Flash forward to the present, I’m thrilled to see that anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced the home media Blu-ray release of Nobody’s Boy Remi. This series will become available for purchase on May 11th.
Before advances in technology reinvented the three-dimensional effect for modern day televisions, some production houses used a built-in illusion without having to change anything. The Pulfrich Effect (more information below) created the sense that objects appear closer than they are. This technique preserves the visual image, allowing viewers to see both flat and pronounced images with or without glasses.
From the Press Release:
An Epic Tale of Turbulence and Triumph Remi was once a happy little boy, living with his mom and pet cow in the French countryside. But that joyous childhood comes to a screeching halt when daddy comes home, tells him he’s adopted, and sells him to a street performer. Suddenly forced to accompany the gruff Vitalis, his dogs and his monkey as they wander on foot all over the country, Remi thinks that life can’t possibly get ‘worse. But he is VERY wrong.
An incredible testament to the human spirit, this classic series from celebrated director Osamu Dezaki (‘<i”>’Tomorrow’s Joe, Dear Brother, Space Adventure Cobra”) is equally shocking, tragic and joyous. Based on the classic novel Nobody’s Boy (Sans Famille) by Hector Malot, Nobody’s Boy Remi will be a series you will remember for the rest of your life. The series debut also marks the inaugural release for the new AnimEigo imprint, Ruined Childhood, which seeks to capture the dark, fleeting, and often ironic sides of Youth.
The lushly animated series features 51 episodes that are presented in 3-D and in High Definition for the first time.
Pre-orders are available through MediaOCD’s website or on Amazon USA.
Nobody’s Boy Remi Trailer
3D Anime via the Pulfrich Effect
Unlike most 3-D techniques, which require a near-duplicate frame for each eye, Remi utilizes the Pulfrich Effect: a false sense of depth a viewer can feel from objects that move horizontally. This is due to timing differences in how the visual cortex of the human brain processes input from each eye. Some people can notice this illusion on their own, but dimming one eye will further delay its signal, which greatly enhances the effect. The benefits of using this technique on television are that it requires no special equipment at any point: it’s compatible with virtually any film or video standard or medium.
Without the enhancing effect of 3-D glasses, the broadcast just looks “normal.” Moreover, if an object isn’t moving sideways, it doesn’t appear to be in 3-D at all. (The exhausting effort of adding lateral movement to EVERY SHOT meant that the effect is curtailed in later episodes.)
Broadcast television has occasionally used this technique over the years, including in special episodes of Doctor Who, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Yo! Yogi. Yogi, and the Super Bowl XXIII Halftime Show in 1989. It’s also been used on home video with Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue, and in video games such as the Super NES title Jim Power: The Lost Dimension in 3-D.
Nobody’s Boy Remi Blu-Ray Features:
- 51 episodes on 4 discs
- French language dub (entire series)
- English subtitles