Anime: Berserk, Hellsing and Vampire Hunter D

[thrashard76]

A couple questions:

Are Berserk and Hellsing decent animes and how many DVDs fit into their respective boxes?
Are all of these animes uncut?
Which Vampire Hunter D is the best the original or Bloodlust?
What are more animes in the vein of these listed?

Thanks. :banana:

[Shannafey]

I am not a huge anime fan, but I love both Vampire Hunter D films. I always loved the original, and I bought the sequel blindly, just because of what it was, and I wasn't sorry!! I got copies of Hellsing from a friend and also loved that series. There are 13 episodes in all, and I think Pioneer is releasing them at 3 episodes per dvd ($30 retail). Paff"s going to be pissed at me, but that is a total ripoff!! www.yumyumanime.com has the whole series on 2 HK dvds for $35. It is an awesome series, but $120+ is out of line for 4 hours of programming.

[Erg0n]

thatnks for the site, i was looking to buying some dvds of anime, but couldn't find any good sites.

[DefJeff]

Vapire Hunter D not only blows away Bloodlust but it is one of the best animes EVER!

i hated Bloodlust but i am a huge fan of the original. i feel its better then Bloodlust in every possible way. debatable is the animation, but i prefer the old skool style.

im not a huge anime fan myself, but there is some i love and will reccomend to you.


Fist of the North Star (can be bought from that yumyumanime site)
Akira
Project Ako (any/all of them)

pick those up and you should be all set!

[Shannafey]

Originally posted by DefJeff
Vapire Hunter D not only blows away Bloodlust but it is one of the best animes EVER!

i feel its better then Bloodlust in every possible way. debatable is the animation, but i prefer the old skool style.


Though, I did like the sequel, I agree with Jeff all the way. I'm Old School too. Not many of the new ones get me excited, though I did enjoy Hellsing.

[Paff]

Yeah, Hellsing is cool. I haven't seen Berserk yet.

I only have the first two Hellsing discs. Total cost so far, $24. It pays to shop around. And you're right Shannafey, I get pissed when people recommend bootlegs. Too expensive? Too bad. Find another hobby.

Plus, you don't HAVE to pay those prices if you're willing to shop around, and be a little patient. Example, this week The Right Stuf is selling the entire Boogiepop Phantom (another weird horror series) for $40. That's $40 for FOUR discs.

The legitimate releases often have better picture, better subtitles, extras, etc.

As for the Vampire Hunter D films, yeah, ya wanna have both. First one has a much better story, but the animation in the second one kicks ass. So get 'em both.

[2D4EVER]

Berserk is fucking awesome (bloody violence every other scene). It's 6 discs. They're up to disc 4 and 5 should hopefully be coming out sometime soon. Berserk also has my favorite box for any series ever.:D

[Shannafey]

Originally posted by Paff
I only have the first two Hellsing discs. Total cost so far, $24. It pays to shop around. And you're right Shannafey, I get pissed when people recommend bootlegs. Too expensive? Too bad. Find another hobby.


Paff,
I don't know that these are boots. They come beautifully packaged. I mean, are all dvds from Hong Kong, boots? Everytime I pick one up, someone tells me it's a bootleg, but most of them have beautiful packaging, and you can't even tell the difference. Anyway, I am not for bootlegs, but I have said it before, anime is way out of line. If it were priced reasonably, then there'd be more people willing to take a chance on it. I shop around a lot when it's something I want, but I have never found a good buy on anime, except at yumyum.

[Reverenddave]

Not only are the discs at YumYumAnime.com bootlegs, but they are way overpriced. For example, that 2-DVD Hellsing set is available at Animeniacs.com for $27 shipped compared to YumYum's $39 shipped. You can even get it for $31 shipped at DiscountAnimeDVD.com which is also considered an expensive bootleg store.

I really don't want to discuss bootlegs here, because I'm not too sure what forum policy is on this kind of stuff. But if you're looking for more information on Anime bootlegs (reviews, forums, etc...) check out:

http://www.import-anime.com/

[jeffschmidt]

Berserk is frickin' dope! It's actually a pretty old series & has just recently been released on DVD here in the US (I think). Have you watched the outtakes on the DVDs? Those are awesome! It's really one of the first worthwile "extras" I've seen on an anime disc. Also, a couple years ago a really cool Berserk game was released for the Sega Dreamcast, so look for that, too.

I agree that anime prices are out of line. Yeah, you can shop around & find deals, but I'm curious why the MSRPs on this stuff are so high in the first place? I know that I, for one, would buy tons of anime DVDs if they were about 35%-40% cheaper.

I think maybe it's a loop, of sorts. Anime prices are higher because it's a niche market, but maybe it's a niche market partly because of the high prices!

[onebyone]

I like Bloodlust, but Vampire Hunter D kicks its ass up and down the street and then right back up again. Just be sure you really look around before you get some of the more esoteric anime dvds; they are out there at a reasonable price, you just have to investigate.

[Paff]

Originally posted by onebyone
Just be sure you really look around before you get some of the more esoteric anime dvds; they are out there at a reasonable price, you just have to investigate.

Exactly!

In fact, sometimes, if you're willing to buy a series out of order, you can save a lot of money, as long as you don't mind waiting to buy all the discs.

As for Hong Kong discs being boots, well, they're not if they're Region 3. I have a Hong Kong Spirited Away, but it's region 3 only. If it's Region 0, you can pretty much count on it being a boot.

I've seen some Anime bootlegs, and they vary in quality. My Cowboy Bebop-Knockin on Heaven's Door isn't bad, but my Nadesico the Movie is literally unwatchable. The subs are absolute nonsense. I guarantee BOTH will be replaced by legit versions as soon as possible.

I once saw a bootleg of the entire series of His and Her Circumstances. That is one series you HAVE to watch the legit versions. There is so much dialogue and text, you need the high quality subtitles, and there's no way the boots would have 'em.

Yeah, Anime is too expensive, no argument there. But if you can be patient, it's no more expensive than regular DVDs, except you sometimes have to buy 4 discs or more to complete a series.

[jeffschmidt]

Originally posted by onebyone
I like Bloodlust, but Vampire Hunter D kicks its ass up and down the street and then right back up again.

Indeed! Bloodlust is visually marvelous, but just isn't as good of a movie as the older one.

[Paff]

The Right Stuf (http://www.therightstuf.com) is having a "Frozen Hearts" special, which means 33% off all Pioneer titles. Hellsing is a Pioneer title. And if you do the "Got Anime" membership ($12/year), it's an additional 10% off. That means you're getting Hellsing discs at under $20 a pop.

Cheap, LICENCED anime is not hard to find, if you look around a bit.

[KillerCannabis]

I'm not a big fan of anime, but I've got both Vampire Hunter D flicks and I love em both. I'm a bigger fan of Bloodlust, but only because the animation is light years ahead of the original.

[Reverenddave]

I've been a fan of the original Vampire Hunter D since I first saw it about 10 years ago. But I don't think it's aged well. The genre has changed so much since the 80's. Bloodlust blew me away. Nowadays, that's the one I prefer.

[mcchrist]

Vampire Hunter D always has a special place IMO. To be honest, these days I really loathe anime, but Vampire Hunter D is one of the few that really has survived. Some of the shorter episode based anime's also have lived up over the years, I LOVE LOVE Devil Hunter Yohko, and being a metalhead Bastard also has lived up well, if nothing more than for seeing an animated characature of King Diamond!

http://www.crosswinds.net/~beyondanime/Series/Bastard/sm_diamon.jpg

COUNT DI-AMON!!!!

The latter entries are a bit on the schlock side, Vampire Hunter D has been one of the few with some real quality behind it. The same can be said for the films of Miyazaki, i couldn't tell you how many times I've seen Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, or Kiki's Delivery Service (still haven't seen Spirited Away :cry: ) Which is pretty darn amazing for anime, for the most part I can't stand even looking at it!

[Shannafey]

MC,
I almost always seem to agree with your choices. Princess Mononoke is the only one that I didn't like, and I am going to try some of those others you mentioned, since I seem to be on the same wavelength as far as film choices.

[Paff]

There are a few other movies and series you guys might enjoy then.

I'm assuming you've all seen Perfect Blue, right??

Serial Experiments: Lain (usually just called Lain) is a really weird 13-episode series. So is Boogiepop Phantom, though I haven't seen every episode of it yet.

A Wind Named Amnesia is really good, think an animated version of The Stand.

Blue Seed is OK, though it may be a little too "cute" for you guys. It's about Momiji, a teenage girl fighting various monsters. One required Momiji panty shot per episode.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a classic series, though it takes a lot of patience. It starts out as a typical giant robot series, then slowly makes a bizarre detour into....well, I don't know yet.

And finally, Cowboy Bebop is easily the COOLEST Anime ever done. Believe me on that. If you're not hooked after one episode, there's something wrong with you.

[Shannafey]

Paff,
The same guy who copied Hellsing for me, gave me Haunted Junction, Witch Hunter Robin, Spriggan and Rahxephon. Haven't watched any of them except Spriggan yet, but have you seen them? What are your opinions?

[Erg0n]

You guys got anyother anime e-stores? The one paff gave was really good, but i wonder if there's more.

[Paff]

Originally posted by Erg0n
You guys got anyother anime e-stores? The one paff gave was really good, but i wonder if there's more.

I've also bought a few discs from Planet Anime. Not sure if their web address has been fixed yet. It's supposed to be http://www.planetanime.com, but due to tecnical issues they had to move to http://www.planetanime.net

I got the Blue Seed box set for $35 from them on a pre-order. I also just got the Hand Maid May empty box with CD-ROM and figurine for $19.
Their sales are not as often or as massive as The Right Stuf, but they do have online coupons and such, so they're always worth a look.

[Erg0n]

Originally posted by 2D4EVER
Berserk is fucking awesome (bloody violence every other scene). It's 6 discs. They're up to disc 4 and 5 should hopefully be coming out sometime soon. Berserk also has my favorite box for any series ever.:D

BERSERK 5:REQUITED DESIRE is suppose to come out Mar 25,2003 according to cnl.com

thanks for the site paff, seems to have as much selection as The Right Stuff.

[onebyone]

Originally posted by Paff
There are a few other movies and series you guys might enjoy then.

I'm assuming you've all seen Perfect Blue, right??

And finally, Cowboy Bebop is easily the COOLEST Anime ever done. Believe me on that. If you're not hooked after one episode, there's something wrong with you.

All of your recommendations are great, especially these two. Cowboy Bebob is a hoot. I love it. And Perfect Blue is one of my favorite anime movies ever.

[Erg0n]

you guy ever heard of Ronin Warriors? Something like the Power Rangers but with a voltron feel. Pretty good, they got 10 volumes out on DVD by BANDAI I think. It was a mini-series if i remember correctly

[robman795]

After hearing so many good things about Berserk I orderd Berserk: War Cry and Berserk 2: Immortal Soldier from DVD Empire. I should be recieving them today actually. Nothing like watching snow pile up and some bloody anime at the same time. :banana:

[Paff]

Originally posted by Shannafey
Paff,
The same guy who copied Hellsing for me, gave me Haunted Junction, Witch Hunter Robin, Spriggan and Rahxephon. Haven't watched any of them except Spriggan yet, but have you seen them? What are your opinions?

I haven't seen them either. Rahxephon looks like a Mecha series (giant robots). If you want to watch Mecha, might as well start with the best: Neon Genesis Evangelion.

You really should give Boogiepop Phantom a go. I started watching it this weekend, and it's pretty creepy. My local used DVD store, Ross' Exchange (http://www.rossexchange.com) has a copy of the Boogiepop box-set for $50. Not as good as last week's Right Stuf sale of $39, but still a great price for a complete (and LICENSED) series.

[robman795]

I watched the first 5 episodes of Berserk and damn were they good. Can anyone recomend any other anime's that have the same kind of animation?

[thrashard76]

Originally posted by Erg0n
BERSERK 5:REQUITED DESIRE is suppose to come out Mar 25,2003
http://images.bestbuy.com/mimages/movie/1117/11177900.jpg - Berserk 5: Requited Desire - (Released: 3/5)
Griffith stands at the peak of victory. The remaining opposition attempts one final act of treachery, and for that they will burn. Guts fights as Griffith's right hand till the very end, and now that the status of the Hawks has reached its peak, he has decided to take his leave and find a new path. But, to call his sword his own, there stands one obstacle in his path: the promise he made when he lost that fateful duel three years before. As the band of the hawk watches, guts and Griffith draw their swords once more. As Caska looks on, the dream of her past and the dream her present face each other.

Also, Berserk 6: God Hand - (Released: 4/15)
When Guts first joined Griffith and the Band of the Hawk, the wheels of fate were set in motion. Since that time, Guts has learned the lessons of the battlefield and embraced his own path. Griffith has tasted ultimate victory and ultimate defeat. Caska has cast away her dead dreams and found new ones. Now all of the pawns are in place, and the Great Eclipse draws near. The terrible truth behind Griffith's destiny is revealed as the sun turns to sackcloth and the seas to blood.

Finally, Hellsing: Complete Collection Box (4 Disc) - (Released: 4/8)
Includes:
http://images.bestbuy.com/mimages/movie/1115/11151452.jpghttp://images.bestbuy.com/mimages/movie/1116/11166997.jpghttp://images.bestbuy.com/mimages/movie/1117/11178826.jpghttp://images.bestbuy.com/mimages/movie/1119/11191728.jpg

Hellsing 1: Impure Souls
A secret war brews in the night - a war where humanity is only a pawn. The Hellsing Organization deploys in the shadows to protect the mortal world. But now, artificially spawned vampires have appeared, forcing Hellsing to call in their ultimate weapon - the rogue vampire, Arucard! After he transforms the dying Seras Victoria into a vampire, they join forces to combat the undead army, as well as her own newfound hunger!

Hellsing 2: Blood Brothers
Arucard and the Hellsing Organization face a twofold challenge! A traitor within begins leaking classified information about the organization -- and a TV journalist is out to expose Hellsing's secret mission! Then, the ruthless Valentine Brothers lead their undead army on a deadly raid against the Hellsing headquarters, interrupting the secret Round Table meeting….

Hellsing 3: Search & Destroy
The Hellsing Organization's war against the undead intensifies! The organization suffers major losses in battle and Arucard must confront the deadly Pladin Alexander from Iscariot again! Then the stakes are raised as he prepares to face one of the original undead - and Integra fights for her life against her own sister?!

Hellsing 4: Eternal Damnation
The Hellsing Organization makes its last stand against the unknown traitor, and Incognito, one of the original undead, at the Tower of London - with the Queen and Integra's life at stake! Seras must finally make her choice about what she has become and the mysterious bond between Arucard and Integra is revealed...