Forum - View topicProduct Follow-up Reviews
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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Firstly, The reviews for all the DVDs of Chevalier D'Eon are down.
The error message is rather cyclical, as the "Were you looking for the following?" link results in the same error page. (So I'd post there if I could) Anyhow, I have painfully discovered that the Funimation rescue release of Chevalier does not include all the extras mentioned in the original reviews. As a purchaser who ranks extras highly, this is most painful. I understand the omission of the booklets due to physical space restrictions, but the omission of on-dvd content is particularly egregious. The Japanese promo event footage is left out. Why? Also left out are a few of the ADV-made extras. Understandable, though why ADV would horde now-unprintable extras is a mystery. Short of buying these remakes and finding out "the hard way" that I've been ripped off, how can I know, as ANN's encyclopedia entries rarely mention extras, and the products aren't re-reviewed. This makes me extremely wary of upcoming Funimation releases, namely Excel Saga. Without the ADV Vid Notes, it's a completely different show, and I was planning on picking that one up. Hence my increased concern. |
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The King of Harts
 Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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You can always ask any product related questions you have in the Retail Section. That's where all the super nerdy collectors gather, and we're quite knowledgeable.
I can pretty much guarantee you that the Vid Notes won't be on their. Pani Poni Dash didn't have them, and I'm pretty sure ADV has a trademark on them, so Funimation would probably have to pay a good amount for use of them. The reason some extras aren't retained is because those have to be licensed separately from the show. It's probably a big headache as it is to try and track the license holders of a relatively old show since production committees split up along with the rights, so going through the extra headache (and extra money) to get extras isn't worth it. That's my guess anyways. |
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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I was afraid of both of those, that my fears would be confirmed and that I'd post in the wrong spot. 
Well, this just means that Funimation won't be getting any of my cash for these rescue releases, and I'll have to get the increasingly-rare original versions. Sigh. Thank you Online Shopping. Though it is a bit irksome that ADV is hoarding these bonus features, effectively. Unless ADV manages to repurchase the licenses, these extras will never be reprinted. Maybe Funi just did not pursue acquiring them, as Funi has been extremely stingy with the extras as of late. Well, there's a con in 2 weeks or so local to me, so I'll just have to stop in and see if I can't use any of these "new" reasons to support a local venture 
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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Eva 2.22 is chock full of extras Summer Wars has a ton of extras Spice and Wolf II and Rosario + Vampire have been delayed because they were busy acquiring all the extras from Japan They're getting the bonus episodes to Shiki They're making new extras for Fruits Baskets' newest rerelease They kept the original Samurai Champloo extras Let's not forgot all the physical extras they're making You want me to keep going? Because I can. Just because they're not getting every little extra from older rereleases that weren't that popular (Samurai Champloo and FLCL are extremely popular) doesn't mean they're being stingy. |
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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Well, if you want to be punctilious, I'm game.
Ah Samurai Champloo. I love the series, and its fight sequences are what all other series should aspire to. That said, the Funimation DVDs I have of it are so horribly done that I lost a lot of respect for Funi on those. Those DVDs still show the "Coming soon from Geneon" previews, and even have Geneon's PHONE NUMBER. Talk about lazy, Funimation. Also, I don't remember any notable extras. Just the generic textless videos and a few promo videos. Also, I'm not sure where you're getting your information that Champloo was "extremely popular" from, because that's not the impression I've gotten. Your implication that Excel Saga wasn't popular also seems to be false. Let's examine some of Funimation's prior releases, and compare them to their recent ones, and see that they are indeed skimping on extras. As Textless openings & previews are a de facto standard, I shall omit them. To be fair, I will limit this to Funimation native releases. Past Shows: 1) Darker than Black contained dub actor auditions and 6 commentary tracks. 2) Witchblade. Contained a whole dvd of bonus content. Box featured a whole separate container of interview booklets and show info. 3) Speed Grapher. Contained narrated cast auditions for most every character in the show, as well as a multi-part Japanese extra chronicling the casting and grooming of the voice actress for the main female character. Not to mention the awesome limited edition box designed by Antimere Robinson, also containing booklets and inserts. 4) Solty Rei. Commentary track and explanation from the director on why the cast was chosen. Came in a nicely-done art box. Solty Rei is especially pointed as in its commentary track, Chris Sabat implies that Funimation then-mandated at least one commentary track per show. Today, that seems to no longer be the case. Present shows: 1.) Heroic Age. No extras at all. 2) Bamboo Blade. Again, no extras. 3) The Sacred Blacksmith. Possibility of an artbook. 4) Chrome Shelled Regios. A flag. Finally, compared with the legendary extras of ADV, Funimation can't compete. When Funimation features live action extras, we'll talk. No, the Todd Haberkorn youtube videos, while amusing, do not count. Gonna head that argument off
What might those be, besides a flag and a rare-ish artbook? (Oh, and a bullet necklace? Nice to see they're borrowing from Geneon) What is especially brutal is that the Funimation works I listed as being laden with extras are being stripped of their extras upon rerelease. Speed Grapher SAVE for example. I see that you did not quantify your extras, which cheapens their merit. Also, it should be noted that except for Samurai Champloo I do not care about any of the shows on your list, and if they are the only shows that are getting the real Funimation treatment on extras (which they are), then that just furthers my conception of Funimation skimping on extras (because they are. To give all to some, and none to many is to skimp on the extras.) |
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The King of Harts
Posts: 6712 Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia |
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I can play this game.
Those are the exact same discs Geneon used. So you're upset at Geneon, not Funimation. Funimation and Geneon had a deal worked out where they would continue distributing their titles even after they collapsed, and so those aren't their discs. Now, even though they (Funimation) now officially owns the show for themselves, they're still using the old Geneon extras. Which leads to...
You're right, they aren't notable, but that wasn't you're complaint. They kept original extras. And I don't know about D'eon specifically, but looking at it's listing on TRSI, it has a ton of extras: Select Episode Commentaries, Historical Notes, Japanese Promotional Video, Japanese Trailer, Japanese Promotional Event, Interview with the Japanese Cast, Crossed Swords & Cross-Dressing: A Photographic Profile, Clean Opening Animation, Clean Closing Animation, Trailers So now I don't know what you're talking about.
1) Hetalia: Commentaries and historical information 2) Daughters of Mnemosyne: Audio commentaries and a specially made slip cover. There's also Japanese cast interviews. 3) Sands of Destruction: Character Interviews. 4) Eden of the East: TV Spot, Promotion Video, Director Kamiyama & Original Character Designer Umino Interview, Kimura (Takizawa) & Hayami (Saki) Interview, Directors Kamiyama & Oshii Interview, Art Director Takeda Interview, Composer Kawai Interview, Textless Closing Song, Trailers. 5) Summer Wars: Interview with Ryunosuke Kamiki (Kenji Koiso), Interview with Nanami Sakuraba (Natsuki Shinohara), Interview with Mitsuki Tanimura (Kazuma Ikezawa), Interview with Ayumi Saito (Wabisuke Jinnouchi), Interview with Sumiko Fuji (Sakae Jinnouchi), Interview with Mamoru Hosoda (Director), Teaser Trailers, Teaser TV Spot, Original Trailer, TV Spots. 6) Death Frenzy: Commentaries and Production Art 7) Soul Eater: Actor Commentaries and includes the Late Show extras. You're right! It is easy to pick and choose releases to prove a point.
Witchblade. And as far as I remember, ADV didn't have a ton of Live Action extras themselves. The only one I remember right now are the behind the booth extras for Princess Tutu. I think Madlax also had some, but if only a handful of ADV's shows had LA extras, there's no point in brining this up.
And a mouse pad for Birdy, a towel for Sacred Blacksmith, art cards for Summer Wars and FMA: Brotherhood, bandannas for Hetalia, and the art boxes they're making. I could go back to the guitar picks that came with Beck, but that's much too far back.
This isn't Funi specific since ADV started this little trend. Also, lets not forget that Baccano box set actually had more extras than the singles. Isolated incidents aren't precedents.
So you're field is narrowed down to only what you're interested in. That's fake and extremely narrow-minded field. Open of the scope a little bit and you'll see that you're wrong on Funimation constantly skimping out on extras. Or you can just read this post and let it sink in. Either way works.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24141 |
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 Ah, where else beside ANN can you watch two posters passionately lock horns over the burning issue of DVD/BD extras?
Oddly enough, my favourite "extra" is usually trailers. I could watch trailers until the cows come home on the Internet, but I never do. Slap 'em on a DVD/BD however, and it's usually the first thing I head for. I mean, I'll watch them first before even watching an episode. |
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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Perhaps I should clarify--I don't really care about cheap physical extras, I don't want them, as they don't do anything for me. Guitar picks are an extremely focused extra, and they degrade rapidly, which means I wouldn't use them. Thus useless. A mouse pad? I have an optical mouse, and use touchpads mostly. A towel? That's kinda creepy, reminds me of Broccoli's "Vanilla-san" (Galaxy Angel) washcloth. Again, useless. Any logo on it will fade with use. (Don't forget the useless, chintzy extras like the Regios flag and the Phantom bullet necklace. Also, your extras are hard to come by as they are only in limited release. Commentary is much easier to come by.) I want to know more about the dubbing process, the actors, and the original (Japanese) vision for the show. Those are the extras I want. Anything else need not apply to me. Oh ADV, how I pine for your awesome releases.
Yes, those are in the ORIGINAL ADV Release. I have the Funimation release, and most of those extras are NOT, I repeat NOT there. Funi only give you the Historical Notes and English Voice Cast commentaries. RightStuf may have mislabeled their product (they've done that many a time). Sadly, Funimation could have easily included these things. There is unused space in their DVD holder for a 5th DVD.
I mentioned that my perspective on Funimation's extras is limited to my scope. Yours is limited to yours; if we were interested in the same shows, we would have the same perspective. However, the only thing on your list (which is one too short) which I would even be interested in buying is Mnemosyne. If you actually enjoyed SoD enough to plunk down cash on it, you and I should just resolve right now to agree to disagree as we'll never see eye to eye. No offense, just stating my intransigence. If your purchasing track record were akin to mine, you'd see my rapid decline of extras over the years. The fact that the money-grabbing newer shows get the special treatment would lead to you feeling intentionally slighted by Funi.
Follow your own advice, as yours obviously doesn't include the shows I gravitate to.
Ah, then you are not a true ADV connoisseur. For starters, add Bubblegum Crisis:2040 to your list. Your quote shows that you should know about Chevalier D'Eon, Gilgamesh has hours of live-action footage. Super Milk Chan also has live action skits done by the voice actors. Also, the Witchblade extras I saw were all done by TopCow. Interesting, and a great plug for them, but lazy on Funimation's part. Not even a single cast commentary?!
It wasn't OK when ADV's thin-paks stripped out features, so it isn't OK for funimation. Also, most every SAVE box strips out features. If you take the approach of Funimation's packaging designer Antimere Robinson, and consider packing to be a feature in and of itself, then all SAVE boxes strip out extras. "Isolated incidents" forsooth. @Blood-
Probably no where else. Although it does not seem as though we're doing that here, as to me "DVD/BD extras" means on-disc content, when my "opposition" is largely using physical "in-the-box" extras in his argument. They aren't equal in my eyes.
I concur, though I really only like the narrated trailers. If it's just the cheap trailers that are merely the textless intro animation to the show, forget it. If it's a hilarious narrated trailer, or one that uses selective edits to be intriguing, then I'm there. These trailers are interesting as some times they're better than the show (Mnemosyne) and other times they make me glad I saw the show before the trailer (Darker than Black...the blackest of black * infinity) |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24141 |
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Agreed. I find that the original Japanese trailers don't tend to work for Western audiences. It must be a cultural thing, but the Japanese trailers often don't tell you much about the show itself - in fact, a lot of the time I'm left scratching my head trying to figure out why certain things were highlighted. The Western trailer tradition is much more oriented to giving you the premise of the show as well as a flavour of what it is like. |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7580 Location: Wales |
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Actually the review for DVD 6 works and it is the only one without an apostrophe in the URL so I assume this is causing the error. Not something I think I can fix personally. |
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Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
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Sure enough, it does. It's strange how 1-5 "died", as I read them within the past few weeks. That's how I found out that Stephen Foster really did deliver on extras promised on the DVD set, and that it was simply Funimation making him look bad.
(Review for disc 2) When the commentary track, left on by Funimation, talks of extras for the subsequent dvds, I expected them to be there in the Funimation version. Well, that learned me. Funimation published some great shows, and employes excellent actors & directors/producers, so I want to like them. But every time I get close, they pull a shenanigan on me like this. |
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