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Buried Treasure - Please Save My Earth


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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:21 pm Reply with quote
Pyoko wrote:
This is simply not true at all. There are plenty of TV series and OAVs, some dating as far back as the early '70s, that have been remastered from original film elements, using digital/component connections throughout the entire process. Several of them have also had HD masters made. I have compiled a list of the ones I know of released on R2 DVD here.


There are quite a few, but your list is still a drop in the bucket. Many, many more are missing, mostly due to poor archival and companies/film labs closing down after the economic bubble burst. Many in your list are also retouched from their video sources, and are not actually new transfers. Japanese studios have gotten very good at that.

This is a subjective matter, of course. They were never anywhere near as bad as South Korea was with their films before the Korean New Wave. Or us with our silent films. Still, the fact remains that it's nigh impossible to make new transfers of many important anime, for various reasons.
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Pyoko



Joined: 13 Apr 2005
Posts: 56
PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:58 pm Reply with quote
Of course there are shows where original elements have been lost or damaged beyond repair, but I think you're greatly exaggerating. I'm sure a big reason why not more titles are on my list is because they've simply not gotten to them yet, there's not enough interest in them, or that the companies simply don't have the money to re-transfer them right now.

No offense, but I'm just sick and tired of the widespread "It's old so it's OK for it to look like crap, it could probably never look any better anyway" attitude, and things like this isn't exactly helping.
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:25 pm Reply with quote
Pyoko wrote:
Of course there are shows where original elements have been lost or damaged beyond repair, but I think you're greatly exaggerating. I'm sure a big reason why not more titles are on my list is because they've simply not gotten to them yet, there's not enough interest in them, or that the companies simply don't have the money to re-transfer them right now.
No offense, but I'm just sick and tired of the widespread "It's old so it's OK for it to look like crap, it could probably never look any better anyway" attitude, and things like this isn't exactly helping.


Isn't exactly helping what? Pissing off US distros who already tried their hardest to get the best materials possible?

I think every anime company at this point has been told by a licensor that a show they really want to get better masters of has no materials available. Whether they're lying/lazy or being honest, we'll never know, but I'll take their word on it over yours. I've been in production on a few of those projects, and you basically have no choice but to take what you're given. Sure, you could pay $500,000+ to have someone put every single frame through Photoshop, but we all know that's not realistic. Sure, sometimes the licensor does a massive restoration later that the US distributor wasn't privy to, but that's out of their control.

You seem to take personal offense to my acceptance of the fact that it's outright impossible to get good-looking masters for some shows. It's true. Accept it. Move on. I'll take a VHS-camcorder-in-a-theater job anyday if it's watchable and there is no alternative. (I wouldn't try to SELL that, but I'll at least watch it.)

But, hey, if you want to deprive yourself of great stuff because it doesn't have a 1080p transfer, that's your choice.
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Area88



Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 374
PostPosted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:54 am Reply with quote
Pyoko wrote:
No offense, but I'm just sick and tired of the widespread "It's old so it's OK for it to look like crap, it could probably never look any better anyway" attitude, and things like this isn't exactly helping.


US companies like Central Park Media don't have the money to give us the best material for older anime. They could have used the remastered R2 print for Votoms but instead to chose to go with the cheaper unremastered print.

Urban Vision could have released the Anomorphic remastered version of Golgo: The Proffesional but again chose to go with the the unremastered letterbox print that they already had.

Thankfully companies like ADV seem to be an exception and have recently released the Area 88 OVA with it's stunning remastered print. Other older titles that have been remastered and released in the US include Megazone 23, Five Star Stories, Aura Dunbine, Zeta Gundam, Dirty Pair Project Eden etc..
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Steventheeunuch





PostPosted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:58 am Reply with quote
Pyoko wrote:
Of course there are shows where original elements have been lost or damaged beyond repair, but I think you're greatly exaggerating. I'm sure a big reason why not more titles are on my list is because they've simply not gotten to them yet, there's not enough interest in them, or that the companies simply don't have the money to re-transfer them right now.

No offense, but I'm just sick and tired of the widespread "It's old so it's OK for it to look like crap, it could probably never look any better anyway" attitude, and things like this isn't exactly helping.


I really wouldn't question Justin on this because from where I'm sitting, he'd know more about this stuff than you do (unless you can prove it otherwise).
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 9:48 pm Reply with quote
Area88 wrote:
US companies like Central Park Media don't have the money to give us the best material for older anime. They could have used the remastered R2 print for Votoms but instead to chose to go with the cheaper unremastered print.


Good point. What DOES annoy me is that some (very few) companies doing DVD releases of older titles don't research that there are several masters available. They get into the habit of expecting the licensor to tell them everything they need to know. Other times, it's available, but the price the licensor (or sometimes the R2 distributor) wants to charge so much for it that you'll never make back the investment. In most cases, they want the US distributor to help them offset the cost of restoration, without regard for the fact that they'll sell far fewer copies in the US.

It annoys me, because really nobody wins in that situation. The fans lose, as they get lower-quality product. The US distro loses, as they get a hit on their reputation and lose a few sales. And the Japanese studio loses because they get fewer royalties.

But, such is the cost of the business. And if you don't resign yourself to it when you're a part of it, it eats you up and you become a disgruntled and bitter human being.

Trish Ledoux was right when she said how impossible it was to be both a pro and a fan.
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:27 am Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:

Trish Ledoux was right when she said how impossible it was to be both a pro and a fan.


That is too bad since living in SF Bay Area, I remember Trish and Toshi back in the 80s when they were still big fans. I think the local news had a small clip on anime back around 1991 which interviewed Trish. I was flipping the channels on tv, and stopped and exclaimed I know that person!

It's interesting how some of these remastered 80s shows like Votoms and Mospeada look so much better compared to those unremastered newer DVDs like Cybuster and Silent Mobius. I considered buying the remastered 5.1 0083 box set, but decided to wait for a possible R1 release after the Bebop 5.1's release. I assume the 0083 5.1s were a success since Bandai is now remastering 08th.
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Ialdaboth



Joined: 09 Nov 2004
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:02 am Reply with quote
Quote:
It's this last episode that always levels me. The nostalgia for a lost childhood and the desperation of being unloved strikes a deep chord. And yet, there's an incredible hope here. The ending is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a cold winter day; to reflect on it is like remembering your own sepia-tinged memories.


Excellently said Very Happy
And good continuation to your columm, which make me remember sepia-tinged memories, too...
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rocklobster



Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 200
Location: Planet Claire
PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 11:28 am Reply with quote
I've been reading the manga and have up to v. 7. The manga is a great read with thoroughly engaging characters and great artwork. If you like stories with a lot of depth and great characterization, I highly recommend picking it up. And this is a guy talking! Yes, guys can enjoy shojo too.
Incidentally, I'd love to see this tried again since the manga is now finished.
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steelypip



Joined: 15 Dec 2006
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:44 pm Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:
Pyoko wrote:

No offense, but I'm just sick and tired of the widespread "It's old so it's OK for it to look like crap, it could probably never look any better anyway" attitude, and things like this isn't exactly helping.


Isn't exactly helping what? Pissing off US distros who already tried their hardest to get the best materials possible?

You seem to take personal offense to my acceptance of the fact that it's outright impossible to get good-looking masters for some shows. It's true. Accept it. Move on. I'll take a VHS-camcorder-in-a-theater job anyday if it's watchable and there is no alternative. (I wouldn't try to SELL that, but I'll at least watch it.)

But, hey, if you want to deprive yourself of great stuff because it doesn't have a 1080p transfer, that's your choice.


I gotta say that I wear both hats here. If we're talking about something like the mermaid series (which is what really, finally turned me onto anime as being an art form of its own kind), or Crying Freeman, then I'd take cruddy transfers over nothing at all. But yes, I'd pay extra money to get a really good 1080 transfer. And no, I'm otherwise not a rabid Takahashi fan.

But then I'd also pay extra cash for a really, really nice scanslation of the CF tankobuns. That, boys and girls, is art...

The other thing I remember watching that turned the corner for anime for me was Video Girl Ai. That was the first manga I got, because I understood that the OVA if anything, felt hurried. After reading the manga, I realized that the OVA had one huge advantage over the manga - it knew when to stop.

One thing I'd point out about both these series (and a lot of other legitimate buried treasures like PSME) is that they're often full of (what younger/more jaded eyes see as) stock plot devices and artwork because they broke new ground in the medium, and pointed the way for lots of (often inferior) copies. If VGAi hasn't worn well, it's not the fault of the anime, but the mangaka (who seems to have one story stuck in his head), and of those many copies in the very crowded magical girlfriend genre.

The first time recently that I've laughed hard at a manga was reading Kamichu. If you've seen the anime, or looked at the manga, you know that there's some definite send-up of fanservice gags, and of Ah My Goddess/magical girlfriend stories going on. Anime has become, to some degree, a victim of its own success, and there's a lot knock-offs being made of the few originals.

So, you gonna cover Crying Freeman?
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