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Fans of anime may know that ADV, MVM and the other distributors of region 2 anime are stepping up a gear in the next few months to bring many many new titles to the UK - Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Totoro, Full Metal Panic, and piles more.
Which kind of leaves anime fans, in my opinion, with a dilemma.
To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if we all continue to import then the companies which are right now aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
Not many normal people bother with region 1, most of the friends and relatives I've got interested in Anime only have Region 2, they borrow mine and like it, so go and buy their own region 2 stuff.
Thoughts ?
Which kind of leaves anime fans, in my opinion, with a dilemma.
To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if we all continue to import then the companies which are right now aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
Not many normal people bother with region 1, most of the friends and relatives I've got interested in Anime only have Region 2, they borrow mine and like it, so go and buy their own region 2 stuff.
Thoughts ?
Totoro - MVM has done a deal with Pioneer to begin releasing their titles, so far only chobits has been named but it's early days, this was in Newtype USA mag so it's reliable info.
I'm not really bothered, as long as it has the original Japanese version with English subtitles.
By the way, if you haven't already seen it you should try getting the Initial D box set, I thought it was rather good.
By the way, if you haven't already seen it you should try getting the Initial D box set, I thought it was rather good.
Totoro wrote:
> I'd like for the Lupin films and TV series to be released here as
> that's a great franchise, but Pioneer does them in the US, and they're
> not one for releasing stuff in the UK.
Actually I just remembered that I read that MVM might be releasing some Pioneer titles, which is good news. Hopefully Lupin will be one of the things they release.
> I'd like for the Lupin films and TV series to be released here as
> that's a great franchise, but Pioneer does them in the US, and they're
> not one for releasing stuff in the UK.
Actually I just remembered that I read that MVM might be releasing some Pioneer titles, which is good news. Hopefully Lupin will be one of the things they release.
£25?!, Movietyme has it for under a tenner.
All in all, it's good to see lots of titles on the horizon for the UK, seeing all of them being submitted to the BBFC and all that, knowing that plenty of decent titles coming out here is great stuff.
AD Visions are releaseing plenty of titles regularly, the Ghibli dvds will arrive eventually, and Spirited Away may be in cinemas in September (and will hopefully get the good recognition is deserves as it's miles better than recent Disney efforts and other animated films that get shown here in cinemas (Pooh Bear movies, Rugrats movies etc), so there's some good stuff coming soon.
I'd like for the Lupin films and TV series to be released here as that's a great franchise, but Pioneer does them in the US, and they're not one for releasing stuff in the UK.
Cowboy Bebop is the other I'd like to see released here, as it's just such an amazing show. The film has been scheduled for a dvd release here for some time as well. I just hope the TV show comes out and get's some attention.
All in all, it's good to see lots of titles on the horizon for the UK, seeing all of them being submitted to the BBFC and all that, knowing that plenty of decent titles coming out here is great stuff.
AD Visions are releaseing plenty of titles regularly, the Ghibli dvds will arrive eventually, and Spirited Away may be in cinemas in September (and will hopefully get the good recognition is deserves as it's miles better than recent Disney efforts and other animated films that get shown here in cinemas (Pooh Bear movies, Rugrats movies etc), so there's some good stuff coming soon.
I'd like for the Lupin films and TV series to be released here as that's a great franchise, but Pioneer does them in the US, and they're not one for releasing stuff in the UK.
Cowboy Bebop is the other I'd like to see released here, as it's just such an amazing show. The film has been scheduled for a dvd release here for some time as well. I just hope the TV show comes out and get's some attention.
I'm going to try stick to Region 2, I'd rather have them to be honest as I can play them on more than just the multiregion DVD player downstairs. Voices Of A Distant Star has been submitted by ADV to the BBFC - I paid nearly £25 to get that on Region 1 ! May only be a short film but it is ACE !!
Practical Magic wrote:
> To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many
> people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if
> we all continue to import then the companies which are right now
> aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to
> bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
>
> So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or
> remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region
> 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
T'is a good point. The trouble is obviously the long wait we have in the UK when compared to the US; I've had the Ghibli dvds (Kiki, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away) since they came out in the US, thus lowering sales figures of those films when they arrive here on dvd.
The same problem happens with games. The import scene, especially for Nintendo games, is massive, and lots of people import instead of waiting, thus lowering UK sales figures (i.e, if Animal Forest ever arrives here the sales figures will be low as it's a fairly quirky game anyway, but most people who really want it will have already bought it).
I will probably still buy region 1 as they come out far earlier, though if there's a series I'm only slightly interested in (e.g Full Metal Panic, RahXephon) then I might wait and get the region 2 versions to give a bit of support.
Basically, if the dvds arrive over here much sooner, then I'd be more inclined to get them from the UK, but sometimes the wait is far too long, especially if it's a show/film you're really looking foward to.
> To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many
> people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if
> we all continue to import then the companies which are right now
> aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to
> bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
>
> So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or
> remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region
> 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
T'is a good point. The trouble is obviously the long wait we have in the UK when compared to the US; I've had the Ghibli dvds (Kiki, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away) since they came out in the US, thus lowering sales figures of those films when they arrive here on dvd.
The same problem happens with games. The import scene, especially for Nintendo games, is massive, and lots of people import instead of waiting, thus lowering UK sales figures (i.e, if Animal Forest ever arrives here the sales figures will be low as it's a fairly quirky game anyway, but most people who really want it will have already bought it).
I will probably still buy region 1 as they come out far earlier, though if there's a series I'm only slightly interested in (e.g Full Metal Panic, RahXephon) then I might wait and get the region 2 versions to give a bit of support.
Basically, if the dvds arrive over here much sooner, then I'd be more inclined to get them from the UK, but sometimes the wait is far too long, especially if it's a show/film you're really looking foward to.
Fans of anime may know that ADV, MVM and the other distributors of region 2 anime are stepping up a gear in the next few months to bring many many new titles to the UK - Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Totoro, Full Metal Panic, and piles more.
Which kind of leaves anime fans, in my opinion, with a dilemma.
To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if we all continue to import then the companies which are right now aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
Not many normal people bother with region 1, most of the friends and relatives I've got interested in Anime only have Region 2, they borrow mine and like it, so go and buy their own region 2 stuff.
Thoughts ?
Which kind of leaves anime fans, in my opinion, with a dilemma.
To import or not ? Region 1 DVD's have been the staple of many people's collections as most titles get no Region 2 release. But, if we all continue to import then the companies which are right now aiming to expand the anime market for Region 2 may well decide not to bother if people don't buy them because they imported.
So, wait a while and get Region 2, and support anime in the UK, or remain a slave to importing at the cost of potentially killing Region 2 releases which would expand the anime market over here.
Not many normal people bother with region 1, most of the friends and relatives I've got interested in Anime only have Region 2, they borrow mine and like it, so go and buy their own region 2 stuff.
Thoughts ?