Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time (UK) - REGION LOCKED

Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time (UK)

Region: B (Confirmed NOT Playable in the USA)

Price: £9.99 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 Feature Length Episode (60 Minutes)

Special Features: Original Japanese Version
Re-cap of Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime
Trailer
2D & Stereoscopic 3D

Plot: After falling through a time-slip, Yusei Fudo (who has just had his powerful card stolen by a mysterious stranger) meets with Judai Yuki and Yugi Muto, who agree to help Yusei defeat the evil Paradox, who is planning to destroy Pegasus before he can invent Duel Monsters.

Angel Beats - Complete Collection - REGION LOCKED

Angel Beats - Complete Collection

Region: A (Not playable in the UK)
-- Box states Region A Only

Price: $38.99 / £23.73 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 13 + OVA (2 Disc Set)

Plot: It sucks being dead. Sucks even more to be trapped in a surreal afterlife where you're caught between the living and the dead-where a mysterious, violent Angel is trying to pull you over to...somewhere.

What do you do? Well, if you're this group of rough-and-tumble teens, you grab every weapon you can get your hands on and give Heaven hell!

High-caliber action and locked-and-loaded comedy meet on a rock and roll battleground in Angel Beats!

Gungrave - Complete Series (Classic) - REGION LOCKED

Gungrave - The Complete Series

Region: A (Not playable in the UK)
-- Box Art states Region A Only

Price: $27.99 / £17.04 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 26 (3 Disc Set)

Plot: For Brandon Heat, death doesn't matter. Driven by his need for revenge, he returns from beyond the grave to cripple Milleneon, the huge mafia organization that uses undead monsters as its enforcers. His ultimate goal will be to destroy Harry MacDowel, the leader of Milleneon and, at one time, Brandon's best friend...

New Anime Blu-ray UK Release (25/7/11)

This week see's the world's first English Release of "Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time" in the UK and it is being brought to us in the UK by Manga Entertainment UK.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time is the film that celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading card game & brings all 3 Main Characters from past Yu-Gi-Oh! TV Series into 1 feature length film - which results in 1 final duel to save the world (and more).

The English release has been dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment, which have previously done all other Yu-Gi-Oh! Movies & TV Series - so all original voice actors should still be here.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time Blu-ray features 3 (if not 4) Different versions of the film, as this Blu-ray includes the FULL stereoscopic 3D Version (which requries a 3DTV, 3D Glasses & a 3D Compatible Blu-ray player) - but it also includes the standard 2D Version. Not only that it includes the original Japanese Version & the English Extended Version - which had an additional 10 minutes of animation added to the original film.

The Film may only be short (at 1 Hour) but it can be watched several times over just to see all the different versions. But it is certain that this film will mainly appeal to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Fans, such as myself.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Bondes Beyond Time -> £9.99 (AMAZON UK / HMV UK / PLAY UK)

Plot: After falling through a time-slip, Yusei Fudo (who has just had his powerful card stolen by a mysterious stranger) meets with Judai Yuki and Yugi Muto, who agree to help Yusei defeat the evil Paradox, who is planning to destroy Pegasus before he can invent Duel Monsters.

For the first time ever, all three Yu Gi Oh heroes are united for their first adventure together. Comes with an exclusive limited edition Super Rare "Malefic Red-Eyes B. Dragon" Yu Gi Oh collectable trading card.

K-ON! - Volume 2 - REGION LOCKED

K-ON! - Volume 2

Region: A (Confirmed NOT Playable in the UK)

Price: £15.23 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 5 - 8

Plot: As the Light Music Club rehearses for their performance at the school festival, they realize that they are not officially registered as a club.

They need to quickly find a faculty advisor but that's not something that a little blackmail can't fix.

As their new club advisor, Miss Yamanaka coaches Yui to become the frontman of the band but pushes her to the point of losing her voice. Mio is forced to be the lead vocalist but can she overcome her stage fright? Later, the Light Music Club celebrates Christmas with a party and gift exchange and soon another school year begins.

If they want the Light Music Club to live on even after they graduate, they're going to have to recruit new members and that means another performance at the freshman reception!

LoveFilm Competition - The Winners!

So the LoveFilm competition has come to an end and i thank everyone on Twitter (and some here on this blog) that entered, however out of the people who entered only 2 can win, so congratulations to:

@ScissorFist

@DKRjeremy

If you are already a member of LoveFilm (or can not join up) then please feel free to pass the code onto someone else.

Most Competitions will appear on here & Twitter, so be sure to follow me (@Emo185) on Twitter.

New Anime Blu-ray UK Release (18/7/11)

After a week break of releasing awesome Anime titles, Manga Entertainment UK is back in full force with another awesome Blu-ray release and this time its Aniplex's and Studio Bone's"Xam'D - Lost Memories".

As you may have noticed the packaging design is extremely similar to that of the USA version released a few months back - and Manga Entertainment UK will be releasing it in the same format, i.e. 2 Boxsets, both containing 2 Discs with 13 Episodes - making a total of 26 Episodes over 2 Blu-ray boxsets, known as Collection 1 and Collection 2.

Well This week its only Collection 1 that is getting released, Collection 2 should be released in a few months time and like all of Manga Entertainment's Release's you will also be able to buy it on DVD as well as Blu-ray.

XAM'D - Lost Memories: Collection 1 -> £25.99 (AMAZON UK / HMV UK / PLAY UK)

Plot: Enter Sentan, a lush, tranquil island encased in war between the military and those with Hiruko, known as X'amd. On one of these warlike days, Akiyuki Takehara heads off to school and gets caught in a raid by the creatures. Through a series of events he is transformed into a X'amd, and with the help of a Tessikan woman Nakiami along with his highschool friend Haru, Akiyuki is forced to learn to live with the Hiruko or faces the danger of losing his self-control and turn to stone.

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Casshern Sins Part 2 was also scheduled for release on Blu-ray today, however only the DVD Version of it has been made available, this has led me to believe that Manga Entertainment UK have decided not to release Part 2 on Blu-ray due to the high production costs of Blu-ray media, as well as poor sales of the previous volume - this is similar to what happened to the rest of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Blu-rays.

I Personally dislike this idea, as i prefer to have the complete collection on 1 format (or both if its a combi-pack) - plus watching it in HD first, then SD (Standard Definition) takes some of the experience away - but the moral is, if you want more Anime on Blu-ray from Manga Entertainment (or even continuing series on Blu-ray) then you must purchase the Blu-ray itself as soon as possible, espically if its a title you want.

Musashi - The Dream Of The Last Samurai (UK) - REGION LOCKED

Musashi - The Dream of The Last Samurai (UK)

Region: B (Confirmed NOT Playable in the USA)

Price: £15.93 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 Feautre-Length-Film (70 Minutes)

Plot: Miyamoto Musashi is an instantly familiar name to any Japanese citizen, a legendary swordsman who has become part historical figure and part romanticised hero of myth.

In addition to writing one of the key texts on Japanese samurai tactics and philosophy The Book of Five Rings he is also famous for inventing the Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu style of fighting with two swords, perhaps the most obvious, internationally recognized visual trademark of the samurai.

But even with so much academic study dedicated to Musashi's life, so many books written on him and an almost infinite number of movies, anime and manga stories inspired by his legendary exploits and teachings, still questions remain unanswered. Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai attempts to answer one of these in particular what motivated the great warrior to adopt and perfect his dual bladed style?

LoveFilm Competition

I have recently recieved Two "2 Months Free LoveFilm" subscription cards from Lovefilm, each holding a value of up to £38 - so i have decided to give these vouchers away in a competition.

Unfortunately the LoveFilm Cards will only work for "NEW MEMBERS" so existing LoveFilm users can not redeem the codes, however you can still enter the competition & pass it on.

So"What Exactly is LoveFilm", well its an online rental service which allows you to rent DVDs, Blu-rays & Games for a small monthly fee, however there are no late fee's and postage is free. LoveFilm not only holds Movies & Games - but you can also rent TV Series (including Anime) so there is alot to choose from, also if you go for a higher tier package you can watch movies online via your PS3 or on your PC.

There are 2 Codes up for grabs, so there will be 2 different winners!

How To Enter:

If you would like to enter then there are 2 Ways of doing this:

Option 1:

If you have a Twitter account then you can tweet this prhase:

#COMPETITION - Follow @Emo185 & ReTweet for a chance to win a 2 Month Free #LoveFilm Subscription - (2 To Be Won) = http://tinyurl.com/66fhqlm

option 2:

Leave an "interesting" comment below

Rules:

The Competition is only available to people who live in the UK & Ireland
(as well as where the LoveFilm service can be used)

Closing Date:

The Closing Date for this competition will be Friday 22nd July 2011.

Good Luck!

Queen's Blade Collection (Series 1) - REGION FREE

Queens Blade Collection (Series 1)

Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)
-- Depsite saying Region A on Box, PlanetAxel have confirmed it is also Region B.

Price: £26.51 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 6 (2 Disc Set)

Plot: Leina has been training with Echidna for the Queen's Blade tournament. When it comes time for her first real fight, her target is her first friend, Risty!

Determined to prove her worth as an equal, Leina goes all out, but Claudette gets to Risty first. Meanwhile, Menace, Airi and Melona lead the Swamp Witch's minions in a full scale attack on the Queen's Gates. It's up to Leina, Tomoe, Nowa and the others to defeat the evil forces and gain entrance to the final rounds of the Queen's Blade!

Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society - REGION LOCKED

Ghost In The Shell - Individual Eleven

Region: A (NOT Playable in the UK)

Price: $24.99 / £15.64 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 Feature-Length-Film

Plot: The year is 2034, and the face of terrorism has changed. No longer restricted to the limits of the physical world, the war on terror has exploded on the net. In an attempt to confront this new threat, an elite counter-terrorism and anti-crime unit was formed: Public Security Section 9.

Two years have since passed when the team's commander: Major motoko Kusanagi, resigned from her post. After a rash of mysterious suicides Section 9 is forced to confront the ''Puppeteer,'' a dangerous hacker with unsurpassed skills.

As their investigation of this terrorist threat takes them deeper into the bowels of a potential government conspiracy, Section 9 once again crosses paths with the Major, but is her sudden reappearance more than a coincidence, or is she somehow connected to the ''Puppeteer?'

Ghost In The Shell - Individual Eleven - REGION LOCKED

Ghost In The Shell - Individual Eleven

Region: A (NOT Playable in the UK)

Price: $24.99 / £15.64 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 Feature-Length-Film

Plot: A new beginning, a new threat...

The year is 2030, six months since The Laughing Man Incident was solved. An influx of refugees have effortlessly transformed themselves into a terrorist organisation known as the Individual Eleven. Kuze, a surviving member of the Individual Eleven, becomes a charasmatic leader of the invited-refugees and intensifies the confrontation against the government. Motoko starts feeling a strange sense of fate connecting her with Kuze...

Unlike The Laughing Man, which stuck to the story-line of the TV series, Individual Eleven has gone through a bold editing phase, and the relationship between Kuze and Motoko us even more highlighted than in the TV series. This is 2nd Gig reborn!

Ghost In The Shell - The Laughing Man - REGION LOCKED

Ghost In The Shell - The Laughing Man

Region: A (NOT Playable in the UK)

Price: $24.99 / £15.64 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 Feature-Length-Film

Plot: The television series based on Masamune Shirow's Manga and Mamoru Oshii's highly influental film, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex takes viewers to a futuristic society where technology has saturated citizens' daily lives.

Along with the new technology comes new types of crime that exploits it, but female cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi and her team of police, Section 9, devote their lives to chasing criminals, both on land and in cyberspace.

The Laughing Man tells the story of the entire first season of Stand Alone Complex as a film.

New Anime Blu-ray UK Release (4/7/11)

This week see’s Manga Entertainment UK release another Blu-ray and for the third time in arrow its another feature length film, this time being “Musashi: The Dream Of The Last Samurai” and for me this release seems to have come under the radar, probably due to the previous big blu-ray releases of “Akira” and “Evangelion 2.22” but mainly because its an anime title I’ve never heard of before until a few days ago.

Manga Entertainment UK are the first people to bring the movie outside of the Japanese area, hence why I’ve not really heard of it before, however it’s a film conceived and scripted by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost In The Shell, The Sky Cralwers) and directed by Oshii’s frequent collaborator Mizuho (Toshihiko) Neshkoro - who also worked on Ghost In The Shell. The Animation studio is Production I.G. - who, yet again, have also worked on both Ghost In The Shell Films, So the film has all the talent needed to make it a great anime hit in the UK - which im sure samurai fans will also enjoy.

Musashi: The Dream Of The Last Samurai will also be available on DVD, however it’s the Blu-ray that’s getting all the attention here.

Standard Blu-ray -> £15.99 (AMAZON UK / HMV UK) £17.99 (PLAY UK)

Plot: Miyamoto Musashi is an instantly familiar name to any Japanese citizen, a legendary swordsman who has become part historical figure and part romanticised hero of myth. In addition to writing one of the key texts on Japanese samurai tactics and philosophy - The Book of Five Rings - he is also famous for inventing the Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu style of fighting with two swords, perhaps the most obvious, internationally recognized visual trademark of the samurai.

But even with so much academic study dedicated to Musashi's life, so many books written on him and an almost infinite number of movies, anime and manga stories inspired by his legendary exploits and teachings, still questions remain unanswered. Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai attempts to answer one of these in particular - what motivated the great warrior to adopt and perfect his dual bladed style?