Ronin Warriors / Samurai Troopers

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KabochaN's avatar
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"Ronin Warriors" was the first Japanese cartoon I watched with the awareness that it was not American. (This was when it was first on TV - before Sailor Moon made its debut, even! In fact, when Sailor Moon aired, the station gave it RW's time spot and I was really mad that I'd missed my episode of RW!!) Though I've only seen the English dub version, the show holds a special place in my heart. (I own 2 Japanese soundtracks and 3 Japanese artbooks.. heh)

A couple of weeks before AX, chibidrunksanzo brought it to my attention that it was available on DVD. And after some internet research, I realized that there appear to be two versions: the legitimate US release, and the bootleg (Taiwanese?) release. And I told myself that if I didn't find it at AX, I'd buy it online - well, AX didn't have it because it's out of print, so I guess I have to buy it online.

I'm writing this post in the midst of scouring the internet for places to buy these DVDs. I've discovered that the US release seems to be sold typically in single-DVD volumes, of which I think there are 12, and the covers have crisp art with the name "Ronin Warriors" with the "O" shaped as a sword's handguard (tsuba). The bootleg seems to be always sold in a box set with all episodes plus 2 OVAs, has 8 discs (in 2 boxes, I believe), and the cover is not as pretty (the color seems off) and says "Samurai Troopers", which is the Japanese name.

Unfortunately, the US version is more expensive. Prettier, more reliable (it matters because one user left a warning about poor quality with the other version), but more expensive. Like, $70 for the bootleg compared to over $100 for the legit copy. And if you buy it from somewhere else (like Amazon), it's really difficult to tell which version you're getting. So I'm wondering if any of you know a better place to find it - some obscure but reliable DVD seller? Or even a not-so-obscure but reliable DVD seller?
© 2007 - 2024 KabochaN
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shadrach-anki's avatar
RightStuf has the second DVD and volumes 8-10. They're sitting at about $15 each right now. Unfortunately, that's all they seem to have, and as you said, the series is out of print. Those seem to be the easiest volumes to find copies of.

You might also want to look through the Ronin Warriors entry at ANN. They have lists of the DVD releases that were made, and most of them seem to include potential purchasing links.

While both eBay and Amazon are somewhat less reliable, a lot of times it is possible to figure out whether the copy advertised is legit or not. You just have to do your homework first, which you have. You know the general specs of the R1 release, which is good. Watch for key caution words like "import" and "complete series" (Bandai apparently didn't go through with their decision to make a box set). When in doubt, contact the seller and ask specific questions.

Hope this helps in your search for nostalgia!