So I was delighted when RightStuf announced that they were licensing the title. RightStuf has a history of publishing very high quality box sets (The Emma, Utena, and Maria-sama box sets, to name a few) with the serious collector in mind. Aoi Hana, however, is released under their Lucky Penny imprint. Series that may not sell very well are released under this imprint, where there are no spiffy chipboard boxes or 100 page pamphlets with liner notes. Although, isn't that better than not having the series available at all? In any case, I expected something along the line of a bare bones Sentai release......
There are a total of 3 DVDs in a standard sized DVD case. Each disc has a lovely sketch of one of the backgrounds used in the anime, and each disc has a different sketch. The picture is printed in a light blue, giving the artwork an ephemeral quality, and the quality of the printing is remarkable. There are no weird hexagons or color seepage, each sketch is crystal clear.
I ordered my set from RightStuf's website, so I got a bonus artbook thrown in. It's also very nice, but it's about a quarter inch bigger than the DVD case, so I can't put it in there for safe-keeping. The artbook is only about 12 pages of heavy cardstock, and the pictures go from muted watercolor paintings reminiscent of the manga to production stills from the anime. The artbook is listed as "while supplies last" so if you want one, order quickly!
For the price I paid, I could have done a lot worse. This release does not seem cheap in any way. Kudos to Nozomi / RightStuf for publishing a budget release that doesn't feel like a budget release. I am looking forward to more overlooked series getting a treatment in this fashion.
