What did you RECEIVE today? PHOTOS EDITION!

2025 HAUL - DECEMBER v1.1

Surprise it's me. I have been so occupied by work that I was pretty much working non-stop between the 4th-13th with no breaks (with the final day being a work trip plus Christmas Party). With that out of the way I was finally able to take photos of the dozen amount of items I received between Friday 5th to Saturday 13th. There's a lot so this will be divided into multiple posts - blame the upload limit for that.

As per usual, I like to post my hauls in arrival order so enjoy the chaos. These below arrived between Friday 5th to Wednesday 9th.


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#1: Shawscope Volume 4
We start off this month's haul with another massive box set, this time it's from Arrow Video as they continue the Shaw Brothers releases with Shawscope Volume 4, consisting of 16 films focusing on the theme of horror, fantasy and strange stuff. This is probably my most anticipated release of the year and the reason is because a number of the films included here were previously released by 88 Films and had since gone out of print. It's also a horror box set which includes one or two Category III rated films.

The films included below are the ones previously released by 88 Films that are now back and restored in 2K by Arrow:
  • The Super Inframan (中國超人), directed by Hua Shan, 1975
  • The Oily Maniac (油鬼子), directed by Ho Meng-Hua, 1976
  • Black Magic (降頭), directed by Ho Meng-Hua, 1975
  • Black Magic Part 2 (勾魂降頭), directed by Ho Meng-Hua, 1976
  • Hex (邪), directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, 1980
  • Bewitched (蠱), directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, 1981
  • Seeding of a Ghost (種鬼), directed by Yang Chuan, 1983
The films included below are new and also restored in 2K by Arrow:
  • The Battle Wizard (天龍八部), directed by Pao Hsueh-Li, 1977
  • Hex vs Witchcraft (邪鬥邪), directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, 1980
  • Hex After Hex (邪完再邪), directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, 1982
  • Bat Without Wings (無翼蝙蝠), directed by Chor Yuen, 1980
  • Bloody Parrot (血鸚鵡), directed by Hua Shan, 1981
  • The Fake Ghost Catchers (鬼畫符), directed by Lau Kar-Wing, 1982
  • Demon of the Lute (六指琴魔), directed by Tang Tak-Cheung, 1983
  • Portrait in Crystal (水晶人), directed by Hua Shan, 1983
  • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (星際鈍胎), directed by Alex Cheung, 1983
The set itself is very similar to the previous three volumes, though the main difference is that there's no soundtrack CD this time around. We do have a bonus Blu-ray disc that comes with a lot of the trailers and essays for various films. As far as I'm aware I think Arrow Video had the rights to enough films to make at least four volumes, so I have no clue if they plan to do any more. I hope they continue the line because these are the best way to release these films and keep it compact for the shelf.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#2: Devilman Crybaby
Science SARU's 2018 adaptation of the Devilman story finally lands on home video from Anime Limited. Devilman Crybaby was really good and I'm happy to finally own it and with the Netflix dub as well if I ever decide to rewatch the series. The box set is very similar to the Japanese release but without the Vinyls and size wise is identical to Blue Giant's design.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#3: To Sleep So As To Dream
A few months ago I picked up the Maiku Hama Trilogy box set and when that release was announced I remembered about To Sleep So As To Dream (夢みるように眠りたい), Kaizô Hayashi's 1986 film which was pretty much the film that greatly helped support his career in film. It's from the noir genre and Arrow Video released it a few years ago (very likely would have been part of the Academy range had they kept the label) but as time has passed, it's eventually been reprinted so I decided to go onto eBay and secure the first print edition that included the booklet. I managed to locate one for a good price and in very good condition as well.

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#4: Perfect Blue
We are back in the world of Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon's 1997 thriller classic and this time it has been restored on 4K so Anime Limited released it on 4K Ultra HD. Because they had already released the film as a collector's edition, a steelbook edition and an ultimate edition, we now have a deluxe edition.

It is a bizarre release though because the truth is - this release is pointless for you if you don't yet own a 4K Ultra HD player because the Blu-ray disc is the same as the one used in the 2019 Ultimate Edition release so do keep that in mind if you're debating on getting this release, because I know most like to own combo packs and other distributors do place the latest restoration on the Blu-ray disc for consistency. Other than that it's a nice release and the 4K transfer is very good. The Ultimate Edition is much better in terms of the physical contents but this is like my third copy of the film at this point so I think we've reached the limit on what else Anime Limited could provide for this film at this point.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#5: City on Fire, Radical Japan: Cinema and State, and Triple Threat
Pre-ordered more new Asian Cinema releases from the Terracotta Store and they have arrived. This haul pretty much focused on the latest from Arrow Video, Eureka Entertainment and Radiance Films.

Starting off with Ringo Lam's 1987 film City on Fire (龍虎風雲) on 4K Ultra HD. This is a huge release because it's the first of many Golden Princess titles that Arrow Video licensed from Shout! Factory for the UK and while there's been some discussions over how the US versions were handled (for example the subtitles), the UK release does have additional care to make sure everyone is happy. The limited edition set comes with a slipcase and booklet.

Next we have the limited edition Blu-ray for Radical Japan: Cinema and State - Nine Films by Nagisa Ōshima from Radiance Films. I've been familiar with his work on Cruel Story of Youth (which Eureka previously released), In the Realm of the Senses (currently available from Criterion) and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (currently available from Arrow Video), but never owned any of them so this box set will be my first introduction to his work.

The films included are as follows:
  • The Catch (飼育), 1961.
  • Yunbogi's Diary (ユンボギの日記), 1965.
  • Death by Hanging (絞死刑), 1968.
  • Diary of a Shinjuku Thief (新宿泥棒日記), 1969.
  • Boy (少年), 1969.
  • The Man Who Left His Will on Film (東京战争戦後秘話), 1970.
  • The Ceremony (儀式), 1971.
  • Dear Summer Sister (夏の妹), 1972.
  • 100 Years of Japanese Cinema (百年日本映画), 1995.
Just like previous Radiance Films limited edition box sets, this one is also housed in a rigid box with three Scanavo cases to house the films across seven Blu-rays. The book included in this set features various essays and interviews about the films.

Last new release from Terracotta in this package is from Eureka Entertainment with Triple Threat: Three Films with Sammo Hung. It's been well over five years since we last saw a multi-film pack of Sammo Hung films from the distributor so here we have a few more that starred the actor in this collection; Wu Mai's 1974 film The Manchu Boxer (七省拳王), Alfred Cheung's 1988 film Paper Marriage (過埠新娘) and Teddy Robin's 1990 film Shanghai, Shanghai (亂世兒女).

Now what makes this limited edition stand out is that there's a bonus Blu-ray disc that features extended international versions of The Manchu Boxer and Shanghai, Shanghai, which won't be included in the standard edition. It is rather uncommon for these to happen but I made sure to get this set sooner than later.

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#6: Over Your Dead Body, Playful White Fingers, and Saga of the Phoenix
So this is an amusing one. On a random day, 88 Films decided to release a discount code for a day using the word boobs which offered 25% off which also supported pre-orders. This was a good opportunity for me to order the few releases that I needed before the year was over that I had yet to own.

Starting off with Takashi Miike's 2014 film Over Your Dead Body (喰女 ―クイメ―), released as part of the Japanarchy collection in a limited edition Blu-ray set that includes clean artwork and booklet. This film was previously released in North America under Shout! Factory which went out of print so this is a nice re-release for the US audience. It's nice to see 88 Films look into more of the modern Japanese films especially in Miike's category.

Next we have Tōru Murakawa's 1972 film Playful White Fingers (白い指の戯れ), also known as Delicate Skillful Fingers, released as part of the Nikkatsu Roman Porno collection in a limited edition Blu-ray set that includes clean artwork and booklet. I believe this is the final film from the recent batch of Japanese pink films so I don't know if there will be any more at this point.

Then we have a continuation to the Yuen Biao releases with Lam Nai-Choi's 1989 film Saga of the Phoenix (阿修羅), the sequel to his 1988 film Peacock King which are both based on the Japanese manga series. I have heard this one is not as popular as the other director's works but I just find it amusing that we managed to get over half of his catalogue released from 88 Films in the past half-decade. I have enjoyed his works so far so I look forward to seeing how this one turns out. This deluxe collector's edition includes a nice box with a slipcase, booklet and art card.
 
2025 HAUL - DECEMBER v1.2

These arrived between Thursday 10th to Saturday 13th.

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#7: The Box Man, Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, and Your Lovely Smile
Terracotta was also running their own sale which featured a good number of releases from distributor Third Window Films. Third Window releases a lot of interesting films from Japan and there were a few left for me to own all of their retail Blu-ray releases (the only one I don't own was their kickstarter release).

So in this haul we have Gakuryu Ishii's 2024 film The Box Man (箱男), which is one of the newest films from the director known for punk style releases under his previous name Sogo Ishii, Arthur Harari's 2021 film Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, a French war drama film featuring a Japanese cast and the director is also known for co-writing the Palme d'Or winning film Anatomy of a Fall which I thought was an interesting fact, and Lim Kah-Wai's 2022 film Your Lovely Smile (あなたの微笑み), from a director I haven't heard before but he's from Malaysia and has worked in the Japanese film industry for a good decade.

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#8: Shogun's Samurai: The Yagyu Clan's Conspiracy
Because the Third Window haul didn't reach the free shipping threshold, I also remembered that I had yet to pick up another recent Eureka Entertainment title that released last November.

And that film was Kinji Fukasaku's 1978 film Shogun’s Samurai: The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (柳生一族の陰謀). This film may sound familiar if you're in the anime collecting world because this was one of the first films to be released by Discotek Media under their live-action label Nihon Nights. I never bothered to import that title because I figured it had a pretty high chance of being brought over here and the wait paid off since Eureka got their hands on it with the same 4K restoration. The Masters of Cinema release includes a slipcase and booklet for its limited edition release.

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#9: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
Another Anime Limited appears and its once again from Science SARU and Masaaki Yuasa. I really enjoyed watching Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! when it aired and I felt it warranted the collector's treatment but I didn't expect Anime Limited would end up bringing over Sentai Filmworks' premium edition for the UK and it shows. It's a big box with a lot of stuff so I had to move it to the top of my shelf as it didn't have a title on the spine.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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Manga Haul - Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 8-10.jpg
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#10: Ghost Ship & Seven Seas Scifier Haul
I figured it was also time to sort out another Scifier order to grab more manga volumes from Seven Seas and their mature label Ghost Ship.

Starting off with a single new volume for both 2.5 Dimensional Seduction Volume 13 and The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You Volume 16 for different reasons. The former has the next volume not in stock and I didn't want to order the rest as I like to order in chronological order whenever possible. And the latter is the latest volume released in English which is simple enough. And then we have a brand new series joining the collection which is Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! Omnibus 1 (covering Vols. 1 & 2), I really loved the anime and this Shonen Jump+ manga series has concluded its run in Japan so there won't be too many omnibus releases to grab for this series.

Also picked up Hitomi-chan is Shy with Strangers Volumes 8, 9 & 10. This romance manga series also recently concluded in Japan so there's only around two volumes left before I have completed the series. One is available whilst the final volume is out sometime next year. Surprised it hasn't received an anime adaptation yet.

And because it's been a while, wrapping up the haul is Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls Volumes 17, 18 & 19. I was initially up-to-date on the English volumes and then it was in limbo for a few years from both Japan and on Seven Seas' end. Then out of nowhere the English releases started continuing its run like a year ago. This haul has pretty much all of the ones that were recently released so the next one won't be out for a long while.
 
2025 HAUL - DECEMBER v1.3

These arrived on Saturday 13th.

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#11: Bleach Parts 5 & 9
The Bleach collection continues with Parts 5 & 9 from Anime Limited in their limited edition Blu-ray sets! Yep that's right, I FINALLY have my hands on Part 5 which was trapped by the delayed release of I'm Standing on a Million Lives so I didn't get it back in May like everyone else did. I also only noticed just now that some of these parts have the BBFC on the cover and others don't, rather amusing inconsistency there.

Also worth noting that Part 5 wraps up the Set 1 box and Part 9 wraps up the Set 2 box, so we'll have Set 3 (Part 10) and Parts 11-13 to conclude the original anime series run sometime in the first half of next year. I can technically start the anime now but I want to wait for the rest to be released first. Each limited edition includes a slipcase and three cards.

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#12: Call of the Night Season 1
Next we have Call of the Night Season 1, the romance vampire series that has been on my radar to watch for quite sometime and was a good choice to own the collector's edition since we have the booklet from Sentai's premium edition release. I also didn't realise that Creepy Nuts did the theme songs for this season which was interesting to discover, and also had no idea the author of this manga also wrote Dagashi Kashi so this will be fun.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#13: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
I am very happy to own Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which I consider to be one of the best anime released in the past half-decade. It's a great sci-fi series and also helped bring me back to listening to HEALTH again (speaking of which their new album CONFLICT DLC is out and it's really good). I haven't started the game yet and this anime was well-worth owning the collector's set in my opinion. The UK release does have better audio than the Aniplex release but there's a debate about the video quality due to the various language tracks on the disc.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#14: DANDADAN Season 1
The first season of DANDADAN also makes an appearance and I really enjoyed this anime. I was surprised that I didn't check out the manga series when Viz Media released them because I would have been hooked right away. It's also a bizarre series and because of its wackiness, having Science SARU adapt the story worked really well. The second season has yet to be released on home video by GKIDS but given how fast this one turned out for them I reckon we'll get it by Spring time. Anime Limited's release does have a bit more to the packaging though the glow in the dark effect is so-so.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.

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#15: I'm Standing on a Million Lives Seasons 1 & 2
And last but certainly not the least for me is I'm Standing on a Million Lives Seasons 1 & 2 collection which I think will be up there as one of the best collector's editions Anime Limited has released this year. A bold statement but let's go over why.

In Japan, both seasons were released together as a Blu-ray Disc Box set by Warner Bros Japan and Anime Limited pretty much replicated everything over (but with an Amaray case instead of a digipack, and 3 discs instead of 2) and that includes the bonus manga chapters translated into English. The discs were also done by VDMS which re-uses the Crunchyroll font style and also has the second season which has yet to be released by Crunchyroll over in North America on Blu-ray. Considering Sentai was supposed to release this I think we got a best case scenario so overall the long wait paid off.

This isekai series has a lot of flack and the animation isn't top-tier but I do think its worth a watch (or even go with the standard Blu-ray when it lands on sale) if you're a fan of the genre. It's got a very interesting concept and I would be down for more seasons, so thankfully Kodansha Comics have been releasing it in English.

You can view more photos & specs on my blog.
 
I liked I'm Standing on a Million Lives a lot and have been waiting for it ever since it was originally announced Sentai had licensed it.

I was waiting to be sure that AL had done a good version i.e. not one of those few that come from AL France (I think?) and some lesser authoring house so now that I know this is VDMS I will get the standard edition. The limited looks great but I just generally don't buy those is the only reason I'm not getting that version.
 
Hunter_Killer said:
@Aion, so it's not a box for part 1 + part 2?
Click to expand...

Nein, and worse yet t'would appear part 2 is only getting a standard edition, ie vanilla plastic case + a slipcover. 'Tis a very nice release somewhat ruined by CR's bizarre design choice, as it stands.

The only solution seemingly is DIY: buy a new case that holds 4 discs, and discard pt2 case. But that is a problem itself as the S&W case is slim, and the outer box narrow, with art cards included. Can't even fit the description slip inside it; not without without making the box bulge outward anyway.
 
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I received two more pre-order steelbooks from Crunchyroll US today. The Re:Zero steelbook comes with a very thick booklet:


Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World Director's Cut Steelbook
Tower of God Workshop Battle Season 2 Steelbook

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rezerotowersteels2.jpg
 
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