I collect anime vhs and this one is by far my rarest. every time I see this on ebay, which total has been 3 times including when I bought it, its listed over $300. Luckily I got a good deal for this one but regardless. Theres hardly any record of this on vhs that I can find online because it was mainly released on dvd. I definitely do have other stuff that comes close to this though in rarity
Still looking for that Berserk volume 1!
I have had this in my collection for over 20 years
Whilst the only proper physical release of the film is the French DVD from 2006, it did receive a semi-official VHS release in 1994 to coincide with its screening in cinemas (up until then it was only shown at specific private events.)
As stated in this twitter thread from the account of Kiryukan (director Hiroshi Harada's company): https://x.com/kiyubaru/status/1204761990654070785
>Several independent filmmakers at the time were concerned about Harada's hospitalization and living expenses, and suggested to him that they release a VHS version of "Shoujo Tsubaki" and give a general theatrical release of the film rated by the Eirin (film censorship board) as a way to raise money. Harada initially strongly opposed this, but he desperately needed the money for his hospitalization and other expenses, so he eventually agreed. With the cooperation of a cult shop in Koenji, it was decided that the VHS tapes would be sold at a high price of around 5,000 yen each (the exact figure varies depending on the records at the time). Since J.A. Seazer, who was in charge of the music, was a member of JASRAC, all the music used had to be registered with JASRAC for the video release. In the end, a portion of Harada's medical expenses were reimbursed through a high-cost medical expense claim. Harada couldn't bear the high price he was selling the VHS tapes for and the fact that the underground work was taking on a life of its own, so he stopped after selling about 20 copies, defying the opposition of the cult shop. The screening at Nakano Musashino Hall was also cancelled midway because they didn't have the resources to implement the script for an extended period.
Despite the Eirin theatrical version being cut down to 47 minutes with blurring also applied to certain scenes, this VHS version seems to be the same as the Ciné Malta DVD at just over 48 minutes. This tape is marked as "video footage for commercial use - main screen & sound", presumably this was used to prevent any legal hassle with releasing an unrated film.
Found this tape for only ¥800!