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AsiaStar Fantasy Inc.
Rating Details »
Category: Music & DVD's [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nob Hill1126 Grant Ave
(between Jack Kerouac Aly & Pacific Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 956-2090
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
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"I knew about this store before I ever even stepped foot in it. My sister is a DJ on the side, she used to live right behind Cha Cha Cha's…" read more »
8 reviews for AsiaStar Fantasy Inc.
it's so unreal. half of this recent dvd store is now devoted to selling asian snacks, bottled water and other fast food snack items. blame it on the internet, etc..
the other half doesn't seem to carry porn titles anymore.(didn't look for it but didn't see it.) it's mostly oldies but goodies. american titles sell for $2.50(not sure dvd or vcd) recent hong kong titles (vcd) sell for $1. looks like only one clerk is on duty for the whole shop. maybe this is only in the mornings.
on the cutting floor
-new titles may be on sale for 20-30% off listed price. (didn't really check, just saw the big sign)
-not sure if korean titles are available
-did not see any more shaw bros films.
-movies just a curiosity now as i mostly watch dramas online.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/30/2008
they have the entire shaw brothers catalogue for sale here as well as chinese, japanese, korean new… Read more »
I haven't been back here in awhile but I did swing by recently. It looks like they converted the second street level space into a convenience store (asian snacks abound).
The dvds are arranged in a weird way. There's no rhyme or reason and that means you have to walk around the store a couple of times to see what you want (for instance, not all of the tvb dvds are arranged in the same space. There's some up front and some in the back). As for the vcds, they were not bunched together (some come in two boxes). I actually had to come back twice because I picked up part 2 and left part 1 at the store.
On the other hand, their prices are cheaper than http://Yesasia.com now and they carry some older titles that you can't get online.
AsiaStar carries a pretty big selection of VCDs and DVDs to choose from. But mainly its all Asian movies..
Im a big VCD person, and I love watching HK movies.
So when there is a name of a movie I cant think of, I can always find it by the actor or actress.
And thats what I like most about this place..they jus have this one wall with vcds categorized under which actor/actress was in it. Now the prices are alright..i know there is a cheaper place to go to but this place is great place if you dont wanna have to flip through 100's of VCDs to look for the one you want.
They also have music cds too..but its mainly not if all asian singers~
when you go to any store, the clerk talks with a strong non-flent accent in Cantonese, this person is from China.
asiastar fantasy is one of the stores owned by mainland chinese people and do not seem to understand the meaning of respect and knowing the facts about their products in straight detail.
a year ago, asiastar fantasy on grant street was getting rid of all VHS tapes. the price was 1.00 per tape. all the tapes were out of order. no beginning tape 1, no middle part or no ending. unless, you are lucky like me able to find a complete set of a tv series.
while looking at the tapes, a rude 4 eye female clerk (4 eyes means someone wearing glasses in chinese) shout out to me "why am i so outdated still owning a VCR"????
excuse me, "outdated"?? i don't see how speaking in broken cantonese in updated.
go to any TVB store and you will still find the latest series on VHS and DVD, the same thing with Japanese and Korean video stores at the market down in South Bay.
when looking at the tapes trying to find a set, she kept walking back every 5 minutes to snoop around and continue to speak out "people buying VHS are outdated".
then, i told her....VCD is getting replaced by DVD and why are you (referring to the store) still selling outdated VCD players and VCDs if VHS is consider outdated for those Mainlander.
when i finally ready to make a purchase (complete tv series), this 4 eye girl with a strong cantonese accent manage to put 30 VHS tapes in one bag. i told her to seperate them into 2 and she make up something that i am not putting 5 tapes in so many bags. excuse me, but i never said that.
she was already rude enough at first and still cheap enough to save a bag like other mainlander.
never again will i buy from this store. i am going to the store on Jackson Street with better selections and service. The price is the same.
Also, AsiaStar Fantasy also owns the VCD/DVD store on Broadway Street down a few steps. That store is run by a old guy also with a Mainland accent. Must be their family or relative.
The Chinatown location of AsiaStar is very cluttered and specific titles are not as easily found here. The main street level is divided into two sections with region-free DVD players and music DVD's and VCD's on one side and television / movie releases on the other. You will find mostly VCD's on the main level and just a handful of fairly new-released DVD titles.
Most of the DVD features are located in the basement level. There are special sections for Korean, Japanese and other Asian titles downstairs. There is also an adult section down there. The big drawback is there is really no organization of the titles in this store. If you have the time to browse that would be your best bet, but don't count on any of the employees here to help you find a specific title because they'll be as lost as you are. They have quite an inventory of Asian titles here, but poor organization makes for a bad shopping experience.
No point in hiding the truth....when i come here with acouple of the guys...we go straight to downstairs for the porno section....but let you know we never buy anything here except for chinese vcds. Their porno is to over priced and outdated....i'm talking about 30 to 40 dollars for stuff that 90's people were J/O too. (go online it's cheaper) hahahah.....o man i hope my gf dont read this review....but in general upstairs do provide a good amount of selection when it comes to chinese movies and at a really cheap price. Hey why not....buy some groceries and than off with some vcds.
this dvd store is one of the great things about chinatown. this store is 2 floors stocked full of dvd, vcd & music. the main floor has mainstream, family, children, music cd, multi region dvd players & of course karaoke machines. the downstairs level is mainly adult import dvd & vcd.
there is a large variety of dvd & vcd to be purchase here in almost every genre, asian to american, vintage kung fu flicks to anime, martial arts instruction to cooking & current releases. most of the dvd & vcd here are region free but there are a few that are region coded for china so beware. check the back of the package to make sure you buy right. most films are in chinese either mandarin or cantonese with english subtiles. they do not carry any bootleg films here, all dvd & vcd are of pretty good quality (picture & sound), sealed & new.
the prices are extremely low, 4.00 -5.00 for a vcd & 8.00 - 14.00 for a dvd. there are frequent specials so look around for the deals such as buy 3 & get 10% off, etc... they also have a frequent buyers card to earn a free dvd.
while there are plenty of cd, dvd & vcd stores in chinatown, this one is the largest & offer the best in selection & price.
they do speak some english so asking for help is not a problem. they do accept credit card & atm with minimum purchase otherwise cash. no worries, there are plenty of nearby atms. street parking here may be kind of hard during the weekend, but there are several parking lots in the area. they also have 2 other locations in the city, one in the richmond district (clement street) & the other in the sunset district (irving street). i have found though the selection is best in chinatown.
huge store for dvds and music... downstairs is the "Porn" collectiOn... havent been down there yet.. but my guys friends did and LOve the sales person's Opinions on the Porn... I love chinese vcds!!!.. must come here if I'm around there to pick up the latest chinese movie... credit card minim is 10 bucks.. so bring casH..
