The Region 1 Pokemon DVDs are terrible and yet nobody cares

[JacobYBM]

I think the tone in this thread is fine. TPCI consistently puts out a garbage product. I don't care about excuses and I don't care about how hard working and passionate they are about the work they do. When it comes to the DVDs the thing I care about is the final product and the Pokemon DVDs fail to deliver in nearly every possible way.

I have nothing of value to add, but I would like to add my concurrence with this statement. It's not wrong to call people out on a work they put out into the wild, that's how progress is made.

 

[Sweenix]

I'm so lucky to be an australian in these circumstances. We have without a doubt the distributor anyone could really ask for.

Although movies 1-3 seem like they will never make their way down here

 

[TeamRocket Pikachu]

I don't get why they put such Bad Quality prints on those DVDs. If Warner Bros. actually cared, they would get Good Quality prints for DVD. Maybe even restore them.

 

[Kirben]

Although movies 1-3 seem like they will never make their way down here

Pokemon movies 1-3 were released by Warner Home Video on DVD in Australia long ago.

Only Pokemon movies 6-7 are still missing a DVD release in Australia

I don't get why they put such Bad Quality prints on those DVDs. If Warner Bros. actually cared, they would get Good Quality prints for DVD. Maybe even restore them.

Warner Bros. only had the rights to Pokemon movies 1-3, Warner Bros. are just a distributor for the other Pokemon DVD releases from Viz Media.

 

[TeamRocket Pikachu]

I don't get why they put such Bad Quality prints on those DVDs. If Warner Bros. actually cared, they would get Good Quality prints for DVD. Maybe even restore them.

Warner Bros. only had the rights to Pokemon movies 1-3, Warner Bros. are just a distributor for the other Pokemon DVD releases from Viz Media.

So Viz Media made the Bad Quality DVDs?

 

[Kirben]

I don't get why they put such Bad Quality prints on those DVDs. If Warner Bros. actually cared, they would get Good Quality prints for DVD. Maybe even restore them.

Warner Bros. only had the rights to Pokemon movies 1-3, Warner Bros. are just a distributor for the other Pokemon DVD releases from Viz Media.

So Viz Media made the Bad Quality DVDs?

Yes, Viz Media actually produces the DVDs.

 

[Yoshi1001]

It's not wrong to call people out on a work they put out into the wild, that's how progress is made.

I'm not saying that the product is above criticism. In fact, I actually agree that some of the faults brought up in this thread are valid and worth correcting, I just don't think they're being framed in a way that's conducive to achieving that goal, however possible that might or might not be.

 

[JacobYBM]

It's not wrong to call people out on a work they put out into the wild, that's how progress is made.

I'm not saying that the product is above criticism. In fact, I actually agree that some of the faults brought up in this thread are valid and worth correcting, I just don't think they're being framed in a way that's conducive to achieving that goal, however possible that might or might not be.

There's no use putting a smile on a product we know is trash and a product they know is trash. They know they're treating a beloved work of art like trash, they simply have no cares to give because the lowest common denominator will make their trash profitable no matter what.

 

[Yoshi1001]

Well, from my perspective, you're putting an angry scowl on it. I also disagree with the "trash" assessment-then again, my standard for what counts as trash is probably lower than yours. In any case, treating the company like some kind of uncaring entity isn't worthwhile-or in my opinion, accurate.

 

[Dogasu]

No one is forcing you to participate in this "worthless discussion," by the way.

 

[JacobYBM]

Well, from my perspective, you're putting an angry scowl on it. I also disagree with the "trash" assessment-then again, my standard for what counts as trash is probably lower than yours. In any case, treating the company like some kind of uncaring entity isn't worthwhile-or in my opinion, accurate.

I don't know if I'd say 'angry'. I'm certainly resigned to the facts of reality, one of which is that the lowest common denominator has no artistic integrity and as a result if such an audience is willing to buy a horribly disrespectful product, they will. Just as it is morally wrong to disrespect art it is morally wrong to tell a law-abiding corporation they can't smear their license in bat guano when that is clearly the only way they will make money on their license.

They don't care. There are hundreds of people involved in these companies and not a single one with any say-so particularly cares that they make money by disrespecting works of art. Why should they? I certainly cannot offer a credible reason they should. They have bills to pay and aspirations of fortune to chase, something few nations on this Earth allow to be sought so freely.

 

[froakiefroak]

I only purchase the older season DVDs because having them in my collection means very, very much to me as I grew up with them. Once the voice actors changed I pretty much lost all interest in the Pokemon anime series. If Viz goes ahead and re-releases Johto-onwards in complete season collections then I will pick all of them up, even the newer seasons with changed voice actors. Kind of like what Australia has.

I'm not a big stickler on video and audio quality when it comes to DVDs, but I do get mad when the Pikachu shorts aren't included. There really is absolutely no reason not to include them, is there? TPCI dubs them for the online video site so why can't they throw them in where they belong with the feature film? I would really like an explanation on this one, seriously.

 

[Dogasu]

It especially makes no sense considering those shorts are dubbed well before the movie DVDs come out. There's absolutely no reason they couldn't include them.

 

[technickal]

It stinks that North America gets a vanilla, downscaled release on DVD.

I also would like remastered Mewtwo Strikes Back on Blu-Ray.

 

[Rentorar]

I gave all my English dub VHS tapes and DVDs away to some people in some Pokemon facebook groups. I knew that even though I don't like them anymore, there are people who do so I gave them away for free. It would be a waste to trash them when other people would like to enjoy them.

 

[froakiefroak]

I gave all my English dub VHS tapes and DVDs away to some people in some Pokemon facebook groups. I knew that even though I don't like them anymore, there are people who do so I gave them away for free. It would be a waste to trash them when other people would like to enjoy them.

Why not just sell them?

 

[sonic10158]

Yeah, I have given up on the god awful US releases. I now import my Pokemon DVDs from Australia now that I have a region free player. I did get lucky enough to purchase movies 1-3 and Mewtwo Returns on DVD before they went out of print, as well as getting movies 4-8 before the idiots at TPCi or whatever company controls it kicked us fans in the teeth even harder by stripping future releases of special features.

I am absolutely disgusted by how Viz Media constantly gives us the middle finger here in America, so after getting seasons 1 and 2 on DVD in ~2008 [before getting those, I never bought the show on DVD so I never realized just how bad the situation was here, and I never realized just how godawful the movie releases were compared to other parts of the world] I am on a Viz Media boycott. Now, I did buy the 4Ever, Heroes, Jirachi Wishmaker, and Destiny Deoxys bluray bundle when that came out just because I enjoyed movies 6 and 7 too much, and I was mad when I found out that that bluray only had stereo sound instead of the surround sound on it [which the original DVD releases DID HAVE by the way] and 4Ever's picture quality was completely washed out. [I don't understand why movies 4-8 are CONSTANTLY being repackaged and rereleased so much, but I guess Miramax is just that greedy]. My biggest complaint though is that they refuse to release certain seasons of the show, whether it be via streaming, digital stores, or physical releases, there is no johto seasons or hoenn seasons to be found...

I only want seasons 1-9 and the movies and other specials that Japan gets, but alas, TCPi and Viz Media doesn't give a crap...

That being said, the ONLY thing I will complement about Viz's dvd sets is that from my viewings of it vs the Australian releases of the same seasons, I think the picture quality is slightly better in the Viz Media release than the Magna Pacific version, and they actually included the Pikachu's Jukebox in the USA release. Also, I never watch anime with Japanese audio because I've never been a fan of reading subtitles, so that one missing thing has never bothered me, but I understand completely why others would be pissed.

So yeah, I am VERY angry about the way TCPi and Viz Media hates us Pokemon fans in America regarding the anime and they will never see my money [Unfortunately, my nostalgia will likely make me become a hypocrite and buy the Johto Journeys set if it includes Pokemon Karaokemon {which the Australian set was missing too} in it. But who am I kidding? Viz will NEVER be true on their word and release it. They never do and I take anything said on Facebook by companies with a grain of salt.].

 

[Charmelizard]

Yeah, I have given up on the god awful US releases. I now import my Pokemon DVDs from Australia now that I have a region free player. I did get lucky enough to purchase movies 1-3 and Mewtwo Returns on DVD before they went out of print, as well as getting movies 4-8 before the idiots at TPCi or whatever company controls it kicked us fans in the teeth even harder by stripping future releases of special features.

Miramax is most likely the one to blame in this case. When Disney sold them off and they made a distribution deal with Lionsgate, it was only for 500 of Miramax's films, and the Pokémon ones weren't among those. So they went with Echo Bridge, known for only releasing cheap-o vanilla editions (though I am glad I got the 4-7 Blu-ray from them, if only for the movies being in widescreen). Lionsgate did get the rights after three years, but I have to assume that they are using the same discs as Echo Bridge in slightly different packaging, judging by an Amazon review for their 4Ever rerelease.

 

[Dogasu]

I never bought the show on DVD so I never realized just how bad the situation was here

I think that's a huge part of what's going on here. People just don't know how bad things have gotten. Before this thread and the other one when did you ever see people talking about the DVDs on these forums? There might have been a thread dedicated to a random release here or there but very few people seemed to have been keeping up with what was coming out on a regular basis. Bulbanews covered some releases but not all of them. Serebii.net doesn't cover the DVDs at all, as far as I can tell (though to be fair he's not based in the U.S.). Same with every other major Pokemon fansite.

For many fans the DVDs were something that people were vaguely aware existed but wasn't anything that people ever paid attention to.

But I think it is important for us to pay attention to what's being released and to raise a stink whenever bad releases come out. Let people know not to buy the releases we don't like. With the recent Orange Islands release it seems like Viz is counting on people not knowing what it is they're getting into until they've already made the sale (no one who hasn't researched the box set beforehand is going to look at "The Complete Collection" and assume that it's missing episodes) and that's just shitty. Don't let Viz get away with shady business practices. Spread the word.

If people still want to buy the DVDs despite knowing what's out there then fine, that's their decision But let's at least make sure that those fans' decisions are informed ones.

 

[sonic10158]

Quick question, do the DVDs/Bluray releases of Pokemon in Japan have English tracks included?

If so, I would probably collect those instead of Viz or Beyond