2023 HAUL VER 10.4
(note: images are hosted via AUKN for the meantime)
Two batches of items today. Spider-Man 2 is expected to arrive tomorrow but hasn't shipped yet.
FAREWELL TO SPACE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN RIGHTSTUF HAUL - PART 1:
Welcome to the final batch of items coming from Rightstuf before they were absorbed into Crunchyroll Store. This haul comprises of five different orders arriving either consolidated or separately at different times. There's been some disruption with how Rightstuf have been shipping them out, and all except one have dispatched at the time of this post. In addition, my pre-order order from late July has also been dispatched which is separate from this haul but I may include it if needed.
Excluding the pre-order, all orders have been sent to Stackry to balance the costs (today's order cleared customs for additional context). If you're interested in using Stackry for the first time,
I also have a referral link that you can use to get $10 off shipping for your first order. I've written up my overall thoughts in my August & September hauls if you want some extra context and info regarding them but overall I have had a solid experience in general. As long as you use Global Mail Shipping (focuses on DHL + Evri) and don't have way too many items in your overall finalised package it'll go through fine to the UK.
For this part, all of the titles came from Batch #2 which consists of Discotek Media releases which I shipped out first because it was larger than the rest. Now if you've been following my hauls over the months I mentioned that I wanted to pick up the Discotek releases in a bi-monthly format and August's haul ended up being delayed into late September/early October (which was bundled with Re:ZERO Season 2) so today's arrival is the official haul for October so we're back on track.
You may have noticed that this selection is a bit random than the usual and what we have are half the titles from Crunchyroll's sub-licensing titles and the other half are miscellaneous releases from their early days of Blu-rays to a few that I wanted to get that were released just a few years ago.
Starting off with the latter half we have:
Battery The Animation [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by Zero-G in 2016, directed by Tomomi Mochizuki and based on a novel, this is the first of two that Discotek Media released which aired on NoitaminA and was a streaming exclusive to Amazon Prime. This series I've heard good things about and makes a worthy addition to the distributor's catalogue. Discotek released the Blu-ray in May 2020.
The Great Passage [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by Zexcs in 2016, directed by Toshimasa Kuroyanagi and based on a novel, this is a pretty popular story given the live-action version was selected as an entry for the Academy Awards at one point. The anime was also well received from what I had read and I'm surprised Anime Limited didn't pick this one up even if it was subtitled only. Like Battery, this also streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime as part of the NoitaminA deal at the time. Discotek released the Blu-ray in February 2020.
Hells [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by Madhouse in 2008, directed by Yoshiki Yamakawa and based on the manga Hells Angel. I remember this being a big deal when Discotek picked it up because it was a cult classic film with an interesting art style. The English dub is among the first that got produced by Discotek if I remember right, with TeamFourStar getting involved. Again this is the type of film that Anime Limited would have licensed years back. Discotek released the Blu-ray in November 2018.
Hi-SCool! Seha Girls [Tested & confirmed: Blu-ray Region A only]
Animated by TMS Entertainment & Genies in 2014, directed by Sōta Sugawara and based on a multimedia project. Now this you may be wondering 'what on earth did you buy' but if you have read through my gaming backlog posts on the forum you may have noticed that I recently played a Neptunia game that featured these characters (Superdimension Neptune). Also known as SEGA Hard Girls, it has a similar concept to the Neptunia franchise where each girl represents a console - SEGA Mega Drive, SEGA Saturn and SEGA Dreamcast. TMS Ent did a mini anime series of sorts which Discotek picked up thanks to their good relationship with both SEGA and TMS. Discotek released the Blu-ray & DVD combo pack in May 2017.
Kimagure Orange Road Collection 2 [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by Pierrot in 1988-1991, directed by Tomomi Mochizuki for the film and Kōichirō Nakamura, Shigeru Morikawa, Takeshi Mori, and Naoyuki Yoshinaga for the OVAs, and based on a manga. This is the second half of the Kimagure Orange Road franchise that Discotek Media was able to rescue. Here we have the first film Kimagure Orange Road: I Want to Return to That Day followed by the OVA series. The second film isn't included as it's a different licensing case (and one that many dislike apparently). Discotek released the Blu-ray in August 2019.
True Tears [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by P.A. Works in 2008, directed by Junji Nishimura and based on a visual novel, even though it's nothing like it. P.A. Works has their fair share of VN adaptations with drama, romance, friendship etc and this one Discotek picked up early on in their anime licensing career. The anime adaptation was also written by Mari Okada. Discotek released the Blu-ray in October 2017.
The other half, comprising of Crunchyroll shows, are:
Isuca [Tested & confirmed: Region A only]
Animated by Arms in 2015, directed by Akira Iwanaga and based on a manga. This is one of the few occasions where Discotek has managed to get their hands on super ecchi uncensored excitement and it even comes with the OVA so why not. I remember this series because my friend from the anime society back in Sheffield Hallam once considered this episode to show off in one of our sessions and he realised it was NSFW for the amateurs. If only Discotek were given Hybrid x Heart in their Crunchyroll batch of titles, would be funny though. Discotek released the Blu-ray in October 2020.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles [Tested & confirmed: Region B via Top-Menu]
Animated by Studio Gokumi & AXsiZ in 2018, directed by Kenji Seto and based on a manga. Girl likes eating noodles so it was a keeper. Discotek released the Blu-ray in March 2022.
Ms. Vampire Who Lives In My Neighborhood [Tested & confirmed: Region B via Top-Menu]
Animated by Studio Gokumi & AXsiZ in 2018, directed by Noriyaki Akitaya and based on a manga. Cute vampire girl doing cute things in this slice-of-life series from the same studio behind Koizumi Noodles. Discotek released the Blu-ray in February 2022.
Planet With [Tested & confirmed: Region B via Top-Menu]
Animated by J.C. Staff in 2018 and directed by Youhei Suzuki. This one was a cult modern classic when it first aired, like everyone who watched it said it was really good, plus it's from Satoshi Mizukami the creator of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer and Spirit Circle so it's had some promise. Given how low radar it was it's no surprise there was no dub provided but it received a chance on home video thanks to Discotek. Discotek released the Blu-ray in August 2022.
Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san [Tested & confirmed: Region B via Top-Menu]
Animated by DLE in 2018, directed by Ouru Todoroki and based on a manga. This one I did manage to watch at my anime society in Uni, it's a short but simplistic art stylised series and there's a lot of charm put towards Honda-san's character. Had it aired nowadays it probably would have gotten an dub. Discotek released the Blu-ray in March 2022.
Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation [Tested & confirmed: Region B via Top-Menu]
Animated by TMS Entertainment & 8PAN in 2017, directed by Osamu Nabeshima and based on a manga. This sports series slaps and I'm happy that it did well enough for Discotek to release more of it on Blu-ray, though unfortunately the third season onwards was picked up by Crunchyroll so we probably won't see Seasons 4 & 5 (Glory Line & Limit Break) ever get released at this point in time. Discotek released the Blu-ray in June 2022.
And with that, I have now acquired over 100 Discotek Media releases. Here's the list for those curious:
That concludes this part for the time being. Unfortunately due to the slowness of Crunchyroll & Rightstuf the rest of the haul is likely to not make its appearance until early November but at least what it contains will make up for it.
On the same day I went to town, though it was mostly a dud as some retailers didn't have the items I had in mind. That said I got some manga picked up from Travelling Man with
Alice in Borderland omnibus volumes 6 & 7 as well as
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable volume 4.
