OK, I was VERY surprised by the packaging of the “FREEDOM” Limited Edition BluRay Boxset.
Packaging-wise, BluRays tend to draw the short straw more often than not when compared to their DVD-brethren, and I thank companies like Warner Brothers for not giving a damn about format and releasing sets like “Blade Runner” and “Casablanca” with the full packaging intact. Bravo!
And now we can add Honneamise to that list with this nice edition of our favorite noodles-advert “FREEDOM”.
This is what it looks like on the outside:
Nice if not too flashy. Until you try to get the discs out, and the outer slipcase is revealed to consist of two layers, one plastic and one cardboard.
Here are the contents: 4 discholders and a prologue comicbook.
I have to say I generally dislike those blue plastic disc-holders BluRays are always packaged in, although I do understand the need to make them visually distinct from DVDs and (back in the days…) HD-DVDs. Nevermind, says Honneamise: black is more beautiful, so black it is!
And DAMN they look cool…
All contents uncovered. Note that the cardboard inner-slipcase is totally covered in Katsuhiro Otomo’s artwork, even the parts that are hidden when the thing is properly folded.
Also note that each disc is completely covered with text: the synopses for the episodes on that disc!
The prologue comicbook is nice (if short), some panels have been colored in and the borders show both the original Japanese text and a French translation…
This is a damn fine edition and worth owning… and in line with its title, it’s REGIONFREE as well!
Well done Honneamise!
Didn’t that set carry a fairly obscene price tag, Ard? Granted seems like everything in Japan does…but I recall being put off by the price at soe point. Nice set though!
BtoFu, this is the US edition which wasn’t THAT obscene to be honest.
Amazon US lists this as 100 USD which is indeed pricey, but last month it was temporarily lowered to 80 USD. Still pricey for a series which lasts short of 4 hours, but a friend had shown me parts of episode 1 and I really REALLY wanted it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FZ09R8/
Ah cool thanks for that. Still I don’t have an all region BluRay player so I’ll have to check up on the chances of it working…some have and some dont hah.
Still I don’t have an all region BluRay player so I’ll have to check up on the chances of it working…some have and some dont hah.
For what it’s worth: I’m in the same position as you, my player is locked Region B. But “FREEDOM” is confirmed regionfree and works flawlessly on my player.
Still I don’t have an all region BluRay player so I’ll have to check up on the chances of it working…some have and some dont hah.
For what it’s worth: I’m in the same position as you, my player is locked Region B. But “FREEDOM” is confirmed regionfree and works flawlessly on my player.
This weekend the postman delivered one of this year’s most anticipated “Special Editions”: the “70th Anniversary Wizard of Oz Ultimate Collector’s Edition”. Oh, and it’s limited too…
Warner Home Video really impressed friend and foe a few years back with their excellent multi-format multi-edition release of “Blade Runner”, the biggest and baddest version of which was the famous briefcase.
Well, this is Warner’s current briefcase: a stunning set with a huge amount of extras, both on and off the discs.
I had ordered the BluRay, and this is what it looks like on the outside:
Thankfully the blue BluRay signal is a wraparound paper thingy, and when removed you have the same beautiful green container as you’d get with the DVD-edition.
Opening the front lid reveals the hardcover book:
Pulling the ribbon allows easy removal of the hardcover book, the copy of the final budget sheet and the reproduction of the famed 1939 campaign book, revealing more stuff underneath:
Everything removed: The budget sheet, the hardcover production notes, the campaign book, the BD-Live manual, the digital copy manual, the digital copy disc, the watch and (finally) the BluRays themselves.
All contents opened and exposed. Added at the top are four mini-posters (or large postcards, whichever you prefer…) which are an Amazon exclusive:
That watch in close-up. Yep, it’s a real watch…
Limited to 243,000 might be the same as saying “not so limited at all”...
All in all this is one terrific piece of packaging! I’m especially tickled by the 1939 campaign booklet. Including it in this set is a very nice touch and I can see why the original (which was twice as large, to avoid confusion…) is seen as the ultimate collectible.
Ard, thanks for the terrific pictures of the OZ set. I ended up purchasing this same set as well but in the standard dvd edition (not blu-ray). So what will Warner Bros. do when the 75th or 100th year rolls around?
