Cowboy Bebop Remix

[ToliverChap]

So amazon now has it listed as including the English 5.1 mix. Which was unclear awhile ago. I'm curious about if they intend to release a collector's box for the DVDs any time in the future or at all? If anyone has any insight into this I'd appreciate it, as I'm holding off on purchasing the DVD as is for now.

[Lord Dalek]

So amazon now has it listed as including the English 5.1 mix. Which was unclear awhile ago. How was this unclear. The original press release clearly said Dolby 5.1 English.

[Ferquin]

Just checked my box and it says both Japanese and English in Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio, in addition to regular 2.0 audio. The whole point of this collection is for a full sound remix for the whole series after all.

And yes, I already have it. For some reason, my neighborhood Fry's was already selling it last week.

No box with Vol. 1 so I'm assuming it'll be with Vol. 6. 'Cause ain't no way they're not gonna have a special collector's box for CB Remix.

[SokkaBoSiegel]

Im sorry, but by "collector's box" do you mean just a box that holds all the DVDs or a package deal that includes all 6 DVDs for one price? Sorry, I dont know anything about anime sales and stuff.

On a related note, will they be selling a package deal of all six DVDs in one box? Does anyone know what the likelihood of that is? And if so, how long are we talking before it would come out? Lastly, do these "whole series" packages ever include anything that you wouldnt get by buying all 6 individually?

Thanks!

[Lupin the Wolf]

Im sorry, but by "collector's box" do you mean just a box that holds all the DVDs or a package deal that includes all 6 DVDs for one price? Sorry, I dont know anything about anime sales and stuff.

Yes, most new anime series released on DVD these days have multiple versions of the first volume: one version that includes the disc/keepcase only, and another that has the disc/keepcase inside a sturdy cardboard ("chipboard," I think?) box with lots of pretty pictures on it from the show (usually called a "Volume 1 + Artbox" release).

On a related note, will they be selling a package deal of all six DVDs in one box? Does anyone know what the likelihood of that is? And if so, how long are we talking before it would come out? Lastly, do these "whole series" packages ever include anything that you wouldnt get by buying all 6 individually? You brought up an interesting subject. But I guess it would be best to answer in a couple different ways, since you could be talking about two different things.

First, if you mean a release where you have the original DVDs and keepcases with original cover art inside an artbox, then yes, those do *occasionally* happen, after each individual volume has been released, and usually sell for only slightly less than buying the individual volumes would.

Secondly, if you mean a bargain package, such as one where the series discs are put inside a unified keepcase (a 6-disc Alpha brick, or Thinpaks in a special artbox), and the price is dropped significantly from the original, this is happening more frequently too, especially from ADV Films.

You mentioned "missing out on" stuff from the original release. ADV has started following a policy where if they release a "bargain/budget box" of a series they already released in standard keepcases with a box, they have begun stripping the reissues of their extras, so as not to "punish" the early adopters.

Bandai is the company releasing Cowboy Bebop, however, and it is unlikely that they will follow this policy also, unless it is a huge hit according to consumers.

Fact is, that about 2/3 of anime consumers are the budget-buyers that wait for price drops, but the ones who actually make the studio their money back on the licensing and production of a show on DVD are the first-issue buyers. ADV is using this "stripping down" strategy to promote more first-issue buying. Thankfully, ADV has not appealed to me with about 90% of their catalog....

Something interesting to note about the anime industry vs. the bulk of the home video industry is that the anime video market is TINY. Anime makes up roughly 5% of the N. American home video market entire. In order to survive on that tiny 5%, the anime market has set up a unique infrastructure to support itself.

While Western TV shows released on DVD are usually put out in a chunk-by-chunk, or season-by-season format at a reasonable price ($50 a season, more or less), anime is released in a trickle-trickle method. Each DVD comes out at $30 MSRP containing about 5 episodes a disc. That's a lot of money, and there are places to get this stuff cheaper (online shops, mostly), but it's a huge mark-up when you add it all and compare it to domestic releases of similar product.

In other words, You can easily expect to spend $180 on a 26-episode anime TV series at MSRP, while you can get all three seasons of Aqua Teen Hunger Force (still at MSRP!) for about $75. This is how anime survives: a small but passionately (obsessively?) dedicated fanbase. And it's intimidating for outsiders to get into the buying thing. Fortunately for the anime market, some ofthe products actually have appeal enough to break that mental "cost" barrier for many a folk, young and old....

I'll shut up now. :)

[Duke]

On a related note, will they be selling a package deal of all six DVDs in one box? Does anyone know what the likelihood of that is? And if so, how long are we talking before it would come out? Lastly, do these "whole series" packages ever include anything that you wouldnt get by buying all 6 individually? More than likely, a thinpak/digipak "Perfect Collection" release will arrive about a year or two after Volume 6 is released. If Bandai follows their usual route, nothing on the discs themselves will be changed, but if Volume 6 does include the box, then whatever extras it would have (soundtrack, plushie, model, whatever) will not be included in the "Perfect Collection."

[Lord Dalek]

So is the video any improvement over that noisy mess that was the original Volume 1?

[Sr.Infierno]

Only four more days...only four more days

[Hades]

I'm passing on this for Petite Cossette since I already own the regular DVDs. I'll just wait for a Remix complete collection.

[SokkaBoSiegel]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Very helpful. To clarify, I was talking about a deal where I could buy all six DVDs of the show at one price and in one box. So, you're saying it is likely they will do this? And how long after the 6th volume is released, or I guess better put, how long from now may that be? And is there an advantage to waiting and buying all of them at once in one package, besides a free box for them all? A decent price drop?

[Duke]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Very helpful. To clarify, I was talking about a deal where I could buy all six DVDs of the show at one price and in one box. So, you're saying it is likely they will do this? And how long after the 6th volume is released, or I guess better put, how long from now may that be? And is there an advantage to waiting and buying all of them at once in one package, besides a free box for them all? A decent price drop?We don't know yet. We only have release dates for Volumes 1-3 and the release date for Volume 6 is likely scheduled for sometime in late spring 2006. Putting all 6 DVDs in a thinpak/digipak/brick box (like Bandai's Perfect Collections, ADV's thinpak boxsets) will likely happen in 2007 at the earliest. Advantages to buying this will all depend on what Bandai decides to do with the boxset. More than likely, it will end up costing $60 MSRP. If there are any Box extras (such as an OST or T-Shirt or something), that won't be included, but all the DVD extras (like commentaries or featurettes) will likely be included.

[Knightmare]

Any know a web site wher I can get the pricing info and a look at the boart for the Remixes and what are the release dates for Volumes 2 and 3?

[SokkaBoSiegel]

Ok, thanks again. I know it might be stupid, but it was the extras I was worried about. I dont mind missing out on a shirt or something, but I wouldnt want to miss out on some extra "behind the scenes" info or something. Thanks

[Ferquin]

So is the video any improvement over that noisy mess that was the original Volume 1?It looks pretty decent to me. Of course, I don't really have the trained eye that DVD reviewers have for this kind of stuff like picking out artifacting or color problems. I've got a plain ol' tube TV. But it sure looks a damn sight better than watching it off cable TV. The menu is pretty nice and intuitive compared to what I remember from the old release (my friend owns the original DVDs). For some of the menus, you can actually listen to a whole musical piece from the OST instead of it kinda cutting off after a certain length of time and looping. Yeah, you can really tell the sound is way better now than it was before. Again, I'm glad I held off on buying the DVDs 'til now.

[Lord Dalek]

It looks pretty decent to me. Of course, I don't really have the trained eye that DVD reviewers have for this kind of stuff like picking out artifacting or color problems. I've got a plain ol' tube TV. But it sure looks a damn sight better than watching it off cable TV. The menu is pretty nice and intuitive compared to what I remember from the old release (my friend owns the original DVDs). For some of the menus, you can actually listen to a whole musical piece from the OST instead of it kinda cutting off after a certain length of time and looping. Yeah, you can really tell the sound is way better now than it was before. Again, I'm glad I held off on buying the DVDs 'til now.Well the issues regarding the transfer are only visible with a progressive scan display so guess I'll have to find out myself.

[Ferquin]

Would that count on... say... my computer? I have a nice flat-screen Viewsonic.

[Lord Dalek]

Would that count on... say... my computer? I have a nice flat-screen Viewsonic.Yeah.

[Speedy Boris]

Well I don't have a progressive scan device, but I watched it this evening and boy does it sound good and look good (wasn't this is a pre-digital coloring show, too?). Nice set of extras, as well- 2 commentaries, an interview with Faye's actress, CN & movie trailers/TV spots, and the usual Bandai DVD trailers for other series.

Boy does it feel good to see this show again. Back when it was on Adult Swim I only caught one or two episodes total before it stopped airing, but I liked what I saw. Now I'll get to see the whole thing with this Remix series.

[Lord Dalek]

wasn't this is a pre-digital coloring show, too?Post, Escaflowne was the first digital show at Sunrise and that was in '97. For budgetry reasons however, Watanabe elected to keep Bebop mostly analogue with the exception of certain sequences and the Pierrot Le Fou and Brain Scratch episodes.

[Behonkiss]

Boy does it feel good to see this show again. Back when it was on Adult Swim I only caught one or two episodes total before it stopped airing, but I liked what I saw. Now I'll get to see the whole thing with this Remix series.You lucky dog.

[Speedy Boris]

You lucky dog. Of course, there's the obvious downside to waiting this long: Not being able to talk about it in threads without looking like a slowpoke. ;)

Me: "Hey I just saw Jupiter Jazz!"
Other User: "...Jupiter Jazz? I saw that FOUR years ago!"
Me: "Uhhh.... I wanna talk about it NOW!"
Other User: "NO, loser!"

[Ferquin]

Yeah.Oh, well in that case, yeah, it looks friggin' awesome on my comp. I highly suggest getting it.

Of course, there's the obvious downside to waiting this long: Not being able to talk about it in threads without looking like a slowpoke.Well you could always chat about it in the Anime forum and nobody will fault you on it. ;) I certainly wouldn't mind talking about old anime there, Cowboy Bebop or otherwise.

[ToliverChap]

So I've watched the first 4 episodes of the remix with a keen ear and a keen eye for the changes and improvements on the sessions. So far gun fights are cooler space is way more bassy but I'm not sure if I've really noticed any of this additional animated sequences. Does anyone know OR notice if there are any specific new and improved animation in the first few episodes?

[G1Ravage]

It's out already?

What are the menus like and such?

[Duke]

It's out already?Been out for a while now.

What are the menus like and such?Divided into sections a la the intro. Though for some reason, the selection line disappears on the first extras screen in my table-top DVD player.