X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

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AndyThomas
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by AndyThomas »

Thanks to Phil Ayres for this one folks. You may remember that Mike spotted an auction on Yahoo Japan a few weeks back for what I thought was the laserdiscs going by the price. But apparently, when it said "DVD-BOX" it really meant DVD Box! No translation issues with this page:http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.htm ... IBD-7245On the plus side:It contains (going by running time) the 25th episodeIt contains (again, based on running time and assuming this is a conversion of the laserdiscs) Space Quest for F-01 in EnglishIt has a 16-page bookletIt's a region 2 DVD (although NTSC format)On the negative side:It's very, very expensive - probably some £200 totalIt's some sort of limited run (I suppose that might be a positive!)It only has a Japanese soundtrackIt's not released until 25th October this year - one day off my birthday, BTW, everyone!What I'm guessing is that my instincts were half right - it is the laserdisc package, but in DVD format. Given the show's relative lack of popularity in Japan, it'll be interesting to see what happens with this (if there's any way we can keep track of it).
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Shane
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by Shane »

Yeah it's definitely coming out. Anime Jungle has it on their preorder list too (do i or don't i?). 200 smackers for a 5 disc set is a little high although It is a limited run. everything points to it being a complete transfer although the booklet in the original set is only 12 pages long, I guess the extra pages are just to compensate for the smaller sized DVD format. It will be interesting to see the packaging changes considering the laserdisc set is almost 10 years old now. I'd personally like a really minimal stylish affair. Anyone out there actually seen a pic of these discs yet? Do you find it funny that the Japanese chose to release this set bang on the 20th aniversary of Star Fleet rather than a couple of years ago to mark X Bomber's own birthday? It's almost like they are trying to appeal to a certain western market rather than their own country. And if thats the case why no subtitles?Shane.
I like parties, I like fun, I want to live in a hamburger bun!
AndyThomas
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by AndyThomas »

The timing is, as you say Shane, slightly odd - but then perhaps it's the case that even in Japan there's a nostalgia craze kicking off.  I've asked for further details if any are available, so we'll see...Edit: They've gotten back to me, but they don't even have an image of it yet as they're "just retailers" - which is fair enough. What I still find curious is the inclusion of Space Quest.  I suppose that the laserdisc must have come out after the production of X Bomber and after it became Star Fleet in the early 80s.  It just seems a bit random to have an English "movie" in there with the Japanese release, but then, the Japanese do actually quite like English stuff.  I suppose there might almost be a sort of reverse market for their stuff dubbed into English with Japanese subtitles!Heh.  £200 just to get Space Quest on DVD.  That's about £2.50 a minute.  Niiiice ;)  Lottery syndicate anyone?!
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simoncoverdale
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by simoncoverdale »

Morning all,Worth every penny in my opinion. Can anyone point me in the right direction to order?SIMON COVERDALEsoon to be closed down www.StarFleetDirect.com
AndyThomas
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by AndyThomas »

Simon, if you hit the link in my first post I believe you can order through that site itself. Alternatively, Mike posted contact details for a bloke who imports from Japan. But note that it isn't out until 25 October so the link might be easiest if you want to pre-order. They seem to be set up to process orders from abroad...
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AndyThomas
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by AndyThomas »

I know you'll get the 25th episode etc but - that seems a #### of a lot of cash for something that doesn't even have English subtitles. I just don't see how £200 for 5 DVDs is remotely a bargain - £40 a DVD. And that's a conservative estimate - customs are bound to sting you for something that expensive, and apparently CDJapan don't mark their packages as "gifts" any more...I'm genuinely curious - why would people be willing to spend this much? If I were going to fork out over the odds I'd want to be able to get Star Fleet as I remember it, from my point of view...
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AndyThomas
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by AndyThomas »

Ah. So... you're buying it simply for the sake of being able to say you have it? Even though you can't actually understand the dialogue? Hate to say it Mike, but I think that would actually land you squarely in the "obsessive sci fi fan" category! ;)I'm interested by your feeling that it's not a nostalgia thing for you so much as the uniqueness of the series. From my point of view it's not its origins that are the main thing, it's the story - when it captivated me when I was 7 I wouldn't have known if it was from Japan or Timbuctoo. I just knew I liked it!So I suppose it's always stuck in my mind because it is a memorable show, and because it was something that unlike Thunderbirds never got the repeats to keep my memory fresh. That probably goes for the series in the 80s section too.The Japanese origin is interesting, and makes perfect sense to me as I'm now aware of anime as a genre, but I just couldn't justify spending that much for what might as well be a movie with no sound. Now, if it was subtitled, that I'd like because it's interesting to hear the original intonation and I think we'd all be interested to read a direct translation of the original.This is what's interesting about the fan base of course, it comes from two sides which I probably haven't appreciated quite as much in the past. On the one side you have die hard current anime fans liking the show (you know who you are!) because of its uniqueness in that genre, and on the other side you have people who enjoyed Thunderbirds and Terrahawks (though not necessarily both, I know, Rachel!) and remember Star Fleet from days gone by in a general "TV shows I liked when I was a kid" sense.So it's either anime-with-puppets, or puppets-in-space, depending on how you look at it! But either way, it was a cleverly serialised kids show with a real plot and real characters that grabbed you. Let's face it, if it had been anything else it wouldn't have made the sort of impression necessary for us to still be sat here talking about it 20 years on!
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Shane
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X Bomber (NOT Star Fleet) on DVD

Post by Shane »

The thing is I paid a good 200 pounds for the laserdisc set which was actually around about the original asking price for the set in 1993. Enoki are asking a lot for their product. After seeing the poor packaging (good work Simon) I don't think I will bother, you see I've been stung already by X Bomber. The only new bits are on my site and they're poo. Star Fleet was a far better version than the Japanese original. But if you are a Japanese purist then the set is a must of course. I would definitely fall in the side of people who like the show because of Thunderbirds. I don't watch a lot of anime but I am aware of a few gems from that genre, Laputa being a particular favorite. To be honest I'm a bit peeved at the lazy design of the new set, ok so we've only seen the front cover so far, but a lot of people on here could do better design work than that!Shane.
I like parties, I like fun, I want to live in a hamburger bun!
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