I've recently started collecting anime relitively seriously. I just bought the first three Samurai Champloo DVDs from FYE. I want to buy the first stage of initial D. My question is, which version of the show is more "original"? I discovered the show through fansubs from P2P programs (dont worry, they were deleted when i found it was illegal to have that stuff if it was lisenced in the US). I watched the fansubbed first, then the american version over at a friend's house. I hate how Takumi became "Tak" and they changed out sensitive parts (like in a fansubbed one i watched the word "virginity" was used where "marriage was used in the US version. The fansubbed one may be wrong but it fell in with the story better) Would the imported version be more as it was when it was created than the crap the american censors shove down my throat? Some say the subtitles in the imported versions are incorrect, though. Honestly, I hate reading subs but in some cases you need to hear the jap. characters to get the jist of what's going on. (Take Love Hina for example). I would prefer a version in english with original names and no dummed down scenes. I'm prolly asking too much but i figured i'd ask about it before i went and spent money on something i wasn't sure about. IS there a place on the web you all would recomend for purchasing these? The only place i can find that sells anime dvds around here want an arm and a leg for them. ($65 for two dvds) I love it but am not willing to got broker over it. Anyhow, thanks. Later

check out this place they have abit of selections and their fairly priced too. i found that some of there selections were half the cost of some of the ones i saw in the mall or fye
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/genre.cfm?genre=AN
also how was the Samurai Champloo dvds. I was finely able to get appleseed and i wanted to get those next.

the champloo dvds kick so much more ass than th show on cartoon network. The art on the cases is pretty cool, too. I highly recomend them. Get the box sets from the web if you do decide to get them...it's cheaper. Thanks for getting back

Any time if you can't find what your looking for on that site try checking buy.com thanks for the input on champloo the first 2 volumes are on my next to get list now

werd, if nothing else, get champloo for the soundtrack. It's only surpased by Bleach

www.discountanimedvd.com and definitely Amazon and Ebay, although Ebay doesn't always work...morons.

And for the record champloo blows away Bleach, and I'll tell you why, BLEACH SUCKSSSS and that's not because I hate occult themes, I LOVE THEM and bleach RUINED IT by being stereotypical japanese and boring. *sigh* I had high hopes for Bleach too, I said it would be the next Naruto >_>

Subbed anime is the better way to go, I find it to be more accurate in translation than MOST dubbed over versions.

werd, ima hit up ebay as soon as i have some extra money

the us version of intial d is nothign but a pure and simple rape i had the fan subs and i lover becaue the charcters,words, and music is how it should be by far go with the imported. I think i read somthing bout the new initial d dvds would have the option for orginal japanese subs.

yeah the dracula music when the skyline comes in is SOOOOOO much better than the gay ass music the us version had for it... god it pissed me off

The only thing I've really noticed as a difference between my imported and domestic DVD's and videos are, on the DVD's they tend to put more episodes at a slightly lower video quality (nearly unoticeable) and the japanese to english subtitle translations are sometimes a little bit off... or I should say, more directly translately... so some lines don't make sense unless you actually understand japanese, or you can pick up on what they were trying to say... the US versions however, are usually missing things in the translation also, or they try to remove things that they think will offend an american audiance.
I'm to the point though, where I like to get the imports, because you usually get more for less, and I've taught myself enough japanese to pick up what is lost in translation.

Yup, I just got my imported naruto DVDs in and they kick the hell out of the crap on TV

Yeah I love my subtitled Naruto. Except this season... this season sucks... the anime caught up to the manga fast, so they had to have a season of filler episodes... but they've messed up cuz Naruto is supposed to be training with Jiraiya but they sent him off for no apparent reason...

Has anybody seenthe imported Trigun episdoes or Inuyahsa i have the imported inuyasha:through the looking glass movie. is there any major differnces???

Trigun was well done... truthfully I might like the US version a lil better... I'm not an Inuyasha fan.

You guys do realize that modern US region 1 DVD's include both an unedited Japanese subtitle track AND an English dub, right?

In fact, some movies and OAV's are released sans dub. For instance, the classic CLAMP piece Miyuki-chan in Wonderland was released by ADV without a dub.

AnimEigo also released Urasei Yatsura without a dub for a long time (due to the old Streamline "Those Obnoxious Aliens" dub still keeping some licensing clout) and only now created a new accurate dub.

What happened to the Initial D dub was unfortunate. Fortunately, the original music, character names, animations, and "unedited" episodes still exist on the Tokyopop DVD. They're just not on the dub.

Oh I know they come with both, I think this was all about preference in language... not just purchase.