On November 25, Future Boy Conan made its long-awaited arrival on Blu-Ray in Japan. The box set uses a high-definition transfer of the original 35mm camera negative, resulting in a picture quality that is stunning. I daresay that Conan has never looked this good, even in its original 1978 TV run.
The box features embossed graphics and text, which looks wonderful. Included are two discs, one for the series, and the second for extras. A number of booklets are also included, which is very, very nice. I'm not certain if storyboards are included, either in print or on the extras disc, but I'm sure one of us will eventually save up the money for this package and share all the secrets.
The Conan BD set includes the original 4:3 screen ratio, as well as a 16:9 widescreen mode that slightly crops the picture. In my next post, I'll include some screenshots so that you can see for yourselves.
Sadly, it appears that no English subtitles are included. That stinks. In a perfect world, publishers in the West would pick up this BD box set. Until then, we shall continue to download our fansub releases on the internet. Hmm...do you think Hollywood has ever figure this one out? We want access to the movies. If they're not going to be available in our region, or not available in the current format (1080p, digital downloads), we'll just take 'em. As always, the lesson is that we must support those publishers and distributors who support the scene. Show the business suits that there is a demand for these series. I'm more than willing to pay a premium price for this excellent BD box set.
Kudos to Bandai for their excellent release. My hopes are now extremely high for the Heidi BD box set, which will be released just in time for Christmas. It appears that Bandai holds the rights to the entire World Masterpiece Theater series - does this mean we will soon see 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother and Anne of Green Gables on Blu-Ray? Onegai shimasu! Gimme Gimmie!
P.S. Yes, I know that I totally have to get back to work and write the second half of the Future Boy Conan blogathon. We are totally going to finish this thing, kids.
2 comments:
I wonder if it comes down to the simple act of licensing said show outside Japan itself? In the case of Nippon Animation and the World Masterpiece Theater programs, I've often heard of how terribly pricey they are to license at all.
@Christopher - That's what I've been wondering for quite some time. It's obvious that those are very high quality animes. Why on earth are they not being licensed is beyond me.
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