Welcome to the Otaku Collection haul for the month of July 2020. This update features 5 anime titles, 2 manga volumes, 2 video games and 4 live-action Asian cinema titles.
We say farewell to the flat as I’ll be moving back to my new home (as seen in my Otaku Collection in December 2019), but not without getting a good look at what we have acquired and received throughout the month.
#01 | Branded to Kill, Horrors of Malformed Men & One Missed Call
The first batch of items acquired for the month of July is from the Arrow Video Summer sale that was going on. The sale even included HMV and as such I decided to go in and see what they had to offer. I acquired Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill (殺しの烙印) and Teruo Ishii’s Horrors of Malformed Men (江戸川乱歩全集 恐怖奇形人間) as part of the 2 for £15 sale while I also acquired One Missed Call Trilogy (着信アリ), with films directed by Takashi Miike, Renpei Tsukamoto & Manabu Aso, for £14.99.
I did check out Ishii’s film and honestly I thought it was the most interesting between that, Orgies of Edo and Yakuza Law. Pretty good horror-esque film. I haven’t watched the others though.
#02 | Hanagatami
Next we have the latest Third Window Films release which is one that I hope does well in terms of sales. Hanagatami (花筐) was the second to last film that Nobuhiko Ōbayashi had directed before he sadly passed away earlier in the year. It’s said to be one of his best and since I enjoyed Hausu, I decided to pre-order it. I haven’t watched it yet though as it is quite long and wanted to check it out at the right time.
#03 | Koyomimonogatari
Last month I acquired a Monzo account and Koyomimonogatari was my first test to see how the exchange rate goes for the card. It was a success and I saved myself some cash which is good because larger orders from international can cause pointless charges if I had simply used my normal card.
This was a solid story arc for the franchise, though it do think that it may be one of the weakest ones despite having a very strong final two episodes. It is not a bad series by all means, but at least the low length for each episode saves it. That being said, just Owarimonogatari Volume 3 & Zoku Owarimonogatari left to complete the series.
#04 | Ni no Kuni II & Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul
Next I finally ventured into GAME after they lifted part of the lockdown restrictions where I was not able to view the shelves. The shelves were available to view and I had a look at the pre-owned section as per usual. To my complete shock, they had Saint Seiya: Soldiers’ Soul which is one of the rarest PlayStation 4 games out there. As it was part of the 2 for £20 range I picked it up and had to choose another game, and I selected Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom since I heard it was a decent sequel.
#05 | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Next we have a big anime arrival with the entirety of the Revolutionary Girl Utena anime series all here on Blu-ray. Anime Limited shipped the bundles early, though due to lockdown the Nozomi Ultra items can’t ship just yet. Regardless I am happy to own the series as it’s one of the big titles out there that have been recommended for years.
#06 | The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2
After a few delays, the second half of the first season for The Rising of the Shield Hero finally arrives and it comes with the light novel book that is the same one included in the Funimation release. Like DxD HERO, the light novel covers content included in the Japanese Blu-ray releases.
#07 | Black Clover Season 1 & Magic Knight Rayearth Part 1
Next we have some early arrivals thankfully as it was getting close to the end of the month. Black Clover is in a pretty neat compact collection for the shelf and I am down for owning the series in this layout. Magic Knight Rayearth is a CLAMP series and also an Isekai so that grabbed my attention a lot more. This is the first half of the franchise with the second half coming later but this is great to acquire regardless (Discotek discs + Anime Limited packaging is the best combination).
#08 | World’s End Harem Vol. 2 & Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs Vol. 4
Last but not least we have a mini manga haul! Basically I was originally going to make a massive manga haul but the prices and the stock status online was ruining my plans. I went to my local Sheffield Space Centre store and acquired these two volumes, World’s End Harem Vol. 2 & Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs Vol. 4, there instead because it was available. The latter in particular is actually sold out online so it was good timing on my end.
Honestly I won’t lie, I was motivated to continue acquiring more manga thanks to YouTuber The Anime Man and his Japanese manga collection video he recently put out (shoutout to the Trash Taste podcast as well because it’s a great listen each weekend). As such I want to try and put more emphasis on manga from here on, especially with the Seven Seas and Ghost Ship titles.
Unboxing Links
You can view more photos & specs for the titles below:
- Black Clover Season 1 (Blu-ray)
- Koyomimonogatari (LE Blu-ray)
- Magic Knight Rayearth Part 1 (CE Blu-ray)
- Revolutionary Girl Utena Parts 1-3 (CE Blu-ray)
- The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 1 Part 2 (LE Blu-ray & DVD)
Additional Notes
And that concludes the month of July 2020. It’s been almost two years since I first moved into this flat and since then I had gone through a job that lasted six months, to trying to sort out another job, and eventually deciding to return to University for a Masters degree. That degree by the way is actually at a point where if I pass the final module (a dissertation), I will actually achieve a 1st (70%+, aka distinction) which is unbelievable and will be one of my greatest achievements.
Anywho, I can technically stay in my flat until the end of August, but I have decided to leave early due to low funds (despite being a student I am still paying the bills which I generally shouldn’t be but due to my flat’s design I had no choice in the matter). That being said, there is some positivity by returning back home. I can confirm that a new shelf and some extra rows for the existing shelves will join my room which is exciting because it will allow for more space for current and future titles.
In terms of new orders, we have a couple from Anime Limited with Magic Knight Rayearth Part 2, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and Weathering With You. With regards to the latter, I may switch to the version without the soundtrack CD due to price reasons, but thanks to Anime Limited’s open order model I have an extra month to make a final decision on the matter.
For existing orders, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 1 did in fact dispatch earlier in the week like everyone else had one, but because I told them to change the address for all future orders to my home address, that meant I wouldn’t receive it for my flat (and in a sense this month’s haul). It’s not too bad as it gives the August 2020 haul some extra items. Also expected to arrive in August is Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer with 00: Special Edition OVAs as well as Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Season 2. Magic Knight Rayearth Part 2 I mentioned earlier will also arrive in that timeframe.
For the Asian Cinema catalogue, I haven’t ordered anything new and it’s currently at a good position where I wouldn’t have to worry much. But as I mentioned in the previous haul, I do have the Jackie Chan films Dragon Lord and The Fearless Hyena expected to arrive in August. 88 Films does have two more Jackie Chan films coming this October but I might be able to save them for the Christmas haul depending on how fast these two films sell out in terms of their first print editions.
And that is pretty much it for the general updates. Fortunately I am lucky enough to know what Manga has in store for this Autumn so I am a bit prepared for that, though the real killer is Anime Limited because they have some pretty big titles that are expected to be released before the end of the year which will kill my wallet if I don’t sort out a backup plan.
The Normanic Vault 