Manga Oct Expo 2009 Interview

Written by Kevin Leathers on 06 Nov 2009

The London Expo has been and gone for another October and Manga Entertainment was on hand to give out all the latest bargains and news of upcoming releases that the company has planned for 2010. You have more than likely seen the news round up showing what Manga has planned, but now we get to throw our questions directly to the Manga UK man himself Jerome Mazandarani and get some details of the upcoming releases.


First off, a big thank you to you Jerome for taking the time to answer some of our burning questions, so let’s get straight into it.

UKA: Having announced the release of Evangelion 1.11 - You Are (Not) Alone on both DVD and Blu-Ray, can you confirm that the release on both formats will contain the 1.11 version of the movie? Some online outlets seem to be suggesting that the DVD release is 1.01, while only the Blu-Ray will get the full 1.11 version of the film.

JM: Good question. I’d like the DVD version to feature 1.11 as well. I need to clarify this with Funimation who in turn will need to get permission from Gainax. It seems to me to be another way of getting Eva fans to buy the same thing again and again and again, which to be honest with you really upsets me. Personally, I feel that the extended 1.11 version should be available on both formats. There are still a lot of UK anime fans who do not have a PS3 or dedicated Blu-ray player and HD TV set. I’ll get back to you on this. I hope the final answer will be “yes”.

Update: Jerome has confirmed that 1.11 will be on DVD and Blu-Ray from Manga. He also mentions that Manga also have the rights to release 1.01 (the theatrical cut) on DVD.

UKA: With Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Soul Eater both on the horizon in streaming form, will we be seeing more series offered up online before being released on DVD from yourselves?

JM: Yes, that is correct. With no TV platform currently available in the UK for these fantastic shows and TV stations remaining unconvinced that a.) there are enough anime fans in the UK to make airing these programs viable, and b.) their belief that shows like Soul Eater and FMA are not compatible with an early morning 9-11 year old audience, it will become more and more important for distributors and publishers to offer their own online solution. It is my hope that streaming the Japanese language episodes initially on manga.co.uk and You Tube will help to create some buzz for the shows and anticipation for the DVD release. We will hold back the English dubs for the DVD. We have no plans to stream the content in English at this stage.

UKA: Are there any plans to offer streaming content in both Standard and High Definition where it is available?

JM: Standard Def only at the moment. Not enough UK subscribers have higher enough bandwidth to make HD viable, plus there is the additional server cost. We make bugger all money off streaming and downloads at the moment. That’s why my view is that streaming is used to promote the DVD. Home video is still our bread and butter.

UKA: Has any decision currently been made on how you'll be releasing D.Gray Man on DVD?

JM: Manga will release 4 half season, 13 episode box sets. Series 1 Part 1 is scheduled for release on 22nd Feb. All 52 episodes should be out in the UK before the end of 2010.