Blue Spring
by Jeremy Clarke.
Teenage high school movie Blue Spring (2001) centres on the leader of a violent boys' gang in their final year at school. The nonchalant Kujo (Ryuhei Matsuda) has befriended Aoki (Hirofumi Arai in his debut role) since the latter first joined his class in their infancy: these days Aoki is Kujo’s number two. The gang now comprises eight boys and periodically restages a terrifying ritual. In the opening scene, four of the boys chicken out while the other four including Kujo and Aoki take part.
Their flat school roof has a one storey tower accessible by metal fire escape type stairs. On the roof’s edge is a metal railing overlooking the open ground in front of the school building. The four boys climb over the railing so that their backs are facing the several storey drop below and hold on to the railing with their hands. Then they count from one upwards. On one, they let go the railing and clap their hands once, on two twice and so on. As the numbers go up, the danger of falling increases. On this occasion, they get up to seven. No one falls... this time.
The twenty-minute Making of reveals that the tower was built by the crew on top of the building so it could be moved back from the drop, with mattresses to catch the actors if they fell. Even with that in mind, the scene doesn’t feel at all like screen trickery: these boys really do appear to be playing on the edge of a huge drop. It’s pretty terrifying to watch. Continue Reading
Makoto Ogino (1959-2019)
Makoto Ogino, who died of renal failure on 29th April, spent his whole life preoccupied with the wheel of karma. On the day of his very first sale, his father, an education officer responsible for censuring unsuitable books, pleaded with him not to become the sort of manga creator whose works would get denounced in public, only for Ogino to embark upon several decades drawing graphic nudity, violence and exorcisms.
His best-known creation was Kujaku, a handsome, youthful Buddhist monk, unapologetic about his indulgences in sins of the flesh, whose demon-hunting abilities turn out to be the result of multiple past-life accomplishments. As later chapters of Kujaku-Oh (1984) reveal to readers of Young Jump magazine, our hero is the reincarnation of important figures from world religions, all of which struggle to describe the true nature of the spirit world. Kujaku is both a demon hunter and a demons’ prey, since the right combination of holy artefacts – his blood poured into the skull of Christ, for example – could form the correct ritual to summon a Buddhist death god. Continue Reading
Twin Star Exorcists Parts 2-4 home video details!. Complete your collection of the series! | Part 2 arrives 27th May!.
Back in the tail end of summer last year we began releasing the popular series Twin Star Exorcists on Blu-ray and DVD! Since then, admittedly it's been far longer for the next volumes to arrive than originally anticipated (sorry!) but the time is nearly here for you to add the remaining parts of the series to your collection kicking off with Part 2 at the end of this month!
Before we get to what you can expect from Parts 2, 3 & 4, plus a reminder about what was included with Part 1 (in case you're reading this and are tempted to begin your collection), here's an introduction to the series being released here in the UK in conjunction with our great friends at Crunchyroll!
ABOUT TWIN STAR EXORCISTS
Studio: Studio Pierrot (Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto / Boruto, Black Clover)
Director: Tomohisa Taguchi (Persona3 Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream & Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth, Kino's Journey - the Beautiful World-)
Synopsis: Follow the exciting tale of two star-crossed rivals as the fate of the world is placed in their young hands.
He vows to never use his incredible powers after surviving a tragedy. She wants revenge for the loss of her family. But when a prophecy states that 14-year-olds Rokuro and Benio will be the parents of the child destined to save the world, things don’t go quite as planned. While the unlikely duo refuse to be paired, more and more monsters known as Kegare are spilling from the mirroring world of Magano, and a familiar face from the past is behind it all. Soon, Rokuro and Benio discover that their powers are stronger combined, and before these two can have a baby, they’ll have to raise a little hell!
You can watch a subtitled preview for the series below
If you want to see more previews of the show, you can find some dubbed and subtitled clips of the series further down in this post too!
Remind me, WHAT WAS IN PART 1?
Twin Star Exorcist: Part 1 Blu-ray - Limited Edition Art Box
Part 1 of the series included the first 13 episodes of the series with both English and original Japanese with English subtitles viewing options.
When to comes to the Blu-ray version specifically, there are some bonuses! First of all included on the discs are the the following extra material: "Hanae Natsuki & Han Megumi’s Twin Star Room" Vol. 1-3, "Opening Title Sequence" Making Of... and Clean Opening & Closing Title Sequences.
Additionally, and strictly while stock lasts, there's also a BONUS storage box that will fit all four Blu-rays of the series (*Parts 2-4 sold separately). The Bonus storage box is not exclusive to any one retailer, but has a one-time print run. Which means once it's sold out, that's it! There won't be any more.
The box has a got cool reflective finish that really makes it pop out in the light! Check out the video below for a glimpse at that.
WHAT'S ON THE DOCKET FOR PARTS 2-4?
When it comes to the remaining volumes, the episode breakdown for each volume on Blu-ray and DVD will be as follows
- Part 2: episodes 14-26 | Release date: 27th May
- Part 3: episodes 27-40 | Release date: 24th June
- Part 4: episodes 41-50 | Release date: 29th July
All the episodes once again being viewable in both English and original Japanese with English subtitles.
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- Part 2 Blu-ray w/ Bonus booklet
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- Part 3 Blu-ray w/ Bonus booklet
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- Part 4 Blu-ray w/ Bonus booklet
When it comes to the Blu-ray version of each volume specifically, there will also be some additional on-disc extras - Part 2 will include vol. 3-6 of Hanae Natsuki & Han Megumi’s Twin Star Room, along with Textless Opening and Closing title sequences. Exact contents on parts 3 & 4 are to be confirmed at this time) - plus (while stock lasts) there will also be UK Exclusive 20-page "Character Profiles" booklets!
There are three 20-page Character Profiles booklets total; one being included in Parts 2, 3 & 4 respectively. This is a little extra we've created especially for our UK release of the series. These booklets are a limited edition item though, so once they are out of stock that's it!
Some of you may be wondering about how these will fit in the box that came with Part 1. Have no fear as the booklets themselves will be housed inside the Blu-ray case of each volume, which means they'll fit inside your entire collection of the series, no problem.)
WHERE/WHEN CAN I ORDER THESE?
Part 1 is available right now, with Part 2 being released on 27th May! (Just a few weeks away!) Part 3 will be released one month later on 24th June, with the fourth and final volume set for release the month after than on 29th July.
~ AllTheAnime.com Special Offer ~
Until Thursday 16th May 2019 save on pre-ordering Part 2 of Twin Star Exorcists (with the Bonus booklet) on Blu-ray!
And if that wasn't enough, if you've been meaning to start your Blu-ray collection of the series, we've got the Blu-ray of Part 1 (with the Bonus art box) is also on special offer until 16th May!
At this time we're not taking orders for Parts 3 & 4 - that'll happen closer to their respective release dates. But it's probably a fair assumption that there may be some kind of special offer for those as well ;)
You can also order these from retailers including:
Order Parts 1-3 at Amazon UK
Order Parts 2 & 3 at Zavvi
Order Parts 1 & 2 at Base.com
Order Parts 1-4 at Anime-on-Line
So it's the perfect time to either start your collection of the series, or (finally) pick up where you left and get your order in for the next volume!
VIDEO PREVIEWS
We mentioned earlier that you can also watch a few preview clips of the series. Well here you! Check out the clips below (originally published around the time we released Part 1):
And that concludes this post! We know it's been a longer wait that anticipated, but we hope you're excited about owning the remainder of the series!
Signing out~!
Jeremy
Books: Fan Fiction & Copyright
By Jonathan Clements.
A fandom, writes Aaron Schwabach, “is the most powerful marketing tool a work of fiction can have.” Grow the right kind of grass-roots support, and authors can discover that works advertise themselves, that word-of-mouth becomes stronger than paid advertising. But fandoms can develop a sense of entitlement to the stories they read. What happens when fans start to push for more or threaten to write their own? You know it’s going to be a fun book when one of the first authorities cited is Neil Gaiman, stating: “George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.” Continue Reading
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Part 1 Blu-ray Details. Part 1 arrives on Blu-ray in July 2019 - Pre-order now!.
We know there are lot of Sword Art Online fans out waiting to be able to add the next instalment of the franchise to their collection, and today we're happy to bring you details on what to expect from a spin-off series of the franchise, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online!
It's the first anime in all of SAO not to star the main cast you've come to know and love, but that didn't it stop turning a lot of heads when it originally broadcast as being a great alternative (no pun intended) for fans - be it from the perspective they were just wanting something a bit different, or perhaps they wanted more of the Gun Gale Online game itself to be expanded upon following it's debut in the 'Phantom Bullet' arc back in Sword Art Online II - or simply as a great self contained story to help dive into the universe for the first time.
Plus if you're into battle royale game like Fortnite, Apex Legends or PUBG, this will certainly be right up your alley!
We're going to be releasing the series on Blu-ray over two parts, with Part 1 set to arrive on 1st July 2019; and Part 2 to follow later this year.
Before we get to the nitty gritty on what will be included in our release, a quick introduction/refresher for you.
ABOUT SWORD ART ONLINE ALTERNATIVE: GUN GALE ONLINE
Sword Art Online Alternative - Gun Gale Online
Synopsis: "In the world of guns and steel that is Gun GaleOnline, LLENN has been a devoted, female solo player. She is obsessed with two things: donning herself entirely in pink and honing her skills with consistent gameplay.
She soon discovers her love for hunting other players (a.k.a. PK or Player Killing), and quickly becomes known as the “Pink Devil.”Meanwhile, LLENN meets a beautiful yet mysterious player, Pitohui, and the two click right away. Doing as she is told by Pitohui, she enters the Squad Jam group battle."
Director: Masayuki Sakoi (Princess Resurrection, Matoi the Sacred Slayer)
Studio: Studio 3Hz (Princess Principal, Flip Flappers)
You can watch a trailer for the series below, originally published prior to it's broadcast:
WHAT'S PLANNED FOR OUR RELEASE OF PART 1?
In keeping with the theme set from our previous (now out of print) Collector's Edition releases of Sword Art Online II, the Gun Gale Online series will be getting released in the form of a Blu-ray Limited Collector's Edition set. This will be over two parts total. Focusing on specifically on Part 1, here's what this set will look like:
Part 1 will come packed in a rigid case with a digipack to hold the two Blu-ray discs. (For those of you wondering, both being discs being BD50.) Additionally inside you will find 3 art cards showcasing some of the wonderful key visuals of the series plus a 28-page booklet packed with character information and weapon information; so if you wanted to know what all the guns in the show are or perhaps have been curious to see them in more detail than you may get the opportunity to when watching the series, this is sure to meet that need for you!
BONUS Limited Edition storage box comes with Part 1 Collector's Edition set (while stock lasts) exclusively at Zavvi.com and AllTheAnime.com
But that's not all, as (strictly while stock lasts) if you pre-order the Part 1 Ltd Collector's Edition set from either Zavvi.com or our AllTheAnime.com online shop, your Part 1 set will also come with a Limited Edition box to store both parts of the series! So when Part 2 is released - information on that particular release to follow in the future - it can sit snugly next to your Part 1 set!
And just to clarify, it's only the bonus Limited Edition storage box specifically that is exclusive to Zavvi.com and our AllTheAnime online shop. The Collector's Edition set in general will be available other from retailers.
Across the two Blu-ray discs included with Part 1 will be episodes 1-6 of the series plus as an extra there's also the bonus episode 5.5 "Refrain" (a recap episode that also contains some really fun little extras in its own right), all with both English and original Japanese with English subtitles viewing options. Speaking of extras, these are still to be full confirmed in full at the time of writing, but as mentioned the bonus episode 5.5 is definitely included as well as clean Opening and Ending title sequences.
WHERE CAN I ORDER THIS?
if you want to get your hands on the Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray set as well as that BONUS storage box, you can order it right now (while stock lasts) exclusively from our AllTheAnime.com online shop and from Zavvi.com!
And that about wraps up this preview of what to expect from our release of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Part 1!
Also if you've been meaning to catch up on adding more SAO to your collection don't forget that all of Sword Art Online II and the Movie "Ordinal Scale" are all available on Blu-ray and DVD right now! And we've got a special offer on those at our AllTheAnime.com online shop to celebrate! Details on that HERE.
Signing out~!
Jeremy