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I've already watched every episode from the series (downloaded from torrent sites), but wanted to buy an official box since I feel bad about not having the original stuff.

I wanted to know if there is a definitive dvd/bluray box edition. I always struggled with finding decent quality video/audio.

Ideally there would be a Blu-ray collection in 720p at least and with 5.1 DTS Japanese audio.

By making a quick search on ebay, I found this one, which is scheduled to release in a few days, but I don't know exactly it's specifications.

Where should I be looking for this stuff? It would obviously be ideal if English subtitles were available, but I guess I'm stuck with Japanese releases if quality is concerned.

senshin
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julealgon
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  • should give [archonia](http://www.archonia.com) a shot – Dimitri mx Feb 19 '14 at 18:17
  • I know you can find the DVD's at http://www.funimation.com/shows/initial-d/products 480p 5.1 but no info on BD yet as they seem to be coming out in 2 days in Japan. – Prix Feb 19 '14 at 18:21
  • I've heard the English releases are censored and stuff, at least in the First Stage. I would like the best version, even if I have to setup subtitles myself later on. – julealgon Feb 19 '14 at 18:55

1 Answers1

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Amazon Japan pre-orders for the new two-box "complete" premium BD box set for 31,080 yen each (Amazon price as of this post).

The first BD box set, Vol .1 is scheduled to be released February 21th, 2014 and includes 6 BDs + 3 CDs, featuring:

#Initial D: First Stage (26 eps)
#Initial D: Second Stage (13 eps)
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#CD: Radio Stage Part 1
#CD: EXTRA-DRAMA CD Vol. 1 & 2

Notes from CD Japan:

First Premium Blu-ray Box release including complete first stage (26 episodes), second stage (13 episodes), special CD Vol1 "Initial D Radio Stage Part1", special CD 2 "EXTRA-DRAMA CD Vol.1&2"(2 discs), special original goods (2 kinds), and special manual book in a deluxe box.

The second BD box set, Vol. 2 is scheduled to be released March 21th and includes 7 BDs + 3 CDs

#Initial D: Third Stage (Movie)
#Initial D: Fourth Stage (24 eps)
#Initial D: Extra Stage (4 eps)
#Initial D: Battle Stage (2 eps)
#Initial D to the Next Stage - Project D e Mukete (1 eps)
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#CD: Radio Stage Part 2
#CD: EXTRA-DRAMA CD Vol.3 & 4

Notes from CD Japan:

Second Premium Blu-ray Box release including third stage (movie), fourth stage (24 episodes), extra stage (3 episodes), battle stage (2 episodes), project episode, special CD Vol1 "Initial D Radio Stage Part2", special CD 2 "EXTRA-DRAMA CD Vol.3&4"(2 discs), special original goods (2 kinds), and special manual book in a deluxe box.

NOTE: The discs are region-free and contain NO subtitles.

Currently only the Fifth Stage (14 eps), the upcoming movie (slated for summer 2014) and "Final Stage" (not yet produced) are missing from the collection.

кяαzєя
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  • Well I know about this set as I stated in the question, but I still don't know anything about video/audio format. Do you have any info on that? – julealgon Feb 19 '14 at 18:50
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    The episodes are remastered in Blu-ray quality. The Blu-ray itself is a Blu-ray hybrid so it plays on DVD players, too. It's standard 16:9 (1.78:1) aspect ratio. The [official FB page](https://www.facebook.com/pages/%E9%A0%AD%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97-DInitial-DOfficial-Site/662201660486276) has some more photos of the box and discs. – кяαzєя Feb 21 '14 at 14:54
  • Hmm that's interesting. I never knew this hybrid Blu-ray thing existed. Also, has it been confirmed to be 720p or 1080p video quality? – julealgon Feb 21 '14 at 15:17
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    I couldn't find any information about the resolution. I don't think they redid the cel-animations, and since some seasons like Second Stage was digitally animated at a (ridiculously) low resolution (or lack of smoothing). So the big question probably is the first set a new HD telecine or an upscale from a composite source? But judging my the ~30s clip on the official FB page for the release there seems to be some significant improvements. – кяαzєя Feb 21 '14 at 15:37
  • Could you provide the link for this 30s video? I did not find any videos on the page besides the new movie trailer. – julealgon Feb 21 '14 at 15:49
  • Ignore that I said about the trailer, I didn't read the description. Here's a link to one of the commercials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH0P7wrLSEo – кяαzєя Feb 21 '14 at 16:41
  • Oh I see that oO. Well, will have to seriously consider getting this now. – julealgon Feb 21 '14 at 19:13