This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)
Hi all!
Like everyone goddamn else I'm excitedly awaiting the US re-release of Utena in its shiny fancy remaster form.
However, I'm wondering just what they mean with 'remastering'. I know that generally means a cleaner transfer, less film grain, etcetera. That's terrific, but I also know that it's not uncommon for remasters to do a whole lot more than that and actually re-do some artwork and even add or substract scenes (the Legend of the Galactic Heroes DVDs, for instance, have many small parts that have been re-animated compared to the Laserdisc).
Is there anyone out there that has made a few comparison screenshots for the remaster? Has any of the artwork been updated or, if it was not great art to begin with in the show (the animation budget in SKU really could've used a few more bucks at times), has any of it been corrected?
Hell, if you own the Japanese remastered DVDs, I'm not demanding you post screenshots A yes or no will do and have me happy!
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The image quality is much better, but there are only a few minor changes to the actual content. Here's a thread about some of them. Off the top of my head, the differences I remember are: different bell sound at the end of the duels, Utena saying "Himemiya" instead of "Anthy" in episode 20, open coffins in the Black Rose Saga, extra frames in the Akiocar in episode 25, slight change to Shiori's face after Ruka loses his duel, black instead of red background when Saionji draws Touga's sword, and fixed aspect ratio of Anthy's silhouetted stabbings in the last episode. Unfortunately, derpface moments like this have not been fixed.
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Those with the remastered copies can probably answer better than me, but I've watched parts of it and it is crisper, cleaner, and really, I'm waiting to do any AMVs because I only want it to be from the remastered. They even added in some frames in places and reanimated certain parts(the coffins that go into the furnace in Nemuro Memorial Hall now have CORPSES INSIDE YEAH).
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Koshernova wrote:
Hi all!
Like everyone goddamn else I'm excitedly awaiting the US re-release of Utena in its shiny fancy remaster form.
However, I'm wondering just what they mean with 'remastering'. I know that generally means a cleaner transfer, less film grain, etcetera. That's terrific, but I also know that it's not uncommon for remasters to do a whole lot more than that and actually re-do some artwork and even add or substract scenes (the Legend of the Galactic Heroes DVDs, for instance, have many small parts that have been re-animated compared to the Laserdisc).
Is there anyone out there that has made a few comparison screenshots for the remaster? Has any of the artwork been updated or, if it was not great art to begin with in the show (the animation budget in SKU really could've used a few more bucks at times), has any of it been corrected?
Hell, if you own the Japanese remastered DVDs, I'm not demanding you post screenshots A yes or no will do and have me happy!
The bit rates on the original R1 discs were pretty bad to boot. I remember the first two discs in particular, six eps apiece at less than 4.7 gigs per disc.
I figured by "Remastered" they were just going to give us decent quality discs instead of what we got the first time around.
Can't wait.
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Helpful info can be found here, and especially here.
This is wholesale restoration and spot re-animation we are talking about, something at least on the level of the Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum remaster, if not even more.
Suffice it to say that this new edition is no gimmick. It's the real deal. Ikuni's gone back and made his masterpiece even better.
Last edited by Imaginary Bad Bug (03-22-2011 07:38:06 PM)
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Thanks for the links y'all!
(I kinda think that for Utena to be made truly better a bit of the show has to be trimmed down and many parts of it reanimated completely, which they haven't done but HEY I'm not complaining the new transfer looks *beautiful*)
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Wow, it looks... beautiful...
Somebody knows if it's going to be published in any country with PAL system? I mean, I live in Spain, and I would buy the UK release, but I can not play here the States one D:
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Okay, just watched the first episode and there's a few things nobody mentioned in any of the threads I saw:
-Remastered op/ending/Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku! These songs have been either remastered from the originals or re-recorded in better quality audio, because they sound SIGNIFICANTLY better! To the point that When Where Who Which, which has not been remastered, clearly shows the difference.
-New Eyecatch! Now without the silvery border.
-Episode title subtitles: I don't think those were in the original release...
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Koshernova wrote:
Thanks for the links y'all!
(I kinda think that for Utena to be made truly better a bit of the show has to be trimmed down and many parts of it reanimated completely, which they haven't done but HEY I'm not complaining the new transfer looks *beautiful*)
I've never felt Utena was too long. It's not too long, and it's not too short. Pretty much the perfect length. I also felt the Black Rose saga was needed to develop the minor characters and further explore certain themes that are integral to the show.
Anyways, yeah, this is excelent news. The video quality on the old DVDs were pretty piss-poor horrible. So washed out. It needed to be remastered badly. I'm glad they waited to do it though since they obviously have high-def in mind and have better tools available. I kinda hope though that the dub would be remixed with remastered audio elements.
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Tsuwabuki's Diary was needless. But generally, yes, agreed. Perfect length.
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I watched some of the old episodes and the videos were quite blurred and the quality was ... too indistinct to make out the background characters,the green subtitles clashed with the background too
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