Bandai Visual Japan Confirms Dual-Format Releases

[Chris Beveridge]

From http://www.animeonblu-ray.com

Though much has been made of Bandai Visual Japan's seeming heavy leaning towards the HD DVD format in the last several months with their planned release of Freedom, the new press release talked about below marks a very different public face about their format plans. Blu-ray has not been talked about much, but the market realities of Japan have obviously sunk in. "After 'Freedom' Vol.1, Bandai Visual will start releasing other HD DVD and Blu-ray titles in Japan, with plans to distribute overseas under its flagship international label Honneamise."

Here is the referenced press release:

http://www.animeonblu-ray.com/news/pr.php?pr_view=984

Their first release is a dreaded combo disc that will not please most anime fans - it's Japanese only with English subtitles. While dubs may raise the ire of film fans, dubs are instrumental to anime's growth in the marketplace. Bandai Visual has received a lot of bad press regarding their US division's plans to not dub anything in the OVA market.

Freedom is a gorgeous looking show. I'll end up reviewing the HD DVD but will be looking forward to the Blu-ray version as well.

[u_nick]

Japanese only with English subs is good news for the Nicman here, but I realize why dubs are important for growth. I dont think I've seen Freedom yet. I may have to check that out.

[FF750]

Sweet. I wonder if the mention of Honneamise means we might be seeing the stuff they've released here in the US under that label on BD sometime soon - like the Patlabor movies for instance.

Dang, and I just picked up Gunbuster Well, it's good enough for a double dip I guess lol.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

This is great news! I'm looking forward many Blu-ray releases from them.

[Rolo]

Good news Chris! More is better.

Too bad they are using VC-1. So far, the movies I have watched in VC-1 (Superman Returns) look soft to me IMO. Maybe VC-1 will be better for anime.

Ghost in the Shell 2:Innocence was an MPEG-2 and it looked damned good! 7.1 pcm too.

[Rio]

Press release says it is "Twin Format", so it's not commonly used "combo disc". Twin Format disc is a single sided disc with HD DVD15 layer and DVD5 layer (so you'll get label printing on it).

One interesting thing is Bandai Visual is planning to sell US version title (menus and other bonus features are all English) for Japanese market. This is maybe because they may think virtually there is no HD DVD market in Japan to justify the extra cost for localization

[DaveFi]

Originally Posted by Rolo

Good news Chris! More is better.

Too bad they are using VC-1. So far, the movies I have watched in VC-1 (Superman Returns) look soft to me IMO. Maybe VC-1 will be better for anime.

Ghost in the Shell 2:Innocence was an MPEG-2 and it looked damned good! 7.1 pcm too.

What's wrong with VC-1? Stop with this damn encoding wars BS please?!?! There's nothing wrong with any of the formats, they each serve a puprose and can be equally there encodes that excell over the others in each of the formats.

As for the dub/sub stuff. I do actually like to have a good Eng dub available, but can live without it. What I positively will not do at this point though, is start buying individual volumes again- I'm an all or nothing guy now. So I will wait for a full season set or wait for a really cheap deal on all the volumes at once.

[Deciazulado]

Chris, that's great news for animé!

Originally Posted by Rolo

Good news Chris! More is better.

Too bad they are using VC-1. So far, the movies I have watched in VC-1 (Superman Returns) look soft to me IMO. Maybe VC-1 will be better for anime.

Ghost in the Shell 2:Innocence was an MPEG-2 and it looked damned good! 7.1 pcm too.

VC-1 could look good if given enough bit-rate

Originally Posted by Rio

Press release says it is "Twin Format", so it's not commonly used "combo disc". Twin Format disc is a single sided disc with HD DVD15 layer and DVD5 layer (so you'll get label printing on it).

never mind

[Blackraven]

So HD-DVD combo version goes first, right?

When is the Blu-ray version coming out?

[Nismobeach]

That didn't take long. Remember when all of the HD-DVD fanboys over at AVS were talking trash about how all of the hyper-exclusive HD-DVD anime and porn would totally crush Blu-ray? lol

[u_nick]

Originally Posted by Blackraven

So HD-DVD combo version goes first, right?

When is the Blu-ray version coming out?

I think they meant that that first 'Freedom' title will get the HDDVD treatment since its already close, and all titles released after that one will be released on both.

I could be wrong though.

[GoldenRedux]

This is great news, but I do wish they would do English dubs. I don't like dubs for live action at all, but for Anime they are my preference, but I will settle for subtitles like Ghost in the Shell: Innocence which looks and sounds excellent.

[Blackraven]

Originally Posted by GoldenRedux

This is great news, but I do wish they would do english dubs. I don't like dubs for live action at all, but for Anime they are my preference, but I will settle for subtitles like Ghost in the Shell: Innocence which looks and sounds excellent.

Blood+ has a fantastic dub.

Go to the AnimeonDVD.com forums and visit the forum section named "The English Track" and look for the Blood+ thread.

It looks like Kari Wahlgren does really well being Saya Otonashi........and wow, didn't know Crispin Freeman can speak with a "Slavic" accent :P.

Anyway, since this is a Sony/Production IG release, expect a Blu-ray version of it instantly (same time with DVD). Same goes for the Cowboy Bebop movie.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a whole, I do appreciate English dubs.

May it be from the California dubs (Bang Zoom/New Generation Pictures/whatever), from Texas (ADV and Funimation) or even from Canada (Ocean Group) or miscellaneous (Central Park Media). I do appreciate English dubs (sometimes even more than Japanese ones).

Perfect example:

Fate Stay Night

The English dub is better than the Japanese one (and that is FACT ). Kate Higgins and Mela Lee do well playing Saber and Rin Tohsaka respectively. And Sam Regal, he's damn good playing Shirou and basically everyone in the cast does real well.

This is English dub is of HIGHEST INTERNATIONAL QUALITY and I give it a 10/10 instantly. Thus, you should try to buy the original DVDs and hear the English dub track yourselves.

Trust me, you won't be disappointed. In fact, no one should be because this ENGLISH DUB rocks!!!!!

[Amon37]

My wife is a slower reader than I am and Subtitles only cause her to miss out on the show a little. When we buy anime on DVD we watch it dubbed and the she will watch it subbed later.

We probably won't buy any Amine on BD if it isn't dubbed.

[apollo92178]

I just pissed in my pants just thinking about Karas on blu ray, lol

[Rustmonsteru]

I prefer subs to English dubs, but I'm all for them because they bring in a
larger demographic which = more money = more anime licensed. That said,
HiDef subs look so unbelievably nice compared to the old jaggy dvd subs that
they make me want to read all my movies. That's a hint to you Bandai and
your "HD full-digital, vista-size prints" of Stand Alone Complex when & if they
should see a HiDef release.

[Rio]

Here is the additional information about Bandai Visual Anime release in Japan:

- All titles are released in a form of bundle set containing both next-gen disc and DVD (BD & DVD, or HD DVD & DVD)
- Price is 10,290 JPY (incl tax)
- Detail spec. of each title is not described

7/27
- AKIRA : BD + DVD
- Wing of Honneamise : BD + DVD, HD DVD + DVD
- Patlabor the Movie : BD + DVD, HD DVD + DVD

8/24
- Patlabor the Movie 2 : BD + DVD, HD DVD + DVD
- Ghost in the Shell : BD + DVD
- Steam Boy : BD + DVD

9/22
- Avalon : BD + DVD
- Jin-Roh : BD + DVD

Basically, at least for Japanese market, the number of BD release is more than HD DVD's

[Deciazulado]

Zowee!

[Blackraven]

Nice...

Going back, it seems though that three titles (Akira, GITS 1, Steam Boy) have been released years before.

Thus, I EXPECT that these three titles would have ENGLISH TRACKS in it!!!

Or else......

[blitz6speed]

Akira!!!!!!!!!!!!