I really want Utena Movie on Blu, it has the most artistic design I have ever seen on any anime film

All of the animation in the movie is new (it's digital rather than cel), but a lot of the scenes play out the same way as in the series. It's in the last third of the movie that a lot of the new material starts to show up (the battle with the Angel from episode 6 is a lot longer and more intense) . At the end of the movie, . A new character (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto) will be introduced in the second movie, so I'm expecting it to have a lot of differences.

Me too. As the TV series and the movie were recently remastered in HD for the Japanese DVD re-release, I'm hoping this gets released soon. A U.S. release is a big question mark, though, since the license is currently in limbo.

Ahh, this is good news. Sadly I'm actually thinking of attempting to teach myself Japanese because of all of the anime and films that we miss out on here in the US. I thought it was an easier language to learn, but a local professor has just told me that there are some complex things to learn to completly master the language.

Hehe...some people pick it up differently, I minored in Japanese and have promote Japanese music and entertainment since '93 and I haven't even mastered the language. In fact, I think my Japanese has gotten worse each year now that I don't use it as much. But you can definitely learn the basics, read hiragana and katakana. If you want to learn Japanese, you can. How far you want to learn, depends on you.

But it all depends on the individual, I've known one who studied at UCLA in a short time and ended up translating manga and now working for Toyota corporate in Japan. But she soaked everything up perfectly. She said she learned through repetition through manga translations. I actually learned a lot from the music and watching Japanese dramas.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Kndy. I'm actually looking at some books on amazon right now. :p

Back to anime. who here has not watched FFVII: Advent Children Complete? Holy Crap! Just when I couldn't think I could see a better movie, they make perfection better. Wow, the TrueHD is nice too, though a little lite on the LFE channel (at least on my 'cube III)

To be honest, I thought Advent Children was meh. Then again, I didn't care for FFVII to begin with. I am sure it looks nice though.

Jin Roh came with a book of storyboards, not a DVD.

You can get the single disc version of these, and Patlabor, from Japan
http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/product/detail/2728105

But they are not much cheaper than the full SE.

Patlabor 1 and 2 are the pick of the bunch transfer wise (no stupid pillar boxing). And story too, but that is just IMHO.

I was the same way. I was disappointed with the FFVII final scene of the video game and at first watch of "Advent Children" I was more into the graphic and look of the characters than the story.

But after playing "Crisis Core" and even "Dirge of Cerberus", those games actually made me want to watch FFVI AC Complete and the new extra footage actually made things much more coherent for me. Also, the addition of the anime OAV "On the Way to a Smile" and also the newer special features, especially the one explaining "Beginning Crisis" was pretty cool (since I've never played that game).

Personally, I would love to see SquareEnix revisit Squall and Riona :)

Had a quick question, well two I guess...

Is Shigurui English subbed or dubbed?

Is Sword of the Stranger English subbed or dubbed?

By the way I forget who it was, I believe the OP, THANK YOU for recommending "Sword of the Stranger" I checked it out on youtube before the review came out today. And I was blown away, plus the blu's colors just look like they are gonna POP off my screen. Thanks again! Any more suggestions along the lines of Afro Samurai, Shigurui, Sword of the Stranger, Death Note would be greatly appreciated!:D

Those 2 titles have both English audio and Japanese audio with english subtitle so it's all good for everybody. Personally, I'm anxiously waiting for Sword of the Stranger(looks incredible) next week. Hopefully the PQ looks better than the images in the review.

As for recommendation, if you like those titles you've mentioned, you might like Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Bleach(great sword-fighting) and Ninja Scroll. Although, keep in mind, those are not on Blu-ray just yet.

To be honest, I think FFIX was the only Final Fantasy game I finished and enjoyed.


Anywho, I should have Sword of the Stranger on Friday.

FFIX was awesome! Actually my favorite FF game! But makes me wonder if Square Enix will pursue any more CG based films in the near future.

Thank you very much... I just started to really get into the genre and love all the helpful pieces of advice. I will start with the two mentioned in my previous post and keep an eye out for the ones you did, even though I'll probably look for em on DVD for now anyways, cuz I cant wait!:D

HELLO FELLOW ANIME FANS!!!

I currently own all the Anime listed on Blu-ray including Street Fighter IV, except for the OOP Bandai releases (Yukikaze, SOS Tokyo Metro Explores, & Wings of Honneamise). Has anyone found a reliable source to buy these from?


Also, do we have an Official statement or link that Basilisk, Blue Gender, Gunslinger Girl, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, & Trinity Blood is coming to Blu-ray???

I don't believe so at the moment. The end of the month we may have more info on FUNi stuff since Origin is coming out. Usually FUNi include a little slip telling about future Blu-ray releases and release dates. So hopefully it is an updated one.

As the One Piece fanboy I am, I am really hoping they announce either movie 4, 6, or 9. Such great films (also, again, 8 sucks the big one). Movie 6 is done by the guy who did The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Another movie that should come out on Blu-ray in the states.

Paprika - it is probably the best on the list as far as content & PQ

Yes, I love those little slips that are included in the case... Always praying for a Big Surprise! :ohnoes:

Would also love THe Girl Who Leapt Through Time on Blu-ray!

What about PQ on Freedom, Sky Crawlers, Akira, & Ghost in the Shell 2???

Picture quality is awesome for "Freedom" and "Sky Crawlers". For "Sky Crawlers" the folks at Skywalker Ranch were impressed by the visuals and they did a great job with audio quality. "Akira" of course is an older film but Bandai invested heavily to remaster the film and it's the first film on Blu-ray that has a 192 kHz audio track. (I know there is a concert on 192kHz track that someone pointed out in the original Akira thread). Now, as for "Ghost in the Shell 2.0", the audio quality is great but unfortunately there is no lossless track.

But it all comes down to if you are picky about animation. Also, what kind of anime your into. But these titles are solid. Of the four, "Akira" will always be a classic but of the four, the one I really, really enjoyed was the "Freedom" box set.