Three Pokemon Movies Coming to Blu-ray in UK

Amazon UK have recently listed three Pokemon Movies for sale on Blu-ray, with a current release date set for the 2nd April 2012.

According to Amzon UK the Three Pokemon Movies will be released in Two Seperate Packages, with Pokemon Movie 4 (Pokemon 4Ever) and Pokemon Movie 5 (Pokemon Heroes) being released together in one Blu-ray set, while Pokemon Movie 7 (Pokemon: Destiny Dexoys) released on its own, with all three films being released in the UK by Studiocanal.

Additionally the BBFC Website has recently rated Pokemon: Destiny Dexoys and given it a U Rating and is currently one of the few Pokemon films that has not been officially released in the UK, Once more the film was submitted to the BBFC by Studiocanal, who is the studio that are releasing the films in the UK on Blu-ray.

Pokemon Movies 5 and 7 had previously been released as a single package in the USA, which was released by Miramax Entertainment. The picture quality was surprisingly good, considering how old the film is - the only downside to the Blu-ray was that it only featured English Stereo 2.0 (when the DVDs had Surround Sound) and it did not have any extra features, so heres hoping that Studiocanal's version improves upon Miramax's version.

Both Pokemon Blu-ray sets are available to pre-order from Amazon UK for £17.99 and are scheduled for release on the 2nd April 2012, a week before the Pokemon Black & White Double Film Pack is released on DVD in the UK.

Sengoku Basara 2 - The Complete Series (Blu-ray / DVD) - REGION FREE

Sengoku Basara 2 - The Complete Series (Blu-ray / DVD)

BD Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

DVD Region: 1 (Confirmed NOT Playable in the UK)

--Boxart states Region B

Price: £26.70 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 12 + OVA's ( 2 Blu-ray & 2 DVD)

Plot: Feel the rush of non-stop, over-the-top battlefield action in Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings 2! Japan’s toughest warlords are on the move, leading massive armies against their rivals in a thrilling quest for total domination.

Wielding insane weaponry and unleashing the elements to boost their already awesome power, these warrior generals roar into the fray atop turbo-charged stallions, slicing through the enemy with six blades at once.

They brandish explosive shotguns and swing swords the size of men. They crush the opposition with rolling battle fortresses and incinerate their foes with solar death rays. Hordes of ninja assassins and samurai fight to vanquish every adversary in their sight. As loyalties crumble and new alliances are forged in the scorching heat of battle, heroes become conquerors and conquerors become legends in Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings 2! This is war!

B Gata H Kei - Yamada's First Time - Complete Series (Blu-ray / DVD) - REGION FREE

B Gata H Kei - Yamada's First Time - Complete Series (Blu-ray / DVD)

BD Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

DVD Region: 1 and 4 (Confirmed NOT Playable in the UK)

--Boxart States Region B

Price: Standard - £26.62 (Excludes Postage)
Limited - £29.13 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 12 (2 Blu-ray & 2 DVD)

Plot: She can't give it away! Did you hear about Yamada? You know the chick: pretty face, nice body, wears a plaid skirt every day? Well, I heard from my lab partner that "Little Miss Vaughn" wants to have sex with a hundred different dudes before she graduates. I'm not even kidding! That hot mess totally thinks she can devirginize a hundred guys even though she's never even French-kissed! She must be in heat. I even saw her flirting with that dork Kosuda at lunch today. No joke. She was smiling and winking and rubbing her lady bumps all against his shoulder. It was pathetic! I mean - don't get me wrong - I'd probably let her sex me up and stuff, but she'd have to practice first. I like my ladies experienced, and she can't even give it away.

Phantom - Requiem For The Phantom (Blu-ray / DVD) - REGION FREE

Phantom - Requiem For The Phantom (Blu-ray / DVD)

BD Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

DVD Region: 1,2 and 4 (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

--Boxart states Both Region B and 2

Price: £30.35 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 26 (3 Blu-ray & 6 DVD)

Plot: A young man with no memories fights to salvage his humanity when he's forced into a life of murder by a dangerous crime syndicate called Inferno. The organization gives him a new name, Zwei, and molds him into a perfect killing machine, a meticulous instrument of death created to obey his masters' every deadly command.

Zwei's not the only puppet controlled by Inferno; Ein is a girl as beautiful as she is brutal, as lethal as she is lost. While mafia violence escalates around them, the two assassins grow closer, and Zwei begins the struggle to reclaim his past and save Ein from a blood-soaked future.

MVM to Release Broken Blade on Blu-ray

MVM Entertainment announced last october that it had acquried the license to release the 6-Episode-Long OVA Broken Blade into the UK. Well recently on MVM's official Facebook page MVM Entertainment revealed that they will be releasing Broken Blade on Blu-ray in the UK.

Plans are to give [Broken Blade] a go on Blu Ray and if it sells well we might release some of our older, popular titles on Blu Ray. As usual it's all down to sales. We're planning on releasing it late summer, no fixed date or price yet - when I know it'll be on the site available for pre-order."

Up until now MVM Entertainment have only released Anime on DVD and recently they have only re-released individual volumes into DVD Boxsets, but other the course of the past week MVM Entertainment have revealed several new anime titles, so it looks like MVM are back in the Anime Industry.

Broken Blade features Six 50 Minute Long OVA Styled Episodes and features Animation by Production I.G and it currently unclear whether MVM Entertainment will release it as a Complete Collection or individual volumes, similar to that of Gundam Unicorn.

Fairy Tail - Part 3 (Blu-ray / DVD) - REGION FREE

Fairy Tail - Part 3 (Blu-ray / DVD)

BD Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

DVD Region: 1, 2 and 4 (Confirmed Playable in the UK)

--Boxart states Region B and 2

Price: $28.99 /£18.27 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 25 - 36 (2 Blu-ray & 2 DVD)

Plot: Across the Fiore Kingdom, wizards join guilds and make their pay by filling magical needs - but one guild has a reputation as the roughest, rowdiest, most dangerous of all: Fairy Tale!

The guild-on-guild mayhem continues as Fairy Tale struggles to fend off Phantom Lord - whose Element 4 must be defeated in order to disable a massive magic cannon aimed at guild headquarters! With a never surrender attitude, Natsu and his friends push their powers to the limit to protect Lucy and save Magnolia from total annihilation! Then, Erza's tortured past returns to haunt her when estranged friends ambush a well-deserved vacation. Her team tracks them down to a looming tower where a possessed wizard close to Erza's heart puts them in a sinister game of life or death!

UK Customs Import Value lowered to £15 / 15 GBP

It has recently been pointed out to me by a few followers on Twitter that on the 1st November 2011 HM Revenue & Customs lowered the import value from £18 (around $25.50) to £15 (around $23).

Basically what this means is that if you were to purchase something from America (or from outside the EU) that is over £15 then you are subject to Customs Tax

So if you are going to buy something from Amazon USA that is over £15 and you do not pay the Custom Tax despoit then you will likely be charged by Customs when the item arrives through the mail. Some website such as Planet Axel post the item directly into Royal Mail (or your countries postal method) so you will not be charged.

Additionally if the item was purchased privately, such as on eBay, you can request the seller to send it as a GIFT, which then allows a Customs value of up to £40 - yet again if the item is marked higher than £40 on the box then you will be subject to customs charge.

Viz Media Europe licenses Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below for Blu-ray Release

KazeUK has recently tweeted to confirm that Viz Media Europe have licensed, and will be releasing in partnership with Manga Entertainment UK, Makoto Shinkai's latest film, Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below, in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray.

Have a cool announcement time - Viz Media Europe has acquired the rights to Makoto Shinkai's new film - The Children Who Chase Lost Voices!

This means in the UK we'll be releasing it on DVD and Blu-Ray later this year, more details to follow! @mangauk

Viz Media Europe have licensed the film, with Manga Entertainment UK distributing it in the UK on DVD & Blu-ray, which is a similar story to what Manga is doing with its other Blu-ray Releases.

No Release date has been given, but it is expected to be released within the year.

Star Driver - Part 2 - REGION FREE

Star Driver - Part 2

Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)
-- Confirmed via PlanetAxel
-- No Region Info stated on Boxart

Price: £20.14 (Excludes Postage)

Episodes: 13 - 24 (2 Disc Set)

Plot: The Kiraboshi Order of Cross continues to search for the other shrine maidens using the cybody Ayingott s special ability.. One by one, the Western and Eastern Shrine Maidens are revealed

and their seals are unlocked, bringing Vanishing Age closer to their ultimate goal, unleashing the king Cybody, Samekh, from zero time into the real world. In order to stop them, Takuto will have to finally confront his father and battle his own best friend, Sugata!.

Star Driver - Part 1 - REGION FREE

Star Driver - Part 1

Region: A and B (Confirmed Playable in the UK)
-- Confirmed via Planetaxel
-- Boxart does not list Region Info

Price: $27.49 / £17.37 (Exclude Postage)

Episodes: 1 - 12 (2 Disc Set)

Plot: On the southern edge of Japan, the inhabitants of Southern Cross Island lead seemingly normal lives but far beneath the surface of this quiet island lies an ancient secret that lays dormant until Takuto Tsunashi washes ashore one night.

Upon enrolling in Southern Cross Island High School, Takuto and his friends become embroiled in a conflict with a clandestine society to control giant machines, called Cybodies, sealed under the island and whose powers are bound by special shrine maidens. What secrets will Takuto dig up and how will he deal with the obstacles that lie ahead of him as this struggle will threaten to tear apart the entire island?!

MangaUK Confirms a selection of Blu-ray Releases

Manga Entertainment UK has today confirmed, via a pre-order list on Anime-On-Line, a selection of Blu-ray titles that will be released during the spring/summer season of 2012.

Titles Include:

- Angel Beats (Complete Collection)
- Bleach - Movie 1: Memories Of Nobody
- Bleach - Movie 2: Diamond Dust Rebellion
- Bleach - Movie 3: Fade To Black
- Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society (Double Play)
- Mardock Scramble: The First Compression
- Naruto Shippuden: Double Movie Bundle (Movies 1 & 2)
- Roujin Z
- Welcome To The Space Show (Double Play)

Additionally Both Fullmetal Alchemist movies will also be released on Blu-ray within the next year.

Some of the above titles, such as Angel Beats & Ghost In The Shell had been mentioned on Twitter in the past, but confirmation had not been definate - but now with this list all of the above titles will be released in the UK at some point this year.