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How common is it for a show to have its animation cleaned up for a DVD release? I have heard of shows that have had shoddy animation quality when broadcasted, but were later improved when they were released on DVD (the Witchblade anime being one example).

Since animation nowadays is digital, I assume it isn't too difficult to rework certain sequences for a souped-up DVD release. But I wonder if this is holds true for every anime released in Japan?

AFAIK, improvements are more of an exception than the norm.

I would guess that anything broadcasted in HD will be comparable to what you get on a DVD. I wonder, though, how far you can go with "cleanup" without actually redoing animation.

Usually the biggest changes are just small clean-ups on stuff. Other changes include adding in body parts for ecchi anime, or removing thing that block said body parts, etc. This is how they get those shows to sell, and the otaku never complain.

walw6pK4Alo wrote:

Usually the biggest changes are just small clean-ups on stuff.

I think it's possible for some of the changes to be subtle.

I have actually heard of one case where an entire episode had to be reworked for the DVD release (I think that show was Negima!).

I know that several large scenes in a number of episodes of Moon Phase weren't quite finished for TV airing but were fixed up for the DVD (a short scene of Ryuhei's hospital room after the first fight with Kinkel, a fairly large portion of the second fight with Kinkel, and a decent bit of the last episode were the most obvious ones). These scenes were fairly obviously unfinished in the original airing though (to the point where you couldn't tell what was going on), and I don't think that's usually the case.

The early episodes of the first Negima series were redone (I've watched TV fansubs and my R1 copy side-by-side, it's pretty noticeable) (I believe) after they changed the entire animation team for the show.

I know that the final episode of Eureka seveN had significant post-production work on the DVD version that wasn't competed in time for the TV broadcast. I've only seen screenshots, but there were several instances of weapons fire and other digital effects that were in a much cruder state in the broadcast, and a few of the episode's backgrounds weren't completely detailed. The same sort of detailing was added to the third opening sequence of the series.

From what I read, SHAFT shows tend to see many improvements from TV to DVD (production values remain low, but they're at more acceptable levels than initial cuts). Given the studio's immense success, it floors me that they still allocate shoe-string budgets and outsource work all over the world. Someone's clearly earning a lot of profit instead of pouring it back into production.

Wren87 wrote:

I have actually heard of one case where an entire episode had to be reworked for the DVD release (I think that show was Negima!).

Gurren Lagann had a episode that was almost completely redone too (the hotsprings one).

I'm in despair! Near bankrupt Gonzo, adding pantsu/oppai shots to boost DVD sales have left me in despair!

The biggest changes I've seen between TV Broadcast and DVDs are from Higurashi and Nanoha (ESPECIALLY); partly because these are one of few anime DVDs I own.

This was mentioned a couple of times here, but do most DVD releases really do increase the "ecchi factor" in some anime? I thought the nature of some series (those that do not air during the daytime) didn't allow them to hold back on the content?

Interesting general question, and some good points all around.

As for increasing fan service in the DVDs, commercials for DVDs aired during broadcast of two recent fan service-laden shows (To Love-Ru and Rosario + Vampire Capu2) specifically mentioned that the releases would be racier. (Lala, for example, doing the narration for one of the ads, says, "And in the DVD there's much, much more trouble!" --And watching the original, you can well imagine which wispy bits/locks of hair/leaves/scraps of clothing/etc might not make it into the DVD; ditto all those damned silly bats in Rosario ;P )

Definitely there is a difference between shows aired during the daytime (mostly marketed toward children) and those airing in the middle night (for the otaku crowd), just as there is with other television programs (quite a bit more skin is still allowed in the middle of the night on Japanese tv). However there are still some lines that aren't crossed in broadcast, which presumably can be ignored in DVD releases.

I remember seeing Matt Greenfield from ADV talking about this issue, because it delays the licensing process (since licensing companies want to have the final product before prepping it for their own release) so I think it has to be fairly common.

There are some anime titles I've heard of where there were episodes of anime titles either removed or edited on their televised version and then the episodes are intact in the DVD release. This might have to do with the content of the series or events in the news that resulted in such changes being made. Here are cases that I know of where there are differences between TV and Japanese broadcast releases:

School Days- The most recent example I know of. Thanks to a Japanese schoolgirl killing her police officer father with an axe, the final episode of this series was either removed from air or delayed where edits were applied to tone down spoiler[on the intensity of the two murders that occur in the finale.] The episode was intact and uncut in the DVD release.

Tenchi Muyo GXP- Digital paint was used during bath scenes which had the characters bathing or in some sort of revealing attire to make such scenes less risque. All characters were back to being risque or in the buff in the DVD releases.

Earth Girl Arjuna- The ninth episode of the series, Before Birth, was removed from broadcast due to some controversial themes that the episode ran dealing spoiler[with teenage sex, abortion, a mother giving birth, and the fetus inside a mother's stomach as the mother was having sex.] The episode is intact in the DVD version.

Full Metal Panic: Pumoffu- Due to similar events of kidnapping that took place in the news, one episode of the series was not aired on the TV version. But, it was intact for the DVD release.

Gantz- While I have yet to see the series, I've heard that the first season made edits to tone down on the violence and intensity of its scenes for the TV release while such scenes are uncut in the DVD release.

Gurren Lagann- One of the earlier episodes spoiler[features Team Gurren at a hot springs resort that was set up as a trap by the Spirals. All scenes featuring lechery or teasing with the female characters were removed from the TV series while the DVD has this episode uncut.]

The first time I noticed any changes on the DVD was either Kiddy Grade and Stellvia, in both cases it involved fixing Engrish (although I've also noticed some animation touchups in Kiddy Grade and of course the added nipples). The only series where I've sat down and screencapped the changed for every episode was Negima. I think the only series I have which had a major ecchiness upgrade (baring the aforementioned nipples in Kiddy Grade and a few panty shots in Negima) is Strike Witches. Another series which I remember hearing got some major upgrades in at least one episode was ROD the TV.