Forum - View topicAnime series on DVD: To wait or not to wait?
|
|
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
SuperSkylineGTR
 Posts: 471 Location: Chicago, IL |
|
||
|
I've reached a point in my hobby where I started questioning the logic of buying each individual volume as it comes out. Instead of doing this, why not just wait until all the DVD's are available and watch the series within a week(as opposed to over 7-12 months)?
The reason for this way of thinking was brought upon by my viewing of Rah Xephon. When I first watched the series it was the typical "buy the latest volume on release day, watch it, then wait for the next volume". This caused me to miss some very interesting stuff that I am now beginning to grasp watching the entire series in a shorter period of time. Previous "mind-screw" animes that I have watched, Eva and Gasaraki, were purchased in box-set form. With this, I was able to watch these series within a week to a week-and-a-half's time, which inturn, allowed me to enjoy the series much better then if I were to watch the series by the standard M.O.. Which brings me to my question to the forum. What do the rest of you do when it comes to investing in a series? The reason I ask is because I am planning to purchase Yukikaze and Kiddy Grade, and I am pondering on whether I should just wait for the entire series to be out. |
|||
|
|||
Dilandau
 Posts: 525 Location: Tea House |
|
||
|
For the most part I agree with your sentiments on 'complicated' anime being better to watch at your own leisure. Though, some of them, like Boogiepop, need a little time to sink in between episodes
When I am short on money(or something I don't REALLY REALLY want) I go for the series boxset. It is usally a lot cheaper. But for fun, I like to pre-order (usually at a discount  ) the individual dvd's. I usually only collect 2-3 series at a time, but it is fun to randomly recieve anime in the mail a few times a month! Just when I start to foam at the mouth, a package of ecstacy shows up at my door.
Pre-order and wait is my choice! |
|||
|
|||
Samurai CDZ
 Posts: 776 Location: Manhattan, KS |
|
||
|
Well, it depends, I usually stick to box sets, but like in the case of Abenobashi I'll buy the individual releases. More often than not it depends how much I want to see it more than what it is. Most of the time I can wait for the set (Haibane Ranmei, Rahxephon) because it is cheaper.
At least that's how it's gone for most of the first year. But then I'm still catching up on multitudes of boxsets (YUA, Urusei, Kenshin). |
|||
|
|||
|
Scaramanga
Posts: 135 Location: San Diego, CA |
|
||
|
Unless there's a fantastic price discount one way or another I don't see how it matters at all. If you buy them one at a time, in the end you'll still own them all, and hence be able to watch them any way you please. Or you can wait and buy a boxed set/complete series at once... and STILL watch it any way you please. I don't get why this is a problem.
|
|||
|
|||
Legato 2057
 Posts: 437 Location: Soon to be Japan |
|
||
|
It is not a problem Scaramanga, it is a matter of preference (and sometimes money).
For me it depends on a series. If I really like the show and just can't wait a year (or however long it will take) for the boxset to come out, then I will just buy the individual discs because I know it will be worth it. On the other hand, if I know a boxset is coming out soon, I will usually wait for it. |
|||
|
|||
|
SuperSkylineGTR
Posts: 471 Location: Chicago, IL |
|
||
|
I meant to throw the whole money issue into my post (sorry, I forgot). However, the downside is that sometimes you have to wait at least 6 months after the whole series is out on DVD for a special box set.
Last edited by SuperSkylineGTR on Thu Jan 29, 2004 12:24 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|||
|
|||
mahoro
 Posts: 310 |
|
||
|
I rarely buy the dvds one at a time unless the company chooses to actually fit an entire series onto one disc, i.e. GUNNM, Shamanic Princess, Arislan, and VGAi. If I miss the preorder oh well, bargain hunting for sales/discounts is the only way I collect. Also, as much as I enjoy collecting great tv series like UY, MI, Harlock, Mangizer, Gundam, KOR, Dirty Pair, City Hunter, Patlabor, Nadia, Macross…. I do not enjoy waiting anymore than I absolutely must. I waited for over 12 years for most of these series to be just released on bloody ld or vhs! I refuse to wait another decade for them on dvd and the same holds true for other older titles like Macross DYRL, GunBuster, Iczer 1, Iczer 3, ZeGuy, and Dangaioh, which was horribly butchered. As such, I usually borrow/rent to fill my newer series needs because I already have most of the older series already on vhs/ld.
When it comes down to purchasing older titles on dvd, it really comes down to priorities. I usually consider which series I want to get first, if they were all commercially available. There are certain OVA series for example that are high on my list when it is completely released. However, there are some considerations that would give me reason to pause and a)not preorder or b)not purchase the title at all. The first is the price. The second is quality of the transfer and whether it was edited/content is missing. The third is the accuracy of the English subtitles, I rarely listen to the dub-titling. The fourth is whether the cover art is appealing to me. Yes, I do have my standards! I do not feel I have to support the company if they release a product I feel is not to my liking. I can always rent/borrow it from friends, if I "must" see it. Owning a title is a completely separate matter. Financially speaking preordering usually helps reduce the burden, but I strongly caution people from doing it, unless you are absolutely certain you must have it. I know people initially preordered various entire series and they ended up hating it and selling them. Alternatively, they bought individual discs and ended up selling them because they did not like the series enough to keep it, after awhile another series captured their interest. So I hope you can understand, rushing to buy the discs as they come out, is not really a practical option, unless cost is not a consideration and you want to sample anything that tickles your fancy. Researching a series you really want is prudent, but it helps more IMO, if you have seen the entire series and determined you must have it, before you commit to buying it on dvd. |
|||
|
|||
|
space clam
Posts: 636 |
|
||
|
If I can, I try to wait for a box set to purchase. (Assuming I want the whole series/saga) Some of the other ones I collect by single DVD (Excel Saga) because I don't necessarily need to see every last episode. I would only buy single DVDs of a series if I absolutely could not wait. I lean towards box sets, since they tend to be cheaper (especially in long series like YYH or something)
|
|||
|
|||
Tenchi
 Posts: 4663 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
|
||
|
Eh... I prefer getting the individual disks as they're released because I prefer getting series in smaller installments, especially considering that I like collecting several series at once, and I never have enough money to get boxsets. Even if boxsets come out to slightly less per volume, I prefer paying a slight premium to be able to get the disks individually.
Sometimes I wait a while for buying the individual disks, but that's when I don't have enough money to get them as they're released, not because I'm waiting for a box. (I wish I could find Patlabor TV volumes 2 through 4 sold individually somewhere not online.) Last edited by Tenchi on Thu Jan 29, 2004 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|||
|
|||
|
eva05
Guest
|
|
||
|
Well if I've seen the series and like it I generally like box sets. Giant Robo, Captain Harlock, AT Votoms, Yamato, Zeta Gundam, etc. This was especially true in the laser disc days when you got some styling omake with your purchase
If it's something I'm exploring, such as Blue Gender when it came out, I don't mind getting a few individual discs. I've picked up entire series on recommendation 1 or 2 x and been screwed though. I picked up the entire Read or Die OVA set when it came out in Japan (after hearing how great the animation was and story, etc) only to be pretty underwhelmed by the entire experience. j |
|||
|
mahoro
Posts: 310 |
|
||
|
eva05, I know exactly what you mean about the lds and how there use to be some nice extras/inserts.
 Nowadays however, with dvds you are lucky if the cover art is appealing (hell even original) and there is even one insert that is not an advertisement or printed version of the chapter titles.  If you picked up the limited edition GunBuster Anniversary ld box set when it came out over six years ago, THAT my friend was a box set worth getting. It had a beautiful new wraparound cover by Mikimoto, plenty of extra inserts/goodies and it was digitally enhanced.
I also agree about ROD being a letdown. It had some interesting characters and premise, but it just did not develop enough for myself and I was not impressed with the character designs or animation. I was fortunate I did not buy it to view it, I tested the OVA series as a fansub. 
|
|||
|
|||
Shorty22
 Posts: 504 |
|
||
|
Like everyone else is saying, it just depends on how much you like the series and how long you're willing to wait for it. I usually do a little searching, see when/if a box set is in the works, how long between releases, etc. Also, money is a definite factor that forces me to prioritize things.
For example, thanks to CN, I've discovered Rurouni Kenshin. All the discs are already available, but now box sets are coming out. Wandering Samurai and the OVA collection have been released and the Kyoto arc is coming at the end of March. See, I'll just pick up the box sets of Kenshin as it's a bit cheaper to do so. Now, I enjoy Yu Yu Hakusho, but I don't NEED to see it. So I'll wait for the box sets to come out and just watch it on CN. Now for Inuyasha. I admit it, I'm mildly obsessed. (I don't storm CN for giving it a break, but it is the main reason I watch AS) So I preorder every disc. If not, I would have waited about a year for the first 3 disc box set. I feel that's utterly insane and do not want to wait that long or stay up every night for an AS watching. Therefore I preorder, solely because that's the cheapest way to buy single-discs, in my experience. |
|||
|
|||
ShellBullet
 Posts: 1051 Location: I hit things, with my fist. |
|
||
|
Usually, I buy boxsets. You see, I don't have an endless supply of cash, not by a long shot. So I try to make my anime-spending dollar go as far as it can, which means buying boxsets rather than individual DVDs. Case in point: for a long time I wanted to buy the Orphen series but waited because I didn't want to spend the high sticker price. Well, just recently the whole series was put on sale for under $70. I knew it was time to buy.
Personally, I feel no need to get a series the instant it comes out; there are plenty of older series that I have not seen and may never see. So I am perfectly content getting caught up on those and waiting till the newer stuff is put on sale. That's just me however. In some respects I am behind the times, because some of the shows that are really popular right now I have not seen (and I may break down and buy Licsenced by Royalty before the boxset is available). It just a tradoff: on one side being able to be up on all the latest titles, or on the other hand being able to have a larger overall collection composed of slightly older shows. Take your pick. |
|||
|
|||
Nuriko-chan
 Posts: 192 Location: Konan |
|
||
|
I prefer box sets, but I usually have to go single disc. With the case of Haibane Renmei, I couldn't wait, and with GTO, there were too many other box sets (one) so I had to go with one at a time.
|
|||
|
|||
|
eva05
Guest
|
|
||
|
Maho,
Yeah golden box set days... I really loved the Evangelion movie box...man that thing was huge, featured new cover art, an action figure, a plush toy, poster, continuity book, etc etc I've never gotten anything quite that cool from the US. Maybe a few music box sets have come close but even then... Even now, the last 2 box sets I got were Giant Robo which came with a bonus disk and pretty nice artwork book and the Evangelion Deluxe box (which came in that sweet red unfolding box ). I think it's just Japanese companies make nicer sets.
j |
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group