Best places to buy anime..

J

Jimmbach

Hikikomori
Hey guys!

I've recently got into anime - but I'm a student! Getting hold of stuff that is Region 2 and actually legal AND CHEAP is something I'm finding quite hard. Can any of you recommend good places to go - internet or otherwise?
Thanks ;)

Jim :)
 
And secondly - can anyone recommend any good anime series to get hold of? I'm particularly fond of the depth and creativity of the Evangelion series, and Ghibli films - all I've had the chance to get into as yet.. But series seem to be the best value-for-money purchases I can make.
Thanks again :)
 
Play.com is very good. HMV and Virgin are good too, but they charge you £20 for one dvd that contains about 4 episodes. You can get some bargains off eBay, but make sure you don't make the same mistakes as moi and buy a Hong Kong copy.
"Last Exile Complete series End dub- £14.99 Buy it now" Oops. How was i to know it was fake. *beaks down and cries*
 
I usually use dvdpopcorn.com for series, since they seem to have the cheapest prices for them (usually around 13.50 / volume).

Play.com are also good for series and movies.

up1.co.uk are good for region 1 imports. Usually really cheap as well due to the current exchange rate.
 
I can't recommend BlahDVD highly enough. They were linked - in some way - to SplashDVD which went into liquidation a short while back but I have found no signs of any misleading conduct from BlahDVD to date. I make sure I always pay using a credit card with internet fraud protection to insure that if the worst-comes-to-the-worst I’m covered.

I have brought loads of back catalogue titles from them that at pretty outstanding prices (Hellsing from £8.99 a volume, Rahxephon from £8.99 a volume, Full Metal Panic from £8.99 a volume and Noir from £9.99 a volume). BlahDVD have also started offering many new releases from MVM, ADV and Beez at £12.99 – Samurai Champloo volume one anyone?

The customer service is fantastic with replies to most of my emails arriving within a couple of hours with the fastest reply being within six seconds.

The BlahDVD website can be found here: http://www.blahdvd.com/blah/Home.aspx

Just like Play.com all their items are postage free (usual lead-time of three working days) so have a browse and enjoy.

On the basis of all the above I voted BlahDVD as the 'Best Retailer' in the 'NEO Awards 2005'.
 
Hang around outside HMV, Virgin etc. and wait for a good sale. Expect to pay about a tenner per DVD when it happens (which isn't that often).

There's some good, cheap boxsets coming out at the moment in America, about a quarter of the original price! If you can play region 1 DVDs, I'd recommend doing a little research on what boxsets are available.

(My pick: Kino's Journey Box Set comes R1 out in October for about 25 pounds)

I'd recommend up1.co.uk - some sites may be cheaper, but they're quick and very helpful with problems!
 
Speaking of boxsets, the SAC boxset is going to be released mid-november, and Play.com are already listing it at around £32. Which is an absolute steal considering you're getting the entire series.
 
I have some speshlist shops near me, but normaly i by my Manga from ottikers or waterstones & Anime from HMV on the street. On the net, i normaly get some stuff from ebay,Otaku.com,UP1 n play.com :3
 
If your looking for R2 DVD's
http://www.play.com Is the cheapest I Know for R2

If your looking for R1 DVD's AND DONT! HAVE A CREDIT CARD
http://www.up1.co.uk

If your looking for R1 DVD's AND HAVE A CREDIT CARD
http://www.dvdpacific.com

and if your looking for random stuff
http://www.japanimation.com/


NOTE: Every anime fan and collecor has their own personal favorites just like in life everybody is different. Aswell be carefull when importing dvd's from any country outside GB you will get taxed on Items over £18 and then Royal Mail will charge you for holding it etc.. But its still cheaper.
 
For us Clansmen from the north, who are considered too stupid for credit cards, there is only really Forbidden Planet or to a lesser extent, HMV.

Virgin Megastores Is a lame duck thats only slightly aware of the genre's existence, and as a result only sells titles a year after the release dates.
 
Actually Virgin Megastores is much better for what I have seen they even get the signs right calling it Anime. Last time I went into virgin they had a good selection EVEN MORE THAN my local specialist Anime shop. Where as HMV sell much less and call it Manga not anime... grrrr that P***ES me off
 
My local HMV and Virgin both call Anime, its correct name now (i.e not Manga) and tend to have all the latest releases (albeit at prices im usually not willing to pay). So they are pretty good round here.

Lately I buy my R1 dvds from Otaku as of free postage costs, and im too impatient to wait for imports to get here (I also dont have a credit card). Manga I get from United Publications as it has such a good variety, and finally R2 anime I get from Play.com.
 
Lucky for you then, maybe virgin in edinburgh will catch up sometime.
I couldnt care less what they call anime, so long as they stock it
 
ZAFF said:
Last time I went into virgin they had a good selection EVEN MORE THAN my local specialist Anime shop. Where as HMV sell much less and call it Manga not anime... grrrr that P***ES me off
Click to expand...

My local MVC has a pretty good selection of anime dvds of which have a huge handwritten sign saying 'ANIME/MANGA'. So close....
 
Well i have been very pro MVC the last year, indeed, they have the largest and most up to date collection in Exeter. However, they dropped the ball when they didn't get Nausicaa in! i went next door to virgin (a large collection, but never any new stuff!) and they had 8 copies of Nausicaa and 5 of Cat returns (MVC had just one copy of Cat)

Rather disapointing there. but generally, i'd go for MVC, then Virgin. HMV is improving, but it alone of the three shops still sticks anime in 'world cinema' rather than in its own section, which should say enough on its own.
 
My local HMV had a load of anime in their 3 for £20 sale. I'm not sure if they meant to since a lot of it was removed from the sale a few weeks later. I saved a fortune on it though.
 
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