80's french Astroboy available on DVD now!

[raymondo]

Anyone know if there are french closed captions (my spoken french is passable, but my reading is pretty good)
Speaking of reading french, did they ever finish the french version of the manga? I was avidly reading those when they dropped it at volume 12. IMHO the translation is more entertaining than the english, much more poetic and the characters come off emotionally more complex than the english . That's not to knock the english version, which was fine, just french manga translations in general seem to lend more depth than the english versions. Or maybe I'm just being a french snob ; )
Raymondo

[DrFrag]

Welcome Raymondo!

Do you run astroboy.tv by any chance?

[Strange Wings]

I've found a site which seems to deliver the first season of the french 80'series internationally:
http://www.homecinedvd.com/index.php?ref=D...id_partenaire=8

B) That does it, my hesitation of buying has become futile.

[Astro Forever]

Please give us your impressions when you'll get it!

[Strange Wings]

Here is a little presentation of what the french DVDs' menus look like:

Main menu:


Sub-menu for episode selection:


Sub-menu for bonus material selection (Astro's competition-game reports which are belonging to the respective eps):


Also featuring are some explanations about the edit's circumstances of the first two episodes and about the competition game at every episode's end:




After watching through nearly all first season's DVDs by now, I can clearly say this release is a must-have for every french Astro-lover, and also for those who like the french dubbing of the 80's series anyway.
Although the video quality isn't as bright as it is coming over on the MadMan release, still it's way better than what those avi-files around in eMule are providing.
The sound's quality can be compared quite well with the MadMan release tho: There's a little background noise appearing while listening to the audio, but far away from being disturbing IMO. The voices and scores are coming over very clear and vivid.
BTW, the sound is in mono (like it is on the MM release).

As what I have read in the Déclic Images forum (12th post), the DVDs' second season will be released somewhere in the middle of august. That's going to be a purchase of duty again for sure (at least it'll be for me ).

However, there's one 'drop of bitterness' left (from my point of view):
The eps' last scene showing Astro saying "and look out, my friends, our game continues along with the next episodes, good luck" hasn't been included in any of the DVDs yet.
Oh well, maybe in box 2..... B)

[Astro Forever]

Ohhhhhhh, thank you Strange Wings! :wahah: I was very curious!

Originally posted by Strange Wings@Aug 3 2005, 10:08 AM

Sub-menu for episode selection:

Hugh... we can't even see the titles? :huh: Episode #8 was easy, but it took me a few seconds to recognize episodes 6 and 7, I wasn't sure about episode 9 (it looks dark and I remembered it was in the desert in the middle of the day) and had to look at the Japanese episodes list to recognize #10... Why not a an image of Frankenstein, of Devil King (or Odette) and of the White Planet itself? :wacko:

Sub-menu for bonus material selection (Astro's competition-game reports which are belonging to the respective eps):

I've seen that Astro/Uran image somewhere!

Also featuring are some explanations about the edit's circumstances of the first two episodes and about the competition game at every episode's end:

As if everybody knew what the "Archangel" process is...

Overall, I'm not very impressed by their grammar ability... <_< But of course, all of this doesn't take anything away from the episodes themselves.

After watching through nearly all first season's DVDs by now, I can clearly say this release is a must-have for every french Astro-lover, and also for those who like the french dubbing of the 80's series anyway.
Although the video quality isn't as bright as it is coming over on the MadMan release, still it's way better than what those avi-files around in eMule are providing.
The sound's quality can be compared quite well with the MadMan release tho: There's a little background noise appearing while listening to the audio, but far away from being disturbing IMO. The voices and scores are coming over very clear and vivid.
BTW, the sound is in mono (like it is on the MM release).

Oh, that's good to read! Thanks!

As what I have read in the Déclic Images forum (12th post), the DVDs' second season will be released somewhere in the middle of august. That's going to be a purchase of duty again for sure (at least it'll be for me ).

It's written "with August in between, let's count on it to be available at the start of the school year.". So I guess it will be available in September. Oh well, it's just a month from now!

However, there's one 'drop of bitterness' left (from my point of view):
The eps' last scene showing Astro saying "and look out, my friends, our game continues along with the next episodes, good luck" hasn't been included in any of the DVDs yet.
Oh well, maybe in box 2..... B)

It's too bad, especially since it had been cut in Astro's First love too.

[Strange Wings]

Originally posted by Astro forever@Aug 3 2005, 06:47 PM
Hugh...  we can't even see the titles?  :huh:  Episode #8 was easy, but it took me a few seconds to recognize episodes 6 and 7, I wasn't sure about episode 9 (it looks dark and I remembered it was in the desert in the middle of the day) and had to look at the Japanese episodes list to recognize #10...  Why not a an image of Frankenstein, of Devil King (or Odette) and of the White Planet itself?  :wacko:

Actually the episode titles are all listed on the backside of the DVDs' cases. It may be hard to figure out the ep-titles just by looking at this sub-menu's screenshot, but nonetheless you seemed to have guessed them . When refering to the respective ep-numbers shown on the DVD's case, it'll be no big deal anyway to figure out the correct titles.
The way the ep-selection is coming across is quite similar to the pirated DVDs of the new series: the characters within those 5 frames are actually moving, ie in frame #9 Astro is about to fly for inspecting the crystal castle.
I might as well could have made an animated GIF out of this sub-menu, but admittedly, I simply was too lazy .

I've seen that Astro/Uran image somewhere!

You're right! Somewhere down below to the left, I think....

Overall, I'm not very impressed by their grammar ability...  <_< But of course, all of this doesn't take anything away from the episodes themselves.

Oh, you mean that their french grammar isn't very bright? I tried to read it, but of course my french doesn't allow me any grammar judgements anyway .

Speaking of poor french grammar, I recently found this on the Déclic Images forums:

It's written "with August in between, let's count on it to be available at the start of the school year.". So I guess it will be available in September. Oh well, it's just a month from now!

Cool! Thanks for confirming it.

  It's too bad, especially since it had been cut in Astro's First love too.

Like I said, let's set anticipation for box 2. And if it shouldn't be included.... no big deal, one can't have everything.
After all, there's still the awesome MadMan release. B)

[Astro Forever]

Originally posted by Strange Wings@Aug 3 2005, 03:21 PM
Actually the episode titles are all listed on the backside of the DVDs' cases. It may be hard to figure out the ep-titles just by looking at this sub-menu's screenshot, but nonetheless you seemed to have guessed them . When refering to the respective ep-numbers shown on the DVD's case, it'll be no big deal anyway to figure out the correct titles.

I had guessed them except for the last one, but for somebody who hasn't seen the series in almost 20 years, it would probably have been impossible. It's okay if they are on the DVD case, but I still think it would have been better to write the titles in the menu. But it's cool that the menu is animated! B)

Speaking of titles, earlier in this thread we had talked about them being possibly changed... So does that mean that we have now two French titles to refer to one episode? I was just getting used to the 1980 French titles!

The way the ep-selection is coming across is quite similar to the pirated DVDs of the new series: the characters within those 5 frames are actually moving, ie in frame #9 Astro is about to fly for inspecting the crystal castle.
I might as well could have made an animated GIF out of this sub-menu, but admittedly, I simply was too lazy .

That's okay, you already gave us a treat with the screenshot!

Oh, you mean that their french grammar isn't very bright? I tried to read it, but of course my french doesn't allow me any grammar judgements anyway .

No, it isn't. On the first thread you had given us a link to (here, I can see that people commented on a mistake on on box : "Bonjour ! Je m'appèle Astro." (Hi! I'm called Astro.) :wacko: It should be "appelle"! People are like "Don't you have any grammatical corrector?", "Did the person who wrote this went to school?" Nothing as bad in the above screenshots though!

BTW, do you want translations?

After all, there's still the awesome MadMan release. B)

Yes, I'm a happy buyer!

[DrFrag]

Originally posted by Astro forever@Aug 4 2005, 06:06 AM
BTW, do you want translations?

:wahah: :wahah: :wahah: Sure :wahah: I guess :wahah: I mean no big deal :wahah: buy why not? :wahah: :wahah: :wahah:

[Astro Forever]

Originally posted by DrFrag@Aug 3 2005, 07:54 PM
:wahah: :wahah: :wahah: Sure :wahah: I guess :wahah: I mean no big deal :wahah: buy why not? :wahah: :wahah: :wahah:

Okay, here we go. I stayed very close to the original texts, so if you feel that commas or even verbs are missing or that the sentences are too long, it’s not because of bad translation! You have to wonder if they were trying to pass their DVDs as bootlegs!

However, also because I stayed close to the texts, I’m sure the translations are worse than the original texts.
That’s what happens when you aren’t familiar with those expressions in another language, not to mention the technical stuff… Hopefully it will still make sense, and otherwise please tell me! I wasn’t sure about the use of « period », as in « period material » and « period version », but it means « at the time ».



At left there are the quiz, and "Bandes-annonces" means "Trailers".

On the occasion of this DVD edition, a deep editorial work has been done with the goal of offering the public the series in its original format. That is the 52 original episodes in the order made for the Japanese broadcast, with more faithfully translated titles. The original copies of the French-Canadian dubbing on 16 mm film having been lost and the 1-inch video tapes available to us being particularly damaged (deteriorated colors, light and definition) the episodes were remastered at best, especially by means of the numerical process « Archangel ». Our main working source was therefore the Canadian period material, a reworked version made for the North American market. In this one, the Japanese episodes 1 and 2 were re-edited, concealing all the scenes involving Atlas. This is why we designate as « episod 01 & 02 » the first episode of the French period version.

« North American market »? Why not just write « Canadian market »? :huh: It’s not like the US got this cut version… Unless they were including Mexico! I also find very confusing the way they talk about the « 52 original episodes », as if they were the exact same episodes shown in Japan. They did say later it was « reworked », but knowing what it really means, it’s not very clear…

Those great [or famous?] game shows, in which Astro was doing a voluntarily incorrect summary of the broadcasted episode, were originally worked out by the Canadians before being also used in France during the first broadcast on the main channel as early as 1986. The goal was of course to detect the mistake hidden in Astro’s story, choosing from three possible answers. Participation was done with an answer form sent to the channel on free paper*. Those sequences were integrated into the end of the episode, right before the trailer presenting the following adventure. They are offered here in their complete version.

* I guess they mean that children were using whatever piece of paper they wanted as an answer form.

So at least this release includes the trailers! I guess they didn’t want to include the « our game will continue in the next episode » 51 times (it was done using the scene in which Astro flies after putting back his boots after getting Nikki’s legs).

However, I don’t recall having multiple choices to find the mistake. So I guess they might have been included during the following show and not part of the actual Astroboy show? If that is the case, Strange Wings, do you want me to make up multiple choices for the summaries I already have so you could play (and get a higher success rate)? Then you’d really have it all!



:wahah: This was on their forum and is also worthy of a translation :

« This is a forum, not a cell phone, your keyboard has more than 100 keys and allows you to express yourself in a proper French. SMS language forbidden. » (SMS language would be something like « How R U? »)