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Pioneer Entertainment's panel at Anime Expo had fans packing a large
room for news of the company's plans to release Fushigi Yuugi. But, first
they got word of an unexpected change in the company's release strategy.
Ironically, the company that pioneered the laser disc is dropping that
format in the U.S. in favor of the new DVD. "With the advent of the DVD
market, laser discs have dropped drastically," said Kevin Chu of Pioneer.
"We would like to continue laser discs but the cost-profit figures make
it impractical." |
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A fan at the panel begged Pioneer marketing director Chad Kime for
more laser discs, saying "Please take my money." Kime's response was to
say that Pioneer might continue to sell LD's through their web site, but
store sales look like a thing of the past. Stores in the U.S. are replacing
LD's with DVD's, Kime said. |
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On to the plans for Fushigi Yuugi, the anime version of Yu Watase's
manga, serialized in 52 television episodes. Pioneer will release the first
four episodes on one VHS tape, then release three episodes per tape from
that point forward on a bimonthly schedule. The series will be uncut, but
fans wanted to make sure that the opening and closing credits and music
were untouched. They objected when Chu said he planned to run only one
set of opening and closing credits on each tape! |
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Other notes from Pioneer: new El-Hazard and Magical Girl Pretty Samy
releases are coming to the U.S. in 1999, but the comic book line is finished
because of poor sales, along with new card sets for the Ani-Mayhem game.
Pioneer's biggest sales success may be the Ryo-ohki doll, which has constantly
sold out. Kime said Pioneer ordered a set of the dolls from the manufacturer
in November 1997, and the shipment arrived in the U.S. a few days before
Anime Expo. |
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More Moldiver? Only if production company AIC wants it. The same is
true for the continuation of the Tenchi OVA series, also controlled by
AIC. Chu said Tenchi fans should write AIC if they want more OVA's (a fan
complained that some plot lines had been left unresolved in the OVA series).
What about a subtitled, uncut release of the Dragonball Z series which
Pioneer distributes for Funimation? The other company has no interest in
the as-shown-in-Japan Dragonball, according to Chu. And, as a legacy of
Pioneer's earlier laser disc deal with Viz Communications, Pioneer will
distribute the Pocket Monsters series in the U.S. for Viz. |
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Almost lost in the flood of fan questions about Pioneer video releases
was Lia Sargent, English-language voice actress for Pioneer's dubbed release
of El-Hazard and other shows. "Motoko, Motoko, when did you become a drag
queen," Sargent recited for the panel as an example of one of her favorite
El-Hazard lines. Sargent said she only occasionally listens to the original
Japanese soundtrack of the films she dubs, and then only to get a cue on
the emotions her character should express. She also noted that sometimes
voice actors look just like their animated characters; when Sargent dubbed
Chun-Li, she arrived at the studio with her hair in a headband just like
the characters - and didn't know it until she looked at the artwork for
the first time. |
