Laserdiscs

[Daniel]

Greg touched on a topic in another thread that I just couldn't ignore: anime LDs!

Ah yes, big shiny anime LDs. And they came with beautiful box art and booklets and such to boot. What old school anime fan doesn't love them?


I see that Greg's collection is here.

What exactly's on that Dirty Pair set?

I also see that you have a different version of Macross the movie than I do. Does that one have Flashback on it?


Regarding laser rot, I suggest that you capture your LDs onto a digital format.


I'll post some pictures of my stuff soon enough.

[greg]

What exactly's on that Dirty Pair set?

I also see that you have a different version of Macross the movie than I do. Does that one have Flashback on it?

The Dirty Pair LD box set is the TV series + OVA series.

There were several Macross DYRL LDs released. One was pan & scan (I believe), one was letterboxed. There was also another letterboxed version that has a different end credits, which is what I have. The standard one had just the theatrical release with the end song and the titles against a black background, but the one I have has the Flashback animation for the end song, with the titles. It also comes with these movie trailers/promos at the end of the credits. I captured that video from my LD earlier this year.

I can't remember the name of the end song, but I think it's the best Macross song. I still hear that song on occasion in department stores in Japan, as well as the main song, "Oboeteimasuka?" Those two songs have stood the test of time, and whenever I hear either playing in a Japanese department store, my nerd senses tingle.

BTW, you can see at the bottom of that page that I have Flashback on LD too.

[Daniel]

The Dirty Pair LD box set is the TV series + OVA series.

I may pick it up sooner or later; thanks!

There were several Macross DYRL LDs released. One was pan & scan (I believe), one was letterboxed. There was also another letterboxed version that has a different end credits, which is what I have. The standard one had just the theatrical release with the end song and the titles against a black background, but the one I have has the Flashback animation for the end song, with the titles.

I recall there being different LD releases. I have the theatrical release. I'm pretty sure that I wanted to get that one because then I could have the original theatrical ending as well as Flashback, which I also have on a separate LD.

It also comes with these movie trailers/promos at the end of the credits. I captured that video from my LD earlier this year.

MmmMmm, very nice! I can't remember if the one I've got has any interesting extras.

I can't remember the name of the end song, but I think it's the best Macross song. I still hear that song on occasion in department stores in Japan, as well as the main song, "Oboeteimasuka?" Those two songs have stood the test of time, and whenever I hear either playing in a Japanese department store, my nerd senses tingle.

I can't wait till I'm in Japan

[Daniel]

I have to say that if we're talking about straight VHS/LD/DVD/BD/etc (as opposed to the content, i.e. fansub tapes), then my favorite format by far is LD...!

Here's my little collection; I don't have too much though...

On the top is Gall Force Earth Chapter 3 and Harmagedon.

Then from left to right is: Fatal Fury OVAs & Movie, Macross TV & Movie & Flashback & II, Onikirimaru (Ogre Slayer), Dallos Special, Dragoon, Gundam 0083 Movie, Iketeru Futari, Digital Devil Monogatari, Otaku no Video, Dragon Pink, Hi-Speed Jecy, Votoms OVAs, Bakuen Campus Guardress, Bubblegum Crash, Fuuma no Kojirou Hanran Hen, Gall Force the Revolution, Gundam F91, Gundam TV, Galient TV & OVA 3, Dragonar, Aura Battler Dunbine TV, and then just for good measure is a Playdia console that sits next to my LDs because the box is the same size and shape as LD packaging and it fits in the shelf nicely

I've also got Wanpaku Ouji no Orochi Taiji on LD, which I now realize was elsewhere when I took this picture...

I've also got a few more pictures of stuff here.

[greg]

I recall there being different LD releases. I have the theatrical release. I'm pretty sure that I wanted to get that one because then I could have the original theatrical ending as well as Flashback, which I also have on a separate LD.

Well, it's the same song. It's just that the version I have contains the Flashback animation to the song instead of the plain black background for the credits.

I have to say that if we're talking about straight VHS/LD/DVD/BD/etc (as opposed to the content, i.e. fansub tapes), then my favorite format by far is LD...!

Nice collection! The best thing about LD is the large artwork booklets that come with box sets. You just can't get that with DVDs. The downside to LDs are the weight and the potentiality for laser rot. I was rather disheartened to encounter laser rot in the final episode of my Future Boy Conan LD box set!

[Daniel]

Well, it's the same song. It's just that the version I have contains the Flashback animation to the song instead of the plain black background for the credits.

I can be incredibly nitpicky over little things sometimes...

Nice collection! The best thing about LD is the large artwork booklets that come with box sets. You just can't get that with DVDs. The downside to LDs are the weight and the potentiality for laser rot. I was rather disheartened to encounter laser rot in the final episode of my Future Boy Conan LD box set!

Thanks!

Yep, the extras are nice. They also sometimes have video footage that's not available elsewhere (I'm still working on getting that Windaria special LD...). They also take up less space than tapes, at least (which I have more than plenty of).


They were also particularly useful back in the day to make fansub tapes out of.


My major problem with LDs at the moment is that my LD player is broken...! I managed to fix it to some extent, but it still doesn't work too well. It has problems reading discs, and even when it does play a disc, if it encounters any kind of trouble reading it, it immediately begins to haphazardly fast foward super fast, sometimes continuing on even to the end of the movie...!

[Jen526]

Very cool pics. There really is something so pretty about the larger-size cover-art you get with LD's.

I never really got into buying LD's myself. I tend to be at least one technology-version behind the rest of the world in most techie things (my cell phone is still the kind that just *makes phone calls* ), and for short-lived formats like this, I usually end up skipping them altogether. It took me *years* to finally commit to DVD's over VHS, even.

One of my favorite random buys back in the day, though, was a book that I think was a catalog of all the LD's that had been released in that year. It had a bunch of small pictures of the LD covers with Japanese text that seemed to be release info. I used to love perusing that catalog and guessing which shows looked good just from the cover art. I always wished I could find the same book for other years, but never did. I guess they probably died out along with the LD itself.

[Daniel]

I tend to be at least one technology-version behind the rest of the world in most techie things (my cell phone is still the kind that just *makes phone calls* )

I don't even have a cell phone, period

And for some reason I have a master's in computer science.

and for short-lived formats like this, I usually end up skipping them altogether. It took me *years* to finally commit to DVD's over VHS, even.

There were actually more anime titles available even in the US than one might guess. In Japan, the LD was also quite popular.

One of my favorite random buys back in the day, though, was a book that I think was a catalog of all the LD's that had been released in that year. It had a bunch of small pictures of the LD covers with Japanese text that seemed to be release info. I used to love perusing that catalog and guessing which shows looked good just from the cover art. I always wished I could find the same book for other years, but never did. I guess they probably died out along with the LD itself.

Do you remember what the title of that book was? Was it all in Japanese?

[Jen526]

Do you remember what the title of that book was? Was it all in Japanese?

I don't, no, but it definitely had "Anime" and "LD" or Laserdisc in the title. The text itself was mostly Japanese. I think I probably would have kept it in my big sweep... but again, it's a matter of digging things out since the move.

[kndy]

I sold a lot of my LD's but these are all that I have left: