Post by Tilly on Sept 10, 2005 18:11:23 GMT -5
Japanese Zoids DVDs
Do the DVDs have subs?
Nope. Not even Japanese ones.
Can I play them with (DVD player here)?
Japanese DVDs are region 2 NTSC. The US and Canada use NTSC, but are region 1. The UK is region 2, but uses PAL.
With computers, NTSC/PAL doesn't matter, only region does. If you can get around that, you can play them fine-try VLC Media Player for a quick fix.
Aigh! Why are they so expensive?
Japanese DVD prices are all really high. 5800 yen and the like are the retail prices, so stores selling in that price range aren't gouging.
Aigh again! Why are there only three episodes on each Zero/Fuzors DVD?
I really don't know. CC/GF and Genesis have 4/5 per disc.
Do they have any special features or extras?
CC/GF: Not many, just the occasional commercial. I can't remember if there's reference sheets.
/Zero: Commercials, which are at the end of the disc instead of their own track. A bit of concept art/ref sheets. Textless ending (on disc 9, on the last episode).
Fuzors: Model/reference sheets for the characters and many things in the world, animations of Zoids against a black background (like the Zero using SLC, or Killer Spiner blasting guns), textless intro/ending (intro is on disc 1, ending I'll look up if anyone wants), reference sheets of the Zoids (like the Flash ones on ShoPro's site).
Genesis: I'm not sure, though I believe there's textless intros/endings somewhere, and possibly ref sheets/art.
The first runs of CC/GF and /Zero seem to have come with postcards; the first runs of Fuzors came with Scramble cards. Genesis the box sets included the Holotech Ligers.
What about VHS? You know, those black boxy tape things?
Only CC/GF was released for regular purchase on VHS in Japan, and is a pain to find now (though usually cheap if you do). It's NTSC, obviously, and has really cool covers. My US VCR and TV play what little I have just fine. Your milage may vary.
/Zero saw a rental-only VHS release in Japan. The episode distribution seems to mirror the DVDs.
Where can I buy them?
CD Japan would be my recommendation, though I hear YesAsia is good too. There's also Amazon.co.jp, though frustratingly nearly all the marketplace sellers will refuse to ship overseas, and you will be taunted by very cheap used copies of Zoids discs you can only buy with the help of a buying service.
Australia (and New Zealand) Fuzors DVDs
...aka the only way to get Fuzors in English. Australia and New Zealand are region 4 PAL.
Are the DVDs really that bad of quality as some people rant?
They're mostly watchable, but yes. Lots of blocky compression, lots of ghosting. These are some bad, bad discs.
Wait, region 4? PAL?
Yep. You'll need to be able to get around regions and play PAL if you want to see these on your US/Canadian TV. UK people just have the region to be concerned about.
Remember, PAL isn't some thing you can bypass with a code, it's a way of displaying video, and many US TVs are NTSC-only. Some DVD players convert, saving you the worry, but check first.
PAL and NTSC issues don't apply to computers, but regions do. If you don't have a region-free DVD-ROM, most DVDs will still play in VLC Media Player.
Special features?
Well, the horribly translated summaries on the back are funny. Is that a special feature?
They claim to have Zoid bios, but these amount to a picture and really bare-bones stats, if that.
Okay, where can I find them?
People reselling from their own personal collections are about the only place I see Fuzors discs in English these days. Sorry D:.
Do the DVDs have subs?
Nope. Not even Japanese ones.
Can I play them with (DVD player here)?
Japanese DVDs are region 2 NTSC. The US and Canada use NTSC, but are region 1. The UK is region 2, but uses PAL.
With computers, NTSC/PAL doesn't matter, only region does. If you can get around that, you can play them fine-try VLC Media Player for a quick fix.
Aigh! Why are they so expensive?
Japanese DVD prices are all really high. 5800 yen and the like are the retail prices, so stores selling in that price range aren't gouging.
Aigh again! Why are there only three episodes on each Zero/Fuzors DVD?
I really don't know. CC/GF and Genesis have 4/5 per disc.
Do they have any special features or extras?
CC/GF: Not many, just the occasional commercial. I can't remember if there's reference sheets.
/Zero: Commercials, which are at the end of the disc instead of their own track. A bit of concept art/ref sheets. Textless ending (on disc 9, on the last episode).
Fuzors: Model/reference sheets for the characters and many things in the world, animations of Zoids against a black background (like the Zero using SLC, or Killer Spiner blasting guns), textless intro/ending (intro is on disc 1, ending I'll look up if anyone wants), reference sheets of the Zoids (like the Flash ones on ShoPro's site).
Genesis: I'm not sure, though I believe there's textless intros/endings somewhere, and possibly ref sheets/art.
The first runs of CC/GF and /Zero seem to have come with postcards; the first runs of Fuzors came with Scramble cards. Genesis the box sets included the Holotech Ligers.
What about VHS? You know, those black boxy tape things?
Only CC/GF was released for regular purchase on VHS in Japan, and is a pain to find now (though usually cheap if you do). It's NTSC, obviously, and has really cool covers. My US VCR and TV play what little I have just fine. Your milage may vary.
/Zero saw a rental-only VHS release in Japan. The episode distribution seems to mirror the DVDs.
Where can I buy them?
CD Japan would be my recommendation, though I hear YesAsia is good too. There's also Amazon.co.jp, though frustratingly nearly all the marketplace sellers will refuse to ship overseas, and you will be taunted by very cheap used copies of Zoids discs you can only buy with the help of a buying service.
Australia (and New Zealand) Fuzors DVDs
...aka the only way to get Fuzors in English. Australia and New Zealand are region 4 PAL.
Are the DVDs really that bad of quality as some people rant?
They're mostly watchable, but yes. Lots of blocky compression, lots of ghosting. These are some bad, bad discs.
Wait, region 4? PAL?
Yep. You'll need to be able to get around regions and play PAL if you want to see these on your US/Canadian TV. UK people just have the region to be concerned about.
Remember, PAL isn't some thing you can bypass with a code, it's a way of displaying video, and many US TVs are NTSC-only. Some DVD players convert, saving you the worry, but check first.
PAL and NTSC issues don't apply to computers, but regions do. If you don't have a region-free DVD-ROM, most DVDs will still play in VLC Media Player.
Special features?
Well, the horribly translated summaries on the back are funny. Is that a special feature?
They claim to have Zoid bios, but these amount to a picture and really bare-bones stats, if that.
Okay, where can I find them?
People reselling from their own personal collections are about the only place I see Fuzors discs in English these days. Sorry D:.
