Much like FREEDOM, I also decided to double-dip for a better release with Anime Limited's release of one of studio Bones' films that got rescued by the distributor from the old Beez/Bandai days.
Sword of the Stranger (Stranger: Mukou Hadan) is a 2007 original anime movie from studio Bones, director Masahiro Ando, writer Fumihiko Takayama, and published by Bandai Visual. The film was released with great reception among fans throughout the community and it is definitely worth checking out.
The film has seen a release in the past through Bandai Entertainment and Beez Entertainment on both Blu-ray and DVD. However both distributors had to discontinue so the title went out of print and was not rescued until 2016 & 2017 by both Funimation and Anime Limited respectively.
As mentioned this will be the second time that I own this film, thanks to already acquiring the older Beez UK Blu-ray release back in 2013. It's been a couple years now but it needed an upgrade. The Beez release was fine but it had some issues like subtitles appearing for the English dub viewers when they shouldn't be which was weird. The Funimation release also had an issue of its own where the English subtitles to translate the Chinese dialogue during the English dub viewing was missing (which got fixed but so far via disc replacements).
The Anime Limited UK release will be based on the French @Anime master, much like their other film titles including Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Psychic School Wars. The discs offer English, French & Japanese audio with English & French subtitles. The white subtitles are locked during playback and the disc regions are B & 2 NTSC only.
I have checked both the previous Beez release and this Anime Limited release. All of the special features from the previous release are in-tact and are now DTS-HD MA 2.0 instead of Dolby Digital 2.0. Each special feature also has a longer run-time. The discs are region locked and have locked subtitles on the Blu-ray. The issue surrounding the bizarre subs from the Beez release have been corrected. While I haven't checked the DVD version of Beez's release (because I don't own it), the Anime Limited version has the special features exclusive to the Blu-ray version which was a similar case with Funimation's release in North America.
I have checked both the previous Beez release and this Anime Limited release. All of the special features from the previous release are in-tact and are now DTS-HD MA 2.0 instead of Dolby Digital 2.0. Each special feature also has a longer run-time. The discs are region locked and have locked subtitles on the Blu-ray. The issue surrounding the bizarre subs from the Beez release have been corrected. While I haven't checked the DVD version of Beez's release (because I don't own it), the Anime Limited version has the special features exclusive to the Blu-ray version which was a similar case with Funimation's release in North America.
Blu-ray Specs:
Languages: Japanese, English, French
Audio: DTS-HD MA 5.1 (for all three languages)
Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9
Region: B
Subtitles: English, French
Subtitles Locked: Yes
Discs: 1
DVD Specs:
Languages: Japanese, English, French
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (for all three languages)
Video: SD NTSC 16:9
Region: 2
Subtitles: English, French
Subtitles Locked: Yes
Discs: 1
Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited):
Set in feudal-era Japan, a young boy named Kotaro and his faithful dog Tobimaru are caught in the turmoil of a grim prophecy. At the request of the Ming Dynasty's aging emperor, the boy is pursued by a band of formidable Chinese assassins. After escaping the destruction of the temple that took him in, he runs into a mysterious stranger who gets pulled into the chase.
When Kotaro's dog is poisoned, the nameless stranger reluctantly accepts payment to escort them to a temple in Shirato. The unlikely companions form a bond over saving Tobimaru's life, but unrest is brewing all around them. The Chinese assassins clash with the local lord as they build a religious tower, and a blond-haired, bloodthirsty swordsman among them seeks a worthy opponent. Chaos erupts when the assassins find Kotaro, and the Stranger must face his past before a horrible fate is met again.
On-Disc Extra Content:
Making Of (51m 15s)
Pilot Film (3m 56s)
Pilot Film (3m 56s)
Japanese Cast Interview (18m 3s)
Animatics (3m 13s)
Theatrical Trailers (1m 45s + 1m 42s)
Theatrical Teaser Trailer (38s)
Theatrical Trailers (1m 45s + 1m 42s)
Theatrical Teaser Trailer (38s)
TV Spots (17s + 16s + 16s + 17s) ~ Spots 2-4 are identical with some minor changes at the end lol
Collector's Edition Extras:
Chipboard Artbox: Clean Art, Logo on Spine, Digipack for Discs, Info Sheet for other info/specs
40-page Booklet
Sword of the Stranger is available on Blu-ray & DVD from Anime Limited.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.