Ringo 15th Anniversary Releases 13.11.2013

[Glathannus]

Did anyone notice somewhat visible vertical lines all over the screen, in some brief moments of Electric Mole? Those are DV artifacts. They're not super-common in the industry, but not entirely unheard of, either. You pretty much never see them in DVD, because DVD (or more specifically MPEG2) introduces enough problems of it is own, which inadvertently conceals DV problems. DVD isn't clear enough to show you how bad DV can already be. Although DV isn't perfect, on average it looks better than DVD, considering that typical DV is 13 GB per hour just for standard definition.

While I may have wanted all the blu-ray remasters to look like DOMESTIC Virgin LINE, the fact is the blu-ray format isn't introducing any noticeable problems of its own. What we're seeing is equivalent to the digital master the EMI staff were seeing in-house, from which the DVDs were based. The blu-rays are much more clean, not because there was any cleaning up to do, but because going from the DV digital master straight to blu-ray did not produce the abundant MPEG2 side-effects most consumers have come to believe is the inevitably bad quality of any video shot in standard definition.

We should be grateful enough that none of the problems we're seeing are MPEG2 problems. Most importantly, we got better audio quality without the video looking as bad (or worse) as a DVD. The only remaining problems are merely standard definition problems (and stupid fucking letterboxing), which on their own are not really so bad.

[Nimh]

Just listened to Mitsugetsushou. It was like an upgrade of mp3s I've already got. With a snazzy package.

Weird track listing, bouncing all over time and space, but most of the tracks were well chosen. Yokushitsu from Zazen, Tsumi to Batsu from Electric Mole, and Mittei Monogatari are the highlights. I could have sworn Queen of Kabukichou was from GX, but no. Same with STEM, which I thought was from Baishou, but no.

[deadgrandma]

I don't know what it is... but so much stuff on these blu rays has been 'brought to life'... for example... I never really paid much attention to "Love is Blind" on GX... now I keep rewatching it over and over. A lot of stuff that sounded murky and flat to me now has a real punch to it. I guess you have to hear to it believe it.

[FadedSun]

Makes me wish I heard all the originals to compare to get an appreciation for how much better these blu-rays sound, but as is they sound great.

[Maou]

Originally Posted by deadgrandma

I never really paid much attention to "Love is Blind" on GX...

It was always one of my favorites from GX. : /

[Nimh]

Just watched Hatsuiku Status. Again, the audio is staggering.

What I get from this and GX is a richer sound, with more solid impacts and a wider range. I can sense the beats, the strums, and especially Ringo's voice closer to a "live" experience. No way can it be as good as live, but it beats the hell out of the previous version.

Ringo's voice in Kougousei will make your ears ring. And your neighbors'.

[deadgrandma]

Ah, yes, the Hatsuiku Status disc is quite surprising for what it is/the original source. It's not as good as other discs, but neither did I expect it to be. What I didn't expect however, is that it would sound miles better than the original version. The documentary part is ok, but I ended up skipping to the songs, afterall, that's what I'm here for :-p

Ultimately, rewatching this got me wondering whether Ringo keeps in contact with any of these girls anymore... And then I was thinking that I'd totally go for a reunion/special release of sorts... maybe around 20th anniversary time :-p Surely SOMETHING was recorded in the studio...

It also makes me wonder how many people who have bought this set are experiencing this for the first time, it's not really something people mention often. Not an often watched release for me (I think I watched it about 2 years ago last), but its nice to rewatch and see that ridiculously incomprehensible to a Gaijin menu system :-p

[chii]

Oh MAN. I have DREAMED of having Hatsuiku Status, I didn't realize it was part of this release...Which one is it on?

Kougousei has to be one of my favourite songs/videos ever, and to know it's out there in good quality. Oh man this hurtsssss.

[Nimh]

Chii, Hatsuiku Status is available in the Live Blu-ray box set, as well as its own stand-alone Blu-ray.

I just took a look at Baishou Ecstasy, which I was not looking forward to, honestly. Ringo just looks phony and tired, and the wrap-up number, Meisai, has an unbelievable Moment of Suck when Saito tries to bridge verses with a violin. Then there's the whole 20-minute opening where you have to endure a delayed Ringo entrance. It's all tied into Hyaku iro megane which is cute but jesus, the hyper-marketing-initiative of the product makes this mostly a throwaway.

Mostly. The concert opens with a fantastic all-out BD version of Doppelganger, and then you've got 2 awesome extras: the live Koko de kisu shite with a very young Ringo at the keyboard, and the PV for Ichijiku no hana.

What's great about Ichijiku no hana? Apart from its obvious greatness, on this Blu-ray you don't have to type in that stupid password to access it. That's right, the lock on the door is OFF. Thank you, EMI.

Now onto Electric Mole.

[deadgrandma]

^ do you consider all similar Ringo shows (Ringohan, Expo and perhaps even Bon Voyage to a certain extent) phony? Or is it just your nostalgia for the more rockin' style? I would not say she considers these styles phony tbh, I mean, reports of these 15th anniversary shows to me are saying she still embaces this kinda style and setup whole-heartedly, whether the old school fans like it or not.

If you are talking about Baishou Ecstasy exclusively, I can understand, its like she is getting a feel for the style of what is now a much bigger part of her music. In that case, maybe this should be the most hated video/release for people that hate Neko. The root of all evil, if you will :-p