2024 HAUL - OCTOBER CHAPTER: BATCH #2
A few more packages from the post earlier in the week plus a haul from town earlier today.
Third Window Films are taking a break from releasing new titles for a few months and so their final 2024 releases are from one of the big directors of Japan - Shinya Tsukamoto! Here I have ordered three of his films and all of them are presented in their limited edition slipcase version.
His 2015 film
Fires of the Plain (野火) is an interesting case because apparently a reprint of the limited edition slipcase was done by accident so there's stock for this out of nowhere and I figured I'll go for it since the artwork is pretty nice. The film was released on Blu-ray in the UK back in September 2017.
The latest release from the director is his 2023 film
Shadow of Fire (ほかげ) which is the third in his war trilogy after
Fires on the Plain and
Killing.
And probably the most interesting from this haul is his 2004 film
Vital (ヴィタール) starring Tadanobu Asano. This film was in licensing limbo because it was still with Tartan Video for a long time, and while Arrow Video was able to release the film for North America, Third Window had to wait until this year to be able to finally release it on home video for the UK.
Another Discotek Media haul. This one is a proper batch (as the previous haul was a special case) as we have a wide variety of titles that have been on my list. Here we have HD remasters, films from long-running franchises, as well as romance, slice of life and martial art shows.
Starting off with two new releases from Discotek's September 2024 batch.
GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka the Animation
Adapted by Studio Pierrot in 1999 and directed by Noriyuki Abe, this is a classic and an experience to watch. I actually watched the whole series beforehand thanks to Discotek adding the series to Crunchyroll many years back and while the anime doesn't adapt the whole manga, I did enjoy the anime's conclusion. Discotek's SD-BD release is also worth owning because the series is very difficult to remaster in HD and they were able to rescue the Tokyopop extras that were missing from their previous DVD release.
Kite Integral Version
Animated by studio ARMS in 1998 and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu, we have a hentai in the collection! Yes that's right in case you haven't been kept in the loop, Kite is an adult hentai OVA series which was eventually released with an edited version (to remove the adult content) in theatrical format to reach a wider audience. Media Blasters released both versions on Blu-ray and DVD, and I wasn't aware that their license had expired, so it was a surprise when Discotek Media revealed they picked up the license. Their release includes both versions on the same disc (with the option to pick and choose if you wish to see the adult content or not when inserting the disc), but what I also didn't know about is there is a third version that was mainly available in Europe. Discotek's release also amended the SD portions by using AstroRes so this release is the definitive version to own if you want to check out this anime.
Next we have a few that were restored in HD in the past few years.
Appleseed
Adapted by studio GAINAX in 1988 and directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama, I finally own the original OVA of this classic sci-fi franchise. I've watched the first two CG anime films many years ago and I enjoyed them, but I've always been interested in checking out the original OVA adaptation which is in 2D compared to the rest. Manga Entertainment previously released the anime before Discotek Media picked it up over in North America, and I think it may still be available in the UK on DVD but likely had its license expired with the whole brand takeover by Crunchyroll and Funimation. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray on January 2022.
Iria: Zeiram the Animation
Animated by studio Ashi Productions in 1994 and directed by Tetsuro Amino, this OVA series is a prequel to the live-action Zeiram film which released in Japan in 1991, and heard its a solid gem. Central Park Media released the OVAs in North America while MVM brought it over here in the UK, but Discotek Media eventually rescued the license and also brought it over to Blu-ray once they found the original negatives. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray on July 2023.
A Wind Named Amnesia
Adapted by studio Madhouse in 1990 and directed by Kazuo Yamazaki, this film is apparently not particularly good but I was intrigued to see why. Apparently Yoshiaki Kawajiri is among the staff involved which is intriguing. Manga Entertainment released the film back in the day in the UK while Central Park Media did the same for North America. Discotek rescued the license for a DVD release and then also found the original negatives for a Blu-ray release. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray on May 2023.
Here we have two lesser-known romance shows.
Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~
Adapted by Studio Hibari in 2006 and directed by Nobuaki Nakanishi, this is a yuri series in a sense. Basically a "gender bender" of sorts where the main lead is now a girl, hence the yuriness. Media Blasters previously released the series in North America before Discotek Media rescued the license for a Blu-ray release. Discotek have also revised the translation so that the pronouns and gender naming are better presented than its prior release. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray on May 2021.
Mahoraba ~Heartful days~
Adapted by J.C.Staff in 2005 and directed by Shinichiro Kimura, this is a romance slice of life series that I wasn't aware of until Discotek mentioned it during their livestreams. Apparently it was one of many shows that missed the window of being released in the west due to the market bursting or such. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray on July 2021.
Next we have a franchise that is familiar with many of you if you were buying anime since the Manga UK & Funimation era.
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple - Seasons 1 & 2
Adapted by TMS Entertainment in 2006 and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, this is a martial arts series with fanservice elements throughout but its artstyle looks neat and it's one that I would remember as a Funimation title because they were the ones who dubbed and released the series in North America, though Manga Entertainment handled the release over here in the UK. When I first got into anime and being more familiar with UK licenses, this series kept popping up but I didn't bother with it because it had remained DVD only. So I was excited when I found out that Discotek Media rescued the license (because TMS didn't allow Funimation to renew some of their titles from what I've seen years back) and released the series on Blu-ray. Discotek Media released the first season in August 2021 and the second season in January 2022.
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple: The Attack of Darkness
Adapted by Brain's Base in 2012 and directed by Hiroshi Ishiodori, this is the continuation of the TV series but was never released outside of Japan for English audiences until Discotek Media picked up the rights. What's great is that Discotek Media also brought back a majority of the English dub cast to reprise their roles. I believe they used both the broadcast and home video masters depending on whether you watch the series in English or Japanese. Discotek Media released the Blu-ray in May 2024.
More Lupin the Third for the collection finally, but here I focused mainly on getting the two remaining mainline films released on Blu-ray in 2022.
Lupin the Third: Farewell to Nostradamus & Lupin the Third: Dead or Alive
Animated by TMS Entertainment in 1995 and directed by Takeshi Shirato and Shunya Itō (Farewell to Nostradamus) & in 1996 and directed by Monkey Punch (Dead or Alive), much like the previous
Lupin the Third films I have also watched both of these films back when I first got into anime in 2012 via other means. It has been so long since I last watched both of these films so I'm very intrigued to see what I think of them now after all these years. I do recall really enjoying Farewell to Nostradamus. Discotek Media rescued both of these films from Funimation and included their English dubs for their release. Discotek released the Blu-rays in October & December 2022.
To wrap up the haul I also picked up the last two remaining Urusei Yatsura films that I needed to pickup.
Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter
Adapted by Magic Bus in 1988 and directed by Satoshi Dezaki, this film covers the ending of the manga's storyline and forms a conclusion to the TV series. Apparently this was also released alongside the final chapter for
Maison Ikkoku's anime. AnimEigo released the film prior with an English dub before Discotek Media rescued the license. Discotek released the Blu-ray on September 2022.
Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling
Animated by Madhouse in 1991 and directed by Katsuhisa Yamada, this is the final film in the franchise which celebrated the tenth anniversary of the franchise. Apparently it's also the least enjoyed film among the bunch. AnimEigo released the film prior with an English dub before Discotek Media rescued the license. Discotek released the Blu-ray on November 2022.
I went to town to watch
Terrifier 3 but before I went to the cinema I picked up two more films for the 4K Ultra HD collection at the local HMV store - Paul W. S. Anderson's 1997 science fiction horror film
Event Horizon which is a film that I've been wanting to watch in its entirely for a long while and looking at it it gives me System Shock vibes (though I am aware its not a cyberpunk film).
The other film I picked up was George Miller's 2024 action film
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest film in the Mad Max franchise and one that I missed out on watching in the cinema because the marketing made the film disinteresting and I also caught a cold at one point. While I do own
Mad Max: Fury Road on Blu-ray I don't own the previous film on 4K just yet.
Also bought in town today was Konami's
Getsu Fūma Den: Undying Moon for the Nintendo Switch from CeX. This is a rougelike vania Action RPG type game that has pretty much gone under the radar but I heard it was pretty solid so for £12 it was a solid deal. This game also includes the original
Getsu Fūma Den released back in 1987 for the Famicom.
