Customer Reviews

Tobor the 8th Man Original TV Series Anime Vol. 1 [Remastered & Restored]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off I own several of the old VHS tapes and was able to do a full comparison and this set rocks!!!

The video is near perfect (I didn't see any green blotches) smooth rendering and obviously taken from the original film. The audio is perfectly fine, no problem with "bad mixing" or anything else. I also love the photo gallery!

Highly recommended, makes a great xmas gift!

I gave this product a 2-star review because at least SOMEONE is taking some very minor effort to put this awesome show on dvd. However, it is clearly done by a bootleg artist rather than an official company like Sony or Buena Vista, which is obvious by the TERRIBLE sound quality, cheap looking dvd case, tons of blotches and pixilated gook in almost every screen, and the amateur dvd menu that looks just like the tons of bootleg 60's-90's cartoon dvds I bought off ebay in the early and mid 2000's. The poor picture and sound quality (although I guess it's better than on previous bootleg releases), unreasonably high price of about $[...] for 5 episodes that are only 15 minutes each (which is pure insanity in today's ratsoup economy), and the overall lackluster casing and presentation of this dvd deserve 1 single star. But, because this show is now available on dvd - despite numerous flaws - I must give it an extra star. If only this show would be released in a more official manner, it would easily deserve 4 or 5 stars. Whatever thieves downloaded this and put it on dvd-r's ([...]), should be put on trial for falsely advertising it as being "remastered, restored, crystal clear" and selling it at such a high price. I want my money back, but I know some die-hard nostalgic animation fans out there will still appreciate this because of the greatness of the original material. This dvd looks and sounds like garbage, and only because some clever Japanese animation studio put this together in the 60's is this show worth your time. This DVD itself is nowhere near as great as I thought it would be when I read the product description. Whats the deal Amazon.com, why are you letting all these bottomfeeders sell their illegal products through your once-great website?

Sorry but, I was real disappointed with the overall quality of this DVD. The picture was NOT clear, it looks out of focus. The sound is horrible! I could barely watch the dang thing, like what has been brought to attention in other reviews ,the effects sound is so loud you cant hear the dialog. The only reason I gave 2 stars is I just love this cartoon, one of my favorites. I had an old store bought VHS and it way better quality. I just hope the VOL. 2 is better.

Finally after a long wait (dealing with low quality VHS copies and bootlegs) the original 1960's Anime Classic has been digitally remastered and restored.

This set contains the first five episodes to the TV series in chronological order (great for starters!):

1. How I, 8th Man, Came to be.

2. Icefinger the Executioner from Intercrime.

3. The Deadly Cruel Clown.

4. The Elevator Trap.

5. Dr. Sinister and the Black Fog Bank Mob.

Additionally the sound has been remixed and remastered in full 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound which sounds absolutely FANTASTIC! [...] Studios did a great job, can't wait for Vol. 2!

Digitally remastered and restored crystal clear DVD video.

Enhanced 2.0 (Stereo) Dolby Digital Soundtrack.

Enhanced 5.1 (6 Channel) Dolby Digital Surround Soundtrack.

DVD Bonus: 8th Man Photo Gallery, Original 8th Man Introduction & Ending Credits.

This poor excuse for a remastering of classic anime is apiece of junk ! Here are my reasons. 1. Why would anyone choose to colorize the image of 8th man and put it on the d.v.d. cover? Everyone knows the series was produced in black and white. Obviously an attempt to attract an audience that would not be interested in this product anyway. Other classic anime series have been remastered using their original black and white artwork for the covers and they look superb. 2. When the d.v.d. arrived I needed to spend one hour cleaning black ink off of it. Probably due to the producers fautly label maker. 3. Ten minutes into watching it the picture broke up into a pixilated mess of blue and green smears. 3. Whoever mixed the 5.1 audio made the effects in the two rear channels so loud that the center dilogue channel could not be heard . The effects even if they weren't so loud were misplaced, annoying ,and laughable. The original mono track is all any fan would want. Anyone looking for a decent version of the series should check out the original commercially produced V.H.S. tapes.

The Dolby sound is awful; in fact, you can't even hear some of the dialogue on the dvd.

I find the july 18 review rather odd, as for me, i thought the sound was amazing, but then again i'm biased perhaps, as i have been watching old vhs's for many years.... this is a great collection, and the sound is wonderful.

I was thrilled to see this product when it came out. Yes, I've had it since Amazon released it but I felt, as a verified buyer, that I finally give a review vs. some of the opinions I have read in the reviews. I have to agree with the other verified reviewer that the sound quality is the pits. At first I thought that I may have gotten a defective copy but I have such fond memories of this series as a child that I refused to send it back. A mono track would have been more acceptable than what you get. The video quality can only be considered acceptable. I too had problems with video pixilation as well. I currently have volume 2 on my wish list. It would have to drop to $9.99 or less before I even consider buying it due to the poor quality of the first release from this company.

From the 1960's, 8th man (8 man in Japan) is an anime b/w classic. This is the first of 8 volumes digitally remastered and restored.

POSITIVES:
Excellent video and audio quality, the first 5 episodes in the series, nice bonus photo gallery and dvd menu.

NEGATIVES:
The only lack luster is some added in (presumbly for 5.1 enhancment) sound effects, which oddly don't appear on any of the other volumes. It does sound great if you have a 5.1 surround systems but simply isn't the original broadcast audio.

OVERALL
Contains many episodes that were previously unreleased on the old VHS tapes (such as the first episode) and at much better quality. Overall this set is well worth picking up with little issues. If you're an 8th man fan I would pick up the full box sets (1 & 2) Tobor the 8th Man Original TV Series Anime Box Set 1 Tobor the 8th Man Original TV Series Anime Box Set 2 and grab all 8 volmes that way as it's cheaper.