Hunter x Hunter- Volume 1, Early Look/Review

[godofchaos]

I know I'm not the only person who is looking forward to this.

Another classic shonen show coming over, although far later than most of the mid/late 90s shows.

I say it a few times in the review, and I'll repeat here. I really enjoy this show.... but why is it being released now?

Packaging is a bit interesting, curious to see if they will continue it in future releases.

http://www.fanboyreview.net/2008/11/16/hunter-x-hunter-volume-1-early-lookreview/

[WTK]

Thanks for the early review. I guess this explains why there were 2 versions of the cover arts.
The cardboard sleeve that holds the digipak is a bit different though. On the front of the digipak, an X has been cut out. Not the entire X though, there is yellow ‘warning tape’ made out of the remaining cardboard with the shows name on it, and on the inside of the sleeve theres thin clear plastic to cover the X design. It’s interesting and neat, but I wonder if this didn’t add to the cost of the set, and wonder how well the thing yellow cardboard ‘tape’ design will last, along with the plastic.

[Drgnfuel]

Any chance we can get some pics of the packaging?:cool:

[godofchaos]

Any chance we can get some pics of the packaging?:cool:

Unfortunately my low res cameraphone wouldn't do much in this case, so I tried to make sure I explained it well. But it's basically just a normal digipak holder with some bits cut out, and plastic put inside the box to make it seem like a window.

[GetterBeam]

So long as the subs are not screwed up and everything is uncut and such, I'll definitely grab this next time it strikes me to do so.

[Doom85]

I've been anticipating this for a long time, I'm thrilled that Viz decided to release it finally. Aside from Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece (and the first 2/3rds of Death Note), this is my favorite shonen series.

Also, IIRC, it's been stated that Viz does not yet have the right to the OVAs. In other words, good sales should hopefully convince them to license it!

I was considering putting this on my Christmas list, but I'm going to buy it myself instead. I've waited a long time, a few more days would just kill me! :bigsmile:

Now if only another excellent shonen anime (*cough*Gintama*cough*) would get licensed (by Funi though, I don't trust Viz with that long a series, whereas H x H's anime is pretty short), I'd be really happy.

[kimani]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??

[EyeOfPain]

No, I'm sure you aren't.

[Doom85]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??

For FOUR boxsets? If it were a 100+ episode series or being released in singles, sure I'd be nervous, but I'm about as worried as I was before Y2K. In other words, extremely little.

[kimani]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??

For FOUR boxsets? If it were a 100+ episode series or being released in singles, sure I'd be nervous, but I'm about as worried as I was before Y2K. In other words, extremely little.

Wasn't Full Moon almost done?

[Doom85]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??

For FOUR boxsets? If it were a 100+ episode series or being released in singles, sure I'd be nervous, but I'm about as worried as I was before Y2K. In other words, extremely little.

Wasn't Full Moon almost done?

Yeah, after seven releases, so a little more. I just think by the time Viz starts getting good sales figures to judge by, the first two will already be released and dubbing will be almost done for the last two, so why bother not releasing them? Plus, Viz's anime side seems to have a preference to shonen, so a shojo example might not be the best choice. I mean, I can think of Mar and Hikaru no Go as examples, but both of those were long-running and released in singles.

[godofchaos]

I should note, me saying 4 boxsets is based on the episode count for Volume 1 and the belief that Viz would stay relatively consistent (62 episodes total, v.1 having 15, 4 seems the logical number to end up), but it it always possible future volumes could be different.

[Doom85]

I should note, me saying 4 boxsets is based on the episode count for Volume 1 and the belief that Viz would stay relatively consistent (62 episodes total, v.1 having 15, 4 seems the logical number to end up), but it it always possible future volumes could be different.

Viz has already said (according to ANN and Anime Insider) that it would be 4, so I didn't just throw that out there. I've learned to avoid assumptions about number of sets (I figured Inuyasha would be 6 sets instead of 7, until 4 was announced to only have 18).

[godofchaos]

Viz has already said (according to ANN and Anime Insider) that it would be 4, so I didn't just throw that out there. I've learned to avoid assumptions about number of sets (I figured Inuyasha would be 6 sets instead of 7, until 4 was announced to only have 18).

I don't fully trust Viz enough to go by their numbering either.

v.1 could easily sell well, but not as well as they'd like, so to attempt to improve sales they do 2 disk sets instead of 3 for the rest.

[Danime]

You say the digipak is inside a cardboard case - is this chipboard, or Funimation quality card?

[godofchaos]

You say the digipak is inside a cardboard case - is this chipboard, or Funimation quality card?

I don't believe I've ever seen a digipak in a chipboard case.

[something]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??For FOUR boxsets?Wasn't Full Moon almost done?
Apples and oranges, sorta. While no show is safe, even SJ stuff (see HikaGo), I don't really have many worries about them being able to get out a mere four HxH sets. Comparing that to a release of a shoujo series in 12 quarterly singles... well, even if HxH is far from Naruto level of popularity, it's pretty easy to see HxH's odds are infinitely better than Full Moon's. Viz damn near tried to make Full Moon a commercial failure.

Besides, HxH itself never finished or even wrapped up any of the most important stories or questions, so if they bail halfway it's like you get the same effect anyway =P

And I mean that even if they release all the OVAs too, which they haven't indicated they plan to yet. It's still a thoroughly unfinished series in just about every way.

Although, it was still good, mind you, just ultimately disappointing in this respect.

[HitokiriShadow]

Wasn't Full Moon almost done?

No, it was at the half-way point. There were still six volumes remaining.

[ArcticMech]

Not interested in this series, but I do appreciate the product review. Keep churning those reviews out. Good stuff.

[kimani]

And I mean that even if they release all the OVAs too, which they haven't indicated they plan to yet. It's still a thoroughly unfinished series in just about every way.

Although, it was still good, mind you, just ultimately disappointing in this respect.

The OVA's wrap up the story?

[godofchaos]

The OVA's wrap up the story?

I think what he said/meant was that in animation form there is not anything resembling something to be taken as a 'the end' moment.

[Krate]

Could you give us the cast for the dub? Just the VAs for the four main heroes would be appreciated. Thanks!

[EmperorBrandon]

Could you give us the cast for the dub? Just the VAs for the four main heroes would be appreciated. Thanks!

I would be really curious on Hisoka too. :) (err... wait. Would he be in the first set? Been a looong while since I've seen the series...)

[Andre]

The OVA's wrap up the story?

I think what he said/meant was that in animation form there is not anything resembling something to be taken as a 'the end' moment.

That manga's still ongoing, so the anime just sort of stops from my understanding [haven't seen it, though do hope to pick up the boxsets- this sounds nice!], though by the looks of things, it does finish off the Greed Island storyline, given the last OVA is GI Final.

[BigPants]

Could you give us the cast for the dub? Just the VAs for the four main heroes would be appreciated. Thanks!

I would be really curious on Hisoka too. :) (err... wait. Would he be in the first set? Been a looong while since I've seen the series...)

Yeah, I really want to hear how the English VA did Hisoka (whoever it is).

Looking forward to this even more now! :|

[Krate]

Could you give us the cast for the dub? Just the VAs for the four main heroes would be appreciated. Thanks!

I would be really curious on Hisoka too. :) (err... wait. Would he be in the first set? Been a looong while since I've seen the series...)
I'd love to know as well. I wasn't sure if he was in this set so I didn't mention him.

[Danime]

You say the digipak is inside a cardboard case - is this chipboard, or Funimation quality card?

I don't believe I've ever seen a digipak in a chipboard case.

I have. The Japanese limited editions of Agito's Silver Hair and Brave Story are digipaks in a chipboard case. Viz put the Inu Yasha movies digipak into a thick wooden box, anything is possible.

So the answer is no.

[something]

The OVA's wrap up the story?
No, I was saying that they don't wrap it up either.

Not the first OVA. Not Greed Island. Not Greed Island Final. None of them answer any of the important questions the show raises.

It's still a great ride through the first OVA though. I felt like Greed Island killed me on the franchise, which is just as well since the franchise stopped dead anyway.

[something]

I would be really curious on Hisoka too. :) (err... wait. Would he be in the first set? Been a looong while since I've seen the series...)I'd love to know as well. I wasn't sure if he was in this set so I didn't mention him.
Checking ep summaries on Wiki, he should be in this set. He's in the show by ep 8 at the latest.

[godofchaos]

Gon- Elinor Holt
Leorio- Jonathan Love
Kurapika- Cheryl McMaster
Killua- Annika Odegard
Hisoka- Brendan Hunter


You know, one of these times when I get a show where the main cast just isn't known prior, I should throw in a fake/wrong name and see how quickly it shows up on the ANN Encyclopedia...

also, the director is Goddard

[LordGeo]

Gon- Elinor Holt
Leorio- Jonathan Love
Kurapika- Cheryl McMaster
Killua- Annika Odegard
Hisoka- Brendan Hunter

Not really anyone I'm even remotely familiar with... Except for Jonathan Love, who did Michelo Chariot in G Gundam... And I don't even remember how he sounded either.

McMaster is probably familiar to My-Hime/Otome dub fans, though... Oh well, hopefully it's a good dub.

[EmperorBrandon]

Gon- Elinor Holt
Leorio- Jonathan Love
Kurapika- Cheryl McMaster
Killua- Annika Odegard
Hisoka- Brendan Hunter


It's interesting that they cast females in pretty much all the main male roles that were voiced by females in the Japanese version. I was thinking that whoever dubbed it would ended up casting male VA's in at least some of those three roles since it's usual for that to happen (and Ocean/Blue Water uses young VA's for kids quite a bit too)

I only really know Love out of them (should be a good fit), heard varying bits of Holt, McMaster, and Odegard, and not really sure if I've heard any of Hunter (though he's been in several Blue Water dubs)

[Brent Long]

(and Ocean/Blue Water uses young VA's for kids quite a bit too)

The key problem there of course is that the show is lengthy and could potentially keep going and going, even if sporadically.

That's where Ocean's fairly unique approach to young characters has come back to haunt them in the past--when the actors go through puberty during production.

It's caused some roles to have be recast (Shotaro in Tetsujin 28, Lee in Cardcaptors, Kohaku in InuYasha [I believe], etc.) and some roles to have a noticable difference in the character's voice but maintain the same actor (Kaoru in Flame of Recca for one). I assumed Ocean / Viz wouldn't be dumb enough to try it this time. Glad to know I was right.

Anyway, the cast doesn't look too shabby. About the only predictable casting was Hunter as Hisoka, though I had other actors in mind. The fact that only one main actor-role pairing was slightly predictable is pretty remarkable these days.

Though Holt might have played Rudolph in Zoids back in '02 (never been 100% sure on that) and McMaster played an incidental boy in My-Otome Zwei, the two have never really played young boys. Should be interesting.

On that note, Odegard has played young boys before, but not really in any major roles.

And while Jonathan Love is one of Calgary's busiest VAs, he hasn't had a lead role in more than half a decade, despite being quite talented.

[Brent Long]

Oh, and thanks for posting the cast godofchaos.

[EmperorBrandon]

The key problem there of course is that the show is lengthy and could potentially keep going and going, even if sporadically.

Yeah, I was thinking a bit on that - it's probably a good thing to get female VA's that fit the character when it comes to dubbing a lengthy series, to avoid potential consistency issues.

Though Holt might have played Rudolph in Zoids back in '02 (never been 100% sure on that) and McMaster played an incidental boy in My-Otome Zwei, the two have never really played young boys. Should be interesting.

Well... Kurapika actually strikes me as more of an effeminate guy than a young boy like Gon or Killua. Though I forgot really how much boyishness they had in his voice in the Japanese version (just remember thinking of him seeming like a girl - gender ambiguity seems to abound in HxH)

[Brent Long]

Well... Kurapika actually strikes me as more of an effeminate guy than a young boy like Gon or Killua. Though I forgot really how much boyishness they had in his voice in the Japanese version (just remember thinking of him seeming like a girl - gender ambiguity seems to abound in HxH)

Really? Okay, I was kind of thinking that three boys of similar age out of five leads might be a bit much.

[blinx01]

Consisdering the age and length of the series, I think this looks like decent value for money.
My only real concern is the time length between releases. Hopefully they at least manage to get at least get 2 out within 12 months.
Then when they're done with the TV series, they'll at least have a good idea if it's worth getting the OVA's or not.

[kimani]

The OVA's wrap up the story?
No, I was saying that they don't wrap it up either.

Not the first OVA. Not Greed Island. Not Greed Island Final. None of them answer any of the important questions the show raises.

It's still a great ride through the first OVA though. I felt like Greed Island killed me on the franchise, which is just as well since the franchise stopped dead anyway.


Thanks, i'll be picking it up.

[Doom85]

Consisdering the age and length of the series, I think this looks like decent value for money.
My only real concern is the time length between releases. Hopefully they at least manage to get at least get 2 out within 12 months.
Then when they're done with the TV series, they'll at least have a good idea if it's worth getting the OVA's or not.

Originally the plan was for a boxset every 2 months, but considering Viz' line-up for Feb., that's not the case anymore. Hopefully it'll be one every 3-4 months. 1 every two months was a little too fast for a 4-set release anyway.

[kimani]

1 every two months was a little too fast for a 4-set release anyway.

Man i'm going through One Piece withdrawal......... Yeah I know not the same thing.....

[something]

Originally the plan was for a boxset every 2 months, but considering Viz' line-up for Feb., that's not the case anymore. Hopefully it'll be one every 3-4 months. 1 every two months was a little too fast for a 4-set release anyway.
Three months would be great, four acceptable. The latter would be one year from initial release to completion for 62 episodes, which is good. Although faster is always welcome. Well, who am I kidding it's not like I'm going to rewatch it, I just want to get my Viz buying commitments out of the way ASAP so I can stop giving them money.:sd:

[TAS]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??
I'm not even going to think about buying this until it's all released.

[russ869]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??
I'm not even going to think about buying this until it's all released.

I never understand these statements. I'm not personally a fan of this show (yet...), but I'm actually considering buying this anyway for the distinct reason that if I don't, and they cancel the DVDs, then it would be a horribly missed opportunity. If some day I finally get super into the series, it would suck if the DVDs were cancelled because I didn't originally buy them because I wasn't a fan of the show when it first came out.

Similarly, when Geneon canelled all their DVD releases I went out and bought some shows (Shakugan no Shana, Mahoromatic, etc...) that I normally wouldn't have because I decided I wanted to at least have the opportunity to own them before they became rare and inconvenient to purchase.

If it's a show you've seen, and that you love, I think it makes more sense to want to have any of it that's available rather than none at all. If they just stopped making the DVDs of a series I liked, I probably still buy them and then find imports (or slightly less legal means of enjoyment) for the rest. I can honestly say that it wouldn't phase me.

Anyone feel similar...?

[something]

If it's a show you've seen, and that you love, I think it makes more sense to want to have any of it that's available rather than none at all.
Well, you are assuming here that everyone who says such things has seen it already, which isn't necessarily true. Nothing in TAS' comment indicated either way.

For example, I've never seen Kodocha, though I want to - but I will not buy just half the show. What's the point? If I can't own the whole thing, I'm not interested. I won't watch half of it and go "Well, big whoop i I can;t get the rest!", rather I'll just get a sour taste in my mouth every time I think about how the show got abandoned.

Yes, if I've already watched a show I will buy whatever is released, but that's due to my feeling of obligation for having downloaded the fansubs, not any belief that half a show is better than no show at all (generally, it isn't...).

I mean, when I look at my shelf and see only 7 of 12 discs of Full Moon, I sure don't feel good about it. And that's even with having seen the whole thing fansubbed before.

[Doom85]

Same here, russ. I've expressed before several times my thoughts on the (IMHO) illogical "I shouldn't buy it, because it could be cancelled due to poor sales" thinking. But I won't elaborate, no need to sound like a broken record.

[KudosForce]

Tell me about it. I will never emphasize enough on how Manga Entertainment screwed up on the Fist of the North Star TV series...:anger200:

[Daimao Raki]

If it's a show you've seen, and that you love, I think it makes more sense to want to have any of it that's available rather than none at all.
Well, you are assuming here that everyone who says such things has seen it already, which isn't necessarily true. Nothing in TAS' comment indicated either way.

For example, I've never seen Kodocha, though I want to - but I will not buy just half the show. What's the point? If I can't own the whole thing, I'm not interested. I won't watch half of it and go "Well, big whoop i I can;t get the rest!", rather I'll just get a sour taste in my mouth every time I think about how the show got abandoned.
Which is why I never buy a show I can't finish completely. The same reason I can't buy the ADV release of Saint Seiya. I love the franchise....but i can't own half of it.

[Raye]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??
I'm not even going to think about buying this until it's all released.
Same here. As much as I HATE to have that kind of mentality, I feel this way just because it's Viz. They never did finish Full Moon, which I really want to own, Hikaru no Go, AND Prince of Tennis. How am I going to trust a company like that? When was the last time they catered to fans who weren't into Naruto? Hunter x Hunter is an awesome series, but when it was announced that Viz had acquired the license, my first thought was that they're never going to follow through. The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan). If Viz does manage to release this series in its entirety, I'll definitely buy. But, if history serves any purpose, they only manage to finish longer series if its really popular (i.e. Inu Yasha, Bleach, Ranma).

[something]

The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan).
I don't know, the last installment of the anime was more than four and a half years ago. I definitely think its' window is long since closed.

[Konoha]

The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan).
I don't know, the last installment of the anime was more than four and a half years ago. I definitely think its' window is long since closed.

They could technically be waiting for the bug-king arc to be over before they animate it... but it could be years before that happens, at this rate ;) If the manga still sells well, it's a possibility.

[Doom85]

The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan).
I don't know, the last installment of the anime was more than four and a half years ago. I definitely think its' window is long since closed.

They could technically be waiting for the bug-king arc to be over before they animate it... but it could be years before that happens, at this rate ;) If the manga still sells well, it's a possibility.

Slayers came back for TWO seasons (possibly more, we'll see), and a new DBZ special is coming out (though that's DBZ, it's expected). Considering the manga is still quite popular in Japan, it's a definite possibility. I'm also hoping that's what is happening with D. Gray-man, the mangaka just announced she needed a hiatus, so I assumed the anime team was told beforehand and halted at a good point, and hopefully intend to continue with OVAs once the manga starts again.

[russ869]

Same here. As much as I HATE to have that kind of mentality, I feel this way just because it's Viz. They never did finish Full Moon, which I really want to own, Hikaru no Go, AND Prince of Tennis. How am I going to trust a company like that? When was the last time they catered to fans who weren't into Naruto? Hunter x Hunter is an awesome series, but when it was announced that Viz had acquired the license, my first thought was that they're never going to follow through. The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan). If Viz does manage to release this series in its entirety, I'll definitely buy.

Yes, if I've already watched a show I will buy whatever is released, but that's due to my feeling of obligation for having downloaded the fansubs, not any belief that half a show is better than no show at all (generally, it isn't...).
Depending on the show, I disagree. I'd much rather own a partial Region 1 collection than nothing. But then again I'm also the type who is willing to own only my favorite story arcs of the longer shonen series rather than the whole series. And I also have some series collections where I own half the series in manga only and the other half in anime only, or some other combination. I'm not saying I'm going to feel good about it, but if there's an unreleased show that I'm crazy enough about to even consider buying the R2s then I'll happily buy as much of the series that gets released in Region 1.

For instance, if Viz releases Monster like they are supposedly going to, I won't wait until they're all released before I consider buying them. And I won't whine and cry if they stop making them.

[EyeOfPain]

. . . [A] new DBZ special is coming out (though that's DBZ, it's expected).

Isn't that a One Piece/Dragonball Z crossover, or was a separate special announced?

[Doom85]

. . . [A] new DBZ special is coming out (though that's DBZ, it's expected).

Isn't that a One Piece/Dragonball Z crossover, or was a separate special announced?

No, I believe that's already been shown in Japan, the one I'm speaking of is a story about Vegeta's long lost brother, and the story takes place after where Z ended (while pretending GT didn't happen, thank god). I am not making this up (seriously, how many Saiyans, counting the movies, does that make it? You know, it's times like these that make me grateful that Aang truly was the LAST Airbender, and the writers knew not to use the cliched "oh, there was ANOTHER survivor!" plot over and over again), Vegeta's brother. Lord knows what explanation they'll come up with to explain THAT. If they release it over here, I'll probably buy it though, just to see Goku and the gang in modern animation would be cool enough.

[something]

If they release it over here
Did you just combine "if" with Dragonball? =P

[LordGeo]

If they release it over here
Did you just combine "if" with Dragonball? =P

Well, we technically have not gotten every piece of animated Dragon Ball Z still... There's the rare as hell "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" OVA, which takes the animated footage from a PC game, I think it was a FMV game, and turns it into an full, 2-episode OVA. I've seen it and it's not half bad... Simple, but fun.

If we get that licensed and released, then I'm sure we can any DBZ anime.

[something]

Well, we technically have not gotten every piece of animated Dragon Ball Z still... There's the rare as hell "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" OVA, which takes the animated footage from a PC game, I think it was a FMV game, and turns it into an full, 2-episode OVA. I've seen it and it's not half bad... Simple, but fun.
Hah, well... ok I can see something like that going unlicensed even for Dragonball.

But a brand new OVA, the first new DB content (far as I know, but I don't follow the franchise) in years? There's totally no way Funi would pass on that. It'll sell a hundred thousand copies easy.*

*number from ass

[kimani]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??
I'm not even going to think about buying this until it's all released.

I never understand these statements. I'm not personally a fan of this show (yet...), but I'm actually considering buying this anyway for the distinct reason that if I don't, and they cancel the DVDs, then it would be a horribly missed opportunity. If some day I finally get super into the series, it would suck if the DVDs were cancelled because I didn't originally buy them because I wasn't a fan of the show when it first came out.


Wasn't considering it, I am buying it. I also bought POT, Full Moon, and Hikaru no. Viz has a history of bailing on shows as they see fit.


Similarly, when Geneon canelled all their DVD releases I went out and bought some shows (Shakugan no Shana, Mahoromatic, etc...) that I normally wouldn't have because I decided I wanted to at least have the opportunity to own them before they became rare and inconvenient to purchase.


When has Geneon cancelled a series in the same vien as Viz does? The only thing I can think of is Law of Ueki; as of this minute it has no plans to release.




If it's a show you've seen, and that you love, I think it makes more sense to want to have any of it that's available rather than none at all. If they just stopped making the DVDs of a series I liked, I probably still buy them and then find imports (or slightly less legal means of enjoyment) for the rest. I can honestly say that it wouldn't phase me.

Anyone feel similar...?

I have no feelings for Hunter, it's a blind buy that everyone on AOD is gushing over. It's the only reason why it's on my radar.

I would not buy a series that has no chance of finishing. I was severely pissed that Kodocha did not get a chance to be finished. I only started buying it because Funi said they had it all.

I'm not going to import R2's of it if it doesn't have english subs, that is useless to me.

[TAS]

Am I the only one worried about Viz bailing out on this series halfway through??
I'm not even going to think about buying this until it's all released.

I never understand these statements. I'm not personally a fan of this show (yet...), but I'm actually considering buying this anyway for the distinct reason that if I don't, and they cancel the DVDs, then it would be a horribly missed opportunity. If some day I finally get super into the series, it would suck if the DVDs were cancelled because I didn't originally buy them because I wasn't a fan of the show when it first came out.


I've seen 3 episodes, thought it was ok but was more interested in other stuff at the time. If it was anyone other then VIZ I'd buy the first set. If I'd watched more then a few episodes I'd buy it VIZ and all (it would have to be a 4kids style hack for me to not buy something I've watched for free).

You want to know what sucks? It's when you buy a series and it drifts to about once ever 4 months, then drops off the release list and after a while they say something lame like it's not cancled it's on hiatus (insert dead parot skit here). Now repeat.

When I buy volume 1 of a series I'm trusting them to release the rest, VIZ have used up their trust. Now I have to assume that any VIZ release is just a test, if they don't like the numbers they will drop it. It's not the same as "we have seasion 1, if that sells we will look at seasion 2" then I know what I'm getting from the start.

Buy our discs or this here series gets it! Is not a business model I'm willing to support.

I buy a lot of DVDs, checking DVD Profiler it shows 1,625 items and most of them are singles bought on release. Until VIZ can re-earn my trust I'll wait for the full series. If they are not sure that someyhing will sell they can do an AnimEigo style release.

[Daimao Raki]

If they release it over here
Did you just combine "if" with Dragonball? =PIt will be released here. The question is how fast and what changes Funi will make to it on the DVD. But folks should never use "if" in the same sentence concerning a Dragonball release...unless they speak of the Dragonbox footage.

[ChibiGoku]

When has Geneon cancelled a series in the same vien as Viz does? The only thing I can think of is Law of Ueki; as of this minute it has no plans to release.


The only anime that I can think of that Geneon did that is Viewtiful Joe. They released up until episode 26 on DVD. They originally had more DVDs planned but they got pulled. I heard it was due to lack of sales or something. Atleast it didn't get cancelled the week before it was supposed to ship, like the Japanese R2 volume for later episodes. (Speaking of which, they never did release the second half of the series in Japan...)

Not that I would've bought the R1s anyways, especially since we were only given an edited dub...

[kimani]

When has Geneon cancelled a series in the same vien as Viz does? The only thing I can think of is Law of Ueki; as of this minute it has no plans to release.


The only anime that I can think of that Geneon did that is Viewtiful Joe. They released up until episode 26 on DVD. They originally had more DVDs planned but they got pulled. I heard it was due to lack of sales or something. Atleast it didn't get cancelled the week before it was supposed to ship, like the Japanese R2 volume for later episodes. (Speaking of which, they never did release the second half of the series in Japan...)

Not that I would've bought the R1s anyways, especially since we were only given an edited dub...

Forgot about that title. I just remembered Law of Ueki isn't finished either.

[LordGeo]

When has Geneon cancelled a series in the same vien as Viz does? The only thing I can think of is Law of Ueki; as of this minute it has no plans to release.


The only anime that I can think of that Geneon did that is Viewtiful Joe. They released up until episode 26 on DVD. They originally had more DVDs planned but they got pulled. I heard it was due to lack of sales or something. Atleast it didn't get cancelled the week before it was supposed to ship, like the Japanese R2 volume for later episodes. (Speaking of which, they never did release the second half of the series in Japan...)

Not that I would've bought the R1s anyways, especially since we were only given an edited dub...

Forgot about that title. I just remembered Law of Ueki isn't finished either.

Yeah, but Ueki was just like Black Lagoon, Saiunkoku, Hellsing Ultimate, Zero, Nanoha, etc. and not like Viewtiful Joe. FUNi will start releasing the rest of Ueki early next year.

[TAS]

The only anime that I can think of that Geneon did that is Viewtiful Joe. They released up until episode 26 on DVD. They originally had more DVDs planned but they got pulled. I heard it was due to lack of sales or something. Atleast it didn't get cancelled the week before it was supposed to ship, like the Japanese R2 volume for later episodes. (Speaking of which, they never did release the second half of the series in Japan...)

Not that I would've bought the R1s anyways, especially since we were only given an edited dub...

Forgot about that title. I just remembered Law of Ueki isn't finished either.
If I remember Viewtiful Joe was a partnership deal. Another company had the rights (the game company?) and Geneon just sublicenced the anime (why it was dub only) so they may not have had a choice.

[ChibiGoku]

If I remember Viewtiful Joe was a partnership deal. Another company had the rights (the game company?) and Geneon just sublicenced the anime (why it was dub only) so they may not have had a choice.

Close. Geneon and Capcom teamed up to promote it, but Geneon Entertainment actually held the rights to the anime series. The Edited dub, we're not sure who was responsible for. I do know there was a seperate dub produced for the series, as the promotional material and actual episodes had some slightly different dubbing. There was also content shown that was removed from the Edited dub. It's possible that maybe it was a requirement in order to get the series on KidsWB that they would release Edited DVDS. While I doubt this, it's entirely possible. I've heard WB can be strange when it comes to stuff that gets aired on their network.

Still... I will give Geneon some points for keeping most of the Japanese music and silence (with rearranging some of the original tracks), as well as the Japanese songs.

[KudosForce]

Close. Geneon and Capcom teamed up to promote it, but Geneon Entertainment actually held the rights to the anime series. The Edited dub, we're not sure who was responsible for.

The dub was handled by Phuuz, the same people responsible for the english dubs of Bobobo-Bo Bo-bobo, the second Lupin The 3rd TV series and Crayon Shin-Chan. It featured the voice talent of Jeff Nimoy (credited as "Jason Palmer"), Crispin Freeman, Wendee Lee and Bob Papenbrook (later replaced by Paul St. Peter), among others. some of the voice actors used pseudonyms in the credits to hide their real names.

Just so you know, yes, Crispin Freeman and Wendee Lee were part of the cast. I am not making this up.

[ChibiGoku]

Oh, I knew who produced the dub. I meant we're not responsible for the edited release on the dvd. I should've been more clear.

[karen0586]

. . . [A] new DBZ special is coming out (though that's DBZ, it's expected).

Isn't that a One Piece/Dragonball Z crossover, or was a separate special announced?

No, I believe that's already been shown in Japan, the one I'm speaking of is a story about Vegeta's long lost brother, and the story takes place after where Z ended (while pretending GT didn't happen, thank god). I am not making this up (seriously, how many Saiyans, counting the movies, does that make it? You know, it's times like these that make me grateful that Aang truly was the LAST Airbender, and the writers knew not to use the cliched "oh, there was ANOTHER survivor!" plot over and over again), Vegeta's brother. Lord knows what explanation they'll come up with to explain THAT. If they release it over here, I'll probably buy it though, just to see Goku and the gang in modern animation would be cool enough.
What? Whoa, I have got to see that :sd:. DBZ I liked, and really GT is just a bleep that didn't exist as much as I was concerned.

[karen0586]

Well, we technically have not gotten every piece of animated Dragon Ball Z still... There's the rare as hell "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" OVA, which takes the animated footage from a PC game, I think it was a FMV game, and turns it into an full, 2-episode OVA. I've seen it and it's not half bad... Simple, but fun.
Hah, well... ok I can see something like that going unlicensed even for Dragonball.

But a brand new OVA, the first new DB content (far as I know, but I don't follow the franchise) in years? There's totally no way Funi would pass on that. It'll sell a hundred thousand copies easy.*

*number from ass
May be numbers from ass, but I'm sure they wouldn't be too far off. Especially if it gets exposure on tv.

[OptimusPrimeTime]

If they release it over here
Did you just combine "if" with Dragonball? =P

Well, we technically have not gotten every piece of animated Dragon Ball Z still... There's the rare as hell "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" OVA, which takes the animated footage from a PC game, I think it was a FMV game, and turns it into an full, 2-episode OVA. I've seen it and it's not half bad... Simple, but fun.

If we get that licensed and released, then I'm sure we can any DBZ anime.

I want my Fireman Goku PSAs, along with the Telephone game gosh darn it!!!

[trunks]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but has anyone else gotten Hunter x Hunter yet? I know rightstuf is usually pretty good about shippig stuff out early so I pre-ordered it from them about 3 weeks ago and it was released this past week yet it is still on order. I would get it from Best Buy but it's not available in stores. Is anyone else having this problem/ having a hard time finding it? I know Im being impatient, but I have never seen this show before. I LOVED Yu Yu Hakusho and I read the first couple volumes of the Hunter x Hunter manga and loved it as well, so Im really hyped about this show.

[Renzo]

Mine is still on order as well, trunks. I pre-ordered it a good few weeks ahead of schedule too. Not sure what is going on there.

[Prede]

Man I love your reviews! Keep em coming. Very interesting.

Oh and I too am wondering why now Viz Media decided to release this show?

[godofchaos]

Man I love your reviews! Keep em coming. Very interesting.

Oh and I too am wondering why now Viz Media decided to release this show?

Actually, I thought of a potential reason that I may have overlooked.

The shows generally most likely to be a success are of the 'guy has an adventure and beats people up' type, so just do a few of them cheap and chances are one of them will do relatively well.

Two or three more reviews coming in the next week (finishing papers, semester ends on Tuesday, so nadda this weekend).

[KudosForce]

Man I love your reviews! Keep em coming. Very interesting.

Oh and I too am wondering why now Viz Media decided to release this show?

Actually, I thought of a potential reason that I may have overlooked.

The shows generally most likely to be a success are of the 'guy has an adventure and beats people up' type, so just do a few of them cheap and chances are one of them will do relatively well.

Basically, your average Shonen Jump property. Wouldn't you know it, Hunter X Hunter just so happens to be one of those! It should do fine, in that case.

[blinx01]

The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan).
I don't know, the last installment of the anime was more than four and a half years ago. I definitely think its' window is long since closed.
If I remember correctly the manga has been stalled for whatever reason so more than likley they want a decent amount of material before doing anymore OVA series and that way they can also ride on the buzz of the manga being active.
Like stated though, this series is REALLY popular in Japan, so I'm rather confident we haven't seen the last of this series.

[KudosForce]

The series is quite lengthy spanning 62 TV episodes and 30 OAVs (and most likely still not finished considering its popularity in Japan).
I don't know, the last installment of the anime was more than four and a half years ago. I definitely think its' window is long since closed.
If I remember correctly the manga has been stalled for whatever reason so more than likley they want a decent amount of material before doing anymore OVA series and that way they can also ride on the buzz of the manga being active.
Like stated though, this series is REALLY popular in Japan, so I'm rather confident we haven't seen the last of this series.

That's for sure, considering that I've seen the latest volume in my local bookstore.

[MetatronM]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but has anyone else gotten Hunter x Hunter yet? I know rightstuf is usually pretty good about shippig stuff out early so I pre-ordered it from them about 3 weeks ago and it was released this past week yet it is still on order. I would get it from Best Buy but it's not available in stores. Is anyone else having this problem/ having a hard time finding it? I know Im being impatient, but I have never seen this show before. I LOVED Yu Yu Hakusho and I read the first couple volumes of the Hunter x Hunter manga and loved it as well, so Im really hyped about this show.
I got my copy from Amazon this past week. Packaging is quite nice (relatively simple and straightforward, but nice). 5 episodes per disc on three discs. Seems pretty bare bones aside from that. I'm actually not sure if there are even textless OP and ED extras (though the OP is creditless even in the episodes).

The dub, or what I saw of it (which was only a few minutes of episode 1), is aaaaaaawwwwwwful. :D Which I rather expected, but it's still pretty bad. Gon sounds like a 30-something year old woman. And not a 30-something year old woman doing a kid voice, mind you. Just a woman. There are also whole lines that are just completely missing randomly in the English version, leaving awkward silence. Pretty sloppy and unprofessional.

But that's why there are Japanese language options. :)

At some point I'll get to watching the rest of it. The Hunter Exam is really awesome, and it's been probably close to 4 years now since I last saw HXH, so I'm quite happy.

[†Monster†]

I was looking for this at Best Buy and didn't find it. Is it only sold online?

I hope the whole series gets released. This is one of my favorites, even though I've only seen 30 episodes. I don't want to have to watch it fan subbed. I'm done with fan subs.

[something]

I was looking for this at Best Buy and didn't find it. Is it only sold online?
No, it's not online only.

[trunks]

I was looking for this at Best Buy and didn't find it. Is it only sold online?
No, it's not online only.

Best Buy's website said store pick-up is not available and I haven't seen it in my Best Buy, but that has been wrong before, and if you know another store I can try it would be greatly appreciated. I just hope rightstuf just doesn't take too much longer on getting it in stock.

[something]

Best Buy's website said store pick-up is not available and I haven't seen it in my Best Buy, but that has been wrong before, and if you know another store I can try it would be greatly appreciated. I just hope rightstuf just doesn't take too much longer on getting it in stock.
I don't shop B&M, personally. I'm just saying that there has never been any indication that Viz is only selling this to online retailers. Whether or not your local B&Ms have it, or whether one particular chain has chosen not to stock it, I of course have no idea.

[Doom85]

Best Buy's website said store pick-up is not available and I haven't seen it in my Best Buy, but that has been wrong before, and if you know another store I can try it would be greatly appreciated. I just hope rightstuf just doesn't take too much longer on getting it in stock.
I don't shop B&M, personally. I'm just saying that there has never been any indication that Viz is only selling this to online retailers. Whether or not your local B&Ms have it, or whether one particular chain has chosen not to stock it, I of course have no idea.

My FYE said their order was delayed to the 16th, but they will be getting them in. So I imagine some FYEs should carry it.

[ippo-fan]

My FYE said their order was delayed to the 16th, but they will be getting them in. So I imagine some FYEs should carry it.

I just saw this box set at one of the FYEs in my area. They had a sale today (B1G1 on select box sets) but unfortunately, this was not part of the sale.

I'm still waiting for my set from TRSI (I pre-ordered it during the Viz sale)...

[Prede]

I was looking for this at Best Buy and didn't find it. Is it only sold online?
No, it's not online only.

Best Buy's website said store pick-up is not available and I haven't seen it in my Best Buy, but that has been wrong before, and if you know another store I can try it would be greatly appreciated. I just hope rightstuf just doesn't take too much longer on getting it in stock.

Well did anyone try asking the workers at Best Buy if they have it, but just didn't put it on the shelves yet :relief: ? Case Closed Season One wasn't on the shelf a week after the release, I asked a worker though, and he had it in the back. Same goes for Ergo Proxy box Set, When They Cry Volume 4, among others... Sometimes it takes them awhile to put the new stuff on the shelves I guess? it's always worth it to ask them, even if they don't have it, perhaps they could tell you when they expect to have it.

[SweetRice]

can anyone who has the DVD comment on the subs? I never watched a show released by Viz, so Im wondering how they did the subtitles. since they translated the manga series, I am going to guess it should be all similiar, thus no problems here? no dubtitles or anything either?

[kimani]

can anyone who has the DVD comment on the subs? I never watched a show released by Viz, so Im wondering how they did the subtitles. since they translated the manga series, I am going to guess it should be all similiar, thus no problems here? no dubtitles or anything either?

Viz doesn't translate signs....

[dkn29]

At Best Buy HxH is only online and won't be carried in any stores. An easy way to find out is by looking at the SKU. If it starts with a 1 and is 8 digits than it's online only.

[Brent Long]

Viz doesn't translate signs....

I don't believe there were any signs here to translate, at least not for this volume of episodes. Any signs have odd-looking text that's foreign to any audience, and the contents of the signs are stated through dialogue.

That having been said, there was only one subtitle track here (as could be expected), and songs were translated.

I don't know Japanese, so I can't comment on the quality of the subtitle translation, but they're definitely not dubtitles.

[KudosForce]

Viz doesn't translate signs....

I don't believe there were any signs here to translate, at least not for this volume of episodes. Any signs have odd-looking text that's foreign to any audience, and the contents of the signs are stated through dialogue.

That having been said, there was only one subtitle track here (as could be expected), and songs were translated.

I don't know Japanese, so I can't comment on the quality of the subtitle translation, but they're definitely not dubtitles.

That's good enough for me, as I've heard good things about this series.

[russ869]

can anyone who has the DVD comment on the subs? I never watched a show released by Viz, so Im wondering how they did the subtitles. since they translated the manga series, I am going to guess it should be all similiar, thus no problems here? no dubtitles or anything either?
Viz subtitles vary in quality depending on the series it seems. I don't like their Naruto subtitles much because a lot of times the sentences sound kind of strange like they were written by someone who doesn't know English as well as they should. The Naruto subs also have weird habits of capitalization that I don't like, but it's kind of complicated so I won't elaborate. Bleach subtitles seem a lot better and read a lot smoother but they frequently show a character's first name when you can clearly hear the Japanese voices saying their last name. Other than that not many problems.

As someone said, they don't translate signs but they will translate Japanese text that appears on the screen (like when it shows the kanji for place names or attack names).

Assuming Hunter X Hunter is a show where characters are usually referred to by only one name (like Yu Yu Hakusho was) and assuming they didn't have whoever worked on Naruto work on this as well, you should be alright.

[something]

Bleach subtitles seem a lot better and read a lot smoother but they frequently show a character's first name when you can clearly hear the Japanese voices saying their last name.
Wait, really? They still do that? I thought they'd stopped that ridiculous practice.

[Legion]

can anyone who has the DVD comment on the subs? I never watched a show released by Viz, so Im wondering how they did the subtitles. since they translated the manga series, I am going to guess it should be all similiar, thus no problems here? no dubtitles or anything either?

Viz doesn't translate signs....

No, they do. The problem is signs are only translated in the dialog subtitles. Unlike every other company out there Viz doesn't provide a separate sign/song subtitle track for the English audio. For a title like Naruto this doesn't affect much but it's inexcusable for something like Death note.

[kimani]

can anyone who has the DVD comment on the subs? I never watched a show released by Viz, so Im wondering how they did the subtitles. since they translated the manga series, I am going to guess it should be all similiar, thus no problems here? no dubtitles or anything either?

Viz doesn't translate signs....

No, they do. The problem is signs are only translated in the dialog subtitles. Unlike every other company out there Viz doesn't provide a separate sign/song subtitle track for the English audio. For a title like Naruto this doesn't affect much but it's inexcusable for something like Death note.


Can you name me some examples. I remember being royally baffled while watching Bleach and Death Note in Japanese. During the early volumes there were no sign translations.

I'm not saying you aren't correct but I do not recall any Viz signs translations.

[Brent Long]

Assuming Hunter X Hunter is a show where characters are usually referred to by only one name (like Yu Yu Hakusho was)

From the episodes presented here, that would seem to be the case.

In fact, the only surnames given in these fifteen episodes are Gon and Killua. Gon's is really only mentioned in passing (and just once IIRC). And Killua's isn't mentioned until five episodes after he first appears (not a spoiler). It doesn't look like either will be used much throughout the show either.