Anime Limited Reveals April 2023 Pre-orders with Pompo: The Cinéphile, Free! Final Stroke, Looking for Magical Doremi & More!
Anime Limited have revealed more news for their upcoming titles as well as a reminder that their Easter sale begins very soon, with emails now being sent out for those who are part of their newsletter or Unlimited membership with one-time discount codes.
This month’s early bird list is more film-focused for their Blu-ray releases whilst we also have some more Vinyl music sets for those who love that medium, so let’s take a look at what you can pre-order this month:
The Garden of Words
Release Date: 5th June 2023
With the previous Makoto Shinkai films receiving the steelbook treatment, it’s now The Garden of Words turn to do the same.
The early bird offer is £24.99 (£22.50 for Anime Unlimited members) and pre-orders will open on Thursday 13th April.
Retailing for £39.99 SRP, the steelbook release will also include an original soundtrack CD. Audio options include Japanese with English subtitles and the Sentai Filmworks English dub.
The Garden of Words was released in 2013 and was written & directed by Makoto Shinaki (Your Name, Suzume) and produced by studio CoMix Wave Films (Flavors of Youth, Suzume) alongside music composer Daisuke Kashiwa. Anime Limited released the film on Blu-ray as a regular release in February 2014 and was one of their first titles for their catalogue.
“When Takao, a young high school student who dreams of becoming a shoe designer, decides to skip school one day in favor of sketching in a rainy garden, he has no idea how much his life will change when he encounters Yukino. Older but perhaps not as much wiser, she seems adrift in the world. Despite the difference in their ages, they strike up an unusual relationship that unexpectedly continues and evolves, with random meetings in the same garden on each rainy day.
But the rainy season is coming to a close, and there are so many things still left unsaid and undone between them. Will there be time left for Takao to put his feelings into actions and words? Between the raindrops, between the calms in the storm, what will blossom?”
Free! The Final Stroke Part 1
Release Date: 15th May 2023
After theatrically releasing the film last year for a limited time, Anime Limited will be releasing Free! The Final Stroke on Blu-ray for the United Kingdom, however much like PSYCHO-PASS: Sinners of the System, they have decided to jump ahead of the queue and get it out there on home video before the United States would. That said, the film will be released on Blu-ray in a collector’s edition package.
The early bird offer is £24.99 (£22.50 for Anime Unlimited members) and pre-orders will open on Tuesday 18th April.
Retailing for £39.99 SRP, the set includes a rigid box, Blu-ray case, and 12 art cards. Audio options will be Japanese with English subtitles only. This release will also focus on the first part of two films.
Free! The Final Stroke is a 2021 duology that wraps up the Free! franchise produced by studio Kyoto Animation (Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Violet Evergarden). The films were directed and written by Eisaku Kawanami (Free! franchise) with music composed by Tatsuya Katō (Dr. Stone, WorldEnd). Anime Limited released the franchise’s second season Free! Eternal Summer before the license reverted back to Funimation, and since then none of the seasons or films had yet to receive a UK home video release, though most (if not all) of them are streaming on Crunchyroll.
“Haruka finally arrives in Sydney, the dream destination for his world-class competitive swimming aspirations. As he steps into this new frontier, he is faced with his friends and rivals from the All Japan Invitational, including the current world champion Albert Volandel. In order to stand at the very top of the world, Haru may need to make sacrifices, including his dream of swimming with his friends.”
Pompo: The Cinéphile
Release Date: 29th May 2023
Also received a theatrical release last year and is now finally scheduled for home video is a recent fan favourite film called Pompo: The Cinéphile, which will be released on Blu-ray in a collector’s edition package.
The early bird offer is £24.99 (£22.50 for Anime Unlimited members) and pre-orders will open on Thursday 20th April.
Retailing for £39.99 SRP, the set includes a rigid box, Blu-ray case, and a 52-page booklet. Audio options include Japanese with English subtitles and the NYAV Post English dub commissioned by GKIDS.
Pompo: The Cinéphile is based on Shogo Sugitani’s manga released in 2017, which is also available in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. The anime was adapted by studio CLAP (The Tunnel to Summer: the Exit of Goodbye) with staff credits including director & writer Takayuki Hirao (The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral, GOD EATER), and music composed by Kenta Matsukuma.
“Pompo is a talented and gutsy producer in “Nyallywood,” the movie-making capital of the world. Although she’s known for B-movies, one day Pompo tells her movie-loving but apprehensive assistant Gene that he will direct her next script: a delicate drama about a tormented artistic genius, starring the legendary and Brando-esque actor Martin Braddock, and a young actress seeking her first break. But when the production heads towards chaos, can Gene rise to Pompo’s challenge, and succeed as a first-time director?”
Looking for Magical Doremi
Release Date: 22nd May 2023
Last but not least we have Looking for Magical Doremi, a film that celebrates the 20th anniversary of the magical girl series Ojamajo Doremi from Toei Animation. Anime Limited included this film during their We Love Anime film festival and now many months later they’re going to be releasing it on Blu-ray in a collector’s edition package.
The early bird offer is £24.99 (£22.50 for Anime Unlimited members) and pre-orders will open on Thursday 27th April.
Retailing for £39.99 SRP, the set includes a rigid box, Blu-ray case, and a 28-page booklet. Audio options include Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub. The dub is supposedly from the middle-eastern region.
Looking for Magical Doremi was released in 2020 in Japan and is produced by Toei Animation (One Piece, Precure) with staff credits including Yu Kamatani (Precure franchise) and Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon), and music composed by Keiichi Oku (Ojamajo Doremi).
“A college student who wants to be an educator, despite losing self-confidence and worrying over her future: Sora Nagase–Nagoya. A company employee, repatriated from living abroad, having trouble fitting in at an organization related to work she wants to do: Mire Yoshizuki–Tokyo. A part-time worker saving up to go to college and follow her dream, all the while at the mercy of her good-for-nothing boyfriend: Reika Kawatani–Onomichi.
Age, personality, place of residence… Everything about these three is different. And each of them is totally bewildered by a life that’s not going the way they envisioned! The thing that brings these ladies together is Magical Doremi!?”
That concludes all of the home video early bird offers for this month’s slate.
In addition, Anime Limited will also be releasing offers for select Vinyl soundtrack sets.
Little Witch Academia TV & OVA Soundtrack vinyl (Deluxe Edition)
Release Date: 29th May 2023
12″ Vinyl Record format with 6 discs. Features OST 1 (39 tracks across 4 sides), OST 2 (38 tracks across 4 sides), OVA 1 OST (13 tracks across 2 sides), and OVA 2 OST (23 tracks across 2 sides). The deluxe edition, retailing for £129.99, will also include a 36-page booklet and A4 poster. Pre-orders will open on Tuesday 25th April.
Suzume Motion Picture Soundtrack vinyl (International edition) & CD
Release Date: 28th August 2023
12″ Vinyl Record format with 2 discs. Features 29 tracks across 4 sides. The vinyl will retail for £34.99, whilst the CD will be available for £9.99. Pre-orders will open on Tuesday 11th April.
RADWIMPS – Forever Daze vinyl
Release Date: 8th May 2023
12″ Vinyl Record format with 2 discs. Features 14 tracks across 4 sides. The vinyl will retail for £39.99. Pre-orders will open on Tuesday 11th April.
That’s all of the news revealed so far from Anime Limited (more Gundam has been hinted and Inu-Oh is being worked on for a home video release). You can also expect a whole batch of standard edition Blu-rays incoming throughout the next few months, such as the following below:
- Ajin: Demi-Human Season 2 (with Films 2 & 3)
- Blood-C
- Cardcaptor Sakura
- Goodbye, Don Glees!
- The Irresponsible Captain Tylor (TV Series)
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 – Part 2
- Liz and the Blue Bird
- March comes in like a Lion Season 1 – Parts 1 & 2
- Memories
- The Relative Worlds
- Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online – Parts 1 & 2
Meanwhile for theatrical news, we have the stop-motion film JUNK HEAD coming soon and, in a surprise listing on the BBFC site, there’s also The First Slam Dunk and The Tunnel To Summer: The Exit Of Goodbyes so we can expect some news on that at some point in the coming weeks.
Source: Anime Limited Blog
