Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - Why You Should Just Buy the Anime Blu-rays
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RiderMurdock
Posts: 8 |
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According to social media, airing a *censored* version of that trailer got Discotek a 7 day ban from Twitch! But your point remains. |
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 4633 Location: New York |
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I do firmly believe streaming results in the democratization of media
(Namely letting people experience things that excess cost would have rendered impossible a decade ago) but if you really like a work, then you need to own it physically. Because that is the only way to guarantee it will be there when you want it. Discotek is doing the work for old heads everywhere. I mean who else’s releases GaoGaiGar and Street Sharks in the same year? |
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Engineering Nerd
 Posts: 904 Location: Southern California |
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As someone who owns a small anime BD collection (less than 20 I believe), I am curious about three claims that I have frequently heard but not sure how valid they are:
1. I’ve heard many claim that by cramming less episodes into a disc, Aniplex BDs have better picture and sound qualities than other NA publishers, especially if the show is dubbed, is that true? All of my collections are from Viz, Funimation/crunchyroll and Sentai , so I couldn’t make personal comparisons. 2. I have a region-free BD player, if I import anime BDs from Britain or Australia (you know, some Aniplex or niche titles), can I really play them on my player? Some says it’s not gonna be a smooth experience even the BD device being region-free. 3. Now the collector and limited editions are becoming a norm in NA markets, but even being the premium options, many cool extras (like key chains, mini scrolls etc) from original Japanese BD releases did not make it to the West. Is that due to cost or licensing restrictions? PS: now that I remember Pony Canyon used to follow Aniplex footsteps but ultimately failed, some titles got license-rescued by Sentai, did they use the same Dub and are qualities in terms of picture and sound performance remain mostly the same compare to original releases (which goes back to first question does having less episodes in a disc really make that much of a difference)? Last edited by Engineering Nerd on Thu Aug 31, 2023 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lord Geo
Posts: 2699 Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey |
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I believe what happened with Samurai Flamenco was Manglobe going out of business in 2015, at least to some extent. Since Manglobe was the "original creator" for the show it meant that the studio had some amount of ownership over it, just like how a mangaka owns the rights to their own manga, so when it went bankrupt those ownership rights seemingly went into limbo. Anime Limited apparently managed to properly get the physical rights all worked out prior to Manglobe's bankruptcy & was allowed to release it in the UK, but Crunchyroll and/or Aniplex of America took too long & were left unable to release it physically. Even in Japan it looks like it's only available via streaming today through Fuji TV, as it's never been given a physical re-release, which gives more credence to Manglobe's bankruptcy screwing things over for the show.
That's just following the general idea of storage space on the discs. Since physical discs can only contain so much space, if you put fewer episodes on a disc then those episodes are allowed to take up more space, which means better picture & audio quality. However, I think that really only becomes more readily available if you're comparing, say, a disc that only has 3 or 4 episodes on it to a disc that has 10 or 12, and this is mostly especially true when it comes to something like DVD, as BD's massively larger storage space I think gives a lot more leeway for companies to work with. Also, the idea of dual-layer discs have to be take into consideration, and whether or not Aniplex's BDs are single or dual-layer, as I don't really see the point (or cost) of using a dual-layer BD if they only put a handful of episodes on each. |
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champeagle3
Posts: 37 |
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I'm saving my first blu-ray purchase for Sora Yori which I check for multiple times everyday.
That Revue Starlight import looks AMAZING though. Damn. Want very very very much. |
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Cho_Desu
 Posts: 242 |
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I always want to get into anime blu-ray collecting more, but end up realizing just how many of my favorite series haven't gotten such a release. Likely my top favorite anime series, Mushishi, still doesn't have an English blu-ray release in America (and the second season doesn't even have a DVD release). That series would be a feast for the eyes if treated properly. And for another example, one of my favorite anime films, Anthem of the Heart, also doesn't have an English blu-ray release in America. I think it released in Europe, but then I'd have to shell out the money for a region-free blu-ray player (which even then, might not even work in certain cases). Tangentially, I'd love to have a little blu-ray collection of all my favorite J-horror flicks one day, but it feels a bit pointless to start without any of the Ju-On films available. TT.TT
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lemurs
Posts: 108 |
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Although a high bitrate can improve how a title looks on disc, it's also subject to diminishing returns and some companies are just better at compression than others. Discotok, for instance, are quite good at encoding discs to look good even with a lot of minutes of video crammed onto a disc. This generally means fewer discs for the same amount of content, which helps for a small company releasing lots of niche content. Aniplex cranks the bitrate knobs to 11 which often means releasing titles on 3 discs that other companies would on 2. This presumed increase in "quality" might make their fans feel better about paying a premium for their discs (even if they might not be able to tell the difference). |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4669 |
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Streaming is certainly way better than the old days of the legal options being whatever little was on TV or blind buying a few episodes of something. That said, it is no substitute for owning your own copy.
Perhaps the biggest examples that comes to mind of what can happen if you rely on streaming for access are two situations with both involving Crunchyroll and Funimation. Things seemed really good with that partnership where they shared licenses and Funimation did some dubs for Crunchyroll's licenses. Then they split and things, like New Game, disappeared from Funimation because it didn't have a license to stream it. Later, when Sony owned both of them and the decision came down that Crunchyroll would be the streaming platform, you either had to stop what you were watching and wait for it to transfer over (on a time frame that was not really what they said it would be) and that assumed that it was something they could transfer. The concept of ownership is certainly a big reason to buy a physical copy of something you liked. Even owning a digital copy isn't always what you think you're getting. The article already mentioned needing to access Funimation's service to use those digital copies. For me, those codes didn't work, most likely because my subscription meant I already had access through their site. I've been skeptical of those downloads that are tethered to a service due to Netflix. Years ago, I used its download feature to have the second season of Seven Deadly Sins ready on my phone for a trip where I was going to have layovers, etc. I downloaded it well ahead of time so I wouldn't forget only to notice the night before the trip that the downloads were set to expire that night because they had been on my phone for too long. You've also got examples like with some movies sold through the Playstation store in Europe. Despite 'buying' a copy, Sony not renewing licenses there meant that customers lost access. |
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KlarkKentThe3rd
Posts: 108 |
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This talk was preaching to a choir I am already a part of. I will however raise 2 more points:
>Blurays are built very well, and will outlast any hard drive you can get today, >storing movies and shows on a hard drive fills up space super quick, and unless you have unlimited HD space somehow, it is simply better to have your media on Blurays |
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invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2487 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
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To be fair, the Blu-Ray of Yosuga no Sora also comes with the advantage of being able to play each of the story arcs in order, rather than experiencing the "flattened choice tree" order of the streaming/broadcast release. It's the full visual novel experience! |
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5525 |
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While i do have a decent size collection, around 100 titles, it gets to harder over time to justify the cost + space. Something like the aforementioned Samurai Flamenco is easily justifiable given how hard it is too watch, but many others are not when I can easily stream them.
Longer series(50 or more episodes) that are reasonably priced, titles that are on streaming services I'm not subscribed to or are must have titles like Space Dandy and Gurren Lagann are easy buys. |
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DerekL1963
 Subscriber Posts: 1122 Location: Puget Sound |
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Yeah, that's the one flaw in the "just buy the physicals already!" model - it presumes a physical release is available. (And affordable.) |
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JohnathanEnder
 Posts: 89 |
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This is why I always recommend that anime fans do their best to support public libraries.
Libraries are one of the biggest purchasers of physical media. So even if you cannot afford it, your library system will have something for you to find, or better yet, discover. And the more use their collections get, the better likelihood they have of getting more. Case in point, a local library in my county's system had a 4K(!!) copy of The Castle of Cagliostro. But when I went to check it out, I noticed they also had 4K sets of Akira and Ghost in the Shell. Not to mention blu-rays of Arion and Future Boy Conan. When I spoke with the librarian who handles this collection, he told me that he likes getting things you might not necessarily find on streaming. |
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StarDango
Posts: 103 |
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I’ve lessened how many discs I buy as of recently, only purchasing series I know I will be rewatching till the end of times. It’s precisely because I can’t trust streaming sites to have everything forever and I don’t like how often a series I enjoy disappears or gets locked behind another subscription.
Plus I do believe that purchasing discs is one way to help studios/localization companies know that there are people who enjoy this particular show. And I’m hoping it encourages more dubs, especially from studios like Sentai Filmworks. And, added bonus, having a shelf filled to the brim with a lot of anime just looks cool to me.
It’s funny you say that since it was because of my public library that I was able to indulge in a lot of anime and manga when I was a child, from main stream to the obscure. Like being able to read the entirety of Ranma 1/2 and several comedic Pokémon manga spin offs. Or being able to watch a few episode of Kodocha and Law of Ueki. For American fans, it’s one of the better places to go and find hidden gems that you can’t find on streaming platforms or manga sites. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 24225 |
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I'm an Old, so I don't need any justification to buy physical media other than... er, I'm Old and really like owning physical things. I can't say it makes much financial sense, but for me emotion > financial sense. Which may explain why I'm po'...
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