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The Mike Toole Show - Best of Bandai


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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6199
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:09 am Reply with quote
Conan-san wrote:
Bandai could be summed us as thus;

With Gurren Lagann, they did in six months, what ADV took damn near two years to do half (namely a TV deal with a noted TV channel)


That's because Manga has the TV rights, and they were already working with SYFY
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Kikaioh



Joined: 01 Jun 2009
Posts: 1205
Location: Antarctica
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:10 am Reply with quote
Huh. Like some of the other posters mentioned, I liked Saber Marionette J too, though admittedly it's been a while (over a decade) since I first saw it. I mostly remember it being hilariously wacky and over-the-top, in a similar vein to the 'harem' comedy of Tenchi Muyo, with generally likable and rambunctious characters (I'm a fan of zany fantasy/sci-fi comedy though, so I might be biased). I bought the DVD collection a few months ago, so I'll have to take a watch-through again one of these days to see what Mike's talking about.
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GDMaid Man



Joined: 19 Jan 2011
Posts: 71
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:23 am Reply with quote
I forgot about one thing about Bandai's SMJ; the Spanish dub.

I didn't care much for the English dub, but I did end up re-watching it in Spanish, it's actually quite good.
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JohnnySake



Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 582
Location: Auburn Hills, MI
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:38 am Reply with quote
Wow, alot of great posts for this article. I'll throw in my vote for Witch Hunter Robin and Scrapped Princess as well. Both were part of my gateway shows that permanently set the hook into me for anime.

I noticed Mike Toole mention Ghost Slayers Ayashi but hardly anyone talks about it. I just finished watching the series in the recent past and warmed up to the show the further along it went. I had originally bought the L.E. box with the first volume when Best Buy was doing their purge of in-store anime at 50% off a couple years or so ago. It sat around on my shelf for the next couple years and a few months ago I figure I'd better get the rest of the series while it was so cheap at TRSI. It might not have had the greatest story, but it wasn't the worst either.

Speaking of TRSI, don't forget an easy way to see what they have in stock (or not) is to do that advanced search for Bandai only with the in stock flag checked too.

There's one more title I don't think that was brought up: Dan Doh, that golfing anime. I thought I had heard (in an ANNCast) that it was brought over because Ken Iyadomi (or someone else) was a golfing fan. There can't be that many golfing shows brought over. I don't have it, but I'm torn on the uniqueness of it as far as if I really want to spend the money on it for collector's sake.

Nice calls on True Tears and Sola as well. A couple of shows that were originally going to be import Bandai shows (like Galaxy Angel Rune) but Bandai US released them instead, saving all of us a bunch of money.

Excellent article and posts, alot of memories in those shows for everyone.
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reanimator





PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:14 pm Reply with quote
Mike Toole wrote:
I still really feel like bean-counters in Japan put the kibosh on a very modest but sustainable business - but them's the breaks.


Really? Bandai Entertainment being sustainable? I seriously doubt that. If it was sustainable, it could survive on its own without parent company's support.

Being a Japanese subsidiary supported by major corporation, it has obligation to fulfill its parent company's expectation. The expectation to make serious money, not chump change.

Looking at what Bandai Entertainment has been distributing all these years, I think they acted more like independent licensee rather than corporate arm focused on establishing significant foothold on mainstream consciousness. Sure it introduced Gundam franchise and Cowboy Bebop on a cable TV network, but didn't they also licensed several niche, non-Bandai-owned titles with localization price tag?

We can blame the poor economy, diminishing demand for physical media, and Bandai Namco profit loss. However, I think Bandai Entertainment wasted too much time and effort trying to please niche audience who are reluctant to spend a lot of money.

Slightly off subject.
When I checked, Amazon Japan Sales ranking on K-On Japanese BD is still better than US version.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:15 pm Reply with quote
JohnnySake wrote:
There's one more title I don't think that was brought up: Dan Doh, that golfing anime. I thought I had heard (in an ANNCast) that it was brought over because Ken Iyadomi (or someone else) was a golfing fan. There can't be that many golfing shows brought over. I don't have it, but I'm torn on the uniqueness of it as far as if I really want to spend the money on it for collector's sake.


I liked it for two reasons:

1 Yuu Kobayashi as Dan Doh. She's the reason why I watched it in the first place.
2 You know how most sports animes have them lose at some point? Not here. It's less a sports show and more about how he'll solve the problem. A "whodonit" about golf done in reverse.

I didn't like it enough to buy it however.

Here's another blast from the past: Jubei-chan. I bought it during one of Rightstuf's Bandai sales and I loved it enough to buy the OOP Geneon sequel. Silly samurai action balanced with more modern drama combined with serious sword fights and slapstick. It's pretty much the action comedy of anime.

I would have bought Sola except I refuse to buy sub only releases {a policy that's not changing anytime soon}. I have Galaxy Angel AA yet don't have any others, I'd also want to get the two Please series {I can't be the only one, right?} and I'm curious about the long out of print .hack series if only because of composer Yuki Kajira. Plantetes I'll have to buy eventually {I've always been puttting that one off for one reason or another} and then there's Nichijou...

So. The stuff I'd want? Not likely. But I could get Cowboy Bebop...
And most likely, I will always be able to buy Cowboy Bebop. That's depressing, really.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:41 pm Reply with quote
reanimator wrote:
Mike Toole wrote:
I still really feel like bean-counters in Japan put the kibosh on a very modest but sustainable business - but them's the breaks.


Really? Bandai Entertainment being sustainable? I seriously doubt that. If it was sustainable, it could survive on its own without parent company's support.

Being a Japanese subsidiary supported by major corporation, it has obligation to fulfill its parent company's expectation. The expectation to make serious money, not chump change.
You do realize those two statements are contradictory, don't you? An operation can be sustainable(that is, covering costs and generating profit) without fulfilling its owners' expectations. Since there are real economic forces that limit the size of a company, it's hardly unusual to see larger ones shuttering, selling or spinning off profitable divisions to focus on others that have more promise(ala Naraku).
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nyunyuelf



Joined: 26 May 2008
Posts: 27
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:12 pm Reply with quote
Excuse me if I'm wrong, but what the HELL about .hack//SIGN???? It was frickin' awesome, and I don't see it mentioned???? I DO believe that Bandai had their hand in that one as well. As for G Gundam, I loved that one, too!!!

Give .hack some LOVE Sad
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JohnnySake



Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 582
Location: Auburn Hills, MI
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:26 pm Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
Here's another blast from the past: Jubei-chan. I bought it during one of Rightstuf's Bandai sales and I loved it enough to buy the OOP Geneon sequel. Silly samurai action balanced with more modern drama combined with serious sword fights and slapstick. It's pretty much the action comedy of anime.


Oh snap! I just picked that up (used) at an FYE over the weekend, along with another Bandai title.... Angel Links (used too). I have no idea how good/bad Angel Links is, but at the price I snagged it at, it'll be fine.

And you mentioned Please! too, you're damn right that needs to be remembered. Smile
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Ortensia1980



Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 803
Location: some town near Amsterdam
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:31 pm Reply with quote
This has made me realise that there are a lot more Bandai titles that I need to have. I need to ask for a raise.
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Snomaster1
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Joined: 31 Aug 2011
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:18 pm Reply with quote
I know one show Bandai didn't manage to bring to America and that's "Legendz." I know,I know. You guys have heard me complain about it before,but it seems that if any show on earth deserves an English dub,it's this one. Frankly,I don't care who gets this show as long as someone brings it here.
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zensunni



Joined: 05 Mar 2010
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 2:50 pm Reply with quote
The way I see it, Mike only missed two of Bandai's releases that I consider of note.

First: Please Teacher (Onegai Teacher). This is a classic in the teenage wish fulfillment/magical girlfriend sub-genres, with a SciFi twist. Skewing a little younger and creepier than the granddaddy of the class: Ah! My Goddess (Yes, the TV anime came afterward, but the OVA and manga predate Please Teacher by about a decade.), but still with a large influence on later works, a sequel/spin-off series in Please Twins, and spoiler[a recently completed direct sequel in Waiting in the Summer (Ano Natsu de Matteru). I have yet to see all of Please Teacher, but from what I have seen, I personally think the sequel surpassed the original in this case due to its tight storyline, self-aware sense of humor, lower creepiness factor, and Remon, the wickedest character to not be pure evil in a long, long time. It also features Kanna, one of the only characters in the history of anime that can claim the honor of being the hypotenuse of not one, but two love triangles! That is a tough thing to do (Imagine how tough it would be in real life!)]

The other is not of interest so much for its own merits, but more because of what came after it from the same studio: True Tears. I have yet to see this series, but the exceptional art quality and very good slice-of-life storytelling found in the more recent offerings in the genre by PA Works, Hanasaku Iroha and Tari Tari put this on my "gotta check it out" list. It arrived, along with my disks of Please Teacher today. I got K-On!, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumyia, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time last week. I think I've covered myself for scarcity price increases of Bandai discs. If I missed something I must buy later, I'm sure I'll have to pay a penalty for it.

What I refuse to forgive Bandai for is teasing me by licensing Gosick, then dropping it into the abyss of unlicensed shows! Damn them!!!!!!!!
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LagannImpact



Joined: 03 Apr 2009
Posts: 574
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 3:37 pm Reply with quote
N.R. wrote:
ajr wrote:

I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen any mention of Ghost in the Shell:SAC in the comments at all, though. I thought that was a Bandai title as well, but maybe I was mistaken?.

A lot of people make this mistake. I did too. A few weeks ago TRSI had a Bandai sale. So I went to the GITS:SAC page expecting it to have a discount and it didn't. I posted a message on the TRSI Facebooks page about that and they kindly explained to me that Ghost in the Shell:SAC is the property of Manga Entertainment, not Bandai.


GITS: SAC is flat-out weird! It was originally produced by Bandai; however now Manga Entertainment perpetually owns the home video rights and Turner/Adult Swim/Toonami own the TV and online distribution rights!

As for Gurren Lagann, it's a wonder that I was appeased enough by just watching this show whenever it came out on Sci-Fi/Syfy Ani-Monday (or Tuesday or Thursday in '11) that I actually don't own the LEs, but as LordGenome warned I have come to regret it. And now my regret will be deepening...

Finally, the article mentions Eureka 7 "did air" on Toonami. That's not quite correct, not in tense at least. It's more correct to say "it aired on Adult Swim in the past and is in fact CURRENTLY airing on Adult Swim's newly revived Toonami block (with the 5th episode coming up this weekend)." That being said, Its a pretty safe bet that Funimation will give it a re-release next summer. Astral Ocean is predicted to debut on Toonami in late July or early August 2013 (with the current 50-week run of the first series acting as sort of a "countdown" to it), so I'd say FUNi will follow suit and re-release the first 25 like in April and the 2nd 25 like in July.
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gordok



Joined: 12 Jul 2009
Posts: 22
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:26 pm Reply with quote
Someone reminded me of Angel Links in passing . . .

Not a popular show it seems, but I liked it because (like SMJ) I found something in it that a lot of other folks did not.

Basically: I find certain themes recur in anime, and some themes do not "sell" as well as others. (An example by analogy: Trying to "sell" communism to a right-winger. Sure, most sales pitches will not make an impression, but others can be more effective.)

So, for me, one recurring theme in anime seems to be that action/adventure is bad for women overall; that the only sane approach to life a woman should aim for is domesticity.

I generally do not buy into that idea myself . . . but (of the anime shows I've seen), I thought Angel Links "sold" the idea best. spoiler[(e.g., The main character was programmed for revenge/action, and the only way to become her true self was to fight the programming--i.e., become a servant of the community.)]
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Yuki_Kun45
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 26 May 2008
Posts: 725
Location: U.S.A.
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:42 pm Reply with quote
nyunyuelf wrote:
Excuse me if I'm wrong, but what the HELL about .hack//SIGN???? It was frickin' awesome, and I don't see it mentioned???? I DO believe that Bandai had their hand in that one as well. As for G Gundam, I loved that one, too!!!

Give .hack some LOVE Sad


Never much love for .hack from Critics but always beloved by .hack fans such as my self. I know I really got into it when it first aired on Toonami and still enjoy it today. Introducing me to Yuki Kajiura and much of the immense dub voice talent California has to offer.

I think one little overlooked gem is Immortal Grand Prix, the Micro Series. It's a shame it never got a full treatment (aside from Production I.G's IGPX in 2005). It was EXTREMELY short but it was a lot of fun. Another early U.S./Japan production.

I really liked Scrapped Princess too, I enjoyed it immensely and also a good dub from Bang Zoom! In many ways it reminds me of El Cazador de la Bruja.

And of course The Girl Who Leapt Trough Time, I just love that movie!
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