Author Topic: Can I offer City Hunter 1? (Read 3512 times)

Loxley · « **on:** July 18, 2009, 01:14:51 PM »

This would be my first offer here at BakaBT, and I'm not sure whether or not to offer a torrent. (Nor how to do it, but I'll figure that out somehow, as long as I know I MAY upload the torrent to BakaBT).

The thing is, ANN claims that City Hunter 1 is licensed by ADV. However, I read somewhere that ADV's license for City Hunter expired a couple of years ago, and to support this is the fact I searched their webpage, but couldn't find any references to City Hunter there. I also checked AniDB, but I couldn't find anything on anyone holding license for the series there either.

As a side-note, City Hunter is one of those series that I feel really needs to be uploaded and released. I think there's more people than me who would love that to happen. Me, I downloaded the entire series (Yup, got 'em all), from PirateBay a good three years or so ago. Took a helluvalot of time (about two weeks all in all with the sucky speed I had back then), but it was definitely worth it. Problem now is there doesn't seem to be any torrents gathering any of the seasons in their entirety, only scattered torrents with a few episodes here and there, making it almost impossible to get your hands on the whole series. And of course, the seeds on them suck since there's a lot of hit 'n run going on over there.

The ones I have are released by a fansub group called Anime Pit Stop. Pretty good quality considering the age (make that kickass quality considering the age), but only in Japanese with English (unfortunately, hard)subs, no English dubs. (Do they even exist these days?)

If I can upload this one, I'd also like to upload the rest of the series in the future, as long as they're not licensed.

Thanks in advance.

newy · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2009, 02:04:38 PM »

The Blacklist doesn't show City Hunter as being licensed (though I thought it was. Has it expired recently?). So I would say let me leech!! But wait for a mod's answer.

Xiong Chiamiov · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2009, 02:13:31 PM »

Expired licenses are difficult to check, and ADV's especially so. At the moment, their site doesn't even load... Hold off for now, until someone finds something definitive.

Stsin · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2009, 02:17:57 PM »

Thought about uploading as one big torrent, like the original was? I also downloaded it long ago and think many others have too. It's not just a few series but all those OVAs too. It'd be nice to keep it together and while 30 gigs (IIRC) was big back then, not so much anymore.

Loxley · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2009, 02:23:00 PM »

I think (my memory is a bit foggy since it was three years or so ago), I downloaded the torrents one season at a time, and then the OVA's one after the other. I'm also not sure (haven't checked the other seasons yet) whether it's the same fansub groups that have subbed all of the ones I have. That's why I'd like to go with season 1 first.

I'm also figuring it'll be easier to upload one season at a time since that'll make it faster for people to download, and me (or anyone else) to move on to the next season afterwards. And the thought of uploading a 30 gb torrent does give me a bit of network speed inferiority complex.

The problem with the City Hunter franchise here on BakaBT seems to be that nobody really knows if it's allowed or not, if it's licensed or not, and so on, so I thought I should ask, and get it clarified at least. But I'll hold off for now with a torrent offer then.

Edit: The second season I have is by another fansub group called RG. It's inferior in picture quality to Baka-Anime's version, or so it seems according to AniDB, so it'd be better if someone who's downed the B-A version could up that one (if permission is given).

As for whether B-A's or APS' versions of Season 1 is better than the other, I guess that's up for debate.

But the problem with APS is they have hardsubs.

macros74 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2009, 04:16:45 PM »

Kaos Drem offered City Hunter two months ago. Or it was another City Hunter franchise offer, anyway, the original City Hunter was mentioned. Conclusion then was that it was all right to offer B-A's release (the offer in question was from another group, that I remember). I even asked Kaos Drem if he was going to offer it, but I never heard back from him.

But hopefully one of the mods can remember the exact details, I believe it was MTR, but I'm not sure.

Loxley · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2009, 04:57:58 PM »

I haven't seen the B-A subs, but AniDB states both them and APS are in 640x480, so the only difference then would be that B-A uses softsubs while APS uses hardsubs, and also that B-A uses .mkv files while APS uses .avi. I'm no expert though, so I don't know if this affects picture quality.

With this in mind, if APS is alright instead of B-A's version, and I get green light to upload the series, I'll definitely throw it up as an offer, and seed 'til I bleed. For the sake of all you CH-fans out there.

Edit: I dug up the thread/offer from Kaos Drem, here, for reference:
http://forums.bakabt.me/index.php?topic=14178.msg336491;topicseen#msg336491

macros74 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 18, 2009, 06:33:00 PM »

Quote from: Loxley on July 18, 2009, 04:57:58 PM

Edit: I dug up the thread/offer from Kaos Drem, here, for reference:
http://forums.bakabt.me/index.php?topic=14178.msg336491;topicseen#msg336491

I don't know exactly anymore what he offered two months ago (perhaps the whole collection) , but the reject reason said something about B-A and that (could also have been in the comments) part of the collection could be offered.

Xiong Chiamiov · « **Reply #8 on:** July 18, 2009, 11:41:08 PM »

MTR knows about that stuff, but he left for a while about 30 minutes before I read this thread.

It doesn't hurt to wait a bit.

macros74 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 19, 2009, 09:53:05 PM »

Quote

The first series lasted for 51 episodes, followed by two further seasons; City Hunter 2, which had 63 episodes; and City Hunter 3, which had 13 episodes. A fourth television series, City Hunter '91, premiered on November 28, 1991 and lasted 13 episodes.

Along with the four television series, the City Hunter animated franchise spans three television specials, two original video animations and one feature film.

1 Film:

* 357 Magnum a.k.a A Magnum of Love's Destination is about Ryo and kaori being hired to protect Nina Shutenburg, a beautiful pianist, from mercanries and diplomats.

2 OVAs:

* Bay City Wars is about Ryo and Umibozu fighting against an evil dictator and his league of terrorists hijacking the Bay City hotel

* Million Dollar Conspiracy a.k.a. Plot of a $1,000,000.

3 specials:

* Secret Service.
* The Motion Picture a.k.a. Goodbye, My Sweetheart.
* Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba a.k.a. Death of Evil Ryo Saeba.

ADV initially had the rights to most of the series, with the exception of the last film. However, it went out of print quickly, and, possibly due to a lack of popularity, has not yet been re-released.

To be complete...

Zalis116 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2009, 04:27:08 AM »

The subs for any version should be the same, as they're all ripped from the ADV release. But there's already a torrent with all of B-A's releases out there, so there's no need to go on an information wild goose chase to get them uploaded here.

macros74 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2009, 04:37:32 AM »

Yes, I found that one after my last post, it's reasonably well seeded too it seems.

MTR · « **Reply #12 on:** July 23, 2009, 11:12:11 PM »

I vaguely remember the discussion on City Hunter Season 1, and I believe after research, I did find that the license had indeed expired (DVDs were released only once by ADV Films, in 2003, and are now well out of print). If I recall correctly, that is also why it isn't on the DNU list anymore (I believe I removed it while I was on one of my previous DNU cleaning sprees).

That being said, I don't see any harm in offering it. I don't for the life of me remember WHERE I read that it had expired, but I am almost certain that I did read it somewhere. If any other staff have anything against it being uploaded, say the word.

Loxley · « **Reply #13 on:** July 24, 2009, 11:56:21 AM »

I'll take any future silence fom staff side in this thread as it being okay to offer it, then.

macros74 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 24, 2009, 01:52:21 PM »

I have all the B-A releases, but since you're going to offer APS I can't help you seed should it get granted, but I'm sure you'll manage...

@MTR: we're only talking about season 1 here I take it, not the rest of the franchise?

MTR · « **Reply #15 on:** July 24, 2009, 06:42:54 PM »

I was only talking about season 1, yes, but the others have also not been released since 2003 (or in some cases 2002), so I personally wouldn't have any issues with those either. I would assume that since season 1 is expired that the rest are as well...but that's just me assuming.

Loxley · « **Reply #16 on:** July 24, 2009, 09:22:39 PM »

Macros, I think I'll manage it somehow.

I'll try and throw up an offer somewhere in the end of next week at the latest, then. Just have to figure out how to create a torrent and some of that stuff first.

Number6 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 29, 2009, 05:19:01 AM »

Umm... I, like Macross74 and a few others, have the entire City Hunter collection... Seasons 1, 2, 3, '91, and the 6 OVAs, all done by [B-A].

I didn't quite get whether the other seasons are uploadable due to licensing. If they are (and I really hate to say this), shouldn't this be a mega-torrent with all the [B-A] versions, since it's MKV and soft subbed?

If anyone feels like offering the entire thing or the rest of the franchise using the [B-A] release, I'd be more than happy to help seed, otherwise, I'll make the offer myself.

newy · « **Reply #18 on:** July 29, 2009, 11:02:06 AM »

If megatorrent then only with seasons 1,2,3,'91 and the OVAs as a separate torrent, I think.

macros74 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 30, 2009, 10:35:05 AM »

Quote from: newy on July 29, 2009, 11:02:06 AM

If megatorrent then only with seasons 1,2,3,'91 and the OVAs as a separate torrent, I think.

That would probably be best for such a megatorrent. Angel Heart is already up in a separate torrent.
Should it come to that might I suggest a possible description template (original by Odyseas)? This. The original had built in screenshots (much like Dragon80's recent descriptions), but I didn't use that option.

First let's see what the mod consensus is about the whole City Hunter situation.

Edit:

Quote from: Southrop

B-A megatorrent sounds nice. We can also accept the APS releases as a DivX alternative.

OVA's and such separate?