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NEWS: Odex To Return to Singapore DVD Market




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kusanagi-sama



Joined: 22 Aug 2004
Posts: 1723
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:56 pm Reply with quote
The way they release these is too similar to bootlegs. Why can't they release them a DVD at a time similar to the way they do in the US?
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shattercone



Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 44
Location: Tempe, Arizona
PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:32 pm Reply with quote
I'm confused -- so a person in the States (or anywhere else for that matter) could import a R3 DVD made by Odex from Singapore with English subtitles without it being a bootleg. Is this basically what is being said here?

Plus when they say Episodes 1-12, does it mean a single disc with all twelve episodes? That can't be right...
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RabbitRevolution



Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 218
PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 6:41 pm Reply with quote
yeah, I'm confused too- I have a set of VCD's for Boys Be from Odex that my friend sent me (she has a penpal in Singapore who sent them to her). It looks very much like a bootleg, so I'm surprised to learn that Odex is actually a legit company.

Didn't ADV have the license for Tactics, then cancel it? This Odex announcement is good news then.

EDIT: Got the title of the VCD set wrong the first time. It's actually Boys Be (which I changed it to).


Last edited by RabbitRevolution on Sat Aug 06, 2005 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Steventheeunuch





PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 7:55 pm Reply with quote
kusanagi-sama wrote:
The way they release these is too similar to bootlegs. Why can't they release them a DVD at a time similar to the way they do in the US?


Because no one in the target area (Singapore, asia, etc) buy anime in single volumes, like in the US (Hell, people in the US don't buy anime in single volumes, like in the US Very Happy ). It also keeps the price down in the way of packaging and what not and is more convienient. This is generally a better way of doing it, since the market is much different to the US.

Quote:
I'm confused -- so a person in the States (or anywhere else for that matter) could import a R3 DVD made by Odex from Singapore with English subtitles without it being a bootleg. Is this basically what is being said here?


A Bootleg would be merchandise made without concent from the original license holder. These are legitimate items using legitimate materials, so they are not bootlegs. The worst you are doing is "hurting" the US industry.

Quote:
Plus when they say Episodes 1-12, does it mean a single disc with all twelve episodes?


No, they usually come in four disc sets.

This is pretty terrific news all around, since Odex have the license for One Piece (and the subsequent Asian-English dub, which I've not heard yet), so overall it should be interesting should they do DVDs (They're up to episode 52 as far as VCD goes, which is pretty good).
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ChibiGoku



Joined: 29 May 2004
Posts: 676
PostPosted: Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:56 pm Reply with quote
One thing I wanna state.

VCDs does not automatically mean bootlegs, like everyone thinks.

There. I said it. Bye >_>.

Anywho. I think I know where my money for OP is going if ODEX releases it.
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fflover2004



Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 6:08 am Reply with quote
We shouldn't blame ODEX for releasing in such a way.

Singapore does not have a big market like US. If ODEX does come out the entire volume of FMA, singapore anime fans will consider if they want to buy it as the price is quite steep. We'll rather buy R1 DVD as it's only $20 difference.

Whereas if they come out part by part, it is generally cheaper and thus even those who are only slightly interested in animes will be tempted into buying.

Do note that if we're to buy VCDs(anime) in SG, it's $19.90 or $29.90. Whereas if it's DVDs, it's $69.90. Do you see the BIG difference.(currency is in SG dollars)

However, most singaporeans would rather not buy ODEX titles is because of it's lousy subtitling. That's why ODEX always comes out anime titles in VCD and not DVD.

Lastly, ODEX's is a registered company. They are not selling bootleg stuffs. Selling part by part does not mean bootleg, treat it like a installment.

P.S: I'm not a representive of ODEX. But I'm a die-hard anime fan in Singapore.
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Ericf



Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Posts: 3
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:07 am Reply with quote
fflover2004: So you love anime. That's great. But what is it about Odex subtitles that you don't like? Are we talking about Chinese or English subtitles here? If it's English subtitles, I have to say that their DVDs have not had "bad" translations or language. If it's about the chinese translation, I wouldn't know.
Could you clear this up for me? I don't understand why Odex, the only licensor of anime in Singapore, from what it seems, wouldn't be a company to buy from for the local people.
Thanks.
ericf
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RabbitRevolution



Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 218
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:48 am Reply with quote
Oh, so Odex releases lower-quality products like my VCDs since their market is smaller and these sorts of releases are cheaper? That makes sense.

From the one series from them I've watched, I wouldn't consider their English subtitles horrible. The timing of the subs was sometimes off, and occasional phrases said by characters often weren't subbed (when they seemed to be saying pointless things like "Is that so?", etc.) Grammar was occasionally awkward, but I don't know if that reflected how people speak English in Singapore or not. If a US company did this type of subtitling job, I'd be mad, but since I don't know what the standards in Singapore are I can't complain.

Does anyone know of a good place online to buy Odex products? (since I just got my set from a friend of a friend)
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demon_sars



Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:59 am Reply with quote
RabbitRevolution wrote:
Oh, so Odex releases lower-quality products like my VCDs since their market is smaller and these sorts of releases are cheaper? That makes sense.

From the one series from them I've watched, I wouldn't consider their English subtitles horrible. The timing of the subs was sometimes off, and occasional phrases said by characters often weren't subbed (when they seemed to be saying pointless things like "Is that so?", etc.) Grammar was occasionally awkward, but I don't know if that reflected how people speak English in Singapore or not. If a US company did this type of subtitling job, I'd be mad, but since I don't know what the standards in Singapore are I can't complain.

Does anyone know of a good place online to buy Odex products? (since I just got my set from a friend of a friend)


You can trying

http://www.odex.com.sg

But the site is sometimes down....veri problematic.Its better you get your friends buy for you .

Here a few of singaporean forums that offer some anime info.I search anime avaliable in singapore thru them:

www.hardwarezone.com
www.gamesquare.com
www.f4d.sg
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RabbitRevolution



Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Posts: 218
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 3:09 pm Reply with quote
Thanks demon_sars!

The odex website was down when I visited it, as you had warned me, but I'll try again later. It does look like it's gonna be harder than I thought to find their products online, but I'll keep looking. The anime forums at hardwarezone.com and f4d.sg were interesting to visit, and I'll have to explore them more.
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Agent Wax



Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 23
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 10:47 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
However, most singaporeans would rather not buy ODEX titles is because of it's lousy subtitling. That's why ODEX always comes out anime titles in VCD and not DVD.


Not really. Most Singaporeans would rather not buy anime because they want to steal them off the internet. But I agree that ODEX does have some production issues. The subtitling problem varies: Angel Links had really bad subtitling (Not bad english, just subtitles that only covered half of what was said), but Scrapped Princess did not.

And really, what other choice is there for otakus there? You get, what, 1, 2, Region 1 imports, and a few from Taiwan & Hong Kong. Mostly crap titles that are several years old. Aside from ODEX and the few imports, you'll have to turn to illegitimate sources.

Quote:
Oh, so Odex releases lower-quality products like my VCDs since their market is smaller and these sorts of releases are cheaper? That makes sense


Yes, but if you've watched VCDs before, you'll know that they don't hold a candle to DVDs. With good series that you want to watch repeatedly, DVDs are the only way.

Quote:
Do note that if we're to buy VCDs(anime) in SG, it's $19.90 or $29.90. Whereas if it's DVDs, it's $69.90. Do you see the BIG difference.(currency is in SG dollars)


I don't know what fflover2004 is trying to say. His grammar is confusing, to say the least. R1 DVDs do cost that much, occasionally, but not locally-produced (R3) DVDs. I just bought the R1 Millenium Actress for SG$29.90. Boxed sets of R1 Witch Hunter Robin are going for around SG$150.

My main beef with ODEX is simply that none of their products ship on time. Bakuten was supposed to be in stores in June (not that I would watch it, but still). It's now August, and is still a phantom. To have late releases is not uncommon for any company, but to repeatedly set deadlines they are unable to meet simply smacks of incompetence. A secondary beef is that they have the habit of licensing crap (Bakuten, anyone?). At least to my eyes (but this is of course entirely my opinion). Razz
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fflover2004



Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 5
PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 6:04 am Reply with quote
Hmm, sorry to all those who don't really understand what I'm trying to say. Let me explain in point form...

1.) ODEX comes out japanese anime mostly in VCD(if your interested in the price, it's between SG$19.90-$39.90). They are not bootleg like most other countries would look at it.

2.) I have bought "Love Hina" from ODEX, and I must say they have lots of grammar errors. It is very very annoying to try to correct their sentence just to figure out what they're trying to say. However, they have improved in newer titles, though not much.

3.) R1 DVDs(meaning direct import from US) is expensive in Singapore. There is only one Anime DVDs(singapore licensed; produced) currently on sale in Singapore and that is Naruto. I don't consider imports from Asia(ie Malaysia and HK) titles as R3, and 80% chance their bootleg.

4.) I agree on Agent Wax comment on their promise of release dates. ODEX always shows off their scheldued release dates, but they NEVER release on time.

5.) ODEX site is removed by Starhub, for unknown reasons. Even if the site is up, it's not updated regularly. I suggest those interested in ODEX animes to post their questions in Singapore anime forums.

Ok, if you are interested, I remember ODEX is said to be releasing Girls Bravo Season 1, Maburaho in Christmas. There are some more titles, but I can't recall now.

6.)To Ericf: I have never seen ODEX releases chinese subtitles. I believe these are bootleg imported from Taiwan. Damn those shops who sell them. Please look carefully, their packages are very similar to ODEX, but looking further, they are not produced by ODEX themselves.

7.) To Ericf on another question: Simple. Singapore Anime fans are IT savvy, they can download from bittorrent. The other, is that some shops sell directly imported Japan DVDs(please correct me if I'm wrong). Their releases are much much faster. So people are willing to pump in their money on these than to wait.

These are just my point of view. If in any event my comments are wrong, I apologise.
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demon_sars



Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 9:54 am Reply with quote
RabbitRevolution wrote:
Thanks demon_sars!

The odex website was down when I visited it, as you had warned me, but I'll try again later. It does look like it's gonna be harder than I thought to find their products online, but I'll keep looking. The anime forums at hardwarezone.com and f4d.sg were interesting to visit, and I'll have to explore them more.


No problems.fflover2004 : National Day tmr. Twisted Evil Nice to see fellow kaki in here Twisted Evil
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guyverfanboy



Joined: 03 Mar 2004
Posts: 65
Location: Watchin anime
PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 3:26 am Reply with quote
www.popular.com.sg is also going to carry the Odex dvds, but they haven't showed up on the site yet. Sad
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