in the manga and I don't think that he would have survived in anime form had they adapted him closer to Monkey Punch's creation. Besides that, this was the early 70's and OVA's still didn't exist yet (as the video market didn't really exist); so the only shot they had was to broadcast him in a softer form for T.V.
Had Lupin been animated in the 80's...I believe the anime Lupin would have been a completely different one than the one everyone's now familiar with.

 

[Happosai]

No fun zone lately but I managed to slip a viewing of this in.

Explorer Woman Ray

Two short OVAs of the Indiana Jones(-lite) variety from 89. Although adapted from a comic I've no clue if either OVA is a retelling from comic chapters or original content.

The main reason I gave this a go was because I always remembered seeing the tape on the shelf at like Blockbuster or Suncoast and figured I'd finally see what it's like. =P

First OVA has two twins in possession of this OVA's macguffin (Which kinda looks like a Guyver unit at times) and want to use it to find treasure. They're being pursued by people who end up being crew for the series Belloq standin and go to Ray for help. There's some vague backstory to Ray's relationship with the Belloq guy and her missing father but its only flavor at best as the OVA doesn't dwell on much due to the 30 minute run-time. Unfortunately none of the action is great barring an opening train sequence (More to say on that), Ray is kind of a stick in the mud character and it feels like she spends half the OVA riding around in a fan boat. Usual ending where everything gets destroyed and nobody comes away with anything.

Second OVA continues with Ray in pursuit of the Belloq guy. She ditches the twins who decide to follow her cause she might need help or something. Whole first half basically follows the same pattern. Belloq guy is doing shit at location, cut to Ray walking through areas, cut to the twins doing things that are supposed to be "funny" or "cute" and then repeat. Second half is low rent action which leaves everything destroyed(again) in a very lackluster ending that's also kind of eye rolling.

Both are pretty forgettable and hampered by their run time. At 30 minutes the story pretty much starts ending right as it gets going and there's little room for character. Course then again rando 80s GI Joe episodes are able to pack in more story, action and character moments into 20-ish minutes than either of these OVAs (With about the same level of maturity) so maybe the scripts are just weak. =P Still, not the worst thing I've watched or anything. Just really basic and forgettable.

Also one thing of note, all the promo and advertising art show Ray as a brunette and the twins with red and blue hair. I have to assume these are the comic colors but the OVA does not use this color scheme and if they were going to make these changes then I'm not sure why they weren't advertised that way as well. The back of the JP VHS box pretty much "Nopes" the cover designs.

Both OVAs were released a month apart but the first ova looks better than the second. While the second is standard basic ova production the first has moments of above-average animation as there seems to be a pretty noticeable a and b team thing going on. Though what must be mentioned is the opening train sequence which is done in a different style than the rest of the ova. It features much better animation and direction compared to the rest of the ova and basically tricks you into thinking you were going to get an OVA with that level production. Nope. =P When I have time I'll have to look into the crew to see who was responsible for the good stuff.

This is another OVA I don't think made it off of VHS and LD.



Anyone ever end up seeing this before?

(Sorry if that was ramble-y I had to write it quick) =P

Have never seen it but the story was sounding like a more mediocre version of Iria or Birth (the OVA) at first in parts. Who was the North American distributor for the OVA? Also, note that you mentioned less-than-great animation on the second OVA...that's pretty much the story of many of these on shot OVA's. The first was when the producers had faith in the project and were able to give enough payout for animators to assemble everything in a clean way. Second one is after they see the payout for the first VHS, popularity or lack-of, and overall attention paid to. That's when I assume they decide how they're going to budget the staff for a second OVA.

 

[Space Runaway]

Have never seen it but the story was sounding like a more mediocre version of Iria or Birth (the OVA) at first in parts. Who was the North American distributor for the OVA? Also, note that you mentioned less-than-great animation on the second OVA...that's pretty much the story of many of these on shot OVA's. The first was when the producers had faith in the project and were able to give enough payout for animators to assemble everything in a clean way. Second one is after they see the payout for the first VHS, popularity or lack-of, and overall attention paid to. That's when I assume they decide how they're going to budget the staff for a second OVA.

It's def nowhere near the quality of Iria or the visual interests found in Birth. =P

It was released in the states by US Manga Corps.

The OVAs released a month apart in Japan so they would have had to be in production at roughly the same time. I would assume they put more effort into the first OVA since that's the one more people would see.

 

[Happosai]

It's def nowhere near the quality of Iria or the visual interests found in Birth. =P

It was released in the states by US Manga Corps.

The OVAs released a month apart in Japan so they would have had to be in production at roughly the same time. I would assume they put more effort into the first OVA since that's the one more people would see.

It still seems odd that they cut quality in two episodes. Seems from a production standpoint it would have made more sense to just make it into an OVA movie rather than split the production. That would also give more time to editors to choose what to cut and possibly the final version of the film would have been more enjoyable.


I'm not sure this ever saw a DVD release by U.S. Manga.
U.S. Manga had a lot of these releases which they would transfer cheaply to DVD not long after with the terrible looking "anime DVD" scroll on the right-side of the artwork. Here's a case of that.

It appears what CPM was doing early on with these covers was literally re-cropping the VHS covers and removing the title to be replaced with "Anime DVD." I think as soon as they realized people were buying their anime on DVD they started to make the covers look slightly better. I think I have a few that came out like this. I was also annoyed that they had to slap the language or sub notice on the front of the VHS' - like why could they have not put the language / sub options on the lower back of the VHS like most standard releases?

 

[Space Runaway]

It still seems odd that they cut quality in two episodes. Seems from a production standpoint it would have made more sense to just make it into an OVA movie rather than split the production. That would also give more time to editors to choose what to cut and possibly the final version of the film would have been more enjoyable.

I definitely agree they should have gone for an hour long OVA. At the very least it would have helped the story.

Quickly glancing at the staff, the OVAs had different directors. The first by the guy who created El-Hazard while the 2nd OVA having two credited directors; one of which has done basically nothing and the other being mostly an episode director and storyboarder. Perhaps it's simply just a difference in skill. =P Though the first OVA did have that opening sequence which was clearly handled separately from the rest of the production.

I'm not sure this ever saw a DVD release by U.S. Manga.
U.S. Manga had a lot of these releases which they would transfer cheaply to DVD not long after with the terrible looking "anime DVD" scroll on the right-side of the artwork. Here's a case of that.

It appears what CPM was doing early on with these covers was literally re-cropping the VHS covers and removing the title to be replaced with "Anime DVD." I think as soon as they realized people were buying their anime on DVD they started to make the covers look slightly better. I think I have a few that came out like this. I was also annoyed that they had to slap the language or sub notice on the front of the VHS' - like why could they have not put the language / sub options on the lower back of the VHS like most standard releases?

It didn't and it seems exactly like the type of title that would have gotten one of those releases. In fact I had a mandela of there being a dvd version but I'm probably mixing it up with a hazy memory of Landlock or something. =P

And on the subject of old dvd releases, you've made me remember the very first Bubblegum Crisis DVD set. It came in a PC box and even had jewel cases.

(Not my photo)

I had to pass on ever buying the dvds until that pink prism set came out a few years later.

 

[Happosai]

I definitely agree they should have gone for an hour long OVA. At the very least it would have helped the story.

Quickly glancing at the staff, the OVAs had different directors. The first by the guy who created El-Hazard while the 2nd OVA having two credited directors; one of which has done basically nothing and the other being mostly an episode director and storyboarder. Perhaps it's simply just a difference in skill. =P Though the first OVA did have that opening sequence which was clearly handled separately from the rest of the production.



It didn't and it seems exactly like the type of title that would have gotten one of those releases. In fact I had a mandela of there being a dvd version but I'm probably mixing it up with a hazy memory of Landlock or something. =P

And on the subject of old dvd releases, you've made me remember the very first Bubblegum Crisis DVD set. It came in a PC box and even had jewel cases.

(Not my photo)

I had to pass on ever buying the dvds until that pink prism set came out a few years later.

What was with American distributors packing anime in PC boxes or regular CD jewel cases? I don't remember them ever doing that with standard DVDs. Here's one that I've got in my collection that's similar. It's not quite a PC box but the disc slips out the bottom of a mock DVD case and looks like a PC game or regular music CD. Green Legend Ran first DVD release by Pioneer.

Now, this actually looks a little better (if I'm being honest) - than the first Bubblegum Crisis PC box release. The thing is, the top of the cardboard facade is seal up and the disc just drops out when you lift up the case.

I vaguely remember (this may or may not be accurate) them doing something similar to this style with JP releases of anime on VCD and possibly DVD in the 90's. I'm not sure if you can validate that or not.

 

[Lupin the Third]

All manga characters are typically adapted differently by screen writers. I think it was seen by the producers at the time of the first and second seasons of Lupin that adapting his full manga persona would result in limited ratings and popularity. Also, possible cancellation after or during the first season for obvious reasons. Lupin really was ravenous over-the-top in the manga and I don't think that he would have survived in anime form had they adapted him closer to Monkey Punch's creation. Besides that, this was the early 70's and OVA's still didn't exist yet (as the video market didn't really exist); so the only shot they had was to broadcast him in a softer form for T.V.
Had Lupin been animated in the 80's...I believe the anime Lupin would have been a completely different one than the one everyone's now familiar with.

The 1969 Pilot Film, originally a pitch for a theatrical film, is fairly similar in tone to the comics (MP even contributed design work early on). So there was a shot at a more faithful adaptation in theaters... But of course, nothing got made along those lines, unless you count the 1978 Mystery of Mamo which was also fairly similar to the manga's feel.

 

[Space Runaway]

What was with American distributors packing anime in PC boxes or regular CD jewel cases? I don't remember them ever doing that with standard DVDs.

Yeah I don't know the reasoning. It wasn't a common thing and seemed to just be certain companies making weird decisions when DVD was still a new thing. Apparently one of the printings of that BGC set was recalled due to one of the discs being a beta-test version.

Here's one that I've got in my collection that's similar. It's not quite a PC box but the disc slips out the bottom of a mock DVD case and looks like a PC game or regular music CD. Green Legend Ran first DVD release by Pioneer.

Now, this actually looks a little better (if I'm being honest) - than the first Bubblegum Crisis PC box release. The thing is, the top of the cardboard facade is seal up and the disc just drops out when you lift up the case.

Certainly better than BGC's set though you're still stuck having to keep a big pc box around or having a DVD in a jewel case, which doesn't really shelve that well with regular DVDs. =P

I vaguely remember (this may or may not be accurate) them doing something similar to this style with JP releases of anime on VCD and possibly DVD in the 90's. I'm not sure if you can validate that or not.

Hmmm...maybe. I don't recall running into any import DVDs that were packaged like this. For VCD I would sometimes see them sold in these strange tall vertical folding cases for multidisc sets.

 

[Sub_Level]

Saw Grave of the Fireflies recently.

That shit fucked me up. I have a little sister, man...

 

[Happosai]

The 1969 Pilot Film, originally a pitch for a theatrical film, is fairly similar in tone to the comics (MP even contributed design work early on). So there was a shot at a more faithful adaptation in theaters... But of course, nothing got made along those lines, unless you count the 1978 Mystery of Mamo which was also fairly similar to the manga's feel.

Yeah I don't know the reasoning. It wasn't a common thing and seemed to just be certain companies making weird decisions when DVD was still a new thing. Apparently one of the printings of that BGC set was recalled due to one of the discs being a beta-test version.



Certainly better than BGC's set though you're still stuck having to keep a big pc box around or having a DVD in a jewel case, which doesn't really shelve that well with regular DVDs. =P



Hmmm...maybe. I don't recall running into any import DVDs that were packaged like this. For VCD I would sometimes see them sold in these strange tall vertical folding cases for multidisc sets.

Saw Grave of the Fireflies recently.

That shit fucked me up. I have a little sister, man...

L Lupin the Third I've never seen the pilot film. Did that ever get released in North America or Europe? Sounds like it might be pretty cool to see! Thanks for sharing that. I've actually never seen the movie Dead or Alive (I think that was the title) in the Lupin movie lot and that was directed by M.P., correct?

Space Runaway The few anime blu-ray releases I have are kind of an awkward design and fit to add to my physically collection which is primarily DVD. Those odd PC-like cases almost fit in with the blu-ray anime releases I have lol. Another question on the VCD end; so...aside from LaserDisc...people sorta thought VCD would be the next generation of home video on disc after VHS. Did Japan ever back that up with any interesting VCD releases. I get that the quality must have sucked but I'm interested how those cases looked exactly.

Sub_Level Grave of Fireflies fits in well with the first Barefoot Gen movie. If that bothered you...don't watch Barefoot Gen.

 

[Space Runaway]

Space Runaway The few anime blu-ray releases I have are kind of an awkward design and fit to add to my physically collection which is primarily DVD. Those odd PC-like cases almost fit in with the blu-ray anime releases I have lol. Another question on the VCD end; so...aside from LaserDisc...people sorta thought VCD would be the next generation of home video on disc after VHS. Did Japan ever back that up with any interesting VCD releases. I get that the quality must have sucked but I'm interested how those cases looked exactly.

Hmmm...the only one that truly comes to mind was the HK VD of Violence Jack: Evil Town which had no cencorship or mosaics for the sex footage. The footage ended up being included as an extra on the Discotek DVD. Shame some anomaly like this didn't exist for Fist's censored content. I think it was also the VCD format where a couple episodes of Tatsunoko's Dokachin were found. Notable as the show is either lost or Tatsunoko simply refuses to release it despite doing so for most everything else from that period.

And not anime but I also remember it was long rumoured the much sought after uncut version of Bruce Lee's The Big Boss existed on some VCD release but at this point I'm pretty sure that's bullshit.

Personally I never liked the VCD format so I didn't get into it too much. It always felt watching footage at PS1 or Saturn FMV quality. =P

 

[Space Runaway]

Also two more old school shows coming to SDBD

Cheesy robot show Acrobunch and a "get you cancelled" perv show Miss Machiko (With covers that looks to be someones first attempt with photoshop...)

I know Miss Machiko has been available on some streaming services but I'm not sure if Acrobunch has been made (officially) available with subs before. For any interested they're currently up on rightstuf with discounted preorder pricing.

 

[Happosai]

Hmmm...the only one that truly comes to mind was the HK VD of Violence Jack: Evil Town which had no cencorship or mosaics for the sex footage. The footage ended up being included as an extra on the Discotek DVD. Shame some anomaly like this didn't exist for Fist's censored content. I think it was also the VCD format where a couple episodes of Tatsunoko's Dokachin were found. Notable as the show is either lost or Tatsunoko simply refuses to release it despite doing so for most everything else from that period.

And not anime but I also remember it was long rumoured the much sought after uncut version of Bruce Lee's The Big Boss existed on some VCD release but at this point I'm pretty sure that's bullshit.

Personally I never liked the VCD format so I didn't get into it too much. It always felt watching footage at PS1 or Saturn FMV quality. =P

Also two more old school shows coming to SDBD

Cheesy robot show Acrobunch and a "get you cancelled" perv show Miss Machiko (With covers that looks to be someones first attempt with photoshop...)


I know Miss Machiko has been available on some streaming services but I'm not sure if Acrobunch has been made (officially) available with subs before. For any interested they're currently up on rightstuf with discounted preorder pricing.

Space Runaway
I feel like an idiot. I've owned two different DVD releases of Violence Jack. The first was a very bad transfer with certain scenes censored out and possibly a dub only (not sure who released it but I got rid of it pretty fast). This was like 2014 and I remember people petitioning Discotek to remaster a better version of Violence Jack and surprisingly they gave in and released it. I bought it and now you tell me there's additional footage on there; I'd better check that out. I figured more had been cut from it judging by some of the editing.

Any reason why someone should watch Astrobunch? It appears like one of the types of shows that would have aired on Saturday morning T.V. on CBS back in the 80's under a Westernized title like "Astro Max" or "Space Robot Cadets." But maybe I'm wrong.
The latter looks like something that might fit better in a comedy category. I see you called it a "get you cancelled perv show." Was it something that the streaming host cancelled? Are people getting sensitive about innuendos in cartoons now? One thing I like more about retro anime is that it's so politically INcorrect. I was tipped by @SLoWMoTIoN that they already had trans and P.C. type anime but I can't remember in what thread. I don't doubt it considering that Japan has been well aware of their Western audience over the past 15-years. In the 70's and 80's I think most Japan artist dreamed of a Western audience but really just did their thing without regard to critics or a cancel crowd (which barely existed 25 + years ago.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Trans? Does Luka from Stein's count? The zombie child from Zombieland saga? We've had okama like characters since forever but idk about PC stuff. The most PC stuff I can remember was a shitty dub/rewrite a few years back.


^this same character is a complete degenerate as well so???

 

[Happosai]

Trans? Does Luka from Stein's count? The zombie child from Zombieland saga? We've had okama like characters since forever but idk about PC stuff. The most PC stuff I can remember was a shitty dub/rewrite a few years back.


^this same character is a complete degenerate as well so???

That dub and "what patriarchy?" Well, it sounds like based on what you've told me Japan isn't really pushing the agenda much. I mean, a few titles mentioned but there were some weird things that came out in the 80's and 90's too that would be on par with that.

About "woke dubs" that's a very real thing. I know that the majority of us are not watching dubs of retro or modern anime but I first watched Crayon Shin Chan seasons 1 and 2 dubbed. The dub is full of a ton of American liberal propaganda and just sounds awful that someone though to ruin a great Japanese comedy anime to tout their retard ideologies. That was another thing I can't stand with most dubs is just dropping Western vernacular into full in a spot where they weren't willing to interpret a Japanese reference or joke. I mean, it's friggin' anime...it doesn't need to be Westernized and never did.

 

[Space Runaway]

Space Runaway
I feel like an idiot. I've owned two different DVD releases of Violence Jack. The first was a very bad transfer with certain scenes censored out and possibly a dub only (not sure who released it but I got rid of it pretty fast). This was like 2014 and I remember people petitioning Discotek to remaster a better version of Violence Jack and surprisingly they gave in and released it. I bought it and now you tell me there's additional footage on there; I'd better check that out. I figured more had been cut from it judging by some of the editing.

I wasn't aware Discotek had a botched first release of Violence Jack. I remember their first dvd release of Fist of the North Star they had some awful translation that was worse than those HK dvds. They did reissue it but I skipped on the double dip until the bluray since I pretty much knew the movie even without subs. =P

Any reason why someone should watch Astrobunch? It appears like one of the types of shows that would have aired on Saturday morning T.V. on CBS back in the 80's under a Westernized title like "Astro Max" or "Space Robot Cadets." But maybe I'm wrong.

I'll let you know after I watch it. Though as far as I'm aware it's pretty much a standard giant robot show. Doesn't reinvent the wheel but isn't some goof ass shit like Astroganger.

The latter looks like something that might fit better in a comedy category. I see you called it a "get you cancelled perv show." Was it something that the streaming host cancelled? Are people getting sensitive about innuendos in cartoons now? One thing I like more about retro anime is that it's so politically INcorrect. I was tipped by SLoWMoTIoN that they already had trans and P.C. type anime but I can't remember in what thread. I don't doubt it considering that Japan has been well aware of their Western audience over the past 15-years. In the 70's and 80's I think most Japan artist dreamed of a Western audience but really just did their thing without regard to critics or a cancel crowd (which barely existed 25 + years ago.

Yeah Miss Machiko is one of those perv comedy shows. Pretty much every episode is filled with panty shots, inappropriate touching and whatever lewd stuff they could get away with. The show is super light hearted and silly where nothing is remotely serious.

And no it didn't get cancelled from streaming or anything. I just made the "get you cancelled" remark because it's the kind of content certain people would idiotically flip out over it they saw it. Luckily such types don't seem to care about old anime or even what happened in the prior week. =P

 

[Happosai]

I wasn't aware Discotek had a botched first release of Violence Jack. I remember their first dvd release of Fist of the North Star they had some awful translation that was worse than those HK dvds. They did reissue it but I skipped on the double dip until the bluray since I pretty much knew the movie even without subs. =P


I'll let you know after I watch it. Though as far as I'm aware it's pretty much a standard giant robot show. Doesn't reinvent the wheel but isn't some goof ass shit like Astroganger.



Yeah Miss Machiko is one of those perv comedy shows. Pretty much every episode is filled with panty shots, inappropriate touching and whatever lewd stuff they could get away with. The show is super light hearted and silly where nothing is remotely serious.

And no it didn't get cancelled from streaming or anything. I just made the "get you cancelled" remark because it's the kind of content certain people would idiotically flip out over it they saw it. Luckily such types don't seem to care about old anime or even what happened in the prior week. =P

I think I wrote that wrong about the Violence Jack first U.S. DVD release. If I recall and I may be wrong...it seems that U.S. Manga may have been the ones who released the censored version. Everything about it was bad. I recall the cover art seeming to be a cheap paper print and the disc was a DVD-R. The disc art I believe was pressed real and not a sticker but I'm not sure why they handled it so poorly. It also seems like the audio went out-of-sync during certain parts. Of course, they kinda deserved that for offering the dub only and not the original (subbed) audio. It wasn't Discotek to be clear. If you research, it may be possible to find out who printed the first N.A. release but I don't even think Discotek existed when they made that turkey. Discotek just has the one release and it's mostly complete.

Are you buying AcroBunch to watch or is it up on streaming somewhere?

It's better Miss Machiko stays on blu-ray and doesn't push toward streaming. Imagine if the woke crowd started examining all the anime from the 70's-present? I'm sure someone's started and there's really not much they can do about it. About the only one who would get censored would be if Ghibli took on a more adult project; that would stir something up but will likely never happen.

You brought up RightStuf. I'll say this about RightStuf. They are great at discounting items and excellent if you live in the continental U.S. Never had issues with them when I lived in Illinois.
When I moved to Mexico...the nightmare started. The shipping was slow like always (even if you're in the U.S.) but I would always pay their import fees and taxes at checkout. When their carrier (FedEx...the worst in any country) would bring me the packages they would hold them for ransom with a "special" customs declaration demanding an additional $15-$20 cash. If you don't have the cash or don't pay them; they send the package back. They did this when I ordered back in 2017 and they did this again when I bought Kimagure Orange Road TV. I confronted them on it and they refused to refund the additional import customs fee and simply stated: all international deliveries require the customer to pay in-country custom fees for all of our products." Completely ignoring that I'd already paid the $15 import fees at check-out.
If you ever consider ordering from RightStuf outside the U.S...reconsider or regret. You will not be refunded, it's nearly impossible to file claims against them, and their macho female CEO in Minnesota (who knows literally nothing about anime but is a businesswoman) isn't going to do so much as apologize for any inconvenience you have.

 

[Space Runaway]

I think I wrote that wrong about the Violence Jack first U.S. DVD release. If I recall and I may be wrong...it seems that U.S. Manga may have been the ones who released the censored version. Everything about it was bad. I recall the cover art seeming to be a cheap paper print and the disc was a DVD-R. The disc art I believe was pressed real and not a sticker but I'm not sure why they handled it so poorly. It also seems like the audio went out-of-sync during certain parts. Of course, they kinda deserved that for offering the dub only and not the original (subbed) audio. It wasn't Discotek to be clear. If you research, it may be possible to find out who printed the first N.A. release but I don't even think Discotek existed when they made that turkey. Discotek just has the one release and it's mostly complete.

Ah that must be the old Manga release. They originally put out censored VHS tapes in dubbed only format (The uncensored versions were released with subs under their alternate label Critical Mass). I guess since the DVD came out under Manga and not Critical Mass it ended up being their censored dub release.

Are you buying AcroBunch to watch or is it up on streaming somewhere?

I don't know if it's streaming but I'm planning to buy it just so I have a physical.

It's better Miss Machiko stays on blu-ray and doesn't push toward streaming. Imagine if the woke crowd started examining all the anime from the 70's-present? I'm sure someone's started and there's really not much they can do about it. About the only one who would get censored would be if Ghibli took on a more adult project; that would stir something up but will likely never happen.

It's actually still up on Crunchy Roll. With the Sony purchase I wonder how long such content will remain.

You brought up RightStuf. I'll say this about RightStuf. They are great at discounting items and excellent if you live in the continental U.S. Never had issues with them when I lived in Illinois.
When I moved to Mexico...the nightmare started. The shipping was slow like always (even if you're in the U.S.) but I would always pay their import fees and taxes at checkout. When their carrier (FedEx...the worst in any country) would bring me the packages they would hold them for ransom with a "special" customs declaration demanding an additional $15-$20 cash. If you don't have the cash or don't pay them; they send the package back. They did this when I ordered back in 2017 and they did this again when I bought Kimagure Orange Road TV. I confronted them on it and they refused to refund the additional import customs fee and simply stated: all international deliveries require the customer to pay in-country custom fees for all of our products." Completely ignoring that I'd already paid the $15 import fees at check-out.
If you ever consider ordering from RightStuf outside the U.S...reconsider or regret. You will not be refunded, it's nearly impossible to file claims against them, and their macho female CEO in Minnesota (who knows literally nothing about anime but is a businesswoman) isn't going to do so much as apologize for any inconvenience you have.

 

[Happosai]

Ah that must be the old Manga release. They originally put out censored VHS tapes in dubbed only format (The uncensored versions were released with subs under their alternate label Critical Mass). I guess since the DVD came out under Manga and not Critical Mass it ended up being their censored dub release.


I don't know if it's streaming but I'm planning to buy it just so I have a physical.



It's actually still up on Crunchy Roll. With the Sony purchase I wonder how long such content will remain.

About the whole Crunchy Roll thing; I wrote a long-winded post today outlining how to avoid watching censored anime. I mean, summary is...people need to go back to the home video market. They need to buy physical if they sincerely want to watch anime anytime, no censorship, no rental fees. We have three streaming service subscriptions: Netflix, Prime, and Disney +. I wish I could say more about them but they're stripped down, they're limited only to what the provider is authorized by film companies to put out, they thrive on lame "original series," and the moment you skip a payment (if you're not paying annual); they lock everything so you can't watch it. It's basically a next generation version of video rental stores. You get to rent a movie, series, or whatever for 30-days...don't pay us to borrow the media and we'll cut you off or charge a late fee. That's why I can't make sense of why people stopped buying physical media. Especially with anime. I mean, there is anime that will never be on streaming services.

The nightmare with RightStuf happens when you question their business practices. There is not a single person who works at Rightstuf that will not retaliate if you so much as ask for a return. That's the thing...if you live in the U.S., you pay them, and shut up...they'll appear to be a pretty normal company. They were seemingly normal when I ordered from them in the U.S. Once I made those two and only international orders - I found out how much they really hate accommodating international buyers and what they're able to get away with as long as you're not physically able to file claims with them on U.S. soil. I doubt anyone has ever been refunded for anything damaged, defective, or otherwise by RightStuf. Do some reading into their management and you'll find that hundreds have had my experiences with them or worse. I order from Europe, U.S. Amazon.com, U.S. eBay, and a number of other places and have never had this issue. Serious anime collectors should consider Amazon or eBay and beware...RightStuf does sell as a third-party via Amazon. So, make sure you're ordering your anime from Amazon or another third-party.

 

[Space Runaway]

Just recently finished up Sakigake!! Otokojukue, a 1988 Toei show based on the comic of the same name.

Otokojuku is some over the top school that takes in highschool dropouts and will "refine their manhood" so they can become future leaders of Japan. It initially starts out as something of a gag series, following the first year students dealing with all the wacky school activities, the teachers, harassment from 2nd (And later 3rd) year students and all sorts of goofy shit. It's one of those shows where everything is really over the top and a lot of fun. It has a general formula where one or several characters get into a crazy situation or challenge and tends to end with the lead character, Momotaro, either cleaning everything up or tipping the balance in some way. Despite the Fist-looking characters (More on that) fighting is not really a focus for the first half of the series, with it more about the characters and their tribulations. Lots of fun stories and comedy during this portion.

Somewhere around halfway into the series (Whenever the American police academy students show up) it quickly shifts into a shonen fight show and quite a good one at that. The characters were already great and easily slip into this style. Although there is a certain repetition to its shonen formula, the scenarios and match-ups prove to be a lot of fun. Plus they keep the fights quick-ish and well paced, so even the longer match-ups usually won't go past 2 episodes. Also with the art style you really can't help but feel like you're watching Fist of the North Star a good amount of the time. =P

The show is a bit more serious during the second half but it doesn't forget it's comedy roots and everything has a tongue in cheek vibe(Never forget, these 300lbs roid monsters are first year high school students ). Even death is even treated as something of a joke. And even though part of the cast gets pushed to the background, they're still always invovled in some way and never forgotten. You wouldn't think a character hoisting a flag would be such a dramatic thing until you see it in this. =P

For music we have Shunsuke Kikuchi (The real Dragonball composer) doing the music. He was already knee deep in Dragonball at this point yet he provides a great score that fits the show while maintaining his unique style. Although the score came out on CD there's still several missing tracks that have yet to see release. Perhaps one day.

If you're wondering why this show looks so much like Fist, basically the comic already looked like something of a Fist knock-off and after Fist 2 concluded, most of the directors, artists and staff migrated to this project. So they adapted the already Fist-looking art fully into the Fist 2 style. This show began airing weeks after Fist 2 concluded so you're getting the Fist 2 team one more time. This is of course a very good thing as they were highly refined at this point and the show itself has a pretty decent budget (Not quite to the level of Fist 2 when it comes to coloring) as well.

Now it must be said, this series has one huge flaw. It covers something like the first 10 manga volumes and ends with an 8 man team tournament. For reasons unknown, though most likely related to budget, halfway into this tournament Toei decided to jump ahead, leaving a large chunk of the fights as still-frames in a clip show format, only picking up at the very end of the second to last fight in this tournament. To do this was fucking nuts as there were some major fights skipped over - at least one being a wrap-up for a long running side story too. It doesn't help the final battle concludes in ep 33, leaving 34 (The final episode) as a series clip show. It really sucks that Toei pulled this but the saving grace is you can still check out all the fights in the comic (And from what I hear the comic is even better).

Still, even with that the show remains solid and I highly recommend it if you like Fist or stuff like Grappler Baki. It's odd it has not been licenced for any US release by this point though that tends to be due to Toei asking for too much money. Hopefully one day someone puts out a bluray or whatever. Until then, enjoy the fansub version. Oh and a word of warning, this is one of those shows where the "next episode" preview spoils the entire episode.


Oh and I should mention about 3/4 into the series they released an animated movie. First half has the cast taking part in some crazy life or death obstacle game and then the second half moves to the shonen fight portion with a 4v4 match setup. It's an enjoyable watch though the final fight is rather disappointing, with the prior 3 fights being much better. Tetsuo Imazawa of God Mars (And Pyshcic Wars...) directed it and it defintely has a bit of a different feel than the tv series. The movie also has a different composer though we get a pretty good late 80s synth and bass type score so I'm cool with that.

There was a live action movie too but...no.


Oh and I almost forgot the best part:

Spoiler