UK Anime Distributor Anime Limited Discussion Thread

I'll be buying both the US set and importing the UK 4K set of Future Boy Conan, even though I have no 4K at home yet (I do have a 4K Blu-ray player, just no TV or projector yet). I own 4-5 different versions of every Studio Ghibli movie already, so having two copies of this one will be no big deal.
 
So two sets, a 132 page book, on 4K discs with regular blu-rays also included and with both sets to be contained in a single slipcase too.

I'm sure @Yami will be very happy with this news.

I felt a little woozy when I saw that announcement. Wow. Wow wow wow. Am I dreaming? I don't really know what to say, other than thanks to @anime_andrew and everybody else at Anime Limited for this. I remember first asking AL about this (on the podcast I think it was) back in 2015 and it seemed like the opinion at the time was that it would be a bit risky and that, even with the Miyazaki name attached, Sherlock Hound didn't sell particularly well for Manga and the BBFC fees would be costly etc. etc. etc.

Fast forward to 2021 and, while physical media is supposedly dying, it seems like the golden age of 'retro' anime releases. Not only is Future Boy Conan getting a release, AL are releasing it on 4K UHD - a suggestion that I, myself, admittedly poked fun at when someone asked why GKids wasn't releasing it on 4K UHD over on the Blu-Ray.com forums a few years ago. An anime from 1978? On 4K UHD? In this economy? Well, I've never been happier to eat my words.

I'll obviously be buying this but, as an additional thank you, I'd like to make a small donation to a charity of AL's choosing - just give me a PM.

Konna ni chikyuu ga suki dakara

Konna ni yoake ga utsukushii kara!
 
I felt a little woozy when I saw that announcement. Wow. Wow wow wow. Am I dreaming? I don't really know what to say, other than thanks to @anime_andrew and everybody else at Anime Limited for this. I remember first asking AL about this (on the podcast I think it was) back in 2015 and it seemed like the opinion at the time was that it would be a bit risky and that, even with the Miyazaki name attached, Sherlock Hound didn't sell particularly well for Manga and the BBFC fees would be costly etc. etc. etc.

Fast forward to 2021 and, while physical media is supposedly dying, it seems like the golden age of 'retro' anime releases. Not only is Future Boy Conan getting a release, AL are releasing it on 4K UHD - a suggestion that I, myself, admittedly poked fun at when someone asked why GKids wasn't releasing it on 4K UHD over on the Blu-Ray.com forums a few years ago. An anime from 1978? On 4K UHD? In this economy? Well, I've never been happier to eat my words.

I'll obviously be buying this but, as an additional thank you, I'd like to make a small donation to a charity of AL's choosing - just give me a PM.

Konna ni chikyuu ga suki dakara

Konna ni yoake ga utsukushii kara!
Yeah I'm personally surprised Anime Limited is going into the direction of releasing a TV anime series in 4K Ultra HD format. Like that's quite a gamble, but I guess Millennium Actress, Weathering With You and Your Name must have been successful enough to try and see if a TV series could do the same. With Miyazaki's name on the set, it's probably going to attract non-anime fans also.

It would be really funny if Cardcaptor Sakura got the same treatment, but that won't happen since they're pretty much finalising their Blu-ray set at this point since it's still on target for 2021. I mean it's not like Anime Limited is going to suddenly say "oh by the way we're going to release Cardcaptor Sakura in 4K Ultra HD using the 4K restoration lol have fun" in their next monthly blog post.
 
Yeah I'm personally surprised Anime Limited is going into the direction of releasing a TV anime series in 4K Ultra HD format. Like that's quite a gamble, but I guess Millennium Actress, Weathering With You and Your Name must have been successful enough to try and see if a TV series could do the same. With Miyazaki's name on the set, it's probably going to attract non-anime fans also.

It would be really funny if Cardcaptor Sakura got the same treatment, but that won't happen since they're pretty much finalising their Blu-ray set at this point since it's still on target for 2021. I mean it's not like Anime Limited is going to suddenly say "oh by the way we're going to release Cardcaptor Sakura in 4K Ultra HD using the 4K restoration lol have fun" in their next monthly blog post.

NGL I'd be amused if they did that XD (and pleased haha). But yeah you're almost certainly right :)
 
God, Future Boy Conan being licensed gives me hope that AL could license Rose of Versailles and/or Oniisama e. Sure, they have more episodes but if older anime like Future Boy Conan can get licensed, hopefully RoV and Oniisama e can too.

Keep in mind that G-Kids are dubbing Future Boy Conan and that dub should (I assume will) be on the UK 4K/1080p Blu-ray release, whereas there are no English dubs for those other two titles, which would probably result in lower sales. Furthermore, FBC has the Miyazaki name attached, a name that will likely attract even a few people who aren't usually into anime, and because there's a dub there will be more of a market among families looking for something nice to watch together, when they eventually release a cheaper standard edition. Conversely, RoV and O-sE...'s key creators Riyoko Ikeda and Osamu Dezaki aren't household names in the UK... I guess also the shows aren't as family friendly as FBC - I know FBC isn't tame toddler fare and the other two are nowhere near as disturbing as some modern day otaku-o-clock stuff, but that probably will affect marketability. But I hope my skepticism is unwarranted and they both get released here on Blu-ray so you can have your wish (I might buy them too!) :)
 
I think Future Boy Conan is a fantastic work in its own right but it is also fascinating as pretty much the Miyazaki urtext. One might say prototype, but Future Boy Conan has a lot more to offer than being a mere blueprint for what was to come. A great deal of the themes and images that would preoccupy Miyazaki's career are already fully formed at this early stage - an anti-war message, a love of aircraft and flight, a strong female message, a surprisingly prescient concern for environmental issues. Even the character designs seem remarkably similar to future Ghibli works, Laputa in particular. It is pretty much on a par with most of Miyazaki's later works, but at series length, and has been missing from international view for the longest time.

I couldn't be more excited. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what Anime Limited have put in the book. Miyazaki writes about it in his book Starting Point, which I would also highly recommend - it's a great read.

If any video extras are possible, then it would be great to see Yuki's Sun - an even earlier Miyazaki-directed short pilot for a series that never ended up in production; it made its way onto the Japanese Miyazaki Blu-Ray box set - or (and I'll always ask for this!) a subtitled copy of an hour long chat between Miyazaki and Akira Kurosawa that aired on Japanese TV. Nippon, in fact, so maybe the same licensor? I doubt it has any particular relevance to Conan, but I think it's quite general.
 
Standard editions incoming:

18th October:
  • Anemone: Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution
  • Castlevania Season 2
  • Lupin the Third Part IV (Japanese Ver.)
  • Mobile Suit Gundam F91
25th October:
  • Planetes
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Fast forward to 2021 and, while physical media is supposedly dying, it seems like the golden age of 'retro' anime releases. Not only is Future Boy Conan getting a release, AL are releasing it on 4K UHD - a suggestion that I, myself, admittedly poked fun at when someone asked why GKids wasn't releasing it on 4K UHD over on the Blu-Ray.com forums a few years ago. An anime from 1978? On 4K UHD? In this economy? Well, I've never been happier to eat my words.
As much as physical media is dying, the collector's market is likely still strong with is probably what Future Boy is aimed at. It won't make massive sales most likely because it's not mainstream, but it knows its market and knows that same market like owning physical goods.
 
I totally forgot about Castlevania Season 2. How did the video quality come out on this one? Does it have the same banding issue that Season 1 had as well?
 
As much as physical media is dying, the collector's market is likely still strong with is probably what Future Boy is aimed at. It won't make massive sales most likely because it's not mainstream, but it knows its market and knows that same market like owning physical goods.

Collector's undoubtedly now makes up a bigger percentage of the overall market, but in terms of pure numbers I wouldn't have thought it would sell more copies today than it would have (when it was put to me that it was a financially risky proposition) 5 years ago.

But, whatever the logic, I don't care - I'm just over the moon this is happening. Hopefully this is more of a sign that interest in anime history is on the rise.
 
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