Aniplex of USA have announced that they have re-secured the North American rights to the Gurren Lagann TV series, and plans to re-release the series via two different formats. The company already owned the rights to the two feature-length movie versions of the series.
The series will be re-released on DVD in a set featuring the entire TV series (in English and Japanese), an 'unaired' episode, two soundtrack CDs, a 36-page-booklet, a double-sided poster, a 12-post card set, and two stickers of Kamina's quotes. Video extras will include a 3D test animation footage, staff interviews, the 'Yoko Goes to Gainax' video, amongst other extras. The DVD box is set to be released on May 9th, at a price of $174.98.
The Blu-ray box set however will be an import of the same Blu-ray set due to come out in June in Japan. The set will include the TV series in both Japanese and English, both movies (which only exist in Japanese form, but will have English subtitles), and various extras. The set will include 10 Blu-ray discs and 5 CDs, amongst a variety of other 'exciting' extras. This Blu-ray set will cost $669.98 MSRP.
If this news report sounds a little more sterile than most of my other ones, it's because I am thoroughly un-excited by this news. I already have the TV series via the Anime Legends set from Bandai thankfully, but the very idea that Aniplex is hiking up prices this badly (something they're known for) makes me see red. I am truly livid.
For those that don't know, this kind of pricing is pretty standard practice in Japan, where actually owning a copy of a show isn't something most 'regular' people do, it's more for the extremely hardcore fans. That sentiment isn't shared in the US however, so for Aniplex to try and use the same marketing strategy over here is insane. Pardon my French, but Aniplex can kiss my ass - even if I didn't already own the series, there would be no way in hell I'd pay that much for this series, no matter how good it is.
I highly urge everyone to vote with their wallets however. Try and find copies of the Bandai releases of the series and buy those, rather than doing anything illegal, because then Aniplex will have absolutely no power or right to complain about your way of getting the series. This is a great series, but no series should cost your first-born child to own it.
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