Thread: Licensed + Crunchyroll Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (movie & TV)
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Old 2013-07-06, 06:39   Link #2463
August138
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: San Francisco, California
Unfortunately, you have to understand the Japanese market. I have worked in this business for many years. Companies like Bandai don't sell their DVDs and Blu-rays overseas, because they feel there's more money to be made by licensing the properties to foreign territories. And sometimes it's not possible because companies like Bandai are simply the domestic distributor, and they have no rights for foreign territories. The latter is true in the case of YAMATO: 2199, where Bandai Visual is a partner, but only for the domestic home video distribution, while the overseas distributors are Production I.G and Voyager Entertainment. In fact, they are offering "Star Blazers 2199" either as "7 Feature Films" or "26 half-hour episodes."

As for the prices of the Bandai Visual Blu-rays coming down in price; don't count on it. If they do a box set in the future, the price difference may only be nominal — I've been buying Japanese home video in the form of VHS, LD, DVD, and Blu-ray for many years, and it's rare when a company goes down on the price of a film or television series — especially hot licensing properties. I've got the original YAMATO '74 DVD box set from about a decade ago, the newer editions haven't been much cheaper. So, don't hold your breath for significantly lower prices.

Hopefully, Voyager and Production I.G will be able to sell the series to your locality, and then you don't have to worry about importing expensive discs from Japan. Personally, I'm not interested in double-dipping if and when a domestic US release comes down the line (if ever), because I've already got Vol. 1-6 (just waiting on Vol. 7), and unless the American licensor (if any) puts on a ton of extras and special features, and assembles some of the original voice cast from STAR BLAZERS for the English Dub, I could care less.

Good luck, though!
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