In past posts, I’ve taken photos of my anime-covered room and highlighted the gems of my anime collection. But I haven’t yet talked about my actual collection of anime DVDs. Despite being into anime for eleven years now, I haven’t accumulated all that many series on DVD, mostly due to lack of funds for many years and only wanting to buy titles I especially like. Since a list of my anime video library isn’t too long for a post, and since a lot of my DVDs have a story behind them, I felt like giving them some attention…
Note that my list does not include bootlegs, fansubs, anime I intend to sell/give away, anime in Japanese with no subs, and the many random Pokemon videos I have =P I’m not going to update this list since it’s only for the sake of this blog post. However, I may make a new Page for this list that will be updated.
My anime collection
VHS
-Jubei-chan complete series (13 episodes dubbed on 4 videos)
This was the first full anime series I bought on video and the first anime I watched that wasn’t aimed at kids. I haven’t watched it in years…I think last time I checked the videos’ audio was starting to go out.
-Princess Mononoke (dubbed)
Since Mononoke is my favorite Ghibli movie, I really should replace my VHS copy (at this point I should wait for a Blu-ray release).
-Sailor Moon movie 1 (subbed)
-Sailor Moon movie 2 (subbed)
Gosh, I used to love the second Sailor Moon movie (mostly because Luna is the star!) I don’t know why I never bought the third movie.
-Slayers complete series (26 episodes dubbed on 2 box sets with 4 videos each)
I still have these two Slayers VHS sets up in my closet somewhere. Even though a friend of mine burned them onto DVDs for me, I haven’t watched them in many years. If I ever feel a Slayers revival come on, I should buy the real DVDs so I can finally see season 1 in Japanese.
DVD
– Azumanga Daioh complete thin-pack box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 5 discs)
Such an easy series to rewatch. I’ve done so at least five times XD
– Cardcaptor Sakura complete series (70 episodes subbed on 18 discs)
– Cardcaptor Sakura movie 1 (dubbed/subbed)
– Cardcaptor Sakura movie 2 (dubbed/subbed)
I started collecting CCS on VHS first before I got a DVD player (I then gave my VHS copies to a friend). My complete CCS DVD collection was a lucky buy at $75 for 18 brand new discs! After the bastardization that is Nelvana’s CCS dub, I never wanted to watch the movies dubbed even though they’re a supposedly better dub by Geneon.
– Evangelion complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
– The End of Evangelion (dubbed/subbed)
Evangelion is the only anime I bought without having watched the series elsewhere first. I wasn’t sorry of course ;) I later replaced the last two discs in the set with the Director’s Cut editions of episodes 21-26. I used to have the Death & Rebirth movie too, but since it’s basically a recap movie with only a little new footage, I decided to sell it.
– Fruits Basket complete series (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
I bought the four DVDs of Fruits Basket as a high school graduation present to myself.
-Fullmetal Alchemist movie: The Conqueror of Shamballa (dubbed/subbed)
I don’t even like the movie that much but I wanted to buy something FMA since I couldn’t afford the entire series =/
– Gunslinger Girl complete box set (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 3 discs)
I never would have bought Gunslinger Girl if it wasn’t the only decent anime set at the only store I was able to use a gift card that a friend gave me.
– Haibane Renmei complete series (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
A friend gave me these DVDs since he didn’t like the series. Hooray for free anime!
-Inuyasha movie 2 (dubbed/subbed)
-Inuyasha movie 3 (dubbed/subbed)
-Inuyasha movie 4 (dubbed/subbed)
I accidentally bought a bootleg of movie 1 but I never got around to replacing it.
– Mushishi complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
When Best Buy was shrinking their anime section a few years ago, I bought all of Mushishi for just $25!
– Noir complete thin-pack box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Bought this straight from ADV’s booth at AX ’07. Another series I could continually rewatch.
– Shakugan no Shana complete box set (24 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Like Mushishi, I got the Shana box set for just $25 during Best Buy’s anime sale.
– Slayers Next complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
– Slayers Try complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
Friends have borrowed these Slayers DVDs so many times over years. Surprisingly they still work fine though someone lost the case for disc 3 of Slayers Next XP
– Tactics complete box set (25 episodes dubbed/subbed on 5 discs)
A series I never would have bought if I didn’t get it as a birthday gift.
– Tenchi Muyo! OVA complete box set (13 episodes dubbed/subbed on 3 discs)
– Tenchi Muyo! Mihoshi/Pretty Sammy OVA (4 episodes dubbed/subbed)
I used to have the complete collection of Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo too, but I eventually sold them since the OVA is what I really liked. Boy did I watch those 13 episodes a million times back in high school.
– The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya complete box set (14 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
– The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya season 2 complete box set (14 episodes dubbed/subbed on 4 discs)
I got the first series limited edition box set at AX ’07 that came with a pencil board, Hare Hare Yukai CD, and Haruhi’s ribbon.
– Toradora! complete box set 1 (13 episodes subbed on 2 discs)
– Toradora! complete box set 2 (13 episodes subbed on 2 discs)
Both sets come with a nice hardcover guide book and I got a poster with set 1 since I bought it at NISA’s booth at AX ’10.
– Trigun complete box set (26 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
Good old Trigun. Really should watch it again.
– Wolf’s Rain complete box set (30 episodes dubbed/subbed on 8 discs)
The 4-episode OVA is included in the set. I got the special edition box that came with a Kiba plush and the OST 1 CD. Yet another series I could rewatch many times.
Blu-ray
– Evangelion 1.11 (dubbed/subbed)
– Evangelion 2.22 (dubbed/subbed)
2.22 is the first anime I watched on Blu-ray!
– Summer Wars (dubbed/subbed)
Haven’t even watched it yet!
Incomplete series
– Inuyasha volumes 9-16, 19-21 (episodes 25-48, 55-63 dubbed/subbed)
Back when I was obsessed with Inuyasha I wanted to buy the entire series on DVD, but obviously it didn’t happen. I bought many episodes on bootleg discs before realizing my mistake, but it just got too expensive to replace them all. And by the time my favorite season came out in a box set, I had pretty much lost interest.
– Saikano volumes 1-2 (episodes 1-7 dubbed/subbed)
One of the first series I bought after seeing the trailer. I guess I never completed it because I was a new fan at the time and there were tons of other anime I wanted to buy.
———-
My anime buying habits are kind of random – I buy whenever I can afford it and if it’s something I really want at that time. Thus, I still haven’t bought the box sets of Lucky Star, Death Note, Kannagi, Code Geass, and many of my other favorites. But I plan to get them one day if I find a good deal or if I have extra money to spend. The way I think of it, I have my whole life to collect all the anime I would like to own. If I can’t buy one now, I have another to watch until I can, and so on. With so much anime out there, both to watch for the first time and to rewatch, I never have to worry about getting bored =D
My collection is relatively small too since I only buy shows I really like or I want to watch badly. My VHS collection of Anime is unknown, but mostly Pokemon episodes with the first and second movie and of course, the first Sailor Moon movie. I’m planning to get more during the summer, but not that many since I have limited funds.
DVDs I currently own:
+ Air (TV)
+ Kanon
+ Kannagi (Part 1 + 2)
+ Sola
+ Hayate no Gotoku (Vol 1-4)
+ Clannad (Complete)
+ Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha S1
+ Aria the Animation
+ Tears to Tiara (Complete)
+ Fate/stay Night
Only three series out of my collection are sub-only.
You’ve got all the Visual Art’s/Key series I see =) I want to buy Air and Kannagi one of these days. Sola would be nice too (didn’t know it had a U.S. release).
Having never really gotten anime until this past year, I also only have a small collection of favorites. As I watch more and more shows I begin to look online for the series that I find myself interested in watching over and over again, my primary criteria for purchasing films & TV shows.
So far, I’ve picked up DVDs of Genshiken, the 1st season of Haruhi, Cowboy Bebop, Toradora, and all three seasons of Aria, in addition to a couple of Ghibli films, My Neighbor Totoro & Spirited Away, that I picked up a few years ago.
There are a couple on your list that I also plan on procuring: Summer Wars (which I absolutely loved) & Mushishi, as well as The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, whenever a copy is finally available in the U.S. . . .
Thanks for post–there are several series mentioned that I have yet to see, like Haibane Renmei (which I really need to get to . . . ).
I really need to get Cowboy Bebop one of these days (I’ve watched the series twice but never owned it). I like Ghibli movies but the only ones I’d like to own are Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke.
The Haruhi movie has a “summer 2011” release. I’m hoping it’s closer to June/July rather than August/September.
Bandai Ent. has been notoriously unreliable over the past year and a half. If it says Summer 2011, do keep in mind that the date is a “best case sceneario” release date.
You have a lot more boxed sets / complete sets than I do, but I think I own more anime movies, because I favor those a bit more than full-length series. But I’ll share three of my most memorable purchases: 1) The Ghost in the Shell movie was my first anime movie DVD purchase; 2) my Cowboy Bebop DVDs I bought one at a time used from a store to celebrate the end of each month of my first year of grad school; 3) I have a boxed-set of Cardcaptor Sakura, but I think it’s the Taiwanese release – not bootleg – and subbed in Chinese. I do wish they’d re-release CCS in North America either in DVD or Blu-Ray — I’d buy it!
Yeah, I guess Geneon went out of business before they could release Cardcaptor Sakura in cheaper box sets (they were still called Pioneer when the DVDs came out). I’ve only seen the individual DVDs available but I heard that there was some kind of set release at one point.
Cowboy Bebop however, has been re-released a few times in box set format. If I find a good deal I’ll have to pick one up =)
I have no easy access to anime :( If I want to get anime, I have to ship it in (takes about 2 weeks) and I have to pay a large premium for shipping and import taxes. So I only have a couple of slayers OVA DVDs.
Last time I went to the US in a business trip, I looked around for anime, but could not find anything interesting to buy. No complete collections that caught my eye. So I purchased Final Fantasy: Advent Children (not exactly anime), and some Pocky! I still have the empty box of pocky in my desk :)
And that’s about it :(
Don’t remember if I asked you this before, but where do you live?
Besides a few private stores scattered around, the only store in the U.S. that has anime DVDs available to buy is the electronics store, Best Buy (Wal-Mart sometimes). There may be others, but from what I’ve seen in California at least, Best Buy is the only store still in business that carries anime.
I live in Costa Rica. Spanish as first language, we do have some anime stores, but they sell pirated copies, and as expensive as real ones (and if they have real ones, they are even more expensive). I didn’t have much time last time I went to the US, so looked at best buy, and some music stores. One music store (forgot the name) had some anime and Pocky! so I was able to get something :D
My collection is quite small. I own a couple of random dvds that I was able to find used at FYE and at cons now I mostly buy Funimation SAVE stuff since it’s cheaper. The library in my area has a pretty good anime collection though so I focus on getting the titles that the library doesn’t have.
DVDs I own
Higurashi Vol 5
Utaweramono(or however it is spelled XD) Boxset
Solity Rei Boxset
Air Boxset(full series and OVA)
Kannon boxset
Witch Hunter Robin Vol 1
Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2
Ultra Maniac Vol 1
Currently I’m waiting for Clannad to go on the Save thing so I can get the full boxset of that too.
I never heard of Funimation’s Save. I should look into it (though most of the anime I end up wanting to buy turns out to be licensed by Bandai, Sentai, or another company).
“Save” is a re-re-re-release sub-label (one of many) that FUNimation uses when they reprice their older titles.
“Save” is a rough equivalent to FUNi’s “Viridian” or “Classics”-version, as well.
Cool. I have no DVDs of my own though. i do have a few mangas though. I’ll list them.
Oran High School: Host Club volume 1
Wallflower volume 1 and 2
Black Gate volumes 1 – 3
Black Gate i bought just for the heck of it. Even thogh i don’t read too many shoujo volumes but i bought a lot of them now that i think about it. Hmm…. Hey, do you know of a site where i can get good anime DVDs? Not bootleg please, although it’s so hard to tell sometimes.
bye.
–End–
Both RightStuf and AnimeNation are good U.S.-based sites that sell legit anime DVDs and other products.
Thanks! ^^
bye.
–End–