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What company do you turn to for your anime needs?

What company do you turn to for your anime needs?

ADV Films
7 votes
Bandai Entertainment
3 votes
FUNimation
3 votes
Geneon/Pioneer
9 votes
Media Blasters
0 votes
Other
4 votes

Only members can vote.

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shinsengumi

Retired Moderator

shinsengumi

. . . remember me?

Downloading anime, whether raw or fansubbed, is illegal; even if an anime hasn't been licenced in the United States, it is copyrighted material protected under international treaty. For those of you in the community who are fine, upstanding citizens who purchase anime legitimately on DVD, here is a thread in the same vein as my preferred fansub group thread on what companies you prefer to give you your anime fix.

So,

1. What company do you prefer for your anime needs, and what sets that company apart from the rest?

2. What company do you avoid (if possible) for your anime needs?

3. What features of anime on DVD do you enjoy?

4. What features do you wish that anime on DVD had?

Also, feel free to note any additional observations or comments you might have on anime on DVD

s h i n s e n g u m i
Minitokyo Policy, Forum, Review, and Category Maintenance Moderator Emeritus

Do not expect to be applauded when you do the right thing, and do not expect to be forgiven when you err, but even your enemies will respect commitment, and a conscience at peace is worth a thousand tainted victories.

somebodyelse

Retired Moderator

somebodyelse

Pacman's mouthpiece

Ha, first post for a change!

The case as I see it is pretty much whichever company licenses the anime, you're locked in, you don't have much choice other than to go illegal, or buy imports and roll the dice that the subs are halfway decent. For import subtitles, Air does well, Gundam Seed does absolutely horrible and I don't use that word lightly.

But sticking to the topic flow:

1. Geneon always seems to do pretty well.
2. I'd avoid ADV like the plague if I had a choice; the most annoying thing about them to me is, there's a big, loud commercial before you even get to the DVD menu. I skip past it of course, but I can never seem to get the button pressed before I have to listen to this very annoying girl go "What IS ani-me? Anime... is ACTION! Anime is" *button press* :hmpf: Shaddap, for crying out loud, I think I know what anime is by now. *pant* There, that was my rant.

3 & 4 lumped together in one big rant: Ok, like I was ranting above, it'd be nice if certain companies would put their ads in the extras, instead of making hardcore fans listen to them in such a condescending manner.

Concerning anime on DVD to begin with: I'm basically a purist, I never watch an anime in English, and I never will if I have a choice. If I wanted to watch something in English, I'd pop in a movie. So being this way, I like that buying DVD animes from American-based companies, it's a pretty safe bet that the subbing will be decent. But on the other hand, I don't appreciate the part about paying the salaries of English voice-actors that I'm not going to listen to. IMHO it'd be awesome if these companies had direct-download sites to download the subbed versions only for $4 a pop or some such, like a legal Napster. If somebody knows about anyplace that does this already, give a shout in this topic!

Ok, that's enough for one post- :pacman: out.

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ZeroFear

ZeroFear

That guy...

I've never considered myself a "fine outstanding citizen" but I'll take a shot at your questions. :D

1. What company do you prefer for your anime needs, and what sets that company apart from the rest?

I actually prefer Geneon over just about everyone else because they do a pretty decent job with just about every anime they obtain. Even the dubs have been turning out pretty good. Plus they had quite a few animes I've enjoyed over the past few years.

2. What company do you avoid (if possible) for your anime needs?

I'd like to say ADV but I've been getting so many great deals from them lately I'd sound pretty crazy to avoid them.

3. What features of anime on DVD do you enjoy?

Just about any feature that comes with your standard DVD like special features and extras and a option for languages....and the ocassional bounce counter for super ecchi series. :) (Sorry, couldn't help it. Sometimes the more perverted male dominant side of me takes over. :) )

4. What features do you wish that anime on DVD had?

I wished more animes came out with more extras besides cheap, generic things like unaltered ending and commercials. I want to see more extras like behind the scenes actions, day in the life of the voice casts, more original content instead of the same old same old.

Hope I didn't ramble to much. :)

eXDream2K5

eXDream2K5

the crazy band geek

it really would've been awesome if you'd included an "all of the above" or "a combination of the above" option, because there's a lot of Anime I'm into, and all the titles I go for are licensed by all of these companies and then some.

Labels are for cans. I'm not a f*cking can.

AngelKate

AngelKate

~*Lady Sweetness*~

I don't think I'm a "fine outstanding citizen" either, but I'll give it a shot. ;)

1. What company do you prefer for your anime needs, and what sets that company apart from the rest? FUNimation seems to have good dubs/subs from what I've seen. I think they are the ones doing Tsubasa Chronicle, so it'll be interesting to see what they do with it. I hope the voices are halfway decent, though I'd be watching the subtitles anyway. I prefer the Japanese voices usually.

2. What company do you avoid (if possible) for your anime needs? 4Kids = THE DEVIL. After what they did to CCS I avoid them like the plague.

3. What features of anime on DVD do you enjoy? Subtitles, of course, so I can understand them and not have to listen to dubbed voices, even if they are done relatively well. Sometimes they come with behind the scenes stuff which is always cool too. :)

4. What features do you wish that anime on DVD had? Hm...hard to say really. I wouldn't mind seeing some info on the Japenese voice actors, especially if they are less known. I.E. Makino Yui, who does Sakura from Tsubasa Chronicle. Sakura I believe was her first really big voice-acting role, and it would be cool to kinda see how she got selected and what her background is. If they have something like that, let me know. XD

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shoujoboy

shoujoboy

Launching shoujoboy 2.0

1. I am the biggest Geneon whore there is. I've blindly bought shows just for that very reason. They seem to bring out the best quality shows and likewise the beest quality in terms of the disc itself. Not only that, but those little extras are nice too. Although I have to say Funimation is really starting to prove its merit.

2. I try now to avoid ADV. ADV is just insane with how much it seems they like to stab fans in the back. Countless times I've bought a show one disc at a time only to have them release some rediciulously cheap boxset a few months later. Thats a freaking insult. I used to buy a lot of their stuff, but now its only those must haves.

3. Having an anime on DVD to me is the best way to have it. It looks better than a cheap fansub and sounds better. Also the I do like to display my proud collection.

4. They need to have more interviews with the Japanese voice actors. Some of the things they put on the discs are useless at best. I'm sure very few of us actually care about what the English VA's or the vocal director for the English script has to say (sorry if I just stepped on your toes). But give me a Kikuko Inoue interview a la the first disc of Genshiken, and I'm a happy camper.

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CyanideBlizzard

Retired Moderator

CyanideBlizzard

Margarita Time!

I'll just answer them all because well, I buy from them all.

I don't necessarly have a preferrence, whatever more of suits my fancy and that I enjoy I'll buy from. Sadly, there is no real favorite. However, I will mention you forgot VIZ and 4kids entertainment. However since no one likes four kids entertainment, I don't think that it matters, but Shin, you are a topic machine, you should slow down a little there. Too many topics to keep up with @_@.


DVD's need more episodes, that's a must, I can't begin to express it enough how FUN jips people with only three per dvd, which isn't cool. Also it wouldn't hurt to add more of something like off-screen stuff, like what Bandai did with GiTS : SAC. That would be much nicer to see, to be honest. This is a rather short post due to the fact that I'm stressed with time, yet I wanted to post my opinion so I'll probably edit it in the future when I get some time, so don't mind me =x.

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1. I choose A.D.Vision [ADV Films] because it has changed so much over the years, but has changed for the better for the fans without giving up what makes it cool.

When they first started out, you would get VHS tapes with one or two episodes per tape, and it would cost regular VHS tape price, while other places were selling with three and maybe even four episodes a tape. Not very practical, but then they started releasing them with more on a tape. They even created a small mini company called ADV Fansubs to release things more set for the fans [this is where they finally released the fan-favorite Nadia of the Mysterious Seas]. When they went to DVD, they were one of the firsts to release an entire [26 episode] season on 6 DVDs [roughly eps. 1-5, 6-10, 11-14, 15-18, 19-22 23-26], whereas other companies were still doing the 8 DVD volume season [roughly eps. 1-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-19, 20-22, 23-26]. Also, they were the first company to release fan classic favorites in a more compact, affordable version called Anime Essential Collection [which came out long before some of the other compact versions; Geneon Signature came out around the same time, but that wasn't a compact version, but a re-release of the same 8 volume setup at a lower price].

As for content, the have always translated as much as they possibly could. I love having the opening/ending songs with a translation, but also the Romaji, so I can learn and sing along [so cool!]. They also translate the cast list BY EPISODE for both languages. I have seen other companies who will do translation for the major characters only and lump this cast list for the same episodes over and over, even if some on the list aren't even in the episode shown. I love listening to the voices and trying to find out if I can guess who they belong to, so if like, Crazy Villager A sounds familiar, but he's not in the credits, I can't check who it is.

Translation notes and behind the series information is also a great thing. I love Saiyuki, and the cultural notes about the legend are immensely helpful. I also just recently purchased Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok v.03, and I can say for a fact, those Norse Mythology Notes DID HELP A LOT when I was trying to understand things, people, and places being mentioned in the series so casually.

ADV has gone through a lot of change for the better over the years, so who cares about the stupid commercials on the disc or the fact that they release less-in-price-thinpack boxsets for the consumer otaku when you've already got most of the series on regular DVDs. That's when you go to online stores who are TRYING to sell of their single DVDs to get rid of them at cheap prices [that's what I did]. If you don't want to wait for a thinpack box, buy the DVDs as they come out, so you can WATCH THEM.

2. There aren't many companies that I avoid, but some I dislike some of the things they do. Pioneer/Geneon because they're still using the 8 DVD setup [see above comment] and they don't translate all cast lists or into Romaji lyrics for songs. Their Geneon Signature series is still 8 DVDs long, but a reduced price which I guess is OK. Lately Geneon titles have been very expensive, even in stores that used to carry Pioneer stuff cheaper. It makes me go online to find a better deal than shopping ina real store.

FUNimation also doesn't translate in Romaji lyrics, but they are better at cast translations. Kodocha was a real annoyance when I got it. I've waited almost 7 years to see that released inthe states, and I watched it and was confused. What happened to the first opening song? Won't this confuse people watching it, because this second opening shows scenes from way later on in the series? And then, there was the silence on the disc, which I THOUGHT was a glitch, but was interntional. [I returned my first box set to the place I bought it, because I thought it was broken. My second copy did the same, so I went online to tell someone. That's when a little page told us it was intentional. How much would it have cost to put a little piece of paper in the DVD TELLING US that the problems on the DVD were in fact, NOT GLITCHES, but necessary to be able to release the series due to copyright problems]. Also, I do dislike the way they've been releasing Case Closed [Detective Conan] at 3 episodes a DVD, and they're finally releasing the first episodes for season 1 for those who hadn't caught it on [adult swim]. But, with the immenseness of that series, season boxsets might have been easier than single volumes.

I do dislike what TokyoPop did to Rave Master [Groove Adventure Rave], when they decided to release it only on the edited english version. More people would probably have encouraged and supported them with it IF they had released like 2 season boxsets of unedited subtitled series. It's too bad, because I've seen the original and it rocked, but what they made of it made me sick to my stomach. I don't think they even finished the series.

Whoever picked up One Piece is making the same mistake, and it will probably end the same.

3. I enjoy full translations, cultural notes, behind the scenes information, music videos, translated and Romaji lyrics, clean opening and ending songs, art galleries, talking with the voice actor [commentaries], extra items with DVDs like cards or boards, character information, and even silly games. Not all of these are in one DVD, but they make up a lot of the ones I do own.

4. [see dislikes above] ...but I do like to know the translations for almost everthing, like cast and titles.


***ok, I know this is long, but I believe I've addressed my opinions and my reasoning behind my choices very carefully. Hopefully, someone will find this rant useful.

;p

merged: 02-22-2006 ~ 01:48am
pps.. The word in the Kodocha section is intentional, not international....sorries

ZeroFear

ZeroFear

That guy...

Wow. I think this is actually a first for me: Someone actually saying a kind word about ADV, in a anime forum, in a forum that probably a good 80 percent fansub lovers which usually means they hate all things ADV. Simply wow.

Now you should probably run before everyone on this forum tears you apart. :D

bromithia

Retired Moderator

bromithia

I buy half of my anime and download the other half... just because some animes I've watched are so amazing that I must purchase them on DVD for my little collection. The majority of the DVDs I have are from ADV simply because they are the most popular out of the rest, in my opinion, atleast. I really like how they are releasing boxsets featuring the entire series now, rather than just single DVD sets, which are completely over-priced and not worth it for whatever company.

I don't really avoid a company, as long as they are offering an anime I really want, I will buy it. I'm not really picky in this category.

What features do I like most? The only reason I buy a DVD is to watch the episodes... so pretty much just that. I've never been a fan of the extra stuff featured, sometimes it is really useless like on the Lain DVDs, which was a girl talking about stuff in Japanese, I had no clue what it was for. Maybe if I knew Japanese that would be different :o

I don't really care what else is featured on the DVD besides the episodes, again, so yeah, doesn't matter to me.

Spystreak

Retired Moderator

Spystreak

The Grim Reaper

I don't really buy many DVD's actually the only ones I bought are from FUNimation and one from Bandai Entertainment and ADV so to say which I preferred and why they were apart from others would be biased.
I personally like character profiles. Gives you a bit more insight into the characters. Music videos are good or any music in general I enjoy. Also previews for some odd reason I just like watching them. Although FUNimation does lack in that department since they usually have DBZ previews (man am I sick of that show)
The Robotech DVD's (don't for the love of me know who actually produced those DVD's) had good previews. They were varied showing an array of different genres.
Personally I'd love to see some anime bloopers or some sort of comedy reel. I doubt that would happen though.

Fools You Can't Escape from The Grim Reaper. Your Only Chance for Escape Is Death. Bye Bye Now
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bigeejit

bigeejit

Sup?

JP artbooks r the best the buy for quality and of course the omakes ;). reprints r usually faded (i.e CCS illustration books by tokyopop)

i don't really pay attention to who i buy from as long as the anime looks good.

natsume44

natsume44

Yamapi Fangirl

This is kind of a tough choice for me, since I usually don't care who gets a series, as long as I can just watch it. Anyway...

1) I have to go with Geneon on this one. I've gotten their releases of Last Exile and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, and I can't find anything wrong with them. To me, it seems like ADV and Bandai just pick up whatever series they can, so their attention is greatly divided between all their shows. Geneon, on the other hand, seems to really focus on what they've got so they can make their releases top-quality. The same is true for Funimation.

2) The only company I avoid is 4Kids. I can understand editing out a bit of violence so it can be aired on TV for little kids, but changing the characters names and and replacing the opening and ending music to something that barely resembles even bad rap music? Gag me, please.

3) My favorite extras on a DVD are the sort of mini episode on Bandai's release of Infinite Ryvius. That doesn't really matter though, since all I expect to pay for are the episodes themselves, and that's all I really care about.

4) I guess I'd like it if there were more interviews with the English casts. Those were my favorite extras on the Rahxephon DVDs. I also wish companies would start adding extras like t-shirts, plaushies, and soundtracks with first-volume special additions again.

EvoIIICE9A

EvoIIICE9A

Got Dango?

A very interesting subject I like this one

1 - Ive never really paid attention to the detail of each company. Most of my dvds are ADV or Bandai. ADV seem to be dominating the market atm but the one thing that really kills them is the overuse of the same voice actors. Of course it can be killed by the change language option but it just gets annoying after a while. I would have to say Bandai for the prefered group, so far I have found nothing that I hate about thier releases.

2 - Tokyopop is on the top of the list. If an anime can be killed Tokyopop sure does do it in a grand way. I mean GTO was pretty good but Real Bout High School and Initial D gee could you kill an anime anymore. Specially for Initial D I got used to the tacky Fast and the Furious homie talk but why the hell did they have to modify the video and get happy with Premiere transitions. That was uncalled for. Other companies like Anime Works are another one, nothing wrong with thier translations or anything but for an official release company you think that thier dvds would be better quality. I have seen bootlegs with less interlacing.

3 - The English VA outtakes. They are absolutley hilarious. Another feature I thought was absolutley a brilliant idea was Excel Sagas ADV notes. At times there was that many that popped up it was too fast to read but the pause button really helped.

4 - To all be the same region so there is no need for multi-region dvds players XD It gets annoying when your multi-region dvd player dies and for me I cant play my US and Japanese dvd releases hehehe. Also like natsume44 said the bonus of tshirts, osts etc. For a while there most new series dvds came with a shirt, a nice pretty box and the first dvd but now it had died off. Now that is real incentive to buy more when you know you are going to get something extra with it.

Quote by somebodyelseyou don't have much choice other than to go illegal, or buy imports and roll the dice that the subs are halfway decent. For import subtitles, Air does well, Gundam Seed does absolutely horrible and I don't use that word lightly.

Those 'imports' are illegal too.

UltraMarine

UltraMarine

Detective Prince

I'm not exactly one of those fine, upstanding citizens, but I do purchase the legit DVDs of anime I have watched through fansubs that I really like usually from start to finish.

1. I have no preference to who I buy my anime from. Most companies do a very good job anyway. As long as the company has the series I want and have dual language tracks and readable subtitles, they will have my money for it.

2. If there is such a company to stay away from, I would avoid those that only release anime that are "only english language" (when it should have a japanese track) and have scenes deleted for censorship. I want to see everything the creator meant for his/her viewers to see!

3. Features I really like are the omakes. Very funny stuff! Also, reversable DVD covers make a nice additional bonus. Most of the time, I tend to chose the 2nd cover for display.

4. Features I wish to see more in anime DVDs is official music videos that were made for that particular series. There seems to be not enough of them being included in bonus features.

More and more, I'm seeing companies make boxsets with bonus goodies like t-shirts and figures. Most of the time, I just purchase the single dvds rather than spend the extra money for goodies that I would most likely stuff in my closet. There are rare exceptions where I would buy such a boxset, but only for the series I really like alot.


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Growing old is inevitable....Growing up is optional.

1) I usually go toward any of the mayor companies (Bandai, ADV, Geneon, even FUNimation). Every single one of them has a series that I love. And all of the companies have different things about them that make them good or bad.

2) The only companies that I try to stay a way from is Media Blasters and Anime Works. There is just something about them that I don't really like.

3) On anime DVDs I love to see trailers. I always look at them after I am done watching the anime on the disc. I also enjoy see story boards or original drawings of characters too. Oh, and director and voice actor commentary.

4) One thing that I really enjoy seeing that you normally don't see are bloopers. I usually watch them over and over because they are so funny.

Sometimes when you put an anime in they have previews before the main menu that they don't let you skip. That bothers me sometimes when I really want to watch the anime or when I just don't want to see a preview for it.

shinsengumi

Retired Moderator

shinsengumi

. . . remember me?

Quote by shoujoboy2. I try now to avoid ADV. ADV is just insane with how much it seems they like to stab fans in the back. Countless times I've bought a show one disc at a time only to have them release some rediciulously cheap boxset a few months later. Thats a freaking insult. I used to buy a lot of their stuff, but now its only those must haves.

Interestingly enough, that's why I like ADV releases. While I find that their quality is slightly less than that of Geneon, the fact that they sell really low-priced thinpack boxsets makes me that much more likely to buy their releases.

s h i n s e n g u m i
Minitokyo Policy, Forum, Review, and Category Maintenance Moderator Emeritus

Do not expect to be applauded when you do the right thing, and do not expect to be forgiven when you err, but even your enemies will respect commitment, and a conscience at peace is worth a thousand tainted victories.

1&2: I don't pick my anime by company. I usually find a title I like by renting. Then I begin to buy it. I one titles of all of the ones mentioned except Media Blasters.

3: I enjoy extras, not just the clean opening and closing, but interviews, music videos, a bonus episode, etc. I also like easter eggs. NOIR and Bebop were packed full of them.

4: Not many videos have the items mentioned above. Like Trigun. Great series,but no extras.

merged: 03-03-2006 ~ 11:40am
One thing I hope the anime industry does not pickup from the movie industry is to make a cheep movie only (with a few trailers) DVD, then once it has sold enough come out with a "special edition" DVD later.

sukumei

sukumei

Running A Critiquing Service

ADV poeple of coruse. well i dont pick anime by companies. Sure if its a good producer id see what it is like.

I would like to run a friendly critiquing service for Minitokyo artists. I will try to make my opinions professional and defiantly unbiased although i will speak ideas for the general public. Critiquing service MT thread

Mnemeth

Mnemeth

Rider of the Currents

I get anime I like from wherever available (ADV, Bandai, etc...). Personally I'd like to see a few of these companies get with people like Paul Champagne (his boxes rock) to do packaging here in the states.

As to the illegally acquiring material, personaly unless I have a good idea of whether or not I like an anime series, I usually find some method to preview (usually at least the first episode) prior to purchasing.

Do not interfere in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

MysticTiger

MysticTiger

Storyteller

I'd buy anime.. from none of the above if I had a choice. XD
They all pretty much all lack good voice actors and good scripters.
Although, I do like the bloopers that one company gives you.. What was their name again.. anime works..? o_0;

shinsengumi

Retired Moderator

shinsengumi

. . . remember me?

Quote by MysticTigerI'd buy anime.. from none of the above if I had a choice. XD
They all pretty much all lack good voice actors and good scripters.

I do agree that most American voice actors are terrible, especially compared to the Japanese seiyuu who originally voiced the characters. Besides, sometimes they simply get things wrong. Case in point, the American voice actors in Noir decided that they were going to pronounce "Mireille" as "Mir-i-elle" as opposed to "Mir-aye" as it is actually pronounced in French; every time I heard the mispronounciation I couldn't help but cringe, and eventually it was too much for me to take. Even the Japanese seiyuu, with their Engrish (and Furench) pronounciations, pronounced it correctly.

s h i n s e n g u m i
Minitokyo Policy, Forum, Review, and Category Maintenance Moderator Emeritus

Do not expect to be applauded when you do the right thing, and do not expect to be forgiven when you err, but even your enemies will respect commitment, and a conscience at peace is worth a thousand tainted victories.

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