Stop-motion animated classics Coraline, Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Kubo & The Two-Strings available to pre-order now!

London, UK, 17th October  2024  – This holiday season, treat the family or the film collector in your life to the critically acclaimed films of LAIKA, who set a new benchmark for stop-motion animation. Anime Limited, in association with LAIKA, are excited to reveal the brand-new 4K UHD & Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbooks for these cult classic films, which are available to pre-order now from all good retailers.

Directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and widely considered one of the best animated films of all time, the dark fantasy Coraline celebrates its 15th anniversary by leading the line-up alongside the fantasy comedy The Boxtrolls on 2nd December 2024, with the family horror ParaNorman and action fantasy Kubo and the Two Strings following on 16th December. The films all received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Film in their respective release years, with Kubo and the Two Strings also winning the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Films. Returning these celebrated films to the wider market just in time for the holidays marks Anime Limited’s continued commitment to celebrated animated film and physical media, even beyond Japanese animation.

Each title will be available on both 4K UHD & Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook (limited to 2,000 copies each across all retailers), as well as Standard Edition Blu-ray. Pre-orders are open now in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and will also be available in Italy, Germany, Benelux, Spain, and Portugal through PLAION PICTURES.

Synopsis:

From Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach, comes a visually stunning stop-motion feature!

Coraline Jones is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door that leads into a world that’s just like her own … but better! But when this fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her “other” mother tries to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness and bravery to get home.

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook includes the film on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, while the Standard Edition Blu-ray includes the film on one Blu-ray disc.

Bonus Features (included on the Blu-ray disc) include Making Of featurettes, an audio commentary with director Henry Selick and composer Bruno Coulais, concept art, deleted scenes, and more.

Audio: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime: 101 minutes

Synopsis:

From the creators of Coraline and ParaNorman comes a magical family adventure about heroes of all shapes and sizes: The Boxtrolls. Quirky, mischievous and goodhearted, these box-wearing creatures have lovingly raised a human boy named “Eggs” in a charming cavern below the bustling streets of Cheesebridge. But when evil Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) decides to capture the lovable misfits, it’s up to Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and his feisty young friend, Winnie (Elle Fanning), to save the Boxtrolls. Also featuring the voice talents of Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Toni Collette and Tracy Morgan.

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook includes the film on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, while the Standard Edition Blu-ray includes the film on one Blu-ray disc.

Bonus Features (included on the Blu-ray disc) include Making Of featurettes, an audio commentary with directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, concept art, and more.

Audio: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime: 96 minutes

Synopsis:

From the makers of Coraline comes the story of Norman, a boy who must use his ability to see and speak with the dead to save his town from a centuries-old curse. In addition to spooky zombies, he’ll also have to take on mysterious ghosts, wily witches, and, worst of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal abilities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Featuring the voice talents of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman, it’s a frightfully funny and magically thrilling adventure for the whole family in eye-popping stop-motion.

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook includes the film on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, while the Standard Edition Blu-ray includes the film on one Blu-ray disc.

Bonus Features (included on the Blu-ray disc) include Making Of featurettes, an audio commentary with writer/director Chris Butler and Co-Director Sam Fell, concept art, and more.

Audio: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime: 92 minutes

Synopsis:

From the acclaimed animation studio LAIKA (Coraline) comes an epic original action adventure featuring the voice talents of Academy Award® winners* Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey. Kubo mesmerizes the people in his village with his magical gift for spinning wild tales with origami. When he accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, Kubo is forced to go on a quest to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father and his mystical weaponry, as well as discover his own magical powers.

*Charlize Theron: 2003: Best Actress In A Leading Role, Monster, Matthew McConaughey: 2013: Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role, Dallas Buyer’s Club

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook includes the film on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, while the Standard Edition Blu-ray includes the film on one Blu-ray disc.

Bonus Features (included on the Blu-ray disc) include Making Of featurettes, an audio commentary with director/producer Travis Knight, concept art, an audio descriptive track, and more.

Audio: English, French, Spanish

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime: 96 minutes

About LAIKA

LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio’s five films Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and Missing Link (2019) have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA has launched a Live Action subsidiary with a range of projects in development including feature films based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow and an original script Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield with Phil Lord and Chris Miller producing. Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune) will write and make his directorial debut on another original live action film project. www.laika.com

About Anime Ltd

Founded in 2012, Glasgow-based Anime Limited is a subsidiary of PLAION PICTURES and represents Japanese animation interests in the UK, France, and beyond. With a thoughtfully curated lineup of films, series, and soundtracks, Anime Limited has earned its title of Europe’s favourite anime distributor. Whether through fan-centric cinema runs, beautifully packaged collector’s editions, or sharing the best of anime music on vinyl, We offer bespoke experiences for all fans for titles such as Attack on Titan, BELLE, Cowboy Bebop, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece Film: RED, Spy x Family CODE: White, Your Name, and Weathering with You.

About Plaion Pictures

PLAION PICTURES is one of Europe’s leading independent film labels with headquarters just at the gates of Munich. We offer tailor-made marketing solutions for films and series on all channels, from cinema to TV and home entertainment to innovative digital offers.

Our goal is to entertain people with exciting, moving or humorous content – anytime and anywhere. Our unique and wide-ranging portfolio also includes a large number of renowned art house productions, numerous successful and award-winning theatrical releases and a library of over 1,600 titles. Moreover, movie fans also appreciate our high-quality special editions, which turn classics into new film experiences.

Plaion is headquartered in Planegg near Munich and has branches in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.plaion.com .

Last year, the Oscar-winning sensation that is Godzilla Minus One stomped across the globe, capturing the imagination of all and sundry and captivating many of you with its stunningly impactful take on the world’s most famous kaiju. Ever since its original theatrical release in the UK, you’ve been asking us if – and when – Godzilla Minus One would be coming to home video, and what our plans might be for it if so.

We revealed back in August that we would indeed by bringing the film to 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD, but today is the day where we reveal all, so read on to find out how to get your teeth into this sensational film in your own home.

Pre-orders for all of the editions you’re about to see open on Tuesday, 1st October at 5PM UK time, both at our AllTheAnime.com store and across other retailers, so make sure you’re prepared for Godzilla to invade your life once again.

The retail release date for all versions of our home video release is set for 2nd December 2024, so why not treat your loved ones to a kaiju in their stocking this Christmas too?!

If you want to get straight to those product links, you can do so via the button below; otherwise, read on for all the juicy details!

Our Godzilla Minus One release plans

Given the breadth of passion and excitement for Takashi Yamazaki’s film, we want to make sure that no matter your preferences, there’s a version of Godzilla Minus One for you, so let’s sget into the nitty gritty of these editions and their full contents.

Alongside Standard Edition Blu-ray and DVD editions of the film, we’ll also be releasing 4K UHD + Blu-ray Steelbook and Deluxe Editions. While the standard editions are self-explanatory – focusing on the film itself – let’s dig a little deeper into our premium editions, starting with that very tasty-sounding (whether you’re a kaiju or not) Deluxe Edition!

Godzilla Minus One Deluxe Edition

We’re beyond thrilled to bring Godzilla Minus One to you in the Deluxe Edition form it deserves! For starters, this release does of course come housed in a rigid slipcase, within which you’ll find a Digipak to keep the four (yes, four!) discs safe.

Also included is a full-blown 68-page booklet, featuring a message from director Takashi Yamazaki; an introduction to the film, character bios; a host of promotional artwork; and a wealth of interviews and information.

That written content includes interviews with director Takashi Yamazaki, VFX director Kiyoko Shibuya, audio recording and sound engineers Hisashi Takeuchi and Natsuko Inoue respectively. Within the confines of its pages, you’ll also find thoughts from Masahiro Ishiyama on colour-grading the film for both its original release and Godzilla Minus Color, as well as an article about the operation to bring Godzilla Minus One to the attention of an international audience, ultimately culminating in its Academy Award winning success. In other words, a comprehensive guide to the creation, production and distribution of the film.

That comprehensive nature extends to the on-disc content, where you’ll find the following:

• Disc 1: The film on 4K UHD Blu-ray
• Disc 2: The film on Blu-ray
• Disc 3: Godzilla Minus Color on Blu-ray (exclusive to our Deluxe Edition!)
• Disc 4: Bonus Blu-ray packed with special features, all of which are English subtitled

Yes, that’s right, our Godzilla Minus One Deluxe Edition will be the only place as things currently stand where you can own Godzilla Minus Color on home video! Beyond that, our bonus Blu-ray – which contains all content fully subtitled – comprises a making of film feature, a making of VFX featurette, a special behind the scenes program, a whole host of event footage, and a collection of trailers for the film.

Digging into some of the technical details, the 4K UHD Blu-ray contains the film in 4K via a Dolby Vision HDR presentation, with audio presented in Dolby Atmos for the Japanese audio (with English subtitles), and 5.1 audio for the English dub. Both the Blu-ray edition of the film and Minus Color on Blu-ray also sport Dolby Atmos Japanese audio with English subtitles, and 5.1 English audio.

Before we move on, above is a quick look at both the front and rear of the slipcase, to give you an idea of what you’ll be eyeing up (and, honestly, what will be eyeing you up) on your shelf.

The Godzilla Minus One Deluxe Edition will be available across all good retailers as a limited edition set, with an SRP (Suggested Retail Price) of £79.99.

Godzilla Minus One Steelbook Edition

Moving on to our Steelbook set now, here’s what to look out for.

Within the Steelbook showcasing that incredible piece of artwork, this set will contain a grand total of three discs:

• Disc 1: The film on 4K UHD Blu-ray
• Disc 2: The film on Blu-ray
• Disc 3: Bonus Blu-ray packed with special features, all of which are English subtitled

All of the disc contents, specifications and bonus features across these discs match those of the respective discs in the Deluxe Edition, with all of the same bonus features which are once again fully subtitled.

You’ll be able to find the Godzilla Minus One Steelbook retail-wide, with an SRP of £34.99.

Godzilla Minus One Standard Editions

Last but not least, the film will also be available on Standard Edition Blu-ray or DVD, as you can see below.

Both of these editions will contain a single disc featuring the film only in Japanese with English subtitle and English audio presentations. As per other editions, the Blu-ray will sport Dolby Atmos for the Japanese audio and 5.1 for the English dub, while the DVD will be 5.1 for both audio presentations.

The Blu-ray and DVD editions of Godzilla Minus One will be available across all retailers, with SRPs of £19.99 and £17.99 respectively.

And with that, Godzilla’s rampage is over… at least until pre-orders open, so make sure you bag your copy and set yourselves up for a monster of a December!

By Zoe Crombie.

Nasa: a space loving teenager who has turned an embarrassing name into a life goal, and who has just walked in front of a moving truck. The reason for his foolish actions and his ultimate saviour: a mysterious girl who proposes marriage when Nasa suddenly declares his feelings. The result: an adorable, addictive series that begins with a married pair of young strangers and develops into one of the sweetest anime romances in recent years.

When it comes to romance anime, especially if you’re of the more impatient sort, sometimes you just want the lead couple to cut to the chase already. With the seemingly endless flirtations, misunderstandings and revelations that can occur for dozens of episodes before the pair even so much as hold hands, the genre can quickly get frustrating– a likely hangover of romance manga that can take literally hundreds of chapters before the relationships start heating up.

This certainly isn’t the case with Kenjiro Hata’s manga Tonikaku Kawaii (‘Cute Anyway’), usually contracted as Tonikawa for English speaking readers and given the cosmic suffix Over the Moon for You for its anime adaptation. This version of the story produced by Seven Arcs, the studio behind the popular adaptation of the beloved manga Blue Period, stays relatively faithful to its original plot. Genius teenager Nasa Yuzaki is hit by a truck and saved by the girl of his dreams whom he agrees to marry. Years later, the girl, named Tsukasa, knocks on the door of his tiny apartment with a marriage form in hand ready to follow through on the promise they made a lifetime ago. 

However, just because the couple are engaged and married from the first episode, that doesn’t mean that the audience aren’t allowed to indulge in some of the cutesier elements of anime romance. There are chance meetings, mysterious backstories, and the awkward encounters that come with sharing a space – and all with the ice having been broken as soon as the relationship began. The relationship still needs to deepen and develop, but you aren’t stuck with the tiresome wait for the couple to realise their true feelings, covertly fight against a love rival, or break through any number of misunderstandings.

For those of you interested in Japanese folklore and traditional stories, Tonikawa bases much of its theming and elements of its plot on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, primary popularised in the West by Isao Takahata’s adaptation The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Itfeatures a princess found in a bamboo shoot who  comes from the moon and who must return to her heavenly family at the end of the story. From the outset, Nasa notices Tsukasa’s similarities to the legendary princess as he lays looking up at her from site of his accident – notably, her ethereal beauty. But does this mysterious girl have any concrete connection to the myth? You’ll have to watch to find out…

Getting married before love truly develops isn’t an entirely foreign concept for anime viewers. The Ancient Magus Bride was a successful version of the arranged marriage trope that combined a Gothic aesthetic with a surprising sweetness, while the currently airing Spy x Family uses a marriage of convenience for an appealing combination of action absurdity and slice-of-life comedy. But Tonikawa doesn’t come with these caveats; the two characters at the start of the story genuinely seem to love each other from their first meeting, making for a viewing experience that’s much easier going and comforting than most anime romances. In terms of relevant comparisons for manga readers, Tonikawa is also a good choice for fans of Ayuko Hatta’s Ima, Koi o Shiteimasu (usually translated as ‘Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love’), a shojo romance that similarly cuts to the chase with the main couple (spoilers) getting together pretty much immediately.

Tonikawa: Fly me to the Moon is a perfect example of anime comfort food – the kind of warm, moreish story that’s perfect for bingeing over a handful of cosy nights in. Visually, it’s what you’d expect, as a fairly polished shonen style anime with a celestial tinge in its more mysterious moments, and the animation here does a fantastic job as a vehicle for a story that’s sweet, simple, and straight to the point. This is a great series for hopeless romantics waiting for romance to hit them like a truck, and a solid guilty pleasure for those less willing to admit their soppier tendencies – don’t worry, we won’t tell.

Zoe Crombie is an associate lecturer and PhD candidate at Lancaster University working on Studio Ghibli. Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You is released in the UK by Anime Limited.

Earlier this month, we lifted the lid on our full release plans for bringing Naruto to Blu-ray, and it’s been fantastic seeing so much excitement and enthusiasm for our Collector’s Edition release of this classic show from all of you – be sure to get your pre-order in if you haven’t already!

Of course, that product reveal also left many of you asking the question – what about BLEACH? Well, it’s finally time for us to lift the lid in full on our plans for this particular shonen powerhouse, so start powering up your bankai while you read on to find out what we have in store for you!

Before we start though, a quick note for your calendars – pre-orders for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 begin on August 1st, while BLEACH Part 1 pre-orders begin on August 15th. Both pre-orders will open at 5PM UK time, so now you’ve set reminders for those important dates and times, let’s proceed!

Before we get on to the classic, original BLEACH series, let’s start with a quick detour towards the newest iteration of the series, as this will be the first to hit retail!

BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1

As opposed to the original show, which ran as a single series across a multitude of arcs, the brand-new continuation of Ichigo’s saga is split into clear seasons, and so for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War we’ll be releasing this across per season sets, beginning (of course), with its first season. Let’s take a look at the contents of our Part 1 Collector’s Edition!

This release follows our typical Collector’s Edition release model which will be familiar to many of you, boasting a rigid slipcase with hosts an Amaray case (with reversible sleeve) for the two Blu-ray discs which contain the full thirteen episode season, together with a lovely 76-page art booklet packed to the brim with artwork, episode guides, behind the scenes content discussing key scenes with director Tomohisa Taguchi and original author Tite Kubo, and a whole wealth of character design artwork.

The BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 Collector’s Edition launches with an SRP of £69.99, but as always expect to see discounts to this price across all of the usual retailers. For our part, we’ll be launching with our usual Early Bird pricing of £39.99 for one week after the launch.

For those who prefer it, we will of course be giving the series our typical Standard Edition Blu-ray treatment, with all of the same on-disc content presented in an Amaray case.

Alongside this, we’ve also cooked up something a little special for customers of HMV specifically – whether it’s in-store or online, you’ll be able to find an HMV-exclusive version of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 with a bonus O-card featuring the show’s original key visual!

Both Collector’s and Standard Editions will hit retail shelves on Monday, 30th September, so set aside some time for a bit of quality anime viewing when your copy arrives.

As we mentioned up top, pre-orders for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 open TODAY, Thursday, 1st August. Make sure you’re ready by bookmarking the links below, as we’ll be running an Early Bird offer for the Collector’s Edition of just £39.99 (versus an SRP of £69.99) for our pre-order launch week!

BLEACH (2004)

During the Paris Japan Expo event, we gave you all our first sneak peek at our first Collector’s Edition volume of the original “classic” BLEACH series, and we were met with a wave of excitement, but also plenty of very understandable questions, so let’s delve into our release strategy for the entire 366-episode series and how you’ll be able to own and collect it!

We’ve spent quite some time hard at work on finding the optimal way to bring the series to you on Blu-ray, and given the length and configuration of the series we’ve ultimately conceived of a strategy that we believe brings fans of the show the best of both worlds – a full, BLEACH Collector’s Edition experience but without an eye-watering total cost of ownership. So, here’s what we plan:

• There will be three Collector’s Edition sets of BLEACH launched throughout our Blu-ray release run – these will feature volumes 1, 6 and 10 of the series.
• These Collector’s Editions will each contain just one volume of the series, but will also serve as storage boxes for additional Standard Edition volumes. For example, as we’ll see in a moment, our first BLEACH Collector’s Edition will contain Part 1 of the series, but have space to house Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• Each Collector’s Edition set is planned to feature a large, comprehensive artbook using all of the assets at our disposal, with artwork for each book spanning the volumes of the series that can reside within each storage box. Again, to use our first Collector’s Edition as an example, the art book included will span parts 1-5 of the series.

Put simply, to own the entire series, you’ll be purchasing three Collector’s Edition sets, and then ten Standard Edition Blu-ray releases to fill out the Collector’s Edition storage boxes. Thus, you’ll end up with a beautiful and expansive addition to your anime collection that will fit comfortably and attractively on your shelf.

Of course, if you’re just looking to own the series on Standard Edition Blu-ray, all 13 volumes will be released in that format (including those which are part of the Collector’s Edition sets), so if you want a full BLEACH on Blu-ray experience in that form we’ve also got you covered.

Each volume of the series will feature approximately 27 episodes (with some variances dependent upon the length of story arcs), with discs which match the US release as a point of comparison.

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork for our release plans, let’s get into our part 1 release specifically!

BLEACH Collector’s Edition Part 1

Let’s start with a look at our first Collector’s Edition storage box – as noted above, this initial Collector’s Edition will contain the first part of the series on Blu-ray (containing episodes 1-27), with space for Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 on Standard Edition Blu-ray to sit snugly inside.

Our goal for these Collector’s Edition sets is sleek, stylish and striking, allowing us to focus on some of the most awesome artwork the series has to offer for our cover stars – which, of course, for this first set are Ichigo and Rukia.

Moving on to the contents, you’ll find Part 1 of the series on Blu-ray in a standard Amaray case with O-card, within which you’ll find four discs containing those first 27 episodes of the series as well as a set of three character art cards.

Also included within the storage box is our piece de resistance – a 220-page art book. This book collects character design artwork across the initial part of the series with an impressive roster of characters, as well as a collection of cover artworks from the show.

Whether you pick up the Collector’s Edition or Standard Edition of Part 1, and regardless of retailer, you’ll find the same core configuration at its heart, with that Amaray case, O-card, set of four discs and trio of character art cards. The O-card and art cards are exclusive to the first print run of each part, so be sure to pre-order early to make sure you get yours!

Our Part 1 Collector’s Edition release will sport an SRP of £79.99 (but, of course, make allowances for retailer discounts so expect to see a lower price on store fronts), with Standard Editions each sporting an SRP of £49.99.

Pre-orders for both our Part 1 Standard Edition and Collector’s Edition will open across retailers on Thursday, 15th August at 5PM – including, of course, at our own AllTheAnime.com store. We’ll also be running an Early Bird price for two weeks of just £49.99, so don’t miss this opportunity to start your BLEACH collection at this low price!

Both our Standard and Collector’s Editions of BLEACH Part 1 have a street date of November 4th 2024, so you’ll be able to find them in retail stores or arriving on your doorstep in early November.

We already have parts 1-5 of the series approved and going into production, so expect to see parts 2-5 launch for pre-order at a rate of approximately one a month, with street dates also staggered on a monthly basis. We may take a short pause in our BLEACH release schedule at this point before launching our second Collector’s Edition set – as you can imagine, these larger releases require more design and approval work so may take longer to reach completion – but we’re keen to keep up as regular a release schedule as possible until you can hold all of this beloved series in your arms to cherish!

In fact, we can give you a first peek at our designs for parts two through to five on Standard Edition Blu-ray right now, as they’re all approved and ready to roll!

As per part 1 of the series, the first print run will feature an exclusive O-card and set of three character art cards – across these releases, this first batch of volumes takes us up to episode 139 by the end of part five. A lot of BLEACH, and a lot to look forward to, so stay tuned for pre-order and release dates for each part moving forward via all of our usual channels!

And that just about sums up our plans for the UK Blu-ray releases of BLEACH, so consider the lid on what we have in store well and truly lifted! We’re beyond excited to bring this show back to our shores on Blu-ray, and we can’t wait to get both the original series and Thousand-Year Blood War into your hands!

Of course, if you have any questions, be sure to ask us in the comments section below, or drop us a message on one of our usual social media channels, and we’ll be happy to help.

Until next time, take care folks!

GKIDS Partners with Anime Ltd. & Plaion Pictures, Plain Archive, Shout! Factory, and Sugoi Co for International Home Entertainment Release of ARCANE

First Season of the Emmy^® Award-Winning Series from Riot Games to be Released for Home Entertainment Platforms Worldwide in 2024

NEW YORK (July 9, 2024) – GKIDS, the Academy Award^®-winning producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation, announced partnerships with Anime Ltd. & Plaion Pictures, Plain Archive, Shout! Factory, and Sugoi, to release the first season of ARCANE, the globally beloved hit series from Riot Games, on digital download-to-own and physical home media in international markets in 2024.

ARCANE will be released on digital download-to-own and physical home entertainment in Europe, South Korea, and Australia/New Zealand by Anime Ltd. & Plaion Pictures, Plain Archive, and Sugoi respectively. It will be released on digital download-to-own platforms in Latin America by Shout! Factory, who will additionally handle physical product distribution for North America alongside GKIDS.

Earlier this month, out of the Annecy International Film Festival, GKIDS previously announced it had acquired worldwide (excluding China) videogram and digital transactional rights to the first season of the internationally acclaimed series.

Fans can look forward to a full product array to be announced soon, ranging from digital to premium editions, including a 4K version exclusive to the home entertainment release.

ARCANE is set in the universe of the massively popular video game League of Legends, made by Riot Games and Fortiche Productions for Netflix. The series is co-created by Christian Linke and Alex Yee, and follows the origins of iconic League champions Vi and Jinx, as they become caught in the power struggle between the utopian city of Piltover and the oppressed underground city of Zaun. 

The series debuted in November 2021 to rave reviews, garnering widespread praise for its striking animation, emotionally complicated characters, thrilling music, and overall production quality. It has been praised by critics as one of the best video game adaptations ever created. The series went on to win four primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, as well as nine Annie Awards, including Best Mature Animated Television Broadcast Production.

* * * * * *

About GKIDS

GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world. After an astounding 13 Best Animated Feature nominations, the company took home the Oscar in 2024 for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed feature, The Boy and the Heron. The company’s previous nominations include The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, Mirai in 2019, Wolfwalkers in 2021, and The Boy and the Heron in 2024. For more than a decade, GKIDS’ influence on cinema has redefined the perception of animation as an artistic medium on par with live-action film through its stewardship of the Studio Ghibli catalog and by introducing American audiences to the critically-acclaimed films of other master filmmakers from around the world such as Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, Belle), Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers), Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine), Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You), Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), Alberto Vázquez (Unicorn Wars) and Masaaki Yuasa (Inu-Oh, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl), among countless others. Also, GKIDS is the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com

About Riot Games

Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends , which has gone on to be one of the most-played PC games in the world. In the years that followed, Riot released V ALORANT , Teamfight Tactics , Legends of Runeterra , and League of Legends: Wild Rift . Riot’s titles have led to the creation of some of the most-watched and widely recognized esports in the world, culminating in events like the League of Legends World Championship and VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) , which are watched by millions of fans each year. Riot has also expanded its IP through multimedia projects across music, comic books, board games, and Arcane , its Emmy-winning animated series.

About Anime Ltd.

Founded in 2012, Glasgow-based Anime Limited is a subsidiary of PLAION PICTURES and represents Japanese animation interests in the UK, France, and beyond. With a thoughtfully curated lineup of films, series, and soundtracks, Anime Limited has earned its title of Europe’s favourite anime distributor. Whether through fan-centric cinema runs, beautifully packaged collector’s editions, or sharing the best of anime music on vinyl, We offer bespoke experiences for all fans for titles such as Attack on Titan, BELLE, Cowboy Bebop, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece Film: RED, Spy x Family CODE: White, Your Name, and Weathering with You.

About Plaion Pictures

PLAION PICTURES is one of Europe’s leading independent film labels with headquarters just at the gates of Munich. We offer tailor-made marketing solutions for films and series on all channels, from cinema to TV and home entertainment to innovative digital offers.
Our goal is to entertain people with exciting, moving or humorous content – anytime and anywhere. Our unique and wide-ranging portfolio also includes a large number of renowned art house productions, numerous successful and award-winning theatrical releases and a library of over 1,600 titles. Moreover, movie fans also appreciate our high-quality special editions, which turn classics into new film experiences.
Plaion is headquartered in Planegg near Munich and has branches in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.plaion.com

About Plain Archive

Plain Archive was founded in 2013 as an independent publisher of physical media. In 2016, Plain Archive released Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy in Blu-ray, featuring its first original documentary film Old Days. In 2019, the official screenplay and storyboard of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite was published, becoming an instant bestseller. Plain Archive has worked with exceptional Korean filmmakers, as well as other internationally renowned directors such as Kore-eda Hirokazu, Jim Jarmusch, Denis Villeneuve, and Kogonada to craft compelling home video releases and books. www.plainarchive.com

About Shout! Studios

Shout! Studios is a multiplatform media company specializing in film and TV distribution, development, and production. The company has evolved with the changing entertainment landscape to excel in all forms of content distribution, including theatrical, digital streaming, broadcast and in-flight licensing, physical media, and more. Shout! Studios owns and manages a large portfolio of feature films, series, animation, and documentaries. The company’s creative acquisition mandate has established it as a leading independent distributor, with partners and properties including Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit, Shaun The Sheep), GKIDS and Studio Ghibli (including the latest Academy Award® -winning masterpiece from Miyazaki, The Boy And The Heron), LAIKA Studios (Coraline, ParaNorman), as well as Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in partnership with creator Joel Hodgson), alongside many others. Shout! Kids focuses on live-action and animated kids and family properties plus anime, and the company releases genre and horror films and television shows under the Scream Factory imprint. Shout! Studios also operates the acclaimed streaming service Shout! TV and its family of FAST channels. The company produces, acquires, and distributes new films, including Shout! Studios’ original Old Henry (Tim Blake Nelson), Linoleum (Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn), What’s Love Got To Do With It (Lily James, Emma Thompson, Shazad Latif), The Kill Room (Uma Thurman, Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson), Drugstore June (Esther Povitsky), and the Viggo Mortensen-directed western The Dead Don’t Hurt (Vicky Krieps, Viggo Mortensen). Shout! Studios is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Studios, visit ShoutStudios.com

About Sugoi Co

Sugoi Co is a leading distributor of high-quality animation film in Australia and New Zealand and is dedicated to bringing content to fans in the most engaging and exciting ways possible. Led by Tim Anderson, co-founder and former CEO of Madman Entertainment, our team brings a wealth of industry knowledge and a deep understanding of the Australian entertainment distribution landscape. Sugoi Co has recently released “The First Slam Dunk” and “Godzilla Minus One” in Australia and continues to flex its skills in licensing, distribution, and merchandising of quality content and licensed properties.

Press Contact:
42West for GKIDS
LA: 310-477-4442 | NY: 212-277-7555
GKIDS@42West.net

Anime Limited presents the home video release of the classic Macross title in an unmissable Blu-ray Ultimate Edition – pre-orders open June 6th!

GLASGOW, MAY 25TH 2024 –  Anime Limited, under license from BIGWEST, are thrilled to reveal their plans for the release of the Macross Plus Ultimate Edition, bringing this classic show to Blu Ray in English-speaking territories for the first time outside of Japan. 

In a landmark moment for fans of the decades-spanning legendary Macross franchise, the beloved classic 1995 film – together with its original four-part OVA presentation – will be made available for fans for the first time in English on Blu-ray. Created by BIGWEST and Studio Nue, with Shoji Kawamori (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Escaflowne) serving as executive director, the film marks the directorial debut of Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) as co-director and the first collaboration with inimitable composer Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne). 

In keeping with the significance of this release, Anime Limited are giving Macross Plus their trademark Ultimate Edition treatment, with a luxurious and high quality release that will be the centrepiece of any discerning anime fan’s collection.

This Ultimate Edition comes packaged in a large rigid slipcase adorned with the title’s most iconic visuals, within which is contained an immense and comprehensive hardback book chronicling the history, production and creative efforts behind Macross Plus – from interviews with its creators through to character designs, background and key animation artwork, this is the world of Macross Plus as you’ve never seen it before.

Also included with the set is a series of nine art cards celebrating all of the title’s key visuals, plus an A4 “concert promotion” poster serving as an homage to virtual pop idol Sharon Apple.

This attention to detail also extends to the contents of the discs themselves – as well as containing both the movie and OVA versions of Macross Plus, an anime praised as a “visual tour de force” by Forbes, these discs also contain a wealth of options and bonus content to allow fans to fully explore the title. Features on the disc includes the full Bandai Visual dub for the OVA version of the show, as well as the Manga Entertainment dub of OVA #4, while both Neil Nadelman’s Manga Entertainment subtitles and Bandai Visual’s subtitle options are present for the Movie Edition. With a host of other extras including an interview with Shoji Kawamori and Special Visual Effects Director Ichiro Itano, this is the ultimate Macross Plus viewing experience for new and old fans alike.

In North America, the Macross Plus Ultimate Edition will be available exclusively via the Crunchyroll Store , while UK customers will be able to purchase the product exclusively from the AllTheAnime.com storefront. Pre-orders for the release will open on Thursday, June 6th at 5PM BST / 12PM EST / 9AM PST. In France, customers will be able to purchase an exclusive Macross Plus Ultimate Edition French version limited to 100 units through our AllTheAnime.fr online shop, with pre-orders opening at the same time.

Additional editions of Macross Plus will also be available for France and other European territories to follow, with more details to be confirmed later in the year.

About MACROSS PLUS

In the year 2040, on the distant planet Eden, former childhood friends Isamu Dyson and Guld Goa Bowman find themselves pitted against each other as test pilots of rival teams in a competition to decide the next generation of variable mecha fighters. The two must also deal with their own unresolved history with mutual love interest, Myung Fang Lone, who has returned as the manager of Sharon Apple, the AI pop star (virturoid) and the galaxy’s biggest singing sensation.

When Sharon’s advanced artificial intelligence gains consciousness, Isamu, Myung, and Guld must face their turbulent past and come together as Sharon Apple becomes self-aware and takes control of the Macross battlefortress itself!

About BIGWEST

BIGWEST CO., LTD., are representative owners of the Macross franchise. BIGWEST also provides planning and production for animation, as well as concerts, events, TV programs, etc., and manages related licenses and copyrights. 

For more Macross information, visit: 

Website www.macross.jp (Japanese only) 

X https://x.com/MACROSS_BIGWEST  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MacrossBigwestOfficial/ 

YouTube [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeM8HXpwR0qc0RtH0GKyMg[/youtube] 

About Anime Ltd

Founded by Andrew Partridge and Cedric Littardi in 2012, Glasgow-based Anime Limited is PLAION PICTURES’ Japanese animation arm in the UK, France, and beyond. With a thoughtfully curated lineup of films, series, and soundtracks, Anime Limited has earned its title of Europe’s favourite anime distributor. Whether through fan-centric cinema runs, beautifully packaged collector’s editions, or sharing the best of anime music on vinyl, Anime Limited offers bespoke experiences for all fans for titles such as Attack on Titan, BELLE, Cowboy Bebop, JUJUTSU KAISEN, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece Film: RED, Your Name, and Weathering with You.

Although only the most recent three weeks of posts are visible on this blog’s front page, you can navigate through the previous nine years of articles using the tags. Click on these links to find our world-class obituaries and book reviews , or coverage of Japan and China . You can read the Hugo award-winning Jeannette Ng on Japanese popular culture,  the Harvey award-winning Helen McCarthy on anime and live events, Jeremy Clarke , Tom Wilmot and Jasper Sharp on Japanese live-action film, and Tom Smith on Japanese music.

The writers for the All the Anime blog have included authors like Andrew Osmond , academics like Zoe Crombie , and punditry from the likes of Hugh David , Andy Hanley , Shelley Pallis and Meghan Ellis . Motoko Tamamuro has poked around the world of untranslated Japanese books and Chris Perkins has rounded up the years in streaming.

Thanks to them, and to the many guest contributors who have enriched this blog over the last nine years, to the tune of over a thousand articles, and thanks to Anime Limited for supporting it for so long.

Jonathan Clements (Features Editor, 2015-2024)

By Andrew Osmond.

Many readers of this blog will know what a dating sim is. It’s a computer game where your character develops a romantic relationship with someone else, often one of multiple “possible” characters.

Actually, the definition’s more contentious than that. That above description could apply to many Visual Novels where relationships are important in the branching story, including epics like Fate/stay night and Steins;Gate. But you’ll find people claiming online that dating sims are not Visual Novels. Rather, dating sims should be seen as a different kind of game, often focused on saying the right thing to the right person at the right time, where you’re scored according to how well or badly your relationships are going.

Leaving Visual Novels aside, dating sims are a blurry continuum. Some action RPGs include dating sim elements, including the Persona and Sakura Wars series. But one obvious way to classify dating sims is to separate them into the ones where you’re a guy, and those where you’re a girl. Dating sims where a girl woos guys are called “otome” (maiden) games, and they range from the fantastical Alice in the Country of Hearts to the historical Hakuoki, which were both adapted as anime.

One of the jokes in Trapped in a Dating Sim is that its hapless hero finds himself in an “otome” game and ends up making it a boy-dates-girls game instead. That’s absolutely not what he intended, though; he wanted as little to do with dating sims as possible. At first he’s unnamed (which is how many game characters start out until their players name them). We join him when he’s playing what he thinks is a chronically horrible otome game. He’s only grinding through it because he’s been blackmailed by his younger sister. (What his sister has on him is a mystery, but it must be something really sordid.)

So our hero hate-plays the game’s intrepid girl protagonist, in a posh school full of cute guys who love her, mean girls who hate her, and endless rounds of tea parties. More incongruously, there are monster-filled dungeons, and flying motorbikes, and battles with big robots. The “rationale” is this is a game by a studio that usually caters to male audiences, bunging in what it knows, and bother the worldbuilding. Finally, after days of this drivel – the difficulty level is mercilessly high – the player finishes the stupid game. He gets up, walks outside… and is so exhausted that he tumbles down his apartment steps, apparently lethally.

Of course, he finds himself in the game he hated so much, incoherent worldbuilding and all. You’d expect he’d be one of the main characters, but instead he finds that he’s become a background extra, a generic nobody. In RPG terms, he’s a common or garden “mob ”; the anime’s official subtitle is “The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs.” It’s only at this point that he’s given a name – he’s Leon Fou Bartfort, son of a minor baronet who wasn’t even in the game.

Which suits Leon fine. He’s delighted to stay in the margins of a story he loathed, like a Tolkien-hater hiding as the sixth nameless hobbit on the left. Fate, though, drags Leon into the plot through amusingly daft contrivances. First, he’s threatened with marriage to a rapacious aristo – this is a matriarchal society. To avoid that, Leon goes on a treasure hunt and ends up finding an ancient A.I. who becomes his secret confidant – we told you the worldbuilding was random. Leon’s plan is to find a low-ranking wife at the school in the game and then live quietly ever after. Only his treasure-hunting success bumps up his status to a Baron, forcing him to court the high-ranking ladies at the heart of the game…

As you may have gathered, this isn’t a power-fantasy; it’s a farce about a supposedly predictable situation spinning out of the main character’s control. Things are out of whack as soon as Leon enters the academy. The “protagonist” girl (Olivia) is around, but she’s not the protagonist anymore; another girl seems to have stolen her script and story. For all his cynicism, Leon can’t help feeling sorry for the desolate Olivia, and also for Angelica, the game’s designated “villainess” who’s outraged at her betrothed prince dallying with a stranger. Before long, Leon’s planned quiet life is forgotten as he’s fighting monsters, duelling in mecha, and relishing being the school pariah, not noticing how much he’s disrupting events. But as he causes characters around him to break character and grow beyond their scripts, will he learn to grow himself?

The show is based on a light novel by Yomu Mishima (like many successful LN series, it also spawned a manga). Given the “reincarnation” device is a staple of Japan’s portal fantasies, it’s no surprise that Trapped in a Dating Sim originated on the Shosetsuka ni Naro website , where tons of these stories began. Some fans have complained the series feels nothing like playing a dating sim, but that surely broadens its audience. Apart from the ludicrous anti-worldbuilding, where you go from a school to a flying island to a gleaming spaceship in moments, the main gag seems to be how a character’s blunders can mess up a predictable romance story – not so different from Shrek. Then there’s the mystery of the strange girl who’s stolen the part of the otome protagonist. In fan terms, she’s trying to Mary Sue a Mary Sue.

Reportedly, “otome game” stories are trending massively in Light Novels and manga at the moment. As of writing, there’s an anime serial of Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, from a South Korean novel and manhwa. It’s not about an otome game, but it’s another story of a character (female) who reincarnates to rewrite a story from the inside, where romance mingles with murder. And then, of course, there’s the anime adaptation I’m in Love with the Villainess, whose reincarnated office lady sets out to turn a “straight” otome story into the yuri romance of her dreams.

Andrew Osmond is the author of 100 Animated Feature Films . Trapped in a Dating Sim is released in the UK by Crunchyroll.