Tsuburaya Productions’ ULTRAMAN LEO is coming to North American home video for the first time in new Blu-ray sets from Mill Creek.
Photos courtesy of Mill Creek. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

The seventh classic ULTRAMAN series gets its North American, high-definition debut!
Source: Mill Creek Entertainment
Special Thanks to Barrett Evans, Jeff Hayne and J.W. Starrett

Minneapolis, MN (January 26, 2021) Mill Creek Entertainment is pleased to announce the next release from the Ultraman superhero library! ULTRAMAN LEO (ウルトラマンレオ Urutoraman Reo) will arrive on Blu-ray as both a special edition SteelBook for $55.99 and in standard packaging for $45.99 on April 13, 2021.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Official Site: gkids.com/films/earwig-and-the-witch (US)
Special Thanks to Shannon Meehan

Image courtesy of Shout! Factory. © 2020 NHK, NEP,
Studio Ghibli

EARWIG AND THE WITCH (アーヤと魔女, Āya to Majo, 2020), the first new release in four years from the legendary Studio Ghibli, will be released on digital platforms on March 23, as well as in both a Limited Edition Steelbook and a Blu-ray + DVD combo on April 6 from GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory. Directed by Goro Miyazaki (TALES FROM EARTHSEA, FROM UP ON POPPY HILL) and produced by studio co-founder Toshio Suzuki, with planning from Academy Award-winner Hayao Miyazaki, the feature is based on the children’s novel Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle), and marks Studio Ghibli’s first entirely 3DCG animated feature.

The all-star voice cast for the English dub features the voices of Richard E. Grant (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, GOSFORD PARK), Kacey Musgraves (“Golden Hour,” “Same Trailer Different Park”) and Dan Stevens (EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA, FX’s LEGION), as well as Taylor Paige Henderson as “Earwig”. In addition to her debut voice acting role as “Earwig’s Mother,” six-time Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves sings the English language version of the film’s theme song, “Don’t Disturb Me.” The EARWIG AND THE WITCH Blu-ray + DVD Combo is packed with bonus features, including behind-the-scenes interviews with director Goro Miyazaki, producer Toshio Suzuki and Japanese cast and crew, and feature-length storyboards.
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Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

Slipcase cover art by Matt Frank. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films.
© KADOKAWA

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the deluxe Blu-ray set GAMERA: THE HEISEI ERA. The four disc collection includes the acclaimed 1990s trilogy of GAMERA THE GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995), GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION (1996), GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS (1999) plus the one-shot film GAMERA THE BRAVE (2006).

GAMERA: THE HEISEI ERA includes High Definition (1080p) transfers of all four movies, Japanese and English audio tracks, newly recorded audio commentaries, Japanese and American trailers, image galleries, featurettes and much more. The disc cases come with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank.
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: heromask.jp (Japan), HERO MASK | Netflix Official Site (US)

© Fields・Pierrot・Sotsu/ HERO MASK Production
Committee

Sentai announced that it has acquired home video rights to the action thriller series HERO MASK (ヒーロー・マスク, Hīrō Masuku, 2018), a Studio Pierrot (TOKYO GHOUL, BLEACH) production, through a worldwide licensing arrangement (excluding Asia).

Detective James Blood, member of an elite police unit, pushes the edges of law enforcement to bring down the criminal threats and terrorist organizations plaguing a beautiful metropolitan city. When the murder of Crown Prosecutor Monica Campbell crosses his desk, Blood finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving LIVE, a two-faced corporate conglomerate with ties to the sordid underworld of human experimentation. With Sarah Sinclair — the only witness to Campbell’s death — at his side, Blood will have to face an army of mask-wearing superhumans to uncover the truth and stop LIVE before its plans can come to dark fruition.
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Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

Slipcase cover art by Matt Frank. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films.
© KADOKAWA

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the deluxe Blu-ray set GAMERA: THE SHOWA ERA. The four disc collection includes the first eight movies in the series: GAMERA THE GIANT MONSTER (1965), GAMERA VS. BARUGON (1966), GAMERA VS. GYAOS (1967), GAMERA VS. VIRAS (1968), GAMERA VS. GUIRON (1969), GAMERA VS. JIGER (1970), GAMERA VS. ZIGRA (1971) and GAMERA SUPER MONSTER (1980).

GAMERA: THE SHOWA ERA includes High Definition (1080p) transfers of all eight movies, Japanese and English audio tracks, alternate US versions, newly recorded audio commentaries, Japanese and American trailers, image galleries, and much more. The disc cases come with reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank.
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Source: SRS Cinema LLC
Special Thanks to Avery Guerra

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

WAR OF THE GOD MONSTERS art by Stefan Motmans. Image
courtesy of SRS Cinema LLC.

SRS Cinema has revealed a new trailer for the 1984 Korean movie WAR OF THE GOD MONSTERS that was released in its native country as THE UNDEAD BEAST (비천괴수, Bicheongoesu) and marketed internationally as THE FLYING MONSTER (飛天怪獸, Hiten Kaiju). The distributor will bring the movie to North America for the first time in early 2021.

In WAR OF THE GOD MONSTERS, a young reporter named Kang Ok-hee is writing a story about the theories of Dr. Kim, a scientist who believes that dinosaurs still exist in the modern world. When gigantic creatures suddenly appear and cause massive destruction, the doctor and journalist must find a way to save the world.
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: laidbackers.com (Japan)

©おばけ屋／LAIDBACKERS製作委員会

Sentai announced today that it acquired home video and digital sell-through rights for LAIDBACKERS (レイドバッカーズ-, Reidobakkāzu-, 2019), Japan’s hilarious final theatrical anime of the Heisei era. Sentai will distribute the feature in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Latin America and the Netherlands.

Four former heroes are now living quiet, reincarnated lives in present day Kyoto, Japan. They bask in the warm contentment of being ordinary, modern folk without much important to do. But their idyllic lives are shattered when a precocious elementary schooler who is secretly a reincarnated demon king they once defeated shows up and starts making some serious demands! Now the former heroes must band together with their arch nemesis, because it’s do or die for team LAIDBACKERS!
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Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

Blu-ray cover art, courtesy of MVD Entertainment.
©Myung Films

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the new, extras-packed Blu-ray of JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA (공동경비구역 JSA, Gongdong Gyeongbi Guyeok Jeieseuei, 2000), the award winning South Korean thriller from the director of OLDBOY.

Before OLDBOY, before THE HANDMAIDEN, visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook helmed this gripping tale of deceit, misunderstanding and the senselessness of war. Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead while a wounded South Korean soldier (Lee Byung-hun, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD) flees to safety. With the tenuous peace between the two warring nations on a knife-edge, a neutral team of investigators, headed by Swiss Army Major Sophie Jean (Lee Young-ae, LADY VENGEANCE), is dispatched to question both sides to determine what really happened under cover of darkness out in no-man’s land.
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The Over-the-Top Action Epic Starring Action Icon Tak Sakaguchi Debuts Exclusively on Streaming Service Hi-YAH! February 12 Before Hitting Digital, Blu-ray & DVD March 2
Source: Well Go USA, ddPR press release
Official Site: wiiber.com (Japan), wellgousa.com/films/crazy-samurai-400-vs-1 (US)
Special Thanks to Leif Helland
#CrazySamurai

Image courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment. © 2020
CRAZY SAMURAI MUSASHI FILM PARTNERS

Leading Japanese martial arts icon Tak Sakaguchi (VERSUS, RISE OF THE MACHINE GIRL) stars in the groundbreakingly innovative action epic CRAZY SAMURAI: 400 vs. 1 (狂武蔵, Kyō Musashi, 2020), which will debut exclusively on the martial arts streaming service Hi-YAH! on February 12, before hitting Digital, Blu-ray and DVD March 2 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The highlight of this extraordinary film is a 77-minute action sequence shot in one continuous take, a “marathon battle [that] rivals any ever filmed” (Forbes).

Director Yuji Shimomura (DEATH TRANCE, RE: BORN) has crafted an epic achievement in action choreography around Sakaguchi, who plays Japan’s most legendary swordsman — Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), a warrior undefeated in at least 60 documented duels — as he takes on his most difficult battle.
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Contents of the Limited Edition SteelBook. Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©2003 Show East

Source: Arrow Films
Special Thanks to James Flower

Often cited as one of the best films of the 2000s and possibly the definitive example of extreme Asian cinema, OLDBOY (올드보이, Oldeuboi, 2003) is a brutal, lyrical modern classic of the revenge genre.

Directed with immense flair by Park Chan-wook (JSA, THE HANDMAIDEN) as the second installment of his Vengeance Trilogy, OLDBOY blazed a trail at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival where it was lauded by the President of the Jury, director Quentin Tarantino. The film went on to become a huge international smash, blowing audiences’ minds with its concoction of filmmaking virtuosity, ingenious plotting, violence and pathos. Now, this masterpiece has been restored in 4K and is presented here with the feature-length documentary OLD DAYS, and a massive array of extras.
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From the Debauched Mind of Exploitation Legend Teruo Ishii, an Anthology of Taboo Delights and Horrors!
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Group
Special Thanks to James Flower and Clint Weiler

Image courtesy of MVD Entertainment. © 1968 Toei Co., Ltd.

From the outrageous imagination of cult director Teruo Ishii (ORGIES OF EDO, HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN) comes SHOGUN’S JOY OF TORTURE (徳川女刑罰史, Tokugawa Onna Keibatsu-shi, 1968), the infamous omnibus of three shocking tales of crime and punishment based on true-life documented cases set during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Ishii’s notorious portmanteau of Edo-era excess signaled a change in direction for a director until then regarded for his crime and yakuza films, setting the ball rolling on the run of grotesque historical anthologies for which he is now best remembered. Vehemently denounced by the critics of the day, SHOGUN’S JOY OF TORTURE set a new benchmark for the depiction of sex, sadism and depravity in Japanese exploitation, with Ishii staging his elaborate torture methods with an unmatched verve and inventiveness.
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Source: MVD Entertainment Group
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

KONGA TNT DVD cover art. Photo courtesy of MVD Ent.
©Gray Chance Films

On March 16, SRS Cinema and distributor MVD Entertainment present the independent monster movie KONGA TNT (2020) from director Brett Kelly (ATTACK OF THE JURASSIC SHARK). KONGA TNT is an experimental movie project made while in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly took unused footage from previous movies and combined it with new footage shot by himself and actor/FX artist John Migliore along with writer Trevor Payer.

After becoming injected with a formula derived from an alien ship, a lab gorilla escapes from his containment and befriends two young boys. The alien formula causes the gorilla to grow to gargantuan size and rampage throughout the city and the boys must find a way to save their simian friend before the army takes him down.
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Source: Mill Creek Entertainment
Special Thanks to Barrett Evans and Noah Sawyer

Photo courtesy of Mill Creek. © TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS

SciFi Japan is kicking off the New Year with a great new contest! Mill Creek Entertainment is offering our readers a chance to win their new Blu-ray + Digital set of Tsuburaya Productions’ ULTRAMAN TARO (ウルトラマンタロウ, Urutoraman Tarō, 1973-74). The set contains stunning high definition video for all 53 half-hour episodes with DTS-HD Master Audio of the original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles.

In this sixth entry in the Ultraman series, young boxer Kotaro Higashi is severely injured during a Kaiju attack shortly after being scouted to the Earth defense team ZAT (Zariba of All Territory). At the chasm between life and death, Mother of Ultra appeared and saved Kotaro by merging his life with a young Ultra Hero, thus giving birth to the sixth Ultra Brother… Ultraman Taro!
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One People, Two Countries, Every Life on Earth at Stake
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Group
Special Thanks to James Flower and Clint Weiler

Blu-ray cover art, courtesy of MVD Entertainment. ©Myung Films

On January 19, Arrow Video will release a deluxe Blu-ray edition of JSA: JOINT SECURITY AREA (공동경비구역 JSA, Gongdong Gyeongbi Guyeok Jeieseuei, 2000), the award winning South Korean thriller from the director of OLDBOY.

Before OLDBOY, before THE HANDMAIDEN, visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook helmed this gripping tale of deceit, misunderstanding and the senselessness of war. Gunfire breaks out in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, leaving two North Korean soldiers dead while a wounded South Korean soldier (Lee Byung-hun, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD) flees to safety. With the tenuous peace between the two warring nations on a knife-edge, a neutral team of investigators, headed by Swiss Army Major Sophie Jean (Lee Young-ae, LADY VENGEANCE), is dispatched to question both sides to determine what really happened under cover of darkness out in no-man’s land.
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: nonnontv.com/tvanime (Japan)

©2021 Atto・KADOKAWA Publishing / Asahigaoka
Project III

Sentai announced today that it acquired exclusive rights to NON NON BIYORI NONSTOP (のんのんびより のんすとっぷ, Non Non Biyori Non Sutotsupu, 2021), the highly anticipated third season of the charming slice-of-life anime series NON NON BIYORI. Since its premiere, NON NON BIYORI swelled the hearts of anime fans with endearing characters, engaging storylines and laugh out loud moments. Sentai’s licensed territory includes the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Aland Islands, Portugal, Spain and Latin America.

The cast and main creative team from the earlier installments of NON NON BIYORI teamed up again for NON NON BIYORI NONSTOP! Now fans can rejoin Renge, Natsumi, Komari and former big-city-girl Hotaru as they experience an idyllic life in the Japanese countryside. Fresh excitement brews as someone new moves into the house next door. The students of the tiny, tight-knit Asahigaoka branch school will have to make this newcomer feel welcome, which means audiences are in for more of this series’ signature antics and heartwarming, human moments in the third season of NON NON BIYORI!
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: kaiyari.com (Japan)

©2021 Rui Tsukiyo / KADOKAWA / Redo of Healer Production
Committee

Sentai announced today that it acquired exclusive rights to REDO OF HEALER (回復術士のやり直し 〜即死魔法とスキルコピーの超越ヒール〜, Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi: Sokushi Mahō to Sukiru Kopī no Chōetsu Hīru, 2021), the dark fantasy anime series based on the light novel series written by Rui Tsukiyo. Sentai’s licensed territories include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Greenland, Faroe and Åland Islands, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

In a dark world of monsters, adventurers and mages, some of the most gifted healers are subjugated to brute force even by the hands of their compatriots. But one mage, Kayal, gains the ability to rewind time, turn the tables and right all wrongs.
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The sea monsters Ikara, Takkora and Kanira tear through Tokyo in MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS, the new daikaiju film coming to home media
in North America from SRS Cinema. Photo courtesy of Avery Guerra. ©2019 Monster Seafood Wars Production Committee

Source: SRS Cinema LLC
Official Site: sandaikaijyu.pal-ep.com (Japan)
Special Thanks to Avery Guerra

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Distributor SRS Cinema has licensed North American home media rights to the 2020 daikaiju movie MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS (三大怪獣グルメ, San Daikaijū Gurume). Preorders are scheduled to begin in February for Blu-ray and VHS Special Editions which will ship in early 2021.
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: mujina-company.com (Japan)

© Ranjo Miyake・KADOKAWA/Twin Engine

Sentai announced today that it acquired CUTE EXECUTIVE OFFICER (幼女社長, 2021), the delightful short-format anime comedy series based on the manga Youjo Shacho. Sentai will deliver the series to audiences in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Portugal.

She’s not a genius. She’s not a prodigy. Heck, she’s not even old enough to vote! But somehow Najimu Mujina scored a totally above-average job as the president and “CEO” of the Mujina Company, where she navigates the world of adults with infectious, bright-eyed charm and enthusiasm. Whether it’s golfing with colleagues, negotiating contracts or pestering her executive assistant, Yuki, her hilarious antics are sure to captivate audiences of all ages.
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Source: Well Go USA, ddPR press release
Official Site: jiang-ziya-2020 (US)
Special Thanks to Leif Helland

Image courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment. © 2019 Beijing
Enlight Pictures Co., Ltd.

JIANG ZIYA (姜子牙) — the acclaimed follow-up to the international blockbuster NE ZHA (哪吒之魔童降世, Nézhā zhī Mótóng Jiàngshì, 2019) and the second chapter in the magical Fengshen Cinematic Universe—is a fate-defying, action-packed legendary tale retold through vibrant Chinese animation and debuts on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD February 9 from Well Go USA Entertainment. To earn his place with the gods, commander Jiang Ziya must vanquish the fox demon behind a brutal clan war. Upon learning the creature’s fate is tied to that of a young girl, he faces an impossible choice: can he sacrifice one to save many?

JIANG ZIYA NVINCIBLE DRAGON debuts on Blu-ray (SLP: $29.98), Digital and DVD (SLP: $24.98) February 9, 2021 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film has a runtime of approximately 110 minutes and is not rated.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Special Thanks to Tom Chen

Photo courtesy of Shout! Factory. © Fuji Television Network,
Inc.

Every drink has a story, and every story has a drink to accompany it. Hidden in the Ginza district’s back alleys in Tokyo, we find Eden Hall, an intimate bar run by Ryuu Sasakura, the bartender prodigy known to mix the most incredible cocktails anyone has ever tasted. However, not anyone can find Eden Hall, but it must find you! Anime series BARTENDER (バーテンダー, Bātendā), based on the best-selling Japanese manga of the same name by Araki Joh and illustrated by Kenji Nagatomo, is a charming and heartfelt anthology series that brims with captivating slice-of-life narratives and scrumptious-looking anime. Since its initial debut in 2006, BARTENDER developed a worldwide cult following. This acclaimed series was directed by Masaki Watanabe (BATTLE SPIRITS, BAKUMATSU, KADO – THE RIGHT ANSWER), written by Yasuhiro Imagawa (GIANT ROBO THE ANIMATION) and produced by Palm Studios.

Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of this highly sought-after pop culture series, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with Anime Limited, is proud to present BARTENDER 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on national home entertainment shelves and digital on January 19, 2021.
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Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment Group
Special Thanks to James Flower and Clint Weiler

Blu-ray cover art, courtesy of MVD Entertainment. © KADOKAWA

In March 2021, Arrow Video will release a Blu-ray double feature of THE INVISIBLE MAN APPEARS (透明人間現わる, Tōmei Ningen Arawaru, 1949) and THE INVISIBLE MAN VS. THE HUMAN FLY (透明人間と蝿男, Tōmei Ningen to Hae Otoko, 1957). Finally released outside Japan for the very first time, these unique riffs on H.G. Wells’ classic character (though undoubtedly also indebted to Universal’s iconic film series) are two of the earliest examples of tokusatsu (special effects) cinema from Daiei Studios, later the home of Gamera.

In THE INVISIBLE MAN APPEARS, written and directed by Nobuo Adachi in 1949, a scientist successfully creates an invisibility serum, only to be kidnapped by a gang of thugs who wish to use the formula to rob a priceless jewel. In addition to being the earliest surviving Japanese science fiction film ever made, the film’s entertaining special effects were an early credit for the legendary Eiji Tsuburaya (ULTRAMAN), five years before he first brought Godzilla to life.

Eight years later, Mitsuo Murayama’s exciting THE INVISIBLE MAN VS. THE HUMAN FLY tells the story of a series of mysterious murders where the only clue is strange buzzing noise at the scene of the crime.
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Photos courtesy of Shout! Factory. THE CAT RETURNS ©2002 Nekonote-Do • GNDHMT. WHISPER OF THE HEART ©1995 Aoi Hiiragi / Shueisha • Studio Ghibli • NH

Source: Shout! Factory press release
Special Thanks to Sarah J. De Bruin

Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory, will release THE CAT RETURNS and WHISPER OF THE HEART, from the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, on March 16, 2021 in limited edition SteelBook packaging with striking new art. Each SteelBook will house a Blu-ray & DVD combo pack, presenting the film alongside hours of bonus features and a booklet with stunning art and statements from the filmmakers.
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Source: SRS Cinema LLC
Special Thanks to Avery Guerra

DVD cover art for GOD RAIGA VS KING OHGA.Image
courtesy of SRS Cinema LLC. © Shinpei Hayashiya

Following the limited edition Blu-ray and VHS versions, GOD RAIGA VS KING OHGA (深海獣雷牙 対 溶岩獣王牙, Shinkaijū Raiba Tai Yōganjū Ōkiba, 2019) will receive a wide release on DVD next year from SRS Cinema. The film is the third in a series by director Shinpei Hayashiya that also includes REIGO; KING OF THE SEA MONSTERS (深海獣レイゴー, Shinkaijū Reigō, 2005/2008) and RAIGA: GOD OF THE MONSTERS (深海獣雷牙, Shinkaijū Raiba, 2009) — both also available from SRS.
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MADE IN ABYSS Available March 30th
Source: Section23 Films press release
Special Thanks to Mike Bailiff

Artwork not final – mock-up. Photo courtesy of
Section23 Films.

Home video distributor Section23 Films today announced its March slate of releases which includes Sentai Filmworks feature films, MADE IN ABYSS: DAWN OF THE DEEP SOUL, JOURNEY’S DAWN and WANDERING TWILIGHT, available on Blu-ray March 30th.
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Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

Image courtesy of MVD Entertainment. Universal Studios.

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the new TREMORS limited edition Blu-ray. A pulse-pounding love letter to 1950s creature features that delivers horror and humor in equal measure, TREMORS is a bonafide cult classic that has grabbed audiences’ affections ever since its release and spawned a successful franchise that continues to this day.

Good-ol’-boy handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are sick of their dead-end jobs in one-horse desert town Perfection, Nevada (population: 14). Just as they’re about to escape Perfection forever, however, things start to get really weird: half-eaten corpses litter the road out of town; the phone lines stop working; and a plucky young scientist shows evidence of unusually strong seismic activity in the area. Something is coming for the citizens of Perfection… and it’s under the goddamn ground!

Bursting with indelible characters, quotable dialogue and jaw-dropping special effects, TREMORS is back and bigger than ever in this 4K-restored and fully loaded collectors’ edition.
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Source: Sentai press release
Official Site: pet-anime.com (Japan)

© Ranjo Miyake・KADOKAWA/Twin Engine

Sentai announced today that it acquired distribution rights to the sci-fi psychological thriller series, pet (ペット, Petto, 2020). Sentai’s licensed territory includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Nordic Countries, Spain, Portugal and Central and South America.

Hiroki and Tsukasa can manipulate the minds memories of anyone they target. With that power comes a dangerous prospect for those who wield it — madness or even erasure of a person’s entire self. And yet, an intense bond protects their psyches from corruption. But that bond is threatened when a powerful crime syndicate plots to exploit Hiroki and Tsukasa’s gifts to commit horrific crimes. Now they must do the unimaginable if they are to live to see one another again. Is the price of reunion a shattered mind and destruction of everything held dear?
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Source: Sentai press release

©2019 Kacho Hashimoto/Tokuma Shoten・“Cagaster of
an Insect Cage” Production Committee

Sentai announced today that it acquired home video rights to sci-fi anime series CAGASTER OF AN INSECT CAGE (虫籠のカガステル, Mushikago no Kagasuteru, 2020) for the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Central America and South America.

The year is 2125 AD. The world was decimated three decades earlier by a devastating pathogen that mutates humans into horrific — and horrifically deadly — giant insects called Cagasters. While on a scavenging mission, Kidow, an Exterminator trained to target and destroy Cagasters, encounters a young girl named Ilie and her father fleeing a vicious Cagaster attack. Kidow must make a fateful decision to deliver Ilie safely to her mother, but Ilie harbors secrets that could forever alter the course of human history.
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Win the SURVIVOR BALLADS: THREE FILMS BY SHOHEI IMAMURA Blu-ray Box Set from Arrow Video!
Photo courtesy of Arrow Video. © Toei Co., Ltd.

Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to Clint Weiler

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the new Blu-ray Box Set SURVIVOR BALLADS: THREE FILMS BY SHOHEI IMAMURA. The three films in this collection have won 36 international awards with an additional 18 nominations, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards.
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Source: Arrow Video US, MVD Entertainment Group press release
Special Thanks to James Flower and Clint Weiler

Blu-ray cover art, courtesy of MVD Entertainment. Napalm Films

Arrow Video US and MVD Entertainment are offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win the new Blu-ray of Ryûhei Kitamura’s VERSUS (-ヴァーサス-, Vāsasu, 2000). A relentless one-of-a-kind sensory assault chock-full of hyper-kinetic fight scenes, gangster shootouts, sword-slashing violence and gory zombie horror, VERSUS was a key title amongst the barrage of innovative horror and action movies that appeared as if from nowhere from Japan at the turn of the millennium, leading to a new wave of appreciation for Asian extreme cinema.

The VERSUS Blu-ray will be released December 8 by Arrow Video US. The set features new High Definition (1080p) presentations of both versions of the film: the original 2000 cut and 2004’s ULTIMATE VERSUS, featuring over 10 minutes of new and revised footage.
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Come to the land where gods and mankind reside together!
Source: Aniplex of America press release
Official Site: anime.fate-go.jp (Japan), anime.fate-go.us/ep7-tv (US)
Special Thanks to Aiko Makino

Image courtesy of Aniplex of America. ©TYPE-MOON / FGO7
ANIME PROJECT

Aniplex of America is thrilled to announce that the action-packed FATE/GRAND ORDER ABSOLUTE DEMONIC FRONT: BABYLONIA (Fate/Grand Order -絶対魔獣戦線バビロニア-, Feito/Gurando Ōdā -Zettai Majuu Sensen Babironia, 2019-20) will be receiving two Blu-ray box set releases in 2021. Each box set will be housed in a sleek box featuring an exclusive illustration by character designer Tomoaki Takase (OCCULTIC;NINE, SAEKANO: HOW TO RAISE A BORING GIRLFRIEND) containing three Blu-ray discs with PVs, CMs, textless opening and endings, as well as web previews.

Box set I features the first half of the series (episodes 00-11) in both the original Japanese and English audio, plus recap episodes I and II in Japanese, along with a special booklet showing comments from the Japanese cast about the characters they play and information about the show’s setting of Mesopotamia.

Box set II includes the latter half of the series (episodes 12-21) in both Japanese and English audio along with the Episode 16 special ending in Japanese, and an exclusive booklet. FATE/GRAND ORDER ABSOLUTE DEMONIC FRONT: BABYLONIA Blu-ray Box Set I will be available March 30, 2021, and Blu-ray Box Set II will be released June 29, 2021.
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