[JP] Blood: the last vampire

[muhootsaver]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded. Scheduled to be released on May 27. English subtitle IS INCLUDED.

Ooooh.... Aniplex, eh? Maybe we can expect new hagaren in BD? hopeful thinking. It's probably due to the new live-action movie...

[Quarkboy]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded. Scheduled to be released on May 27. English subtitle IS INCLUDED.

Ooooh.... Aniplex, eh? Maybe we can expect new hagaren in BD? hopeful thinking. It's probably due to the new live-action movie...

Naw, blood has always been one of the "western" focused properties.

For example, on the Japanese Playstation store, which has a ton of anime from aniplex on it, the only thing in the entire store that has english subtitles or dub is Blood: the last vampire.

[hikaru004]

Hopefully Anchor Bay releases this one too.

[muhootsaver]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded. Scheduled to be released on May 27. English subtitle IS INCLUDED.

Ooooh.... Aniplex, eh? Maybe we can expect new hagaren in BD? hopeful thinking. It's probably due to the new live-action movie...

Naw, blood has always been one of the "western" focused properties.

For example, on the Japanese Playstation store, which has a ton of anime from aniplex on it, the only thing in the entire store that has english subtitles or dub is Blood: the last vampire.

oh, I wasn't talking about the subtitle, but rather blu-ray release from aniplex in general. Since they haven't released any BD since FLAG (hagaren box is really a dvd + bd so let's not count that), I was wondering maybe they will start releasing their stuff on BD from now on, starting with new FMA this april.

[Quarkboy]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded. Scheduled to be released on May 27. English subtitle IS INCLUDED.

Ooooh.... Aniplex, eh? Maybe we can expect new hagaren in BD? hopeful thinking. It's probably due to the new live-action movie...

Naw, blood has always been one of the "western" focused properties.

For example, on the Japanese Playstation store, which has a ton of anime from aniplex on it, the only thing in the entire store that has english subtitles or dub is Blood: the last vampire.

oh, I wasn't talking about the subtitle, but rather blu-ray release from aniplex in general. Since they haven't released any BD since FLAG (hagaren box is really a dvd + bd so let's not count that), I was wondering maybe they will start releasing their stuff on BD from now on, starting with new FMA this april.
Ah, well yeah, I bet that's the case.

Geneon has jumped in whole hog and so has Bandai. That's two of the big players out there and so I'd expect the rest to follow suit within the next year.

[Pyocola]

Nice to see both versions included. Even if Manga doesn't release it, this is almost affordable.

[kakugo]

Nice that it has subtitles, though wasn't the "Japanese" track primarily English to start with?

[Kaikou]

Nice that it has subtitles, though wasn't the "Japanese" track primarily English to start with?

Yes it was primarily in English and the Japanese that was present was minimal to say the least.

[Mazinkaizer]

Cool, while i don't rate the movie that high it still has a decent production value in it, and with sub then it's "Go a head" :)

[Njr Scrawl]

I'll be getting this. And hoping Sony will put Blood+ on BD
.

[Buster Darkwings]

I'd forgotten how ugly Saya's character design was...

Official page:
http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/blood/blueray.html

DTS-MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0.

Japanese website or not, you would think Sony Music could spell Blu-ray correctly :D

[muhootsaver]

I'd forgotten how ugly Saya's character design was...

Official page:
http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/blood/blueray.html

DTS-MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0.

Japanese website or not, you would think Sony Music could spell Blu-ray correctly :D

lol, indeed.

[hikaru004]

Oi, some of us still love the old Saya design. lol

[inu-liger]

I'd forgotten how ugly Saya's character design was...

Am I the only one who thinks the picture on that website reminds me of Angelina Jolie?

[DBoy2501]

Am I the only one who thinks the picture on that website reminds me of Angelina Jolie?

Not by a long shot. I remember when I saw this movie for the first time the resemblance was so striking at times that I was almost expecting to learn that licensing her likeness was involved.

I personally much prefer this version of Saya, and my biggest disappointment with what I've seen of Blood+ was how different Saya was both visually and with regard to her personality.

Anyway, given there will be subs and and this is mostly in English anyway, is there any reason aside from cost that it would be worth waiting for an official US release rather than importing?

[Njr Scrawl]

I prefer Blood+'s design. But that show is more shoujo generally. In TLV, Saya had been awakened prematurely IIRC (or was that Blood+), & so may have become more/not have shed all, her chiropodean features from her long sleep.

[Pyocola]

I've never thought about it before but perhaps you're right. Angelina Jolie ca 1995 (Hackers) would have made a pretty good live-action Saya.

And yes, I too thought the biggest disappointment with Blood+ was that they ditched the original designs and look in favour of a more "generic animu" feel. I really liked those lips and that nose...

[DBoy2501]

This is now up for pre-order at Amazon.jp (http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B001TC458Q) with their pre-order price guarantee.

[Rhodes]

In TLV, Saya had been awakened prematurely IIRC (or was that Blood+), & so may have become more/not have shed all, her chiropodean features from her long sleep.

It was in Blood+ that they say she was forced awakened...

Nowhere in TLV did it say that. I consider the 2 to be set in different universes. Blood+ tries to build off of TLV, but that is it. I have not played the PS game that was released when TLV was out... but I do have the novel that is based off of TLV (released by Dark Horse) thou I have not read it yet.

I hated and still do loath Blood+, not just for the designs but for the storyline as well. Seems like no one in that universe has ever heard of vampires before... Guess Bram Stoker never existed in that world.

[Terence]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded...
Supposing there is no different in story between the 2 versions. Then I would like to know what is the different between these 2 versions. And why need to include both versions within the disc but not the best quality version?

[muhootsaver]

http://forest.kinokuniya.co.jp/ItemIntro/183028

New telecine HD master, digital data master, two versions are going to be lincluded...
Supposing there is no different in story between the 2 versions. Then I would like to know what is the different between these 2 versions. And why need to include both versions within the disc but not the best quality version?

As you probably know, new anime are not made in hand painted cel. They are made in digital. Therefore, original source is already in digital. Now, some companies go through Source--> film --> digital transfer, to get the "film-like feel"(with grains and all...) and that's telecine HD master for you. Digital data master just means they are going from digital --> digital.

To me, making the transfer from the original digital source is the way to go, as it will give you the clearest result, but some might want the theatrical feel that film transfer can give you. And that's why they are including two versions.

[DBoy2501]

I received my copy of this from amazon.jp, so I thought I'd post a short review here. I was surprised to find a roughly 20 page booklet included in the shrinkwrap. It's all in Japanese of course, so I can't comment much on the contents.

The main menu contains both Japanese and English. The options for which transfer of the film to watch are in Japanese, though anyone with reasonable knowlege of the kana should be able to decipher which is which.

The audio and subtitle options are written in English. There are options for English subs for Japanese language, as well as English subs for all spoken dialog. There are the same options in reverse with regard to Japanese subs.

The pop-up menu is in English, allowing quick selection of scenes, subtitles and audio (DTS MA or 2ch. PCM)

The film is encoded using AVC, and every time I checked on my PS3 while it was playing, bitrates were in the mid to high 30s.

The DTS Master Audio is a huge improvement over the Dolby Digital on the R1 DVD. I heard sound effects that I don't ever remember hearing before. Like the Akira BD, the DTS-MA audio here seems to be mixed especially loud, which meant I was able to keep the volume on my receiver much lower than I usually do for BD movies.

I watched the digital transfer all the way through, and it looks every bit as good as I hoped it would, though I must admit I watched on a fairly dark and overcast day, so I may get a different impression of it when I get a chance to watch it at night with the proper light levels. The color and detail were quite nice, and it was fun to pause and read the print on the background signs, etc.

I watched a small bit of the Tecline transfer, and as one would expect, it has a much more film-like feel. The opening even has what feels like a bit of film judder with the image seeming kind of bouncy at times. Where the digital transfer felt like I was looking at an animation cell sitting in my living room, the tecline transfer definitely created the feeling that I was watching a projected image in a theater. It's pretty cool to have both transfers available on one disc!

The extras are all in SD, and include two short interviews (5-7 minutes,) a making of special, as well as the trailer and original demo footage.

None of the extras are subtitled in English, though if you have the R1 DVD, the making of special is exactly the same on that and it is subtitled on that release.

I don't have any equipment that will let me take proper screen caps, so sorry to those who would like to see some.

The price on Amazon.jp has gone up slightly since I pre-ordered this quite a while ago, but it's still just under $40. It's the fact that they only offer express shipping to the US at about $20 that makes this an expensive option. Still, given the state of the R1 market, I'm glad this was available in this format now and at a somewhat reasonable price so that I didn't have to keep my fingers crossed that a US company will be able to release it someday.

[Terence]

I watched the digital transfer all the way through, and it looks every bit as good as I hoped it would, though I must admit I watched on a fairly dark and overcast day, so I may get a different impression of it when I get a chance to watch it at night with the proper light levels. The color and detail were quite nice, and it was fun to pause and read the print on the background signs, etc.

I watched a small bit of the Tecline transfer, and as one would expect, it has a much more film-like feel. The opening even has what feels like a bit of film judder with the image seeming kind of bouncy at times. Where the digital transfer felt like I was looking at an animation cell sitting in my living room, the tecline transfer definitely created the feeling that I was watching a projected image in a theater. It's pretty cool to have both transfers available on one disc!
Would like to know which version you prefer? Digital transfer or Tecline transfer version?

[DBoy2501]

Would like to know which version you prefer? Digital transfer or Tecline transfer version? It's a tough call since they are both appealing in their own way. I guess I'd say I prefer the digital transfer because that's getting closest to what the animators and production crew were seeing while making the film. There's also something slightly more appealing to taking in the crisp clarity that digital animation presented properly can provide that was simply impossible not so long ago.

That said, I have made something of a tradition in recent years of watching this movie every Halloween, and I think for that occasion there's a good chance I'll choose the Tecline version since it has a feel to it that would probably better capture the aura of watching a horror movie in a conventional theater.

A more conclusive preference would be made easier if there was a quick way to toggle between the two transfers, but as far as I'm aware there isn't any way to do that without going through the main menu.

[Wagg]

I've always like this movie, so this is one I'll probably pick up when there's a sale.

[DBoy2501]

I don't know if anyone will care much about a detail like this, but I forgot to mention that this release has a reversible cover. The reverse image is really dark and murky though, so I'll be sticking with the main one.

[Pfil]

Would like to know which version you prefer? Digital transfer or Tecline transfer version?A more conclusive preference would be made easier if there was a quick way to toggle between the two transfers, but as far as I'm aware there isn't any way to do that without going through the main menu.

You've tried the Angle button on your remote I assume? I know I'm making an obvious suggestion, but it would be really cool if you could switch version on the fly. Maybe I'd even consider picking this up just for that feature. (Already paid far too much for the original DVD box to do so otherwise, considering that I don't even like it all that much... it feels like half a movie, very unsatisfying.) Given that both versions should have exactly the same length and timing, they could have used multiple angles to make both versions available. (Don't know how much BD limits the bitrate per angle, but I can see them using that as an excuse not to do so.)

Back when I first got the DVD box, I went straight for the digital version, but now I'd probably watch the film transfer instead...

[DBoy2501]

You've tried the Angle button on your remote I assume? I seem to remember pressing the angle button with no result, but it's been a while since I got the disc and composed my thought on it.

I did however spend some time since my last post on the matter playing around with accessing the two versions via the main menu and comparing different scenes, While doing this, I did note that each transfer is authored as a separate tittle on the disc. I don't know if different titles can be set up to work as different angles or not.

Following up on the earlier question of which transfer I prefer, after playing around with the two as mentioned above, I feel more strongly now that I prefer the digital version. For some reason the tecline version can feel a bit washed out or dull in places, and there is a slight but noticeable difference in the level of fine detail in certain places as well.

[zipCode]

Pretty much the only differences are: different color timings/levels, and the telecine version is a lot softer. Why did they even bother?

[kakugo]

Pretty much the only differences are: different color timings/levels, and the telecine version is a lot softer. Why did they even bother?

To prove what a quality upgrade going straight from Digital Intermediate (DI) to DVD was. When Blood: The Last Vampire first came out, Hollywood - to say nothing of the rest of the world - was still using 35mm prints for titles that were being edited in the digital realm. It's asinine, but none the less it still happened, and Production I.G used this title as a chance to show off how fantastic their all-digital animation was, in part by eliminating the analog part of the equation.

Some people suggest to this day that that an analog 35mm negative should be kept rather than the DI, mostly because vaulting a 35mm print is cheaper in the long run than storing a massive array of HDDs. These people really need to have their brains slapped right out of their skulls.

[Buster Darkwings]

I'd imagine digital storage will soon be cheaper, anyways.

[Pyocola]

To prove what a quality upgrade going straight from Digital Intermediate (DI) to DVD was.
Kind of negated when the DVD of the telecine version was superior to the digital. At least it had less EE which was one of the main reasons I preferred it. Luckily the digital version looks fine in HD, which is good because I'm guessing the upcoming UK Blu-ray will only have that one.

[Njr Scrawl]

BTLV has English subs & is region free as well. Why do you want the UK release?