Member kungfusamurai Posted July 12, 2009 Member Share Posted July 12, 2009 Over the years, I've purchased various boot Japanese action TV series on DVDR that all seem to be from the same source: VHS recorded off a Hawaiian TV station. They all vary in quality, and look like they were recorded off antenna versus cable. I was wondering if anyone has details behind these recordings? I don't need exact specifics. Just curious about: 1. Do the original tapes still exist, and were they transferred to DVDR using some kind of S Video process to clean them up? They look like they were done using a basic VCR to DVD. 2. Are all the TV series that have been released been sourced from one person? Wasn't there anyone else recording the TV series in Hawaii from the same station? 3. I've noticed that series like Kage No Gundan are complete, but for some reason, the Zatoichi TV series only has 69 of the 100 episodes from that Hawaiian station. Was it because the person taping the show missed them, or did they just not air? 4. Were these ever aired again? Does the station still exist, and has anyone tried contacting them to see if they can play these TV shows again? 5. What TV series were shown on that station that were recorded and made it onto DVD? From what I can tell, these ones were: Zatoichi - 4 Seasons (not all complete) Kage No Gundan - 5 seasons complete Yagyu Conspiracy - 3 seasons, I think, and complete Lone Wolf & Cub? KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted July 12, 2009 Administrator Share Posted July 12, 2009 Great questions. I've always been curious too. I have some of these, and since the broadcast quality seems to vary from set to set, I would guess they come from multiple sources (people in different areas receiving better or worse reception from the broadcast tower). They do seem to have been transferred straight from VHS without the benefit of any sort of hi-tech equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member tokenganjaclan Posted July 12, 2009 Member Share Posted July 12, 2009 I can't help you with the Tv series' because I never collected them. As for my understanding there were a few people who taped these off Tv. Just like some of the old kung-fu movies that float around. Most are just right to vhs but also remember these have been traded between people long before any of the bootleggers started selling them. So the gen loss from vhs dubs to dubs has really hurt the quality of some of the shows. I'm sure the Tv series look the same as the movies? I'm sure the master vhs recordings are still out there? The bootleggers if they cared could borrow the masters and run them thru and svhs editing deck and clean them up. I have a deck myself but I use it for 'other" things. You can get a nice machine for $500 or so. But the bootleggers aren't worried about quality, it's about money. Nhk is still around but haven't really been playing anything that is worth a damn imo. Tv series dramas ect.. Most of the new movies are coming from these two places, as well as upgrades to some TV stuff http://www.jidaigeki.com/ http://www.toeich.jp/ I've picked up alot of titles this way, ones that Ck or Merlin haven't announced. If you look hard enough you can find someone to tape them for you or you can get them yourself if your good on the computer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kungfusamurai Posted July 12, 2009 Author Member Share Posted July 12, 2009 Thanks for the answers guys. I've been interested in upgrading some of the TV series, like the Zatoichi, but sadly the later seasons are only available in Japan, and the cheapest set will run me well over $200 US with shipping. I don't think it's really worth it. I'm hoping to travel to Japan in the next year or so, and I'll look out for some of these sets. If someone in America would release them, like Tokyo Shock started doing (and stopped) with Season 1 of Zatoichi, I would definitely keep buying. The Kage No Gundan series also just stopped with Season 1 here in North America. Some of those DVDrs I've bought definitely don't look like first generation. There's such heavy pixelation. I have a nice Mitsubishi digital VCR that would have made much cleaner transfers of those tapes, even if they were recorded in EP mode. Oh well, I guess the source of those recordings will forever remain a mystery. Too bad the TV station who originally showed those didn't do them again in recent years. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.