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REVIEW: Ghost Stories DVD 3-5




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Zalis116
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Joined: 31 Mar 2005
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:47 am Reply with quote
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Even without all the sex talk its content is squarely aimed at older audiences; although even teenage viewers might catch references to Scooby-Doo and the movie Aliens, how many people younger than their late 20s would recognize a sequence of references to the hit early-‘80s American action series The A-Team? (It’s in the episode about the headless biker.) As with earlier volumes, the main recurring fault of the English dub in this span is that it’s sometimes too topical to be funny. If you can catch even 75% of all the references thrown out then you’re doing well.
Even teenagers today would probably recognize "I pity the fool!", but yeah, I barely caught the rest of the A-Team stuff, at the tender young age of 24. Forget the A-Team, I challenge anyone born after the Baby Boom generation to catch the reference in the last episode when Satsuki says, "Sometimes all I need is the air that I bleed." spoiler[It's a corruption of a line from the 1974 song, "The Air that I Breathe," sung by The Hollies.] (What can I say, I've listened to a lot of oldies...) But with all the foul language in the last volume, I expected Satsuki to go into the full quote from Aliens, spoiler["Oh man, I guess this is it man, I guess we're pretty f*cked, game over, man, game over!"]
Quote:
The only episode where the humor falls completely flat is episode 12, which is not only the best-written episode in the original Japanese script but the one episode in the whole series that feels genuine and emotional.
I have to agree--when I saw the front page summary saying, "one episode that falls flat comedically," I immediately thought of episode 12. Honestly, it was hearing the in-poor-taste jokes near the end of that episode that made me want to go back and watch that episode and the rest of the series in Japanese. And as a fan of sad/dramatic anime, GS #12 was a fine entry--ironically, I think that one of the anti-dub posters on an earlier review thread mentioned that episode as a possible "wrong" point in the dub. There were a few other good emotional points, like episodes 10 (the tunnel) and 16 (the haunted apartments). I haven't watched the last disc in Japanese yet, but episode 17 seems like it would have been good, since the anti-sentimentality of the dub can't obscure the music and visuals.
Oh, side note, they added some sound effects in the dub, in the last episode with the spoiler[barnyard animal sounds when the ghosts walk by and the "Pop Goes the Weasel" music when Hajime opens a roll-up door.] Overall, Ghost Stories was a fun experience, and most of the people I showed it to found the dub quite funny. (Those who didn't felt like the same jokes got repeated episode after episode.) After ANN's preview article about the controversy surrounding the project, I felt like I had to own this little piece of anime history. I kind of liked it better back in the middle volumes after the actors had hit their stride but before the jokes degenerated into blowjob and Minute Man content. The inevitable thinpack should be a great value for those who don't care about the Ghost Profiles, although there are some rather interesting translator's notes packed into those as well.


Last edited by Zalis116 on Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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v1cious



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:55 am Reply with quote
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If you’ve seen the first two volumes of Ghost Stories, whether subbed or dubbed, then these remaining three are just more of the same


why is this a bad thing? i mean that's pretty much the point. it's not like it's some big epic series, it's just supposed to be funny.


anyways i still need to pick up the last volume, but so far i like what i've seen.
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JoshuaStChristopher



Joined: 20 Jan 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:47 am Reply with quote
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...the VAs crack jokes about each other, do a fair amount of Bush-bashing...


What's with all the hate for Gavin Rossdale? Hmf.

Well, after catching one episode of Ghost Stories, I knew it was about as funny as a 24-hour marathon of "Friends", so I--unfortunately--will not be watching the rest of this.

Though I did like the concept behind giving it a crazy dub--and while I usually like ADV--I didn't find this to be my taste.
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Key
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:25 am Reply with quote
v1cious wrote:
Quote:
If you’ve seen the first two volumes of Ghost Stories, whether subbed or dubbed, then these remaining three are just more of the same


why is this a bad thing? i mean that's pretty much the point. it's not like it's some big epic series, it's just supposed to be funny.


That wasn't intended as a criticism, just a statement of fact.

Zalis116 wrote:
Seems like there's an italics tag that wasn't closed somewhere in this review...


I noticed and took care of that about the same time that Zallis made his post.

Quote:
There were a few other good emotional points, like episodes 10 (the tunnel) and 16 (the haunted apartments). I haven't watched the last disc in Japanese yet, but episode 17 seems like it would have been good, since the anti-sentimentality of the dub can't obscure the music and visuals.


Enh, I could see what they were trying to do in the Japanese versions of episodes 10 and 16, but wasn't impressed by how well they came off. Likewise by episode 17, although it was a much stronger attempt. Unfortunately, that one ruins its effectiveness at a certain key point by shifting from Sad Dramatic Mode back into Monster Mode. The only one that's carried through well is episode 12.
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Ranma824



Joined: 17 Feb 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:34 pm Reply with quote
Here's hoping for a sub-only thinkpak release... Sad

Looks like I need to start working that Sliders machine for a trip to the dimension where the ARE selling a JP-only release of the show.
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Key
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:24 pm Reply with quote
And what would be wrong with a normal thinpak release? The "Japanese language w/subtitles" option gives you the original program completely intact with faithful translation, so those who don't care for what ADV did with the dub but are still interested in the series can watch it exactly as originally intended.

A subbed-only thinpak will never happen because, frankly, it wouldn't sell. Whether you agree with what ADV did or not, it's simple fact that its marketability in the U.S. is very low without that dub.
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Ranma824



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 7:58 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
And what would be wrong with a normal thinpak release? The "Japanese language w/subtitles" option gives you the original program completely intact with faithful translation, so those who don't care for what ADV did with the dub but are still interested in the series can watch it exactly as originally intended.

A subbed-only thinpak will never happen because, frankly, it wouldn't sell. Whether you agree with what ADV did or not, it's simple fact that its marketability in the U.S. is very low without that dub.


Oh, I'm sure the JP option is fine, I've seen the first volume as such. But I'm not giving ADV money for something that exists on the DVD, which I totally disagree with, even though I would never watch it.

I already know a sub-only release will never happen, hence the Sliders nod.
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Echo_City



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PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:16 pm Reply with quote
Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but if anyone stumbles upon this, I have a question that these Internet reviews have failed to address.

What are the on-disc extras for the individual volumes, and are there any physical extras? (e.g. booklets)

Are the same extras on the thin-pak? ADV is notorious for stripping all extras from their thin-paks (Gilgamesh is infamous).

Some reviews on ANN post about extras, others do not. It's up to the reviewer's caprice, which is a major issue since they are rarely mentioned on the encyclopedia pages, and they are integral to the product.

Especially when this is an ADV product, and ADV is King of the Extras. (Sadly Section23/Sentai is not...yet) The extras were reason enough to buy the dvds.

I finally found and finished this show, and found it hilarious, and need to contemplate my buying options for it...5 years after the fact.
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Key
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:30 pm Reply with quote
Echo_City wrote:
What are the on-disc extras for the individual volumes, and are there any physical extras? (e.g. booklets)


The on-disk Extras are specifically described in the next-to-last paragraph of the review. Since no physical Extras were mentioned then there weren't any, as that reviewer (i.e. me) always mentions them if they're present.

Quote:
Are the same extras on the thin-pak? ADV is notorious for stripping all extras from their thin-paks (Gilgamesh is infamous).


Can't comment on that.
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Echo_City



Joined: 03 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:54 pm Reply with quote
Wow, that was quick. Ask and ye shall receive...

I saw the paragraph, but I just couldn't believe that those were the only extras. This was made in the Golden Age of ADV extras, after all. (Gilgamesh, BGC:2040, Chevalier, Madlax)

Oh well, I guess the whole thing is arguably a commentary Wink

Though I have yet to NOT be burned by a thin-pak cheating me out of extras, so I'm always concerned, but I guess if there are no physical extras (including an art box) than there is no risk at all of getting burned on this thin pak.

Quote:
as that reviewer (i.e. me) always mentions them if they're present.

My apologies. From your properly punctilious reply I've learned that the "modern" reviewers aren't the same as the reviewers on older reviews (i.e. you).

Thanks for the reply.
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Zac
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Joined: 05 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:05 pm Reply with quote
Echo_City wrote:

My apologies. From your properly punctilious reply I've learned that the "modern" reviewers aren't the same as the reviewers on older reviews (i.e. you).

Thanks for the reply.


Hahahahahahaha.
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