Anime UK News has recently received confirmation that Manga Entertainment will release the complete series 1 collection of Psycho-Pass on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK on Monday, September 01^st, 2014.

Here are the details:

A thrilling, futuristic and gripping new crime drama brought to you by Production I.G. (Ghost In The Shell, Blood-C, The End Of Evangelion) that echoes hard-hitting film and TV series such as Minority Report, Judge Dredd and The Tomorrow People.

Brace yourself for a hardboiled, sci-fi thriller from the creator of Madoka Magica and the studio that brought you Ghost in the Shell. Welcome to a world where just thinking about a crime is enough to enough to make you guilty. Bad intentions can no longer be hidden, and the police know exactly which tainted minds are about to cross over to the wrong side of the law. The great equalizer in the war on thugs is the Dominator, a futuristic weapon that can read minds and assess the risk that a citizen will turn criminal. Cops work in teams made up of Enforcers and Inspectors. Enforcers take out the bad guys, Inspectors stop their partners from going rogue, and the all-powerful Sibyl System keeps a watchful eye on us all. Society is paralyzed by its deepest, darkest desires, and trial by jury has been replaced by the wrath of the Dominator. Welcome to the future. How guilty are you? Contains episodes 1-22.

Extras include:

Episode 5 commentary, Textless Opening Song “abnormalize”, Textless Closing Song “Namae No Nai Kaibutsu”, Episode 11 commentary, Psycho-Pass at Sakura Con Part 1, U.S. Trailer

For a while now, one of the big questions has been "What titles will Anime Limited release before the year is over?". While we've seen a stream of releases throughout the year, the last quarter has been shrouded in mystery. Today however, Anime Limited have finally confirmed their tentative Q4 slate - there's one title to still be confirmed and another to even be announced, but even without them it includes highly anticipated releases such as Gurren Lagann and Space Dandy! The full list is as follows:

October 2014:

Blood Lad - This series will be released as both a DVD and a blu-ray collectors edition. The release will include the OVA, with the blu-ray collector's edition also coming in rigid packaging and containing a 96-page booklet. The RRP of the DVD release is £34.99, while the blu-ray is priced at £49.99.

HAL - This 2013 science fiction film will be available as a DVD/blu-ray combi-pack which will be in ridgid collector's packaging and include a 20-page booklet.

Patema Inverted - After a limited theatrical run earlier this year, Anime Limited will be releasing the movie as a regular barebones combi-pack (which has an RRP of £24.99) and a collector's edition (£34.99). Extremely limited quanitites of the Ultimate Edition will be available exclusively on All The Anime's store and Amazon for £84.99.

November:

Space Dandy - The first season of Shinichiro Watanabe's latest space-set series will be available both on DVD and blu-ray exclusively as collector's editions that will include a 116 page art booklet. The DVD set has an RRP of £49.99, while the blu-ray's price has been set at £69.99.

Wings of Honneamise - This classic animated movie will be available as a standalone DVD for £17.99, as well as a £34.99 combi-pack collector's edition that contains a 20 page booklet and other extras that will be announced in the future. 

December:

Kill la Kill Volume 1 (TENTATIVE) - Although confirmation is still pending from Aniplex, Anime Limited is hoping to have the first volume of Studio Trigger's adrenaline-fueled anime released by the end of the year, 

Mystery Film - No, that isn't the title. It's a license that Anime Limited have yet to announce. Subtitled and dubbed theatrical showings for this mystery film will take place in October November before a £19.99 DVD release and a £34.99 collector's edition combi-pack will be released in December.

Of course, this list is subject to change at any time (and Andrew even teased that there might be additions to the schedule) and if there are any, you'll be able to read about them here as and when they happen!

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Over the last couple of weeks in the UK anime scene, there has been a lot of discussion over the impact of video demand services such as Crunchyroll, Lovefilm and Netflix and whether they will be future for niche mediums like anime in the future.

A small number of anime series' and movies are currently available on the service and today, Anime Limited revealed on Facebook that two of their most highly anticipated licenses have been added to the line-up: Studio Trigger's 2013 hit Kill la Kill and Gainax's 2007 classic Gurren Lagann! Both series' are directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by Kazuki Nakashima.

Gurren Lagann is available in both English dubbed and Japanese subtitled formats, while Kill la Kill can currently only be viewed in the original Japanese language (with English subtitles).

Anime Limited will be releasing Gurren Lagann as a collector's "Ultimate Edition" on 1st September, with a regular DVD and blu-ray release to follow in October. They will also be releasing Kill la Kill in the near future.

A new Doraemon movie is going to be released next year and a trailer showing some space action has been released.

The next Doraemon movie is scheduled for a theatrical release in March 2015 and it runs under the name Doraemon: Nobita’s Space Hero Record of Space Heroes (Nobita no Space Heroes Uchū Eiyū-ki).

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A Dragon Ball Z movie will be released next year and footage was released yesterday on Fuji TV’s Mezamashi TV programme.

The teaser video contains footage of Goku powering up into a Super Saiyan and shots of Shenron, the eternal Dragon. Dragon Ball Z fans will also recognise Hironobu Kageyama singing the famous Cha-La Head-Cha-La theme tune.

What we know about the project so far is that it has an original concept, screenplay and character designs from Akira Toriyama and that it will be directed by Tadayoshi Yamamuro, a man familiar with the franchise due to his experience working as an animation director and in other capacities for many Dragon Ball Z film and TV titles. This new film is expected to get a release next April/May during Japanese Golden Week.

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Earlier this week, MCM Expo confirmed a new special guest for the Scotland Comic Con, which will be taking place at the SECC in Glasgow between 6-7th September. He was involved in the key animation of notable anime series' such as Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Gurren Lagann and The Tatami Galaxy (where he also served as an episode director) and is currently helming the science fiction comedy series Space Dandy with Shinichiro Watanabe.

Shingo Natsume will be attending the event on both days of the weekend, as well as holding a panel on the Saturday.

If you would like more information on MCM Scotland, don't hesitate to visit the official website.

The Japan Foundation has organised a series of free screenings from August 9^th - 22^nd. The films are a mixture of live-action and anime films which range from comedy to period drama. Here’s a list with some trailers for and clips from the films:

• Saturday, 9 August, 2pm
  After the Flowers (Dir. Kenji Nakanishi, 2010, 107 mins, English subtitles)

A drama set in the Edo period and tells of the blossoming romance between Ito, the daughter a of a clan official, and a low ranking samurai. Can their romance be?

• Saturday, 9 August, 6:30pm
  Barefoot Gen (Dir. Mori Masaki, 1983, 85mins, English subtitles)

Barefoot Gen tells the harrowing story of six-year-old Gen Nakaoka and his family who survive the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and see the results of the event.

• Friday, 15 August, 2pm
  Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Battle of the Warring States (Dir. Keiichi Hara, 2002, 95 mins, English subtitles)

Naughty school boy Shin Chan and his hapless an dysfunctional family travel back in time to the Sengoku period. Could he rewrite history?

• Friday, 15 August, 6:30pm
  Waterboys (Dir. Shinobu Yaguchi, 2001, 91 min, English subtitles)

The much-loved tale about a female teacher who creates a synchronised swimming team at a boy’s school. Five different pupils must work together to create a performance in time for the school’s festival.

• Saturday, 16 August, 2pm
  Bushido Sixteen (Dir. Tomoyuki Furumaya, 2010, 109 mins, English subtitles)

Kaori Isoyama is an elite kendo champion who has trained under her strict father’s guidance since the young age of three. When she is defeated by the more nonchalant Sanae at middle school, she becomes intent on fighting back and winning her honour! When she meets Sanae at high school and on the same kendo team, Kaori challenges her and the two embark upon an awkward rivalry/friendship full of swordplay and, surprisingly for both, laughter.

• Saturday, 16 August, 6:30pm
  Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Dir. David Gelb, 2011, 81 mins, English subtitles)

85 year-old Jiron Ono may run a tiny restaurant in a subway station but he is considered one of the best sushi chefs in the world. This American documentary takes a look at the life of Jiro and his work.

• Friday, 22 August, 2pm
  Chibi Maruko-chan (Dir. Tsutomu Shibayama, 1990, 94 mins, English subtitles)

Nine-year old Momoko Sakura (Chibi Maruko-chan) may not be as well known as other Japanese school girl protagonists in the west but her antics have won the hearts of many in Japan and this film gives a good example of what has made her so poplar as she gets into mischief to reunite two best friends.

The film will be introduced by Helen McCarthy.

• Friday, 22 August, 6:30pm
  Hotel Hibiscus (Dir. Yuji Nakae, 2003, 92 min, English subtitles)

Hotel Hibiscus is a smallm run down one room family-run hotel in Okinawa. When Mieko’s older brother and sister leave the island to start new lives, she goes on a journey to scover her cultural roots.

The films will be available to view at The Japan Foundation, London, Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, London WC1B 5EH from August 9^th – 22^nd, 2014. The event is free to attend but places are limited and must be reserved for the event. To book your place you must email your name and the title of the event you would like to attend to event@jpf.org.uk.

For more information, visit the Japan Foundation website.

New manga releases this week:

New anime releases this week:

Accel World: Part 2 (Blu-Ray) (MVM Films)

RRP: £29.99

Buy from Amazon for £21.50

Accel World: Part 2 (DVD) (MVM Films)

RRP: £24.99

Buy from Amazon for £17.75

Jormungand: Series 1 (Blu-Ray) (Manga Entertainment)

RRP: £34.99

Buy from Amazon for £25.25

Jormungand: Series 1 (DVD) (Manga Entertainment)

RRP: £24.99

Buy from Amazon for £17.75

Naruto Shippuden: Box Set 18 (DVD) (Manga Entertainment)

RRP: £24.99

Buy from Amazon for £19.99

Earlier today, Manga Entertainment UK hosted their usual panel at Manchester's MCM Comic Con event, where they unveiled a selection of titles that will make up their releases in the second half of this year. Perhaps the biggest new announcement was of the theatrical feature Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods or maybe even their timely announcement of Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, which is due out just after the release of the Wii U exclusive Bayonetta 2 video game. Their full list of announcements are as follows:

• The aforementioned Bayonetta: Bloody Fate will be released on both the standard definition DVD and high definition blu-ray on 24th November.
• Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods will be released on DVD and blu-ray on 10th December and will be accompanied by a limited theatrical run and will appear at this year's Scotland Loves Anime Festival. Curiously, the film was licensed from Fox as opposed to Toei Animation (a side-effect of the ill-fated Dragonball Evolution perhaps?).
• Ghost in the Shell Arise: Border 1 and Border 2 will be accompanying Bayonetta on the same formats and the same release date as a two disc release.
• Space Pirate Captain Harlock, the 3D CG animated movie from Toei Animation will be released on DVD and blu-ray early next year.
• The live-action web series Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist will be receiving a release on DVD, blu-ray and a limited edition steelbook on 27th October. Unlike the original web series (which will be pulled from YouTube at the end of the month), this release will be formatted as a feature-length compilation as opposed to broken up into the episodes of the original web series.

Are you looking forward to any of these upcoming releases?

Third Window Films have launched a crowd-funding project for planned Dual Format 3-disc Limited Edition release of a collection of some of the latest and hottest indie films produced in Japan this year. Here are the details:
 

New Directors from Japan

 

Kickstarter Crowd-Funding Campaign now live at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/893976289/new-directors-from-japan
 

Third Window Films have always tried hard to bring a wide variety of films from the Far East to the West, from big studio productions to minor indie masterpieces, and this project is another step in our goal to open up the West to what's so great about Asian cinema!

This project, hopefully the first of many (depending on the success of this kickstarter campaign!), is focusing on young and unique directors from Japan whose films have not received any sort of distribution in their own or any other territory. We want to focus on supporting young talent and making their names recognisable so decided to create this 'NEW DIRECTORS FROM JAPAN' release which focuses on individual directors and their work.

Third Window Films has always tried to find directors and films that are both 'unique' and 'entertaining' and we feel that these three directors fit into the Third Window Films brand perfectly, so we are incredibly happy to present the filmmakers and their titles:

Nagisa Isogai

Age: 28

Student Film: MY BABY 
Watashi no Aka-chan - 2010／color／stereo／16min／16mm



Synopsis:

Heavily pregnant Hatsumi and her sister Chika visit a shrine to pray for a safe birth, but in a tragic turn of events, Hatsumi tumbles down the stairs and loses the baby.
 
6 months later, Chika's baby is safely born and when Hatsumi visits Chika she finds out that Chika named her daughter Aoi, which happened to be the name Hatsumi chose for her own baby...
 
What terrible secrets are hidden from their past and what lies ahead for these two?



Mid-Length Debut: THE LUST OF ANGELS 
Tenshu no Yokubo - 2013／colour／stereo／40min



Synopsis:

Saori, a school girl, is molested on the notorious "molester train" of the Hanagawa line and rescued by another school girl who witnesses the act. The girl who rescues her turned out to be a new student of Yamashiro Gakuen high school, which Saori also attends. The mysterious new student Yuriko, is rumoured to be a "parent killer".
Yuriko then leads Saori and her friends to hunt molesters.
 
Confronting their own desires, they go out of control. After a shocking encounter and separation between the two high school girls, their desires never to meet and reconcile, like train tracks never to cross. Those desires lead to a horrific end.
 

Hirobumi Watanabe
Age: 31



Feature Debut: AND THE MUD SHIP SAILS AWAY
Soshite dorobune wa yuku - 2013／colour／stereo／88min



Hirobumi Watanabe’s feature debut was made by a crew of four & their families & friends on a budget of less than £3,000!

Synopsis

Takashi (Kiyo Shibukawa from Blue Spring), 36 years old and unemployed, is completely aimless. He lives with his grandmother, repeating the same routine - game center, bowling center, watching TV - day after day. This suddenly changes when Yuka shows up, claiming to be his half-sister. Confronted with a new situation, Takashi finally makes a decision. Whether it is a good one, remains to be seen.


 

Kosuke Tayaka
Age: 27



Debut Film: BUY BLING, GET ONE FREE!
Oshare Bangaichi - 2013／colour／stereo／27min／35mm



Synopsis

After being dumped by his girlfriend while on a date Kamono Naoto gets really down. ‘What’s wrong with my fashion?’ he wonders as he’s told off for being embarrassingly over-the-top with his see-through jacket, feather shorts and patterned pantyhose. Nobody understands his fashion. Neither his friends nor even a writer for a fashion magazine he likes.

One day though a man offers him to become a fashion model exclusively for one brand and to become a fashion leader, a dreamlike opportunity. In a trance Kamono follows this man to enter a strange and unimaginable world…
 
 

Planned release date November 24, 2014

Special Features:
3 Disc Limited Edition of 1,000 copies - Dual Format release with cardboard slipcase.
“Interviews with all 3 directors as well as a focus on the Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) and their New Directions in Japanese Cinema project

This release will be a limited edition set of only 1,000 copies. To cover both our blu-ray and DVD customers, the release will be a DUAL FORMAT release and include BOTH a BLU-RAY and a DVD of the films, as well as a separate extras disc (on DVD) which will include interviews with all the directors involved. 

This KICKSTARTER campaign is to setup the initial costs of creating this release. Due to the number of films, interviews as well as the fact that we are putting both a blu-ray and 2 dvds into the box with a slipcase it is a very expensive project, so we want to raise the initial funds by pre-selling the first 250 copies at £16 each (the retail price will be £22.99) and the added bonus of pre-ordering is that each of the 250 copies will be signed by all 3 directors!

Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) / New Directions in Japanese Cinema

 
VIPO operates ndjc were commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as part of its policy to promote Japanese film and film-making. The project focuses on talented young film-makers to give them the real film-making skills through workshops, imparting the necessary knowledge and techniques to polish their film-making techniques and creativity. The long-term goal is to discover and foster the next generation of feature-length film directors. Since 2006 to 2013, there have been a total of 43 film-makers.

Toei animation have release a trailer for the latest PreCure film, HappinessCharge Precure! The Movie: The Ballerina of the Land of Dolls (Ningyō no Kuni no Ballerina) which will get a theatrical release on October 11^th.

Synopsis

The Pretty Cure girls are all set to watch a play when the dolls start talking. What they say is pretty menacing:

"Please rescue our kingdom!" the ballerina named Tsumugi says, and she leads the Pretty Cures to the Doll Kingdom. The Pretty Cures head to the Doll Kingdom where they thought they would be surrounded by cute stuffed animals, but instead they find a mysterious man named Black Fang who is attacking the kingdom. Worse is to come when he captures Tsumugi. The Pretty Cures won’t stand for this and aim to save the day.

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A trailer for the latest entry in the Fatal Frame series has been released ahead of its Japanese release on September 27^th for the WiiU.  Warning: Trailer has some graphic imagery.

Koei Tecmo revealed Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden for Wii U during a NicoNico Live Fatal Frame series stream hosted by Koei Tecmo producer Keisuke Kikuchi made an appearance during the NicoNico Live Fatal Frame series stream.

The game follows Yuri Kozukata, a girl who has the ability to see and bring back people who have been “spirited away” to another realm and are no longer visible. After accepting a request to find someone she heads to a mountain that has a large lake and graves. According to Kikuchi, the big fear is in getting wet and seeing traditional Japanese ghosts in traditional settings. The Wii U GamePad will be utilised as a weapon and it will have a camera feature that shows things that you normally can’t see with your eyes.

A live-action Fatal Frame movie is also in the works for release later this year.

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A full trailer for When Marnie Was There (Omoide no Mani) has been released ahead of its premiere this weekend.

Synopsis

Anna has travelled from the big city to a coastal town in Hokkaido where she is staying with an adoptive mother she refers to as 'Aunt' and trying to overcome a serious bout of asthma. She finds it hard to make friends and so spends a lot of time alone but when she sees a blonde haired girl in a western style house, she is drawn to her. Anna meets the girl and finds out that she is called Marnie and they play together. It seems that Anna has made her first ever friend but all is not as it seems with Marnie…  

When Marnie Was There is Studio Ghibli’s latest film and is based on a British novel written by Joan G. Robinson which was originally published in 1967. The film is directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (Arrietty) who also helped adapt it for the screen.

The film has a selection of great live-action actors and actresses taking on the roles with Sara Takatsuki (Daily Lives of High School Boys) taking on the role of Anna and Kasumi Arimura (Judge) voicing Marnie. Nanako Matsushima (Shield of Straw, Ringu) and Susumu Terajima (Eyes of the Spider, Hana-bi, After Life) also take on seiyuu duties.

 The trailer contains Priscilla Ahn’s theme song “Fine on the Outside” – the first Studio Ghibli theme song completely in English.

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Nikkatsu have released a full trailer for the live-action adaptation of Tokyo Tribes which comes from the legendary bad boy of Japanese cinema, Sion Sono.

Synopsis

The film takes place some time in the future and five years have passed since the Shibuya riots. Now, there are now several tribes that exits in Tokyo. Kai Deguchi is a member of the Musashino Saru tribe led by Tera.

When a member of Musashino Saru is killed by rival tribe Bukuro Wu-RONZ led by Mera, Kai finds himself facing off against a former best friend. Meanwhile, Tera, the leader of Musashino Saru and a moderate who forbids using violence, is killed by Mera who is also from Bukuro Wu-RONZ.

The Musashino Saru gang becomes split over the issue of the use of violence and soon a massive gang war between the tribes erupts with Kai caught in the middle.

Tokyo Tribes is a seinen manga created by Santa Inoue and serialised in the urban fashion magazine Boon from 1997 to 2005. It mixes Hip Hop culture with a future dystopian Tokyo and focusses on two warring gangs.The trailer looks like Sion Sono has made a pure entertainment film. He is considered one of Japan’s leading auteurs and a person unafraid to tackle different subjects. Having built up a reputation with horror films such as Suicide Club (2002) and Strange Circus (2005) he has dabbled in drama with Noriko’s Dinner Table (2005) and gangsters with Hazard (2005) and last year’s incredible yakuza wars comedy film Why Don’t You Play in Hell? which this looks similar to in tone with wild action and much over the top violence.

Its production was announced last year and open auditions were held which involved people uploading videos to a YouTube channel. The person who won the audition was YOUNG DAIS and he took the role of main protagonist Kai.

Although there’s a new face taking the lead role, there is a veritable selection of familiar top acting talent also on screen alongside him with Denden, star of Cold Fish (2011), Yui Ishikawa, actress in Ju-on: The Grudge (2003), and Shota Sometani star of Hiimizu (2012) and the forthcoming live-action adaptation of Parasyte, in the supporting cast.

This being a film that relies heavily on rap music it should come as no surprised that top Japanese hip-hop acts are contributing with Zeebra leading the way.

The film gets a release at the end of August.