Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

The Shochiku X Blu-ray uses the international dub, just as the old R2 DVD did.

I'm not aware of any good fan version that syncs the AI-TV version's Rome-dubbed audio to the film. The AI-TV version exists in pretty good quality on Laserdisc so I think that's where someone should start.

Yup. Export dub. Sounds pretty solid though. Makes me wonder why they bothered with a re-dub when this one is so strong? However, it's kind of ... foreign? I know that sounds stupid, but the white scientist guy (Tommy's archeologist dad in Gamera vs. Jiger!) sounds like a Third Reich doctor, while Lisa has a rather sexy sort of French accent. LOL. More info to follow, but FWIW, the picture is really good. A shame no US-based video company has snapped this up for distribution over here. Gotta get back and finish it up.

That’s awesome that it has an English dub! Does it by any chance have English subtitles too? It’s only ¥2525 on Amazon.co.jp.... hmm...

OK. Having just completed viewing, I can understand why the AIP dub was done. This international track is all over the place in terms of accent. Native Japanese folks have a pretty thick ("stereotypical" - if you will) accent when they attempt to speak English, but this international dub features a mostly clearly Japanese cast speaking with HEAVY European accents. It makes for a bizarre video/audio juxtaposition. I can see why AIP opted for a Titra dub, as they reasonably assumed that many kids (clearly the target audience for this film) would have a difficult time trying to understanding the dialogue. The worst aspect is that the balance between dialogue and music/sound effects is not very level, but I cannot say whether or not the sound levels issue is inherent in the international dub itself, or a merely a negative aspect of this Blu-ray release. On the positive side, the video transfer is amazing! A truly stellar picture, worlds above even the Criterion DVD. My only copy of this film was a dupe of the official home video VHS released decades ago... so this hi-def release is, in comparison, literally night & day. Hopefully Red Menace or some other group of fans will take upon themselves to marry the AIP dub to this hi-def Blu-ray video source.

Watching this super clear version, it really is a shame that Shochiku never dabbled in daikaiju films again. Their level of detail and generally excellent camera work and lighting, etc. are really impressive. Set construction is first rate and the opticals (with the exception of a few poorly-composited shots of Guilala stomping thru cities in the background) are really quite impressive. IMHO, the F/X on display in TXfOS are on par with anything Daiei and even Toho were cranking out during this time period. It's a bummer that the Titra dub wasn't included in this Blu-ray but I'm glad I bought it, nonetheless.

No English subs

On the subject of X's dubs, and a bit of shameless self-promotion, here's an old video I did comparing the two:

Ultra Q blue ray- looks and sounds fantastic, forgot how zany some of the episodes got

Got a real copy today from Amazon:

Ultraman- looks fantastic and the subtitles are way better than the cheesy sometimes dub of the dvd version.

A couple of Criterion titles:


Because it is that time of year to celebrate the Beatles first visit to the US.


Just because, I thought that this would be fitting.

I just purchased Grimm the Complete series on Blu-Ray as well as Shout's recent Prophecy release.

Mermaid: Lake of the Dead
the Church (1989)

My favorite anime series of 2019 finally came out to Blu-Ray and I am sooooooooooo happy Funimation spared not expense on it with 3 minutes of bonus features, no episode listing at all, and stating on the back that it includes a "Special 4 parter," even though it was just 4 episodes that aired back to back.

I gots the good animes.

Got this today:

Swamp Thing (2019) the complete series
White Snake

I love Half-Price Books:





Granted, bookstores and video stores in general are my weakness, but used stores like Half-Price are particularly exciting because it's so much more of a gamble as to what I'll find. I have not seen Animatrix, Lord of the Rings, or Dragonslayer, but I'm pleased to be able to at my convenience now for merely $3-5 each! Ice Age is one I kind of took for granted, being popular and everywhere for quite a while; but apparently the Blu-ray skimps out on special features, so I got a craving to find the special edition DVD set if I wanted to own the movie. Lo and behold, there it was! The Jungle Book seems hard to find on Blu-ray these days, and it's one of my favorites from Disney; so getting it at about $15 here sounded good. Little Shop of Horrors, I've seen before, but not the director's cut - another surprise find for a real bargain price! They actually had season 2 as well for Babylon 5, but I had to compromise eventually; sadly this fine show doesn't seem to have any home video upgrade on the horizon.

I also spent a bit to get this:



Is it a little overpriced? Probably; but A Silent Voice is easily one of my favorite movies now, and Right Stuf did an excellent job with the presentation here. I'm excited to dig into all the special features, physical and digital.

I have a half price books near me. I'll have to check it out, especially now that Dimple ( our chain for used media) has gone out of business.

I find something cool pretty much every time I visit mine; there are a few items I saw this last time that I wish I could have picked up, but circumstances were against me.

I got some old, crummy quality dub only Jackie Chan DVDs from 2nd and Charles because who knows when we'll get better releases?

SSSS Gridman (yeah I said it was too expensive, but I broke down cause I got my tax return) BRD
Infini-T Force BRD
Young Justice Outsiders BRD

Psycho Armor Govarion (should be arriving 2/25 from Rightstuf)
Orb Origin and Return of Ultraman (should be arriving 2/25 from Amazon)

And I'm caught up with my wish list . I mean I still have pre-order items, but I actually have everything that is out, after being behind for nearly 2 years, it's a good feeling.