Re:cycle of the Penguindrum (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray) Unboxing

Re:cycle of the Penguindrum (劇場版 RE:cycle of the PENGUINDRUM), also stylised & written as RE:cycle of PENGUINDRUM, is a 2022 original theatrical anime film series directed & written by Kunihiko Ikuhara, and produced by studio Lapin Track with footage from studio Brain’s Base. Staff credits also include writer Takayo Ikami, character designers Terumi Nishii & Tomomi Kawatsuma with original character designer Lily Hoshino, and music composer Yukari Hashimoto.

The film series was released theatrically in Japan across two parts; Part 1: Your Train is the Survival Tactic ([前編] 君の列車は生存戦略, Kimi no Ressha wa Seizon Senryaku) on April 2022, and Part 2: I Love You ([後編] 僕は君を愛してる, Boku wa Kimi o Aishiteru) on July 2022.

Background:

“What would you do to save someone you love? All brothers Shoma and Kanba know is that, after collapsing in an aquarium and apparently dying, their terminally ill sister Himari was somehow revived by a Penguin hat that she had wished for. Now they’re on an impossible mission, because the price of keeping Himari alive is to find a mysterious object called the Penguindrum, and they’ll do anything to save their sister. Anything. As they travel separate paths in their search, they’ll have to unravel complex riddles, make alliances with strangers they know they shouldn’t trust, and question the very fabrics of time and destiny. In two spectacular feature films combining elements from the acclaimed TV series plus dazzling new scenes and characters, the Penguinture begins again”

Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, November 2023.

Kunihiko Ikuhara is known by many for his interesting and unique anime projects. Revolutionary Girl Utena is considered a classic in the shoujo genre and his other titles like Sarazanmai and Yurikuma Arashi also shared similar themes like LGBT romance and more. In-between these shows was a series called Penguindrum which celebrated its 10th anniversary and revealed a two-part compilation film series recapping the events of the show with some new footage here and there.

I’ve mentioned it before with my unboxing for Penguindrum, but long story short, the western releases for the series was a bit rough due to poor authoring and took many years for a new version to be released. Which is interesting timing considering Re:cycle of the Penguindrum was being released not long after in Japanese theaters and both Anime Limited and Sentai Filmworks have picked up the rights to these films.

While the UK release of the series received an 18 rating for a brief scene, this film series is now a 15 which suggests either the scene in particular was cut out of the film version or another individual decided it was more suitable for those aged 15 and above. Also worth noting is the English dub, which Sentai have once again produced but this time its not the same mess that the TV series had which was notedly considered to be pretty poor by many fans.

Collector’s Edition Contents:

Even though Re:cycle of the Penguindrum are compilation films, Anime Limited are also fans of penguins so a collector’s edition was produced. To be honest it works well given the artwork of choice available.

This edition is presented with a rigid box containing an Amaray case to house the discs. Alongside the case is a 32-page booklet, containing various essays written by the production staff and artwork and designs from the franchise.

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 parts are 1000 units each printed for an SRP of £44.99. A standard edition Blu-ray was also released not long after this edition.

The collector’s edition Blu-ray was made available to order directly through Anime Limited’s online store as an early bird during the month of September, on offer for £29.99 (with the Anime Unlimited membership lowering the cost down to £26.99). However, I decided to hold off and eventually it was included in the August 2024 Summer Sale for £24.99 (£21.25 with a 15% Summer sale discount offer) which is where I received my copy of the set.

Physical Contents:

• Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
• Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
• 32-page Booklet

On-Disc Contents:

Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 6th November 2023

The collector’s edition release for Re:cycle of the Penguimdrum contains both compilation films across two Blu-ray discs, with the encode and authoring by Sentai Filmworks via their 2023 release (with Anime Limited’s logos at the disc start).

The audio options available are Japanese with English subtitles and the Sentai Studios English dub. The yellow subtitles are locked during playback and the regions are accessible to Blu-ray players set to A & B.

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 16:9 aspect ratio
Region	A B
Subtitles	English
Locked Subtitles	Yes
Discs	2 BD-50s

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

Disc 1:

• Clean Opening Animation
• Clean Closing Animation
• Japanese Promos
• Disc Credits

Disc 2:

• Japanese Promos
• Disc Credits

Unboxing Photos:

Final Notes:

Re:cycle of the Penguindrum is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland. The collector’s edition Blu-ray release can be bought through AllTheAnime Store, and Anime-on-Line.

The standard edition is available to purchase across different retailers including Amazon UK, AllTheAnime Store, and Anime-on-Line.

(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.)