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Buying Guide Home Region coding and video standards Recommendations Customs duties Region 1 (US) Region 4 (Australia) Region 2 (Japan) Region 2 (UK) Region 2 (Europe) Region 3/0 (HK and Indonesia) Oxford Anime Vision |
Region 2 (UK) releasesDespite an early start on the anime scene, the UK is now truly a backwater of the anime world what with Manga Video UK folding and Pioneer pulling out of the market. However it's still possible to find the odd decent release and the emergence of DVD has got round the problem of only dubbed VHS tapes being available. Generally, if you want any range of subtitled anime at all, you're much better off using a UK Region 1 DVD importer as above. There are really very few anime DVDs released in this country, generally only films like `Ghost in the Shell', `Perfect Blue' or `Blood'. Your local HMV or Virgin Megastore will have a small range of dubbed tapes and DVDs, either adjacent to either the Disney or `adult' section. VHS anime tends to be pretty low quality and quite expensive (£15 a tape) so go for DVDs if possible. BlackStar are a popular mailorder VHS and DVD retailer who have a huge range (pretty much anything released in the UK) and decent prices. You can pick up a VHS release for £12 and an anime DVD for around £18.50. They also offer a 10% preorder discount. On the downside, they do charge a shipping rate of £1.50 per VHS and £1.20 per DVD. However, if you want something obscure it's probably the place to go. For a comprehensive list of local suppliers, check the BritAnime UK Anime Shopping Guide. |