As we approach 2022, it would had been almost a whole decade since I had started getting into Japanese anime, manga and venturing more into Japanese games as well as Asian Cinema. I was able to keep some consistency with the collection updates over the past few years, with the 2019 and 2020 posts on this blog, but because I’ve remained at home this past year the consistency continues!
2021 has been an rather interesting year primarily because for me it’s like a rehash of 2018 with a positive spin to the mix, those being Universal Credit keeping me occupied whilst I was job-hunting as well as a second full-time job that has treated me better than the first. Many items have been acquired this past year but most importantly it had offered a great balance between each part of the collection, so every area has had an update of some sorts.
The big update for the collection in terms of shelving is that I had finally acquired add-on rows for the remainder of the IKEA bookcases I own, so there’s now 8 rows per case than 6, 8 & 6 respectively. 2022 will have further plans for expansion, including a new bookshelf to replace the old one that I currently use for my books, and I intend on getting another new case dedicated to my games so that there’s more room for the Blu-rays.
So yeah, welcome to the ninth major update for the collection! The very first update was back in August 2013 on my first blog via Blogger. In addition to what I had mentioned above, The Normanic Vault on WordPress has been upgraded to Premium! Unfortunately it is not allowed to receive any ad revenue (whereas Blogger had Google AdSense) because it doesn’t reach the minimum requirements to be approved. But either way, what matters more is building up the collection and showcasing specific titles here and there for anyone interested to see what they look like.
1. Main Bookcases
Anime Limited
Starting off with the first shelve which is mostly dominated by Anime Limited collector’s edition sets. I have picked up a lot of their releases throughout 2021 and now it’s reached 7 rows already.
The new additions are:
- Bartender
- Children of the Sea
- Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection
- Cyber City Oedo 808
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Part 2
- Eureka Seven
- Eureka Seven: Hi Evolution 2: Anemone
- Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) Parts 1 & 2
- The Future Diary
- K
- KonoSuba: God’s Blessing in this Wonderful World! Season 2
- Love Live! Sunshine!! the School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow
- Lupin III: The First
- Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
- MEGALOBOX
- Miss Hokusai
- ONGAKU: Our Sound
- Penguindrum
- Planetes
- Silver Spoon Season 1
- Silver Spoon Season 2
- Summer Days with Coo
- Sword Art Online Alicization -War of Underworld- Parts 1 & 2
- Terror in Resonance
- Violet Evergarden
- Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto-Memory Doll
- Welcome to the Ballroom Part 2
The new additions for the Gundam Collection are:
- Mobile Suit Gundam F91
- Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
MVM Entertainment, 4K Ultra HD & Japan Imports
The bottom of the shelf is where I have currently placed my MVM Entertainment collector’s edition sets as well as the 4K Ultra HD anime releases and the Japan imports (plus the replicas from Bandai Visual).
The new additions for MVM Entertainment are:
- Real Girl
- Revue Starlight
The new additions for 4K Ultra HD are:
- Akira (via Funimation)
- Millennium Actress (via Anime Limited)
- Your Name (via Anime Limited)
Aniplex of America & Aniplex Japan
Now we are on the second shelf. The Aniplex collection has grown tremendously throughout 2021, mostly thanks to my current job that had allowed me to earn enough income to be able to afford them. There will be a few here and there going forward but for the most part I am very happy with the position for this collection.
The new additions are:
- Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
- Fate/Apocrypha Box Sets 1 & 2
- Fate/EXTRA Last Encore
- Fate/Grand Order -First Order-
- Fate/Stay Night [Heaven’s Feel] III. Spring Song
- Owarimonogatari Volume 3
- Zoku Owarimonogatari
Standard UK Blu-ray releases
Usually I would place the standard sets with their respective distributors, but I decided to combine them together in the same rows to save space. They are still split between distributor though, starting with Anime Limited, then the discontinued Funimation UK branded sets from Anime Limited, followed by Funimation UK & Manga Ent. releases, and then MVM Entertainment. Most of the new acquired titles this year have been through Funimation though but I did get some MVM titles here and there.
The new additions from Funimation/Manga Ent. are:
- Astra Lost in Space
- Bungo Stray Dogs Seasons 1 & 2
- Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3
- Bungo Stray Dogs the Movie: DEAD APPLE
- Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
- COP CRAFT
- Demon Lord, Retry!
- How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
- Kemono Michi: Rise Up!
- Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
- Mob Psycho 100 II
- NEW GAME + NEW GAME!
- Steins;Gate the Movie: Load Region of Deja Vu
The new additions from MVM Ent. are:
- Dai Shogun: Great Revolution
- Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs
- Yusibu: I couldn’t become a hero, so I reluctantly decided to get a job.
PlayStation 5 & More Japan Imports
With more rows means more ways to spread out the video games on the shelf! In this section there are two groups; the PlayStation 5 games that have recently joined my collection, and the Japanese video game imports for the PlayStation 3 & 4. I do want to further expand this section throughout 2022.
The new additions for PlayStation 5 are:
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
The new additions for PlayStation 3 Japan Imports are:
- Biohazard Chronicles HD Selection [バイオハザード クロニクルズ HD セレクション]
- Dungeons & Dragons Mystara Eiyuu Senki [ダンジョンズ＆ドラゴンズ ミスタラ英雄戦記]
- The iDOLM@STER One for All [アイドルマスター ワンフォーオール]
The new additions for PlayStation 4 Japan Imports are:
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade Future Tone DX [初音ミク Project DIVA Future Tone DX]
- Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire [シスターズロワイヤル 5姉妹に嫌がらせを受けて困っています]
- Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Sessions! [太鼓の達人 セッションでドドンがドン!]
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 collection had grown over the past year because of Sony attempting to close the PlayStation 3 store, which meant that a number of people were trying to get their hands on the physical copies. I was fortunate enough to acquire most of the rare games a few years ago but there were other games that I had yet to get.
There are currently 123 games for the PlayStation 3 collection.
The new additions are:
- 3D Dot Game Heroes
- God of War HD Collection Volume II
- inFAMOUS
- inFAMOUS 2
- Prince of Persia Trilogy
- Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
- Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
- Ratchet & Clank: Nexus
- Ratchet & Clank: QForce
- Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty
- Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
- Sly Cooper: Thieves of Time
- Time Crisis: Razing Storm
- Way of the Samurai 4
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 collection had also grown a lot throughout 2021 and that’s partly because there were a number of games I wanted to acquire sooner than later due to some titles slowly going up in value or saving myself the time of having to grab them later. This batch also features more Asian English releases which is a big deal because they are often pretty pricey to acquire.
There are currently 152 games for the PlayStation 4 collection.
The new additions are:
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- AI: The Somnium Files
- Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle
- Bullet Girls Phantasia
- The Caligula Effect: Overdose
- Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars
- Death Mark
- Dragon’s Crown Pro
- Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
- Full Metal Panic! Fight! Who Dares Wins!
- Gal*Gun 2
- Gintama Rumble
- Gravity Rush 2
- Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Infinite Combate
- Kandagawa Jet Girls
- Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory
- Langrisser I & II
- MediEvil
- NG
- Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon
- Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
- Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-: Prophecy of the Throne
- School Girl/Zombie Hunter
- SD Gundam G Generation Genesis
- Secret of Mana
- Super Robot Wars OG: The Moon Dwellers
- Super Robot Wars T
- Super Robot Wars X
- Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
Funimation
We are now on the third shelf! And to start off, I decided to reposition my Funimation collection by splitting up the limited editions from the older designs and the newer designs. This is mainly because I felt it stood out awkwardly when you have the two combined on the shelf. Therefore the first two rows are dedicated to the older releases, while the third and fourth rows have the newer releases.
Going forward there will be a mixture of US & UK variations depending on the series.
The new additions from Funimation UK are:
- BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense Season 1
- Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
- Death Parade
- Nichijou: My Ordinary Life
The new additions from Funimation US are:
- Fire Force Season 1 Part 2 (which includes Part 1 UK Blu-ray)
- Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World
Standard US Blu-ray releases
On the sixth row we have the standard/regular Blu-rays from US distributors like Funimation, Sentai Filmworks and the one release from Twilight Time. There have been no new additions for this update.
Nintendo Switch
On the sixth row we have a single Nintendo Switch game, because Nintendo thought it was a brilliant idea to provide a very limited window for a title and then discontinue it afterwards, so I got lucky and grabbed Super Mario 3D All-Stars. I do plan to acquire the console and more of its games in 2022.
Larger Anime Box Sets
On the seventh and eighth rows we have the larger box sets from Sentai Filmworks as well as NIS America and Anime Limited. There is actually one new addition for the Sentai Filmworks collection and that was Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeons? II since I wanted to keep consistency and make sure I acquired it before it sells out.
2. Glass Case
88 Films
We are now on the Glass shelf section of the collection. Here is where my Asian Cinema Blu-rays are located, starting with 88 Films on the first row which has grown thanks to many new Hong Kong films being re-released for the UK including Category III titles.
The new additions are:
- Armour of God
- Erotic Ghost Story
- Forbidden City Cop
- Heroes Shed No Tears
- The Master
- Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
- Robotrix
- Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow
- The Young Master
Arrow Video
Arrow Video collection is on the second row and there’s only one new addition this time around which is the Graveyards of Honor re-release.
Third Window Films, BFI, Criterion & Tartan
On the third and fourth rows is my Third Window Films collection in addition to the BFI, Criterion and Tartan Blu-rays on the remainder of the fourth row. The Third Window Films collection has grown a lot throughout 2021, with a mixture of new and older releases now included.
The new additions from Third Window Films are:
- Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
- Gemini
- Himizu
- Melancholic
- Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Anti-War Trilogy
- One Cut of the Dead: Hollywood Edition
- Pink Films Vol. 5 & 6: Women Hell Song / Underwater Love
- Ruined Heart! Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore
- The Taste of Tea
- Toshiaki Toyoda: 2005-2021
Eureka Entertainment & Misc. Anime
The Eureka Entertainment collection has also grown a bit with a couple more first print editions as well as older films now picked up.
The new additions from Eureka Entertainment are:
- City Hunter
- Guilty of Romance
- The Lucky Stars 3-Film Collection
- The Millionaires’ Express
- Wheels on Meals
Misc. Asian Films & Studio Ghibli
On the sixth and final row, are the Curzon Artificial Eye, Manga Entertainment, Thunderbird Releasing, Studio Canal, Warner Bros, Sony releases and more. Next to them are a few Studio Ghibli films distributed by Studio Canal. There are no new additions to these distributors.
3. Old Bookcase
Light Novel & Manga
One of the challenges I had was not properly keeping the books up-to-speed and this led to various issues. I am still very much behind, but I am pretty happy with the progress I have made given the circumstances. I have ordered the shelf by distributor starting with the light novels from J-Novel Club, Seven Seas, Vertical and Yen On followed by the manga with Dark Horse, Ghost Ship, Kodansha Comics, Seven Seas, Viz Media and Yen Press. These cover almost all six rows of the shelf and the shelf definitely needs an upgrade lol.
The new additions from Seven Seas/Airship are:
- ARIFURETA: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 5-7
- How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Vol. 4-5
- Monster Girl Doctor Vol. 4-8
- Monster Girl Doctor Zero
The new additions from Yen On are:
- Another Episode S/O
- Combatants Will Be Dispatched Vol. 1
- Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody Vol. 2-3
- Goblin Slayer Vol. 2-4
- OVERLORD Vol. 3-8
The new additions from Ghost Ship are:
- Destiny Lovers Vol. 2-7
- World’s End Harem Vol. 8-9
- World’s End Harem: Fantasia Vol. 2-5
- Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs Vol. 9-14
The new additions from Seven Seas are:
- The Dungeon of Black Company Vol. 1-6
- GIGANT Vol. 1-3
- Hitomi-chan is Shy with Strangers Vol. 1-2
- How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 1-4
- Monster Musume Vol. 7-16
- Plus-Sized Elf Vol. 6
The new additions from Viz Media are:
- Fist of the North Star Vol. 1
- Maison Ikkoku Vol. 1
- Remina
- Tenjo Tenge Vol. 2-11
The new additions from Yen Press are:
- Prison School Vol. 1-14
- Sekirei Vol. 2-9
- Sekirei 365 Days Without Her
4. Old Shelf
In the corner of my room is the old shelf that I had used for the past decade. It’s where my older games are located but also the limited edition stock for games like the Senran Kagura series or the PQube titles. I have also placed the manga and novels that can’t be collected any further due to out of print volumes.
Due to space issues, the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 consoles are also here. The PlayStation Vita games are also moved to this section alongside the Visual Novel PC games.
5. Around the Room
Side of the Bed
Remember those manga box sets I have picked up over the years? Well they are actually positioned on the side of the bed which is pretty handy for placing my phone lol.
Above the Old Bookcase
And last but not least is the small section above the old bookcase. The new additions here is the Bitmap Books’ A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games as well as Anime Limited’s Ultimate Edition Blu-ray release of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
And that concludes the ninth otaku collection update, also known as the 2021 otaku collection update! 2021 was a pretty good year for new pickups, because whilst I was focused on anime, I had enough anime to be able to put more focus on the books, games and Asian films.
If you’re reading this and are just started to get into collecting the likes of anime, manga or any others like comics, I feel it’s very important to balance your hauls with a bit of everything whenever possible. Otherwise you’ll be so far behind that it becomes too late to acquire that specific series or item you were interested in getting for your collection, and that’s what I had learned the hard way when it came to the light novel and manga collecting in recent years. They don’t last forever in stock, but as long as you plan ahead and be aware of how distribution or demand works, then I reckon it won’t be an issue for you.
My collecting haul plans for 2022 include various factors. In addition to new shelves for my room, I will finally try to get a Nintendo Switch – this was supposed to have been acquired in 2021, but timing, funding, stock issues as well as the appearance of the OLED Model got in the way. I also plan to finally acquire Discotek Media titles as much as possible as it’s been long-awaited – part of the reason why I have been holding off is because many of them are candidates to be licensed (UK wise) by Anime Limited, as seen with Big Order, Kaiba, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and Magic Knight Rayearth. More Japanese video game imports are also planned, as well as finalising the PlayStation 3 collection for both physical and digital because I reckon Sony will re-attempt to close the PS3 store in 2022.
Here’s an overall shot of most of the collection:
The Normanic Vault 
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