Laserdiscs are still cool
November 2009
In the 90's when I was getting into anime, the fans with money had shelves of anime on laserdiscs. Back in the nostalgic days of the Anime Archive BBS in Phoenix, we'd have get-togethers once a month and watch fansubs. The man who hosted the get-togethers had rows and rows of raw imported anime laserdiscs on his shelves, and we'd all drool over them. He used these as masters as he made fan subtitles on his MacIntosh computer for distribution. I don't care what some people say about how they think that fansubs are responsible for the decline in the anime industry. If it weren't for fansubs, I wouldn't have purchased all the titles I own. It was how I was initially exposed to Miyazaki movies, Irresponsible Captain Taylor, Kimagure Orange Road, Patlabor, Macross the Movie, and so many other titles I now own in my collection. So in the 90's, a laserdisc collection plus a MacIntosh or an Amiga computer meant awesome fansubs, for which I am grateful. However, I didn't start collecting laserdiscs until a friend of mine gave me his hand-me-down LD player a few years back.
So anyway, here's my LD collection! Click the images for closeups. Yes, I love space opera anime!
Macross: The movie (import)
Toward The Terra
Sol Bianca
Gal Force 1-3
Area 88 1-3
Project A-Ko
Urusei Yatsura movies 1 and 2
My import box sets of Dirty Pair and Future Boy Conan
Here's all of the laserdiscs in the Dirty Pair collection.
Oh yeah, and check out the stellar artwork on the back of the Dirty Pair box set of their spaceship:
Unfortunately, DVD box sets can't come close to the laserdisc's presentation afforded by their larger size. The booklets in both of my box sets are full of beautiful artwork and character designs printed on large pages. Very nice.
UPDATE!
Here's Macross: Flashback 2012. I'd bought this LD sometime after I originally made this page.
UPDATE JULY 2013!
GOD BLESS THE MACHINE! ....Assuming the machine is a giant robot named Dancougar with a sneezing problem. This is my recent LaserDisc box set acquisition, the God Bless the Machine: Dancougar (originally went by the name of Dancougar Mellencamp in the early '80s, but since shortened it to Dancougar) LD box set 1. This includes 4LDs comprising the TV series episodes 1-20, plus a 5th LD with music clips and the Dancougar movie. I paid only 2,000 yen for these on YAJ, yay-ah!
I also recently scored the Gundam Movies LD box set for only 100 yen! Shipping was 900 yen. As always, you can click the images for closer looks.
The front looks snazzy.
The three Gundam movie trilogy LDs just come in sleeves, but Char's Counterattack has its own cover.
Here's the back of the box and Char's Counterattack.
UPDATE JULY 2014!
Say what you like about Macross II, but both the artwork and Valkyrie designs are pretty amazing. It's actually been a long time since I've ever seen Macross II, but for only 100 yen each, I couldn't resist snagging all six of these at the Hard Off in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
UPDATE MAY 2015!
I managed to get Yamato 2520 LDs from YAJ. The animation is fantastic late '80s-style SF anime quality. Unfortunately the rights were not properly secure before this OVA went into production, so only 3 episodes were made of it. I have yet to find LD 3 for sale. LD 0 is a "making of", including interviews with mechanical designer Syd Mead.
UPDATE MARCH 2022!
Devil Hunter Yohko!
Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko
Check out the music I've been listening to a lot lately in the next chapter of Greg's Life. Or not... it's a free country.
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