Books: From Truant to Anime
By Jonathan Clements. 
Mari Okada’s memoir of two decades in the anime business begins and ends with the disastrous premiere screening of Anthem of the Heart in her hometown of Chichibu – a huge event in the middle of nowhere, inconvenient for all attendees, with a film that stops playing halfway. As the screenwriter, she fumes impotently as the patrons wait and flunkies try to look busy, and watches with head-shaking resignation as the celebratory fireworks, timed to coincide with the end of the film, are launched too early while the audience is still waiting for it to restart.
From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart is her account of how she got to that place, as the writer of a standalone film. Her writing is distinguished by a constant resistance to the performativity of Japanese life, refusing to play the game of empty accolades and fake-news proclamations that all is well. Instead, she presents a compelling portrayal of a life (and industry) that constantly “fails up”, until she becomes one of modern anime’s rare hyphenate talents. Continue Reading
Mary & the Witch’s Flower
By Andrew Osmond.
Two years ago, the British film magazine Little White Lies interviewed director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, then best known for directing Ghibli’s Arrietty and When Marnie was There. Yonebayashi was asked about the first Ghibli films he saw. Nausicaa and Totoro, he answered. “I’ve been watching all of them since I was a child… then eventually I joined the Ghibli team and I was building one of these worlds for them. That was a wonder. The history of Studio Ghibli is also a history of myself, from childhood to this very moment.”
This tribute might not have impressed the crusty director of Nausicaa and Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki seems to hate the idea of people, especially kids, watching his films avidly, rather than playing outdoors. He’s also said that anime artists should observe real people, not other anime. The relationship between fandom and creation is awkward; if fans revere an idol, will they only copy that source of adoration? Miyazaki’s Kiki warns against this, when the artist Ursula says, “I painted and painted but none of it was any good. They were copies of paintings I’d seen somewhere before… I’d swore I’d paint my own pictures.”
It’s especially pertinent now Yonebayashi has directed his first feature outside the Ghibli studio, which looks phenomenally like a Ghibli film. Mary and the Witch’s Flower is the first feature of the new Studio Ponoc, which was founded in 2015 when Ghibli looked all but dead. Like “Ghibli”, taken from a Libyan-Arabic word for a desert wind, Ponoc’s name is non-Japanese – it’s a Serbo-Croat word for midnight, but also implies the start of a new day. Continue Reading
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Home Video Release Details. Coming to Collector's Edition Blu-ray + DVD on May 28th 2018.
Hi everyone! In recent weeks, we've been revealing our home video release plans for a number of big titles coming your way soon, from Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale through to Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-, and from Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry to Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers-.
Today, we're offering up your first chance to take a look at our plans for another big title that's coming to the UK on Monday, 28th May 2018, that being Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, the cult classic 2000 film produced by MADHOUSE (Redline, Perfect Blue) and directed by none other than Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Cyber City Oedo 808).
Needless to say, we're giving the movie our usual Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD treatment, alongside Standard DVD and Blu-ray editions which will follow shortly after - read on for all of the D-tails!
ABOUT VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST
Synopsis: "The enigmatic Vampire Hunter - known only as D - has been hired to track down Meier Link, a notoriously powerful vampire who has abducted a human woman named Charlotte Elbourne. D’s orders are strict - find Charlotte, at any cost.
For the first time D faces serious competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of Vampire Hunters, have been hired for the same bounty. D must intercept Meier and conquer hostile forces on all sides in a deadly race against time.
Despised by Vampires for his profession and by Humans for the blood in his veins, D relentlessly pursues his prey, little expecting where his journey will ultimately take him, as long-buried secrets resurface once more."
You can watch a trailer for the film - provided by our friends at Discotek - below:
WHAT'S PLANNED FOR OUR COLLECTOR's EDITION?
As mentioned previously, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is coming to the UK as a Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo set. This particular edition of the film will initially be exclusive to our own AllTheAnime.com web shop, so we'll be your first port of call if you want to pick up the movie in this form.
It's also worth noting that Standard Edition DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film will follow over the next few months (with exacts dates to be announced soon) - these editions will be released trade-wide and so will be available from all of the usual retailers in due course.
Now, with that said and done, let's return our focus to this Collector's Edition and lift the lid on what this package will contain.
Our release comes enclosed in a rigid box sporting the iconic promotional image for the film, while beneath the paper onsert at the rear you'll find another image of everyone's favourite vampire hunter.
Inside, you'll find a suitably crucifix-adorned digipak, which contains the film on both Blu-ray and DVD as well as some further artwork beneath those two discs. Both the DVD and Blu-ray contain the film itself with a choice of English 5.1 and English stereo audio options - as the film was actually created for the western market, and as per other western releases elsewhere, English is the primary language for the film and thus also the sole audio option available here. Both formats additionally offer up optional Hard of Hearing subtitles for the film. Beyond the film itself, you'll find a wealth of trailers on the discs, created for the US, Japanese and Korean releases of the film, alongside a behind the scenes featurette, storyboards and an art gallery.
That isn't all however - this Collector's Edition also contains a trio of art cards featuring striking images from the film itself, as well as a sixteen-page booklet featuring an article about Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust crafted by Andrew Osmond.
So there you have it - hopefully we've created a Collector's Edition of the film that you'll lust after as a new addition to your collection come May the 28th!
WHERE CAN I ORDER THIS?
As noted, our Limited Collector's Edition of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust will initially be exclusive to our AllTheAnime.com web shop - you can find and pre-order the film now (yes, right now) at a price of just £19.99 using the link below!
Pre-order Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust at AllTheAnime.com
That's all we have for you in this blog post - what more is there to say other than head on over to our shop at the link above and pre-order your copy now! Meanwhile, if you're heading to the MCM London Comic Con later this month, we'll also have stock available for you there if you'd prefer to pick up a copy in person.
We still have home video release plans for more forthcoming titles to reveal for you over the weeks to come, so as always keep on checking back for all of the latest, hottest news.
Until next time, take care!
~Andy H
Music: Brian the Sun
By Tom Smith.
Quirky superhero romp My Hero Academia follows schoolboy Izuku Midoriya as he goes about his daily life in a world populated by people with special abilities. Unfortunately for our hero (if you can call him that) he doesn’t possess any extra powers. He’s just a typical human. But he won’t let that stand in his way from becoming the superhero he’s always dreamed to be. Continue Reading
NEW RELEASES: 30th April 2018
We have a packed week of new releases to start the month of May with! So if you've got a craving to add some new anime to your collection, here's a look at what's available from us now, plus details on a special offer we're currently having.
Read on below for the details.
NEW RELEASES FOR WEEK COMMENCING:
30th APRIL 2018
ERASED: PART 2
FORMAT: Ltd. Collector's Ed. Blu-ray+DVD (pictured left), Standard DVD
BBFC CERT.: 15
SRP: Ltd Ed. Blu-ray - £39.99 | Standard DVD - £29.99
Language: English, Japanese with English subtitles
Includes episodes 7-12 [end] of the of the series, and the Collector's Ed. version comes in collector's packaging that features loaded a 40-page book that follows on from where the book included with Part 1* (*sold separately) left off. Featuring character files, Revival Chronology, ERASED Key Animation Selection, an interview with the director of the series Tomohiko Ito.
Synopsis: "Erased is a sci-fi thriller series based on the award winning manga series (2014 Manga Taisho Award) by Kei Sanbe. The dream production team includes director Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online), character designer Keigo Sasaki (Blue Exorcist), composer Yuki Kajiura (Sword Art Online), Fate/Zero, Madoka Magica), and animation studio A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Your Lie in April, Blue Exorcist).
The series finale that ends with a shocking yet emotional twist..."
On Disc extras: Audio commentaries for episodes 7,8,11 & 12, Textless Opening & Closing title sequences.
You can watch the trailer for this (originally published when we released Part 1) below
Order this at
Order at Amzon
Order at Zavvi
Order at BASE
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-On-Line
Order at All The Anime
ADDITIONAL NOTES
-- See a full unboxing of this release we published HERE
-- Want to know more about this series? Red this piece at our blog HERE
-- Andrew Osmond compares the anime of Erased to it's live-action counterpart HERE.
KISS HIM, NOT ME
FORMAT: Standard ed. Blu-ray, Standard ed. DVD
BBFC CERT.: 12
SRP: Standard Blu-ray - £34.99 | Standard DVD - £29.99
Language: English, Japanese with English subtitles
Synopsis: From the studio that brought you Durarara!! and My Little Monster
"Kae Serinuma believes one thing - princes belong together! As an avid boys’ love fan, she loves nothing more than fantasizing about faux relationships between the boys at her school. But when she loses weight due to the stress of her favorite anime character suddenly dying, the boys want…her?! From pretty average to prettiest girl, Kae just wants these boys to date each other, not her!"
Watch a subtitled trailer for the series below:
Order at -
Order at Amazon UK
Order at Zavvi
Order at Base.com
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-on-Line
Order at All The Anime
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
-- Want to read more about Kiss Him, Not Me? Have a read of this piece published at our blog HERE.
MIND GAME
FORMAT: Standard ed. Blu-ray
BBFC CERT.: 12
SRP: Standard Blu-ray - £19.99
Language: English, Japanese with English subtitles
Synopsis: From Masaaki Yuasa, director of Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Lu Over the Wall and The Tatami Galaxy.
"Nishi has always loved Myon since they were little. And now as adults, he wants to pursue his dream of becoming a manga artist and marrying his childhood sweetheart. There's one problem, though. She's already been proposed to and thinks Nishi is too much of a wimp.
But upon meeting the fiancé while at her family's diner and accepting him as a good guy, they encounter a couple of yakuza, only to have Nishi grasp a certain revelation. And, with his newly acquired look on life, adventures abound as he, Myon, and her sister, Yan, escape the yakuza into a most unlikely location where they meet an old man... "
Order at -
Order at Amazon UK
Order at Zavvi
Order at Base.com
Order at HMV Online
Order at Anime-on-Line
Order at All The Anime
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
-- Want to know more about MIND GAME? Have a read of this piece by Andrew Osmond at our blog HERE
"LOVE LIVE! SUNSHINE!!" SPECIAL OFFER
For those of you looking forward to our release of Love Live! Sunshine!!, we're having a special offer at our AllTheAnime.com web shop until this Thursday (3rd May) on our Ltd Collector's Ed. Blu-ray release! Worth noting that this product is limited to only 500 units. So don't miss out on this! Click on the link below for more details.
Signing out~!
Jeremy