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REVIEW: Zillion BD/DVD


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belvadeer





PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 12:16 pm Reply with quote
I would have called this a perfect home release if it could have been dubbed with some of the same crew from the first five episodes, but I know that that would have been far too expensive to do for an old anime like this one in this day and age. It's a good idea to watch this now, as fansubs were the only way to see Zillion in its entirety way back when, and they weren't very good subs either. I'm definitely picking this one up.
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Levonr



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 807
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:01 pm Reply with quote
This blu-ray looks horrible, turned the animation into wax. The old Japanese DVD release is much better. Its a shame we didn't get that, this is not a "remaster", its a disgrace. Not FUNimation's fault, the original Japanese blu-ray is to blame.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:07 pm Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:
I would have called this a perfect home release if it could have been dubbed with some of the same crew from the first five episodes,
If they had I doubt they would have bothered re-assembling the cast, no offence to those who do care, but I doubt there are few who care about a cast reunite from an unfinished dub of an obscure show. It would have been done in-house if they had dubbed it, which I think if it had been a bit shorter they may have, there was a show form the 90s that they re-released awhile ago with a new dub.
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:54 pm Reply with quote
Levonr wrote:
This blu-ray looks horrible, turned the animation into wax. The old Japanese DVD release is much better. Its a shame we didn't get that, this is not a "remaster", its a disgrace. Not FUNimation's fault, the original Japanese blu-ray is to blame.


Yeah, that set was released 3 years ago in Japan and with the exception of the OVA (probably because it's 35mm), it looks terrible on Blu-ray because of the excessive DNR that was applied.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 4:50 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
If they had I doubt they would have bothered re-assembling the cast, no offence to those who do care, but I doubt there are few who care about a cast reunite from an unfinished dub of an obscure show. It would have been done in-house if they had dubbed it, which I think if it had been a bit shorter they may have, there was a show form the 90s that they re-released awhile ago with a new dub.


I did point out that I didn't expect them to.
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:29 pm Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:
[I did point out that I didn't expect them to.
I know, I was just trying to expand the topic.
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GeorgeC



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 795
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:35 pm Reply with quote
Funimation SHOULD have released it with the dub audio for the episodes and the special that WERE dubbed.
I should know because I saw ALL of them dubbed in the 1990s! Streamline only dubbed 3-5 TV episodes and the specials because nobody was dubbing entire series or releasing anything like 25, 50, let alone 80+ episodes series on VHS back then! Viz was the first to be brave and release a long-length series on VHS. Even then, they finished Ranma 1/2 on DVD but stopped the VHS releases and ceased single-DVD releases when the season sets became more feasible.

There was no reason for Funimation NOT to get the English audio for Zillion unless they had to pay a license fee which at this point I doubt is the case since Streamline is long gone...
The problem might be locating audio tapes of the final mixes but I think even Justin Sevakis or other fellows have ripped from literal copies of VHS tapes to source audio for dubs.
It's better than nothing which is exactly what Funi gave here.

I'll still give my own copy of the BD set a look.
It's a shame to hear it wasn't mastered well... Goes to show the Japanese are human, too.

I get annoyed sometimes when people criticize the American releases all the time. Don't they know the companies overseas pioneered the "art of upscales" and mangled restorations and bad video remasters?!?

And the old VHS cover slip? Around the time Zillion was released on BD in the US, the big Hollywood studios re-released a BUNCH of old movies on Blu ray with old-style "worn" VHS slipcover art. Funi's just mimicking what the Hollywood studios did with 15-20 film re-releases on BD of films already in print. They're just trying to cover art collectors/completists to buy the films again otherwise the disc are identical to the earlier releases. Your local Wal Mart might still have copies of those re-releases with the "VHS" cover art.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:03 pm Reply with quote
I'd be very curious to see a side-by-side comparison of the older DVDs vs. the supposedly much-poorer video quality on this BD, as what I was looking at for the review (and I watched the whole thing) looked very good. I've read other reviews of the release which agree with me on that.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:09 pm Reply with quote
GeorgeC wrote:
Funimation SHOULD have released it with the dub audio for the episodes and the special that WERE dubbed.
I should know because I saw ALL of them dubbed in the 1990s! Streamline only dubbed 3-5 TV episodes and the specials because nobody was dubbing entire series or releasing anything like 25, 50, let alone 80+ episodes series on VHS back then! Viz was the first to be brave and release a long-length series on VHS. Even then, they finished Ranma 1/2 on DVD but stopped the VHS releases and ceased single-DVD releases when the season sets became more feasible.

There was no reason for Funimation NOT to get the English audio for Zillion unless they had to pay a license fee which at this point I doubt is the case since Streamline is long gone...
The problem might be locating audio tapes of the final mixes but I think even Justin Sevakis or other fellows have ripped from literal copies of VHS tapes to source audio for dubs.
It's better than nothing which is exactly what Funi gave here.


I have to say, I really like your enthusiasm for wanting the dub to have been on this release.
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luffypirate



Joined: 06 Oct 2006
Posts: 3186
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:45 pm Reply with quote
It’s a shame neither of the BD releases look good. I really like the artwork.
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Levonr



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 807
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:06 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
I'd be very curious to see a side-by-side comparison of the older DVDs vs. the supposedly much-poorer video quality on this BD, as what I was looking at for the review (and I watched the whole thing) looked very good. I've read other reviews of the release which agree with me on that.


I'll add screenshot comparison. The resolution of course is different but you get the idea. The blu-ray has so much DNR that detail is lost, especially of the backgrounds. The filters applied gives this artificial quality that I can't stand. Film turned into wax is all I can think watching the blu-ray. Laughing A proper HD remaster does not look like this. I haven't checked it yet but I hear the OVA remaster turned out much better.

Blu-ray / DVD
Blu-ray / DVD
Blu-ray / DVD
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NJ_



Joined: 31 Oct 2009
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Location: Wallington, NJ
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:31 pm Reply with quote
^Thanks a bunch, there was a comparison posted at Fandom Post a few months after it's release but because it was through the Screenshot Comparison website, it got lost when they started removing all old comparisons a while back so this helps a lot.

GeorgeC wrote:
Funimation SHOULD have released it with the dub audio for the episodes and the special that WERE dubbed.
I should know because I saw ALL of them dubbed in the 1990s! Streamline only dubbed 3-5 TV episodes and the specials because nobody was dubbing entire series or releasing anything like 25, 50, let alone 80+ episodes series on VHS back then! Viz was the first to be brave and release a long-length series on VHS. Even then, they finished Ranma 1/2 on DVD but stopped the VHS releases and ceased single-DVD releases when the season sets became more feasible.

There was no reason for Funimation NOT to get the English audio for Zillion unless they had to pay a license fee which at this point I doubt is the case since Streamline is long gone...
The problem might be locating audio tapes of the final mixes but I think even Justin Sevakis or other fellows have ripped from literal copies of VHS tapes to source audio for dubs.
It's better than nothing which is exactly what Funi gave here.


I say that this basically proves what some of us were thinking in the license thread, that FUNimation got this as part of a package deal presumably with Speed Racer. Why else would they license this show on it's own and put very little effort in it's release aside from the retro cover art?
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:42 pm Reply with quote
Not one single mention of the Master System, which the Zillion guns were based on? For shame.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:52 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
Not one single mention of the Master System, which the Zillion guns were based on? For shame.

From the review:
Quote:
. . .beyond a bit of trivia that they were modeled after the light guns for the Sega Master system.


And thanks to Levonr for the screenshot comparison. While "waxy" isn't the way I'd describe the difference, the color is definitely a little more vivid. I don't think this would be noticeable without the side-by-side comparison, however, which is probably why the other reviewer didn't pick up on it, either.
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GeorgeC



Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 795
PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 4:41 am Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:


I have to say, I really like your enthusiasm for wanting the dub to have been on this release.



It's not enthusiasm...
The dub is OUT there.

It exists... I don't ignore the facts and reconstruct reality to my liking because I don't want to deal with it like so many other people do.

As much as I like to read subtitles, half the time I WILL sit down and a watch a dub, too.
If I like the dub that much, I'll watch at least HALF the run of any series in English.
It doesn't happen that much because most dubs still aren't that great -- face it, most anime is much above mediocre, either, and the storyline NOT the voices alone is what makes a show great -- but I'm open to dubs.

I dunno what's with Funi's attitude.

It seems like Discotek is the only company that regularly looks for old dubs AND alternative dubs and puts them on their BD/DVD releases.

I know people LIKE to bitch about Funi because they're the industry leader. They did THE SAME THING over 15 years ago when ADV was the industry leader so there's been a turnover in the US anime industry but people's attitudes haven't changed and I've read a bunch of nonsense from people on these forums who don't want to deal with reality.

(Hell, I wasn't always happy with ADV, either, but I complained on a case by case basis and NOT all the time. I reserved my anger and criticism for shows I bought and found technical issues with. I didn't stay ANGRY at ADV all time like some people did back then for them and some people do today for Funi. That's ridiculous and obsessive behavior!)

On the other hand, when Funi pulls stuff like NOT bothering with including existing dubs -- even if it's only a few episodes -- OR putting out a Speed Racer set with the Japanese original series for $300, it makes you wonder if some of the criticism of Funi isn't warranted.

Yeah, I didn't spend $800 for that Legend of the Galactic Heroes set from Sentai, either...
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