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Anime

Spriggan Released On DVD 145

Posted by michael from the shoot-em-up dept.
Raiyu writes "Spriggan, scheduled for DVD release on 04/23/2002, has been released early and is available at many local retailers now (Got my copy today). Supervised by Katsuhiro Otomo (Of Akira Fame) and directed by newcomer Hirotsugu Kawasaki, this is perhaps the best pure action anime made to date. Although criticized by some for lacking a strong plot, Spriggan still stands as an amazing anime because it never loses its focus, to entertain the audience." If they had edited out a couple minutes of the cackling laughter from the psychic child, it would have been superior movie. Looks like AnimeonDVD already has a full review of the disk.
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Spriggan Released On DVD More

Spriggan Released On DVD

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  • It is possible that Spriggan was released in Australia already. However even in Australia it took time to actually be released !!!.

    For those wondering what it is about, it has something to do with "Noah's Arc".

    Is'nt the "Manga" (comic book form) called "Striker" ??

  • Slashdotter #1: ANIME DVD GOOD!
    Slashdotter #2: MPAA BAD!

    Well... which one's it gonna be, boys?
    • Well, considering that ADV is _not_ a member of the MPAA, does it really come up in this case?
      • Actually, ADV [advfilms.com] have more redeeming qualities to them than just not being an MPAA member. I own a couple of their DVD's, which imported from the USA - so at first, I was expecting them to give me a load of trouble in my (region 2) DVD player.

        However, as I soon found out, the discs were region 0 (as in, no region coding) and I were able to watch (and rip, cough cough) them all with a minimum of fuss. I don't know if ADV still sells their DVD's w/o region coding, but if they do, more power to them.

        If anyone cares, the discs were Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 [advfilms.com] 1 through 4 and the first Slayers [advfilms.com] movie (which is even funnier dubbed than subbed fsr).
    • easy... the MPAA has nothing to do with Anime DVDs
      • While it is the case here, and for many other companies, there are Anime's published by MPAA members. IIRC, columbia tristar, the publishers of the Metropolis DVD, is a MPAA member... Is there a good list of companies and their MPAA affiliation, and, optionally, DVD policies with regards to region coding and CSS?
    • Whenever there is mention of a movie coming out on /., someone invariably posts the exact same message. I'm glad to see other people are sick of it too. It was funny the first 8 times, folks.

      • The problem is that buying DVDs/CDs gives more money to the lobbying machines.

        Not buying DVDs/CDs creates the "10% loss of business due to Napster" phenomenon we're seeing. Even if the real culprit is bad economy or boycotts.

        Every time you buy a CD or DVD, mark it down on a piece of paper. At the end of each month (or quarter or year or whatever), send $5 per tick mark to the EFF. Let them do the lobbying as well, and you can sleep well at night.
    • This is still insightful? Come on, someone says this on EVERY story that mentions DVD.. come up with an original idea, you karma whore!
    • Both! As many have pointed out, ADV is:
      a) not a member of MPAA
      b) usually does *not* CSS DVDs.
      c) usually does *not* region code discs.
      What does this mean? Well for one, people can have both viewponts and not be hypocrtical, and two, by supporting companies like this with your money rather than giving lobbying/campaign contribution money to the MPAA, you express your preference in non-bastard companies. I would like a site that lists major DVD distributors and their styles and MPAA affilation. It would be cool to explicitly select products only if they are good and by a pro fair use company.

  • Helpful Links (Score:5, Informative)

    by Davak ( 526912 ) on Sunday April 14, 2002 @08:13PM (#3340849) Homepage

    Movie Site [sprigganthemovie.com]
    animetric.com review [animetric.com]
    Rambles Review [rambles.net]
    AniWorlds Review [aniworlds.com]
    Animeondvd Review of DVD [animeondvd.com]

    I had to study a bit to figure out what the big deal was regarding Spriggan... Hope you find these sites useful as well.

    Davak

  • trailer for the curious (Score:5, Informative)

    by f00zbll ( 526151 ) on Sunday April 14, 2002 @08:14PM (#3340856)
    trailer [sprigganthemovie.com] for those who want to see. I haven't seen the movie, but trailer looks interesting.
  • " Looks like AnimeonDVD already has a full review of the disk. "

    Just for those who don't know, disK is for magnetic media, and disC is for optical media.

    -kwishot
  • Or did I see "Springer" instead? Man, you got my hopes up for an anime version of Jerry Springer.

    Just IMAGINE what hilarity would ensue if an animated version of Jerry Springer existed.
    • Jerry: Ok, let's meet Ellie-Mae!
      Audience: SLUT! SLUT! SLUT! SLUT!
      Ellie-Mae: Oh, *beep* you, you buncha *beep*in' *beep* *beep* *beeeep*!
      Daisy-Sue: You slut! You're trying to steal my man! WHITE TRASH ... REDNECK ... TRANSFORM!
      *half-naked transformation sequence involving ugly, fat white woman with missing teeth*
      Daisy-Sue: Take this! YaaaaaaaaRGH!
      *Akira Toriyama style energy attack*
      Ellie-Mae: AAAH! *goes flying across the stage*
    • Have you seen the "Senshi on Springer" anime music video?

      Doki Doki Productions [fiction.org] (scroll down a bit)

    • there was, on the simpsons. the episode about how maggie was concieved.

      it included the giant green alien dudes, uninteligible audience members, zapping the entire audience, and jerry's final thoughts
  • Before I watched Spriggan, I had read reviews that said it had a thin plot. I have to agree the plot was light, but not as light as I had heard and the artwork was great. Even the English dubbing was very good. A few scenes seemed to be disconnected and a few spots were predictable. All in all it was worth the price of the DVD.

  • MPAA? Don't think so (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 14, 2002 @09:53PM (#3341155)
    I don't suppose it would be worth pointing out those crying about the MPAA everytime something is posted about DVDs that the MPAA has very, very little to do with the various anime companies. The company that produced the Spriggan DVD is called A.D. Vision, and is known to leave their DVDs unencrypted except in the rare cases that they are required to because of their license. The company doesn't even use union voice actors for the dubs, instead using local actors who are apparently the equal of any in the industry.

    Well, I guess they are involved here a little bit. Spriggan recieved an 'R' rating for the theatrical release from the MPAA. Am I missing any other way they might be involved?
    • I'm not sure it is worth pointing out the fallacy of arguments made by MPAA haters. Hatred is generally NOT lucid, and the arguments for holding hatred fall apart after a while. Plus, I'm not expecting a lot of intelligence from Slashdot posters on some crusade, particularly when they don't bother to research their facts any more than they pull them out of their arse.
  • Spriggan the movie is based on a manga (japanese comic), which was originally translated and published domestically as "Striker" (just as it was in japan), the name was later changed to "Spriggan". The basic premise is that the main character is a failed experiment to create a "Berserker" ("friendly" ultra-powerful killing machines) and now works for the local Big Group Protecting the world retrieving technologically advanced artifacts that could destroy the world if they fall into the wrong hands. Not very deep, but that doesn't keep it from being entertaining.

    The movie takes place in the middle of the series and I'm not sure why they chose that part, but the story is simple enough that with some filling in the audience can easily understand what's going.

  • Best Anime Action To Date?!? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by peter_gzowski ( 465076 ) on Sunday April 14, 2002 @10:59PM (#3341335) Homepage
    I disagree. I heard the hype, and managed to catch the film a while back in Toronto. I was intensely disappointed despite expecting nothing other than eye candy. It was entertaining, but to say it's in the same league as Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, or Castle of Cagliostro (other mainly action anime films), is a mistake. And far be it from me to complain about anime news on /. (I'm all for it), there have been more anime DVD releases that were a MUCH bigger deal than Spriggan. The biggest deal is Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade [jin-roh.net]. Highly recommended (at least by me).
    • The story is awful. Noah's Ark? Come on! At least they didn't trot out Roswell like Lain did (which qualifies as the biggest missed opportunity in anime, IMHO).

      Erich von Däniken could have come up with a better story. Hell, Joseph Smith or Shirley MacLaine could have come up with better stories (for that matter, they _did_ come up with better stories).

      Ron L. Hubbard (another "great" storyteller) and Hirotsugu Kawasaki should get together for their next effort, and they might improve the story. Granted, Ron would have to be communicating from beyond the grave, but Xenu might be able to arrange that!
    • I agree with your disagreement. :-) I found
      "Spriggan" a standard mainstream anime -
      it combines many stock elements of Japanimation,
      but it doesn't add anything new to it.
    • Spriggan is among the worst anime I've ever seen. Not the worst, but in the bottom 20%. If you really liked both Ninja Scroll and Akira then maybe you'll think Spriggan is acceptable. Maybe.

      A few anime that I'd actually recommend, and their genres, listed best to worst (but they're all good):

      Dragon Half (comedy)
      Ayashi no Ceres / Ceres! Celestial Legend (romance, action)
      Trigun (action, comedy)
      Noir (action, music, inconsistent plot, but very nice)
      Rurouni Kenshin OAVs / Samurai X OAVs (bloody action & romance, with a historical theme)
      note: The OAVs for Kenshin are VERY different from the TV series
      Utena (weird... I've only seen the TV series)
      Ghost in the Shell (a classic... themed, action)
      Ah! My Goddess / Aa! Megami-sama (romance)
      New Angel (porn)
      Record of Lodoss War (D&D, like LOTR)

      note: "/" is used for anime that have multiple names

  • Also on the 23rd... (Score:2, Informative)

    by WoodenBoy ( 553109 )
    Metropolis [animeondvd.com] is also coming out on the 23rd.

    Non-anime, but animated and also being released on the 23rd is Batman: The Animated Series Vol 1, the Justice League movie, and Transformers Season 1 Box Set.

    So little time...
  • Should this story have been on the front page? It has been up for several hours, and there are not a significant amount of comments on it, and none that are highly rated. Granted, the editors may be very interested in anime as a general subject, but it seems to me that it shouldn't be on the front page. There are subtopics for a reason.
    • ..who think anime sucks. I like certain types of music, but I don't log on to slashdot to find out when my favorite band's album is coming out.
    • I've been using slashdot on an almost daily basis for probably a bit over 3 years. You only just informed me that not everything is posted onto the front page. All this time, and I assumed that all new topics in the sections I wished to see were displayed front page.

      To be perfectly honest, I'm kinda pissed now as I wonder how much interesting stuff that I've selected I'm interested in, I've actually missed :(
  • Yes, I want the movie. No-one seems to have it.
  • I love how slashdot completely ignores the fact that the poster's copy is illegal, and the retailer should be (and probably will be) fined for selling it early.
    • Illegal? Not hardly. Anime has almost never had a hard street date unlike Hollywood titles. Practically ever anime title is a soft street date as well as many independent and small studios. Retailers will almost never get fined for selling discs early. Anime companies want to avoid antagonizing retailers. Besides, it's a sale and generates even more early buzz for said title.
  • First, I heard about Princess Mononoke, and then Cowboy Bebop (by way of Adult Swim)... now Spriggan... cheers to /. for turning me on to more and more cool anime :) (You guys don't get points for Evangelion, I managed to hear about that one one my own.)

    ------
    Tired of those roadside spam signs? Tell them to get a damn job! [cafepress.com]
    • The sad thing is that by the time I hear mention of an anime on slashdot I have already seen it and passed on to new and better things (not always both at the same time). I would love to be able to get Japanese TV piped to my house but I just don't have that option here. So, instead I have to use my bandwidth to see if something is good or not. Last peice of anime that I cared about its US release was Jin-Roh, everything else I have already either seen and purchased import or just totally didn't care about it. For those of you who are really into the anime scene and want to see the anime that is supposed to be good before it gets licensed over here I suggest that you check out fansubs. A good reference for fansubs would be: http://www.fansubs.net forgive my lack of using HTML for it but I don't know the tags needed to make that act like a link so just copy and paste or retype it.
    • Well in case you haven't heard of them yet I'd also recommend (In no particular order): 'Serial Experiments Lain', Trigun, FLCL and Inu-Yasha. Those are all fairly action oriented. For cute stuff it's hard to beat 'Love Hina', although I guess 'Ah! My Goddess' is there as well. (Though the serie is a bit too cute for my taste, the movie was more, reasonable. ;-)
  • I was in my local video store the other day (Suspect Video for all your Toronto folk) .. and they had a copy of Spriggan on sale .. not the import but rather the North American dubbed release.

    After hearing so much about it .. but holding off buying it on Ebay .. I snatched it up immediately. Purchased a 2L bottle of Coca~Cola .. some Nachos .. hot salsa .. anyways ..

    THIS MOVIE IS OVERHYPED .. There are some cool scenes thoughout the movie .. but THIS IS NOT A GREAT movie. The animation wasn't spectacular like it was hyped up to be - especially near the end .. the story was weak at best .. and character development was next to none. The kids voice was annoying .. too many plot holes .. not enough Spriggan .. not enough Valkyries ..
  • when I first saw the trailer for it, I thought 'awesome, it looks like an anime that's a cross between metal gear solid and akira'...then I watched it, and unfortunately, that's all it is...the villains are almost exact replicas of those appearing in MGS, and the plot tries to take a 'blow your mind, wtf is happening, psycho-trip turn like akira, except it doesn't do either as well. If you already own MGS and akira, I'd suggest watching the MGS cut scenes, and then akira instead of buying/watching this anime, you'll be much better off.

    Granted the animation/art isn't bad, but I had to force myself to sit through it. The only way I managed was by devising a little game with my roomate where we would take turns guessing which element from MGS or Akira they would throw up into the movie next.

    If you are unfortunate enough to watch or buy this dvd, pay close attention when it brings up the 'data file' on our protagonist...along with the usual info (birthdate, blood type, country of origin, etc) you'll notice there's a field for 'eye slant', and his is 'extreme'...or something to that effect
  • "Although criticized by some for lacking a strong plot..."

    This is actually the reason this DVD will not be in my collection. Granted, the plot is well beyond that of most hollywood movies, but it doesn't even approach the level of the rest of my collection (containing Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Evangelion, Lain, etc...).

    What I see this as being is a good way to get that not-quite-bright-enough-to-grasp-Ghost-in-the-Shel l friend to watch some anime.
  • did anyone notice that the two prime American Met-Core soldiers are named "Fat Man" and "Little Boy", and that the American general is a psychotic child? Methinks someone is still a bit sore for a certain U.S. event during World War II......

    I'm not sure if I want to say "get over it" or if there's something that needs to be more careful picked through

    thoughts?
    -shpoffo
  • I have a copy of Spriggan on DVD. I've had it for almost a year now. Mind you, I don't think there's an English track, but I've never looked for one.

    Is the new one a new release for different markets? I got this one direct from Hong Kong.

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