I looked up and down the board and couldn't find a thread dealing with collecting DVD or Bluray copies of Toho's daikaiju films. Aside from the import VHS from years ago, I currently have the Tokyo Shock version of Varan (original Japanese cut version with English subtitles available) and a few of the Millenium series Tristar DVDs (2000, Megaguirus, Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Wars). I am beginning to fill out my collection with new DVDs or Bluray. I want to try to get each film in the original Japanese language cut with the international English subtitles (not the American dubs subtitles), but also having the international English dub is nice too. And I also want the versions of those films that had an American release, which is how I viewed them when I was young. So which titles can I buy on DVD or Bluray here in the US, and which ones will I need to resort to import DVDs for?
In doing some research, it looks like Classic Media has made many of the Showa series films available. It appears that each DVD includes a copy of the original Japanese cut and language with international subtitles (direct translations of the original dialogue) and a copy of the American cut and/or dub of the film. Is this correct? If so, than buying the US DVDs is the best deal. And they even have a collection set of their Godzilla films including the original, Raids Again, Mothra vs, Ghidorah, Monster Zero, Revenge-AMA, and Terror of Mecha. And then they also have Rodan and War of the Gargantuas.
Criterion also has a Bluray of both versions of the original Godzilla, which might be a good addition to the Classic Media pack if the picture quality is improved over the Classic Media DVD.
I see Universal has the rights to the two Kong films, and they are released as straight US English dub versions.
The Tristar Showa DVDs include Mothra, vs Ebirah, Son, vs Hedorah, vs Gigan, and vs Mecha I. I know these have Japanese language on them. But I'm not sure which English dub and subtitles they are? Are these the English international versions or the US versions? Their Heisei films all seem to be the international English versions (I don't think anyone dubbed these in the US since they were straight to video) with no Japanese language option. And their release of Godzilla 2000 is the US theatrical version with American cuts and dubbing, and no Japanese option. The rest of the Millennium series (most of which I have) appears to be English international dubs with Japanese language with English subtitle options.
There's the Echo Bridge DVD and Bluray of Biollante, which I think is the Japanese version with English international subtitles and dubbing, to round out the Heisei series (minus 1984, which I have to stick with my VHS copy of, as well as Rebirth of Mothra III).
The rest of the titles are a little more complicated as some appear to have multiple publishers and/or out of print. Only Gorath has no DVD version. There's the Tokyo Shock DVDs which includes the Varan I have that is the original Japanese cut with English subtitles. The other Tokyo Shock DVDs are The Mysterians, Atragon, Dagora, Frankenstein Conquers, Destroy all Monsters, Yog/Space-Amoeba, and vs Megalon. And they also released Destroy and Megalon in Bluray. But many of these titles were produced by Media Blasters too; The Mysterians, Dagora, Atragon, Varan, Yog, Destroy All Monsters, vs Megalon, with even Rodan and War of the Gargantuas. And it looks like ADV, Simitar and Alpha may have released some of these titles. From the Tokyo Shock reviews I've seen it sounds like they are the original Japanese cuts of the films with English international subtitles or dub available. Is this correct? Most of these appear to be out of print, so which ones make the best choices?
I was wondering about Region 2 DVDs too,as I have a region free player. Do the region 2 DVD imports have English subtitles available?
