Anime LaserDiscs Worth Your Time

Between 1983 and 1999, approximately 250 English-friendly anime LaserDiscs were released. While almost all of them have since been re-released on DVD or Blu-ray, there are about three dozen discs which still have some “objective” reason to remain on your shelf. For the sake of simplicity, this list is assuming that in all cases DVD is better than LaserDisc, and LaserDisc is better than VHS, even though there are a number of cases where this is arguably less than true.

3×3 Eyes

A 1991 4-episode OVA from Toei Animation based on the manga of the same name by Yuzo Takada, 3×3 Eyes was quite the popular title in its day, with a number of releases on VHS and LaserDisc from Streamline Entertainment and their distribution partners. Every release of the anime from them featured their in-house produced dub, with the LaserDisc also including Japanese audio (but no subtitles) as an extra. Later, Streamline’s rights to the anime would lapse, and would be picked up by Pioneer for release on VHS and DVD featuring a new dub from New Generation Pictures. As such, this LaserDisc release is the best release featuring the original Streamline-produced dub.

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The Adventures of Captain Future: Volume 1 & 2

A 1978 TV anime from Toei Animation based on the pulp hero by Mort Weisinger and Leo Margulies, this UK-market Adventures of Captain Future LaserDisc features the first 8 (of 53) episodes dubbed into English. One of the very first English-language anime LaserDiscs, and the only one from the United Kingdom on this list, the release was sublicensed from ZIV Entertainment. ZIV had produced the dub, and released the 8 episodes on VHS in the US via Media Home Entertainment and FHE. It is unclear if these episodes were released on VHS in the UK, although the later Harmony Gold-produced compilation film did get a release from MasterVision. While the series has received quite nice DVD and Blu-ray releases in France and Germany, Captain Future never proved popular in English-speaking regions, and this LaserDisc is the best release available.

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Alakazam the Great

A 1960 film from Toei Animation based on the classic novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, Alakazam the Great (or Saiyuki) is the oldest title on this list. Originally adapted into English by American International Pictures, the rights eventually ended up at Orion Pictures. Orion would give the film its first English-language home video releases in 1996 on VHS and LaserDisc, but would soon after declare bankruptcy, with the rights to the film believed to currently be with MGM. While there have been no English-friendly releases of the film since, the film did receive a Japanese DVD release in 2002.

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Ambassador Magma [Vols. 1-6]

A 1993 13-episode OVA from PLEX and Tezuka Productions based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka, Ambassador Magma is the longest title on this list. Spread over 6 volumes, it was initially published by Dark Image Entertainment, a label of U.S. Renditions and L.A. Hero. In 1994, British company Manga Entertainment bought out L.A. Hero in order to establish their American operations, and as such, the final two volumes carried their logo instead. No DVD or Blu-ray release in Japan means that this is currently the best the series looks anywhere in the world.

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Blue Sonnet [Vols. 1-2]

A 1989 5-episode OVA from Mushi Productions, Random, and Tatsunoko based on the manga Crimson Fang Blue Sonnet by Masahiro Shibata, Blue Sonnet holds the distinction as one of only two shoujo anime on this list. No DVD release anywhere means this is the best looking release the anime has, even if it is lacking the UK-exclusive dub produced by Manga Entertainment for VHS.

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Crystal Triangle

A 1987 anime-original OVA from Studio Live, Crystal Triangle has mostly been forgotten by now. While it did receive a Japanese DVD release in 2002, this LaserDisc is the best English-subbed release available.

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Dog Soldier: Shadows of the Past

A 1989 OVA from J.C. Staff and Animate Film based on the manga of the same name by Tetsuya Saruwatari, Dog Soldier is probably best remembered today for its goofy cover art and nonsense plot. No DVD release anywhere means this is the best looking release the anime has, even if it is lacking the dub Central Park Media produced a few years later for VHS.

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Explorer Woman Ray

A 1989 2-episode OVA from AIC and Animate Film based on the manga of the same name by Takeshi Okazaki, Explorer Woman Ray is yet another obscure late-80s OVA of questionable quality that Central Park Media gave a VHS and LaserDisc release to. No DVD anywhere in the world means that this release is the best release this anime has.

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Genesis Surviver Gaiarth [Vols. 1-3]

A 1992 3-episode anime original OVA from AIC and Artmic, Genesis Surviver [sic] Gaiarth‘s staff list is a who’s who of Artmic legends, from Shinji Aramaki to Hiroyuki Kitazume to Hiroyuki Ochi. Despite this, the anime has managed to slip through the cracks. While it received a DVD in Japan, AnimEigo’s billingual LaserDisc release is the best English-friendly release that was ever put out. AnimEigo’s release is also somewhat notable in that it used their “Hybrid LD” system, where instead of doing the subtitles via the closed caption track, each episode is actually on the disc twice, once with the dub, and once with the original Japanese audio and burned-in subtitles.

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Ghibli ga Ippai Collection

A massive 13-disc box set costing ¥98,000 ($1,857 adjusted for inflation) box set featuring every single Studio Ghibli film to date, The Ghibli ga Ippai box set has a lot going on. Four of the films feature pre-Disney English dubs (Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Porco Rosso), and while all are somewhat rare today, they all made it to DVD in some form or another with the sole exception of Kiki’s Delivery Service. The box was released right after Disney signed their distribution deal, but before they finished their dub of Kiki. As such, this box features the earlier “JAL/Streamline” dub of the film, and is in fact the only home video release said dub ever received, with all future ones using the Disney dub. No pre-Disney Ghibli dubs have had a home video release since 2002, so the chances of the Kiki dub ever making it to a newer format are slim to none.

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Here is Greenwood [Vols. 1-3]

A 1991 6-episode OVA from Studio Pierrot based on the shoujo manga by Yukie Nasu, Here is Greenwood is the only title from Software Sculptors on this list. A division of Central Park Media for most of its existence, Software Sculptors operated somewhat autonomously during the late 90s. As part of this, Software Sculptors handled their own LaserDisc releases instead of simply handing them off to Image Entertainment like the rest of CPM. Software Sculptors would release Here is Greenwood on VHS and billingual LaserDisc with a dub produced by TAJ Studios.

Later, the rights would lapse, and Media Blasters would rescue the anime for its first DVD release in 2004. However, for unknown reasons they redubbed the series with Bang Zoom! Entertainment, meaning that the Software Sculptors LaserDisc release is the best release containing the original English dub.

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Lensman

A 1984 film from Madhouse based on the novel series of the same name by E. E. Smith, Lensman stands out both for its odd localization history and for the thorny legal situation surrounding the property. Originally licensed by Harmony Gold, they would dub the film as Lensman: Secret of the Lens in 1988 with heavy edits, and it would air on several low-power television stations across the country. Just two years later, their rights would expire, and the film would go to Streamline Pictures, who produced a brand new, uncut dub.

While the original Harmony Gold dub has never made it to home video, the Streamline dub would be released on VHS and LaserDisc. Like most other Lumivision-distributed Streamline LaserDiscs, Lensman is technically billingual, including the Japanese audio. However, as the disc contains no subtitles, this is nothing more than a curiosity, and the film has to date never received a proper subtitled release.

As it later came out, E. E. Smith’s estate never gave final approval when the film was in development, and all distribution of the film, Japan and international, was halted soon after the Streamline LaserDisc’s release. With no DVD anywhere in the world, and very little chance of one ever happening, this disc is likely as close to a definitive English-language release the film will likely ever get.

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A collection of 13 short films directed and animated by Tadanari Okamoto, this LaserDisc is the one and only release any of his works have ever received in the United States. While Sweet Little Chico, The Mochi-Mochi Tree, and The Magic Ballad would all later receive an English-subtitled, Japanese-market Blu-ray from TC Entertainment, the other 10 shorts remain exclusive to this release. Unfortunately, in order to fit 13 films on a 2-disc set, several of them have been edited for time, or have had segments removed entirely.

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M.D. Geist: The Most Dangerous Ever

A 1986 anime-original OVA from Production Wave, M.D. Geist is a bit of an anomally. While mostly forgotten in Japan, Central Park Media were such fans of the series that they adopted M.D. Geist as the “official company spokesmecha” and logo for their U.S. Manga Corps label. They would release the anime on subtitled VHS and LaserDisc in 1993, followed by a dub in 1995.

In 1996, Central Park Media would commission a “director’s cut” of M.D. Geist, featuring more than 10 minutes of new animation and edits, courtesy of Studio Zero-G Room. This director’s cut would serve as the basis for all future releases, both VHS and DVD. As such, this LaserDisc serves as the best release of the original cut, even if it is lacking the dub from the 1995 VHS.

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Nadia: Volume 1

Between 1992 and 1993, Streamline Pictures would license and dub the first eight episodes of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water for release on VHS as simply Nadia. While the dub was cancelled due to Streamline’s inability to establish a TV deal, they decided to reformat the show as a pair of “movies”. Each “movie” would consist of four episodes back-to-back with the opening and endings removed to make it flow better.

The first of these, titled Nadia: Volume One on the jacket or Nadia Movie Compilation on the disc, was put out by Lumivision in 1994. Like most other Streamline/Lumivsion releases, the set features both English and Japanese audio, but no subtitles. Later that year, Streamline would sign an exclusive distribution deal with Orion Pictures, killing all plans for Lumivision to put out the second film.Later on, Orion did manage to release both films, confusingly retitled to The Secret of Blue Water: The Adventure Begins and The Island Adventure.

Streamline’s rights to the series would soon expire, and they would transfer to ADV Films, who would redub the series, complete this time, at their studio Monster Island. This dub would be the only one included on any future releases, making this LaserDisc the best release of the first four episodes of the Streamline dub.

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Robotech: The Movie

In 1986, Harmony Gold fused together the anime Megazone 23 Part I and Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross to create an 82-minute film set in the Robotech universe. The film was a financial failure, and would never see a proper home video release in North America. Over in Europe however, the film was released on VHS in the UK, and on VHS and LaserDisc in the Netherlands, the later of which having burned-in Dutch subtitles. While the film proper would never make it to DVD, an abridged 29-minute cut consisting of only the original animation and content from Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross was included as part of a US-market DVD box set from Lionsgate and A&E in 2013. With Harmony Gold long since having lost the rights to Megazone 23, and a Japanese release out of the question, the Dutch LaserDisc from Cascar Video stands as the best home video release the film has ever had and likely ever will have.

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Roots Search

A 1986 anime-original OVA from Production Wave, Roots Search is really only remembered today as a somewhat blatant copy of the hit film Alien. The anime never made it to DVD, and due to the closure of its primary producer Hiromedia, likely never will. This makes this LaserDisc the best release the title has.

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Rumik World [Vols. 1-4]

An anthology of 4 OVAs from Studio Pierrot and Pastel based on manga by Rumiko Takahashi, the Rumik World collection is often regarded as some of the best anime still stuck in the analog era. Central Park Media released all four (out of order) on both subtitled VHS and LaserDisc. No DVD release anywhere means that this is the best looking release these anime have, even if they are lacking the UK-exclusive dubs produced by Manga Entertainment for VHS.

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Suikoden: Demon Century

A 1993 OVA from J.C. Staff based on a light novel series by Hitoshi Yoshikoa of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor fame, Suikoden Demon Century has nothing to do with the video game series of the same name (despite what ADV’s marketing may have implied). Not particularly well received, this OVA has not received a DVD or Blu-ray release anywhere in the world.

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Super Spacefortress Macross

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? is one of the most famous anime films of all time, produced by Tatsunoko Production, Artland, and Studio Nue, and releasing in 1984. Its had over a dozen releases on numerous formats, but only a select few have been English-friendly, and even fewer have been dubbed. Toho comissioned the dub themsleves, reportedly as a tool to teach English, and put it out on VHD and LaserDisc, both with burned-in Japanese subtitles. While this dub would make it out to the rest of the world on VHS, the Japanese LaserDisc release stands alone as the best English-dubbed release.

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The Ultimate Teacher

A 1988 OVA from J.C. Staff based on the manga of the same name by Atsuji Yamamoto, The Ultimate Teacher‘s most notable aspect is that it was directed by the legendary Toyoo Ashida. While this LaserDisc release is subtitled, two separate dubs would be produced for VHS after its release, one in the UK courtesy of Manga Entertainment, and one in the US, courtesy of Central Park Media themselves. No DVD release anywhere means this is the best looking release the anime has, even if it is lacking either dub.

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Wanna-Be’s

A 1986 anime-original OVA from AIC and Artmic, Wanna-Be’s is mostly remembered today for its character designs from Kenichi Sonoda. No DVD release anywhere in the world makes this LaserDisc the best release the anime has.

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The Wizard of Oz

A 1982 anime film adaptation of the classic book from Topcraft and Wiz Corporation (later renamed Artmic), Paramount released the film on a dizzying number of formats: Betamax, VHS, CED, and LaserDisc, all within the span of a year. This release is widely believed to be the first ever English-language anime LaserDisc (but may have some competition from The Adventures of Captain Future). While there have been no better English-language releases since, it did receive a DVD in Poland at an unknown date.

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A collection of 10 short films directed and animated by Yoji Kuri, this release shares a number of similarities with The Magic Ballad: Tadanari Okamoto, also from Pioneer Special Interests. Like The Magic Ballad, most of the shorts in this set have never received any other English-friendly release, with Love standing out as the sole exception. There is not much information on this set available online, and while its possible some of the shorts were edited for length like with The Magic Ballad, this is likely not the case, as the outer packaging makes no mention of it.