Kiki/Totoro R3 Hong Kong [Archive] - Forums @ The Digital Fix

kanedaa

18-12-2001, 08:43

Hi all.

Received my discs this morning, expect a full comparitive review with the R2 Japanese discs either late today but most likely tomorrow...for now though, a few thoughts...

The following is correct for both sets...

Disc 1 - the film disc = DVD5 :( Film Only in Japanese/Cantonese Audio with English/Chinese removable subs.

Disc 2 - Multi-Angle Disc = DVD9. Other extras include 'Spirited Away' Trailer WITH English subs (Jap R2 does not have subs), either a Totoro or Kiki DVD Promo, and the Studio Ghibli Collection Trailer.

The prints used appear to be the same as the R2....but the DVD5 usage has caused some problems. I've only tested about 5-10mins of each...

- Kiki looked pretty decent but straight away I noticed it wasn't QUITE as good as the R2 which holds an almost constant 9.5 bitrate....still, it looked decent enough - won't say anymore till further checking has been done.

- Totoro - OK - they should be burned in hell for what they've done here :( They've taken the gorgeous Japanese print of the film and totally screwed the encoding which leaves quite thick 'lines' of colour both on the inner and outer edge of outlines....i guess its called colour bleed but basically main objects onscreen (characters etc) have a halo style effect (the girls have a thickish orange line around them to one side)...its just a travesty...especially when....

The English subtitles on Totoro were different to the R2, there was no HOH crap, and from initial looks it seemed to be 'literal' with no extra dialogue in silent scenes from the films opening (when the girls meet the young boy who becomes their neighbour whose name escapes me!)....Kiki is much harder to test as the dubtitles are bloody good anyway...so you'll have to wait till me review for confirmation :D

dave.

Purpledump

18-12-2001, 08:50

So R2 is still the way to go, from first impressions? Kind of a relief for people who already spent a small fortune on them. Can't wait for the reviews and confirmation about the literal subs.

carryonline

18-12-2001, 09:04

Thanks for the info, Dave. Now I can stop staring hatefully at the R2 versions I remortgaged the house for :D

Tristan H

18-12-2001, 09:13

Oh dear....:( :( :( :brickwall

kanedaa

18-12-2001, 09:57

Forgot the obvious, although i'm sure you assumed as much, they're both anamorphic.

For those that have also ordered from initial impressions i'd say don't worry about Kiki so much...it looked pretty good and i'm sure if i'd not seen the R2 i'd be impressed....but thats enough from me until i've sat through both of them and I can give you a proper judgement :)

dave.

Cornelius

18-12-2001, 16:22

Is the full title of the film My Neighbour Totoro or is this a different film?

kanedaa

18-12-2001, 16:51

Originally posted by Cornelius
Is the full title of the film My Neighbour Totoro or is this a different film?

That is correct. My Neighbour Totoro or Tonari no Totoro to give it the correct Japanese title. Lovingly referred to as 'Totoro' :)

Mr Vampire

18-12-2001, 19:12

Damn. Mines will be with me on friday. I guess. Dave. Did you get charged customs on them? Or did the postie just plop them in your hands? :D
I won't be too disappointed really as I haven't seen Totoro. Could they have been made to do a slightly worser transfer because the japanese don't want to offer the same stuff cheaper elsewhere or something like that? Something to combat parrellel imports?

Heheheh. All we need now is a comparison review to the bootlegs :rolleyes:

Cornelius

18-12-2001, 23:41

Originally posted by kanedaa

That is correct. My Neighbour Totoro or Tonari no Totoro to give it the correct Japanese title. Lovingly referred to as 'Totoro' :)

thanks mate

kanedaa

19-12-2001, 02:24

did i really say late today/sometime tomorrow for a review!! soz all, forgot that LOTR is out today and my tickets are already booked...reviews will be online possibly late Wednesday night, but definitely up (he says nervously) thursday :D

dave.

Noel M

19-12-2001, 07:31

Don't want to say too much in advance of Dave's full comparison review, but I also got the HK Miyazaki releases yesterday and can confirm the points he makes. Kiki's Delivery Service suffers the same colour-bleed problem as Totoro although it's not quite as noticeable.

The second DVD on each release features a Cantonese DD5.1 version of the film with Miyazaki's storyboards on the multi-angle. This is the first time I've seen this feature and it is absolutely brilliant. Miyazaki's sketches are so detailed and delightful you could easily watch the whole film in storyboard - only on this release you have to do it without English subtitles. And for anyone who has not seen Miyazaki's original artwork or drawings before I can highly recommend his original manga graphic novel collection of Nausicäa (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1569313482/o/qid=1008750288/sr=8-1/ref=sr_aps_b_1_1/202-6478272-8743850).

Overall, they are not bad releases - as Dave says, you do at least get the original Japanese soundtrack and proper subtitles. If you haven't seen Miyazaki's work before, they are perfectly good cheap versions to try him out - but if future HK releases are like these, I'd wait for the Japanese releases of his better films Nausicäa and Laputa if you want to see justice done to the films.

Tristan H

19-12-2001, 11:52

My copies arrived today. I watched Totoro and again I also noticed the orange halo effect, the bleeding seemed to be coming mainly from the characters. I thought the rest of the transfer was pretty decent and it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of a film that completely blew me away. I honestly sat with tears in my eyes for the last 15 minutes of the film! An absolute delight of a film and without doubt the greatest animated film I've ever seen.
Wow!!!!!!!

I'll have to check out Kiki later today.

When are the other Ghilbi titles being released? Porco Rosso looks especially good!

carryonline

19-12-2001, 12:02

The six episodes of the animated series Sherlock Hound that Miyazaki directed are released on R1 by Pioneer at the end of February - I highly recommend them; they're whimsical and extremely amusing.

As for the films, the best place for info is www.nausicaa.net

Tristan H

19-12-2001, 13:49

Originally posted by carryonline
The six episodes of the animated series Sherlock Hound that Miyazaki directed are released on R1 by Pioneer at the end of February - I highly recommend them; they're whimsical and extremely amusing.

As for the films, the best place for info is www.nausicaa.net

Thanks.

It looks like Porco Rosso is coming out in Japan next March. If any of you guys are getting together to buy this then I'd be keen to join in!

kanedaa

19-12-2001, 14:09

The faults on these discs is probably more annoying to owners of the R2 versions...

glad to hear you enjoyed Totoro Tristan....going to sit down and watch them a little later today so I can begin my reviews...which you have probably guessed will not see the light of day until tomorrow at the earliest...i'm sure no one will mind or is particularly fussed anymore :D

Also, as soon as Amotokyo have Porco Rosso up for pre-order (not checked actually!) i'll happily set-up another co-buy if the interest is there (and going and past sucesses i'm guessing there will be!).

dave.

Tristan H

19-12-2001, 14:20

Count me in if you do a co-buy Dave.

I checked out the screen comparisons and it does show the orange halo effect difference. It's tempting to buy the Japanese disc, but for £40 I might stick with the R3 version. However, from now on I reckon I'll buy from Japan.

kanedaa

19-12-2001, 14:41

now you've had a look i've taken out the link as there is something nice about an exclusive even if i am a slow ass when it comes to writing my reviews :D

Co-Buy - Amotokyo are not yet offering Porco Rosso, but its price will almost certainly be inline with the other Ghibli titles, which is $42.84.

Using todays exchange rate thats roughly, £29.60.
Amazon.co.jp have 10% off their pre-order, and using the cheapest shipping method it comes to 4830yen, which is roughly £26.

Amazon got my Mononoke R2 (another comparison review forthcoming) to me in 8days which was superb, but their shipping times can be upto 5 weeks. Difficult choice to make.

I'll investigate further and see what interest there is from those who want a guaranteed 3-4 day delivery time.

dave.

Brian Blessed Badger

19-12-2001, 14:49

Hi Dave,

I'll be up for a couple more this time around :) (Porco and My Neighbours...) - difficult choice about Japanese R2 against HK R3 - especially if the the HK ones are out sooner (I seem to recall some titles are due this summer in R3 but the R2 schedule was a little slower - has this changed?).

Phil

kanedaa

19-12-2001, 14:56

I think the R2 will always be a few months ahead of the R3 - its just they have a schedule while the R2 doesn't (or at least a published one)....to see why I think this then look at the R3 Schedule...

Studio Ghibli R3 Releases

2002 Titles in Release Order

March 2002 - Princess Mononoke
Porco Rosso
Laputa
Whisper of the Heart

2003 Titles in Release Order

Nausicaa
Pom Poko
Only Yesterday

As you can see thanks to Mr.Vampire we know that Mononoke gets its R3 release in March, a full 3months (possibly 4 if they release late March) after the R2....at the same time Porco Rosso will debut in Japan and I fully expect to see the R3 of that same title 3months later (June)....thats my theory anyway :)

I live in hope that we'll see Nausicaa by December 2002.

dave.

NexusSheep

19-12-2001, 16:07

Originally posted by Tristan H
...I honestly sat with tears in my eyes for the last 15 minutes of the film! An absolute delight of a film and without doubt the greatest animated film I've ever seen.
Wow!!!!!!!...

If you want to be moved to tears, watch Grave of the Fireflies. It had me crying like a girl, make no mistake.

horseflesh

19-12-2001, 17:43

Hello again Dave
I too could be very interested in a co-purchase!!!!!!!!!!!!
just lets see how impressed i am by Totoro and Kiki..............

Horseflesh

Numpsy

20-12-2001, 12:15

Just jumping in to say that i'm still interested in any future co-buys :)

NexusSheep

20-12-2001, 16:04

If there's room on the co-buy bus when it comes round, I'd like a seat please.

Incidentally, I've never been party to a co-buy before. How is the actual logistics of it worked out? (Delivery to everyone involved, etc.)

Brian Blessed Badger

20-12-2001, 16:19

Well - the Catbus arrives at your house with Dave on board - the sign says "Pricey, but Fine Japanese DVDs". Dave then takes your order (presuming you look reliable).

He then takes all the orders and orders them from a magical DVD shop in Japan - where the shipping is a flat rate and the evil custom's men can't get at them, this lowers the shipping to a reasonal level.

When they arrive at Dave's he sends everyone an electric mail and lets then know how much the discs are (plus a bit for UK postage). The cheque's get sent and the Catbus delivers the discs to the happy smiling punters - simple really

Guess who's been drinking and is finishing work for Christmas today :)

Phil

kanedaa

20-12-2001, 16:35

EDIT: I prefer the Badgers response to Nexus' question :D Only read mine if you want the boring version ;)

Thats 5 people interested already for a future co-buy! As soon as Amotokyo have Porco up for pre-order i'll start an official thread where we can get it all sorted (may end up with two orders again this time as I'm possibly interested in 2 titles this time round)...

Nexus - The way i've done previous co-buys is that I make the order/s, the items come to me. Everyone who I send something too pays £1 ontop of the final charge for Recorded Delivery.

If the items are delivered to me early enough I'll get them out same day to everyone involved, for (Royal Mail providing) next day delivery. The only time this doesn't happen is if I receive delivery at around 5pm (happened before) in which case they'll go out next day. Also, if someone involved is a complete newbie on the forums/trade thread then i'll wait for the cheque to arrive before posting, there are ways to speed up the process in this situation though.

When I start up the thread though i'll be sure to provide a full set of instructions/conditions etc.

dave.

Damage Inc

20-12-2001, 16:38

I've just finished watching the R3 Totoro and to be honest I wouldn't have noticed the colour bleed if it hadn't been mentioned in this thread. In fact I wish i'd never seen this thread as it spoilt watching this classic a little because I was on the look out for the colours.

Maybe i'm being a bit of a hard arse but why did some people cry at the end of this film, I was expecting something like
the mother to die, or totoro to get shot or something like that

Anyway it is definately a classic, and without doubt I wil be on the lookout to buy some more titles.

Is Kikis worth investing in?

Brian Blessed Badger

20-12-2001, 16:48

In fact I wish i'd never seen this thread as it spoilt watching this classic a little because I was on the look out for the colours.

Yeah but the Japanese R2 has dubtitles which are annoying as there are subtitles when no-one is saying anything :(

Maybe i'm being a bit of a hard arse but why did some people cry at the end of this film

Not really because it's sad, just because everything looks so bleak for a little while - crying because of relief i guess (I didn't cry but it got me a little choked)

Is Kikis worth investing in?

Yup - I've to watch it again, I felt Totoro was more immediate (for me anyway) - but Kiki's still touched something inside me that reminded me of my childhood.

Anyway at a tenner without a doubt, even at 30 I wasn't disappointed

Phil

horseflesh

20-12-2001, 16:55

how does this leave me, living in euro-land?????
just because you brits don't want to be part of the future, I'm left out in the cold!!!!!!
LOL

Horseflesh
(a proper European!!!)

Budge

20-12-2001, 17:31

Originally posted by Damage Inc
Is Kikis worth investing in?

Certainly.

I.M.H.O. its even more heart-warming than Totoro.
I think the beauty of Miyazaki's films are the way they seem to reflect childhood memories and experiences from the point of view of the child in a way that Disney et. al. dont seem to understand.

They are very personal, and people's Miyazaki favourites are probably the films that spark off memories of the individuals own childhood.

Also, the dub-titles are very good (much better than Totoros), watching these films in anything other than the original Japanese is a crime.

(And yes, I was a witch with a talking cat when I was a kid... :D )

Dave,
I'm up for a Porco Rosso co-buy...

kanedaa

20-12-2001, 17:48

Originally posted by Horseflesh
how does this leave me, living in euro-land?????
just because you brits don't want to be part of the future, I'm left out in the cold!!!!!!
LOL

Is this with regards to the co-buy and your living in Ireland? If so no need to worry as we had an ireland lad involved on the last co-buy and the postage costs aren't really that much more so its just a matter of working it out when the time comes (although if it was just a single dvd it'd only be about 20-50pence dearer).

Damage Inc - Sorry to have spoilt the film for you m8 :( In that case I suggest you do not read my comparison review because I am nearing the completion of my Kiki's comparison (which I thought looked better than Totoro on initial impressions) and sadly it suffers from a variety of image problems....nothing that would really effect the overall experience but as a (supposed :D ) critic doing a comparison review I have to be thorough. I do understand where you're coming from as I too have been unaware of problems on other titles only to find myself seeking them out after reading about them...in the case of Totoro though being an R2 owner the colour bleed issue leaped out at me within seconds of the film starting! Even the IVL logo when you pop the disc in suffers from it!!

Do however check out my existing R2 review of Kiki's on DVDTimes and read the film part of my new review later tonight (hopefully) for impressions on the film (BUY IT :) )

And finally - back to co-buy - looks like when I start a thread it'll definitely be two sets of orders and just there for you to all confirm you're still interested.

dave.

horseflesh

20-12-2001, 18:04

yeah Dave, i can get a Sterling draft here and just send it over........
I was just making a dig at the anti-euro sentiment in Britain, that's all!!!!!!!

Horseflesh

NexusSheep

20-12-2001, 20:50

Thanks to Badger and Dave for the co-buy summary. ;) So the more people we 'recruit', the cheaper the DVDs, right? Nice.

You got me all excited now; I'm drooling with anticipation. :nuts:

kanedaa

20-12-2001, 21:23

Originally posted by NexusSheep
So the more people we 'recruit', the cheaper the DVDs, right? Nice.

Not really. The price I quoted a few posts ago (£29.60) + £1 for Recorded Delivery would be the final cost. Way it works is Amotokyo charge $12 for shipping, IF you spend $200 or more that shipping charged is waived...so I just quoted the Disc cost without any shipping charges as I will only put in an order if we have a value of over $200 - and with the interest so far (7 people including myself) we nearly/already (depending how much everyone buys) have enough for 2 orders over the $200 mark...and we easily have enough for 1 order :)

dave.

PS: I've said it before and i'll say it again - why do I give expect review posting dates? I'd be fired by now if I worked for a print magazine :D Reviews will be online either tomorrow or Saturday :D If I post them separately Kiki's will definitely be online tomorrow.

evilvampire

21-12-2001, 01:42

Don't forget me, I'm in for a co buyt as well.

Purpledump

22-12-2001, 18:40

Did Kanedaa mention co-buy and ghibli on the same thread? I'm up for one, this time. Will buy at least 2 titles. By the way, are you going to open up another thread for the co-buy, or are you going to use this one to see how many are interested?

EDIT: Spelling and Kanedaa, I e-mailed you regarding the two R3s already, but I forgot you said that YOU would let me know whether you want to sell them after the review. Sorry :).

kanedaa

22-12-2001, 19:25

Well, my first review is up! Took me long enough but I hope it was worth the wait as i put a lot of effort into it ;) See sig for link.

Expect a Totoro comparison possibly by tomorrow night...with Mononoke following that sometime next week (could be before or after Xmas).

Purpledump - Got your e-mail - superbly timed I might add considering I had just uploaded the first review! I'll respond in a moment.

Co-Buy - I think we have enough people now to put in 2 $200+ orders! This thread certainly seems to have become a 'Co-buy' interest thread but I will start another thread as soon as Amotokyo have Porco Rosso up for pre-order to confirm everything. I'll probably send out a chain e-mail to everyone here informing them the thread is open.

dave.

NexusSheep

22-12-2001, 20:54

Regarding the forthcoming co-buy, I would be interested to know why we are going with Amotokyo, as opposed to CDJapan or Amazon.jp. It's probably the free shipping thing, but I was just wondering.

kanedaa

22-12-2001, 22:13

You pretty much hit the nail on the head there Nexus.

I needed to brush up on current prices etc so here is a quick rundown of the various costs involved at each retailer.

Amazon: Using Standard Airmail, which Amazon quote as 2-5weeks delivery. Cost is 600yen flat charge, 300yen per item. I've ordered once and the items took 8days, they declare full value but fortunately I was lucky (£57 worth). I know of a few others on these forums who have waited anything from 8days to the full 5weeks.

Porco x1 = 4230+600+300*0.00536 = £27.50
Porco x5 = 21150+600+1500*0.00536 = £124.62

Co-Buy with 5 Copies of Porco = £24.92 each.

Amotokyo: EMS Shipping $12 any order size, fee is waived on orders of $200 or more. Regular Ghibli 2-disc sets cost $42.84 at the moment so I will assume that Porco Rosso will cost the same. Delivery is 3-4 days, customs are not a problem.

Porco x1 = $42.84+$12*0.694 = £38
Porco x5 = $214.20*0.694 = £148.65

Co-Buy with 5 Copies of Porco = £29.73 each.

CDJapan: Assuming we're in Area 2A (they have 2A and 2B but only a list of countries that fit in Area 2!) which is the cheaper shipping cost it works out as so for EMS (again 3-4days usually). 1200yen for 1st item, 320yen for each subsequent + a 5% handling charge on the item costs. Customs are apparently a non-issue.

Porco x1 = (4935+5%)+1200 * 0.00536 = £34.21
Porco x5 = (24675+5%)+1200+1280 * 0.00536 = £152.16

Co-Buy with 5 Copies of Porco = £30.43 each.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The results are quite interesting. If you don't mind the possible wait and are ordering alone then Amazon are by far your best choice. You do chance customs but it seems quite unlikely you'll be hit on a single item. When you move into co-buy status though the extra £2.50 you pay on top at either Amotokyo or CDJapan seems worth it to guarantee no customs interaction and 3-4day delivery. As to why I use Amotokyo? Personal choice I guess, I've used them before and been completely satisfied with their service so I'll use them until that changes I guess :)

Thanks for the comments after my review. Much appreciated ;)

dave.

Purpledump

22-12-2001, 22:45

Hey, Dave. Just read your great review. Wonder if the picture quality could have been improved if they just went with a 2.0 cantonese dub instead of a 5.1 one. Thanks also for the store comparisons.

I ordered from Amazon.co.jp 5 times and only got taxed once, but on a single item purchase :( (Memories: LD size package. They got some other rare items, like Blood: The last vampire Memorial box, if there are any collectors interested). I forgot how long each order took, but it's definitely between 10 to 20 days.

EDIT: Some info

NexusSheep

22-12-2001, 22:54

Originally posted by kanedaa
You pretty much hit the nail on the head there Nexus...

Wow, that's what I call a good answer. Another 'copy and paste' into my Dave's Good Answers NotePad document! (I kid you not). :D

And just for the record (if anyone's interested), of the three retailers in question, I have only used CDJapan once. I ordered one title, it arrived in four days and I managed to dodge the evil Customs people.