2024 HAUL - AUGUST CHAPTER: BATCH #3.1
More packages arrived and because there's a lot I'll be splitting the post into two parts (ideally one would do but XenForo has a 10 upload limit and doesn't support Imgur).
It's another Discotek Media haul and here I shifted towards mostly newer releases to change things up. For some context, I've mainly been going after the older releases because a lot of the discontinued titles came from that timeframe, though annoyingly every time I pick a title from their catalogue, thinking it would be discontinued next, a completely different title goes out of print. How annoying is that?
Anywho enjoy!
Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting - Collections 1, 2 & 3 [compatible with Panasonic Method]
Adapted by studio Madhouse in 2000-2002 and directed by Satoshi Nishimura. Pretty cool to see Discotek release this classic sports series, granted it's just the first series but a good start at least. This also includes Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road and Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura from 2003 by the same team. I recall the series has sold out from time to time so I am hoping it performed well enough for Discotek to get their hands on the second series from 2009. Discotek Media released the three Blu-ray collections in January 2021, March 2021 & October 2021 respectively.
Ghost Stories [Region A Locked]
Adapted by studio Pierrot in 2000 and directed by Noriyuki Abe. This is a supernatural horror series where young kids deal with paranormal ghosts and the stories were based on children's novels apparently which is interesting. However, many of you will be more familiar with the English dubbed version that changes it up to a black comedy with a lot of outdated and pretty offensive stuff. I've only seen clips so I know what to expect but I don't think this dub will make it over here due to the jokes. Discotek have released this on DVD in 2014 and if you haven't been following the Discotek thread, the license window is probably close to expiring if we're only getting a Blu-ray now. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in February 2023.
Hand Maid May [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio TNK in 2000 and directed by Shinichiro Kimura. It's not often you have an otaku themed anime these days but there have been a fair amount back in the day and the first time I heard about this particular series was from a Discotek Day event, and surprisingly it's pretty cheap for a 1-cour series. This was previously released on DVD in North America by Geneon Entertainment but Discotek rescued the series for Blu-ray which I have heard the transfer isn't particularly great. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in February 2024.
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Production I.G in 2005, co-produced by Cartoon Network & Toonami, and directed by Mitsuru Hongo. This series I've known about for years and it's pretty neat to see Discotek use the AstroRes tech to produce a Blu-ray release. Bandai Entertainment & Beez Entertainment released it first on DVD, before Discotek rescued the license in 2014 for a DVD release.
Now part of the reason why I bought this series much sooner than usual is because of the fact that similar to Ghost Stories, the licensing window is probably close to expiration and the other reason is the whole worry about Warner Bros getting in the way with how they're handling their catalog. May as well grab the series now whilst its still readily available. This release, like the DVD version, includes both the Toonami version for English dubbed fans and the Production I.G. version for subtitled only fans. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in May 2024.
Mononoke [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Toei Animation in 2007 and directed by Kenji Nakamura. This horror series is a spin-off to Toei's 2006 series Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Stories and has gathered a cult following of sorts since we now have a new anime film trilogy in the works (with Netflix picking up streaming exclusivity). I've heard over the years that Mononoke is really good but its treatment for home video wasn't ideal given it was handed over to Cinedigm for a basic DVD release (granted Cinedigm would eventually make RetroCrush). Discotek picked it up and discovered an English dub existed which was cool. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in March 2023.
Overman King Gainer [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Sunrise in 2002 and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. More science fiction mecha goodness and interestingly this is one of the many Sunrise titles that were licensed by Sentai Filmworks back in 2013 after Bandai closed down, though it was never released until Discotek picked it up (Kurokami The Animation and s-CRY-ed are two shows also part of the deal). You probably recognise that the character designs were done by Kenichi Yoshida of Eureka Seven fame which to me adds a fun vibe to the show. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in December 2023.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie [4K Ultra HD All-Region]
Adapted by studio Group TAC in 1994 and directed by Gisaburō Sugii. It's Capcom's classic anime film of Street Fighter II now in 4K resolution. Discotek included all versions previously released in their Blu-ray release onto the 4K disc as well as the extras so nothing is lost when carried over. Granted there were some people complaining about the overall presentation of the disc but not too bothered. Discotek Media released the film on 4K Ultra HD in November 2023.
Z/X Ignition [compatible with Panasonic Method]
Animated by studio Telecom Animation Film in 2014 and directed by Yuji Yamaguchi. A rather out of left field pickup but we have a card battle show that was released a decade ago that has always caught my interest with its visual poster and the fact that it eventually received a spin-off series Z/X: Code Reunion that Sentai Filmworks picked up years later. TMS provided Discotek the license in 2015 and then years later decided to upgrade the show onto Blu-ray. I don't expect this to be a popular choice for fans to buy so I figured I'll get it now whilst I've thought of it. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in November 2021.
The Discotek Media collection has now reached three full Billy Bookcase rows of titles, about 166 in total after collecting their titles since April 2022. It's still a long ways to go but with the bimonthly release model they're taking I'm hoping I can catch up a lot faster now.
Row 1:
Since I ordered the Discotek Media titles during a Crunchyroll sale (even though they weren't part of it), Crunchyroll Store decided to add in a free Crunchyroll Hime Nendoroid figure to the mix which worried me because how was I going to get this through customs? Thankfully the package survived and here we are. This is my second Nendo after receiving a Robotics;Notes one for free when I won the game from Numskull Games a few years back.
More packages arrived and because there's a lot I'll be splitting the post into two parts (ideally one would do but XenForo has a 10 upload limit and doesn't support Imgur).
It's another Discotek Media haul and here I shifted towards mostly newer releases to change things up. For some context, I've mainly been going after the older releases because a lot of the discontinued titles came from that timeframe, though annoyingly every time I pick a title from their catalogue, thinking it would be discontinued next, a completely different title goes out of print. How annoying is that?
Anywho enjoy!
Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting - Collections 1, 2 & 3 [compatible with Panasonic Method]
Adapted by studio Madhouse in 2000-2002 and directed by Satoshi Nishimura. Pretty cool to see Discotek release this classic sports series, granted it's just the first series but a good start at least. This also includes Hajime no Ippo: Champion Road and Hajime no Ippo: Mashiba vs. Kimura from 2003 by the same team. I recall the series has sold out from time to time so I am hoping it performed well enough for Discotek to get their hands on the second series from 2009. Discotek Media released the three Blu-ray collections in January 2021, March 2021 & October 2021 respectively.
Ghost Stories [Region A Locked]
Adapted by studio Pierrot in 2000 and directed by Noriyuki Abe. This is a supernatural horror series where young kids deal with paranormal ghosts and the stories were based on children's novels apparently which is interesting. However, many of you will be more familiar with the English dubbed version that changes it up to a black comedy with a lot of outdated and pretty offensive stuff. I've only seen clips so I know what to expect but I don't think this dub will make it over here due to the jokes. Discotek have released this on DVD in 2014 and if you haven't been following the Discotek thread, the license window is probably close to expiring if we're only getting a Blu-ray now. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in February 2023.
Hand Maid May [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio TNK in 2000 and directed by Shinichiro Kimura. It's not often you have an otaku themed anime these days but there have been a fair amount back in the day and the first time I heard about this particular series was from a Discotek Day event, and surprisingly it's pretty cheap for a 1-cour series. This was previously released on DVD in North America by Geneon Entertainment but Discotek rescued the series for Blu-ray which I have heard the transfer isn't particularly great. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in February 2024.
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Production I.G in 2005, co-produced by Cartoon Network & Toonami, and directed by Mitsuru Hongo. This series I've known about for years and it's pretty neat to see Discotek use the AstroRes tech to produce a Blu-ray release. Bandai Entertainment & Beez Entertainment released it first on DVD, before Discotek rescued the license in 2014 for a DVD release.
Now part of the reason why I bought this series much sooner than usual is because of the fact that similar to Ghost Stories, the licensing window is probably close to expiration and the other reason is the whole worry about Warner Bros getting in the way with how they're handling their catalog. May as well grab the series now whilst its still readily available. This release, like the DVD version, includes both the Toonami version for English dubbed fans and the Production I.G. version for subtitled only fans. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in May 2024.
Mononoke [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Toei Animation in 2007 and directed by Kenji Nakamura. This horror series is a spin-off to Toei's 2006 series Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Stories and has gathered a cult following of sorts since we now have a new anime film trilogy in the works (with Netflix picking up streaming exclusivity). I've heard over the years that Mononoke is really good but its treatment for home video wasn't ideal given it was handed over to Cinedigm for a basic DVD release (granted Cinedigm would eventually make RetroCrush). Discotek picked it up and discovered an English dub existed which was cool. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in March 2023.
Overman King Gainer [Region A Locked]
Animated by studio Sunrise in 2002 and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. More science fiction mecha goodness and interestingly this is one of the many Sunrise titles that were licensed by Sentai Filmworks back in 2013 after Bandai closed down, though it was never released until Discotek picked it up (Kurokami The Animation and s-CRY-ed are two shows also part of the deal). You probably recognise that the character designs were done by Kenichi Yoshida of Eureka Seven fame which to me adds a fun vibe to the show. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in December 2023.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie [4K Ultra HD All-Region]
Adapted by studio Group TAC in 1994 and directed by Gisaburō Sugii. It's Capcom's classic anime film of Street Fighter II now in 4K resolution. Discotek included all versions previously released in their Blu-ray release onto the 4K disc as well as the extras so nothing is lost when carried over. Granted there were some people complaining about the overall presentation of the disc but not too bothered. Discotek Media released the film on 4K Ultra HD in November 2023.
Z/X Ignition [compatible with Panasonic Method]
Animated by studio Telecom Animation Film in 2014 and directed by Yuji Yamaguchi. A rather out of left field pickup but we have a card battle show that was released a decade ago that has always caught my interest with its visual poster and the fact that it eventually received a spin-off series Z/X: Code Reunion that Sentai Filmworks picked up years later. TMS provided Discotek the license in 2015 and then years later decided to upgrade the show onto Blu-ray. I don't expect this to be a popular choice for fans to buy so I figured I'll get it now whilst I've thought of it. Discotek Media released the complete series on Blu-ray in November 2021.
The Discotek Media collection has now reached three full Billy Bookcase rows of titles, about 166 in total after collecting their titles since April 2022. It's still a long ways to go but with the bimonthly release model they're taking I'm hoping I can catch up a lot faster now.
Row 1:
- 07 Ghost
- Actually, I am...
- Aho-Girl
- All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku
- Angel Cop
- Arcadia of My Youth
- Arion
- As Miss Beelzebub Likes It
- Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales
- Babel II (OVA)
- Barefoot Gen 1 & 2
- Battery the Animation
- Battle Athletes
- Beezlebub
- Black Jack the Movie
- Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan
- Blue Seed
- BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo
- Brave 10
- Crusher Joe the Movie
- Crusher Joe
- Crying Freeman
- Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier
- Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection
- Dear Brother
- Demon City Shinjuku
- Devilman (1987-1990 OVAs)
- Devilman Lady
- Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure
- EAT-MAN & EAT-MAN '98
- Elemental Gelade
- Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture
- Fatal Fury: The OVA Collection
- Fist of the North Star
- Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!
- Galaxy Express 999 Collection 1
- Galaxy Express 999 Collection 2
- Galaxy Express 999 Collection 3
- Galaxy Express 999 the Movie
- Adieu Galaxy Express 999 the Movie
- Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy
- Genocyber
- Getter Robo Armageddon
- Ghost Stories
- Girly Air Force
- Goku: Midnight Eye
- Golgo 13: The Professional
- GoShogun
- GoShogun: The Time Etranger
- The Great Passage
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! Collection 1
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! Collection 2
- Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! Collection 3
- Hanasakeru Seishonen
- Hand Maid May
- Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
- Haruka Nogizaka's Secret Purezza
- Hells
- Hi-SCool! Seha Girls
- Holmes of Kyoto
- Honey and Clover
- Honey and Clover II
- IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix
- Inukami!
- Isuca
- Kamen no Maid Guy
- Kimagure Orange Road Collection 1
- Kimagure Orange Road Collection 2
- The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar
- The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar Final
- Kiss x Sis: The OVA Series
- Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 1
- Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2
- Kyo Kara Maoh! R
- Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 3
- Lady Oscar: The Rose of Versailles Collection 1
- Lady Oscar: The Rose of Versailles Collection 2
- The Law of Ueki
- The Legend of Black Heaven
- Library War
- Lupin the Third: The Mystery of Mamo
- Lupin the Third: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon
- Lupin the Third TV Special #1: Bye Bye Lady Liberty
- Lupin the Third TV Special #5: Voyage to Danger
- Lupin the Third TV Special #6: Dragon of Doom
- Lupin the Third TV Special #7: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure
- Lupin the Third TV Special #8: The Secret of Twilight Gemini
- Lupin the Third TV Special #9: Island of Assassins
- Lupin the Third TV Special #10: Tokyo Crisis
- Lupin the Third TV Special #11: The Columbus Files
- Lupin the Third TV Special #12: Missed By a Dollar
- Lupin the Third TV OVA #1: Return of Pycal
- Lupin the Third TV Special #19: The Elusiveness of the Fog
- Lupin the Third TV Special #21: The Last Job
- Lupin the Third TV Special #22: Blood Seal of the Eternal Mermaid
- Lupin the Third TV Special #26: Goodbye Partner
- Machine Robo: Battle Hackers
- Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos
- Magical Girl Ore
- Marmalade Boy
- Mazinger Z: The Impact!
- Memories
- Miss Machiko
- Mononoke
- Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
- Ms. Vampire Who Lives In My Neighborhood
- Nagasarete Airanto
- New Cutey Honey
- New Getter Robo
- NG Knight Lamune & 40
- Ninja Robots Tobikage
- Nutcracker Fantasy
- Overman King Gainer
- Planet With
- The Princess and the Pilot
- Re:Cutie Honey
- Reborn! Collection 1
- Reborn! Collection 2
- s-CRY-ed
- Saint Seiya Movie Collection
- School Days
- She and Her Cat -Everything Flows-
- Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo
- Shin Tetsujin 28
- Sister Princess
- Sister Princess Re Pure
- Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san
- Sorcerer Hunters
- Space Adventure Cobra
- Space Warrior Baldios
- Space Warrior Baldios the Movie
- Star Ocean EX
- Stellvia
- Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie
- Submarine Super 99
- Super Dimension Century Orguss
- Tales of Phantasia the Animation
- Tales of Symphonia the Animation
- Tekkaman Blade II
- Tenjho Tenge
- Tetsujin 28
- Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday
- To Be Hero & To Be Heroine
- Tokyo Underground
- Tomorrow's Joe the Movie
- Tomorrow's Joe 2 the Movie
- True Tears
- The Twelve Kingdoms
- Urusei Yatsura: Only You
- Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer
- Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love
- Urusei Yatsura: Lum the Forever
- Violence Jack
- VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fire
- Wicked City
- Yowamushi Pedal
- Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road
- Yowamushi Pedal Re:RIDE & Re:ROAD
- Yowamushi Pedal the Movie
- Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation
- Zatch Bell: 101st Devil & Attack of Mechavulcan
- Z/X Ignition
- Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro [4K Ultra HD]
- Robot Carnival [4K Ultra HD]
- Space Adventure Cobra the Movie [4K Ultra HD]
- Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie [4K Ultra HD]
- Another [Nihon Nights]
- Suicide Club [Nihon Nights]
- Uzumaki [Nihon Nights]
Since I ordered the Discotek Media titles during a Crunchyroll sale (even though they weren't part of it), Crunchyroll Store decided to add in a free Crunchyroll Hime Nendoroid figure to the mix which worried me because how was I going to get this through customs? Thankfully the package survived and here we are. This is my second Nendo after receiving a Robotics;Notes one for free when I won the game from Numskull Games a few years back.
