Now that’s what I’d call a good idea for a sequel. After the huge success (#1 in the Amazon.co.jp DVD sale charts) of the Training with Hinako (Issho-ni Training) animated training video starring the well-build female teenage trainer Hinako that was meant to “help” overweight otaku to lose some pounds by showing them some simple training routines in different outfits, producer Primastea has announced a sequel for February 2010.
According to their teaser site, Sleeping with Hinako is “an anime to help with pleasant sleeping and waking”. It isn’t quite clear yet how the video is supposed to help sleep-deprived otaku, but if they stick to the low-cost concept of the predecessor, cute Hinako will probably speak some wise words before getting ready for bed then yawn like only a moe anime character can and then the DVD or Blu-ray Disc will just loop some footage of her sleeping while the perverted viewer probably thinks about what he would to do with her right now…

[via Sankaku Complex]
Update: Attentive reader Ark has found some first screen shots of the anime at Saiani.net…

12 Comments

Great, just great. AV Watch reports that VAP will release Mamoru Hosoda und Satoko Okudera’s award-winning and highly awaited anime Summer Wars on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in Japan on March 3, 2010. Just as expected, the article does not mention English subtitles for these releases and judging from VAP’s Blu-ray Disc release history so far I don’t think they will suddenly be added after all
But since the Warner Bros. logo appeared in most of the trailers released for the film so far, I still hope that the brothers will do their best to bring the film to the West with understandable subtitles soon enough…

10 Comments

Keen-eyed Anime on DVD user WTK has spotted the announcement for FUNimation’s first (physical) release of the new Fullmetal Alchemist series, FMA: Brotherhood. According to the text that appears next to the streaming episodes on YouTube, the first DVD and Blu-ray Disc (or “Blue-ray” as FUNimation calls it…) will be released in the USA on April 20, 2010. I just hope that this release will include more than just two episodes like their Japanese counterparts.
There hasn’t been any announcement for Europe so far and since FUNimation tends to lock their Blu-ray Disc releases to Region A (except their Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa release that is Region A and B), most of us will probably have to wait a bit longer till we can see the Elric brothers in high definition…

Comment

Ha! Just as expected, our French friends won’t be the only ones who will be able to enjoy Johnnie To’s Vengeance from their own couch this Christmas time. According to several online shops, HK super distributor Mega Star will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc with English subtitles on December 11th, the same day as the sweet looking French release from TF1 Video.
The back cover says the Blu-ray Disc will be locked to Region A, but this doesn’t mean much on Mega Star releases. Their latest release of Accident is also labeled as Region A but plays fine on European Blu-ray Players.
Preorder Vengeance on DVD or Blu-ray Disc from YesAsia
Update [Dec 22, 2009] I got my BD copy today and the disc is locked to region A! 35 full resolution screen shots are available at the Asian Blu-ray Guide.

3 Comments

Bargain time for all you cinephiles out there! Amazon.com has started a Criterion Collection sale with DVDs from $13.99 and Blu-ray Discs from $15.99. The sale includes 29 titles including Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Kagemusha, Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and the controversial Japanese thriller In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida). European buyers should note that Criterion has so far region coded all their releases to Region A, so bad luck for most of us…

3 Comments

Oh boy, looks like Bandai Entertainment really got screwed by the Japanese rights owners when they negotiated the North American distribution rights for Kurokami: The Animation. Accoring to ANN and Anime on DVD, the license for the original Japanese audio track was not granted and so the first US Blu-ray Disc will be released with the English dub only on February 9, 2010! I guess the Japanese licensors want to prevent the Japanese buyers from reverse-importing the much cheaper US releases but just don’t see how much they harm the US market and force honest buyers who want to see their shows in the original language and in high definition to use less-legal alternatives. By the way, the day-to-day DVD release will include the Japanese audio track and English subtitles…

2 Comments

Yes, this is one of those articles and contests that is only available in Germany. Sorry guys, but now you know how I feel when I want to watch my shows on Hulu…
Es gibt mal wieder was feines abzustauben im Affenheimtheater. AV Visionen hat mir freundlicherweise zwei Exemplare von Tonkatsu Pictures DVD Veröffentlichung des koreanischen Anime Aachi & Ssipak zum Verlosen überlassen.

Die limitierte Tenkoku Edition enthält neben dem herrlich abgedrehten Hauptfilm (siehe Clip unten) mit ordentlich Bonusmaterial auch den kompletten Soundtrack, ein feines Hochglanzbooklet sowie einen Kinofilmstreifen im Schuber. Der koreanische Originalton (mit diversen bekannten Sprechern) sowie die deutsche Synchro liegen in DD 2.0 und 5.1 vor, deutsche Untertitel sind natürlich mit an Bord.
Wer eines der beiden Exemplare gewinnen möchte, braucht sich nur bis Mittwoch knapp vor Mitternacht (also 11.11.2009 23:59 Serverzeit) in den Kommentaren verewigen. Viel Glück!

Der Rechtsweg ist wie immer ausgeschlossen, Teilnehmer müssen laut dem roten Zeichen auf dem Schuber über 18 Jahre sein. Wer nicht gewinnen will/darf, kann sich das Teil natürlich auch direkt bei Amazon bestellen

66 Comments