(L) Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs

[Babbito]

That's right, it's finally out on R1 DVD! (Well, some of it.)

Here's the release info:

Saber Rider has been described as Voltron in an outer space Wild West environment and in my opinion is just as cool! With great designs and action sequences this is a must have for any anime fan's collection.

This 2 disc set features key episodes spanning the series from the premiere to the finale, as well as never before seen extras like clips from the Japanese series, contest commercials, trailers, and production art!

-Price INCLUDES SHIPPING AND TAX on domestic orders! Hurry as there are only a limited run of DVDs available!

Check it out:

http://gallery.bcentral.com/GID49888...ffs-Vol.1.aspx


This was my first anime EVER (at the tender age of five) and I still love it (and watch my old taped episodes - almost 20 years old now and they're still in okay condition). While it's been maligned for being "hacked and slashed" I think the U.S. version stands quite well on its own as a series, sort of how Robotech and Voltron were reimagined. (The WEP version is actually much more popular than the original Japanese show, Sei Juushi Bismark.) Plus the voice actors were top-notch (C'mon, Rob Paulsen is one of the major villains!) which really made a difference to me regarding overall believability and in connecting with the characters and series. Seriously, adaptations back in the day might not have been 100% true to the material (Remember, this was the '80s!), but I think they were really true to the spirit and they knew how to keep a show enjoyable. So don't let any bad press about this series turn you off it - if you like shows like Voltron or just good old-fashioned robot shows in general, this is an excellent show to pick up! (I just wish I knew which episodes they included.)

Anyway, I'm really excited that they've finally released some episodes in the U.S. and I hope some of you old-school fans are too!

[exedore]

I am definately buying this.

Is there any way you can give us an episode listing, though? I've already got the UK release and want to know how many episodes I'm repeating.

[Babbito]

Sorry, I just got an e-mail notification about it and those are all the details they gave.

I would ask either here: http://www.voltron.info/forum/

or e-mail WEP directly.

I also want to know which episodes are included since I own the UK release too! But I'm buying it no matter what so they'll hopefully come out with more volumes. Plus, the extras sound neat (and different from the ones on the German version?).

[jsnut2]

just few episodes??? ...nah I want the complete series get it on ebay where is cheaper and u might find the complete series

[Babbito]

You won't. Trust me. The whole series has never been released in English in any format except on TV. What you can find on eBay are 1)the official UK DVD which includes 4 episodes (no more were released), 2)2 more UK DVDs which include 2 episodes each released by a different company but of which I'm only sure one episode hasn't been repeated (I actually JUST bought those and they haven't arrived yet) and 3)a few overpriced vhs tapes containing 1 or 2 episodes.

I own ALL OF THOSE. So, um, no, definitely buying this, thanks.

[exedore]

Originally Posted by Babbito

or e-mail WEP directly.

Done. I imagine that Tiffany will be replying as usual...I swear that she must be the only person who actually does WEP work at Koplar these days.

Plus, the extras sound neat (and different from the ones on the German version?).

The contest commercials were on the German DVD, ditto some production art (as well as a collection of merchandise pictures), and the full uncut episode 1 of Bismarck (subbed in German, Japanese audio). Not so sure about the trailers, but I wouldn't mind having a nice, restored, NTSC copy of the French and Italian OP sequences.

FWIW, I've got all the releases except for the VHS tapes...not worth the money IMHO, especially when most of them are former rental tapes and highly degraded.

[exedore]

WEP got off their arses and posted an episode list:

Disc 1
1. Star Sheriff Roundup - Episode 1
2. Sole Survivor - Ep.19
3. Famous Last Words - Ep.22
4. Sharpshooter - Ep. 23
5. The Monarch Supreme - Ep.24

Disc 2
6. Calvary Command - Ep.2
7. Jesse's Revenge - Ep.3
8.Jesse Blue - Ep.15
9.Bad Day at Dry Gulch - Ep. 31
10. Happy Trails - Ep. 52

Hmm, what to say about the lineup...eps 1 and 52 make sense, but I'm sick of eps 2 and 3 (Calvary/Jesse's Revenge) being on every release of the series. This will make it the third time that I've paid for a copy those episodes (ditto #1). On the other hand, now I'm motivated to try and finish off the last three German discs...

[Caliban]

Why do the episodes appear so randomly in either disc? Shouldn't disc 1 have episodes 1 to 5?

[Babbito]

Hmmm, my brother postulates that it's because Disc 2 is Jesse Blue-centric. Until I have the whole series I can't say (it's been too long for me to remember accurately) but I always thought some of the U.S. episode order is wrong to begin with (I DO know they showed the search for Commander Eagle out of order - like in the original airing he was suddenly not missing in the middle of the arc or something?), so the order of the episodes might not actually be bad when viewed like that?

But, yeah, I do agree it's kind of weird.

Also, as much as I love episode 52 . . . (and I DO) it makes SO MUCH LESS SENSE without the preceding, what, eight episodes?

[exedore]

Originally Posted by Babbito

Also, as much as I love episode 52 . . . (and I DO) it makes SO MUCH LESS SENSE without the preceding, what, eight episodes?

Totally true, but it's worth it

Spoiler:

to see Jessie Blue/Perios die at the end.

[Babbito]

Spoiler:

Not much love for Jesse Blue/Perios, huh? :P Thousands of fangirls across the world are sad. LOL. But Jesse Blue is really the perfect villain, from his fall from grace to his manipulation of everyone around him to Rob Paulsen's excellent VAing job . . . I was never rooting for Jesse, but I really, really like him as a villain.

So admittedly, the conclusion is DEFINITELY a highlight to the series - yay for payoff! What I'm a little worried about is the new blurb from tvshowsondvd.com which quotes WEP's spokesman as saving that future volumes would focus on things that may have been skipped over . . .

You have to wonder if they're just going to leave out the weaker episodes.

Quite frankly, as happy as I am to get ANY Saber Rider on DVD, I don't want a continuing "Best of" collection - I WANT THE WHOLE THING (Yes, even such sparkling gems as the dinosaur planet episode. ). So let's hope these sell REALLY well, so they'll release the whole thing (even if just in "Best of" collections).

Anyway, if you were going to release the next "Best of" collection, what would you structure it around thematically (saving Commander Eagle and the final arc aside, since that obviously has to be a collection all its own)?

[exedore]

Got my set in today (WEP are sending them out Priority Mail. Yay!). A few thoughts:

1. The "Standard" shipping for customers in the US is Priority Mail. Best part of the deal.

2. The discs are both DVD-5's for about 125 minutes of content.

3. The video quality from the episode I spotchecked ("Cavalry Command") is passable...on par with the UK DVD that came out last year and a bit better color-wise than the German release.

4. The video quality for the Japanese clips is pretty lousy. The show was remastered for DVD in Japan in 2001, but these clips look like they haven't been touched since they were first excised from the show.

5. The Japanese clips also lack any kind of subtitles. This is a pity as a couple of them are fairly wordy.

6. Despite the fact that the Jesse Blue character is the focus of the second DVD, he fails to appear in any of the Japanese clips (perhaps because his Japanese backstory was more mundane).

7. Worst. DVD Menus. Ever. There is no default button (you have to hit down to get a link), unskippable animations, and the button highlights show up before the text does in the menu video track.

8. I haven't checked all the trailers, but the trailer for "Denver the Last Dinosaur" has a bad telecine - it's unbelievably jerky.

9. The contest commercials are the same as on the German DVD. Cute, but effectively four versions of the same thing.

10. I almost forgot - The original Japanese show is called "Bismark" on the package (and matches what the 2004 Super Robot Encyclopedia artbook has it as), and "Bizmark" on the DVD menus.

11. "Star Sheriff Roundup", "Cavalry Command", and "Jesse's Revenge" were all on the UK release.

12. Despite all the problems, I'm glad to have more episodes in English. Despite being a clearly shovelware release, it's not a bad deal at $30 (really $25 before shipping), so only about $2.50/episode.

[Babbito]

Now the OTHER shoe drops.

From the Voltron messageboard:

SABER RIDER CLARIFICATION

Many of you Saber Fans have emailed us about if the entire series
would ever be coming out on DVD.

I can tell you with confidence that only this Best of Collection
and -maybe- a Vol.2 will be released. WEP has no plans to release
the entire series and most likely that will never happen.

Translation: "Best of" is better than nothing and you better get
them before they are gone:

http://gallery.bcentral.com/GID49888...BER-RIDER/The-
Best-of-Saber-Rider-and-the-Star-Sheriffs-Vol.1.aspx


Also, a clarification from tvshowsondvd.com:
Within the past week, WEP also announced that they are now direct-
selling The Best of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs - Volume 1.
WEP unfortunately has no plans to make season sets of Saber Rider,
but if the first volume sells well, then they will do a second
volume before they potentially lose their license to that material.

"LOSE THEIR LICENSE TO THAT MATERIAL? " Ugh, I forgot about the rights
eventually reverting back to Pierrot. WEP, WHY DON'T YOU JUST MILK
THE CASH COW WHILE YOU CAN AND RELEASE IT ALL NOW? PLEASE???
*cries*

Anyway, because I am DESPERATE, I am really hoping it sells so well that WEP DOES decide to release the whole thing (HA) or at the very least get a volume two with episodes I don't already have on tape (whether that be the rentals - actually, the quality of the ones I bought off amazon and ebay are pretty good - you wouldn't think they were almost twenty years old AND rentals - or taped off TV). SIGH. I am doomed to never being able to see the whole thing in English.

[exedore]

Originally Posted by Babbito

Also, a clarification from tvshowsondvd.com:
Within the past week, WEP also announced that they are now direct-
selling The Best of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs - Volume 1.
WEP unfortunately has no plans to make season sets of Saber Rider,
but if the first volume sells well, then they will do a second
volume before they potentially lose their license to that material.

w00t, I called it! Shovelware indeed, and a last ditch effort to milk some cash from the property. (And yes I'll buy a second volume if they put it out.) This explains a LOT about how the discs were set up, and the clear and total lack of QC behind them. Likewise, it would go a long ways towards clarifying just *why* the Germans were unable to negotiate for a proper Bismarck release - their license would go void before they could finish putting it out.

"LOSE THEIR LICENSE TO THAT MATERIAL? " Ugh, I forgot about the rights
eventually reverting back to Pierrot. WEP, WHY DON'T YOU JUST MILK
THE CASH COW WHILE YOU CAN AND RELEASE IT ALL NOW? PLEASE???
*cries*

Personally, I can't wait for the rights to revert back to Pierrot. Maybe then someone else can buy the JP version for cheap...and if not, I'll buy the R2s and get one of our translators to do it for release with a clear conscience.

Also, Saber Rider is by no means a cash cow in this country. It aired in crappy time slots on tiny little UHF stations, as opposed to in Europe where it was a mainstay of satellite programming's infinite reruns for a number of years, until the European anime boom began. Voltron is WEP's true cash cow, and even then it's important to remember that like Harmony Gold, WEP is a tiny subset of a larger corporate conglomerate (HG are owned by middle-eastern oil barons, WEP is part of a company that owns/owned TV stations and does work in satellite broadcasting and interactive TV tech).

SIGH. I am doomed to never being able to see the whole thing in English.

Learn German, the acting's better on the .de version anyhow. =P

[Babbito]

Personally, I can't wait for the rights to revert back to Pierrot. Maybe then someone else can buy the JP version for cheap...and if not, I'll buy the R2s and get one of our translators to do it for release with a clear conscience.

I doubt there's enough demand for anyone to pick it up. And as much as I'd like to see Bismark subbed, it's really a very different show from Saber Rider. It's like comparing Macross and Robotech. Sure you can do it, but why would you want to? Both sides have their adherents and their detractors, but even so it's still okay to love both!

Also, Saber Rider is by no means a cash cow in this country.

Okay, yeah, I know that very well. It was an unfortunate slip of the tongue (typing fingers?) on my part. To be a cash cow it would have to have a bigger cult following (like Voltron). It's really sad how hard it is for me to find anyone who even watched it when it was airing (who's not German or Russian, that is). That said, I have found some. Surprised me everytime, but we're out there!

Learn German, the acting's better on the .de version anyhow. =P

I know a lot of German Saber Rider fans who would actually DISAGREE with you there. From what they've said the acting in the German version is too "cartoony" (because of the dubbing trend going on at the time). I, myself, am not a big fan of the German language, but putting that aside entirely, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the German version were it not for the fact that the Saber Rider that I want to watch is the version that I love and treasure - the one I grew up with: the English language version. That, and I happen to love all the voices in the American version. And really, you just can't beat Rob Paulsen as the voice of Jesse Blue.

Okay, news update, straight from the horse's mouth: On the voltron forums it was asked whether they would consider selling the rest of the series on a pre-pay basis.

The response?

"Since we are doing the DVD production costs ourselves we would have to sell a couple thousand of the Best of so that my bosses would think it was worth it. Honestly the rights arent ours forever so I dont think it will happen.

The set would have top sell for close to $200 I would think...we'll see..in the meantime we might have some episodes for download though thru video.google.com...something we are looking into... "

So it's not ENTIRELY out of the question. It's really all about demand. I'm really hoping there is enough demand.

Also, this download through video.google idea is kind of interesting?

[exedore]

Originally Posted by Babbito

ISure you can do it, but why would you want to? Both sides have their adherents and their detractors, but even so it's still okay to love both!

I like both versions on their own merits. The hacked version is a fun goofball comedy, and the original has a definite 80's flare that I love seeing in my mecha (combined with my love of flops). FWIW, we've already subbed 2 episodes internally with two more in the hands of a translator. After that...I'd need to get more raws, probably by buying the R2s.

I know a lot of German Saber Rider fans who would actually DISAGREE with you there. From what they've said the acting in the German version is too "cartoony" (because of the dubbing trend going on at the time).

I'm not a native speaker, so I really can't comment all that well on inflections and acting ability. What I *will* say is to remember that EVERYTHING gets dubbed for German TV, and the same actors will do both live action and animated programming. Mind you, trends and methods in dubbing have changed over the years, which is why dubs coming out of US anime studios today sound so different from, say, what Streamline were putting out (IMHO the latter had better acting as well). It's also worth noting that Christian Tramitz went on to rise to mainstream fame for his role as a cowboy (Old Shatterhand of the Karl May novel fame) in the comedy series Bullyparade and the film adaptation "Der Schuh des Manitu" (which I've also subtitled).

I, myself, am not a big fan of the German language,

Your loss.

but putting that aside entirely, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the German version were it not for the fact that the Saber Rider that I want to watch is the version that I love and treasure

Honestly, the German version is worth purchasing just for the extras (esp. discs 7 and 9 which have the various foreign OP/EDs, merchandise image gallery, and uncut Bismarck #1) and the insert books.

And really, you just can't beat Rob Paulsen as the voice of Jesse Blue.

No, but the majority of the acting is, as your friends say about the German version, too cartoony, esp. (I forget who) as Colt, who is so over the top in his stereotypical cowboy voice that it ruins any chances of me *liking* the character. Tramitz's bit is very stereotypical as well (he's Bavarian and the accent comes through), but the speech patterns aren't nearly as overdone. As for the JP version, Bill's voice is quite gruff for a 16 year old.

"Since we are doing the DVD production costs ourselves we would have to sell a couple thousand of the Best of so that my bosses would think it was worth it. Honestly the rights arent ours forever so I dont think it will happen.

This doesn't surprise me, and it's VERY risky business on behalf of WEP because it means that they'll take the full hit if the series fails. They really should have tried to make some fast cash by sublicensing the rights to, say, Rhino, but I'd also bet that anybody buying them would have demanded Voltron as well.

The set would have top sell for close to $200 I would think...we'll see..in the meantime we might have some episodes for download though thru video.google.com...something we are looking into... "

$200 for 52 episodes isn't bad (I paid about that for the .de version), but at the same time it's hard to justify considering that you can already get 10 for $30. I'd pay it, but I'd want the full JP episodes as well in that case.

So it's not ENTIRELY out of the question. It's really all about demand. I'm really hoping there is enough demand.

I doubt there will be, especially considering that there is *no* marketing push behind the current release - there are no ads, no retailer releases, no nothing besides an email sent to core fandom (people who sent inquiries before) and some late announcements on tvshowsondvd.com. Even friends of mine who are fans of the show didn't know this was coming until they came by my apartment and saw it sitting in the stack of new DVDs. We're honestly lucky to be getting what's coming in, even if it is quickly rushed shovelware.

[Casshern]

I thought I'd post a heads up, for any relentless Saber Rider fans that still might be out there

VCI Entertainment and WEP are proud to announce the DVD release of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, coming to DVD in the fall of 2008. You will be able to own all 52 episodes of this iconic classic anime series.

source: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sab...-Planned/10262

...pre-order listing at Amazon has revealed that the first title in the series, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs - Collector's Edition, Volume 1 will arrive on November 18th. The 2-disc set will run 391 minutes long on 17 episodes, for $29.99 SRP (but you can get it for a discount through Amazon). Video will be full frame, audio in Dolby 2.0, and extras will an include a Production Art Image Gallery plus some Saber Rider commercials

source: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Sab...Volume-1/10487

^^ Awesome. Obviously it's not me