November was once again another pretty stressful month in general when it comes to work, but for the haul itself it turned out to be an interesting variety. November brings back more manga, more anime and of course more video games. Plus a bath towel.
For this update we have 7 video games, 7 anime titles and 4 manga volumes.
Note: This collection haul update has been updated on 3rd January 2024 to be consistent with the current layout of the write-ups but also amend some visual inconsistencies. Everything written has been preserved with some minor spelling corrections, so you can see the journey from back then to the present.
High School DxD Bath Towel, Monster Musume Manga volumes 1-3 & Neon Genesis Evangelion Omnibus Manga volume 5
The first haul of the month came from a trip to a local store, the Sheffield Space Centre, that sold manga as well as a bunch of other things like anime, sci-fi books and comics. I wanted to get some more manga so I picked up the first three volumes for Monster Musume as well as the fifth & final omnibus volume for Neon Genesis Evangelion. Along the way I also picked up a High School DxD Rias Gremory Bath Towel because it was something I knew would be something that I doubt I would find in person ever again.
Shining Resonance: Refrain
A while back I picked up the Japanese PlayStation 3 release for Shining Resonance, however due to time constraints and other things I never properly checked it out. So then SEGA brought over the remastered/updated version on the PlayStation 4, known as Shining Resonance Refrain, and it went on sale for half the price on Base. I picked it up and to my surprise it was still the Draconic Launch Edition which came with a metal case filled with nice artwork.
Caladrius Blaze
One of the more expensive items of the month, Caladrius Blaze is a Japanese shoot em up that got brought over to the PS4, however the physical release only appeared in Asia (as well as a limited run games release in the US). Eventually years go by and now the copies have become pretty rare to get. I wanted to own this and I was able to find a copy on eBay but it wasn’t cheap.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation
Next we have an Anime Limited title from their early bird sales. Code Geass was one of the first bunch of shows I watched before going to University and now they have a movie trilogy with a new direction, so the UK distributor is bringing the films over on Blu-ray. The first film Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation is now out and while Funimation in the US do have the license they didn’t dub it yet so we have a subtitled only release.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Ratchet & Clank HD Collection
Continuing the Operation PlayStation 3 Haul collection are two more games picked up at CeX. PlayStation All-Stars has always been cheap to get and considering I have played a bit of it years ago I figured I’ll pick it up. Ratchet & Clank HD Collection however was the reason why I picked these games up because it’s on my list of games to own. I actually was going to import the North American version but the price provided with the game’s condition was pretty good. These are the 97th and 98th titles for the collection.
Infinite Stratos 2
This is a surprise pickup because it’s a relatively expensive set in general, however Best Buy were offering a bunch of anime on sale for a very low price and Amazon US price-matched most of them, so I got the limited edition release for Infinite Stratos 2 for a good price. It was a price that I was happy with considering the packaging is a replica of the Japanese release.
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky
Usually with Gundam I try to get them as soon as possible, but with Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky I actually wanted to wait since I didn’t think it would sell as fast as it would. Well it turns out this sold out faster than any Gundam UK title and it’s now out of print. Luckily I was able to get it from Amazon for £3 more than what Anime Ltd were offering. Despite being a film, their collector’s edition box was tweaked but does a good enough job to keep consistency with the other sets.
Sly Cooper HD Collection
I found this on eBay and went for it. Much like Ratchet & Clank HD Collection, the Sly Cooper HD Collection was another game I had intended on importing but copies were still available surprisingly in the UK. This is the 99th title for the PlayStation 3 collection.
Higurashi: When They Cry
Like Infinite Stratos 2, Higurashi: When They Cry was another anime that I bought from Amazon due to the Best Buy price-matches. It actually took a while to arrive because it went temporarily out of stock. Higurashi did get a release in the UK finally, but for me I just wanted to own the complete collection for a cheaper price and Sentai delivered with their complete collection sets.
God of War
From the Black Friday sale I picked up a copy of the latest God of War game for £25, which was a good price considering it’s a pretty new title for a AAA title. I have played a bit of it and it’s pretty good so far. I did start the game on Hard mode but I switched to Normal after reaching a certain bridge early on due to the difficulty being pretty tedious than challenging. Overall I recommend the game if you have yet to check it out, though I still think that playing God of War 1-3 will make the experience better story-wise.
Dead or Alive Xtreme 3
So we have another surprise pickup. Much like Caladrius Blaze, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 has been pretty rare but is still around for the meantime (some versions are out of print, some are still around so it’s hit or miss depending on the format you’re after i.e. Japanese PS4 version, Asian Vita version etc.). There is a new version coming soon, but I wanted to get the original regardless. And the reason why this haul is surprising is because I saw an eBay bid for the game at the right moment and I won it surprising. The money did go to charity in the end (the British Heart Foundation) so that’s something.
March comes in like a Lion Season 1
Another title picked up from the Anime Limited early bird sale, once again at the very last minute with both parts for March comes in like a Lion Season 1. I skipped the Season 1 Part 1 early bird because I ran out of funds, but with Season 1 Part 2 they brought back the early bird price for the former so I was able to get both together.
Napping Princess
Last item of the month is another Black Friday sale, this time from Zavvi. They were selling Napping Princess for as low as £12 which is pretty damn surprising considering it only came out back in February/March time. Regardless I went for it so that’s another title I skipped out on earlier in the year now acquired.
Additional Notes
That’s every item I received during the month of November. Much like October I did over-spent however I’m going to slow the pace for December due to more bills and Christmas gifts to get.
Let’s start with what is coming, because I do have a few titles coming soon. As I have mentioned before, the Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal collector’s edition set should be available sometime in December (hopefully). Also coming soon is the Japanese PS3 import for Ryū ga Gotoku 1&2 HD Edition which I plan to make my 100th pickup for the PlayStation 3 collection. I do plan to collect a couple more PS3 games after 100 before moving on with the platform. For the Vita I also have Muv-Luv Alternative on order which should arrive pretty early into the month.
On the anime side I picked up Fireworks which I’ll post an unboxing pretty soon. Both volumes for Saekano Season 1 have been ordered from Rightstuf’s Black Friday sale. As shipping takes a while during December, I have no idea when this could arrive especially with customs involved. Lastly, in a few days JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Set 1 will be here from Amazon US’s Black Friday sale.
Now, Anime Limited’s 12 Days of Christmas sale is upon us, and I will admit that I don’t technically have the funds for this sale. However I have nothing planned for Christmas so I’ll be selecting certain titles (if they appear on the sale) for Christmas Day to save me the hassle. I did it last year and it went really well.
The Normanic Vault 
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