The Normanic Vault

Otaku Collection Haul for April 2026

Welcome to the Otaku Collection haul for the month of March 2026. This update features 18 anime releases, 6 manga volumes, 1 physical video game, 8 live-action Asian Cinema releases, and 5 live-action World Cinema releases plus 9 digital video games.

For this haul, Aniplex of America releases make an appearance after so long, plus there’s more Crunchyroll and Funimation US releases as well as the latest April pre-orders from 88 Films, Arrow Video & Radiance Films.

Radiance Films Spring Sale Haul

Radiance Films held a sale on their webstore in late March that included various films, and these sales tend to sell out the limited edition releases if you’re not paying attention. So for my haul I focused on three releases that I was interested in owning the most.

Starting with The Betrayal (大殺陣 雄呂血), Tokuzō Tanaka’s 1966 film. This Japanese film was released on Blu-ray last year but had an issue with one of the extras so they held off on stock to get that fixed. The film stars Raizō Ichikawa (An Actor’s Revenge, Shinobi film series), Kaoru Yachigusa (Pastoral: To Die in the Country, Samurai Trilogy), Shiho Fujimura (Casting Blossoms to the Sky, The Snow Woman) and Ichirō Nakatani (Harakiri, The Sword of Doom).

Next we have a collection of short animated films in the Essential Polish Animation collection, Radiance’s first animated release. This set includes 27 films that were made between 1957 to 1987 from Daniel Szczechura, Jan Lenica, Jerzy Kalina, Jerzy Kucia, Julian Józef Antonisz, Kazimierz Urbański, Mirosław Kijowicz, Piotr Dumała, Ryszard Czekała, Stefan Schabenbeck, Walerian Borowczyk, Witold Giersz, Włodzimierz Haupe, Halina Bielińska, Zbigniew Rybczyński, and Zofia Oraczewska. Zbigniew Rybczyński’s Tango, one of the shorts included in this collection, won the Best Animated Short for the 55th Academy Awards in 1983.

Next is Senso, Luchino Visconti’s 1954 Italian film, which includes a few versions of the film across two Blu-ray discs. You can watch the film in either 1.33:1 and 1.66:1 aspect ratios and there’s an alternate English version available. The film stars Farley Granger (Rope, Strangers on a Train), Alida Valli (Inferno, Suspiria), Massimo Girotti (Last Tango in Paris, Theorem), and Heinz Moog (Karl May, Ludwig).

Aniplex Catch-up Haul Part 1

I’ve acquired a lot of Aniplex of America releases over the past decade, but the last time I bought from them was around 2.5 years ago, when the Rightstuf store was closing down and they ran a farewell sale (which was followed by the package going MIA and arriving a month later than planned).

Since then I hadn’t bothered to secure any more of their releases and I’m honestly not sure as to why, but recently I decided it was time to revisit the distributor’s catalogue. I made an order for four titles last month which was currently being consolidated at Stackry but around the same time, an opportunity came up thanks to Discord/Forum member SAHO and we agreed on a package deal that consisted of a majority of The Irregular at Magic High School anime franchise (everything prior to Season 3 which only just got released last year).

I had been patiently waiting on owning this franchise for 12 years now, and it’s absolutely baffling how none of the UK distributors bothered to pick up the license and release it over here, considering its one of the more popular IPs from Aniplex. The series did eventually receive an English dub later down the line but I was getting fed up of waiting, especially when you take into consideration how the Crunchyroll Store has slowly one by one been removing and hiding listings from every distributor including Aniplex (for example I was going to order Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note and then it disappeared a few hours later).

First up, we have the complete first season for The Irregular at Magic High School which aired in 2014 by studio Madhouse, adapting three story arcs from the light novels; Enrollment Arc (episodes 1-7), Nine Schools Competition Arc (episodes 8-18) & Yokohama Disturbance Arc (episodes 19-26). It was first released as three limited edition volumes (one for each arc) and as much as I had wanted to own those they did go out of print, but Aniplex of America by pure chances released a complete series box set mirroring the Japanese release (but using Amaray cases instead of digipacks).

A few years after the first season aired, Aniplex decided on an original anime film for the franchise with 2017’s The Irregular at Magic High School The Movie: The Girl Who Summons the Stars. The twist here is that instead of studio Madhouse, studio Eight Bit (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) takes over the helm of animating the story. In another weird move, the film also takes place after the events of the second season so anime-only viewers at the time were pretty much out of the loop for quite a while. Aniplex of America did release the film on Blu-ray in their limited edition style packaging similarly to the first season’s volume releases.

Then another few years after that, Aniplex & Dengeki Bunko finally revealed plans to adapt more of the light novels, which leads us to the complete second season with The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc which aired in 2020 by studio Eight Bit, returning from animating the original film prior and the same staff as well. This season was notable for two reasons; the first is that UK viewers could now watch the series legally during simulcast from this season onwards (but are still unable to watch the first season), and the second is an English dub was also made for this season from Bang Zoom! Entertainment (and they did go back to dub the first season, but it’s stuck on Hulu only for US/CA fans). Since it’s one arc and they changed their model around this time of year, Aniplex of America kept the series together into one release.

The hype train eventually continued with two adaptations being revealed around the same timeframe; an anime adaptation based on the manga spin-off series The Honor Student at Magic High School, which Aniplex of America unfortunately didn’t release on home video, and another light novel story arc adapted into anime format with The Irregular at Magic High School: Reminiscence Arc, a television special that aired on New Years Eve 2021. This was written before the Visitor Arc in the novels and is also a prequel to the events of the series. Despite being a TV special, Aniplex of America’s release was pretty neat especially for the SRP it’s going for.

And also an added bonus is a CD+DVD release of LiSA’s Rising Hope single for the first season of the anime.

Pragmata

Next up on the latest video game arrivals is Capcom’s brand new action shooter Pragmata, which was famous for being in development hell for quite sometime. It’s miraculous that the game managed to get released in the end and from the looks of it has done very well in the reviews which is awesome. I decided not to play the demo as I was going to pick this one up regardless, and since I have finished Nioh 3 I can start this as soon as possible.

Aniplex Catch-up Haul Part 2

The second part of my Aniplex of America haul finally arrived, which I ordered before receiving the Mahouka releases. This batch consists of me wrapping up one long-running series as well as acquiring two releases for another series that is half with Aniplex and half with Anime Limited.

First up we have Kizumonogatari -Koyomi Vamp-, the 2024 theatrical compilation film of the three-part film series that came before. Sounds weird but if you think about it this was originally going to be a single film to begin with, so I suppose this was their way of making that a reality. The packaging is different to the previous films but still looks neat.

Next is the latest Aniplex of America release with Monogatari series: Off & Monster Season which aired in 2024 by studio Shaft. I think this is the fifth season technically but either way we’re already 100 episodes into this franchise. This season adapts four stories from the Off Season novels and Monster Season novels. Unlike the previous seasons, there are a couple stories not adapted this time around from what I can gather but sounds like they picked the ones that were either more relevant or best suited with the timescale they had. The packaging is more in-line with Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari than the arc volume sets.

Then we have two releases; Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night and Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night, films based on the Sword Art Online Progressive light novel series released in 2021 & 2022 as part of the 10th Anniversary anime project by A-1 Pictures. Both have yet to be released in the UK and considering the price point I decided to go with the Aniplex of America releases. Didn’t realise both sets used rigid cases which is interesting.

In terms of my Aniplex catch-up haul plans, The Irregular at Magic High School Season 3 is next on my list to get. There are a number of titles that I could choose from but I want to be cautious because they’re not cheap releases (meaning even ordering a few in one haul takes up a good portion of my funds for the month) and given the success of MVM being able to acquire a few Aniplex titles, I do wonder if Anime Limited are now able to do the same for series like SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online Season 2 as an example but at the same time I don’t really want to wait for MCM London May to find that out.

Crunchyroll & Funimation US Haul

Bundled alongside the second Aniplex of America haul with Stackry are six more releases from distributor Crunchyroll and the previous iteration Funimation. The goal of this haul was to acquire releases that didn’t get released over to the UK and I wanted to make sure that I owned them before it was randomly delisted or out of stock by Crunchyroll’s own store. Surprisingly all of them (except for the Essentials set) came with their slipcases.

First one I acquired was Harukana Receive from studio C2C (Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy) which aired in July 2018. I really liked this volleyball anime series and the journey of having a short girl and tall girl team up to beat other opponents in the sport. As you can tell, this is the Essentials release which is a solid budget label that was short-lived due to the Crunchyroll buyout. This will probably be the final Essentials purchase as well as a vast majority have gone out of print.

Next we have Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! from studio Geek Toys (Dead Mount Death Play) which aired in January 2025. I’m baffled this didn’t get brought over here at the start of the year and its an isekai I’ve been wanting to check out for a while.

Next we have The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan from studio Felix Film (Aharen-san Is Indecipherable) which aired in October 2024. I was aware of the series but I decided to pick it up given it had received a decent amount of reception. It’s not an isekai but a general fantasy type series. This is also one of the few recent shows to not receive an English dub by Crunchyroll.

Continuing the isekai train is The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent Season 2 from studio Diomedéa (Ahiru no Sora) which aired in October 2023. The first season was among one of the very few to skip the UK so it made sense they never bothered with the second season either.

Going back to an even older release with Shachibato! President, It’s Time for Battle! from studio C2C (Shangri-la Frontier) which aired in April 2020. This isekai-esque fantasy series (which has a premise similar to Solo Leveling and GATE) hasn’t had the best of reception but I was happy with the studio’s recent line-up of adaptations and wanted to go back and get this one before it sold out.

And then we have Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie from studio Doga Kobo (Oshi no Ko) which aired in April 2022. This romance series was one of the more talked about anime of that year especially with the pink-haired female lead but I wasn’t interested in watching it at the time. As it’s been a while since and it’s still around I decided it was time to give it a chance.

Travelling Man Viz Media Manga Haul

A last minute plan to go to town before watching Akira and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy at the cinema where I checked out the Travelling Man store and picked up six more volumes of manga for the collection.

We have Chainsaw Man Volumes 19 & 20 (they didn’t have Volume 18), Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Volume 13 & 14 (they didn’t have Volume 12), and Jujustu Kaisen Volumes 26 & 29 (they didn’t have Volume 24). I will eventually figure out a way to grab those missing volumes which will probably be done via Scifier.

88 Films April Pre-Orders

Three packages all arriving at the same time was not on my bingo card, but it helped they came together because I always find it awkward when I receive one each day back to back. Haven’t felt like this since that time in University when I received like 4-5 packages at the same time. Starting off with the 88 Films Store package which arrived early as it was originally pushed back to early May’s timeframe.

First up we have Robert Clouse’s The Amsterdam Kill (荷京喋血) released in 1977. This US/Hong Kong produced film he made in-between Enter the Dragon and Game of Death and stars Robert Mitchum (Cape Fear), Richard Egan (Pollyanna), Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun) and Keye Luke (Gremlins). 88 Films’ limited edition release is presented with the US style slim case packaging and a booklet.

We finally get Wong Jing’s God of Gamblers II (賭俠) released in 1990. The second instalment in the gambling franchise which I’m surprised has taken this long (considering the previous film was released three years ago) and I’m hoping the rest will follow suit. The film stars Andy Lau (A Moment of Romance), Stephen Chow (From Beijing With Love), Sharla Cheung (Fight Back to School), and Charles Heung Wah-Keung (A Queen’s Ransom). 88 Films’ limited edition is packaged similarly to the first film but with a poster instead of a booklet this time around.

And here is James Glickenhaus’ The Protector (威龍猛探) released in 1985. The latest Jackie Chan film to be re-released for the 4K Ultra HD format and one of the first films of his for the international audience. I liked this film a lot more than I should and look forward to revisiting it, especially as this 4K includes three versions (compared to the Blu-ray’s two versions which only one of them was presented in HD); the original US/International cut, the Hong Kong cut that Jackie Chan worked on, and brand new to this edition is the Japanese extended cut, and all of them are presented in 4K Ultra HD.

The 88 Films deluxe limited edition includes a slipcase (exclusive to their store) with poster artwork, rigid box with a 4K Amaray case housing the three cuts across two discs per format, a booklet with essays from various folks and a double-sided fold-out poster.

Arrow Video April Pre-Orders

Next is the Arrow Video releases that came from the Terracotta Distribution store. These are also April pre-orders which I sorted out as soon as they were announced so that I didn’t miss out on these sets.

First up is Oxide Pang Shun & Danny Pang Phat’s The Eye (見鬼) released in 2002. This is the second film from The Pang Brothers after Bangkok Dangerous (recently released by Discotek Media), but this is what I was more familiar with thanks to Tartan Video putting it out back in the day so while I haven’t seen the film I was well aware of it, which is why I’m really excited to see another license rescue from Arrow Video and on 4K none-the-less. The film stars Angelica Lee Sin-Jie (The Thieves), Lawrence Chou Chun-Wai (Dream Home), Candy Lo Hau-Yam (Time and Tide) and Edmund Chen (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li). Arrow Video’s limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.

Next is the Wandering Ginza Butterfly collection from Kazuhiko Yamaguchi featuring Wandering Ginza Butterfly (銀蝶渡り鳥) and Wandering Ginza Butterfly 2: She-Cat Gambler (銀蝶流れ者 牝猫博奕), both released in 1972. Two classic Yakuza films which fit alongside many of the ones that Arrow Video have released before. The first film stars Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood), Tsunehiko Watase (Battles Without Honor and Humanity), Akiko Koyama (In the Realm of the Senses) and Mieko Aoyagi (Black Ninja) and the second film also stars Sonny Chiba (Survive Style 5+), Junzaburō Ban (A Fugitive from the Past) and Yukie Kagawa (Japanese Spiderman). Arrow Video’s limited edition release includes an o-card slipcase and a booklet.

And then we have John Woo’s The Killer (喋血雙雄) released in 1989. Arrow Video’s fourth Golden Princess release and one of the most anticipated releases of the year, I am very much glad to have pre-ordered this considering it’s selling out fairly fast from what I can tell. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat (God of Gamblers), Danny Lee Sau-Yin (City on Fire), Sally Yeh (Shanghai Blues) and Paul Chu Kong (The Big Heat).

The Arrow Video limited edition includes a slipcase, rigid box with a 4K Amaray case housing the 4K Ultra HD disc and two Blu-ray discs with extra features and the Taiwanese cut (exclusive to this edition), a booklet with essays from various folks, six cards and a double-sided fold-out poster.

Radiance Films April Pre-Orders

Next is the Radiance Films package consisting of their April 2026 line-up. This is the first time in a while that I decided to go with the bundle instead of grabbing them individually as they were all interesting enough for me to get them sooner.

From Italy we have Damiano Damiani’s Confessions of a Police Captain (Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della Repubblica) released in 1971. This is the sixth film from the director that Radiance Films have brought over so far. The film stars Franco Nero (Django), Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men), Claudio Gora (Il Sorpasso) and Marilù Tolo (The Witches).

From Spain we have Pedro Almodóvar’s Matador released in 1986. This is the latest film to be brought over to the 4K Ultra HD format and I’m very interested to check this one out because of its premise. The film stars Assumpta Serna (I, the Worst of All), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), Nacho Martínez (High Heels) and Eva Cobo (Armour of God II: Operation Condor).

From Hong Kong we have Johnnie To’s Romancing in Thin Air (高海拔之戀 II) released in 2012. We know Johnnie To is known for his action films but this time we have a romance drama written by Wai Ka-fai who’s worked with him for Mad Detective and Running on Karma. The film stars Louis Koo (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), Sammi Cheng Sau-Man (Infernal Affairs), Gao Yuanyuan (City of Life and Death) and Wang Baoqiang (A Touch of Sin).

And from France we have the latest big box set release with Time to Play: Films by Jacques Rozier, featuring five of his films on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. The films included are:

  • 1969’s Adieu Philippine – starring Jean-Claude Aimini, Yveline Cery, Vittorio Caprioli (The Boss) and Stefania Sabatini (The Vampire and the Ballerina).
  • 1971’s Near Orouët (Du côté d’Orouët) – starring Caroline Cartier (The Nude Vampire), Danièle Croisy (Les filles du régiment), Françoise Guégan and Patrick Verde (I Am a Nymphomaniac).
  • 1976’s The Castaways of Turtle Island (Les Naufragés de l’ile de la Tortue) – starring Pierre Richard (Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom), Maurice Risch (The Last Metro), Jacques Villeret (The Dinner Game) and Caroline Cartier (Lumière).
  • 1986’s Maine-Ocean Express (Maine Océan) – starring Luis Rego (Attila Marcel), Yves Afonso (Made in U.S.A), Lydia Feld, and Bernard Ménez (Day for Night).
  • 2001’s Fifi Martingale – starring Jean Lefebvre (The Magnificent One), Lydia Feld, Yves Afonso (The Watchmaker of St. Paul) and Jacques François (Sorceror).

The Radiance Films limited edition includes a obi-strip, rigid box with three Scanavo cases housing the films across five Blu-ray discs, reversible covers and a booklet with essays from various folks.

Anime Limited Easter Sale Haul

Anime Limited ran their annual Easter sale and I decided to acquire a couple of standard edition Blu-rays for once. The collector’s edition model is becoming more oversaturated in terms of content and quality so I’m leaning more towards the cheaper versions here and there. These were from their Buy One Get One Free sale.

Armor Shop for Ladies & Gentlemen is a short anime series that aired between 2018 & 2021 by studio IMAGICA Lab (Natsunagu!). This was released thanks to a sub-licensing package deal with Crunchyroll but never received a collector’s set and there’s no English dub so it’s a simple release.

Devil Survivor 2 the Animation, 2013 anime series by studio Bridge (Talentless Nana) that was based on the 2011 Shin Megami Tensei spin-off Nintendo DS game Devil Survivor 2. Sentai Filmworks released this a decade back and so did MVM, but Anime Limited rescued the license but the discs were never updated (MVM did use Hanabee’s instead of Sentai’s though). There is a collector’s edition but due to the old discs I opted for the standard edition instead.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, the first season released in 2019 by Bandai Namco Pictures (Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty) is a really fun fantasy isekai series which continues to receive multiple seasons to this current point. This was one of the Crunchyroll titles that was sub-licensed to Anime Limited and Sentai Filmworks, though the later seasons were handled by Crunchyroll directly.

And last but not least is the 2003 original anime series Wolf’s Rain by studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist). There was an ultimate edition of this series years ago but I never got my hands on it. It’s one of the classic titles that Funimation did rescue from Bandai Entertainment and so did Anime Limited. This release also includes the 4 OVA episodes that conclude the story.

GOG Sale Haul

GOG at the start of April had just wrapped up their Spring Sale and I figured it was time to add a few more games to the PC digital non-DRM collection. I acquired the games right before they ended it, and it was partly because I wanted to take some time to think about my choices.

We’ll start with Soldier of Fortune and Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix, both were developed by Raven Software (Heretic/Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast) and released in 2000 & 2002. They’re classic first-person shooters known for being too violent at the time which is why they received BBFC 18 ratings back then. There is a third game that also saw a release on PlayStation 3 but I focused on these two for now.

Next we have Sleeping Dogs, 2012 open-world action game by United Front Games (ModNation Racers) and published by Square Enix. Originally going to be True Crime: Hong Kong but revamped in production, this is a really good game and one of my favourites of the seventh generation era. The Definitive Edition includes the DLC and remastered content and since the PS4 version isn’t compatible for PS5 I decided to have access via the GOG release.

Then we have another Hong Kong themed game with Stranglehold, released in 2007 by Midway Studios Chicago (aka NetherRealm Studios of Mortal Kombat fame) and produced by John Woo. It’s a sequel to the iconic Hard Boiled with Chow Yun-fat reprising his role as the main character. It’s a Max Payne clone but pretty enjoyable and I finished the game on PlayStation 3 but it was pretty rough on the performance so the GOG release is a good way to play it for a better experience.

Then the next day came and the sale concluded, but what we got was a new sale and finally I was able to get my hands on the Resident Evil Classic Trilogy (1996’s Resident Evil, 1998’s Resident Evil 2 & 1999’s Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) on GOG. Sure, the games are now on Steam but I have heard the DRM Capcom uses does interfere with the performance. I never played the originals and whilst they are on PS5, being able to play them on PC means I can ultilise the mods and improve the visuals and even include a randomizer if I wanted to.

Not long afterwards, Capcom’s other classic PlayStation games Dino Crisis and Dino Crisis 2 released in 1999 & 2000 were on offer as well, and I went for them too.

Unboxing Links

You can view more photos & specs for the titles below:

Also available:

  • Dragon Fist (Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray) [88 Films Store Exclusive Variant]
  • Dragon Lord (Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray) [88 Films Store Exclusive Variant]
  • Police Story 3: Supercop (Deluxe Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)

Also have plans to sort out an unboxing for The Killer.

What’s to Come for the Hauls

The anime pickups is expected to continue through to May, though I haven’t finalised my import haul just yet so there is a chance it may slip into June but I don’t think it will. I ordered another Radiance bundle for May and July so expect those as well.

May 2026

  • Clear River Games Haul:
    • Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute (Nintendo Switch)
    • BATSUGUN Saturn Tribute Boosted (Nintendo Switch)
    • Mamorukun ReCurse! (Nintendo Switch)
    • Might & Magic – Clash of Heroes: Definitive Edition (Nintendo Switch)
    • Under Defeat (Nintendo Switch)
    • Ys Origin (Nintendo Switch)
  • MediaOCD Store Haul:
    • Kodocha Season 1 (SD-BD)
    • Kodocha Season 2 (SD-BD)
    • Shin Aim for the Ace! (Blu-ray)
    • Zone of the Enders Perfect Collection (Blu-ray)
  • Radiance Films May Pre-Order Bundle:
    • Aesthetics of a Bullet (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • Jeanne la pucelle (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • Le professionnel (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • Taxidermia (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
  • Limited Run Games Pre-Orders Haul:
    • Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Returns Special Edition (PlayStation 5)
    • Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga (PlayStation 5)
  • Third Window Films Pre-Orders Haul:
    • New Directors from Japan: Takashi Ono (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • Transcending Dimensions (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
  • Other Pickups:
    • Summer Wars (Deluxe Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)

June 2026

  • Arrow Video June Pre-Orders Haul:
    • Audition (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
    • Bullet in the Head (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
    • Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits! (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD)
  • Other Pickups:
    • Macross II: Lovers Again (Premium Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)

July 2026

  • Radiance Films July Pre-Order Bundle:
    • The Boxer (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • The Double (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • Histoire(s) du cinéma and other works (Limited Edition Blu-ray)
    • The Hourglass Sanatorium (Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray)
  • Other Pickups:
    • Magnificent Bodyguards (Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D)

Q3 2026

  • Other Pickups:
    • Capcom Arcade Stadium Vol. 1 (Nintendo Switch)
    • Earnest Evans Collection (Nintendo Switch)
    • Fighting Force Collection (PlayStation 5)
    • Hi-Fi Rush (PlayStation 5)
    • Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition (Nintendo Switch)
    • Tenshi no Uta: The Angel Verse Collection (Nintendo Switch)

Other Tidbits

“Fucking hell” is the best way to describe what’s been going on in April. The first 10 days I was dealing with a pretty nasty cold that I think has impacted my hearing a little bit. Then at the final 10 days of the month the company that I work for announced changes that led to myself also being made redundant. I survived the process fortunately but my Marketing team has been reduced from 7 members down to 4. This is likely the reason why I never got word on my salary review and also why the overtime pay got removed earlier in the year.

For the record it’s very rare for this to occur in the business but this one was going to happen at some point come to think of it, especially considering they expanded this time last year so I’m surprised it didn’t happen much sooner. The good news out of all of this is there’s no impact to the monthly hauls thankfully.

Anime Updates

Anime Limited finally provided a newswire update for pre-orders that will appear for late April to May. We have another instalment for Naruto Shippuden (Volume 4), then Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing, and the first part of Undead Unluck which is getting a big box set similar to Jujutsu Kaisen. Personally I’m leaning towards not pursuing the collector’s edition because it’s too big and padded considering Viz Media’s release has the entire season in one set (whereas Anime Limited is splitting it up into two parts), so I’m most likely going to get the standard edition.

They also licensed live-action non-Asian properties with Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal which is random but I believe GKIDS did the same over in North America. It’s a re-release for both territories.

Discotek Media finally provided an update and scheduled most of their announced titles for the month of June. For anime we have Higurashi: When They Cry Kai, Higurashi: When They Cry Rei, a complete series collection release for Lady Oscar: The Rose of Versailles, the second TV Specials collection for Lupin the 3rd (focusing on the 6th-10th specials), and Patlabor: The Original OVA Series aka Patlabor: The Early Days.

The Deep Dives project continues through April with more titles coming back to print (or at least more stock was uncovered). I won’t name them all as there’s over a dozen but the ones on my list I can pick up are Black Rock Shooter, Great Mazinger and the Japanese versions for Medabots known as Medarot. As a recap, my priority list of what’s left includes the Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior series, the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha films and series of the ones they were able to license, Mazinkaiser OVA series and Mazinkaiser vs the Great General of Darkness as well as Captain Harlock: Space Pirate, Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers, Reborn! Fan Disc, and Sherlock Hound.

Crunchyroll US have revealed only a few releases once again with The 100 Girlfriends Season 2, Reborn as a Vending Machine Season 2 and Re:ZERO Season 3. Still don’t know what’s coming to the UK other than both Dr. STONE: Science Future and I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! were rated in the past few weeks. Sailor Moon Season 1 is still on the way but no clue when.

Asian Cinema Updates

Arrow Video have one Japanese release planned which happens to be two films that Discotek Media released in the United States under their Nihon Nights label – Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition And Torture and Sex & Fury, so it’s a good thing I held of importing. I figured they would be released over here anyway as these sorts of films have their audience whether it be from Arrow Video or even 88 Films and Eureka Entertainment.

Eureka Entertainment are still taking a break from releasing any more Asian films, though they have Wheels on Meals coming to 4K Ultra HD which is neat but no details on when it will be released.

Radiance Films have another Japanese film planned with Shuji Terayama’s The Boxer for July. There’s also more hints for the remainder of their 2026 slate which includes one more Takashi Miike release, a second Radical Japan box set, and at least one Kon Ichikawa release.

88 Films have finally resolved their production hell situation with Magnificent Bodyguards so I moved my pre-order from Amazon to their online store. It’s planned for July and the first print will include an additional Blu-ray disc focused on the 3D Anaglyph version of the film. They have roughly six slots left in the Shaw Brothers collection and three of them is in a box set featuring Tong Kai’s Shaolin Intruders, Tong Kai’s Shaolin Prince and Chang Cheh’s Two Champions of Shaolin.

They also announced at the very last minute two more Category III releases; one of which is a 4K Ultra HD release for Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky which is a super fun action film and it’s a brand new 4K restoration on the distributor’s part which will make this the definitive way to watch the film. Then we have Sex and Zen II coming up for a late June timeframe which is neat.

That’s it for the month of April. I toned down on the haul pickups during the latter half of the month but expect some good stuff to arrive throughout this next quarter.

Tags for this post:

,

Comments

Leave a comment