Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex

[dib1220]

ah ok thanks is the case steal book? and also i think i read this before but this Japanese release does have the English audio right?

[gundamcero]

Originally Posted by dib1220

ah ok thanks is the case steal book? and also i think i read this before but this Japanese release does have the English audio right?

Its not a steelbook and it does have English audio

[ccunning1]

So I got the new Japanese release, and what do you guys think of the picture quality? It looks like a downgrade in picture to me from the anniversary edition, or is all the fine detail removed on the US version?

[Morsoth]

Since I don't plan to watch the series with English dubs (I prefer Japanese audio with English subs), I finally ordered the US releases. The price dropped on Amazon.ca (it went from $63 on release date to $49.97 today) with Free Shipping in Canada!

[Naiera]

It's a good thing that the songs aren't crap so you'll never want to skip them then.

[SixSpeedSamurai]

Originally Posted by Naiera

It's a good thing that the songs aren't crap so you'll never want to skip them then.

I have the season 2 opening theme stuck in my head.

I'm almost done with season 2, I've found it to be a bit too slow and political for my tastes. Not as far as the whole refugee plotline, it's very on point with some of the things going on in the US at the moment. Just that the politics surrounding the government and Section 9.

I appreciate some of the focus on the other team members of Section 9, but I think the Major takes a back seat far too often.

[Naiera]

The ending to season two is quite epic, I think. I never actually finished season two until I got the Korean sets last year.

[Vangeli]

At least on my KS850D the Korean SAC Blu-rays look pretty fantastic. It's 60i though it looks like 30p, which is exactly what should happen. (The show was mastered at 30p IIRC.)

Subtitles seem great so far too. Super happy!

[Naiera]

1080i60 is, of course, going to be de-interlaced when shown on any fixed-resolution display, which is all HDTVs today.

[dib1220]

Ok I pulled the trigger and ordered the Japanese blu ray of the first movie

[One-Eye]

Quick question does everyone else's inner case art on the Korean SAC1 the same? Mine is but on SAC2 its all different. Did I get a weird one or is that how its supposed to look?
SAC1:


SAC2:

Originally Posted by Vangeli

At least on my KS850D the Korean SAC Blu-rays look pretty fantastic. It's 60i though it looks like 30p, which is exactly what should happen. (The show was mastered at 30p IIRC.)

I don't know. I only watched first episode so far, but it didn't seem as sharp as it could have been. I probably been watching too much BDs lately though and should compare it with my old DVDs.

Subtitles seem great so far too. Super happy!

The satandalone misspelling thru me.

However the JPN audio is fantastic. So much detail in the audio. It almost makes up for the 14 cases that hogs my bookshelf now.

[Nostalgic Twilight]

Originally Posted by One-Eye

I don't know. I only watched first episode so far, but it didn't seem as sharp as it could have been. I probably been watching too much BDs lately though and should compare it with my old DVDs.

If you're interested, vincentric created some comparisons here and here.

[Squall835]

Originally Posted by One-Eye

Quick question does everyone else's inner case art on the Korean SAC1 the same? Mine is but on SAC2 its all different. Did I get a weird one or is that how it's supposed to look?

I have the lenticular sets and my copy has the same interior artwork for each volume like yours.

[One-Eye]

Originally Posted by Nostalgic Twilight

If you're interested, vincentric created some comparisons here and here.

Thanks for that. Its definitely an improvement. What stood out to me in the first ep and to be fair its only one ep out of many, was that some of the figure lines could have been stronger in the BD. And there's one scene that the Major walks into Aramaki's office that's just rough looking, but that probably has more to do with the original material than the BD. I'm sure the more I watch the less I'll notice. I probably had my eye lenses set to maximum pickiness is all.

The improved audio alone was well worth the price of admission though.

Originally Posted by Squall835

I have the lenticular sets and my copy has the same interior artwork for each volume like yours.

Thanks. It just seemed weird to me that they would repeat the same image on one set and not the other, so it made me wonder if something was off.

[Vlad Draculi]

Originally Posted by dib1220

I know they changed the English voices for that. Kinda makes me sad. That's why I never jumped on buying.

That's unfair to punish Funimation and the show for doing that when that was something Production IG told them to do. They changed the voices with the Japanese version and wanted the same to be done with the English version.

It also makes a great story for Richard Epcar to tell (due to Chris Sabat taking over the role of Jigan in Lupin when Funi acquired the show and now in Arise).

Originally Posted by varmintx

My hat's off to anyone still pestering them as I gave up a month ago resigned to the fact that they're not going to do anything to fix the releases.

Pestering them is the only way they are going to get it through their skulls that they suck though.

[Jeo]

So, I didn't actually know the Korean SAC had inner art, because my printing was the one with the black cases.

Anyone know where I'd be able to get clear replacement cases for a reasonable price, shipped to the UK?

[Naiera]

Originally Posted by One-Eye

... but it didn't seem as sharp as it could have been. I probably been watching too much BDs lately though and should compare it with my old DVDs.

That has nothing to do with it being 1080i60. It's one of the very first digital HD shows, so it's not going to look quite as sharp as today's productions.

[Vangeli]

Originally Posted by Naiera

That has nothing to do with it being 1080i60. It's one of the very first digital HD shows, so it's not going to look quite as sharp as today's productions.

Yeah, there appears to be bits of upscaled SD mixed in with HD. Can't make those shots any "sharper" and I think it looks fantastic.

[One-Eye]

Originally Posted by Naiera

That has nothing to do with it being 1080i60. It's one of the very first digital HD shows, so it's not going to look quite as sharp as today's productions.

Agreed. I wasn't trying to make a statement about 1080i60 only that the first ep didn't quite look like I was expecting and I did state that I was probably being influenced by more current BDs along with my follow up post that I was probably being too picky.

[dib1220]

Originally Posted by Vlad Draculi

That's unfair to punish Funimation and the show for doing that when that was something Production IG told them to do. They changed the voices with the Japanese version and wanted the same to be done with the English version.

It also makes a great story for Richard Epcar to tell (due to Chris Sabat taking over the role of Jigan in Lupin when Funi acquired the show and now in Arise).



Pestering them is the only way they are going to get it through their skulls that they suck though.

No no, I wasn't punishing either of them, I was just saying for me personally as a huge fan of the English dub of the first 2 seasons, it will just take me a little bit to get used to the new voices. I did it with DBZ when funi took over. I understand that for reasons dub voices change. I'm now interested in getting arise as well. One question, is arise a separate universe from SOC and 2nd gig?

Also I had no idea that lupin the 3rd had a new funi dub. I'm interested in seeing that as well