Laserrot : bad LD & tapes - I want them !!
Jeroen Croux
(This is my first post ever so please tell me if I made any mistakes)
A few weeks ago I bought the Dirty Pair laserdisc box. Some time later
I read the anime FAQ's entry on the rotting KOR box. For a time I really
had nightmares watching my precious DP box turn to rust ! The recent posts
on laserrot and the AnimEigo-3M problems however, gave me an idea.
I decided to start a list of laserdiscs mentioning if they are known
to have laserrot or other problems, or if they're known to be good quality.
(and another list on European and American tapes; a request of the local anime club)
so anyone wanting to buy a disc could first check out other fan's experiences
with that particular disc. Something like that could be very interesting in particular
for those older discs (before '87, when laserrot was a real pest).
I use the Japanese "Animation Laserdisc Complete Catalogue'93" as a basis for
titles, catalogue no's etc. I don't have such a catalogue for American discs.
Thanks to Puma and Anime Stuff (thanks, Tom and all other contributors to Stuff !)
I have my first entries to the list, but many more are needed to make it a reliable
information source.
I would really appreciate any information on discs that have turned out bad,
but also on those that have stayed in perfect condition.
Most important of course is the laserrot problem, but also excessive line noise,
hiss etc. is 'welcome'!
What I need is the title, producer (e.g. AnimEigo, Toho...), manufacturing date,
manufacturer (if e.g. Pioneer, also if American or Japanese pressing), catalogue/
identification no, serial no if available and what errors (as specific as possible
- what side, chapter)
All this will allow me to also create a profile of each manufacturer and
producer and will make it easier to verify data with other fan's
experiences, so I can tell if all discs of a title, or just one batch, were bad.
The list will mention if a disc has been confirmed (checked & doublechecked)
to be bad/good or if any persistant rumors about it's quality exist.
Once I have a reasonable amount of data, and if it's ok with everyone, I'll
post the list here. I'll also upload it on venice. Any contributor will receive
a copy by e-mail (if you don't want this, please mention it with your contribution -
the list may be quite large).
I hope many of you will send in information; that's the only way this list can
be of any value !
Please put '=QL=' in as first characters in your subject line, so I can sort
them out quicker.
BTW, info on bad American and European tapes is also welcome.
Thanks in advance !
Jeroen <st...@alpha.luc.ac.be>
PS : a while ago someone posted here saying he had a bad NukuNuku disc. I no
longer have his address. Would he please write me ?
PPS : for all those Eurotaku's : the infamous Robotech movie (yes, the Macek-massacre
of Megazone !) on PAL disc rots while you watch ! Instant justice -_^ !
(and NO, I did NOT buy this disc ! It came free with my first LD player.)
Starbuck
email it to me.
Steve
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited by Steve Pearl- Moderator, rec.arts.anime.info
Email submissions to anime...@remus.rutgers.edu and questions about the
newsgroup to anime-inf...@remus.rutgers.edu
K R Maxson
>
>I use the Japanese "Animation Laserdisc Complete Catalogue'93" as a basis for
>titles, catalogue no's etc. I don't have such a catalogue for American discs.
>
This isn't related to the main thrust of your post, and I hope you will
forgive me: But I am wondering where you got a hold of the LD Complete
Catalog? I've been trying to get a recent Japanese LD catalog for several
months, but have been stymied by all available sources in the United
States (Nikaku, Books Nippan, Yaohan, and so forth). I'd appreciate
any information (especially ordering information!) that you could give me.
Jeroen Croux
The response to my post on bad LD's isn't what I'd call overwhelming.
I can only repeat that only with a lot of fans 'sharing their misery'
this list can be of any value. That it can be of value, even for those
buying only new releases is shown in a very sad example (get out your
mourning outfits and hankies).
BTW could someone reading this NOT via the anime-l ML confirm this to me
as my newsreader doesn't seem to get these posts. (I can only read with my
newsreader - I have to post through anime-l)
I e-mailed Tom Mitchell of Anime Stuff to ask him about bad LD's. He's
been reviewing LD's for a long time in Stuff and has a large collection.
He had a very sad (IMHO) contribution for the list :
All three laserdiscs of Video Girl Ai are rotting like hell, according to
many warnings on Compuserve (;_;)
Tom is checking if there's been a new pressing since, without rot this time.
My thanks to Tom and his friends of Anime Stuff.
I'll keep you posted on the results of their inquiry..
I was planning on buying them. Where am I going to get Amano Ai from now ? <sob>
(I hoped she'd jump out when played on my defective Sony LD player - my video
is working fine. Damn!)
Seriously, though, if even some of these new, modern pressings still have rot
problems, I think I've proven my case that a bad LD list is worthwhile.
So, PLEASE report your rotted discs, hissing audiotracks etc. !!
Jeroen (pronounced 'ierun', not 'djero-en', thank you very much !)
<st...@alpha.luc.ac.be>
occupation : Eurotaku (selling Macs on the side)
PS : as I now get 250+ mails a day with all those ML's, please remember
to put '=QL=' as first part of your subject line when you're sending your
information.
Jeroen Croux
K R Maxson <max...@cerl.uiuc.edu> wrote :
I post a copy of my reply here as it might interest others.
I ordered it at OCS in Brussels. OCS is a Japanese courier service (Overseas
Courier Service), but some offices also have a Japanese bookshop.
Here are the phone no's for San Francisco, L.A. and N.Y.. (There are many more
offices - look in the yellow pages if these are too far away) Ask them about
the nearest OCS bookshop.
San Fr. : (415) 931 03 96/97/98 ; L.A. : (213) 322 09 50 ; N.Y. (212) 599 45 02/20 -
this is the Head Office. (Thanks to Veerle of OCS Brussels for supplying these
numbers - and for patiently fulfilling all those crazy demands for info of this here
Eurotaku).
As for the catalogue, it's published by the same folks (didn't have time to translate
name and address) who publish 'Laserdisc Review', a Japanese quarterly magazine
that lists all (new) laserdiscs, with a chapter dedicated to anime.
Basically, the catalogue is a color compilation (and with lots more info)
of these chapters.
The first Anime catalogue was from '92, for the 10th anniversary of LD
(that's what it said on the cover). I haven't seen any ads for a '94 version yet.
(hope they have not discontinued this catalogue)
The '93 version lists all releases up to 10-92. I use my LD Review's for more recent
releases, along with Anime-V. You can subscribe to LD Review. They present new
LD's with a BW cover picture and basic data, organised by quarter. Older LD's,
e.g. of last year, are listed without pictures. Each issue costs about 600 yen,
but prices vary as do the issues : once or twice a year it's an extra thick
issue listing all LD's available, including old ones. The new LD's and those of
the year before are with, the older ones without pictures.
I use the Animation Complete Catalogue as an easy reference archive.
It's about comic-book sized, 223 pages. There are chapters for :
Original Animation (OAV), Animation on Theater, Animation on TV,
Foreign Animation, SFX on TV (Ultraman etc.), Variety (music clips) and For
Reserved People Only (all those limited edition boxes). This takes up the first
73 pages and is presented on glossy paper with color pictures of the covers and
basic data (title,publisher,duration,catalogue no, price...)
The next 110 pages are BW on normal paper with more details on every title
(no pictures). The last pages are lists of Directors, Picture/Paint Supervisors,
Character Design, Mechanic Design and Voices Actor, Actress with their works
(e.g. for a director, all titles in this catalogue he/she directed are listed
below his/her name) All in Japanese, mind you.
The '93 catalogue is ISBN4-06-206204-6 C0074 P1800E (0) and costs 1800 yen. It
may be out of print as the '94 version should come out soon (hopefully).
I'm currently putting all this into a database as a framework
for the laserrot data. It's still a long way from completion as my reading
Japanese is sloooow. I'd venice-upload it as ASCII text file (if people
are interested) but I'm not sure about copyright. Anyone care to enlighten me ?
For now, I'll do a search service for anyone looking for e.g. the catalogue no
of a title. (as long as I don't get hundreds of questions - I still want
an hour of sleep a day, you know ^_^)