BeautyAndTheBeastDVD illegal in Japan?

Hi

I hope someone can shed some light on this.

I'm trying to buy my girlfriend the Disneys Beauty and the Beast DVD but I can't find it. I could order one from the UK (same region) but I want it with the Japanese subtitles and audio.

I have tried amazon.co.jp which accepts that it exists but only second-hand for 23,000yen. And I have tried the 711 DVD website (7andy) but they deny all knowledge.

I then decided that I would try the Japanese Disney Online store and just pay retail for it. But the search on their site just draws a blank.

I've tried searching the title in English and in Japanese (美女と野獣) but with no luck.

I've even tried to just rent it in Geo and Tsutaya but with no luck.

The nearest I can get to the original are some of the sequels. But, it's not what I'm after.

It seems strange that Disney don't even list it as part of their collection. Has Japan banned it?

If someone could tell me the name of a site (that will let you pay with something other than credit cards) or a shop I could try, that would be great. I haven't tried HMV yet (just about to).

Thanks in advance

Adam

Would this do? Or are you saying that the Special Limited Edition is not what you want? Second hand is available from 6500 yen at Amazon.

http://www.google.co.jp/search?hl=ja&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&...

Thanks Uco for the reply.

If it was for me, then second hand is ok. But it's for someone else as a gift, so I want it new.

Thank you for the google link. But I tried that first with no luck. There's information saying that it was released in Japan but it's not available to buy "new" just now.

I also tried HMV and they have around 246 Disney DVD titles, but nothing for Beauty and the Beast. It seems like the DVD has been black listed. Pretty strange because I know that it's popular in Japan.

I'll keep hunting.

Thanks again

Adam

Hi

I found the reason about why the DVD is so hard to find just now.

Beauty and the Beast is currently in the "Disney Vault". Disney stop the sale of their products when the demand drops and then re-release 7-10 years down the line, when demand is high again.

So my only chance now is to try to get it second-hand. But amazon is not the place. It's cheaper at 6,500yen but there have been many complaints about private sellers sending pirated versions at a high price. (well copied and scanned DVDs but without the hologram marks)

Since I need the Japanese version, I'm not going to risk amazon Japan because I can't read the fine print of the sellers description. There are partially sealed DVDs available. But they are priced at 23,000yen (out of my budget) and a shrink-wrap machine is easy to get a hold of. So, not worth the risk.

I will try some of the second-hand shops like "nandemo kai". At least that way, I can check it first before buying.

haha, Or wait for the vault to open.

So, I'm going to try

quote:But they are priced at 23,000yen (out of my budget) ..

Good God, should be out of anyones budget for such a thing, is effectively a "score"..
where are their guns and Presidents' masks?

I guess I should have said that it was well out of my budget. (about have my months rent-countryboy before anyone says that's cheap)

But I'm not surprised at the Japanese cost nor at the Japanese muppet that will eventually pay it.

It's the same all over Japan (general view i've picked up, not slanting an entire country) when it comes to buying things. Don't get me wrong, they will kill for a sale but they seem a bit lost when it comes to thinking about how much something is worth.

They seem to think that by paying more, they get some garantee of quality and never think that the multi-million/billion company is ripping them off.

Take DVDs. The same DVD on a UK site is about 40 pounds (UK) and people are complaining. Compare that with Amazon Japan at 150 pounds and your thinking, "What the hell?" (haha, Can I say "hell" on this site?). Most DVDs are the same. I could buy a DVD every few weeks back home on a part-time Tesco job but I have to buy DVDs here second-hand or just rent them over here. Madness.

The flights are the ones that get me. During the summer holidays I could get a return flight from the UK to Japan for about 500-600 pounds. But if I tried to book the same flight numbers but a return flight Japan - UK my minimum quote was around 1,500 pounds.

Japan needs to stand up and slap someone.

Anyway, that's my afternoon rant over. Better get back to work.

Adam

P.S. Still love Japan :)

Well, the second hand DVD priced 8300 yen at Amazon Japan, has a good 5 star reputation. The shop 東京シネアーカイブ says it's in excellent (非常に良い) condition with 2 discs, disc case and leaflet. Up to you.

I know people here the same way, can be maddening, especially as many although live in trendy inner-city areas are actually cash-strapped.

Theyre easy takes.

Y23000 is maybe @$AuD260+ in my money...for a Disney movie DVD, jesus...maybe, what, 50+ Bento box meals?Thats a hell of a barter exchange-rate right there.
The only reason you've been held up at all is the requirement for Japanese subtitles, if not for that theyd be a buck a dozen, although maybe less if you could use R1 instead of R2.

Cheers Uco for the translation. It seems good. But it's not worth the risk just now.

I've read on Amazon.com that people have been listing the DVD as boxed, booklet and sealed, but when it arrives its a bad copy, scanned booklet and a box from another DVD.

To be fair, the seller does have a very high rating but is that because he's selling hard-to-find bootleg DVDs at a third of the price? And Japanese people are just not checking for a hologram or are just happy getting a cheap deal.

And added to the fact that the DVD is still costing 55 UK pounds is a joke. The other Disneys are around 4,000yen (~26pounds). I should be getting the DVD player to go with it. Haha I should check out AEON.

To Patrick, Yeah, the region 1 DVDs are cheaper but with no Japanese subtitles. And the UK Region 2 only offers Spanish as the other language. Even that DVD, second-hand is priced at 40quid. So I might just wait for the re-release.

Cheers for the comments

Adam