Time of EVE: The Movie on Blu-ray - Kickstarter Campaign

[Vracer111]

I'm fine waiting for a quality product - Studia Rikka has shown they care about the release and are doing a great job in making a quality product. Time of Eve (and all included content) is being dubbed in English along with being subtitled in 10 different languages, the Fan Book is translated to English, previous works of Pale Cocoon and The Water Aquatic are being included, the Soundtrack is being included, and they are double checking and proofing everything. It will be released when it's released, and it will be a very high quality release.

With Bubblegum Crisis, I'm like whatever, it will be released when it's released as well...but AnimEigo doesn't truly give too much care about a quality release for an "Ultimate Edition" it seems.

[SeaFox]

Originally Posted by zrdb

Glad I didn't get involved with the ks campaign for this, Bubblegum Crisis is enough for me.

Really?

The ToE Kickstarter is one I've been most satisfied with. Keep in mind a good four months of this delay is simply because they had to wait for the rights to expire on Aquatic Language and Pale Cocoon before they could be released on disc again -- and that was a decision the backers voted for. We aren't having to go through a bunch to drama to get all these subtitle tracks (like with Bubblegum Crisis) and there's no money being spent of things people don't want (Challenge Coins), and extras available for people who do want them (coffee mugs and canisters) without forcing them on everyone.

I would appreciate an update from the ToE folks at this point, but that's all. Just a word on how things are going.

[FREYMAX 3D]

Update #28
May 9 2014

Here is what we have

Dear Backers,

We've been holding off on sending an update until we could announce some significant milestones, but we know silence is irritating. Here is what we have.

Subtitles

On April 23rd, we delivered the 120 subtitle files to Justin Sevakis, and 2 days ago we finalized the subtitle renders after extensive troubleshooting and tweaking. Justin now has all of the elements to author the Blu-ray, EXCEPT for the…

English dub

Michael Sinterniklaas delivered the audio mix of the dub in three sections, on April 28th, May 5th, and this morning, May 8th. We've asked for a few revisions to the mix, and are pressing him to deliver the final file. We cannot announce the shipping date until we have the final dub mix.

Here are the revisions:

(1) Android voice filter

Michael brought onboard Ellis Burman, the audio mixer he worked with for "Ernest and Celestine," who is doing a stellar job as promised. And, Ellis proposed an audio filter for the androids when outside the cafe. The audio filter is a bold proposition, so we asked Yoshiura for his input. His response:


Dear Ann (that's me),

The filter sounds cool and is executed well, but using audio to differentiate the androids creates problems in the story.

In the "Time of EVE" story, we see palpitations unique to adolescence, and (those emotions) emerge precisely because androids are indistinguishable from ordinary humans. Also, in the second part of the story, Sammy at home gradually begins to talk more like humans--how to handle that with an audio filter in place?

I think it's best to add the voice filter only to the old-style robots, namely Tex and Katoran.

Expressing "robot-ness" through the voices really depends on the performance capabilities of the cast (laugh). It's best if they can show the subtle differences from humans by controlling their voice inflection.

The above comments are just my own thoughts.

Yasuhiro Yoshiura ***

We've asked Michael to have the audio filter applied to Katoran and Tex only, and have it removed from all of the other lines.

(2) Katoran's scene

There are 4 instances where a name spoken in the dialogue should be made inaudible. We've asked Michael to make "Katoran" inaudible.

(3) Classroom banter

We've asked that the voices of the students be made more audible (after the android says "I've brought you a change of clothes, Master"). Also, the voice filter will be removed from the classroom android and Sammy.

Packaging

The printers found a mistake in the way the files have been set up for the digipak and slipcover, and our designer is fixing the files.

A note about the Special Thanks…at first, we found the names in a memo from Setoro to Dr. Ashimori, but Yoshiura was like, let's dig a little deeper and see if we can find the original source of the names…turns out they were Katoran's database! You'll find the complete set in the final package.

Official Fan Book

I, Ann, am the bottleneck here. Now that the subtitles are squared away, I am doing the final edits on the text. There are lots of editorial tweaks along the way, especially adjusting the Japanese layout to work with horizontal-only English text. It looks pretty awkward in English. We still need to adjust the layout so it works for horizontal text.

Perspective and context

When we launched the Kickstarter, we had in mind a Blu-ray of the movie with subtitle tracks. We'd done the Blu-ray of the ONA 6 episodes, so the project seemed well within our comfort zone. Thanks to your support we were able to include more material, the dub, and additional subtitle tracks. We figured that pushing the delivery date from October 2013 to January 2014 would give us enough of a cushion to get it all done. Obviously, we were wrong. Still, we weren't quite sure…just how complicated is this project…?

So, we asked Justin Sevakis for his perspective. We quote him here:

"This is easily the most complicated disc I've ever authored, and possibly the most complicated Blu-ray I've ever seen that didn't come from a major studio. The main feature has 20 subtitle tracks. The total file count for every disc asset is currently a bit over 48,000. Somehow, it's all coming together, but it's a huge undertaking. I'm really happy to have the support of all the fans that donated and worked on this project because it's quite an undertaking and they've done an amazing job. I can't wait for it to be out, because the final product will be really impressive."

What we want more than anything is to get this release into your hands.

Thank you, again, for your patience.

Time of EVE / Ann

[FREYMAX 3D]

MAJOR relief they didn't go with the android voice filter, that would have pissed me off to no end. They're playing around way too much with this, just leave it and get it out already!

[SeaFox]

Originally Posted by FREYMAX 3D

MAJOR relief they didn't go with the android voice filter, that would have pissed me off to no end. They're playing around way too much with this, just leave it and get it out already!

Depends. In this case the choice is correct -- note that this audio filter is being brought up as though it's a new thing. Which means before this they were not going to apply vocal effects to any of the android dub voices. That would not have been a "correct" reproduction of the characters in my opinion.

Here, we will now have the filter applied to the older model androids that in the Japanese did have a effect on them, as it should be.

Coincidentally I have a Bleach clip of my own I uploaded long ago I can illustrate this with:

[Show spoiler]
Original Japanese:

The King and the Horse (Bleach 124) - YouTube

The character Ogichi (the black and white Ichigo) has a heavy filter applied to the voice.

In the English version they apply a similar filter but not as heavy
(someone else has provided us a dub version at the same timing, as it is a well-known speech in the show)

English Dub:

Bleach (Dubbed) - Hollow Ichigo's Speech on Instinct - YouTube

Imagine this without any filter at all, the character would just fall kinda flat I think. And the older model androids in Time of Eve would be the same way if they had released the English dub with no effects at all applied.

I'm happy they are paying attention to these details.
I didn't listen to the earlier dub track clips they've posted but I like the voices I'm hearing here. I'm getting this for a full-quality sub release, but I think I will definitely rewatch ToE in English dub when I get it now.

[FREYMAX 3D]

Originally Posted by SeaFox

Coincidentally I have a Bleach clip of my own I uploaded long ago I can illustrate this with:

[Show spoiler]Original Japanese:
The King and the Horse (Bleach 124) - YouTube

The character Ogichi (the black and white Ichigo) has a heavy filter applied to the voice.

In the English version they apply a similar filter but not as heavy
(someone else has provided us a dub version at the same timing, as it is a well-known speech in the show)

English Dub:
Bleach (Dubbed) - Hollow Ichigo's Speech on Instinct - YouTube

ugh, that clip is a prime example of why I absolutely can't stand Bleach, or DBZ, or any of those similar fighting shonen... they are nothing but mindless "blah, blah, blah, blah" through the whole damn thing...

The only filter needed with the voice of the older robots in the series is to make them sound like their voice is coming out of a speaker... I would have expected them to do that anyway, as it was done in the original Japanese track. I just don't like them playing around wasting time with other extraneous things because of a whim someone came up with on the fly, especially when they are already 6-8 months behind schedule.

[SeaFox]

Originally Posted by FREYMAX 3D

I just don't like them playing around wasting time with other extraneous things because of a whim someone came up with on the fly, especially when they are already 6-8 months behind schedule.

I think that schedule went out the window the moment they started talking about doing an English dub and the fanbook during the Kickstarter. After all, the original project was a subtitle and mastering job, and a disc packaging and production run.

[Vracer111]

Getting closer!

Update #29 - For backers only May 22 2014

We Got the English Dub!!!!
25 comments Like 37 likes

Dear Backers,

Earlier today Michael Sinterniklaas delivered the file for the English dub to Justin Sevakis. This is a major milestone, so we will pause a moment to celebrate.

YEAH!!!!
YEAH!!!!
Schedule

Justin is now furiously authoring the Blu-ray. Here is the schedule we are aiming for:

May 24: *If* the authoring goes smoothly, Justin will ship the sample BD-R to Ann (me), and I will do a thorough quality check.

Week of June 2-6: *If* everything checks out perfectly for the sample Blu-ray, Justin will send the Blu-ray data to the replicators, Reel Pictures in San Diego.

June 9-July 7: Reel Pictures needs 20 days to replicate the Blu-ray and assemble the packaging. (This schedule counts July 4th as a national holiday).

Week of July 8-11: Reel Pictures will package the Blu-rays for shipment. Expected shipment dates:

US, Canada and all other non-EU territories will ship directly from Reel Pictures in San Diego by July 14th (providing that everything goes smoothly with the authoring).
EU territories (including the UK): Reel Pictures will express ship the the Blu-rays to Pied Piper's warehouse in the UK (located in the London area). It takes 3 to 5 days for the warehouse to process new inventory; realistically, Blu-rays will be shipped from the UK warehouse by July 28th. We know EU backers can't be pleased with this additional delay, but this is the only way we can ship to you locally within the EU (so that you don't have to worry about custom fees).
We will send updates as we clear each of the above steps.

Forging ahead…

Thank you for your patience^^Time of EVE/Ann

[Girls With Guns]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

Getting closer!

Ah, we got some dates, finally! Nice... but no update on the Fan Book... I wonder if that will ship the same time...

[Girls With Guns]

Progress! Things are moving along!
Sounds like the authoring complexity of this disc is pretty astounding...

Update #30
May 26 2014

We got the BD-R!

Dear Backers,

After a heroic effort, Justin shipped the BD-R on Friday 5/23; we had him Fedex the package to the DIRECTIONS office in Tokyo, as everyone who needs to check the disc is in Japan. It arrived safely this afternoon, and we are now checking EVERYTHING -- subtitle tracks, menu interface, pop-up menus, and, as much as possible, playback on different Blu-ray machines.

Some factoids from Justin:
•Disc takes 64 minutes to compile. Most dual layer Blu-rays take between 20 and 30 minutes.
•Total asset file count: 49,197
•6 different interactive graphics modules (menus)
•20 subtitle tracks on the feature
•Example of the overall complexity -- To get from the Russian commentary subtitle track to a special feature, the disc is programmed to use the REGULAR Russian subtitles for the special feature and then switch back to the commentary subtitle track when it's done. Justin describes this as "some serious programming hoop-jumping" - which in all likelihood understates the amount pain and frustration involved.

Our next milestone is shipping the Blu-ray data to Reel Pictures in San Diego. We're shooting for the week of June 2-6, but it all depends on the BD-R testing over the next week.

Responses to a few questions:

•Yes, the Blu-ray includes the English dub for "Aquatic Language"
•For the movie, there are 2 English subtitle tracks (1) Full subtitles (2) Song+Sign subtitles for use with the English dub. There is NO "closed caption" style English subtitle track that matches the dub dialogue. We simply could not accommodate this in our workload, and humbly ask for your understanding m(..)m
•Yes, we still owe you the "Digital Art Package." We have all of the material, but have put this reward on the back burner for now.

The next update will focus on the packaging (spoiler alert!)

Forging onwards! Time of EVE^^

Also, here's a few Twitter comments from Time of Eve:

Time of Eve ‏@TimeofEve1 · May 22 (multiple posts)
56-page bonus book (formerly 40-page art book) is bundled with the Blu-ray.
8 postcards ($55+ backers) and print ($100+ backers) will ship with the Bluray.
BD case is between a slipcover and an art box. We did 3 mock-ups with Reel Pictures, and went with the sturdiest version!
Meanwhile, we are still working on laying out the Official Fan Book. Will send a Kickstarter update next week with details.
The soundtrack is packaged with the Blu-ray (2-tray digipak)

Time of Eve ‏@TimeofEve1 · May 26
the (Sammy) print will be 8 1/2 x 12 size (since we are printing it in the US). It will be shipped separately w/ cardboard backing

[SeaFox]

I wanna see the packaging mockups. Have been curious for some time what cover we'd get compared to the pink amaray the JPN release was.

[Girls With Guns]

Originally Posted by SeaFox

I wanna see the packaging mockups. Have been curious for some time what cover we'd get compared to the pink amaray the JPN release was.

I hope they do all new artwork for this release, and it's something we haven't already seen on any of the other JP packaging - got enough shots of Sammy already, including the Fan Book cover, the Movie Poster, etc... Personally, since they gypped us for the $100 tier print that was changed from Nagi to Sammy, I'd like to see some sort of shot of Nagi on the cover, with a portion of the café for the background, perhaps... she's actually much more the main character than Sammy is, anyway...

[madlost1]

New update posted with a bunch of product design pics. Unfortunately can't post them from my phone right now but a speed bump was mentioned for the subtitles which means this is going to take a while longer.

[McCrutchy]

This seems like it will be a hell of a disc...I'd want it just to scan it and pick it apart technically.

Too bad I had no idea this even happened.

[Girls With Guns]

Update #31
Jun 5 2014

Packaging!


Dear Backers,

As promised, this update is dedicated to the packaging.


Where we're coming from

Producer Tom Nagae set a minimalist look for Time of EVE with the 6 single-episode DVDs, which were designed by Tsuyoshi Kusano.

Now, if this International Blu-ray release were handled by an outside distributor, most likely you'd get an entirely new interpretation of the package design. However, Tom Nagae felt strongly about keeping the same tone for this International Blu-ray release, and having Tsuyoshi Kusano on board to handle the design was an absolute must.

We used Kusano's design for the Japanese Blu-ray movie release as a departure point.

That being said, we felt like the Japanese Blu-ray release was a bit too much like a straightforward retail product. The Japanese movie release was handled by Asmik Ace, and they were thinking about how the Blu-ray product would look on a retail shelf--a completely understandable focus. DIRECTIONS, however, prefers to create packaging that expands on the Time of EVE story world, such as android specs on the reversible slipcovers for the ONA/6 episodes Blu-ray (released straight from DIRECTIONS).


Design concept

After a lot of brainstorming, we decided to design this International Blu-ray release as an extension of Yoshiura's short story act0.5:SAME, which is included in the Bonus Book (formerly the "Art Book").


Package elements

The package elements are the result of extensive back-and-forth among Yoshiura, designer Tsuyoshi Kusano, producer Tom Nagae and associate producer Yuji Abe@DIRECTIONS, the printing/replication house Reel Pictures, and myself, Ann@Pied Piper. These are the final designs, with the exception of the questions we've asked below about the belly band and posters.


(1) Slipcover

The slipcover uses an illustration of SAMMY that appears in the Japanese edition of the Bonus Book. Here you see her asleep in hospital garb, a scene drawn directly from the act0.5:SAME short story.

BTW, for the slipcover, we went through 3 tests with Reel Pictures. This final version uses side flaps to reinforce the front and back covers, and is a close approximation of the slipcover that Asmik Ace used for the Japanese Blu-ray movie release.


(2) Bellyband

The Bellyband for the UK will include the BBFC age rating (on the front and back), which we are required to include for local shipments within the UK. For EU backers who reside outside of the UK, we will ship you the version without the BBFC age rating.

Question: Should we include the "Funded with Kickstarter" green logo on this bellyband?


(3) Digipak

For the exterior image, character designer Ryusuke Chayama modified SAMMY's illustration so that her eyes are open. The interior of the digipak has Shiotsuki's android training records, and his handwritten notes from debugging an AI sequence (inspired by Alan Turing's notebooks). These design elements are all rooted in the act0:5:SAME short story.


(4) Disc faces

"Minimalist" sums it up. The Blu-ray disc for the UK will include the BBFC age rating -- for EU backers who reside outside of the UK, we will ship you the version without the BBFC age rating.


(5) 56-page Bonus Book (formerly 40-page Art Book)

We think you will recognize this book cover^^. This copy of the book comes from Dr. Ashimori's lab library at the APC, and the registration number happens to coincide with the birthday of one of Yoshiura's favorite authors.

The Bonus Book includes:
•Interview with Yoshiura and producer Tom Nagae, and comments from production staff
•6 new sketches by Chayama (from the Kickstarter artwork), and 1 brand new illustration
•Soundtrack liner notes: track list, lyrics (Japanese, romaji, English), and essays from Yoshiura and composer Tohru Okada
•Yoshiura's "act0.5:SAME" short story


(6) 8 Postcards

These images were originally used as character cards, and were included in sets of 2 with purchases from the DIRECTIONS webshop (now closed). This Kickstarter is the first time these images are being released as a complete set. These postcards will ship together with the Blu-ray.


(7) Special Thanks

These 4 pages will be folded in half, and will ship together with the Blu-ray.


(8) Print (for $100+ backers)

The print will be 8 1/2 x 10 inches, the US equivalent of A4, and will ship in its own mailer (either a tube, or flat envelope with cardboard backing).

We have 4 mock-ups, and we'd love your feedback.


BD-R check

We hit a speed bump with the movie subtitles. More in the next update.

It has been our dream come true to create a package design that embodies the original aesthetic, and that is rooted firmly in the story world. It is our greatest hope that the design pleases you. m{..}m Time of EVE

[Girls With Guns]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to rant now... I'm so dang tired of seeing Sammy's image all over everything, both on previous releases and now this one. No love at all for Nagi, who I consider the actual main female character of the show...

I'm still very upset over them changing the Nagi print to a Sammy print on a whim - Gah! enough already!

And that damn boring bland white background on everything, same as the OVA Import - I wanted to see some nice color on my cover, not bare minimalism - again. Very disappointed in the packaging, for an ultimate edition. Nothing special here.

[SeaFox]

Disappointed in cover art, but then I guess they're trying to stay consistent with the Japanese release's theme.

Has it occurred to anyone that this is nearly shipping now and we still don't have an entry for it here on the site?

[Girls With Guns]

Originally Posted by SeaFox

Disappointed in cover art, but then I guess they're trying to stay consistent with the Japanese release's theme.

Has it occurred to anyone that this is nearly shipping now and we still don't have an entry for it here on the site?

Well, we don't really have enough info yet on the release to make a new entry useful, other than as a placeholder - I don't even bother adding a title to my collection list until there is a photo for it.... I'm sure the shipping will be delayed until August now, if they're still having issues with the subs. I think they may have bit off a bit more than they could chew, trying to do 20 subtitle tracks on the main movie. I'm a little nervous that the authoring of the BD is going to be so complex that the discs are going to be a challenge for, or incompatible with, some BD players, whether right off the bat or down the road as the discs age...

[Girls With Guns]

Missed this update a week ago...

Update #32
Jun 25 2014

Official Fan Book - Proofreading!

Based on the feedback (thank you everyone!) from the last update, we went with Mock-up #1 for the poster, and put the Kickstarter logo on the back of the Bellyband.

QC for the BD-R has been a rough ride. But that story is for another day. Suffice to say that we have 1 more file to check, and then the BD-R data will be ready for shipment to Reel Pictures for replication. We are about 3 weeks behind our initial schedule, and will send revised shipping dates after Reel Pictures gets into the production process.

Call for assistance!

We are now living and breathing the Official Fan Book.

Given the tremendous improvements that backers made to the subtitles, we would like to ask for your help once again. This time, for proofreading the Official Fan Book. We'd like to find 2 to 3 people for each of these sections:
•(1) Characters: 28 pages of character descriptions, and brief comments from Yoshiura; a lot of pages, but mostly images, little text
•(2) Yoshiura essays about 6 episodes + synopses of 6 episodes: 12 pages for essays, 24 pages for synopses (mostly images for synopses)
•(3) Yoshiura interview + short film overview + producer Tom Nagae interview: 12 pages
•(4) Composer Tohru Okada + cast interviews + production process: 8 pages
•(5) 4 essays on Time of EVE and science fiction: 12 pages (note: 3 of these essays are rather academic, and are good for folks who like to read about visual/literary theory)
•(6) Sammy Short Story, written by Yumi Asano: 11 pages

All of the text has been professional translated and edited. We'd like the proofreaders to do the following:
•check for typos, misspellings (American English), grammar errors
•indicate if any spots are difficult to understand, or otherwise need further editing

Proofreading deadline: We will send all text as PDF files (in the final layout) by 6/28 Saturday, and would like responses by July 1 Tuesday; responses either as notes in email or MS Word document, or scan of the text with handwritten notes.

Compensation: Each proofreader will be credited on the final page of the Official Fan Book

[Girls With Guns]

And this one today... Updated shipping dates coming soon mentioned at the bottom of the post.

Update #33
Jul 4 2014

Time of EVE: Official Fan Book - cover options!

Dear Backers,

Thank you for the incredible outpouring of offers to assist with proofreading the book. We are constantly astounded by the talent pool represented by the backers in this community.

We have sent out the sections to 21 proofreaders, and have already received invaluable feedback on the layout and phrasing, and corrections to grammar and spelling. We will do our best to reply to everyone who has reached out, but give us a few more days!

Help us pick the cover!

We need your help to decide the cover for the Official Fan Book. Both options are based on the Japanese edition (below). Note: We are not doing a book jacket for the English edition, and are instead going for better paper quality for the inside pages.



Japanese edition - book jacket (above) and cover (below)

***Apologies!! The mockups below are rough! We still need to redo the Time of EVE logo in English for the cover and spine!***

Option 1

This option has a nice image of the cafe and main characters, but is more ornate than the Blu-ray packaging.



Option 1

Option 2

This option is a closer match to Tsuyoshi Kusano's Blu-ray package design, but is very minimalistic. (note: If this design is selected, we will do our best to print the cafe line drawing in the type of silver ink that Kotobukiya used for the Japanese cover.)



Option 2



FYI, here is a draft of the title page, which uses the background image from Option 1. If the minimalistic cover gets selected, we can potentially use Option 1 (including Sammy + Rikuo) for the title page.


Title page



We leave the final decision in your hands. We will do a straight tally of the votes we get by July 7th (Mon) via Kickstarter message / info@timeofeve.com / twitter@timeofeve1 / Facebook

Blu-ray production!

Reel Pictures is currently checking the BD-R data and graphics files. So far so good! We will send updated shipping dates shortly.

For those of you state side, we hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Thank you, everyone!

Time of EVE^^