Wasteland Wednesday: Tenchi Muyo! Book of Heaven Laserdisc Set

 

I'm a huge laserdisc collector. Without question, it's my favorite media format and I'll easily take them over Blu-ray, DVD, VHS, Betamax, any day. There's something about the picture of a laserdisc that gives a genuine "film" look which is lost in the heavily digitized world of high definition. This is more noticeable on live-action films, but still evident with anime as well. And, needless to say, the artwork on laserdiscs is often second-to-none.

 This first Tenchi Muyo collection, titled "Book of Heaven" contains the initial 7 OVA episodes. Pioneer released a number of fantastic laserdisc sets, and this is no exception. Sadly, the front cover is bland, but the back and inside make up for it. Since it's a two-disc set, the laserdisc has a gatefold cover, which opens to reveal some great artwork.

Predating DVD, these laserdiscs offered a feature VHS never could: bilingual audio. Fans could now listen to any episode in English or Japanese without being forced to buy separate sub or dub tapes. Nowadays, that option is expected on many anime releases, but back then it was a pretty big deal. Plus, laserdiscs had chapter skips, so no more tedious fast forwarding or rewinding...just skip to the next chapter break! Another feature made quaint with the advent of DVD.

 

This LD collection was released in 1998. I'll post pics of the second Tenchi Muyo laserdisc set, "Book of Earth," soon.