Discotek Media is one of those recognizable names in anime publishing that often pops up in feeds announcing some delightful restoration of an old classic or a niche gem. It’s always exciting to see what they’ve gotten their hands on, and recently they had quite a haul of announcements to celebrate “A Very Spooktacular Discotek Day.“Their Halloween live stream occurredMonday, October 24 on the company’s twitch channel, but they also live-tweeted the biggest announcements, which caught even more fans' eyes. There was plenty to be interested in, from live-action tokusatsu classics to niche contemporary gems to hotly anticipated restorations.RELATED:Fullmetal Alchemist Author’s Autobiographical Manga To Get Anime Adaptation
The Announcements
After an initial sizzle reel, Discotek opened strong with the announcement of a 5-disc collection ofKamen Rider Black, a legendary tokusatsu classic. After an energetic trailer announcing the licensing, some of the Blu-ray’s features were detailed, including copious extras, making it a dense collection.
The next big announcement wasthe acquisition of legendary animator Osamu Tezuka’s Aim for the Ace, a shoujo tennis anime for fans of Tezuka’s prestigious repertoire. But admittedly, those following Discotek in recent years were waiting for more news about a particular release: Hideaki Anno’sGunbuster.
Ever sinceGunbuster’s acquisition was announced,Evangelionfans have been dying to know more, especially when it will be released. Unfortunately, no release date was given… but the new details about the Blu-ray were still very cool. Considerable effort was put into showing how this restoration improves the presentation, notably the aspect ratio.
Gunbuster’s final episode was in a widescreenformat, but even on the Japanese Blu-ray release, that 16:9 window is condensed into a 4:3 frame. But no longer, as episode 6 of the anime will now be in full 16:9. Even better, if audiences wish to watch in 4:3, they can see more details on the top and bottom of the screen.
It’s clear looking at the panel in its totality that this was the heavy hitter of the event and even if they couldn’t confirm a release date, they made sure people knew how packed it will be. Initial reports promised a release in 2022, so there’s still a chance of it coming out before the end of the year.
The announcements followingGunbuster’s showcase ran a gambit of big names and lesser-known oddities, all given gorgeous remasters.They announced a rerelease ofGhost Storieswith new subtitles, but also the classic dub since the series is effectively a meme anyway. They even announced the release of theFist of the North Starfilm from 2006, with the others to follow. Even a blooper from the new English Dub got shown off.
Why Anime Needs Discotek
The announcements were so numerous that to recount them in their entirety would feel mute when the Twitter thread is just as succinct.Following theFist of the North Starinfo, the acquisitions listed ran the whole gambit of recognizable and exciting projects, and with all the details disclosed about the collections, it was clear they were getting the best releases possible.
Discotek prides itself on being fan-driven, which brings to mind the increase in endeavors to restore and remaster all kinds of media lost to time or that runs the risk of becoming unknown. And more than ever, this kind of initiative feels imperative after so many years of anime leaving the market because “the rights ran out.”
So many releases by Funimation eventually went out of print, with the rights being dormant or locked in the Aniplex vault, making it hard to legally acquire older and niche anime. Even a series as huge asEvangelionspent years without a reasonably priced Blu-rayin the west and never without streaming availability.
When they were released, there was a sentiment that they were handled somewhat poorly, either because of translations, marketing, or a general lack of something to truly make the acquisition feel special. And so when Discotek goes in-depth on how they’ve polished an anime from the 80s or they talk about a plethora of special features, it’s pretty easy to get excited.
With more and more things going digital with the popularity of streaming, the fear of art being lost to time is only getting more real when those fears ideally should have been assuaged. For that reason, it’s incredibly endearing to see a company like Discotekdeliver lesser-known works with the same passionas highly demanded ones, seemingly divorced from passive corporate interest.
