Good sources for Japanese R2 disks? (1 Viewer)

[JohnAD]

Hey all:
This is my first post, so bear with me . I will be getting a region-free player in about a week, and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good, legitimate source for Japanese region 2 DVDs. I already know about CD Japan and Fujisan.com and I have no desire to get bootlegs, which is what yesasia.com seems to have. Most of the region 2 sites I've seen seem to cater to European disks. Thanks in advance.
John.

 

[Peter Jue]

Amazon Japan is a reliable retailer for Japanese R2 DVD's. Use CDJapan to search for DVD's in english and use the catalogue numbers that they provide at Amazon Japan's DVD search box to order DVD's. CDJapan charges an extra ~5% tax for each DVD while Amazon does not.

HMV Japan is another good source because they have an English language option that makes it easier to search for DVD's. However, their shipping option is more expensive since they only use Fedex for international orders and charge an extra packing fee.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

John

YesAsia carries the HK versions of titles. Occasionally they have some boots slip thru, but they usually pull them. They are 98% legit in my experience.

The 5% extra that they charge at CD Japan is to cover the credit card charges, which are ludicrous in Japan. You do get your package much faster in my experience than from amazon

 

[JohnAD]

Jeff:

Well, when I see pages and pages of disks priced at 10.99 US, for movies that usually go for ~50, I tend to get suspicious.

One thing I did notice about CD Japan is that their customer service could use improving. I ordered a CD from them a couple of months back, which turned out to be on back-order (there was no indication that this was the case). It took several emails back and forth to get this information, and then several more to get the status when it took over two months without word from them. They did finally get it to me. I know other people have had better luck with them, so I'm certainly willing to order from them again, but I will definitely make sure that what I order is in stock.

John.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

John, I agree But $10-12 is the average price for a movie in Hong Kong (don't forget, the HK$ is NOTHING compared to the yen in international strength. Most Hollywood flicks do go for the same basic price
The real problem is that the HK companies HAVE to compete wit hthe bootleggers, so they have to keep prices low.
Keep in mind. Often the Japanese disc will be 5.1 and 16:9, and the HK disc will not be (5.1 yes, but not anamorphic). The Japanese disc is virtually ALWAYS of superior quality.

 

[JohnAD]

Jeff:

Exactly. Also, often the print will not be as good, or it will be Pan & Scan vs. Widescreen. I'd much rather pay the extra money to get the better version.

An interesting note on bootlegs:

I recently visited Toronto with my wife to see her parents. One of the days we were there, we went to this Chinese mall (all of the stores were Chinese/asian goods). A number of the stores were selling bootleg DVSs for about $10 canadian. A number of the disks were for movies that hadn't been legitimately released in R1 yet, such as Jin-Roh. Even better, some of them were labeled as 'Superbit', even for disks that weren't released by Columbia. Gotta love the chutzpah, even if they're doing stupid stuff.

John.

 

[Chris Xolotl]

Skip HK versions of Japanese films.

CDJapan is the best way to go for authentic Japanese R2 NTSC DVDs. I got mine within 7 days

 

[Peter Jue]

Almost forgot:b If you're going to order over $200 (which is pretty easy to do with Japanese DVD's ) try www.amotokyo.com. They offer free shipping if you order over $200. They are definitely more anime oriented, but they do have a growing Japanese movie list and they can special order just about anything that you want. They might not have the best grasp of English, but they do have excellent customer service.

 

[JohnAD]

Chris:

I just wish their customer service (see above) was better. Now if I could only find authentic Japanese versions of Juzo Itami's movies, I'd be set. I refuse to purchase Fox Lorber disks at all, especially since their versions of Itami's films are pan & scan (except for Tampopo, which I already have).

John.

 

[JohnAD]

Peter:
I took a look at their site; very interesting. They seem to have a fairly good collection of TV series. They had the full version of Love Revolution, which I got to see here on the International Channel. Well, as soon as I get my new player, I'll have to start saving for 'em .
John.