As I have mentioned in articles before, Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia are set to begin releasing anime to the Australian market this month. Their first release slate will cover a grand total of six titles – four of which will be DVD+Blu-ray Combo Packs following the North American release structure. The three recieving the combo release are Shakugan no Shana Season 1, and Shakugan no Shana II split up into two half-season collections. The remaining three releases are Armitage III and A Certain Magical Index also split up into two half-season collections. To date I have reveiwed three of the six releases, with plans to review the other three this week. But there has been one aspect of the releases I have been unable to review due to not actually having them on hand…..
I am referring to the collectable packaging, which to date all I have really been able to show you is the above image and the description of them being “bookstyle slipcases”. Fortunately the team at Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia were kind enough to send me copies of all the packaging for their first releases… which I have now decided to show off in this mini-review. There has been a little bit of debate about how the packaging will turn out…. so I hope this helps you make up your mind about them.
That being said, this is the first time I have written up a review exclusively on packaging, so hope it came out well! At the very least feel free to ignore my ramblings and look at the images to give you an idea of what to expect.
The front cover design for all six releases are consistent. The overall design I think looks tidy and simple with the white background, with each including a piece of artwork from the respective series prominently on the cover (With the same visual effect to the top and bottom) and all the little bits and pieces of information neatly aligned down at the bottom of the page. For the Shakugan no Shana releases only, the Blu-Ray + DVD strip at the top of the cover is also present.
Another prominent aspect of the front covers to much debate has also been the inclusion of the text “アニメコレクション” or in English, “Anime Collection” boldly on the left hand side aligned to the artwork. The words are embossed on the cover and are coloured based on the core background colour from the artwork. It is an aspect of the cover that you will either appreciate or dislike, and while I am myself a little bit indifferent I suppose it does give the titles some branding as being part of a collection.
As with the front cover, the design of the back cover is consistent across all six titles. The white background carries over which highlights the artwork they included. The information is laid out neatly, with all the relevant information and general details you would need to know about the title (Eg. Format, synopsis, contents on each disc). More importantly given the layout, it was easy to read from.
The little twist that makes this packaging “collectable packaging” is its bookstyle aspect, where the front cover folds out to unveil another two pages of artwork, screencaps and information on the extra content included in the release. The design is once again neat and tidy, makes use of even more character artwork and includes a complete list of extras on both DVD and Blu-ray discs (Athough these don’t seem to change between format). While I am a tad surprised that they included screenshots of the show in this section and not the back cover (Especially considering copies could very well be shrink-wrapped, see THIS COMMENT from Alex) – overall I thought it was a simple design that worked well across the board.
Overall, I will leave your thoughts on the packaging when the titles appear in retailers from the 24th April 2013. But in my opinion, while it is evident that all the six designs are based off the same template and may lack variety in this regard – I think they do catch your attention first and foremost and provide all the information you would need about a title in a clear manner. I look forward to seeing the reception upon release and if this will be consistent through other releases.
Of course, packaging is just one aspect of a title, so don’t forget to keep an eye on my site for reviews of all these titles prior to their launch! Fortunately, these don’t seem to be individual releases either with many other licenses (Eg. Serial Experiments Lain) and sequels (Eg. Sakugan no Shana III) already confirmed for release in the coming months.
Is the embossed ”アニメコレクション” also on the disc case, or just this outer slipcase?
Unfortunately I am not sure about this yet. I only received the slipcases to preview.
Even though I’ve only seen the first episode of Shana and didn’t care for it, the combo pack and the attractive price point are huge selling points for me.
Holy Hell yes DVD sized case
Screw those nice U.S. boxsets these won’t look off in my collection!
I am actually very excited for these releases now!
Thank you for reviewing the packaging, Sony seems to be trying a lot harder this time!
They look good to me.