Buying Anime in general ?

[Devil_LeonX]

Hello guys I was just wondering to all those anime lovers out there like myself, if someone could answer some questions for me. For instance regarding anime box sets...I have always thougth that it was best to just wait and buy the the box sets of animes instead of just buying the individual volumes.However i ahve noticed that some box sets for certain companys give you 4 sorts of box sets.I was jsut wondering that which companys do this or is it everyone?so far their have been 3, theres the artbox version which you can jsut buy yourself, the special box they make for slipcase dvd and then their is the book case ones that bandai likes to do and funimation also oh and then there is the wierd little fold out cases also.

Also over the years is t better to just wait to buy the box or is it cheaper to buy them all as each is released?I i think is beter most of the time just to wait because some times the box set dvds have special extras only they have.However I am at a lost I am realy considering buying the dubb release of Gurren Lagann and also Claymore with the artbox to both but still im not sure if anyone could give me soem advice I would apprecitie it thanks in advance.

And please if anyone have their own questions dont be afraid to post.

[The Xenos]

Well, do you like to buy comics in trades or single issues? It's really a question of how much you want to see a series.

I can't quite answer myself as I haven't been getting anime too often lately. Recently I picked up the Funimation One Piece box set. After a poor edited 4kids release, this uncut version is only being done in 13 episode sets. It's rahter different from most anime. Another one I got was also different. Hellsing Ultimate. It's a direct to video series. I've been getting that as they come out.

Meanwhile, as there aren't too many local stores I enjoy anymore. I stick to websites. Mainly Amazon.com and RightStuf.com.

[Devil_LeonX]

Well, do you like to buy comics in trades or single issues? It's really a question of how much you want to see a series.

I can't quite answer myself as I haven't been getting anime too often lately. Recently I picked up the Funimation One Piece box set. After a poor edited 4kids release, this uncut version is only being done in 13 episode sets. It's rahter different from most anime. Another one I got was also different. Hellsing Ultimate. It's a direct to video series. I've been getting that as they come out.

Meanwhile, as there aren't too many local stores I enjoy anymore. I stick to websites. Mainly Amazon.com and RightStuf.com.

lol I am the same way,and I tend to buy both the trades and the single issues mostly for collectible reasons , the issues i mean.As for preface I dont like buying the book case box sets and as for the other sets im okay but I hate it when they make new box set and it has extra stuff, an example of this is Fruit baskets the V edition and of course the ever elusive Evangelion..

[The Xenos]

I actually found the new Platinum Evangelion release on sale, so it was just as cheap if not cheaper to buy the single volumes than the new thinpack box set. Of course I was missing one volume, like 5 or 7, for a while, but i got it eventually on sale too.

[Devil_LeonX]

hmm still I wish I could know for sure which is cheaper, but it seems they cost aobut the same if you take their market value and add them up. or rather compare them

[Lester C.]

It turns out a lot of boxsets that I have are bootlegs. I had no idea untill I read an old post by Xenos.

[jesse_custer]

Buying the boxset, especially thinpaks, is usually cheaper. For example, I got the entire Gantz series for $100. I think each volume goes for $20, and there's 12 volumes.

[Devil_LeonX]

I was thinking they are cheaper, but sometimes it jsut feels like im missing out, like the witchblade anime box set.Yes it looks cool and im tempted to buy it but its those slip book case thingys..and I really like how the volumes got their own destinttive slipcase and each was jsut plain awesome.Plus if you buy the starter artbox you can get the sound track hich it seems doesnt coem in the complte box.Of course I will be missing out on some stuff the box set has....curse funimation!!

[C. Earl]

I've always bought box sets because special features don't mean that much to me. They're nice and all, but I've always been more interested in the actual series I was going after rather than any of the behind-the-scenes stuff. I very rarely (if ever) look at special features myself.

Robotech and Witchblade were the only shows that I bought the individual volumes for and only because I was such a shameless fanboy of both...

[Devil_LeonX]

I've always bought box sets because special features don't mean that much to me. They're nice and all, but I've always been more interested in the actual series I was going after rather than any of the behind-the-scenes stuff. I very rarely (if ever) look at special features myself.

Robotech and Witchblade were the only shows that I bought the individual volumes for and only because I was such a shameless fanboy of both...

ah I see...I too wish to buy the volumes for witchblade.....

[Sabrina_Fried]

Most boxsets up until recently, were cheaper than buying series disc by disc. For some shows where I bought the box sets for example, a 2 or 3-episode disc would sell for about $20-25. Keep in mind this is usually not even an hour of show! The box set of a 25 episode season would go for about $50-60.

These days the box sets are so expensive that the price difference is meaningless. But the box sets take up a lot less space in my collection, especially thinpacks. And that is a huge selling point right there.

Sabrina

[Devil_LeonX]

AH I have heard this many times before..the funny thing is I dont mind the space TOO much though I do like those box sets with the thin dvd cases.However if the box are just basicly a bookcase or the ones the speed grapher which I dont quite know what to call but I dont like those very much I prefar the regular dvd cases.But then theirs the chance they might add some in the box set and thats what makes me really mad.For instance the witchblade anime I loved how each dvd gets its own specil slipcase but the box set has features the dvd volumes dotn and vice versa at least as far as I can tell.I really cant decided cause i like the box set for witchblade but i like the volumes........im thinking of just buying both but thats a whole bunch of money......ehh......

[Spastic Minnow]

Not only do I usually wait for the boxset, I usually wait for rightstuf.com to has a 40% off sale.

I be frugal.

I've only bought single disc versions for the Tenchi Muyo Ryo Ohki seires (fanboy), despite how badly they screwed you over on that one, and School Rumble, which I fell in love with when people were still getting away with posting it on Youtuube- and knew I had to have my own copies ASAP.

Another discount route is Deepdiscount.com, they often have the cheepest first month prices available and are a dependable vendor. It's probably where I'll pick up the final Rumble volume (For the second season they also went the 13 episode release route).

Mostly though, I'll watch a series by renting it through Netflix and then decide later if I need to buy a boxset when it shows up at a bargain price.

[Paploo the Ewok]

I buy a LOT of anime. I have over 800 vhs/dvds, collected over the past 8 or so years...... I'd have to say the following helps

-with boxsets, figure out the price per episode, and you'll get an idea if it's a good deal... [though some series like Giant Robo have hour long episodes, so even though it's 10 episodes for 25 bucks, it's moreso like getting 17 episodes for 25 bucks, about a little over a buck per episode]

- New singles can be realllly cheap. Media Blasters singles tend to be around 20 bucks each, and stores often give discounts on new releases

-Buying used is your friend- DVD's can be found pretty cheap, often around 5-10 bucks, and VHS can be a madman's paradise

-Rereleases of old titles are also your friends- CPM and MB have a lot of random OVA's for 10 bucks each, ADV has started doing double packs of older titles for 20-bucks each [Plastic Little/BurnUp, NeoTokyo/NewFist of the Northstart, and a really good deal with AD Police/Parasite Dolls, which is a 12 episode TV series and a 3 episode OVA for 20 bucks], and Bandai's Anime Legends line is a nice mix of low-priced movies [20 bucks and under] and low priced boxsets [30-50 bucks per set]. Again, apply the cost per episode to it all- some series are better deals then other, as ADV will charge the same price fora 13 episode thinpack as it does for a 26 episode one in some cases. Funimation's Viridian line is also putting out a lot of value-priced older titles, mostly from the past few years.

If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!

Meanwhile, be wary of bootlegs- this is why I don't shop online anymore. Ebay is riddled with them, and you have to be really careful [when I did use Ebay, for the longest time I only bought VHS on it, sine bootlege dvd's were so common]. Be sure to check and see if the packaging and disc/episode count matches what's been solicted by the publisher/licensor- check animeondvd.com and rightstuf.com to be sure about things, as both are reputable sources for this kind of info.

[Paploo the Ewok]

.However i ahve noticed that some box sets for certain companys give you 4 sorts of box sets.I was jsut wondering that which companys do this or is it everyone?so far their have been 3, theres the artbox version which you can jsut buy yourself, the special box they make for slipcase dvd and then their is the book case ones that bandai likes to do and funimation also oh and then there is the wierd little fold out cases also.

Also over the years is t better to just wait to buy the box or is it cheaper to buy them all as each is released?I i think is beter most of the time just to wait because some times the box set dvds have special extras only they have.However I am at a lost I am realy considering buying the dubb release of Gurren Lagann and also Claymore with the artbox to both but still im not sure if anyone could give me soem advice I would apprecitie it thanks in advance.

And please if anyone have their own questions dont be afraid to post.

I alos just noticed we overlooked some of your specific questions
-- Gurren Lagann- Bandai did a quickie release when they first got it of the subtitled version in two disc sets, while they were workingo n the dub for SciFi.

The dub version is going to be released on dvd starting this month, across 6 dvd's, which will be available in two packs for around 40, or by themselves for 25 each. You can tell the difference by the cover artwork, which is horizontal on the new editions, and by the packaging- the sub release is 2-discs in a white two-disc case, the dub release is two regular cases in a cardboard slipcover or just regular dvd's. The ArtBox Special Edition is the two-pack of vol.1+2 with an artbox to hold all the discs

Basically, the sub version is the cheaper of the two, but the dub verison is lower priced then most bilingual dvd's are, and at 6 volumes, not too long. I'm collecting the sub version myself.

-Claymore- This is another artbox w/vol.1.

Generally, the full-series boxsets often have less extras then the singles- sometimes discs are reauthored and extras are leftoff to make more episodes-per-disc doable, or stuff like printed booklets and liner notes are left out,. However, often these are left in, or a new extra is added.

It's really all dependent on the individual series- most companies don't have a standard they apply to all their series, but rathre, vary the approach depending on how well the series is expected to do, or how well the series actually does, with other factors like the dvd availability in Japan also taken into consideration, which is something that affects some series but not others.

It's really a case by case basis, though the general rule you can follow is that with each successive re-release of a series, most of the time [but not always], it'll be cheaper, and how many re-releases a series gets depends on it's sales and license terms- so less popular series can sometimes be a "get it before it's gone case", leaving you waiting years for a cheap boxset version [like say, Aura Battler Dunbine, First Gundam, or OOP titles like Kimagure Orange Road, Fancy LaLa etc].

Artboxes- Companies often release an artbox with one volume as a favor for fans [high end box for the regular release] and as an incentive to get them to collect them all. It tends to either be with the first or second volume, and sometimes with the last [usually done as a "thank you" when a series did better then expected, after initially getting a basic, non-deluxe release]

[Devil_LeonX]

I alos just noticed we overlooked some of your specific questions
-- Gurren Lagann- Bandai did a quickie release when they first got it of the subtitled version in two disc sets, while they were workingo n the dub for SciFi.

The dub version is going to be released on dvd starting this month, across 6 dvd's, which will be available in two packs for around 40, or by themselves for 25 each. You can tell the difference by the cover artwork, which is horizontal on the new editions, and by the packaging- the sub release is 2-discs in a white two-disc case, the dub release is two regular cases in a cardboard slipcover or just regular dvd's. The ArtBox Special Edition is the two-pack of vol.1+2 with an artbox to hold all the discs

Basically, the sub version is the cheaper of the two, but the dub verison is lower priced then most bilingual dvd's are, and at 6 volumes, not too long. I'm collecting the sub version myself.

-Claymore- This is another artbox w/vol.1.

Generally, the full-series boxsets often have less extras then the singles- sometimes discs are reauthored and extras are leftoff to make more episodes-per-disc doable, or stuff like printed booklets and liner notes are left out,. However, often these are left in, or a new extra is added.

It's really all dependent on the individual series- most companies don't have a standard they apply to all their series, but rathre, vary the approach depending on how well the series is expected to do, or how well the series actually does, with other factors like the dvd availability in Japan also taken into consideration, which is something that affects some series but not others.

It's really a case by case basis, though the general rule you can follow is that with each successive re-release of a series, most of the time [but not always], it'll be cheaper, and how many re-releases a series gets depends on it's sales and license terms- so less popular series can sometimes be a "get it before it's gone case", leaving you waiting years for a cheap boxset version [like say, Aura Battler Dunbine, First Gundam, or OOP titles like Kimagure Orange Road, Fancy LaLa etc].

Artboxes- Companies often release an artbox with one volume as a favor for fans [high end box for the regular release] and as an incentive to get them to collect them all. It tends to either be with the first or second volume, and sometimes with the last [usually done as a "thank you" when a series did better then expected, after initially getting a basic, non-deluxe release]

Whoa thats all I ahve to say and also a bug THANK YOU!! been hoping someone would give me a long in depth answer ad I really appreciate it. Perhaps I will get volumes for now own if they offer an artbox but I will be on the look out because as far as I know the Erko proxy box set(the new one with slip case dvd one) seems to have all the features from what i can gather.

[Devil_LeonX]

I alos just noticed we overlooked some of your specific questions
-- Gurren Lagann- Bandai did a quickie release when they first got it of the subtitled version in two disc sets, while they were workingo n the dub for SciFi.

The dub version is going to be released on dvd starting this month, across 6 dvd's, which will be available in two packs for around 40, or by themselves for 25 each. You can tell the difference by the cover artwork, which is horizontal on the new editions, and by the packaging- the sub release is 2-discs in a white two-disc case, the dub release is two regular cases in a cardboard slipcover or just regular dvd's. The ArtBox Special Edition is the two-pack of vol.1+2 with an artbox to hold all the discs

Basically, the sub version is the cheaper of the two, but the dub verison is lower priced then most bilingual dvd's are, and at 6 volumes, not too long. I'm collecting the sub version myself.

-Claymore- This is another artbox w/vol.1.

Generally, the full-series boxsets often have less extras then the singles- sometimes discs are reauthored and extras are leftoff to make more episodes-per-disc doable, or stuff like printed booklets and liner notes are left out,. However, often these are left in, or a new extra is added.

It's really all dependent on the individual series- most companies don't have a standard they apply to all their series, but rathre, vary the approach depending on how well the series is expected to do, or how well the series actually does, with other factors like the dvd availability in Japan also taken into consideration, which is something that affects some series but not others.

It's really a case by case basis, though the general rule you can follow is that with each successive re-release of a series, most of the time [but not always], it'll be cheaper, and how many re-releases a series gets depends on it's sales and license terms- so less popular series can sometimes be a "get it before it's gone case", leaving you waiting years for a cheap boxset version [like say, Aura Battler Dunbine, First Gundam, or OOP titles like Kimagure Orange Road, Fancy LaLa etc].

Artboxes- Companies often release an artbox with one volume as a favor for fans [high end box for the regular release] and as an incentive to get them to collect them all. It tends to either be with the first or second volume, and sometimes with the last [usually done as a "thank you" when a series did better then expected, after initially getting a basic, non-deluxe release]

Whoa now this was waht I was hoping for! a long indepth answer from oneone who has been buying anime for a while it seems! I just want to say thanks, I really appreciate it this will surely help out in my future anime buying.I think I will trying just buying the volunmes with the art boxes for now on but I will still keep an eye and try to see whats the best version to buy. For instance the Ergo Proxy box set( the new one with slip casee dvds) it seems from what i can gather at least that it has all the features that the original release did so that I will most likely get.Thanks again and please contine giving pss such as these if you wish!