Books: Brief History of China
By Roxy Simons.
It’s hard to deny the influence of China on the modern world, it has cemented itself as a global superpower and has the largest population on Earth. Chinese food is a staple takeaway choice, while you’d be hard-pressed to find an item in your home that doesn’t have the words ‘made in China’ written on it. Even the number of people that visit the cinema in the country has had an impact on how Hollywood makes movies, after China became the world’s largest film market in 2018. Chinese history has proved to be a rich and recurring source of inspirations for many anime and manga – it’s just as much a curiosity for the Japanese as for everyone else. And yet, the average reader has yet to truly peel back the layers on this remarkable, tumultuous contradiction of a nation.
Written with the general public in mind, Jonathan Clements’ A Brief History of China takes us right into the lives of China’s most colourful figures. This fantastically researched account is a bite-sized yet captivating look into how the country came to be, from an amalgamation of small communities to the superpower it is today. Continue Reading
Charlotte
By Andy Hanley.
Charlotte is not a person. Charlotte is a comet that swings close to the Earth once every 75 years, seeding the local orbit with dust particles that can change the biology of pre-adolescent children. Some of them develop paranormal abilities, although how they use them differs widely.
Be honest: if you found yourself imbued with super-powers of some description, would you really dash off to buy a spandex outfit and spend your nights engaged in heroic acts to save your fellow citizens from whatever perils befall them? Or would you leverage your new ability to make your own life easier, living a charmed existence where you can ace exams, chase your love interest and live like a king. It’s a question that has troubled many a comics writer from the Golden Age onwards, finding its latest answers in the post-modern storylines of Unbreakable, Heroes, and the modern boom in X-Men, Avengers, and other such icons. Naturally, Japan has an answer of its own. Continue Reading
Tokyo Ghoul: re Part 1 Collector’s Edition revealed. Pre-order your copy today!.
It's one of the titles we've been asked about the most as the year has progressed, but the time for being patient is now over, as today we can finally reveal our plans for the first half of Tokyo Ghoul: re in its Collector's Edition Blu-ray form. What's more, you can even pre-order it right now!
As we gear up to bring the Tokyo Ghoul story to a close on home video, let's start with a quick recap of what this third season of the show is all about.
ABOUT TOKYO GHOUL: RE
©Sui Ishida/Shueisha, Tokyo Ghoul:re Production Committee
Synopsis: "Two years have passed since the CCG carried out their raid on Anteiku, marking an unmistakable change to the atmosphere across Tokyo as a result of this show of strength. However, rather than eradicating ghouls, the city's supernatural denizens have simply become more cautious in going about their lives, while terrorist organisation Aogiri Tree seeks to grow in strength with the aim of rising to combat the CCG’s growing threat to the very existence of ghouls.
In a final push to investigate and exterminate Tokyo’s unwanted elements, the CCG has created a special unit - the Quinx Squad, an unruly team of humans who use the special abilities of ghouls to fight. At the head of this squad is an oddly familiar face: Haise Sasaki, a young man struggling with both a new identity and the difficult nature of his new teammates. It's a problem made all the more difficult as his investigations begin to stir long-lost memories that could change everything for him..."
You can watch a subtitled trailer for the series below, released by our friends AnimeLab in Australia:
TOKYO GHOUL: RE - PART 1 COLLECTOR'S EDITION Blu-Ray
Of course, it goes without saying that Tokyo Ghoul: re will be getting our usual Blu-ray Collector's Edition treatment, including an additional bonus for you dedicated fans of the series who order through our own AllTheAnime.com online store! We know you're dying to see what Part 1 of our release is going to look like when you get your hands on it, so let's dig into the details.
Tokyo Ghoul: re - Part 1 Collector's Edition Blu-ray
Product: Tokyo Ghoul: re - Part 1
Format: Blu-ray Collector's Edition, Standard Edition DVD
Release date: 13th January 2020
Cat. No.: ANI0475 (Collector's BD) / ANI0476 (DVD)
Suggested Retail Price: £59.99 (Collector's BD), £29.99 (DVD)
As you can see, we've opted to use a fantastic key visual from the first half of the series as our main illustration for this set, but naturally things get really interesting when we take a look inside this Collector's Edition Blu-ray release for part one of the series.
As always, within that outer rigid case you'll find the two Blu-ray discs that make up Part 1 housed snugly within a Digipak showing off more artwork from the series. Also within the case is a 36-page booklet, guiding you in detail through the myriad characters (and their weapons) which you'll encounter throughout the series, and also compiling a host of artwork created for the series complete with information on the publications where they were first featured. It's a great guide to the faces and factions of Tokyo Ghoul: re, so be sure to give it a read when your copy arrives.
But that isn't all! This Collector's Edition also makes further good use of the plethora of character artwork available to provide you with a series of five artcards. Then, as a piece de resistance, we have a set of five adorable stickers featuring the major characters in a super-deformed style for you to keep or proudly display wherever you might wish to apply them.
Inside our Tokyo Ghoul: re Part 1 Collector's Edition Blu-ray!
"Those stickers are so cute, but I just wish there were more of them!" I hear some of you cry. Which is why, if you order this Collector's Edition direct from our online store, you'll receive this exclusive bonus item:
Tokyo Ghoul: re - Part 1 Collector's Edition - AllTheAnime.com shop exclusive bonus stickers
That's right, while stocks last purchasers at our AllTheAnime.com store will receive an additional set of five stickers, giving you ten stickers in total to play with to your heart's content! You can salute us for this if you like, or simply let these stickers do the talking for you.
WHEN CAN I ORDER THIS COLLECTOR'S EDITION?
As we mentioned right at the start of this blog post, you can pre-order your copy of Tokyo Ghoul: re Part 1 today... and what's more you can do so at a special AllTheAnime.com Early Bird price until 11:59PM on Thursday, 14th of November!
One important note for those of you pre-ordering is that while the release date for this title is set for January 2020, we're currently working hard to do everything we can to get stock ready to ship before Christmas, so although we can't guarantee a pre-Christmas delivery if you order through our online store we'll be doing everything we humanly can to make it a possibility.
AllTheAnime.com Special Offers
- Until Thursday, 14th November 2019, pre-order the upcoming release of Tokyo Ghoul: re Part 1 Collector's Edition Blu-ray for £34.99
(Regular Price: £41.99 | SRP: £59.99)
If you still haven't yet dipped your toe into the world of Tokyo Ghoul, then we also have a very special bonus offer for you! We've managed to compile an extremely limited number of units of our otherwise out of print Tokyo Ghoul Blu-ray Collection, comprising the first season, Tokyo Ghoul √A and the "Jack" and "Pinto" OVAs, which we're selling at a special price for one week only. This is likely to be your last chance to buy this set, so don't miss out!
- Until Thursday, 14th November 2019, order the normally out of print Tokyo Ghoul Collection Blu-ray for £34.99
(Regular Price: £48.99 | SRP: £69.99)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F.A.Q.) SECTION
-- Is your release of Tokyo Ghoul: re completely uncut?
We can confirm that we're using the same home video disc master as that used in the USA, and that there are no cuts to this release whatsoever.
-- I can't wait to own the second half of the series, when is Part 2 of Tokyo Ghoul: re likely to be released?
We're currently still working on our precise plans for Part 2 of the series, but we don't want to keep you waiting any longer than we have to before you can finish the Tokyo Ghoul story. As things stand, we're tentatively planning to release Tokyo Ghoul: re Part 2 in early Q2 of 2020.
-- I love being able to own a series inside a box that stores all of its parts - will this be possible for Tokyo Ghoul: re?
As mentioned above we're still working though our plans for the second half of the series, but much like you we'd love to be able to include a box to house both halves of the series with our Part 2 Collector's Edition. This is, of course, pending approvals, as the contents of this release is to be confirmed as things stand, but rest assured it's something that we're planning to do if at all possible.
And that's everything you need to know about our release of Tokyo Ghoul: re - Part 1. Don't forget to pre-order your copy today!
Until next time, take care.
~Andy H
MCM Birmingham Comic Con November 2019 – Anime Guest of Honour. HERO MASK director Hiroyasu Aoki comes to the UK.
You're no doubt used to us discussing and promoting an Anime Guest of Honour at MCM's London Comic Cons, but today we have a slightly different announcement for you, as we can confirm that MCM are bringing their first-ever Anime Guest of Honour to MCM Birmingham Comic Con this November!
The guest for this event is the director and writer of Netflix series HERO MASK, Mr. Hiroyasu Aoki! Before we dig into the details, let's talk a little more about the guest and the series he's responsible for.
ABOUT HERO MASK
© Fields,Pierrot,Sotsu/HERO MASK.Project
Synopsis: After a rash of mysterious deaths, Crown prosecutor Sarah Sinclair and SSC agent James Blood discover a conspiracy surrounding uncanny new bio-masks.
As actions speak louder than words, why not check out an official, English-subtitled trailer for the series below?
ABOUT HIROYASU AOKI
Born April 6th, 1985 in Tochigi. Aoki worked for Madhouse where he was involved in production management, key animation, design production, script writing and direction. He was involved in productions of Chi’s Sweet Home (2007-2008), X-MEN (2011), HUNTER X HUNTER (2011), No Game, No Life (2014), and Ushio and Tora (2015). He was an assistant director for Mamoru Hosoda’s animated feature The Boy and the Beast (2015).
Aoki’s first major directorial effort, HERO MASK, is available worldwide on Netflix.
ANIME GUEST OF HONOUR ACTIVITY OVER MCM LONDON COMIC CON WEEKEND
Hiroyasu Aoki will be appearing on Saturday 16th November 2019, and taking part in the following events:
-- 10:30am @ Live Stage
The Anime Guest of Honour Panel
-- 12:00pm - 1:00pm @ All The Anime stand, #1528
Free Signing Session #1
FREE SIGNING SESSION GUIDELINES / RULES
If you want to attend the Anime Guest of Honour signing session, here are some brief rules and information for you to be aware of:
- The free signing session will not be a ticketed event. This will be on a first come first served basis.
- There will be a signing card (at no extra charge) that everyone can get signed by the guest personalised to you! (Please note the guest will not sign any card unpersonalised)
Alternatively, you can bring 1 suitable item with you only to be signed by the guest.
So, with all of that information to hand, all that's left for you to do (if you haven't already) is to head over to the official MCM Comic Con website and buy tickets to their Birmingham event on the 16th and 17th of November!
BUY TICKETS TO MCM BIRMINGHAM COMIC CON
We hope you're looking forward to meeting this guest and seeing what he has to say about his work in the industry, and we're excited to see some of you there!
Until next time, take care.
~Andy H
Interview: Shoji Kawamori
By Andrew Osmond.
Shoji Kawamori is best known as one of the main creators of the Macross franchise, as well as having a plethora of creative credits on other anime. I interviewed him when he visited London in September as a guest at the Barbican’s “Anime’s Human Machines” season. While I focused particularly on Kawamori’s early career and the original Macross TV series, we also got on to Macross Plus, Vision of Escaflowne, Yoshiyuki Tomino and Kawamori’s contribution to Cowboy Bebop. Read on… Continue Reading