Manga Entertainment Schedules UK Uncut Blu-ray & DVD release for Demon City Shinjuku & Wicked City
UK distributor Manga Entertainment has announced a brand-new addition to their fourth quarter of 2020 release slate for the United Kingdom and Ireland territories, which is also a license rescue.
Two of director Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s classic anime films – Demon City Shinjuku & Wicked City – are returning to the UK & Ireland on the Blu-ray format in one double film collection set. Kawajiri is known for directing the iconic 1993 film Ninja Scroll and the 2000 film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, both of which are currently available to own on Blu-ray in the UK.
The 1987 solo directorial debut film Wicked City will be presented in its original uncut and uncensored form for the first time. The English dub is included alongside the Japanese audio with English subtitles (UPDATE December 2020: Originally this article mentioned both dubs would be included, unfortunately only one of them is so I apologise for the confusion).
“It’s not unusual for lady-killer Renzaburo Taki to share a night with a woman. When that woman can turn into a demonic spider, however, it’s just a little worrying. The demons are on the move, and as a member of the blackguard, Taki’s Job–his *real* job–is to protect the human world from the demon world. And his work is just beginning! A fragile peace exists between the two worlds, brokered, by a treaty. In order for renewal of that treaty to go smoothly, Taki has to protect Giuseppi Mayart, a two-hundred-year-old man with immense spiritual power, from an extremist faction of demons seeking to bring chaos to the two worlds.”
Wicked City is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi’s 1985 novel of the same name and animated by studio Madhouse and Video Art. Manga Entertainment previously released the film on VHS in the 90s with 1 minute 48 seconds removed by the British Board of Film Classification.
His 1988 film Demon City Shinjuku will also be presented in its original form as before. The Manga Entertainment English dub is included alongside the Japanese audio with English subtitles.
“Ten Years ago, Genichiro Izayoi died trying to stop the sorcerer Rebi Ra, and as a result Shinjuku became a playground for demons. And now, the day approaches when Rebi Ra will complete his decade-long ritual to plunge the rest of the world into chaos! As Genichiro’s son, it falls to Kyoya to venture into the heart of Shinjuku and put an end to the sorcerer his father couldn’t beat. Can Kyoya exceed his father’s legacy, or will the demons of Shinjuku create Hell on Earth?”
Demon City Shinjuku is based on Hideyuki Kikuchi’s 1982 novel of the same name and animated by studio Madhouse. Manga Entertainment previously released the film on VHS under the name Monster City.
The two films will be presented together in a single collection scheduled for 23rd November 2020 with an SRP £39.99 for the limited edition Blu-ray box set. The limited edition box set contains the two films across two Amaray cases with one Blu-ray disc each, and are housed inside a rigid box. Also included are 8 art cards and an art booklet.
The DVD version will also be available for SRP £19.99, and retailer HMV will provide a shop exclusive variant of the Blu-ray set for SRP £29.99 which includes similar packaging to the limited edition but comes with a poster instead of a booklet. A regular Blu-ray version will also be available in a single Amaray case.
Source: Manga Entertainment
