The Deer King (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD) Unboxing

The Deer King (鹿の王, Shika no Ō) is a 2021 theatrical anime film based on Nahoko Uehashi’s light novel series of the same name. The adaptation is directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, and produced by studio Production I.G. Staff credits also include writer Taku Kishimoto and music composed by Harumi Fuuki. The film was first released at the Annecy film festival in June 2021 followed by Japanese theaters in February 2022.

Background:

“In the aftermath of a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom – and its possible cure.”

Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, February 2023.

Masashi Ando worked a lot of anime films that many will be familiar with. His work at Studio Ghibli includes key animation with Miyazaki’s films, even providing character designs for both Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. He’s worked on a number of other notable anime titles including most of Satoshi Kon’s works for character designs or as an animation director.

But in terms of directing, The Deer King will be his first and he’s co-directing with Masayuki Miyaji who previously directed both Fuse: Memoirs of a Hunter Girl and Xam’d Lost Memories. Anime Limited have released the former so they are at least familiar with his work. Having these two members plus Production I.G. prodiving the animation is a pretty nice combination and something different to the current modern anime trend.

In terms of licensing, The Deer King was first announced by Anime Limited during an online event in November 2020 as part of their Screen Anime theatrical run for 2021 which eventually happened about a year later as the film was delayed due to COVID over in Japan. From what I read, the film was received well by critics and anime fans which is great. GKIDS also acquired the license to release the film in the United States and Canada, so both distributors released the film theatrically before their home video releases.

Collector’s Edition Contents:

The Deer King gets a slightly different presentation which is similar to Anime Limited’s release of The Case of Hana & Alice.

The collector’s edition package contains a rigid box with a slipcase housing a digipack that includes the Blu-ray and DVD discs, and alongside that are a 16-page booklet, two A3-sized fold-out posters, and a single serialised art card. The booklet includes character designs and production artwork from the film, while the posters are based on the Japanese theatrical artwork.

The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray set is limited to 2000 units for SRP £39.99.

The film was made available for pre-order during Anime Limited’s 12 Days of Christmas 2022 Early Bird pre-order line-up for £24.99, but with the Anime (Un)Limited discount lowered the price to £22.50. A standard edition is available on the same day as the collector’s because the film received a UK theatrical release.

Physical Contents:

• Rigid Box with slipcase, digipack packaging and clean artwork
• Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
• 16-page booklet
• 2 A3 Posters
• 1 Serialised Artcard

On-Disc Contents:

Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 20th February 2023

The collector’s edition release for The Deer King contains the film on a single Blu-ray disc and DVD disc, with the encode and authoring done by GKIDS.

Audio options include Japanese audio with English and Spanish subtitles and the NYAV Post English dub commissioned by GKIDS with optional English SDH subtitles also available. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback and the disc regions are restricted to B for Blu-ray and 2 for DVD.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages	English, Japanese
Audio	English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video	1080p High Definition Native format 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Region	B
Subtitles	English, English SDH, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1 BD-50

DVD Specs:

Languages	English, Japanese
Audio	English Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Video	Standard Definition in NTSC format 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Region	2
Subtitles	English, English SDH, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

• Bringing the English Dub to Life
• Interview with Director Masashi Ando
• Introduction from Masashi Ando
• Design Gallery
• Trailers

DVD On-Disc Extra Features:

• Bringing the English Dub to Life
• Interview with Director Masashi Ando
• Introduction from Masashi Ando
• Design Gallery
• Trailers

Unboxing Photos:

Final Notes:

The Deer King is available to order through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. The collector’s edition Blu-ray release can be purchased through Amazon UK, Anime Limited’s online store, MVM’s Anime-on-Line, and United Publications.

(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)