Manga Entertainment Reveals Q2 2021 Anime Releases – Azur Lane, BOFURI, Cannon Busters, CLANNAD, No Guns Life Season 2, Plunderer & More
UPDATE 3rd February: The article below has been amended to include changes to certain release dates. In addition, due to clerical error, Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry will not be released under Manga Entertainment and Funimation UK for home video.
UK distributor Manga Entertainment has today announced a new batch of upcoming releases, this time for the second quarter of 2021 (April to June). Some of the titles mentioned were originally part of the 2020 or Q1 2021 slate but had been pushed back due to various issues.
The release dates below are not finalised either as last minute changes can occur.
Attack on Titan Season 3
The 2018-19 series was previously released into two parts, and will soon be available as a complete season collection on Blu-ray (£49.99 SRP) and DVD (£39.99 SRP). Both sets are scheduled for 5th April 2021.
“The truth about the Titans begins to come to light. Political secrets, a false king, and the reality that will shake the foundation of the world—all falls on the shoulders of Eren and his friends, as they fight to survive. With Historia set to be the rightful Queen, the Levi Squad must act. But a figure from Levi’s past, the deadly Kenny, could turn this into a losing battle. Are Eren and his friends prepared to face the true monsters that lie within the walls?”
Azur Lane
The 2019 series will be available as a complete series collection on Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP). It is currently scheduled for 12th April 2021.
“After repelling an alien menace, the Azur Lane global alliance was supposed to settle into an era of peace. But the temptation to wield Siren technology causes Iron Blood and Sakura Empire to betray Azur Lane, starting an all-out battleship girl war!”
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defence Season 1
The 2020 series will be available in both standard (£39.99 SRP) and limited edition (£64.99 SRP) Blu-ray sets. The limited edition will include a rigid box, 120-page artbook, 24×14-inch gaming playmat, 6 art cards and a sticker. Both sets are scheduled for 5th April 2021.
“Maple doesn’t want to experience pain in the VRMMO game she started playing, so she puts all her skill points into defense until she can’t even move. Somehow it works better than anyone expected. Now she’s got followers??”
Cannon Busters
The 2019 series that was among Netflix’s Original Anime will be available in both standard Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP), standard DVD (£24.99 SRP) and limited edition (£69.99 SRP) Blu-ray sets. The limited edition comes with over 50 minutes of bonus content; “Cannon Busters – A Journey Behind the Scenes”, Gallery, Textless Opening & Closing, Trailers and the complete Episode 1 animatics.
Alongside a rigid box includes a super-collectable AR enabled “Hangman’s Saloon Jukebox” pin from PinFinity, which unlocks the opening title animation and “Showdown” theme song that you can play on your pin, an exclusive 64 page, full-colour production art booklet containing the opening title animation storyboards Opening and Closing lyric sheets and Closing animation artworks, 6 full-colour art cards and a filler box called Philly Box.
It is currently scheduled for 10th May 2021.
“Follow the adventures and exploits of S.A.M., a high-end, royal-class friendship droid who’s joined by a quirky, discarded maintenance robot and a brash, deadly fugitive. Together, the unlikely trio embarks on an unforgettable journey in a fantastic and dangerous world in search of S.A.M.’s best friend, the heir to a powerful kingdom under siege.”
CLANNAD & CLANNAD After Story
The 2007-09 series will return to the UK as one complete series collection. It will be available as a standard (£39.99 SRP) and limited edition Blu-ray set. Both sets are currently scheduled for 19th April 2021.
UPDATE: Limited Edition Blu-ray details were revealed. Priced at £64.99 SRP, it will include a 40-page artbook and 6 art cards.
“Ever since the death of his mother, Tomoyo’s life has been in a downward spiral. Nagisa’s declining health has been so fragile that she’s been forced to repeat a year of school. But when he agrees to help her restart the school’s disbanded Drama Club, they learn that sometimes, if you find the right people to help you, you can get a second chance at happiness.
Join the ambitious Tomoyo, who dreams of becoming class president; Kotomi, a troubled genius with a secret past; and the mysterious Fuko, whose connection with the world has become so tenuous that she’s literally fading from existence. Discover the healing power of kindred souls, and experience the complete classic story of life, love, and the power of the human spirit in two extraordinary series: CLANNAD and CLANNAD AFTER STORY.”
Dragon Ball Z
The 1989 series a few years ago was re-released as a 30th Anniversary collection that switched the aspect ratio back to 4:3. The individual seasonal collections continues with Season 6 scheduled for 26th April 2021, Season 7 scheduled for 24th May 2021 and Season 8 scheduled for 28th June 2021. Each season will continue to be available in both standard Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP) and an Amazon exclusive steelbook.
Fruits Basket Season 2
Previously slated for Q1 2021, the second half of Fruits Basket Season 2 is currently scheduled for 12th April 2021. It will be released as a standard Blu-ray (£29.99 SRP), standard DVD (£24.99 SRP) and limited edition (£64.99 SRP) Blu-ray sets. The limited edition will include a box, 3 art cards featuring special characters, 15 art cards with painted artwork from the ending song, and 3 exclusive zodiac animal figures; Sheep, Monkey & Rooster.
“After a family tragedy turns her life upside down, 16-year-old high schooler Tooru Honda takes matters into her own hands and moves out… into a tent! Unfortunately for her, she pitches her new home on private land belonging to the mysterious Souma clan, and it isn’t long before the owners discover her secret. But, as Tooru quickly finds out when the family offers to take her in, the Soumas have a secret of their own when hugged by the opposite sex, they turn into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac!”
Hetalia World Party: The Beautiful World & World Twinkle
Previously slated for Q2 2020, the fifth and sixth seasons of Hetalia released in 2013 and 2015 is now scheduled for 12th April 2021. It will be released as a standard DVD (£24.99 SRP).
Hunter x Hunter
The 2011 series began its UK home video releases late last year and will wrap up with Part 4 (Episodes 89-118) scheduled for 3rd May 2021 and Part 5 (Episodes 119-148) scheduled for 21st June 2021. Each part will continue to be available in as a standard Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP).
No Guns Life Season 2
With the first season coming this Q1, the second season that aired in 2020 will be available on Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP) as well. It is currently scheduled for 19th July 2021.
“Juzo Inui awakens as an Extended, a cyborg human soldier. Unsure of how he became altered, he takes to the dark city streets as a Resolver, hoping to find the answers to his burning questions.”
Plunderer
The 2020 series will be available in both standard Blu-ray (£39.99 SRP), standard DVD (£24.99 SRP) and limited edition (£64.99 SRP) Blu-ray sets. The limited edition will include a rigid box, artbook, 8 art cards, 2 stickers and an Acrylic Standee. Part 1 of both sets, covering episodes 1-12, are scheduled for 21st June 2021.
“Alcia is a world governed by “Count”: numbers engraved on a person’s body, representing any number related to their life. These Counts determine a person’s social status and power in Alcia. If a Count reaches zero, the person is sent to the Abyss, a place rumoured to be worse than death.”
That concludes the latest batch of releases from the distributor. With the exception of Cannon Busters and Dragon Ball Z, all of the titles mentioned above are available to stream on Funimation in English and Japanese audio with English subtitles (Cannon Busters is a Netflix Original series thus is exclusively streamed on that platform, while Dragon Ball Z continues to be available only for home video). Stay tuned for more news and updates in the future.
Source: Manga Entertainment Press Release, Zavvi
