I was wondering if there's any protocol or qualifications on which older series get a blu-ray version "classic" like Chobits, Slayers season 4/5, YuYu, and Ouran High.
I'd love to see an HD version of Last exile and Kaleido Star.
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Anything that sells well. It's not a coincidence that the titles you listed received a Blu-ray release, they are among the most popular anime around these parts. (All I have is FLCL, but I'd also like to get Ouran one of these days.)
FUNi was planning on releasing Last Exile on BD, but I think that fell through due to it being too close to the Japanese release; maybe that's why Fam was pushed back, to make room for another release of LE.
Since Kaleido Star is part of the S.A.V.E. line, it will not be getting a Blu-Ray released.
The "Classics" line is really just " Old shows we've saved from other companies /What sells the best for Funimation" line, if it was a TRUE classics line then garbage like Master Of Martial Hearts wouldn't be in it! And Casshern Sins, BECK, and Welcome To THe N.H.K. would be.
As for something getting a Blu-Ray release, depends on multiple factors, what all do Funi's rights entail, and is there one in Japan, if not is it possible to upscale it without losing money, etc, etc & so on.
All Will Know The Wonder Of My Dark & Jewled Sky, When All The World Is Wrapped In An Eternal Lullabye.
It's supposed to be series that Funimation feels best represents a given genre. Also, a classics release doesn't mean a blu-ray. For example, Haibane Renmei is DvD only. I know because I would buy the sh*t out of that blu-ray.
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.
I believe they look at standout series in their respective genres, but we must face facts, they also look at the sales figures which explains how a unanimously disliked anime like Master of Martial Hearts ( I know I didn't like it) getting the "classic" title. However, when I look at things more objectively, I can understand why many of the other series in the "classic" line are there.
I'm really unsure as to how they decide to have a bluray/DVD release or just a bluray release.
Thankfully I picked up a few favorites in this "classic" series on bluray for a fair price; Chobits, Samurai Champloo and GunGrave, however, they never did make a bluray release for Texhnolyze ( a bluray would be nice) or Last Exile (one I started but never did get around to finishing). As I said, I really don't know how they go about determining if a particular series gets a bluray release.
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@Renzokuken: Then it might as well be called "Notable titles of that genre" instead of classics. Seriously I talked with Rojas in person about that line and how inaccurate it is (such as why they put Master of Martial Hearts on that line), and Rojas replied that "One man's trash is another man's treasure", but to me, sometimes, one man's trash is another man's gar-bitch. They might as well get rid of the classics line and replace it with something like "Funimation's Greatest Hits" or something similar.
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I dunno, is "terribad" a genre? I'd say Martial Hearts is a standout there
Don't yell at me, I didn't put it on the box.
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.
I agree with this statement 100%, and I understand where he is coming from, as a business, it is the obligation Funimation has to their customers to approach everything they work on with this ethic and concentrate on making the best possible product. As fans and armchair critics, as demonstrated on this forum, we all have differing opinions of our favorite animes.
However, when I think of a title on a movie or an anime carrying the "classic" diction on it I think it needs to meet two requirements:
1. It needs to be very well received by fans, or a strong following, you mention Samurai Champloo, Chobits, Lost Exile or Haibane Renmei, not only are these animes loved by many fans, but many of them are on the fans favorite list somewhere - in other words, the fans like these animes a lot. What this implies are strong sales for these titles, may not be the case 100% of the time, but many still do well.
2. Critical acclaim - as much as I dislike snot nose arrogant elitists attitudes, some their lists have some good titles to sift through. However, once again, what I'm getting at here is when something gets a positive review most of the time. Just as I mentioned with how a title is well received by fans, it also has strong following among critics.
I tend to think of it this way, some of the older academy award winners, material like Gladiator, Beautiful Mind, King's Speech and most of all Forest Gump are great movies. Everyone, fans and critics alike say a lot of good regarding these movies, it's rare for me to hear someone put any of these movies down, come to think of it, I have not met a single person who dislikes Forest Gump.
And this is what makes these movies so great, they have depth and significance for people who want more from their visual entertainment, but at the same time, these movies are accessable to the common person for their enjoyment. Basically, these movies are very inclusive, and that is a very challenging thing to do as an artist of any kind; find that medium to make something intelligent and deep, but at the same time accessable, to me that deserves merit.
This is why series such as FMA, Evangelion, Shiki or Puella Magi Madoka Magica would deserve this title when looked at objectively - and while I wasn't to partial to PMMM, I'm very aware it has a very strong fan following, lots of critical praise and most importantly it's accessable and entertaining - anybody can watch it and enjoy it, it's the exact same reason I'm quite passionate about both FMA series or Shiki.
Staying objective, it's the exact same reason some of my personal favorites I feel very strongly about wouldn't qualify, say Speed Grapher, Queen's Blade, Tatami Galaxy or Fractale which all have mixed reviews and a loyal but small fanbase for once main reason; these animes alienate many people for different reasons. These reasons are relevant as I understand why people may be turned off by these animes - Some people don't care for the art style in some of them, ecchi animes aren't their thing, or the story has a very bizzare or unorthadox presentation or narrative. That's not implying these animes lack intelligence, good storytelling/character development, or any relation to real life philosophy, but it's quite plain to see they are not for everyone.
Well you know an anime is bad when the target audience it was intended for reject it - at least from everyone I talked to. And I understand animes like Ikkitousen aren't your thing, and that's fine, that's your opinion and you have every right and freedom to such an opinion, but where I stand with MOMH is I would liken it to a B-grade Ikkitousen - a cheap imitation brought about to capitalize on the fighting girl ecchi gravy train. And honestly, I could only made it through two episodes of MOMH before abandoning it. It just wasn't fun to watch, it was quite boring.
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I'm not sure I'd say NGE or Madoka Magica are all that accessible. I think general genre familiarity is required to really get the full experience out of it. I guess any anime fan would know enough about Super Robots or Magical Girls, but they definitely aren't something I'd show a total newbie.
To me the term "classic" just refers to something that's proven to be timeless. Something that people who haven't even it seen would recognize or at least have heard of. For example, Schindler's List or to use one of your examples, Forest Gump, are now 20 years old(scary, isn't it?). But people still talk about them. People still claim them among the best Hollywood has to offer. Congress has acknowledged them both as being "culturally significant" and admitted them to the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress. So then, what would the anime equivalent of that be? Certainly FMA and NGE. Cowboy Bebop or most of the Ghibli films, probably. I'd give Madoka Magica a few more years, though I think it will get there. Shiki, while criminally underrated, probably doesn't have the mass recognition.
I'm not really sure where I was going with that, just rambling off some thoughts I guess.
I just don't understand why Martial Hearts exists. I mean, I get why Ikkitousen and Queens Blade exist. I don't see the appeal personally, but I can understand it. Martial Hearts is just so mean spirited and soulless, even for its genre. The ending alone is just trying so hard to be dark and edgy that its just kind of becomes uncomfortable, or at least more uncomfortable than it already was.
Again, I'm kinda rambling off topic...
Don't forget. Always, somewhere, someone is fighting for you.
As long as you remember Her, you are not alone.