'CuSO4' Yung wrote:
> 
> > From: Kenji Shimizu <shimizu@telnet.or.jp>
> 
> >Uhmm... No... NOT very common in Japan, for anime... for "junk" type
> >adult video, or remake version of adult video, it's becomming more
> >common (but not yet that big...)
> 
> Not common, yes.  But some good anime has VCD released too, e.g.
> Tenchi OVA (released by Gets), Urusei Yatsura (released by Kitty),
> Maison Ikkuko (also released by Kitty), etc.

...strangly, it's cheaper to buy the above titles in LDs (used) these
days then a brand new VCD...... (unless you get the box set...)
 
> >It's more common in coutries which specializes in piracy and copy
> >right violation.
> 
> True.  Especially in S.E. Asia.

Sometimes, they seem to even sell defectvie priate... 9gee... one bad
thing after another..... pirate the creators, and rob the customer...
^_^;;;)
 
> >The retail price for the OFFICIAL copies of a VCD is outrageously high
> >in comparison to it's quality, unless, except, of course, that is, you
> >buy 1)pirate, or 2)"junk" type VCD. For anime, unless it's pirate, or
> >purely for kids, don't exepect to find anything cheap (not to mention,
> >it's hard to find one anyway)
> 
> Around 3900 yen each for the aforemention ones.

The junk types are around for 500yen or less ^_^; (there's some in
Shinjyuku Kirara, but they are mostly gone, some under guardrail of the
Akihabara (south part) near the Manse police station, and some more in
back streets of Akiba...

> >The only reasons why you'd want to get VCD might be
> >1)you hate VHS, and hi8, since they take up space (CDs are thin.....)
> 
> I do not have a video capture card in my PC, so I cannot do this.

capture cards a cheaper then before..... it's a good way to get rid of
all the VHS taking up space in the room... ^_^;;;

> >4)You want to drive Animation out of business (this is since most, or
> >all Japanese animation is first released in LD/DVVD, etc... VCD formats
> >are usually done when licenced out to second part, etc. so doesn't bring
> >as much $$$ to the original anime creators... (gee, they are
> >starving...?)), or LD/DVD/tapes makers out of business, or retaliers out
> >of business....
> 
> IMHO, LD/DVD is the best buy for any anime.

(the ones that comes in a box, or with a poster is nicer ^_^;;;;)
Speaking of which (off topic)... has the Nadeshiko Movie LD reservation
started yet at Animate? (wonder if they got any extra offers...)

Himiko Den seems to be out this month... severly debating if I should
get it or not... 9ohh... the first press special...... decisions,
decisions.... The TV ending was OK, and the story line was a bit
different (totally different?) from the game...
 
> >8)you love to spend hours and days looking for an anime VCD, just to
> >find out they don't have an official one exsisting.... (true only in
> >Japan. Go to HKG, or Taipei and you can find tons of pirate, at the
> >right part of town... HKG gov. seems to be raiding tons of stores now...
> >^_^;;;)
> 
> There exists many licensed VCD release in Cantonese/Chinese dub/sub
> now, and the price of them is competitive to the pirate ones.
> E.g. the recent licensed chinese sub of OVA Cyber Formula Sin vol.1
> is sold for HKD39 ~= USD5 ~= JPY 600.

...yeah, but let's say they even had one for an LD for the same
price.... would you pay 600yen for this series? ^_^;;; (or even watch it
in the first press?)
They got the show running on my Satelite Anime channel..... (for free
too)
 
> And yes, most, not all, of the pirated VCD shops are shutting down
> by the HK Government.

wow.... wonder how taiwan is doing....

> >This becomes really apparent when playing the VCD on a large projector
> >TV, in a multi-disk player.... on a PC, you'd need a large screen
> >(maybe) to sense this... if you live with like a small 15 inch monitor,
> >maybe you won't feel anything... then again, your Belldandy will be
> >smaller then a garage kit size belldandy (LOL)
> 
> Why would you want to play VCD on large screen ?  ^_^;
> LD !!!!!

we wanted to see how much VCD can do.... it was capable of much less
then we though..... neve passes the large TV test too... the large
projector screen test totally killed off the VCD.... just simply not
good enough.... 

The LD and DVD, we watch anime on there all the time....(the PC screen
can be displayed too... play gal game on the large screen ^_^;;;;)
reading E-mails on the large screen was a new experience for me ^_^;;;

Playing Sonic on the large projector screen causes 3D polygon sickness,
if you play too long ^_^;

...and trying to make Belldandy as large as the life size belldandy
poster (off the VCD with a projector TV) was impossible.... can't tell
if it's belldandy or skuld... ^_^;

> >(Note. The AMG VCD (official Chinese re-release) comes in a box, doesn't
> >it? The design looked OK)
> 
> Forget it.  True AMG fans should get the original Japanese VHS/LD !  ^_^

The originla first press VHS had came with the same goodies as the
LD.... which was nice of them...

But the cover of the LD and VHS were different..... (gee... I still
can't belive I bought both back then...)
 
> >10)You can't speak/understand Japanese, and the only official translated
> >thing out in your language is a VCD.... (gee, this would suck.... no
> >other choice but to buy the trash quality VCD....)
> 
> IMHO, if you are really into anime, you should learn Japanese and watch
> them in Japanese.  Translation (either dub or sub) will only have some
> details lost in the process.  In addition to learning the language, you
> should also try to travel to Japan to experience the culture, and maybe
> you can bump into Kenji !    ^_^;

Learning Japanese wo't take more then 2 years, (on the average) to
understand the animein Japanese... just requires the will power to learn
it ^_^;;;

I'll be in a comiket staff meeting tommorow, so you can find me in
Jibou-cho... on sunday, will be singing Ah! Megami-sama karaoke songs in
Shinjyuku... maybe on monday, I might be in Ueno or Akihabara ^_^;;;

I already bumped into someone from the seiyu ML on thursday ^_^;

Kenji Shimizu