My original title for this post was "Fate/Zero Box Set Leaves Me Zero in My Wallet" but I found it too long... This is my way of supporting the industry by buying this overpriced Fate/Zero set. Sadly I'm thinking I'll be encouraging Aniplex to charge this same price because someone like me will buy one set -_- Well... I was giving this a try and taking a chance to see if it's worth my money. It helped that my Canadian anime supplier had it at the same price as RightStuf but I didn't have to worry about shipping or Customs charging me tax. So let's see what's inside!
The box is actually pretty sturdy and a nice fabric feel covering the box. It consists of 3 parts (4 if you include translation book): Blu-Ray set which contains 5 discs, CD set which contains 1 drama CD and 1 original soundtrack and an information book in Japanese. The casing for the Blu-Ray felt cheap at first but it's actually tougher than just normal cardboard. Still flimsy but the external cover for is shiny and you can easily clean it if you get it dirty, especially since it's all white! Each external panel has a master's command's seal. All seven seals are here including all seven servants adorning each disc.
Here come the servants! Might look better to show closer shots of each one...
Of course Saber is on disc 1 and of course I had to show two pictures of her. Remove the disc and you reveal the class art for each servant. The first disc contains only the first episode which was 45 minutes.
I also went and watch the first episode before writing this post. The video looks great. Much better than the streaming for sure. The subtitles are well formatted to fit the scene. If the character is in the centre, the subtitle will be to the right or left of them. Instead of centred they are formatted to the left indent. Though I have seen some grammar mistakes, most of the subtitles seem correct. I am disappointed that the songs aren't subtitled unfortunately... The first disc have lots of extras including textless OP & ED, previews and servant focused promos. Which makes me wonder what kind of extras will be on the other discs.
The second disc features Assassin[s], while the third disc have Lancer adorning the front.
Gilgamesh the Archer is on the 4th disc and creepy Bluebeard, the Caster, is featured on the 5th disc.
Iskandar, the Rider, gets to be on the drama CD. I think I won't understand the drama CD at all since I see no translation for it at all... And lastly, but not least, is Berserker on the original soundtrack CD composed by Kajiura Yuki!
Here are some extras... The picture on the left are promotional items included in the Japanese book. The book on the right is the translation booklet that have the wrong table of contents. I believe they used the same table of contents as the Japanese one for the English one, which makes it very confusing...
Since someone requested the inside of the Animation Material book I've added these additional photos below.
Here's the inside front cover.
And the inside back cover.
The content is mostly a wall of Japanese text (which is good that they translated it to English).
Some of them have storyboards.
Some have screenshots from a scene or two.
They also showed some of Berserker's CG model.
And in one of the last few pages is an art by Takeuchi Takashi featuring some of the male masters.
For now, before watching the rest of the series, this set is definitely overpriced. It's nice that this is released the same time as the Japanese release but I doubt they can sell a lot of these sets in North America at their MSRP. I sense doom for the second set unless they can reduce the price. I don't even mind waiting for a year or so if that set can be significantly cheaper. I'll be sending the survey card they've included and give them a piece of my mind...
Edit: Looks like it's hopeless for those who wished for this set at a lower price because there are those who will pay this kind of money and Aniplex are counting on them since even my Canadian source is selling it at a steady pace. I'll see what kind of decision (and money) I'll have when the second set comes out.
Ok, now after that slightly disappointing anime box set review, here is a few bonus photos of the Fate/Zero opening single by Lisa, Oath Sign. I really like the song and I really like the other songs in the single as well.
There were two versions of this single. This one with Lisa on the cover and the other is the anime version with Saber on the cover. I thought about getting the Saber one but the bonus DVD is a textless opening of the anime, which is included in the Blu-Ray set... So I decided to get Lisa's version.
The CD single also includes some more photos of Lisa. The other version has a mini poster of Saber... I wonder if I should get that one too ^^;;;
Wow!! nice loot BOSS ^Y^
ReplyDeleteSpending money like a (poor) boss ^^;
DeleteIt looks much more amazing in person, trust me xD
ReplyDeleteLoL it does look nice, but it's still too expensive!
DeleteSince your busy with this, might as well send me your GoT.
ReplyDeleteNaw, I'll start that after I finish this one :P
DeleteNice, how much did you pay for the boxset?
ReplyDeleteI shall refrain from mentioning the price :P I did write in my post how much it would've cost.
DeleteDo you think you could let me know who your Canadian supplier is? 'Cause I picked up mine not 2 hours ago and got hit with $60.66 in customs taxes.
ReplyDeleteMine was on special from thecnl.com
DeleteThey had a deal if you preorder by a certain date you get it at a cheaper price than what they had it right now. But dang, that is a painful tax.
"It's nice that this is released the same time as the Japanese release but I doubt they can sell a lot of these sets in North America at their MSRP."
ReplyDeleteAllow me to point you to Aniplex USA's first direct import, released February 8, 2011, The Garden of Sinners.
http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/XQfITd1lEdg0CZkCKb/browse/item/90689/4/0/0
It was $400 when it was up for pre-order. 800 copies were brought over, and it sold out from nearly 2 months of pre-order. It actually sold out before the release date.
Fate/Zero is going to sell out, albeit not as fast due to various factors such as it being cheaper on Amazon Japan than Rightstuf.
Sadly and unfortunately you are right. It seems that the fans who demand a more affordable price just won't win in this case because there are those who will buy it at the current MSRP. The other factor that Fate/Zero may not sell out faster is that Kara no Kyoukai was more complete than this set since it's only half of the show.
DeleteRight now my Canadian source which is selling it at 13% higher than what I paid is gradually selling their copies. Earlier last week they had a lot more copies. I just can't help but feel somewhat sad with this outcome.
Thanks a ton for the review. The package is gorgeous. I love the Servant class image under the disc. Still, I can't find myself forking over nearly half a grand for half a series and I LOVE Fate/Zero. CNL was the only Canadian seller I could think of who stocked this boxset. If I bought it'd I'd get it from them so I could run from insane customs and pick it up in person.
ReplyDeleteHow is the animation Material book like? Page number? What's in it? Is it a lot of screenshots? I considered getting the boxset for this book since it's not a normal book release but I had no idea what the inside looked like.
I hope later Fate/Zero gets a domestic and much cheaper price release like Fate/Stay did.
Yea, CNL seem to be the only one who's got a deal with Aniplex to distribute their titles. I broke down and preordered it when they had a special preorder price sometime last month. Probably the only other place to get it in Canada unless Aniplex comes to one of the conventions in Canada with some box in tow.
DeleteThe Material book is 50 pages. Lots of commentaries from the creators, writer, music composer, etc. Very few art and mostly screenshots. I can probably take more photos of it and edit this post to show you.
I really do hope there is a cheaper version. I am a firm believer in supporting the industry, but when it's an unreachable ceiling, one would get to the point of "why bother" and start finding a "free" alternative source =/
Did you see that CNL contest for the free Fate boxset? It didn't work out but can you imagine winning that? Totally nuts.
DeleteMaybe we'll get super incredibly lucky and Aniplex shows up at Fan Expo next month. Big name people and companies are supposed to be there. ^o^
Yeah, I'd love to see scans of the inside of the book. I'm interested in the art pieces. Somehow I had a feeling there wouldn't be much art inside, but maybe that's a good thing since I can't get the set. I'm always looking for Fate artbooks with finished sketches but they always seem to be special editions.
The discs supposedly have unaired footage. Is this specially marked in the menus as an extra or is the new footage integrated with the normal footage? Does the info booklet mention how long these unaired footages are? I'm suddenly thinking Advent Children Complete where like, another hour or more gets tossed in there. Probably not, but you're the one with the set. ^_^
Apologies for the late reply... I had to find time to actually take photos of the book. The post is edited now and you can see some of the pages inside the book :)
DeleteYa, too bad that C&L contest didn't work out. I even got my brother to like my comment too! Hahaha. I really do hope they make more presence and hear us out because after all these companies bowing out, I'd like to see other companies stepping up.
I haven't finished watching though, so I can't tell you some of the extras yet. I did encounter a special clip with Iriyasviel and another girl (Ti-chan is her name), but they didn't even subtitled that clip... I'll update again when I finish watching the set :)
Thanks for the extra photos. The book really IS a wall of text. I see the English translation wasn't some skimpy few lines of commentary, but full interviews and script. It's funny to see pictures of only the male cast; I'm so used to seeing the female cast of F/SN get the attention that the guys always get a backseat. We ladies like to be catered, too. XD
DeleteI hope a company licenses F/Z here. It deserves a dub. I'd love to watch the series without staring at subtitles. There's all that visual goodness I can't pick up when I'm too busy reading. Episode 4 has my favorite fight sequence and though I've rewatched it a billion times I never get bored. The Blu-ray must look and sound phenomenal!
Yuki Kajiura is one of my favorite composers so when I heard she would create music for F/Z I knew the series would rock. I'm happy the OST is here at last.
How long was that Ilya special clip? No subtitles? Boo! She's a child in the special, yes? I keep thinking she's the older Ilya and she'll bust out into spazzy commentary. I've been watching too much Carnival Phantasm. :)
Well the male cast is still the lesser popular characters, so I dunno if that gives you some idea XD Though I gotta say I like Kariya's character. Uryuu is just insane imo, same with Kayneth. Waver is... well I guess he's kinda popular in a wrong way :P
DeleteTechnically Aniplex IS a licensing company that releases in North America. So this is the official release, unfortunately it's got the Japanese price tag on it ^^; What we're hoping for is a standard release I guess. Something more affordable. Maybe down the line, but I'm not holding my breath since it's Aniplex. Well I'm good without dubs, lol. I've done it for years that it's natural for me now. ^^ Plus I can't stand some dubs, so I just try not to hear them at all XD
I haven't heard the OST CD yet, but they sound great in the show :D
Err... Sorry, I managed to combined Irisviel and Illya's name in one go, lol. It's actually Irisviel in the clip not her daughter ^^; They're basically explaining the how and why of the Grail War. But yes, I love Carnival Phantasm as well! So many fun things in that show ^o^
I know Fate's male characters are less popular since the series is supposed to be a hentai game. F/Z kinda balances the girl and guy ratio in a way, LOL. Rewatching F/Z I'm getting more curious about Kariya and want to know how he'll turn out. He's got noble intentions but with those worms swimming inside him he might change before he achieves his goal. Uryuu creeps me out, it's great. Kayneth a little too, but I (haha) waver back and forth between almost pity and wanting to kick his face depending on which episode I watch. For Waver I like him and look forward to seeing more scenes. Kotomine and Kiritsugu I've always wanted to find out how they changed from F/Z days to F/SN days. Saber, too. In F/Z she's not as "hard" as her F/SN self.
DeleteIf Aniplex later sees the light and releases an affordable boxset, I'm all for no dub if that's what it takes. I watch subbed mostly, but it's nice to be lazy and listen to English for once. :) Do you know if Aniplex is the type of company who re-releases cheaper versions of their licensed series?
For the English translation booklet is it a copy of the Material booklet in English or is it like a script with text only?
Ha, I thought you spelled Ilya's name in some cute way to go with her mother's name. :) In Carnival Phantasm I really liked the Rin/Archer Blu-ray episode ("camouflage" was a hoot!) and Lancer's redemption episode. Ilya's episode is my favorite, the one about Berserker. I laughed when she wanted "Enerloop" batteries because I use those.
Oh I dunno about the male characters in F/SN not popular. Some of them have quite the fanbase. Well maybe not Shinji :P LoL well actually someone mentioned this but Saber is the only female servant in F/Z, but anyway it's true that the male characters here are more interesting. Uryuu and Caster really creeped me out while Gilgamesh is a creep! Can't say too much Kayneth except I was hoping Kiritsugu would finish him off, lol. I'm starting to appreciate Waver and Rider after this season. They're quite an interesting pairing :) As for Saber, she seems to be harder on herself here actually. Shirou sorta softened her up in F/SN ^^;
DeleteIf Aniplex would do a cheaper release then it would be years from now. Perhaps 6-8 years if we're lucky? The R.O.D. series was released 2001 and 2003, but didn't have a cheaper, complete set until 2011...
The English translation booklet is all text, no pictures at all :<
I found out that Ilya's full name is Ilyasviel, lol. So I see I made quite the confusion ^^; I'm so happy to see Saber Lion and Saber Extra showing up! I was just super giddy with that episode, lol. And Grail-kun is just so hilarious!
I'm watching Durarara and whenever I hear Izaya all I think of is "Shinjiiii! You bastard!" XD
DeleteGil is a pretty sneaky guy if he can influence Kotomine's way of thinking. Can't wait to see his Saber obsession grow, heh. Gil is such a laugh in Carnival Phantasm, making her serve him lunch. His Hollow/Ataraxia self is such a contrast. I wanna play that game!
Seeing all these group pictures of F/Z's character it's funny to think Saber really is the only female Servant. I'm thinking the last half of F/Z will show Saber being harder on herself. Something obviously will change for her which later will result in her wish altering in F/SN. Gah, I want April to be here!
Ooh, Aniplex isn't Funimation with their millions of super-saving boxsets. Dang. Well, it's, er, free-viewing for me until a cheap box comes out.
Along with "Ilyasviel" you've also got "Irisviel" to contend with. I always pause when I read the names.
Grail-kun's Kotomine episode made me laugh the most. Knowing Lancer's bad luck just makes it all the more funny.
Buying official merchandise confuses me a little. If you buy from a retailer, how does the money get back to the creator?
Ya, I realize Gil is way too dangerous. I'm already wanting to kick his butt for messing with Saber like that! At least I get to see Maid Saber, heheh.
DeleteI do believe with every grail war, their memory of the past grail war might disappear? I could be wrong.
Yes, it's different with Aniplex and Funimation unfortunately. One is a completely American company while the other is a Japanese company with a US division which does not research much of the market here.
Well, the retailers still buy them from the manufacturer/producer, which in this case is Aniplex. And Aniplex produces the animation made by the anime studio who are the creators. I would say it's something like that.
HEY I LOVE SHINJI >:3 (lol XD)
ReplyDeleteGilgamesh, a creep?? *falls head over heels*
I always consider bluray boxes a very expensive item, even though I don't have qualms in spending 200 bucks in figures in one go ^^U I wonder if it's because I can fondle figures while I can only watch the DVDs? MYSTERY YA
LoL you like those kinds of guys, huh? :P Well if only Gil wasn't wearing that ugly haircut I may like him better, hahahaha.
DeleteWell anime tend to be generally expensive. This set cost way more than usual >.> Dunno the philosophy really, since buying the anime (usually) supports the actual production of more/new anime. Also it's something you like right? So you want to have something you like. :3