The Anime Thread: Finding Good Anime

Medic_wheat · 01/24/2018, 07:59 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 01/24/2018, 07:19 PMEvery show on Netflix is season one, even if there is one season only.

Now, can we talk about Angel's Egg you fucking retards?

I have never noticed that.

You must watch more Netflix then I.

esteban · 01/24/2018, 08:12 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 01/24/2018, 07:19 PMEvery show on Netflix is season one, even if there is one season only.

Now, can we talk about Angel's Egg you fucking retards?

Is Angel's Egg available via ESPN Internacional or FOX NEWS?

SignOfZeta · 01/24/2018, 09:39 PM

It's only on Crackle, somehow.

But seriously,

HD ver

SD ver with subs (not needed, film is almost totally without dialogue, don't watch this, watch the HD version. Yes, stupid, I know you can't understand Japanese. No, I'm not saying you're stupid for not knowing Japanese, you're stupid for thinking that being able to understand Japanese would somehow make it easier to understand this movie. Don't watch this. Watch the HD version.):

Gypsy · 01/24/2018, 10:53 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 01/24/2018, 07:19 PMNow, can we talk about Angel's Egg you fucking retards?

Good movie. I've watched it a couple times now.

It's a religious commentary. There is some stuff up for interpretation I think. It seems to me like Oshii at the time wasn't entirely sure what to make of religion entirely himself.

seieienbu · 01/25/2018, 08:55 PM

First impression of Angel's Egg: I love the gritty, old look of the animation. The way animation looked when I was a child always gives me a nostalgia feeling that modern animation can't match. I'm happy to watch something like this for a bit just due to the look. I'm a big fan of how much detail goes into hair and rippling water and things of that nature. Likewise, the details like the rusted junk or the wooden objects with scrollwork in the foreground/background are fantastic.

I'll probably post something of more substance in an hour or so after I've, you know, actually watched the film.

Post viewing edit: The spectacle of the visuals makes it well worth watching. Without spoilers, the ending was hard to get through.

Gypsy · 01/25/2018, 10:09 PM

The animation is fantastic really.

SignOfZeta · 01/26/2018, 12:57 PM

It doesn't look like "anime". There are lots of labor saving long shots but when the action happens it's animated on 1s. Instead of 2s or 3s. (That is, 24fps instead of 12 or 8 like anime usually is). The character designs are difficult to draw and they knew this and didn't care. I'd bet the sloppiest cel in this entire production is cleaner than the cleanest Dragonball cel ever.

Here was a time when anime's most hardcore were so hardcore that the creators and the fandom thought of it as a limitless art form that could do anything. You can see that here.

seieienbu · 01/26/2018, 07:14 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 01/26/2018, 12:57 PMIt doesn't look like "anime". There are lots of labor saving long shots but when the action happens it's animated on 1s. Instead of 2s or 3s. (That is, 24fps instead of 12 or 8 like anime usually is). The character designs are difficult to draw and they knew this and didn't care. I'd bet the sloppiest cel in this entire production is cleaner than the cleanest Dragonball cel ever.

Here was a time when anime's most hardcore were so hardcore that the creators and the fandom thought of it as a limitless art form that could do anything. You can see that here.

I'll likely go to my grave thinking that Akira is the finest animated feature ever for these reasons.

SignOfZeta · 01/26/2018, 08:01 PM

I don't like Akira very much but you're right, it has the exact same spirit.

Medic_wheat · 01/26/2018, 08:50 PM

Quote from: seieienbu on 01/26/2018, 07:14 PM
Quote from: SignOfZeta on 01/26/2018, 12:57 PMIt doesn't look like "anime". There are lots of labor saving long shots but when the action happens it's animated on 1s. Instead of 2s or 3s. (That is, 24fps instead of 12 or 8 like anime usually is). The character designs are difficult to draw and they knew this and didn't care. I'd bet the sloppiest cel in this entire production is cleaner than the cleanest Dragonball cel ever.

Here was a time when anime's most hardcore were so hardcore that the creators and the fandom thought of it as a limitless art form that could do anything. You can see that here.
I'll likely go to my grave thinking that Akira is the finest animated feature ever for these reasons.

I would love to see Akira redone as a film series more closely following the completed Managa.

Sure the animation will never be matched and most likely be nearly all digital in either coloring or 3D with cel shading.

Yes the film's screen adaptation was made by the creator with a ending made for the movie as the manga was yet to be completed. Unfortantly without the Managa the film ending is abstract. To a point that it seems disjointed from the rest of the film.

seieienbu · 01/26/2018, 10:11 PM

I agree with you on that. But whatever the ending of the movie compared to the books, Akira has some beautiful art.

Medic_wheat · 01/28/2018, 10:30 PM

https://youtu.be/g7gsb-XgXes

So I went to YouTube to try and find some videos on Occult Nine (he Aniplex two part Blu-ray). As typically I can only find videos related to the game.

Being an Aniplex NA release it's pretty expensive for a simple 12 episode series. I found a single video on it. However this guy seemed "odd" to me. As he showed other items he picked up and didn't seem to know anything pertaining to the items. As bough he was going through the motions of obtaining more anime.

Then I looked through his videos to se if he has a room tour.

The word impressed doesn't real encapsulate what I think when I saw this. It honesty felt like an episode of Horders that my wife watches. How it spilles over everything. Cluttered. Messy. He stated how some piles are bejmg processed. Other piles being ripped and archived.

I thought. Is this the guy (or other like him) who keep torrent sites in buisness? Should I thank him for the various external HDD I have filled with Anime back when I use to torrent like crazy?

I also thought wow. Is this what my wife thinks/sees when she looks at my own various collections of (media/comics/figures/video games)? It makes me want to sell off the whole collections. Meetings only partial gems and going full digital. Just rip everything out it on a server to stream and just ever drive the lot do my older systems.

xcrement5x · 01/29/2018, 12:02 PM

Quote from: Medic_wheat on 01/28/2018, 10:30 PMhttps://youtu.be/g7gsb-XgXes

So I went to YouTube to try and find some videos on Occult Nine (he Aniplex two part Blu-ray). As typically I can only find videos related to the game.

Being an Aniplex NA release it's pretty expensive for a simple 12 episode series. I found a single video on it. However this guy seemed "odd" to me. As he showed other items he picked up and didn't seem to know anything pertaining to the items. As bough he was going through the motions of obtaining more anime.

Then I looked through his videos to se if he has a room tour.

https://youtu.be/g7gsb-XgXes

The word impressed doesn't real encapsulate what I think when I saw this. It honesty felt like an episode of Horders that my wife watches. How it spilles over everything. Cluttered. Messy. He stated how some piles are bejmg processed. Other piles being ripped and archived.

I thought. Is this the guy (or other like him) who keep torrent sites in buisness? Should I thank him for the various external HDD I have filled with Anime back when I use to torrent like crazy?

I also thought wow. Is this what my wife thinks/sees when she looks at my own various collections of (media/comics/figures/video games)? It makes me want to sell off the whole collections. Meetings only partial gems and going full digital. Just rip everything out it on a server to stream and just ever drive the lot do my older systems.

I've said this to many people, but I consider the main difference between a hoarder and a collector is the level of organization that a person has, plus if it is impacting their ability to live.

Medic_wheat · 01/29/2018, 12:20 PM

Oh no. I keep things highly organized and I do not have spillage.

Heck I activity work to ride myself of clutter if possible.

With that said I do lack the additional shelving needed to finish my organizing. Which is why I keep some things in boxes. This was more due to never owning a house previously and being in small apartments.

Granted now it seems I have the space for shelving (have only bought one large all wooden bookshelf) I have it pained for two additional shelves to house the remainder of the collection(s).

Gypsy · 01/29/2018, 12:22 PM

Hasn't truncated his singles yet?

xcrement5x · 01/29/2018, 01:04 PM

Quote from: Gypsy on 01/29/2018, 12:22 PMHasn't truncated his singles yet?

You laugh but I found it super useful. No need for a ton of cases if you can recase them all in a slimpack. To be honest I'd bet that guy could save a ton of space that way. His sniffling during the video kind of got to me though.

Gypsy · 01/29/2018, 05:02 PM

Quote from: guest on 01/29/2018, 01:04 PM
Quote from: Gypsy on 01/29/2018, 12:22 PMHasn't truncated his singles yet?
You laugh but I found it super useful. No need for a ton of cases if you can recase them all in a slimpack. To be honest I'd bet that guy could save a ton of space that way. His sniffling during the video kind of got to me though.

I'm laughing because he should do it. I did it. It was greaaaaaaaat.

TR0N · 01/30/2018, 01:22 AM

Oh another adaption of go-nagai mazinger-z coming ?

SignOfZeta · 01/30/2018, 11:49 AM

I will try to see this in the theater but nobody wants to see it with me so I don't know.

NightWolve · 02/17/2018, 01:32 PM

I watched "Fist of the North Star" a few days ago, a freebie on Sony's Crackle app/network.

I had a feeling I seen it as a kid which was confirmed when Kenshiro does his death move and lets out that super silly-ous, repetitive "te te te te te te te te te te te te te!!!!!!!!!!" screeching! Hahahaha, horrible voice-acting but funny as hell!

I loved all the 80's enemy musclebound punks with Mohawks and Kenshiro doing a few "death touch" moves on them causing head and bodily explosions in the blink of an eye. That shit is hilariously silly!

All in all, it made me appreciate the live action movie so much more that stars Gary Daniels, Malcolm McDowell, Costas Mandylor, Dante Basco, Sean Penn's brother Chris, and a familiar name from MTV days of old, Downtown Julie Brown. Even then, you'll still find other familiar actors that found their way in it.

While the plot could've used some work, I enjoyed it. Somehow, they scored a pretty epic soundtrack also. I was hoping it'll get remastered to BluRay, but it only exists on DVD. The anime scores much lower for me as it feels more geared to teenage males, it invokes much cringe worthy laughter so I still enjoyed it for what it is.

http://m.crackle.com/wicked-city

I'm tempted to watch "Wicked City" again which is also playing.

When I was kid, Chicago had channel 50, WPWR, which had a program called "Japanimation" that aired every Friday afternoon. You can already figure out what it was, the best animes out of Japan were aired in succession and watching them was how I sometimes spent my Fridays. This is where I saw "Wicked City" and remember being blown away by it. I believe I saw Lupin as well as others that left an impression like "Ghost in the Shell."

Anyway, it's been so many years and I can't even slightly remember the plot of "Wicked City" so it'd be interesting to watch again and see how it holds up for me now as a 42 year-old man, heh.

Psycho Punch · 02/18/2018, 01:50 AM

Kenshiro is Gary Daniels? Hahahah I have to watch that.

On topic: the Fist of the North Star movie has the best "walking like a badass" montage in the history of montages.

Psycho Punch · 02/18/2018, 01:55 AM

EASE MY RONRINESSSSSS

DragonmasterDan · 02/19/2018, 01:53 PM

Quote from: NightWolve on 02/17/2018, 01:32 PMWhen I was kid, Chicago had channel 50, WPWR, which had a program called "Japanimation" that aired every Friday afternoon. You can already figure out what it was, the best animes out of Japan were aired in succession and watching them was how I sometimes spent my Fridays. This is where I saw "Wicked City" and remember being blown away by it. I believe I saw Lupin as well as others that left an impression like "Ghost in the Shell."

Anyway, it's been so many years and I can't even slightly remember the plot of "Wicked City" so it'd be interesting to watch again and see how it holds up for me now as a 42 year-old man, heh.

It was actually WJYS that was running all of those Streamline pictures movies as Japanimation. And yes, Lupin the Third Castle of Cagliostro aired there, as did Vampire Hunter D, Golgo 13 the Professional, Barefoot Gen, Dirty Pair Affair on Nolandia, Doomed Megapolis, 3x3 eyes and others.

SignOfZeta · 02/19/2018, 03:32 PM

The entire Streamline catalog, in other words. TBS and SciFi did the same thing.

DragonmasterDan · 02/19/2018, 04:05 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 02/19/2018, 03:32 PMThe entire Streamline catalog, in other words. TBS and SciFi did the same thing.

There was definitely some stuff they weren't airing during that time frame. It was also very amusing to see movies like Golgo 13 on broadcast TV with mere blurring covering up naughty parts to meet FCC regulations, and then other movies like Barefoot Gen running completely unedited.

PukeSter · 02/19/2018, 05:01 PM

I don't watch much anime. Sometimes I'll watch Dragon Ball or One Piece, though I prefer to read One Piece weekly. The current arc is pretty good. I did watch Season 1 of One Punch Man with my dad, he used to watch Naruto all the time when I was younger but stopped when Sasuke started becoming more edgy.

I did binge watch all of Yu Yu Hakusho a few months back though...would be nice to watch more Fist of North Star sometime.

seieienbu · 02/19/2018, 08:49 PM

I really liked Yuyu Hakusho until Toguro was defeated. I didn't enjoy what little I saw afterward so I eventually stopped watching. But man, that first part? That was fantastic.

PukeSter · 02/19/2018, 10:41 PM

Quote from: seieienbu on 02/19/2018, 08:49 PMI really liked Yuyu Hakusho until Toguro was defeated. I didn't enjoy what little I saw afterward so I eventually stopped watching. But man, that first part? That was fantastic.

I loved Chapter Black. Had a different tone to it, I prefer Sensui to Toguro as a villain.
3 Kings Saga was disappointingly short though. The only really good part was that they expanded the lore.

I looked up the differences with the manga...gotta wonder why the ending was shortened and why Yusuke's mom was replaced by Kuwabara's sister. Apparently the first arc was edited down too?

Gypsy · 02/20/2018, 08:35 AM

YYH is definitely worth finishing.

Quote from: guest on 02/19/2018, 10:41 PM3 Kings Saga was disappointingly short though. The only really good part was that they expanded the lore.

It's possible they ran out of money but idk. I do know this was an issue for Ranma. Not that the manga ending for Ranma is much better...

Medic_wheat · 02/22/2018, 10:43 AM

I don't know why exactly. But I enjoy these reconstructive videos about animation, art, and anime.

Granted at times it feels more that the creator of the video is tying a little to hard to justify their degree in film making.

SignOfZeta · 02/22/2018, 12:03 PM

Quote from: Medic_wheat on 02/22/2018, 10:43 AMI don't know why exactly. But I enjoy these reconstructive videos about animation, art, and anime.

Granted at times it feels more that the creator of the video is tying a little to hard to justify their degree in film making.

Yeah, there are a LOT of these now. Some are very good (the Angel's Egg one I linked) but many are just...a guy going on. I watched one about GitS once and he went on about this ending for quite some time based on a total misobservation.

The issue is too much unearned respect for what they are reviewing. They should watch it 50 times and then make a half hour thing talking about it. That way you don't end up going on and on about something that's not even in the movie.

I don't think you need a film degree to do what this guy did with Akira. This one is quite low end, IMO.

Medic_wheat · 02/22/2018, 12:32 PM

The art degree was just a jab at the over examination.

No idea if the YouTuber did go to film school. Or art. Or what have you.

I mean heck. They have these deconstructive videos (in general not this specific person) on food in anime

The hidden meaning of panties and fan service in Monotogstari

And so forth.

Gypsy · 02/26/2018, 05:15 PM

I noticed Robot Carnival has a bluray upcoming so I pre-ordered it.

DragonmasterDan · 02/26/2018, 05:28 PM

Quote from: Gypsy on 02/26/2018, 05:15 PMI noticed Robot Carnival has a bluray upcoming so I pre-ordered it.

I did a little while back as well.

NightWolve · 02/27/2018, 10:12 PM

Quote from: guest on 02/18/2018, 01:50 AMKenshiro is Gary Daniels? Hahahah I have to watch that.

I found the whole movie on YouTube. Previous copy survived for a whole year without a takedown copyright strike, but not forever.

Epic soundtrack right in the opening, check it out!

Narration begins with Malcolm McDowell, well-executed. This had some good things going for it, but they screwed it up. Still like it though as a B-action straight-to-video guilty pleasure; like I said, it has a "Cyborg" feel to it (the 1989 JCVD flick, also in the post-apocalyptic genre) and hopefully they remaster it to BluRay some day so we have something better than 720x480.

Found a purty good retrospective/review about it also.

TR0N · 02/28/2018, 12:33 AM

Quote from: NightWolve on 02/17/2018, 01:32 PMI watched "Fist of the North Star" a few days ago, a freebie on Sony's Crackle app/network.

http://m.crackle.com/fist-of-the-north-star

I had a feeling I seen it as a kid which was confirmed when Kenshiro does his death move and lets out that super silly-ous, repetitive "te te te te te te te te te te te te te!!!!!!!!!!" screeching! Hahahaha, horrible voice-acting but funny as hell!

I loved all the 80's enemy musclebound punks with Mohawks and Kenshiro doing a few "death touch" moves on them causing head and bodily explosions in the blink of an eye. That shit is hilariously silly!

All in all, it made me appreciate the live action movie so much more that stars Gary Daniels, Malcolm McDowell, Costas Mandylor, Dante Basco, Sean Penn's brother Chris, and a familiar name from MTV days of old, Downtown Julie Brown. Even then, you'll still find other familiar actors that found their way in it.

While the plot could've used some work, I enjoyed it. Somehow, they scored a pretty epic soundtrack also. I was hoping it'll get remastered to BluRay, but it only exists on DVD. The anime scores much lower for me as it feels more geared to teenage males, it invokes much cringe worthy laughter so I still enjoyed it for what it is.

Heh this scene all ways get's me from the tv series of fotns.

Last year i bought it on bluray through amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Fist-North-Star-Complete-Blu-Ray/dp/B075KZC467
Man i love how ridiculous fotns can be.By the way there's even another fotns video game coming from the team behind the yakuza series for PS4.

NightWolve · 02/28/2018, 12:39 AM

Quote from: TR0N on 02/28/2018, 12:33 AMHeh this scene all ways get's me from the tv series of fotns.

"Aaaaaah, te te te te te te te te te te te te te!!!!!!!!!!"

Son of a gun, he can even defeat a tank with that silliness!

Kenshiro...

Psycho Punch · 02/28/2018, 12:43 AM

I'm so goddamn excited for the Yakuza of the North Star game coming out I might even just buy the japanese copy instead of waiting centuries for a localization. Kenshiro's adventures are so over the top that they're a perfect fit for the Yakuza dev team... in fact you could probably just reskin a yakuza game with minimal changes and no one would notice lol

Gypsy · 02/28/2018, 09:04 AM

Quote from: guest on 02/28/2018, 12:43 AMI'm so goddamn excited for the Yakuza of the North Star game coming out I might even just buy the japanese copy instead of waiting centuries for a localization. Kenshiro's adventures are so over the top that they're a perfect fit for the Yakuza dev team... in fact you could probably just reskin a yakuza game with minimal changes and no one would notice lol

Game is gonna be fucking awesome.

ClodBusted · 03/08/2018, 02:41 AM

Gypsy, I've got to think of you everytime I watch the Orguss ending:

Q: "Kenshiro, how do you surf the web?"
A: "Eyebrows!"

TR0N · 03/08/2018, 03:26 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/08/2018, 02:41 AMGypsy, I've got to think of you everytime I watch the Orguss ending:
Q: "Kenshiro, how do you surf the web?"
A: "Eyebrows!"

That's a good one far as ending credits go.I need to pick it up again since it got a official release through discotekmedia.

ClodBusted · 03/08/2018, 06:11 AM

Quote from: TR0N on 03/08/2018, 03:26 AMThat's a good one far as ending credits go.I need to pick it up again since it got a official release through discotekmedia.

Quote from: guest on 11/01/2015, 01:13 PMSo if this appears to become a "look what I got to make you jealous" thread, I think I need to post this to stop you guys.

Gypsy · 03/08/2018, 08:22 AM

Orguss is on my to buy list as well. Plus a couple other mecha shows they released.

Are those bootlegs on the right of that picture Clod?

Just recently got the City Hunter oavs/tv specials/movies/whatever they are. Entertaining stuff. I hope Discotek gets the various series. Those need a rerelease.

ClodBusted · 03/08/2018, 09:03 AM

I do not buy bootlegs.

Description from when I originally posted the pic above:

Quote from: guest on 11/01/2015, 01:13 PM(...)
From left to right:

1. SDF Macross Collection (ADV Films 2008). Contains the whole series in its original Japanese format with sub and a whole new dub, about 900 minutes runtime not counting all the bonus content. Got this in 2010 when ADV just went defunct and the pricetags for this set went mental. They still are, if you can find this somewhere, good luck.
2. SDC Southern Cross / Genesis Climber Mospeada Double Collection (ADV Films 2008). Similar story to the Macross collection.
3. SDF Macross Perfect Collection (OVA Films 2001). Contains Do you remember Love? and Macross II. The one and only official and 100% uncut DYRL release outside of Japan. Has German subtitles. Very sought after, though the price went down since when the Blu-ray of DYRL was released in Japan.
4. SDC Orguss - just for the fun of showing all the "Super Dimension" TV series/movies in one picture and for bowing down to Discotek that they finally released this on DVD in 2015.

Gypsy · 03/08/2018, 03:20 PM

Huh, that Macross set looks bootleg af to me.

The one with DYRL not the ADV set of course.

SignOfZeta · 03/08/2018, 03:45 PM

I just buy used imports. It's all cheap as shit in Japan except for whatever the newest version is. I don't need translations for a show I've been watching for thirty friggn years. I still have most of the DYRL HK dub memorized even! I'd rather have packaging that doesn't suck ass.

When it comes to shows I committed to memory decades ago I usually just play them in raw Japanese anyway. If I'm not reading the subs they're just in the way, and furthermore I find myself reading "Hikaruuuuuuuuu" instead of just ignoring the text and watching the show.

But then...something weird has happened in recent years. Localized anime has become "collectable" thanks to mall otaku so now the true value of a translation (it's ability to make the show watchable to non-Japanese) will begin to blur with outsized pricing when OCD and greed has people seeking out hard to find DVDs of shit they don't even want just to complete a run.

I do like to watch Robotech once in a while because I like those 80s voice actors and while I had tons of Macross toys and models in the 80s, Robotech was the only version of the show itself I had access to until the LD boom and tape trading and all that. That reminds me, I still need to send that disc back to Exodus...

ClodBusted · 03/08/2018, 03:57 PM

Quote from: Gypsy on 03/08/2018, 03:20 PMHuh, that Macross set looks bootleg af to me.

The one with DYRL not the ADV set of course.

I won't blame you. The keep case is a rather weird one, deviating slightly from the Amaray clones in its shape and height, which even affects the paper insert. On the front, only Macross II artwork is shown, even though this is a double feature. The DVD is a double sided one, 2 layers for each side, with 17 Gigs total. One side has DYRL, the other side Macross II. DYRL has some timing issues with the German subtitles in two or three scenes. Macross II has a echoing Japanese track, while the English track is fine, but when you disable the German subtitles on the English track, you'll also miss the subtitles for when the Marduk are talking in their alien language. So I guess they had trouble when preparing the DVD master. Still, it's an official release by OVA Films Germany.
When both DYRL and Macross II aired on German TV to promote the upcoming DVD release, the subtitle timing was correct and the Japanese language track was faultless. I still got the VHS tape I recorded that night in 2000.

These are the OFDB entries for the DVD and the airing on TV:
https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=1070&vid=5154 (entry for DYRL part of the DVD)
https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=3625&vid=9443 (entry for M II part of the DVD)
https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=1070&vid=5794 (entry for DYRL on TV)
https://ssl.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassung&fid=3625&vid=9444 (entry for M II on TV)

DragonmasterDan · 03/08/2018, 04:24 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/08/2018, 03:45 PMBut then...something weird has happened in recent years. Localized anime has become "collectable" thanks to mall otaku so now the true value of a translation (it's ability to make the show watchable to non-Japanese) will begin to blur with outsized pricing when OCD and greed has people seeking out hard to find DVDs of shit they don't even want just to complete a run.

It's unfortunate but yes it has.

I'm the weird guy who likes having physical media of what I play, listen to and watch. And I don't mind paying for it if the quality is high (see discotek releases). But when I want say a copy of Neo Tokyo it's out of print and I can't buy it without paying a collector premium even if I'd gladly hand over my cash for a regular retail price release.

Gypsy · 03/08/2018, 07:45 PM

I have loads of localized anime and didn't pay retail or higher for any of it. I guess some is technically worth more than that at this point but I don't really care, I just like having the discs to watch.

I have noticed prices on recent releases don't seem to drop like they used to, and not many used copies are available. There are some things I'd like to get but not at current prices. I'm in no rush, I have plenty to watch already. I've watched most of what I have too. There are some I started and dropped but I don't care enough to sell them. I have to really hate it to get rid of it. For example I still own Wandaba Style and that's pretty bad.

Like Dan I don't mind paying for quality releases when the price is right. Pre-order prices are usually well under retail.

ClodBusted · 03/09/2018, 02:35 AM

Regarding pricing, it is usually what is out of stock and had a rather limited print run is going up in price.

Like if there's a Anime TV series splitted into several volumes, usually the last ones can be pretty pricy. Or if there's a collection box, the whole box is expensive. Releasing a TV series that spans more than half a year of episodes (20+) is usually a not really fortunate deal for distributors in markets outside of Japan. They have a hard time selling all of the volumes in English speaking countries, and for small markets like Germany, the local distributors are even facing more difficuilties. Even seemingly safe bets such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon and Naruto aren't that easy to sell, thanks to them being rather long series. Which is unfortunate, since I would like to see a re-issue of the Kimagure Orange Road releases.

Single movies or releases that span no more than two or three volumes seems to have been less affected by rising prices, they are rather going down over time and can be had pretty cheap. My guess is that distributors have an easier time getting a large print run of these to sell successfully.

Another factor is that subbed-only releases are harder to sell to the mass market. The average Joe doesn't walk into a store for a subbed-only anime, he rather takes something that includes a dub, regardless if that dub is good or bad. Subtitles and the original Japanese language track are an afterthought for him, even if that feature is more important for people like us.

I keep in mind that from 2008 to 2010, many distributors of Anime in the US, UK and Germany went bankrupt or defunct. Like ADV Films, OVA Films, Central Park Media, Panini Video and SPV. I bet you guys can name a few more, don't you?
Some releases before that time must have gotten such oversized print runs, that you'll find them for cheap as chips still today, ten years later. While other releases seem to have gone straight for the opposite.