Welcome to the Otaku Collection haul for the month of June 2021. This update features 3 anime titles, 4 light novel volumes, 8 manga volumes, 11 video games and 3 live-action Asian cinema titles.
For this month’s haul, we have my Birthday haul as well as a mixture of video games for both the PlayStation 3 & 4 and a number of manga volumes to keep the collection going.
#01 | Destiny Lovers Vol. 4
The first item of the month was an interesting one. For some bizarre reason Amazon decided to price Destiny Lovers Manga Vol. 4 at £2 brand new and I went for it, thinking it would be a damaged copy ended up arriving without issue.
#02 | inFAMOUS 2 & Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
For this batch, which also arrived on the same day as the previous item, inFAMOUS 2 arrived from eBay and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One arrived from CeX for the PlayStation 3. The latter was in a pretty good condition, except it came in a PS4 case than a PS3 case. So I swapped the standalone Ring film’s case for the game’s case (as I have two copies of the film thanks to the Arrow box set).
I do want to get some replacement cases for the PlayStation 3 collection but many retailers still stock the regular Blu-ray cases instead.
#03 | Biohazard Chronicles HD Selection and Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki
Last month I made a rather big spend on the retailer Solaris Japan, as it had been two years since I last used them for Japanese imports of video games. Because the PlayStation 3 situation in April caused some titles to spike up in value, one of the imports has also gone up in value and that was Dungeons & Dragons: Mystara Eiyuu Senki and I decided to go ahead and order it. This Capcom 90s arcade collection covers Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara.
In addition, I also ordered Biohazard Chronicles HD Selection as my interest in the franchise spiked up again due to the recent main instalment in the series. This collection comes with HD remasters of Nintendo Wii light-gun on-rail shooters Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and The Darkside Chronicles. The Japanese release does offer English menus and voices, but the general text remains in its original language.
It took roughly the same amount of time that the previous import orders have done and came without any issues which was a surprise. Both discs worked so that’s good.
#04 | The iDOLM@STER One for All
A few days later, I also ordered The iDOLM@STER One for All which was on eBay for a really solid price. One for All is considered the franchise’s best instalment so I figured it was worth picking it up in case the upcoming PS4 release ups the value of the PS3 releases.
#05 | Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Next we have more Gundam with Mobile Suit Gundam F91, this film was supposed to arrive back in April but it landed in production issues for Anime Limited. I am still behind on my Gundam watch, but I can technically jump straight into this instalment because it was released in Japan very early on before the other UC titles did.
#06 | The Dungeon of Black Company Vol. 1-2
With the anime adaptation arriving pretty soon, I decided it was time to start acquiring The Dungeon of Black Company Manga Vol. 1-2. I would have ordered the third volume as well but it’s currently out of stock in the UK and it was released back in 2019 so it should hopefully have a better chance of survival than other older manga from Seven Seas.
#07 | Prince of Persia HD Trilogy
Next we have another addition to the PlayStation 3 collection with the HD remasters of three PlayStation 2 games – Prince of Persia HD Trilogy. This collection covers Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warriors Within, and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.
Surprisingly I never managed to play these games in the past so I’m happy to own them for my gaming collection. There is a remake in the works for the first game but I wanted to own the original just in case the demand takes up the remaining stock.
#08 | Erotic Ghost Story
88 Films released two major Hong Kong films during this month, and one of them went into the Birthday haul but the other I ordered myself because it was a deluxe limited edition release. Nam Nai Choi’s 1990 film Erotic Ghost Story (聊齋艷譚) is the first to be part of 88 Films’ new line-up of releases dedicated to the Hong Kong’s Category III rating system which is dedicated to films that were rated for their extreme violence, sex or specific themes or references that may be a bit too much for the general audience.
This deluxe package is really good and the booklet goes into brief detail about the Category III rating and how the film was made. Unfortunately this limited edition set has sold out (2000 units were produced) but a standard edition will follow.
#09 | Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Another double-dip this year for the anime collection and this time it’s Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, a series that I bought on Blu-ray back in January 2014 via the Funimation limited edition release. I did watch it and enjoyed it a lot. Many years later Discotek rescued the series in the US and re-authored it with some tweaks which Anime Limited carried over into their release.
Part of the reason why I double-dipped was because the Funimation Blu-ray was Region A and since then I wanted to get more Region B releases whenever possible. By utilising the Discotek discs for the Anime Limited release, it was the best way to make up for it.
#10 | How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Vol. 5
This one was amusing. Back in May I was able to order a copy of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Novel Vol. 5 for the collection because it was out of stock pretty much everywhere, and I didn’t want a repeat scenario of what happened with Grimgar.
This particular copy was listed on Amazon Germany for a pretty good price, and it turned out to be a Canadian retailer after I asked for a quick update on whereabouts it was as there was no tracking available. It did arrive after about 3 weeks and in very good condition given how long the distance was.
#11 | 26th Birthday Haul
This year was my 26th Birthday. Once again I went for a variety of items, and compared to last year there was no expensive item this time so I was able to get more.
Starting off with the anime and this one actually arrived late. Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs was released on Blu-ray last year by MVM and recently it went on offer as part of the Deal of the Week. I actually had planned on going for Fire Force Part 1 but there was no updates on Season 2 Part 2’s release window so I changed plans when this offer appeared.
I watched Yuuna during simulcast and really enjoyed it (even picked up the manga also). This Blu-ray release is uncensored as MVM were able to get the Japanese home video masters.
For the light novels and manga, Wordery had an offer going on where you can save money if you order a certain amount. I chose three light novel volumes and a single manga volume given the pricing and availability. Those were ARIFURETA: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Novel Vol. 7, OVERLORD Novel Vol. 7-8, and GIGANT Manga Vol. 1.
Similar to last year, I decided to focus on continuing current titles I own as well as getting a new series if possible. GIGANT is the new addition this time around, and it took this long because Amazon deleted the first volume from their webstore. The other three were more-so making sure they were one step closer to being up-to-date especially with OVERLORD due to being released in hardcover format.
For the Asian Cinema collection, Forbidden City Cop (大內密探零零發) was the first choice as that was the latest Hong Kong release by 88 Films. It’s directed by Vincent Kok and Stephen Chow and was released in 1996. Also this is actually the second Stephen Chow film I own because I acquired one of his films a few years ago (The Mermaid back in 2019).
And thanks to a recent sale on Amazon, I also requested the standard edition version of Graveyards of Honor which includes Kinji Fukasaku’s 1972 film (仁義の墓場) and Takashi Miike’s 2002 film (新・仁義の墓場) in one box from Arrow Video. Similar to The Ring Collection, the standard edition is identical to the limited edition but without the booklet.
Last but not least we have a few more PlayStation 4 games. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered was a last minute choice but it’s one that I was interested in owning because I enjoyed Final Fantasy VII last year and this has similar gameplay. VIII isn’t as loved as VII and IX but I’ve barely seen anyone talk about it as much so I figured I’ll see how it is.
Like Yuuna, AI: The Somnium Files arrived late and this game has been going up and down in price so I figured now was the time to get it just in case the stock sells out.
Overall a good selection of items, but there was a lot of restrictions in place due to specific titles not available for the right price combined with stock issues for many books. I do think it was better than the previous year (minus the chocolates selection as I had tons last year though what I did get was pretty nice).
#12 | Monster Musume Vol. 13-14
Considering I ordered Vol. 10-12 back in May, I decided to order more Monster Musume with Manga Vol. 13-14. That now leaves me with two currently available volumes and one more that’s due to be released later this year, so I’m happy to be able to get the series nearly up-to-date compared to where it was a few years ago.
#13 | God of War HD Collection Volume II & Time Crisis: Razing Storm
Next we have another batch of PlayStation 3 games and mainly the last games that I wanted to own the most from the remaining titles in the list. The first to arrive was Time Crisis: Razing Storm which was pretty good fun. Basically it covers Razing Storm, the Arcade mode for Time Crisis 4, and Deadstorm Pirates.
Also arrived was God of War HD Collection Volume II which arrived in pretty bad condition from CeX but fortunately it plays for now. The disc has a scratch on the main artwork and the case was full of stickers and marks. This collection covers the PSP games God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghosts of Sparta.
#14 | Gravity Rush 2
After Sony decided to close Japan Studio due to poor sales of their niche experimental games, I decided to bump up the priority to get Gravity Rush 2 but I never really jumped the opportunity to order it until recently. As the price eventually slowly started to rise I ordered a pre-owned copy through CeX and it was in an okay condition but once again I’m going to need to replace the case due to stickers.
#15 | Prison School Vol. 1-2
Next we have the first two Omnibus manga volumes for Prison School, which arrived on two different dates. This series has been on my radar for a long time and initially the plan was to acquire the books from as early as April, when Sekirei and Tenjo Tenge was completed.
However, what happened was that the first volume went out of stock and it took a fair while before more could show up. So far all 14 volumes are still in print despite being released before Sekirei which to recap that series had 2 volumes go out of print despite being only a few years old.
Unboxing Links
You can view more photos & specs for the titles below:
- Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (CE Blu-ray)
- Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (CE Blu-ray)
Additional Notes
What’s to Come for the Hauls
July Arrivals
So I know there wasn’t much going on with the blog this past few months and that’s generally down to delays with the specific anime that I was hoping to unbox. June was supposed to have more collector’s edition anime sets and then at the last minute they get moved into July. I am looking into potentially offering more Unboxing Redux posts to fill any missing gaps in return, though do note that I am currently using the free version of WordPress which has limited storage space so I can only do a finite amount for the meantime.
The July line-up is going to be a pretty good one as we have a bunch of anime but also manga lined up. From Anime Limited if things go according to plan I am expected to receive Anemone: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Part 2, The Future Diary, and Your Name in 4K Ultra HD. I also have Bungo Stray Dogs Seasons 1 & 2 ordered from a recent Zavvi sale.
In the books side of things we have Prison School Omnibus volumes 3, 4 & 6 ordered and all are expected to arrive before the month of July is over. They are all being dispatched through Blackwells so expect slow delivery speeds also. I have also ordered a pretty interesting book called ‘A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games‘ by Bitmap Books and some of the people I follow like HappyConsoleGamer also recommended their titles so I’m confident I will enjoy reading this one.
August Arrivals
For the month of August I have two Anime Limited Blu-rays pre-ordered and paid off already, so if things go according to plan again we can expect Penguindrum and Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto-Memory Doll to arrive at this timeframe.
Other Tidbits
The job hunt took an interesting turn throughout June, but unfortunately I have no updates on how it will turn out. As per usual, can’t promise anything as these always change.
Moving on to the discussion of hauls as I always do with each of these monthly round-ups, there’s been some progress at least.
Anime
Anime Limited’s September 2021 batch has yet to be revealed at the time of this post, but considering we have at least 5 potential early birds for July it’s probably going to be a large line-up than usual.
Funimation has once again been delaying their limited edition releases and it’s starting to get ridiculous at this point. BOFURI and Plunderer I’m still interested in owning their LEs, and One Punch Man Season 2 is a potential inclusion to. Uzaki-chan hasn’t gotten a UK release and its LE in the US is already out of print which is rather annoying to see as I quite liked what the packaging had offered.
Other than that, not much going on for the anime side to be honest.
Light Novel & Manga
More progress was made for the light novel and manga collection which is good. OVERLORD is in a pretty good position now that I am around 4-5 volumes away from being up-to-date with the English releases. Though I do need to catch up with the other titles before it’s too late.
Speaking of Yen, I started collecting Prison School which is going to be a long journey to sort out as we have 14 omnibus volumes to deal with and I have 2 acquired and 3 ordered, leaving 9 more to go. Omnibus 5 is currently out of stock in the UK but Rightstuf just got some in for now. I am hoping to get the series fully acquired before the Summer ends. Other than that, I will probably try and continue Yotsuba&! and look into Kakegurui along the way.
The Dungeon of Black Company and GIGANT both join the collection under Seven Seas and the former has had stock issues for its third volume. GIGANT started releasing in English during 2020 so it’s actually in a pretty decent position. Monster Musume is a few volumes away from being up-to-date and the rest are all mostly released this year so it’s looking pretty good so far.
As for any new additions from Seven Seas for the collection that could occur, Dumbbells is still in a limbo state due to stock issues with the first three volumes in the UK. I may look into Creature Girls and Parallel Paradise as well as the To Love Ru series but the latter will have to be done in one huge batch due to the amount of volumes available (and it doesn’t help that Amazon deleted a number of its volumes).
Airship titles are not up-to-date but are in a pretty solid position as the books I need were released last year and this year. For new additions later down the line, the next ones will likely be Arifureta ZERO and maybe Division Maneuver.
Video Games
As a quick recap, I started buying more PlayStation 3 games as part of my ‘Operation PS3 THE FINAL Haul’ in response to Sony’s attempt to close the PS3’s store. The good news is that I have acquired all of the priority titles that I was interested in, and while there are a few more that I could order, it’s not a big deal if I miss out on them.
The only part that’s left are the Japanese imports. Three imports arrived in June so the remaining titles (which I’ve listed in the May 2021 post) are now left to look into throughout the course of 2021 and early 2022.
Asian Cinema
So I almost acquired the Gamera box sets during that Prime Day sale, but I held back as I figured Arrow may offer a better deal later down the line. Other than that Arrow has announced another classic Japanese film for the UK with The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch which is due for September.
88 Films delayed many of their titles so Category III films Robotrix and Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky are now scheduled for release late September. Other than that, it’s been confirmed that Armour of God will get special treatment so expect a big release for the film.
And that’s basically it for the June 2021 haul. It was going to be large and I am pretty happy with what I have acquired throughout the month. There will be more anime in July (hopefully) so stay tuned until then.
The Normanic Vault 