More K-ON! Movie news

Several new bits of information have come out over the last couple of days since Sentai announced the K-ON! Movie license, not the least of which is the announcement of the release date: May 21^st will see the release of the movie on Blu-Ray and DVD, with SRPs at $39.98 and $29.98, respectively. Bonus features will include: Interviews, K-ON's Anniversary, 1-2-3 K-ON!, Live Event, K-ON in London, trailer, teaser, and clean opening/closing animation. The (possibly not final) cover has surfaced as well, based on the Japanese regular edition’s cover. Credit goes to the always-on-top-of-things WTK.

In related news, Manga Entertainment announced in their most recent podcast their license of the movie for the UK market, and their intention to release it on DVD and Blu-Ray later this year. They also implied that they are likely to license season 2 of the TV anime. No word on whether UK fans can expect a Blu-Ray release of the series.

Sentai announces K-ON! The Movie license

The news you’ve been waiting for – well, the news I have been waiting for, anyway – are here. Sentai Filmworks finally announced today the fact that they have licensed “K-ON! The Movie” and will release it “soon” – whatever “soon” means. The film will be released through “digital outlets”, and on DVD and Blu-Ray with “extensive extras” (which makes it sound to me like they are actually including all or most of the original bonus features from the Japanese release this time).

 

And, as with both seasons of the TV anime, the movie will be given an English language dub produced by Bang Zoom Entertainment. While I’m not much of a dub fan, personally, I am glad that the release will be consistent with the TV series.

 

Well – it’s no surprise at this point that Sentai would license the movie, but it’s nice to finally have confirmation. The waiting game begins again?

 

 

K-ON! (season 1) and other Bandai titles to go out of print

So, Robert’s Anime Corner Blog has got word from Bandai Entertainment that they’re going to cease home video distribution and publishing, with their last shipments going out in late November of this year.

 

In other words – if you have yet to buy the North American release of K-ON!’s first season on Blu-Ray/DVD and are looking to do so – or any other title from Bandai – now’s the time to do it, because it won’t be available much longer.

Movie DVD/Blu-Ray specs revealed

So, broadcaster TBS revealed today on the official K-On! website the details of the upcoming home video release of the K-On! movie. The release date, as we already know, is July 18^th, and there will be four different editions: Regular DVD (priced at 3990 yen), Limited Edition DVD (7560 yen), regular Blu-Ray (7665 yen) and awesomest of all, the Limited Edition Blu-Ray (9240 yen).

Regular edition

Limited Edition

The Limited Edition will come in a box full of various K-On! goodies, and will include a second disc filled to the brim with bonus features. The full list can be seen at the official site, though be warned that the extras listing contains an indirect movie spoiler.

Translated bonus feature details, courtesy of ultimatemegax:

The LEs will come with a small booklet of the storyboards (450 pg), a small version of the booklet sold in theatres (40 pg), a mini production booklet (24 pg), cords for a song played in the movie, a 5-piece bromide set, a small version of the appreciation tickets (5 kinds), and a 3-sided box. They also come with a bonus disc (BD will get a BD, DVD will get a DVD).

On the bonus disc are the following features: Yamada Naoko in London (location/scenario scouting), Tanaka Minami's dubbing report (additional feature of the recording sessions), a backstage feature of Houkago Tea Time in Universal Studios Japan, a Houkago Tea Time in TBS press conference, a special program K-On! the movie navigational program, music recording, stage greetings on opening day, non-text OP/ED, pre-movie bit about manners, and TV CMs/previews/trailers.

Included on the feature disc are commentaries by staff, cast, and producers.

And there you have it. The price tag may seem steep – as is usual for anime in Japan – but seeing how packed with extras the LE is (149 minutes worth of video extras, three audio commentaries, a box and lots of physical goods), it should definitely be worth it. For anyone wondering, the discs will include Japanese subtitles but no English translation of any kind. All editions will offer 5.1 and 2.0 audio mixes, encoded in Linear PCM for the Blu-Ray versions and Dolby Digital for DVD.

Two and a half months to go…

Complete first series released in the UK

No real news today, just a reminder that Manga UK’s complete series DVD set is out today. K-On! fans in the UK who didn’t pick up the individual volumes can now get them all at once at an affordable price.

I won’t be picking up or reviewing this set myself (believe it or not, I don’t really feel like I need a fourth copy of season 1 in my collection) but expect it to be pretty much the same as the Region 1 Anime Legends version.

Movie Blu-Ray/DVD release set for July

As indicated on a solicitation listing, the K-On! movie will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD in Japan on July 18^th. It will have been seven and a half agonizing months since the film’s theatrical premiere, a long time for a movie to move from cinemas to home video by anyone’s standard. Even so, it’s a significantly shorter waiting period than what fans of Kyoto Animation’s previous feature film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, had to endure.

More information should be available this coming week.

Season 2 US release date announced

US anime distributor Section23 Films have announced their June schedule, revealing that the second season of the K-On! TV anime (originally titled “K-On!!” with two exclamation marks, but simply titled “K-On! Season 2” for the American market) will see a release as early as a mere three months from now.

The first volume arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 19^th, with an SRP of $59.98 for the DVD edition and $69.98 for the Blu-Ray (with certain stores sure to offer them at far lower prices). Note that the release will contain the first 13 episodes, roughly half the season, unlike last year’s Bandai release of season 1 which contained three to four episodes per volume.

Is this great news? I think so. 

DVD review: K-On! Anime Legends

Before Bandai Entertainment packed up and left the DVD market, they found the time to release a complete series set of K-On!’s first anime season. As one might expect, the set is basically a repackaging of the four volumes previously released, so there’s nothing new here per se. Sadly, there is no Blu-Ray edition of this collection, so those looking to buy the series in that format (which is definitely preferable, as I said in my Blu-Ray vs. DVD comparison) will have to pay up for the individual volumes. On the other hand, for DVD-only buyers who have been wanting to buy the show but held out for a cheaper alternative – well, it’s here.

Complete season 1 DVD set coming to US – Blu-Ray release cancelled in UK

So, there are good news and there are bad news. The good, and surprising news considering recent developments, are that Bandai Entertainment will release an “Anime Legends” version of K-On! on DVD – in other words, a 4-disc set of the complete first season. Release date is February 7^th, and list price is $39.98 (though it shouldn’t be hard to find it for significantly less).

This should be welcome news indeed for K-On! fans who have been wanting the series on DVD but weren’t willing to buy the single volumes. A Blu-Ray equivalent does not appear to be in the cards, however.

Today’s bad news item is the announcement that Manga UK’s planned complete series release on Blu-Ray has been cancelled, along with the planned Blu-Ray release of “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”. A complete season set on DVD is still planned for an April release, but the Blu-Ray version has, unfortunately, proven economically unfeasible for the company. This leaves UK – and otherwise European – fans without any release of K-On! on Blu-Ray.

There are options, however – the US release is easily imported, though one would need a region free Blu-Ray player to play it in Europe, as each disc is locked to region A. Otherwise, there is Madman’s release from Australia, which should be region B and thus perfectly playable on any regular European Blu-Ray player. The discs are otherwise the same as the US release.

K-On! Vol. 3 US Blu-Ray vs US DVD comparison

Every so often, you’ll come across some know-it-all jackass who will insist that Blu-Ray is just a gimmick and really no better than DVD, or a misguided person who believes anime can’t benefit from the HD presentation Blu-Ray is able to provide. In the specific case of K-On!, a reviewer at a renowned anime related website even went as far as to suggest K-On! looks better(!) on DVD. Such statements tend to fall flat on their own stupidity, but even so; I think it could be interesting to take a look at one of Bandai Entertainment’s DVD volumes – specifically, the most recently released volume 3 – and see how it compares to the Blu-Ray equivalent. Note that I am only comparing the US DVD to the US Blu-Ray here – for a look at the Japanese Blu-Ray, see the previously posted review.

Now – I won’t go into too much detail about the DVD packaging. It’s basically the same design as the Blu-Ray version, only formatted to fit a standard DVD case (resulting in the cover artwork being cropped for the DVD version). As with the BD version, there are no printed inserts or a reversible cover. The DVD itself features the same picture of Ritsu’s drums as the Blu-Ray disc, but differs in that where the BD label has a white background, the DVD doesn’t.

The DVD features the exact same episodes and extras as the Blu-Ray does, but (obviously) in SD video only. The menus, however, are different – where the Blu-Ray menu featured animated clips from the episodes contained on the disc, the DVD main menu only features a still image, as do the submenus.

Because the Blu-Ray release had lossy Dolby Digital audio, there’s not much point in comparing it to the DVD audio – it’s the same. Where the Blu-Ray truly makes a difference, as one might expect, is in the video quality. The difference in quality should be apparent to anyone with a functioning pair of eyes – it really is obvious.

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray – Split

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray – Split

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray – Split

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray – Split

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray

DVD – DVD upscale – Blu-Ray – Split

In addition to the difference in quality due to the increased resolution of the HD picture of a Blu-Ray disc, DVDs are generally more prone to other problems such as visible compression noise. In this specific case, I also noticed occasional ugly interlacing when playing the DVD on my HD TV from an upscaling DVD player (though depending on equipment, this won’t be a problem for everyone).

The conclusion here is the obvious and expected one: The Blu-Ray version of K-On! is clearly far superior to the DVD. For anyone who’s in doubt over which version to buy – if you can get the Blu-Ray, do it.

K-On! Vol. 1 DVD UK release

Yep. As of yesterday, the first DVD volume of K-On! has been released in the UK. I’m not going to review this particular edition – at this point I feel I’ve reviewed volume 1 of K-On! enough to last me for quite a while.

I will, however, point to some reviews that are already out. I don’t necessarily agree with everything they say, but that’s beside the point. Anime Picks writes:

“This first volume of K-On! is 4 episodes strong and is great value for money. You don’t come away feeling short-changed and you get a solid chunk of the series. However, by the time you’ve finished it you’ll definitely want to see more, and surely that’s the sign of a great series… right?”

UK Anime Network writes,

“In terms of Manga Entertainment's DVD treatment of these episodes, the overall quality of the release is pretty good, even if the show's animation quality will undoubtedly benefit from its eventual planned Blu-Ray release.  The rabid hardcore fans may complain about a small piece of music replacement in one episode (Tsubasa wo Kudasai is switched out for Love Me Tender for whatever reason) but the gloriously catchy opening and ending themes are left intact, even if we only get a stereo Dolby Digital track against uncompressed LPCM audio, which again isn't going to faze the majority of would-be buyers.”

In other words, it seems Manga’s UK release is pretty much the same as Bandai’s US release. No surprise there. Anime Focus writes:

“The only downside to the UK release is that the series is being released in volumes rather than larger collections we have grown accustomed to in recent years, also there is a lack of a Blu-ray release, of course it’s possible these will be released at a later date.”

(And yes, a UK Blu-Ray release is planned for April 2012.) Chris Spratt, reviewing the DVD for Otaku News, is less than thrilled with the anime itself:

“In reality K-ON! doesn't seem to offer much to your average Joe shmoe anime viewer. K-ON! isn't a philosophical masterwork which challenges you to think as you watch it, it isn't an action packed extravaganza which keeps you on the edge of your seat, what K-ON is can simply be described as fluff, albeit very well made fluff as is to be expected from the veritable hit factory which Kyoto Animation has become.

This is a show which feels like it was designed by committee, which it most likely was, where every creative decision was made with the idea of how to sell more copies to fans.”

“Designed by committee”, eh? Of course it was. Just like every TV series in the world. Let's not kid ourselves. That eye-roll inducing comment aside, I can’t really hold against this guy the fact that he doesn’t like K-On!. Especially after just the first four episodes – I myself wasn’t entirely convinced by that point, either.

In any case, it seems the UK release is – as expected – just a copy of the American release, warts and all. It’d be interesting to know what the packaging and disc art is like, though. The Australian Blu-Ray, despite being identical to the US version in terms of disc content, actually had the original Yui disc art on it (like the Japanese and German discs). I’m a little curious to know if the UK disc got it as well, and the US version is truly the odd man out.

K-On! DVD (German) vol. 1 review

Wait, what?! I’m reviewing German releases now? Well, yes… but just this once. The thing is, with the criticism Bandai have received for their North American release of K-On!, I thought it would be interesting to see how a European edition fares in comparison. Unfortunately, there is no European Blu-Ray version to examine (Hey! Score one for Bandai, for releasing it in HD!) so I’ll be looking at the first German DVD volume.

You need to be at least 0 years old to watch K-On! in Germany.

First off, the cover art is the same as both the Japanese and the American equivalents, but the design differs. With the red and yellow bands going across the top and bottom of the picture for some reason, the logo being placed in such a way that it partially covers the characters, and the ever-important age rating, the German cover looks kind of messy by comparison.

The cover itself is a clear plastic DVD keep case. The cover inlay is reversible, with the reverse side being exactly the same as the default design but without the intrusive age rating.

Inside the case is, naturally, the DVD itself as well as the only bonus feature of the release: A four page booklet with Yui’s bio. This is the same bio that came with the Japanese Blu-Ray, but in German and with a red background. It seems Kazé, distributor of the German DVD, are almost as enthralled with the color red as the Japanese Blu-Ray’s are with pink.

It’s puzzling that the German edition could get this extra included when the American version could not, but it doesn’t stop there. The DVD itself features the original disc art from the Japanese release, whereas the US discs have had original designs lacking any character artwork.

The DVD menu is animated, showing stills from the episodes (this volume, like the US equivalent, contains the first four) with musical notes flying by in the background to the sound of “Cagayake!GIRLS”. Language options (German dub / Japanese audio with German subtitles) and episode selection is available from the main menu screen.

Watching the episodes with the original Japanese soundtrack (which you should, even if you know German – the dub is awful. As much as I don’t love the American dub, at least they tried… The German voices not only sound nothing like the originals, they also do not match the characters. I can’t really comment on the quality of the dub script, but when it starts out with Ui addressing her Big Sis as “Yui-chan”, you know it can’t be that great), there are a couple of things that stand out.

First of all, the subtitles are yellow. Why yellow? European DVD subtitles are supposed to be white. Please, European anime distributors, don’t follow the habits of American DVD authors when it goes against your own standards, okay?

Secondly, the songs are subtitled, but only in romanized Japanese and not translated. Why even subtitle them, then? Speaking of translated text – the opening and ending credits are left in their original Japanese. I don’t particularly mind the English credits on the US release, personally, but some purists might give another point to the German edition for this.

The big score here, though, is the complete lack of any music replacement. As I’ve discussed before, the US release replaced Mio, Ritsu and Mugi’s performance of “Tsubasa wo Kudasai” with “Aura Lee”, a.k.a. “Love Me Tender”. No such misfortune here – this DVD retains the untouched original song.

As far as video quality goes – well, it’s a DVD. It can’t compare to the quality you get from the HD video of a Blu-Ray. It’s possible it’s a step up from the US DVD if for no other reason than the fact that the PAL system (the European standard for SD video) allows for a higher resolution than the American NTSC system, though without having the US DVD on hand to compare with I can’t really provide an informed opinion. The audio, like the US release, is encoded in Dolby Digital at 192 kbps. Unfortunately, it suffers from PAL speedup – since film (and K-On!) runs at a frame rate of 24 frames per second and PAL runs at 25, the video is sped up by 1 fps resulting in slightly faster audio as well. It appears to have been pitch-corrected to avoid any hint of Chipmunk-voice syndrome, faint as it would have been – unfortunately this has resulted in audible artifacts, particularly noticeable in the music. Point definitely goes to the Bandai release for audio.

Translated credits can be accessed from the main menu, presented as a simple text scroll against a red background, no audio. Oddly, the credits are in English rather than German – and for some bizarre reason, the credited insert song is “Love Me Tender” even though this DVD has the correct “Tsubasa wo Kudasai”!

Finally, the disc contains trailers for four other anime releases; “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”, “Ouran High School Host Club”, “Vampire Knight” and “Black Butler”. The trailers suck, by the way – they all follow the same formula of setting short clips, selected seemingly completely at random, to a piece of music from the shows they advertise (The Haruhi trailer, for instance, is set to the “Adventures of Mikuru Asahina” theme song, which doesn’t exactly provide for a very accurate representation of that anime) with the exception of the “Ouran High School Host Club” trailer which seems to be made up of little else but that shows opening sequence in its entirety.

Overall, while carrying its own flaws, this German DVD edition of K-On! manages to rectify at least a few of the mistakes made with the US release – with the original credits intact and no music replacement, the episodes are in their original unmolested state, save for the unfortunate effects of the PAL speedup inherent in the European DVD format. When it also includes the original disc art and one of the original physical extras, one can wonder just how much effort Bandai put into their release which contained neither of those things – but on the other hand, it might be a bit unfair to assert that they didn’t “try hard enough” without knowing what limitations were imposed on them by the Japanese licensors, or what else might have gone on behind the scenes. One thing we do know, is that Bandai originally announced Limited Editions of each K-On! volume, which were to come with a CD each. Why that ultimately didn’t come to pass I don’t know, but it does seem to suggest that they had every intention of giving K-On! the right treatment. That makes me want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Buyer beware…

This may be a “well, duh!” type thing for some, but I’m posting it because I have encountered people who got ripped off, and because this is a fairly materialistic blog. What I want to say is: Be very careful when buying K-On! DVD’s on eBay.

A normal search for K-On! DVD’s gives some rather unpleasant results. Aside from a few legitimate copies of the US release, it appears most items for sale on eBay are in fact bootlegs. That’s not to say legitimate releases from, say, Japan can never be found but it’s not at all common.

You do not want to buy bootleg K-On! DVD’s. These bootlegs are not only illegal and unethical, but they are also of very low quality (that’s what I’ve learned from people unlucky enough to have purchased them, anyway). Besides, you don’t want to be a chump and pay for pirated videos – if you want go the piracy route, it’s not exactly hard to find the stuff you want online for free. Not that I’m recommending piracy at all, I’m just saying – paying for piracy is rather stupid.

If you insist on shopping for DVD’s on eBay (and this may apply to other online auctions as well, but I don’t know much about those) make sure you know what the official DVD’s look like and what their specs are. If you’re bidding on an item that differs in any way from the version you can find on amazon.com (or any reputable store); chances are you’re bidding on a rip-off.

A few things to keep in mind:

If the DVD you’re buying has English subtitles and is advertised as being region free, it is a bootleg. The real ones are region locked.

If the DVD you’re buying is in English and is a “complete season” set, it is a bootleg. There is no real “complete season” box set in English. There will be one at some point, but as of now it does not exist.

If the DVD you’re buying is in English but the cover doesn’t look like the ones I’ve shown in this blog before… it is a bootleg.

Bootleg.



Bootleg.



Bootleg.



Real... Just kidding. Bootleg.



Old News: “Come With Me!!” trailer!

“Old” news because this is almost a week old and I never saw it before now, somehow. Not much of a trailer, it’s only 15 seconds long, but it’s footage from the “Come With Me!!” live show that took place this February. It’s the second live show featuring the K-On!(!) cast, and features music from the second season and related spin-off CDs. The first show, “Let’s Go!”, took place December 30^th, 2009 and was released on Blu-Ray and DVD exactly six months later.

“Come With Me!!” is released on DVD, Blu-Ray and Limited Edition Blu-Ray August 3^rd.