X-Bomber DVD Box Set

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FZeroOne
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 1:42 pm

X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by FZeroOne »

Hmm, not quite the response I was expecting, I've been an anime fan too long! We tend to scream bloody murder if liberties are taken with anime, at least these days, its not often I come across people who would *prefer* an altered version to a possibly improved new translation... ...of course, very few anime fans are qualified to argue about the quality of translation ( myself included ) and liberties are taken in a small way ( often with cultural references) anyway.Of course, the beauty of DVD is you could potentially have *all* the options, and sugar on top!As to the UK anime market - its very difficult for me to judge personally. Most of the fans I know import US releases. This, of course, doesn't give the UK market much of a chance, but then, the UK market very rarely releases stuff that is acceptable by what I guess could be called fan standards. The waiting for Mangas Patlabor movie UK DVD is now approaching its *fourth* year and not many of us has that much patience.I do know a couple of recently introduced fan who got into it through the Cartoon Network, but even they have imported a couple of titles, due to reading about them then not being able to get hold of them in the UK ( it was very hard until recently to judge how likely a UK release would be ). With CNX and the Sci-Fi Channel recently upping awareness, and greater exposure to Japanese culture mainly through videogames, the situation my change in future; I know ADV have some stuff lined up for next year in the UK.It can also be difficult to get hold of stuff even when it *is* released, most anime titles don't seem to get good distribution here although the internet does help...
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
Shane
Posts: 944
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 9:10 pm

X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by Shane »

That was what I was getting at, it's easier to import anime titles to the UK which are generaly uncut and complete and a lot cheaper too. This must have an effect on a UK market. Pokemon etc are mainstream titles, so they are likely to do well anyway. I had to buy Laputa on import because titles like that aint likely to get a release over here anytime soon.Idealy Pioneer releases Star Fleet in the states rather than X Bomber, If it does release X Bomber I would prefer subtitles but a dub would be ok.Shane.
I like parties, I like fun, I want to live in a hamburger bun!
FZeroOne
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 1:42 pm

X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by FZeroOne »

Surprise I got this morning... a friend of mine had an extra edition of the NewType magazine US edition [1] and sold it on to me. It arrived this morning. I almost fell of my chair whilst flicking through when I saw in its "Japan DVD & Video Now" section none other than the X-Bomber DVD Box!Heres what it has to say: ( NB, the text appears to be translated directly from the Japanese so the prose style seems a bit odd at times... ) "The Gelmar Army seeks galactic domination over the entire Milky Way & the Earth Defence Forces desperately fight to stop them. The main character, Big Dai-X, is a stuffed doll ( !!! - FZ1 ), but the level of realism achieved in this puppet work surpasses puppet works from other parts of the world (Gerry Anderson would no doubt have something to say here...! - FZ1 ). The story makes an enduring mark on adult viewers even today. It has received praise from around the world ( see, we're famous! - FZ1 ), and the cast of well known voice actors is truly stunning." A word from the creator: "X-Bomber is a puppet play, but its also a sci-fi action film. The feature to watch for is the collection of preview footage! We hope you like it." ( Creative Akuza, Chizuko Akagi )Cuirously, the set is listed as having the "complete collection of English dubs", which presumably refers to the compilation films and not the inclusion of the English voice tracks for every single episode...[1] For those unfamiliar with anime, NewType is a famous Japanese animation coverage magazine [2], almost certainly named after the "post-human" concept from the even more famous Mobile SUIT Gundam. [2] The fact that there is now a US edition shows just how popular Japanese animation has become in recent years...!
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
AndyThomas
Posts: 1706
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 12:42 am
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X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by AndyThomas »

It's good to hear that the X-Bomber version is getting some publicity in the English-speaking world, it's just unfortunate that people might not put two and two together and realise that Star Fleet's the English dub of the same series. Still, any official release has got to say something about the level of interest in the show. I had an interesting email last night from someone familiar with the anime scene in Japan at the time X-Bomber was released. It seems that at the time, tokusatsu shows (the genre X-Bomber falls into) were universally overlooked in favour of anime shows. I'd assumed in the past that X-Bomber hadn't taken off because of its similarity to other shows, but the reality is that many shows were getting overlooked at the time. The first Gundam series were amongst them and of course we all know how popular they've become now...
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Joe Meredith
Posts: 48
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:38 pm

X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by Joe Meredith »

This is probably a stupid question, but has the DVD box set been deleted in Japan now? There is one on ebay at the moment, with a buy it now price of £190...
FZeroOne
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 1:42 pm

X-Bomber DVD Box Set

Post by FZeroOne »

I got my set second hand in Tokyo. Japanese retailers tend to have very quick product turnover, but I would be rather surprised to find the X-Bomber DVD set still in general circulation.
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
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