Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe packaging

Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Is the Bluray of Place Promised/Voices still happening and there was also talk of a Shinkai steel book. Thanks
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

perfect Blue Collector's is OOP but you never know, may have some cool surprises on that film yet ;).

AP

Some sort of satoshi kon boxset including Tokyo godfathers (my favorite film) and millennium actress and I'd be extremely happy but I'm sure sony have the licenses :(
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Maybe a perfect blue steelbook in the future? Or maybe just a standard edition. I think it's important that a general release of any thing should be available long into the future, not just at the time of the limited collectors release. I do agree with delaying standard editions as well.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Reading this topic amuses me quite a bit, especially given I always wanted nothing more than rigid packaging and amaray cases with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

anime_andrew said:
1. Steelbooks are liked by some, but seems to be by and large a different subset of anime buyers to our usual so we'll save it for a project like a film where we can charge normal prices happily.
Well, when I hear steelbook I always think about movies! So that already makes me reluctant towards anime series in steelbook cases.
What also always annoyed me with Manga steelbooks: there are too few of them to NOT feel out of place in a collection unless you can ('mentally') put them among other steelbooks.
I believe Manga had 4 anime steelbook BD releases: Akira, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell and Bayonetta Bloody Fate.
Three out of four don't appeal to me at all and Akira only appeals to me a little. (And given Jerome's gone there we may not get any more steelbooks from Manga bar the already scheduled ones)
So if I bought Akira it'd feel really out of place in my collection, so I'd have to put it somewhere apart, but where? Next to my Reservoir Dogs steelbook that also feels a bit out of place in my collection?
But I'd rather have all my anime together.

My point here is, unless you have a bunch of steelbooks planned chances are too great it'll feel like it's rather annoying and out of place than really special.
I don't know how much actually changed in the steelbook industry, but last I remember Jerome saying is that the minimum print was 10k. (of course that was probably 1 to 2 years ago)
And yeah... While I suspect that number to have gone down I still doubt how many titles would benefit with/from a steelbook release.

So to round up, I'd much rather have Anime Limited stick to rigid artboxes and perhaps change up what's inside them, but not change to all kinds of packaging that'll just feel out of place.
I split my collection mainly per format, then per company, then per packaging, then movie/series/franchise and then alphabetically. (that's why it sucks when franchises switch distributor halfway through)

anime_andrew said:
2. Rigid cases (like we use already) + Keep Cases seem like something worth exploring on our Collector's Editions going forwards as an experiment. We're actually trialling this with Space Dandy so you'll get to see it in action there.
Hope it does well then. I really like the Funimation artboxes I own and the MVM Fate/Zero artbox (still need to get myself part 2 of that though XD).

I also agree that the Baccano set Mangaranga posted would be just fine for a collector's edition. And investigate coloured Amaray Blu-ray cases some more to get something that fits the artbox/release well.


anime_andrew said:
Obviously for Ultimate's we still need a solution beyond what we've used to date as I agree, it could do with strengthening.
Just be careful those Ultimate Editions don't start feeling out of place next to each other as well (with or without O-card/slipcover)!
Having the one be regular size and the other extra large (and ultimately creating sizes inbetween) will just mess up collections. One of the things I don't like about the TTGL UE is the size.
I still think TTGL should have gotten a regular collector's edition ... And I still hope that materializes someday in the future because I may never get to watch/own TTGL as things are now. >_<

anime_andrew said:
I think the value of an actual book with the release is worth a lot more than keeping everything at DVD / BD sized.
I believe most people buy a release mostly for the BD / DVD and want the artbook as an extra and want to store the release among their DVDs/BDs, so yeah ...
Let me get to my vision a bit by quoting Lutga's suggestion and adding something below.

Lutga said:
I agree about keeping the book full size, but I'm not 100% sure making the case the same size is the solution - as others have commented, it means the disc case is often then too big to store with the rest of your Blu-Rays + DVDs.

This is just my personal feeling, but perhaps if the Ultimates were essentially the Collectors editions (which always look lovely, and the rigid card cases are great) but with the book shrink-wrapped behind it or perhaps just sent in the same post bundle, but as a completely separate thing, that would work better?
Essentially I think this idea would have been a way better treatment for TTGL and for other releases with odd box sizes thanks to a single feature like a full size book artbook.

Or a nice alternative/addition would be making your artbooks fit nicely next to each other and start a line of artbooks that can be purchased separately or in an "Ultimate Edition"-bundle.
As things stand there's also only one Anime Limited cd-release and I hope more are planned for 2015 to make a nice anime music collection.
And yeah, do the same for artbooks and we could get a neat otaku-collection throughout our room(s)/house while not messing up the looks of our collection.

anime_andrew said:
BanzaiJedi said:
Would I be correct to assume one of those ultimate editions is Full Metal Panic? I watched the trailer on an old ADV DVD a few days ago and it looks fantastic, I'll happily buy an UE, even as a blind buy.
So far:

- Escaflowne (TBC depending on assets)
- Fullmetal Panic
- Film Wot I Am Not Ready to Discuss Yet
- Giovanni's Island

We'll see if anything else worms it's way out but I think 4 is the max we could humanly do depending on territories etc.

Watch this space ;)!

AP,

NB - There are other contenders for the Ultimate Crown too...
Are we really going to consider Giovanni's Island a 2015 UE? Yeah, of course we will, but I rather mean that it was targeted and supposed to be a 2014 release, so I'd rather count it as a 2014 UE.
Given Escaflowne was also supposed to be a fall 2014 release at some point it looks like 3 out of 4 ultimate editions for 2015 will be release by the halfway point of 2015 ... Or maybe not ...
It sounds as if you guys haven't even commenced working on Escaflowne yet, which could mean it'll slip to be a summer 2015 release or later and how long ago did that get licensed again?! (late 2013, I know)

What I'm wondering is whether you'll actually be able to do a Full Metal Panic ultimate edition, or whether it'll just be a complete collection with a few artcards or a 50-page booklet?
I just checked what you teased us (back in July) to be planned for FMP and it just feels like a collector's edition with all seasons in one box. However, I hope that SRP of £129.95 stays as is (or drops of course).

I think going forward when making an Ultimate edition you need to ask yourself what you would take away to make a regular collector's edition and see how that compares to the ultimate.
If you can't create an appealing collector's edition next to an ultimate edition it may very well be because the ultimate isn't an ultimate, but a collector's edition.
Like eg.: for the collector's who love all of Full Metal Panic and not just one part of the franchise: a complete collection housed in a rigid artbox with a small booklet.

anime_andrew said:
Perfect Blue Collector's is OOP but you never know, may have some cool surprises on that film yet ;).
Now you have me worried ...

Random said:
Perhaps a minor issue but stop using the white/grey Bluray boxes and use the standard blue ones so they don't look out of place on the shelf.
Same can be said about any type of collector's packaging and slipcovers! They take away the sight people have of the Blu-ray case and if you just order your collection alphabetically it will look odd.
I'd much rather have Anime Ltd (as well as MVM and Animatsu) look into other case colours to fit the release, perhaps including a slipcover for people who would otherwise find it too odd looking in their collection.
Also, blue Amaray cases aren't that hard to come by in the UK I believe, so if you really want a blue one you should be able to get one. Coloured Amaray cases on the other hand are harder to come by.

Ath said:
Incidentally, I'm still surprised how many general BD buyers will pick a specific edition just because it has a slipcover.
*laughs nervously* Funny you mention that ... *laughs again* *RUNS AWAY*

Only reason I got Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike as quickly as I did (pre-order) was because it had a slipcover.

I love slipcovers, but love rigid packaging more. I feel like people who don't like them should either throw the slipcovers away or put them somewhere apart ...
I mean, a slipcover doesn't change as much about a release as the size of the box or the actual content vs price.

black1blade said:
Release a ultimate edition and normal edition blu ray.
When the Ultimate and Regular edition don't have too much of a difference in price and content that could be fine, but I still don't like how Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann got handled.
I said it before lots and lots of times, but especially with TTGL it was too much of two extremes and so neither of the editions really appeal to me.
I'm pretty sure there's no budget for a third edition of TTGL anymore after all what happened, but I prefer the Patema Inverted treatment. A Regular, Collector's and Ultimate Edition.

anime_andrew said:
britguy said:
@Andrew so next month's space dandy has a keep case and not a digipack?

Also you used 2014 in the two posts. Did you mean 2015?
Sure does - it's for two reasons - can explain if interested!

Also - I meant 2015 - I am living a year in the past it seems!

Best,

AP
If you check your profile it says you are an accidental time traveller, so yeah. ;P So, how's 2030? Did Anime Ltd have Clannad on BD by then? =P
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Random said:
Is the Bluray of Place Promised/Voices still happening and there was also talk of a Shinkai steel book. Thanks

Shinkai is - but steelbook's beyond 2 discs are just not great at present as far as I can see so we need to think it over depending on what is available in terms of assets :)!

Looking at late Q1 for the BD set for Place / Voices - not long after for the collection all going well!

AP
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

anime_andrew said:
Looking at late Q1 for the BD set for Place / Voices - not long after for the collection all going well!

AP
Speaking of the collection, what's happening with Children Who Chase Lost Voices? Are you able to do your own encode with extras or do you have to use the crappy bare Kaze discs.
I can't say for sure whether I'll actually buy the Shinkai collection at this point (I have the JP BDs of 5cm w/Voices & Garden of Words as well as the US BD for Children), but it'd be pretty neat if you were able to give that movie in particular the worthwhile release it missed out on the first time round. Is there any chance of getting both dubs for 5cm too, or is the Bandai one the only one that's cleared for use?
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

anime_andrew said:
Perfect Blue Collector's is OOP but you never know, may have some cool surprises on that film yet ;)
Kon Blu-ray collection when?
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

anime_andrew said:
Am a huge Gunbuster fan so I am always watching that situation. It's a music clearance issue that's causing trouble right now on that or I'd have had it in my 2014 slate!

AP
The fact that it's being considered alone and the fact that you're a fan of the show is music to my ears and awesome enough. I hope that something materializes down the road, but yeah people generally forget the issues that you have to face in clearing this stuff. Thanks for the reply in any case!

Might seem a bit off-topic, but I wonder how the Wings of Honneamise set will look like, I have the US 2 disc Blu-ray set and that too basically mimics the Gunbuster approach of rigid box with two white keep cases (DVD sized however) and a little booklet. I actually like the set. I haven't ordered the Anime Limited set, but depending on the packaging and release date I may double dip.

u85oRIe.jpg

Seriously you'd be surprised at how much Japanese sets are comprised of normal amaray's in a rigid box, and yet they all look awesome and go for a lot of money. Ghost in the Shell S.A.C is the same:
As is the full set of Steins;Gate:
And the same can be said for Sword of the Stranger, Jin-Roh, Tokyo Godfathers etc.
You do generally find some more elaborate boxes holding the contents inside too like the lenticular Perfect Blue Limited Edition Link (could be considered NSFW). Basically, I really like the route these take, where you have a rigid box housing keep cases with some nice artwork. It all doesn't feel flimsy or delicate and most importantly it all fits snugly on a shelf!

I really like what you've been doing so far, just not a massive fan of Digipaks really. I tolerate them, but that's it. They look nice, and when done well they can be nice. I just think it overall feels like over engineering. The normal cases work well enough and there's more things that can be done with them in order to make them feel more special (different colors as an example) Just one mans opinion :)

ayase said:
Kon Blu-ray collection when?
Please! Man the Japanese Blu-rays for Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress have no subs, so a UK set would be a godsend.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

qaiz said:
Seriously you'd be surprised at how much Japanese sets are comprised of normal amaray's in a rigid box, and yet they all look awesome and go for a lot of money. Ghost in the Shell S.A.C is the same:
You bring up a very good point with that one actually. I suppose it comes down to the overall design and style of the whole set, but I absolutely love my JP GiTS SAC and Kara no Kyoukai BD Boxes, yet they're just normal amarays in a lovely artbox. As basic as it is I also really like the Code Geass Akito the Exiled sets too. You get a snug fit slipcover housing the standard BD case, booklet and art cards, and they also made a rigid Box to hold the first two volumes. As I said, it's simple but the clean design and artwork just work. Unfortunately this doesn't translate well to overseas release as we seem to love covering the covers with crap.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Mangaranga said:
You bring up a very good point with that one actually. I suppose it comes down to the overall design and style of the whole set, but I absolutely love my JP GiTS SAC and Kara no Kyoukai BD Boxes, yet they're just normal amarays in a lovely artbox. As basic as it is I also really like the Code Geass Akito the Exiled sets too. You get a snug fit slipcover housing the standard BD case, booklet and art cards, and they also made a rigid Box to hold the first two volumes. As I said, it's simple but the clean design and artwork just work. Unfortunately this doesn't translate well to overseas release as we seem to love covering the covers with crap.
Yup, the cover art most of the time can make or break a set and that's often what differentiates a cool looking set from....a not so cool looking set :p Like I said, a lot of Japanese sets no doubt go for digipaks and such like Lain and Haibane Renmei among many others but generally a lot of the ones I've gravitated towards have been normal amarays. Like you said, it's all snug and clean and not unwieldy. I'm by no means trying to over exaggerate the negativity towards digipaks btw, for all intents and purposes they can look nice, and many of the times they do! I really don't mind exotic unconventional designs but like the Lagann Ultimate set...I have nowhere to put it! The amaray form-factor keeps everything uniform and clean.

Bigger and more unconventional sets like the Japanese/US Lagann Blu-ray or similarly the Garden of Sinners Blu-ray set are a lot bigger, but really sturdy so with a set with loads of discs I wouldn't mind that once in a while I guess. Those sets could kill a man! Those sets are showstoppers that you can make exceptions with and have them on their own dedicated shelf I feel, but a standard amaray set is just as nice imo. It also helps that like you said, Sinners was also released in an amaray set which is equally drool worthy :D
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Agent-347 said:
I believe Manga had 4 anime steelbook BD releases: Akira, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell and Bayonetta Bloody Fate.
Solid State Society too I believe.
I've bought a few of their DVDs mainly because they were steelbooks: Appleseed, Appleseed Ex-Machina, Vexille (which wasn't technically Manga) and Voltron (which was even embossed).
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Solid State Society too I believe.
I've bought a few of their DVDs mainly because they were steelbooks: Appleseed, Appleseed Ex-Machina, Vexille (which wasn't technically Manga) and Voltron (which was even embossed).

Appleseed was Optimum, Ex-Machina was Warner Bros, and Vexille was Momentum, but Voltron was Manga, yeah.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Huh, I remembered them being Manga for some reason.
Given that Manga have mentioned it a few times over the years I believe they had some sort of involvement in Vexille (and IIRC that was the one that randomly had a preloaded Bleach ad).
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Honestly, I'd prefer the chipbox (Is that what Right Stuff's Nadesico box is? Well that in any case) with half cases myself.

Though DRM Free DTO would be what I would actually pay Aniplex money for.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

As long as they're one disc half cases it's fine. Manga's fmab set is terrible, all the two disc half cases are broken so the discs slide about.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

I'm a big fan of a simple box and regular disc-case combo too.

Regarding materials, I'm not sure exactly what it is, but if anyone at AL HQ has access to the packaging that OnePlus One phones come in, that is an excellent thickness, it feels nicer than typical chipboard and seems sturdier. It could just be thick chipboard and a nice outer cover, but the outer slipcase they use really does feel nice and I'd love for that level of quality on deluxe release boxes.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Thought I'd create an account to echo some of the sentiments so far too.

I love the uniform simplicity of the JP rigid boxsets that contain amarays/occasionally an artbook. Like a lot of people here I own the SAC and Garden of Sinners sets, and they look really nice sat next to each other on a shelf, plus they're not too much of a hassle to remove discs from. And I have the option of just sticking the amarys on the shelf if I'm pressed for space. So uhh, more of these please!

I was pretty upset the Gunbuster set that was linked a few pages back wasn't English friendly when it was originally announced, or I'd have jumped on it in a heartbeat.


For releases so far from Anime Limited, I've been really impressed. While trying to fit the Gurren Lagaan set ANYWHERE is a nightmare, I cannot stress enough how much I like the design, it's big, bold and a great to look at. It'd be nice if you kept future "Ultimate" editions at the same dimensions, so they don't all end up looking out of place. And again, like a lot of people have mentioned, finding some alternate solution to the digipack, as it gets a little flimsy at that size.

I'm also a fan of digipacks done right. The Kill la Kill release is perfect. I enjoyed Kill la Kill so much I went out and bought the first 3 JP sets to house the discs when you released them (as I really liked their design). But then you went and replicated the JP box sets perfectly. I was a combination of annoyed and overjoyed (as now I need to shift my JP sets!).

I'm a little concerned about the Space Dandy set, as while it looks great; if I were to take the amaray out of the box and plonk it on the shelf by itself, does the spine have any info pertaining to what the amary actually is? Couldn't quite see from your pack shots. Plus top loading?! What is this sorcery?! I don't think I own anything similar.

As for releases prior to these that I've picked up (Bebop/Perfect Blue/Durarara), I've had no real complaints, they're nice sets. It's clear when comparing them to the newer releases that you've moved on when it comes to pack design/production though. As some of your older releases are a little lop sided for me (they don't stand straight), plus I'm really enjoying the matt/glossy prints that you're doing now, rather than an entirely glossy box.


As for other personal opinion stuff; I don't much care for steelbooks either, or postcards. Video quality trumps all packaging (I like how you're also pushing for this!). GET THE EPISODE COUNTS ON THE DISCS RIGHT!!! (sorry, this one always gets me). And keep up the good work, I really like what you guys are doing, and will continue to support you for as long as you're doing it.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

I really don't like the Lagann Ultimate set. I actually almost detest it. The o-card that goes around the set is flimsy and won't stand the test of the time at all and the box itself seems to be really shoddily put together, with the paper that's wrapped around it fraying, not a fan of the book and the digipak is a nightmare. To top it all off the thing is massive. I just threw all my discs in a 6 tray amaray and I'll probably never open the lagann box again and by proxy I'll never take the book out.

I actually really like steelbooks, but hate the jumbo variant. A good steelbook beats a great digipak in my opinion. My only problem is, if you release a steelbook either make it super limited or don't charge too much extra for it. The GITS steelbook is nice, as is the Akira one.

Like I said earlier, I really like a nice colour amaray (white or Black, not the ugly Blue and I'm indifferent on see-through) in a HIGH QUALITY box with beautiful artwork. Keep it clean and classy is all I ask. Stick a little booklet like the one you shipped with Bebop if you have to. The reason for this is due to the fact that if you’re going to do a collector’s edition, to me making a digipak and sticking some cards and a book in it doesn't make it a collector’s item in the slightest. IF you want to make a proper collector’s item, look at the extravagant sets like the Japanese Bebop. A leather-esque box with BEAUTIFUL artwork or even the nice, custom cases that the Japanese Ghibli films ship in. Something that makes me say wow. I don’t mind digipaks, just make them small and sturdy and super rigid. Look no further than the Beez limited edition Lagann digipak. It’s a bit big, but it’s super sturdy.

The KLK set does looks nice, but the price seems a tad too high for me although I appreciate the effort gone into things like the book and the fact that you have obligations in regards to the price etc.

I don’t mind big sets either, I own the Limited Edition End of Eva Laser Disc set. It weighs a few kg and is very big! But like I said, it needs to be sturdy and tough as nails. Now that set would last you a life time and then some. Basically, what I want is something that looks nice and is sturdy, like throw across the room and you’ll pray for whoever it hits sturdy. Also, if it's a collectors edition, try putting in something that is actually...collectable...or a soundtrack. That's like your most requested extra for everything you've ever done lol.
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

NoSurprises said:
Thought I'd create an account to echo some of the sentiments so far too.

I love the uniform simplicity of the JP rigid boxsets that contain amarays/occasionally an artbook. Like a lot of people here I own the SAC and Garden of Sinners sets, and they look really nice sat next to each other on a shelf, plus they're not too much of a hassle to remove discs from. And I have the option of just sticking the amarys on the shelf if I'm pressed for space. So uhh, more of these please!

I was pretty upset the Gunbuster set that was linked a few pages back wasn't English friendly when it was originally announced, or I'd have jumped on it in a heartbeat.


For releases so far from Anime Limited, I've been really impressed. While trying to fit the Gurren Lagaan set ANYWHERE is a nightmare, I cannot stress enough how much I like the design, it's big, bold and a great to look at. It'd be nice if you kept future "Ultimate" editions at the same dimensions, so they don't all end up looking out of place. And again, like a lot of people have mentioned, finding some alternate solution to the digipack, as it gets a little flimsy at that size.

I'm also a fan of digipacks done right. The Kill la Kill release is perfect. I enjoyed Kill la Kill so much I went out and bought the first 3 JP sets to house the discs when you released them (as I really liked their design). But then you went and replicated the JP box sets perfectly. I was a combination of annoyed and overjoyed (as now I need to shift my JP sets!).

I'm a little concerned about the Space Dandy set, as while it looks great; if I were to take the amaray out of the box and plonk it on the shelf by itself, does the spine have any info pertaining to what the amary actually is? Couldn't quite see from your pack shots. Plus top loading?! What is this sorcery?! I don't think I own anything similar.

As for releases prior to these that I've picked up (Bebop/Perfect Blue/Durarara), I've had no real complaints, they're nice sets. It's clear when comparing them to the newer releases that you've moved on when it comes to pack design/production though. As some of your older releases are a little lop sided for me (they don't stand straight), plus I'm really enjoying the matt/glossy prints that you're doing now, rather than an entirely glossy box.


As for other personal opinion stuff; I don't much care for steelbooks either, or postcards. Video quality trumps all packaging (I like how you're also pushing for this!). GET THE EPISODE COUNTS ON THE DISCS RIGHT!!! (sorry, this one always gets me). And keep up the good work, I really like what you guys are doing, and will continue to support you for as long as you're doing it.

From seeing a recent unboxing of it, I recall the title being on the spine - in fact I'm sure it's like a normal Anime Ltd spine
 
Re: Anime Limited wants to hear your opinions on deluxe pack

Technically top loading means more space for artwork :D

I don't have any strong feelings about top vs side loading; NISA releases are often top-loaded (with larger boxes) and it doesn't affect their attractiveness.

With regards to the o-card, I was under the impression that it was intended to be optional and like a spiritual brother to the flimsy obi which accompany many Japanese releases. I usually fold those up and tuck them inside the boxes because I can't stand them flapping around and don't like having my collection in protective sleeves, but with TTGL I'm just leaving the box inside the o-card for now as it's sturdier and doesn't get in the way. One day, I'll throw it away and just use the artbox.

I also want to say that I actually don't want LEs to come with soundtracks except where it's a pack-in soundtrack in Japan, too; the reason being that if it's any good I've probably already imported the standalone soundtrack by the time the physical release happens and it then feels wasteful ^^;

If it's a special CD which you can't easily obtain on its own then it makes a lot more sense as a bonus item.

R
 
Back
Top