Industry News: UK Anime Release Schedule for April 2018

Since I've posted a lot about the North American releases I figured it was about time I try and tackle the UK releases. The issue with the UK side is the delays that can occur at any moment, so I'm going to work on providing a monthly list as much as I can.

This April 2018 release slate for the UK features Fate/Grand Order -First Order-, My Hero Academia Season 2 and Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You on Blu-ray!

Random Topic: Is Animax UK Worth It?

So with the site still continuing, I figured for this month I'll talk about another streaming service that's been a mixed bag in the UK anime community. Many fans in the Asian territories are happy to have a service like this, but does it have the same effect over here?

Unboxing [UK]: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 - Season 2 (DVD)

It's been a while since I did one of these, I apologise as I have had some important stuff to handle in preparation for University in just a weeks time. Now to the package, the title that I will be over-viewing is the second season of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion from KAZE UK.

Unboxing [UK]: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - Season 1 (DVD)

It's been a while since I did one of these, I apologise as I have had some important stuff to handle in preparation for University in just a weeks time. Now to the package, the title that I will be over-viewing is the first season of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion from KAZE UK.

Blog News: UN-GO and Future Plans

This post will be much different than my other posts as they directly go towards what will happen over the next few months.

The first thing that I should mention now is that the unboxing for UN-GO will be put on hiatus because the version published by KAZE has been condensed and does not contain all the special content and quality that previous versions of UN-GO have; for instance the Sentai Filmworks release which came out months prior. As much as I want the show itself, it is unacceptable to shove all 11 episodes and the OVA film on a single Blu-ray disc and not to mention KAZE's usual locking problem and bad quality control affecting the product as a whole. UN-GO has already been a defective by not allowing Panasonic Blu-ray owners to play the series on their players due to incompatibility issues. The DVDs I cannot yet confirm however other than they are two discs due to the usual DVD standards.

As a UK anime fan, I would recommend you skip this release if you want a decent Blu-ray version and purchase the Sentai Filmworks version which is compatible with Region B players using the same method carried out to other releases such as Angel Beats!, Clannad and The World God Only Knows. Not only will you still be supporting the industry but you will also contribute to getting KAZE out of the UK market for their own faults with other precious products gone defective due to their stupid quality assurance. It is not Manga UK's fault that their collaborations have provided us with this situation so don't go and blame them for this.

The second thing to mention is that because I got UN-GO as a birthday gift, I don't want to spend my own money for it due to money shortage so in exchange for this I will be getting the Aniplex release of Baccano! on Blu-ray whom have confirmed it will be going out of print soon, so it was best to pick this up before it goes away. I apologise that I haven't got a good unboxing for UN-GO but I will get this release before the end of the year passes by.

The third notice is the money shortage, I have spent about £200 of anime over the past few weeks due to being late to the otaku phrase and as an adult now I have to earn money. With university in the next few months, I will still be able to get future anime releases under the condition that I can't simply get an import every now and then. Imports released by Sentai Filmworks, Section 23 and Maiden Japan will always be available for the next few years whereas Funimation and Aniplex will limited in terms of stock. I have planned to purchase the All the Anime release of Cowboy Bebop on Blu-ray plus some of their releases in October, MVM's Another and possibly Monogatari Season 1 depending on the quality of the product. For imports, Funimation's High School DxD is planned in case the BBFC censors the release like they did with Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny, and finally Section 23's Elfen Lied release is on the cards though I will wait in case of Sentai's new locking system takes effect.

The fourth notice is for the blog posts in general, I will be inactive from 25th July to 8th August for Holiday reasons I cannot avoid. I will continue to post the remaining unboxings for the rest of my titles including Code Geass so stay tuned and support the industry.

Unboxing [UK]: Berserk Golden Age: The Egg of the King - Film: Collector's Edition UK (BD/DVD)

For this unboxing, I'll be taking a look at the first film of three in the Golden Age saga in the Berserk universe from KAZE Entertainment UK.

Berserk returns after a long time of demand for more on the big screen. The new Berserk saga is said to cover everything from the manga for the fans, but first they had to get the Golden Age arc out of the way first. The Golden Age arc is split into three parts; The Egg of the King, The Battle for Doldrey and The Advent. The first part covers Guts and his arrival to the Band of the Hawk mercenary group. The Golden Age Arc does miss a lot compared to the TV version, so I recommend the TV series as well to get the best experience if you haven't read the manga. Note that this release is distributed by KAZE UK who tend to be restrictive and slightly lacking in quality control for their products. This release is a Collector's Edition which contains both the DVD and Blu-ray of the film plus a 30 page booklet translated from the Japanese release exclusive to the UK version. The subtitles are also locked in this release.

BD Language: English, Japanese

BD Video: 1080p HD Native 16:9 ratio (Widescreen)

BD Audio: English DTS-HD Master 5.1, Japanese DTS-HD Master 5.1

BD Subtitles: English (Japanese Dub with Sign Translations)

BD Region: B

BD Discs: 1

BD Defects: No sign translations for English dub

DVD Language: English, Japanese

DVD Video: 576i SD PAL Colour 16:9 ratio (Widescreen)

DVD Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1

DVD Subtitles: English (Japanese Dub with Sign Translations)

DVD Region: 2

DVD Discs: 1

DVD Defects: None

Plot:

Guts, an immensely strong sword-for-hire, has little direction in his life, simply fighting one battle after the next. However, this all changes suddenly when he meets and is bested by Griffith, a beautiful and charismatic young man who leads the Band of the Hawk mercenary army. After Guts joins the Band and the relationship between the two men begins to blossom, Casca, the tough, lone swordswoman in the Band of the Hawk, struggles to accept Guts and the influence he has on the world around her. While the two men begin to fight together, Griffith continues to rise to power, all seemingly in order to reach his mysterious, prophesied goals. What lengths will Guts and Griffith go to in order to reach these goals, and where will fate take the two men?

Extra Content (Physically):
30 Page Translated Booklet

Berserk Golden Age is available on Blu-ray & DVD from KAZE UK, Madman Entertainment and Viz Media USA. UK owners, I personally recommend the Viz Media releases as they contain tons of extras including the fan favourite Outtakes.