Gurren Lagann – Standard Edition Blu-Ray
We've just launched the Gurren Lagann - Standard BD on our shop now so we thought we'd take the chance to give people a bit of detail about what is inside etc in case of curiosity! See below for all the information we figure folks could want:
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
Gurren Lagann - Standard Edition BD (TV Series only)
WHAT'S THE RELEASE MADE UP OF?
Packaging + Physical information:
– Standard blu-ray amaray case
– Reversible cover (this one is slightly different and uses the same pattern ala Gurren Lagann Ultimate for the reverse).
What’s on the discs?
– TV Series, Episodes 1-27 in even more delicious HD
Extras on the discs?
– Yoko goes to Gainax bonus feature
– Sazigen 3DCG Test Animation Footage
– From storyboard to animation – animated storyboards.
– Clean Opening 1
– Clean Ending 1
– Clean Opening 2
– Clean Ending 2
– Music montage from end of the first half of the show
Audio on disc:
– English dub – 5.1 track
– Japanese audio – 2.0 track
– French audio – 2.0 track
Subtitles:
– English subtitles
– English song/sign tracks
– French subtitles
HOW MUCH IS IT AND WHERE CAN I BUY IT?
SRP: £59.99
Available for (at time of press):
£38.95 from Zavvi
£38.95 from AlltheAnime's Shop
WHAT DOES THE ULTIMATE EDITION HAVE THAT THIS DOESN'T?
- Collector's packaging (the Ultimate is 21.5cm high, 18cm wide which gives you an idea of scale!)
- 116 page hardback art book packed with production artwork from the world of Gurren Lagann
- Gurren Lagann Movie 1: Childhood's End
- Gurren Lagann Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars
- Parallel Works 1
- Parallel Works 2
WHY THE DIFFERENCE IN PRICE BETWEEN ULTIMATE EDITION & STANDARD?
If you compare to Zavvi (which still is the lowest price point for the Ultimate that is still in stock) then there's approx £50 difference in pricing there! So if the above didn't make it clear already we figured we'd quantify a bit. If we released the movies separately they would each include one of the Parallel works releases too or as a double-pack. Either way you'd be looking at about the following real cost (i.e. Amazon/Zavvi price, not SRP) if you bought them separately:
Standard amaray edition(s): £20 - £30 of value
Collector's edition(s) ala TB The Beginning: £30 - £50 of value
Add in a large-sized hardback art book and rigid box to store it all in and hopefully this helps contextualise somewhat for folks!
IS THIS EDITION FOR ME?
If you're not really fussed about the films or parallel works or just want the series in HD with no frills barring the bonus video then this is the release for you and it's not limited in quantity so fear not folks!
Looking forward to releasing this shortly - just in time for MCM Comic Con no less!
Andrew,
President, Anime Limited
Preview shots: Gurren Lagann Ultimate Edition
We're hugely excited about the Gurren Lagann Ultimate Edition here in the office! It's been a real labour of love, blood, sweat and many many tears here so we can't wait to show it to you. Worth mentioning is everyone in the production chain is excited about their work on it too and today Sony DADC sent us this artwork over showing off the a bit of the work so far!
DIGIPACK - FIRST FINISHED SAMPLE:
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- Lovely shot of what will greet you when you remove the digipack from the collector’s case!
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- And inside, the discs as you can guess go here! All 27 episodes of the TV series, the two films and Parallel Works.
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- Open it up to get a rather nifty trick showing off the Team Gurren logo…with a really nice pattern in it’s eyes…
ON THE DISCS, YOU'LL FIND:
– TV Series, Episodes 1-27 in even more delicious HD
– TV broadcast version of Episode 6
– Film 1: Childhood’s End
– Film 2: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars
– Parallel Works (split over Film 1 & 2′s discs)
Extras on the discs?
– Yoko goes to Gainax bonus feature
– Sazigen 3DCG Test Animation Footage
– From storyboard to animation – animated storyboards.
– Clean Opening 1
– Clean Ending 1
– Clean Opening 2
– Clean Ending 2
– Music montage from end of the first half of the show
Audio on disc:
– English dub – 5.1 track
– Japanese audio – 2.0 track
– French audio – 2.0 track
Subtitles:
– English subtitles
– English song/sign tracks
– French subtitles
YOU CAN STILL PRE-ORDER BELOW (stocks low though as a warning):
- Amazon.co.uk for £108.00 currently
- Zavvi.co.uk for £89.99 currently
Not long to wait now (thankfully!)
Andrew
Cowboy Bebop Discs
A while ago, way back yonder (last year) in our first year of operations we proudly and nervously released our very first title: Cowboy Bebop on glorious blu-ray in wonderfully remastered high definition. 'Oh!' we exclaimed, 'This looks so great in HD. We're so happy that this is our very first release!' as we sobbed quietly in awe and appreciation. The packaging looked great, the animation looked wonderful for a 15 year old piece of work in an age before high def animation for television - this officially looked The Nuts.
Shortly after the release, it quickly became apparent that a few blink-and-you'll-miss-them capture errors (visual glitches) made their sneaky way past QC and onto the final product. While they in no way impeded one's enjoyment of viewing Bebop in all it's HD glory, some were put out but these tiny imperfections.
We agreed at the time that the best course of action was to send out replacement discs in exchange for the affected discs over the 2 sets (I believe that's two discs total) once the complete Cowboy Bebop blu-ray was ready for release. That time has come. So, without further ado details on this and more in the section below.
Cowboy Bebop Replacement Discs
What are the errors? And what has been corrected?
As mentioned above, there were a few (over the 4 disc set of 2 parts) blink-and-you'll-miss-it video glitches that were down to a capture error in the digitisation process. These errors were in episode 2 on disc 1 and episode 19 on disc 3, for those who may have forgotten (we had to actually dig through the archives to find them if I'm totally honest with you guys here).
We've re-digitised the errant episodes so that they are corrected for the upcoming complete collection release. NOTE: the DVD release was fine, these minor glitches affected only the blu-ray release.
In terms of the print 'error' on the discs in part 1 - where some pointed out that the episode count split on the disc labels was incorrect - we've not corrected this. To do so would have added a surprisingly higher cost to the re-print (as we would have to go ahead and re-issue 4 blu-ray discs instead of 2) for something that, while technically annoying, is not an impediment to enjoying the show itself.
How will these be sent?
We will be sending these out via the Royal Mail in monthly batches. We'll be sending the replacement disc on their own - i.e. in envelopes or plastic casing; no special packaging, no extras. Let me be clear on this point before it's misconstrued: by extras I mean physical extras. All on-disc extras and content will be identical.
Who is eligible for a replacement?
Anyone who felt that their enjoyment of the release was marred by these glitches - whether international fans (within reason - get in touch with us for confirmation!) or local. If you send us a screengrab of your receipt, order confirmation from one of the many online retailers stocking Bebop on BD or failing that a photo of your email address on a sheet of paper next to your copy and we can send out replacement discs.
A Request for a Little Common Sense
Yes, everyone who's bought a copy of Cowboy Bebop with the glitches is eligible for a replacement disc. No ifs, ands or buts. There are a couple things to note: the second wave of Bebop Part 2 that went out had the glitches corrected - so, if you're unsure whether or not you have the corrected discs please check it before you send in a request for a replacement. You'll be doing us a huge solid.
Secondly, please exercise a bit of discretion: If the glitches on Episodes 2 and 19 irritated you then of course we're happy to replace it but again be aware nothing else has changed. So if you didn't notice anything or weren't too bothered by those capture errors then you're not going to notice any changes on these discs so we'd beg you to save us on some packaging time as we'll be doing it manually in the office!
How do I get in touch and request replacement discs?
Easy as emailing us your details to the following address: cowboybebop@alltheanime.com
If you can include photos or screengrabs as well as your postal address, we'll get right on this. We've recently taken receipt of these discs in the office, so we're hoping to get them out as soon as possible.
Are there any deadlines for requesting replacements?
Last day of January 2015, after that we'll try our best to fulfil but keep in mind it's a huge administrative task for us so have some pity given what was fixed wasn't all too big!
And I think that's it for now! If you have any questions or queries, email us at the above address as well. We'll be checking that and using it as our base of operations for the new Bebop blu-ray discs.
Thanks for your patience everyone!
Gurren Lagann Ultimate Edition: October 20th
Bad news folks! We really have a bad run of luck when it comes to delays and true to form as ever the final one has come from left field. Our printers have informed us (and everyone they work with) that they're receiving abnormally high orders - in our case they've advised the initial usual turnaround period has an extra period added on.
It's Anime Ltd - we kinda figured this was a risk - what's the new date?
We delivered on time for the usual quoted turnaround but due to this - we'll receive stock in time for a release date of October 20th. We're pretty much sobbing in the shower at this point over it but we're pretty much at their mercy on this one - there are times you push and get results quicker, others where all you get are scowls and hurt feelings. Sadly this is clearly the latter having spoken to our replicators on it.
So to be absolutely clear:
- We delivered (after long approvals) on time for a release date of September 29th
- Printers then remained silent for a week with our replicators, Sony DADC.
- Sony DADC were then informed of unusually high workload just now.
- Today they confirmed a new delivery date that would be in time for October 20th.
How does that make you feel?
Artists representation:
If you're still keen to pre-order (as opposed to throw things our way) you can at:
- Amazon.co.uk for £108.99 currently
- Zavvi.co.uk for £89.99 currently
Hopefully better news soon - next up a preview of the Cowboy Bebop BD set and some good news there!
Best,
Andrew,
President, Anime Limited
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TL;DR Our printers done a bad - Gurren Lagann will be out just before MCM Expo on October 20th now.
KILL LA KILL: PART 1 DETAILS
Kill la Kill - Collector's Edition Blu-Ray part 1
Not wanting to looooseeeeee our way - we submitted plans for Kill la Kill plenty of time in advance along with designs. We're very pleased to say they've now been signed off on so we can confirm what we're doing and we're pretty excited as we're doing it differently to the rest of the world outside of Japan :).
So without further ado here is an in-depth specification:
WHAT’S INSIDE THE BOX? WHERE’S THE BBFC LOGO?
Packaging + Physical information:
– Obi-wrap around the box (the red piece you see - all BBFC info will be on that and the spine of the rigid case)
– Clean rigid box using similar artwork to the US but with UV spot gloss on characters so they'll stand out.
– 2-disc tray digipack (1 tray per side ala Bebop)
– 188 page Keyart & Storyboard book, same size as case replicated 100% from the Japanese booklet in their Part 1.
What’s on the discs?
– Episodes 1-9 complete with previews at the end of each video
– Clean opening sequence
– Clean closing sequence
Audio on disc:
– English dub – 2.0 track
– Japanese audio – 2.0 track
Subtitles:
– English subtitles
– English signs track in dub
The only difference between editions is one has Blu-Ray (£59.99 SRP) and one has DVD (£49.99 SRP)
Kill la Kill - Collector's Edition DVD part 1
WHY £59.99 / £49.99? ISN'T 3 PARTS A BIT TOO MUCH EVEN IF A COLLECTOR'S EDITION?
This one's simple and we've had a lot of queries already and I want to make sure it's absolutely clear about this one! This isn't just one licensor but the industry is pushing to protect the Japanese market over the last few months especially and right now that involves:
1. Cancelling cheap editions Day 1
2. Expanding the number of volumes (4 parts for Sword Art Online for example)
3. Just holding back significantly vs release dates
4. Holding certain extras back to protect value of Blu-Ray
So how did it get to this stage then, what are the benefits of the UK version?
We're trying to find another way that benefits you guys and since we're Region B, are a less tasty option for Japanese counter importation - we've tried to find some compromises. For us that meant 2 parts for Kill la Kill wasn't an option really and instead we did the following:
i. Negotiated three parts instead of 5, allowing us to produce collector's packaging.
ii. Negotiated a release date not so long after the second part of the US release.
iii. Managed to set a price point that while higher than a usual product, still gets you the best quality at the best price in current markets.
Case in point for Blu-Ray especially (using today's exchange rates):
In the Japan it's £45.59 for premium BD x 9 sets = £410.31
In the USA it's £37.26 x 5 sets for the premium edition = £186.30 | £24.83 x 5 sets for the standard BD = £124.15
In the UK it's £43.25 x 3 sets = £129.75
So currently, for a whole £5 more than the standard edition in the USA (not factoring customs charges + shipping in, which is of course free on most good UK retail sites) you are getting deluxe packaging, content not released outside of Japan and is being made available over fewer sets.
Instead of funnelling that money into profit too - we re-invested it into the packaging as the kind of booklet we're doing certainly isn't cheap either!
WHY NO STANDARD EDITION FOR NOW?
We actually looked at this and realistically if you have to pay £29.99 (the lowest conceivable we could charge vs the US even then it could not pass approval) you'd be paying between £59.97 and £74.97 to own the show after retail discount!
The result was we made a tough decision to try and make it available digitally as fast we can first - Netflix and Wakanim being key partners for this and we hope that makes the show watchable at the very least right now as we look at getting it up on other platforms too. We've not forgotten folks do want just a standard half season set or complete series in standard Amaray packaging and we do want to deliver that!
Realistically you are looking at end of 2015 though before we can do this - which isn't actually so far after where releases used to be in the industry, although that doesn't make it feel any better!
As soon as we can do this in a way that actually delivers value for that group of fans then we will - but there's no point in doing it in a way that just alienates you guys further. It's not our intention and of course we hope folks understand the logic.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED FOR PARTS 2 & 3?
We'll update soon but you're looking at books from the Japanese release per Part and ideally with the final part a box to store the whole series in depending on what assets we can clear as we want to do something incredible for you guys! More details as they come though :). Open to suggestions as always though!
WHERE CAN I BUY IT?
Blu-Ray:
Amazon has the Blu-Ray pegged at £43.25 just now here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MAKQVLK/
We've the Blu-Ray on our shop at the same price here: http://shop.alltheanime.com/collections/pre-orders/products/klk-bd1 - we've some more surprises to announce on that front too!
DVD:
Amazon has the DVD pegged at £36.00 just now here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MAKQXD6/
Our own store will list the DVD soon and we'll run a promo as part of an upcoming pre-order drive we've got coming :) so watch this space!
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Hopefully this long winded piece makes sense to folks and we hope you're as excited about our release plans as we are - we love this show and are really invested in making it the best possible edition we can!
Andrew Partridge,
El Presidente - Anime Limited