tl;dr version: They're pretty.

I began my collection sometime in 1995 or 1996. My friend and I were fansub collectors and traders from the old pre-digital days, and we decided to do some subtitling as well. My first purchase was the first Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam boxset, which, oddly, the local branch of Tower Records had in stock (the store clerk was shocked that somebody actually purchased it). I didn't have the money for the second boxset, and indeed to this day have never managed to acquire it (though I did get the single-disc reissues of the rest of the series, albeit in highly-abused condition).

My subbing partner and I operated for several years under the name "Lupin Gang Anime." Eventually, we both lost our passion for it, and ultimately I came upon my final and most difficult year of college. The age of digital fansubbing was beginning, and we didn't care for the new emerging "scene" that was replacing our old world. So, we retired.

There are three reason why I continue to collect laserdiscs. Part of it is simple obsessive-compulsive greed. Another part has ties back to why I was a fansubber in the first place - I'm a preservationist. And finally, I'm bragging to anyone who might be impressible. Anime laserdiscs were once a real status symbol amongst old-school anime fans, at least in the USA, where the laserdisc format never gained wide acceptance.

I consider a laserdisc to be a very complete piece of artwork. Of course the disc itself contains the work of anime. In addition, the laserdisc jackets and their various inlays are very large, larger than VHS or DVD could ever aspire to be, and, for a fan of anime, they are lovely to behold. I actually have several of my discs framed and hanging on the walls of my living room. The rest are sealed in 3mil plastic bags with flaps and kept on a large 12-section shelving unit (which I have recently filled to capacity).

And so, I scan my laserdisc jackets in order to both preserve what was, and to share this artwork with others. It is my hope that someday, perhaps in my lifetime or perhaps after I am gone, that my laserdiscs can be displayed and preserved in a museum somewhere. Until then, this webpage will have to do.

Meanwhile, I have begin fansubbing again, under the name Piyo-Piyo Productions.