Unboxing [UK]: Animerama: A Thousand & One Nights and Cleopatra - Limited Edition (Blu-ray) [NSFW]

Last year we saw the release of Belladonna of Sadness making its way to the UK on Blu-ray, restored after being lost for many years. This year the remaining films in the Animerama trilogy are back, restored and also available on Blu-ray for the first time from the folks at Third Window Films.

This release is noted as a limited edition with 2000 units available. It is also worth noting that due to the artwork presented this is not safe for work so bare that in mind.

The Animerama trilogy was released theatrically between 1969 to 1973 from two well-known directors Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Yamamoto at their animation studio Mushi Productions. The films consist of A Thousand & One Nights in 1969, Cleopatra in 1970, and Belladonna of Sadness in 1973. The trilogy is known for presenting erotic adult themes in anime form, which was not common back then. While sites such as MyAnimeList list each film as a hentai, the trilogy is more or less an adult film than a hentai (especially with Belladonna which is not supposed to arose you due to the themes presented).

This release from Third Window Films focuses on the first two Animerama films, as distributor Anime Limited have licensed and released the third film Belladonna of Sadness (I have an unboxing for that on my blog also). The first film A Thousand & One Nights was directed by Eiichi Yamamoto and was given a limited theatrical release in North America back in 1970 however it didn't perform well and was noted as the first adult animated film released in that region. The second film Cleopatra was directed by both Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Yamamoto and it was also given a limited theatrical release in North America in 1972 in the hopes of saving the Japanese studio from bankruptcy, however it was a commercial failure with many US goers apparently wanting a refund since the film wasn't advertised properly (back then it was going up against another adult animated film called Fritz the Cat which was a commercial success). Both films did receive English dubs however they were edited and considered lost.

Eventually the animation studio closed down after completing Belladonna of Sadness which Osamu Tezuka had no involvement with, but that film eventually became a cult classic. Years later Eiichi Yamamoto and the folks at studio Grouper Production released an OVA called The Sensualist (Kōshoku Ichidai Otoko) based on Ihara Saikaku's 17th century novel of the same name. Some folks consider this film to be an unofficial spiritual successor to Animerama for sharing similarities with its tone and themes. The OVA was released in the United Kingdom & Ireland on VHS uncut in 1991.

The Third Window Films release for both of these films were eventually restored and remastered for Blu-ray for the first time in any region. In addition the BBFC have given both films a 15 uncut & uncensored rating. As mentioned the English dubs were edited and lost so both of these films are Japanese audio with English subtitles only. The Limited Edition version of this release includes a mini-booklet that covers the history of these two films in liner note form by Simon Abrams, it's worth a read. There's also reversible covers containing the Japanese poster artwork for both films as the main covers. A slipcover is also included to represent both films together. The Blu-rays are region locked to B and the subtitles are unlockable.

You can order the limited edition release over on Amazon UK.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: Japanese

Audio: DTS-HD MA 2.0 (Japanese)

Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9

Region: B

Subtitles: English

Subtitles Locked: No

Discs: 2 (one for each film)

Plot Synopsis for A Thousand & One Nights (via Third Window Films):

Before Ralph Bakshi introduced us to his X-rated animated feature Fritz the Cat, Astro Boy's creator and master animator, Osamu Tezuka broke new ground with 1969's A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, the first outing of his new adult oriented animation studio.

Through Tezuka's mad, psychodelic lines we follow Aldin's journey from poor market boy to richest man in the world, as he chases love through a vibrant reimagining of the classic Middle Eastern folk tales, encountering sailors, sultans and sirens Aldin eventually finds himself learning much more about life and the world than he ever expected.

Plot Synopsis for Cleopatra (via Third Window Films):
Cleopatra was the second part (following A Thousand and One Nights) of a series of adult anime films called Animerama, made at Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production animation studio from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Cleopatra takes a look inside Tezuka's sketchbook with a series of doodles that touch upon the history of Cleopatra but include digressions into science fiction, broad (and often tasteless) comedy, many whiplash stylistic breaks, and blunt sexuality.

Three intergalactic travellers from the future are whisked back to the court of the ancient Egyptian queen by time machine, in order to combat a plan by an alien race to alter the course of human history.

On-Disc Extra Content:

Interview with Director Eiichi Yamamoto
Audio Commentaries by Helen McCarthy
A Thousand & One Nights Trailer
Cleopatra Trailer

Collector's Edition Extras:

Liner Notes
Reversible Cover Sleeves
Slipcase

Animerama: A Thousand & One Nights and Cleopatra is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Third Window Films.