okay, so the toei quote contradicts what you say american distributors have said. doesn't mean that what i've heard from the horses mouth, on more than one occassion as it turns out, isn't true. sure, one source within a company may differ in opinion to the other, but if the head honcho of toei is responsible for the decision, anyone less would seem to have less power within whatever they're saying.

i'm not sure they've set a price on the film. smokescreen by toei or misunderstanding by others, i'm not sure... ?

the concern over the content and themes of the movie, hence the repeated mentions of campus-based event with shootings by me, is specifically related to the USA; hence the isolation and individual treatment of the film. in business terms, it's often said that if america catches a cold, the whole world sneezes - if a fuss kicks up in america over any comparison being drawn between something brought much more largely into public view by an american release (or remake, i suppose) then the whole world will perhaps take more notice of something that sat relatively quietly within the rest of the violence on display in films until that point.

I rented the version of Battle Royale that NetFlix has (apparently Korean because it had that as the main subtitle option in addition to English). It's violently entertaining but not very realistic, so I don't get why there's any controversy over it.

Not a bad idea. Things should be a little better now. If anyone (logboy, Cheato, whoever) wants to debate about other topics, then please start a thread in the appropriate forum.

On a slightly more on-topic direction, is there ANYWHERE that still carries the Tartan NTSC edition?

I actually didn't know that these films had R1 releases until I purchased the korean Wision set at FYE for $21.99. Pretty good set and really nice packaging.

Try amazon.co.uk

Great Film! Go Buy It Now!

Already tried that. "Not available".

I know you aren't close, but Amoeba in Hollywood has copies of it from time to time. They sell for about $35. You might want to also try ebay, but good luck sorting through all the various editions and finding an authentic one.

last time i checked, the tartan ntsc edition is fairly hard to come by. i know it prolly doesnt help, but the same edition a la pal format is much easier though.

... and that's why I have two copies of the Tartan NTSC R0 edition.

Would you care to part with one of them, Matt?

I came across one of them about a year ago at Amoeba and I DIDN'T BUY IT!!!!

I've been kicking myself ever since. I pop by the store at least once a month and I've never seen it there again.

I first had the Universe R3 version of this, but it sucked cock. Then I picked up the R0 NTSC Tartan version to replace it. Then I bought the Tartan R0 PAL Tin so I could have the Director's Cut. Then I got the Starmax R0 Korean SE so I could have the Director's Cut in NTSC and was lucky enough to get a copy with the map and the slipcover.

Frankly, I was kinda ticked off when they started selling this in Hot Topic. Blame it on the elitist nerd in me, but I just don't want a bunch of teenage tards in ugly hoodies and mall-punk/goths liking the same things I like. Plus, I had to do like research and shit and import this stuff while these snot-faces can just have their mom buy them a copy. Then again - this is what Hot Topic does - takes something cool and make it easy to get.

By the way - the argument in this thread was absurd. Unless a US distributor holds distribution rights and ALSO enforces them - there's nothing illegal about US retailers selling imports. I own many imported DVDs that US distributors have since bought the rights to and I have yet to go to jail for them. Feel free to turn me in - I'm not afraid.

So, to the OP - I suggest picking up the Starmax version... most releases are R0 and will play in any machine. I haven't seen the one sold in Hot Topic, but there are a bunch of Korean releases of this film... for some reason, they love it.

Ok, I think I know where this bogus-on-its-face "too controversial for US Distributors" nonsense is coming from... that nearly content-free "essay" that's included on the R0/NTSC Tartan release. Lame, lame, lame.

But this thread caused me to watch the film again last weekend. Look, the film's a bit goofy, the underlying conceit of the "BR Act" doesn't really make any sense, and the violence is fairly cartoonish and nothing of the sort that would cause fear or panic among potential distributors... all that said, goddam is this a fun flick!

And the transfer of that old disc holds up better than I'd remembered (watched it upscaled to 1080i via HDMI on a 54" screen). A bit hazy and the colors were a bit cool, though perhaps that's how it should look. It looked to me like a progressive transfer (anamorphic, of course), and I noticed no combing, stairstepping or other such artifacts. I recommend you turn down the brightness a few clicks, but the black levels are fairly decent. If you can find it, grab it.

Ok, so the best version is the Tartan R0 release? Looks like that'd be tough to find.

What release currently available in the U.S. would be best to buy? I just want the regular movie and don't care for the directors cut.

The only version that's readily available in the US and in print is the R0 Wision boxset from Korea that xage posted a picture of on the 1st page (which is almost exactly the same as the Starmax release, save for the addition of a DD 5.1 track and the inclusion of BR2), but it's the Special Version/Director's Cut.

That's the reason why the Tartan R0 NTSC Theatrical Cut is so highly sought after; there really hasn't been a decent English-subtitled, NTSC version of the Theatrical Cut released since then.

Do you guys recommand the verison that is found at Hot Topic for someone that doesn't import dvd's?

The version at Hot Topic is the Wision boxset I was referring to. I'd recommend it, personally; it's probably the best you're going to do without hunting for a copy of the OOP Tartan NTSC release. Good AV quality; decent subtitles (except for the added "Special Version" scenes, which get pretty bad).

Be aware there's no English subtitles on the extras of the set.

If the Wision subs are the same as the Starmax/Cream subs, then they suck donkey nuts. I always forget how bothered I am by them until I try to watch it.