Momotaro, Sacred Sailors
By Jasper Sharp.
Momotaro, Sacred Sailors, a bizarre piece of wartime propaganda targeted at children, coming to UK Blu-ray over 70 years since its original theatrical release in April 1945.
Sacred Sailors is a monumental work in the evolution of Japanese animation, and a testament to the dark days of modern history, funded by the Japanese Imperial Navy to promote a martial spirit among the young. At 74 minutes, it was the first true feature-length Japanese cartoon, at the maximum allowed running time under wartime austerity measures – the Japanese government began rationing film stock in 1943, bringing an end to the days of 90-minute features
Wolf’s Rain
By Andrew Osmond. 
“There’s no such place as Paradise… but why am I so driven to find it?” asks one of four wolves, struggling to survive in a doomed, wintry human world. Despite their suspicions of each other, the four (later five) find themselves travelling together on a journey to open the gates of Paradise. Continue Reading
[UNBOXING] Napping Princess. Check out our Ltd Collector's Edition Blu-ray+DVD set available from 19th March.
In mid-August last year we were delighted to bring you the film Napping Princess in cinemas across the UK. Since then we know a lot of you have been excited for the prospect of being able to add this lovely film to your anime collection and today we're excited to show you what to expect from our release that will be arriving on 19th March! Today we'll be showing you the Ltd Collector's Edition Blu-ray+DVD set specifically.
But before we show you the finished product itself, if you're not familiar with the film let's give you a quick introduction to it.
ABOUT NAPPING PRINCESS
Director: Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East)
Synopsis: "Kokone should be diligently studying for her university entrance exams, but she just can't seem to stay awake. Aside from stealing precious study time, her napping is even more distracting, as it brings on strange dreams with warring machines that hint at family secrets that have been dormant for years.
She can't ask her father, a hipster mechanic more talented and artful than his job requires, as he's always busy modifying motorcycles and cars in flights of fancy. What are these visions that lead Kokone at once closer to and farther away from her family? "
Check out our trailer for the film below:
WHERE CAN I BUY IT?
You can order your copy right now from retailers including the following:
Order at Amazon UK
Order at Zavvi
Order at Base
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-On-Line
and you can also order a special bundle of the Ltd Collector's Ed. version that's exclusive to our AllTheAnime.com web shop where you'll also get an A4 Japanese Clear File (while stock lasts)
WHAT'S INSIDE? WHAT'S ON THE DISCS?
Our Ltd Collector's Edition release (pictured above) comes presented inside a rigid case with a digipack to hold the two discs (1 x Blu-ray & 1 x DVD). Also inside is 40-page booklet showcasing character art, concept and background art. And there's also a specially numbered art card too!
On the discs themselves you'll get:
- The film with both with English and Japanese (with English subtitles) language options. (Also worth noting there are also English SDH for Hard of Hearing subtitles as an option too.)
- On disc extras are:
- An interview with director Kenji Kamiyama
- The introduction to the film recorded at the Japanese Premiere
- The greeting at the Japanese release of the film [Blu-ray disc exclusive content]
- A look at the scenery of Okayama, where the film is set
- Special Interview with Cast - Mitsuki Takahata, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Yosuke Eguchi [Blu-ray disc exclusive content]
- Special Japanese TV Program [Blu-ray disc exclusive content]
- Trailers and TV spots
WHAT DOES THE FINISHED PRODUCT LOOK LIKE?
And now it's time for photo of the finished product. You can click on the photos to enlarge them too. Continue Reading
NEW RELEASES: 5TH MARCH 2018
We've officially reached the first Monday in the month of March and that means we have a new release available to add to your collection! Plus we've got some tidbits about upcoming releases both on home video and in the cinema.
Read on below for details.
NEW RELEASE FOR WEEK COMMENCING:
5th march 2018
BLACK BUTLER: BOOK OF CIRCUS
FORMAT: Standard edition Blu-ray
(Previously available on Ltd Collector's Ed. Blu-ray and standard DVD)
EPISODES: 1-10 [end]
BBFC CERT.: 15
SRP: Standard ed. Blu-ray: £34.99
Language: English, Japanese with English subtitles only
Synopsis: "In Black Butler, Book of Circus, Ciel and the demon butler Sebastian are summoned by the Queen to investigate multiple reports of missing children. When their underworld contacts reveal the disappearances increase when the mysterious Noah’s Ark Circus comes to town the demonic duo must impress an enigmatic ringmaster in order to go undercover as performers-to Sebastian’s delight and Ciel’s disgust. At the core of the circus is a troupe of unique performers from Dagger the knife thrower to Beast, the beautiful tiger tamer. All are connected by someone who changed their lives, someone who raised them from the gutters of London to the heights of the big top - but at a price."
Watch the trailer for the series below:
You can get your copy today from retailers including the following:
Order at Amazon
Order at Zavvi
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-On-Line
Order at All The Anime
UPCOMING RELEASES
We wanted to take a few moments to highlight to what you can expect over the next few weeks.
Worth noting that you an pre-oder all of the release listed below right now at AllTheAnime.com! The only exception to that being Durarara!! x2 Part 3: Ketsu which we'll be taking pre-orders for at AllTheAnime.com from 9th March.
Next week, Monday 12th March, sees the release of the standard edition Blu-rays of the series Blood Blockade Battlefront and the film Project Itoh: Harmony.
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- Out next week
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- Out next week
The week after on 19th March we have a busy week for you! We have
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- Napping Princess Ltd Collector’s Ed.
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- Napping Princess standard DVD
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- Napping Princess standard Blu-ray
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- Durarara!! x2 Part 3: Ketsu – Ltd Collector’s Ed. Blu-ray
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- Durarara!! x2 Part 3: Ketsu DVD
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- Persona 3: Movie #1 Spring of Birth standard Blu-ray (comes with Ltd Ed. Box to store all four films while stock lasts)
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- Kino’s Journey DVD
WOLF'S RAIN ULTIMATE EDITION PRE-ORDER offer
We are now taking orders for our next Ultimate Edition release, Wolf's Rain, at AllTheAnime.com! You can read more about our Ultimate Edition release HERE.
Until 2nd April we're having a special pre-order offer on this. Get the details at our web shop in the link below
VIEW SPECIAL OFFER SECTION HERE
'CODE GEASS:
LELOUCH OF THE REBELLION 1 - INITiATION'
COMES TO CINEMAS ON 21ST MARCH
In case you missed the news on Friday last week [SEE HERE] we're bringing the first of the three films as part of the 10th Anniversary Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion film project to cinemas in UK & Ireland!
We'll be screening it in ODEON, Showcase, Cineworld and Vue cinemas for one night only on 21st March 2018.
See where it's being screened at http://codegeassfilm.co.uk/
And that concludes this post! Lots to take in there but we hop you're excited for all of this, because we certainly are!
Signing out~!
Jeremy
Books: Meiko Kaji
By Jasper Sharp.
If nothing else, Tom Mes’ Unchained Melody: The Films of Meiko Kaji is a timely reminder that in the ever-burgeoning field of books on Japanese cinema, there has been precious little on the stars and sirens who have provided such a large part of the onscreen magic. Only two previous such book-length studies immediately spring to mind. Daisuke Miyao’s Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom (2007) was a scholarly tome that positioned its Japanese-born subject, who spent much of his acting life in Hollywood and made just a handful of films in Japan in the 1930s, within the wider context of non-white performers in silent and pre-war American cinema. Stuart Galbraith’s The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune (2002) explored the dynamics between Japan’s best-known director and the larger-than-life presence at the centre of his best-known films. Continue Reading