×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Buried Treasure - Venus Wars


Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Banken



Joined: 29 May 2007
Posts: 1280
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:12 pm Reply with quote
Try "Baribari Densetsu" for a nice R6 title...hehehe
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9902
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:13 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
How to get it:
Sadly, your only choice for a DVD is the one Central Park Media made way back in 1998.

If you can read / don't mind Traditional Chinese subtitles, Proware has released it last year with just US$13. I believe the video quality would be much better than CPM's 1998 copy.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime My Manga
JCB



Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 11
Location: Hopewell, VA
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:19 pm Reply with quote
It's weird how I've recently experienced one coincidence after another with Buried Treasure/Garbage wherin I will encounter a particular title either immediately before or after the article is posted in which that anime is discussed. It could be purely psychological (commonly referred to as "inattention blindness"), but whatever the case it's lead to a number of impulse purchases for me. Case in point, I just ran across a used copy of Venus Wars at my local FYE yesterday. At the time I thought "That sounds familiar, but I'm not sure about it." (I'm picky about my anime collection.) Having read this, I think I'll go back tomorrow and snatch it up!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:19 pm Reply with quote
dormcat wrote:
If you can read / don't mind Traditional Chinese subtitles, Proware has released it last year. I believe the video quality would be much better than CPM's 1998 copy.


Hey, nice find! I hope it's not hard-subtitled. What is Proware's usual release quality like? Can you recommend a store that will ship overseas that stocks it?

Gah, I'm going to have to get some multilingual friends of mine to order it for me... Anime dazed
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
CruzMissile



Joined: 26 Nov 2007
Posts: 76
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:31 pm Reply with quote
omg I remember this anime, this was one of the first ones I saw.... right after Akira.....

... I remember renting the vhs from blockbuster oh so long ago......

I remember it being pretty good, but yeah that blonde reporter's voice was soooooooooooooooooooo irritating (venus valley girl, anyone?)

gotta see if I can find this again
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Anime World Order



Joined: 05 May 2006
Posts: 389
Location: Florida
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:05 am Reply with quote
CruzMissile wrote:
omg I remember this anime, this was one of the first ones I saw.... right after Akira.....


The Venus Wars was one of the earliest anime titles for a lot of fans who got their start in the 1990s. About a year and a half ago when our review got posted (shameless plug), one of the things we mentioned was the fact that this was a title that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel during their anime weeks (and later Saturday Anime), and it was also available to rent at Blockbuster at the time. It also felt like it was trying really hard to copy and out-do Akira, much in the same way that lots of anime released in the wake of Evangelion were trying to one-up it. That probably also explains why a lot of fans really hated this one back in the day, even though it's not especially bad.

In all fairness it's not especially terrific, either. Honestly, the only two things I remembered from this anime prior to rewatching it were the cycles and that song at the end. Upon rewatching it last year, those are still pretty much the only two things I remember from this anime. The characters aren't terribly interesting and everything feels awfully rushed, but it's pretty cheap nowadays and it's got great animation, mecha design work, and that synth-poptastic soundtrack courtesy of Joe Hisaishi.


Last edited by Anime World Order on Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:09 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
daedelus



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 743
Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05)
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:09 am Reply with quote
Ah, Saturday Anime on SciFi back in the day! This totally takes me back. Venus Wars was certainly one of my favorites a long time ago. I've had several opportunities over the years to purchase it, but I never did. I need to get this both for nostalgia, and to satisfy the collector in me.

I'm also curious to see if my appreciation for this has changed now that I am older. That was an interesting point Justin made. Now, to begin my quest ....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8459
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:10 am Reply with quote
I watched this way back when it was on Sci-Fi's "Saturday Anime" lineup, then a couple more times on tape and cable extra channels. I remember that the exact moment I knew I was an anime fan was in the long ending credits of this movie, when Hiro is riding his bike. It's strange that I never got this on DVD, but I hope to remedy that soon. This truly is a buried treasure. Thanks for reminding me of it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 9902
Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:13 am Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:
Hey, nice find!

Because I own it. Razz

jsevakis wrote:
I hope it's not hard-subtitled.

No, it's "soft" i.e. switchable to be hidden, just like most modern DVD. I'll post some screencaps tonight.

jsevakis wrote:
What is Proware's usual release quality like?

Being the licensee of all Kyoto Animation titles and Makoto Shinkai titles plus TokiKake and new Evangelion movies, Proware is regarded as of the highest quality among all local licensees.

jsevakis wrote:
Can you recommend a store that will ship overseas that stocks it?

I don't visit those places... (you know, what for? Laughing ), but most users on AnimeOnDVD R3 (SE Asia) forum use JSDVD Mall, but I don't think you'll need it (see below)...

jsevakis wrote:
Gah, I'm going to have to get some multilingual friends of mine to order it for me... Anime dazed

You still live in NY, right? I'll send you a copy tomorrow.


Last edited by dormcat on Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:18 am; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime My Manga
enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14758
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:16 am Reply with quote
This is buried treasure? I mean, it's not garbage; it was decent for its time - but it was slim pickings back then!

It helps if you're a sci-fi fan (like how many early anime fans started out), but still.... Confused
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
doc-watson42
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 10 Feb 2003
Posts: 1708
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:33 am Reply with quote
Note that the manga (also by Yaz) was localized by Studio Proteus, and published by Dark Horse. (In the manga, the bikes were one-ton motorcycles with 3000cc ceramic engines and a 40mm main gun. <EG>)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
toddc



Joined: 23 Jul 2007
Posts: 164
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:45 am Reply with quote
The Venus Wars was, I think, the first anime that I ever marked as a guilty pleasure. It's a silly, shallow movie, but it's fun as hell every time I watch it. The visual detail aside, I think it holds up just because Yoshikazu Yasuhiko knew how to tell an entertaining story. He pulled off the same thing in Giant Gorg, his goofy, Sunrise-backed robot show from 1984.

Yeah, the dub isn't much, but it does have Peter Marinker as the condescending enemy general who gets the best lines in the movie. I'd listen to that man read a blender's instruction manual.

Compared to the anime, Yasuhiko's original manga is both less dumb and less exciting. Yas' style is cartoonish, and the mechanical designs don't look half as good as the film's (the cycles are two-wheelers!). Of course, there's a little more to the characters in the manga, and instead of Annoying Ace Reporter Susan Sommers, it's a reserved young woman from the Earth military who plays the role of the over-involved outsider.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
daedelus



Joined: 07 Apr 2007
Posts: 743
Location: Texas City, TX (ajd: 6/11/05)
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 12:50 am Reply with quote
Well, Amazon only has a English only version. They are sold out of the bi-lingual version. I found, and bought a new copy of the bi-lingual version on Ebay for $8.95. Go me!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
handsomeyakuza



Joined: 31 Dec 2005
Posts: 9
Location: Eagan, MN
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:13 am Reply with quote
I love this show...It's fun...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Yahoo Messenger My Anime My Manga
penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8459
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:14 am Reply with quote
toddc wrote:
Yeah, the dub isn't much, but it does have Peter Marinker as the condescending enemy general who gets the best lines in the movie. I'd listen to that man read a blender's instruction manual.


He was superb as Captain Gotoh in the Manga Entertainment dub of the first two Patlabor movies.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next
Page 1 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group