With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013

With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
With Dada Chen at NYAFF 2013
Showing posts with label Switchblade Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Switchblade Pictures. Show all posts

Saturday, April 03, 2021

IRON GIRL: FINAL WARS reviewed; streets April 6th

Iron Girl:Final Wars / Aian gâru Final Wars
Directed by Ken'ichi Fujiwara
Japan, 2019, 90 minutes
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
Format: BD
SRP: $19.98

Iron Girl: Final Wars is the third, and apparently final, film in the post-apocalyptic action series that began with Iron Girl (2012) and its sequel Iron Girl: Ultimate Weapon (2015). All three films star Kirara Asuka as a lovely and well-endowed young woman named Chris who transforms into the titular role of sexy-suited kick-ass babe.

This time round, Chris is again involved with the resistance against the evil organizaton that seeks to totally dominate the post-apocalyptic world. One of the resistance leaders is Joe, whose former girlfriend Diana has left the resistance and become an enhanced altered soldier whose main target is Iron Girl. Further complicating matters is the fact that a mysterious young girl named Sara has been having dreams calling to Chris for help… even though the two of them have never met!

The action is decent enough, as was the case in the first two films in the trilogy. Sadly there isn't as much tittilating nudity as in the previous two films. Still, it's a worthwhile watch that brings Iron Girl's tale to a satisfying conclusion. Or maybe not, as the film's coda suggests that the series might carry on.

AsianCineFest Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars

Iron Girl: Final Wars is published by Switchblade Pictures and distributed by Section23 Films.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

SECTION23 FILMS announces its April 2021 slate of releases

Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its April slate of releases, which includes Sentai Filmworks action packed series, HERO MASK!, available on Blu-ray April 27th.

Product details in order of release:

Title: ELFEN LIED
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 350 min.
Street Date: 4/6/2021
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Critics have described Elfen Lied as "weird," (Anime Planet), "surprisingly sadistic," (Gamers Edge), and "addictive"(Animesou). No wonder, when you consider what makes this series hum! Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the military to be the ultimate weapon. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old, and a hair trigger for ultraviolence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it's too late.


Title: IRON GIRL: FINAL WARS
Published by: Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 90 min.
Street Date: 4/6/2021
Format: BD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $19.98

SYNOPSIS: Chris may have survived the Apocalypse, but there are still plenty of threats from the past lurking in the ruins of civilization… and now one of them is actively looking for her! At least, that's how it seems when she encounters Joe, a member of the resistance who is trying to discover why the artificial intelligence known as JUDA has been sending out murderous cyborgs with a certain heroine as their target! Even more unnerving is the fact that a mysterious young girl Sara has been having dreams calling to Chris for help… even though the two of them have never met! And if killer cyborgs alone aren't terrifying enough, JUDA has doubled their lethality by equipping their resurrected warriors with the latest in sword technology in IRON GIRL: FINAL WARS!


Title: SUNDAY WITHOUT GOD
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 325 min.
Street Date: 4/6/2021
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: In a world abandoned by God, the bodies of the dead will continue to walk unless they are buried by one of the mysterious Gravekeepers. Ai, one of the last children in a world where no more can be born, becomes her small village's Gravekeeper when her mother, the previous Gravekeeper, passes on… but the arrival of a pale gun-wielding stranger destroys her village and what little remained of Ai's old existence. Is this seemingly immortal man possibly an important figure from Ai's past? Uncertain of what else to do, Ai finds herself compelled to set forth on a mission to learn the secrets of this strange world without proper death, unravel the mysteries of her own past, and, hopefully, find a way to put the dead permanently to rest in SUNDAY WITHOUT GOD!


Title: KIDS ON THE SLOPE
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 4/13/2021
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Kaoru Nishimi has spent his life on the move, always struggling to fit in to new schools and having to push on just when he'd started to set down roots. But when he comes to stay with his extended family in seaside Kyushu, things will be different. Kaoru wanders through high school, meeting friends who change his life forever, and discovers a new kind of music that affects him like nothing ever has before.Ritsuko, the girl whose family owns the music store, and Sentaro, the high school delinquent, both set in motion Kaoru's fascination with this amazing thing called Jazz. Fashions may change and fads come and go, but when you put a couple of musically obsessed teens together and let them follow their muse, magic is sure to happen in THE KIDS ON THE SLOPE!


Title: LAIDBACKERS
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 60 min.
Street Date: 4/13/2021
Format: BD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $29.98

SYNOPSIS: A funny thing happened to Kumi when she moved to Kyoto to take over her grandmother's sweet shop. While she does find a store that sells cheap snacks, the supposedly empty adjoining residence is instead inhabited by three other girls: Harami, Mai, and K, plus a dog, who claim to be legendary heroes reincarnated into our world! However, that's not as exciting as it sounds, as the Demon Lord they were seeking never showed up, so they've just been hanging out, waiting for something interesting to happen. That's when ANOTHER cute young girl, Ran, shows up, and it seems that she WAS the Demon Lord, but botched up her own resurrection and now wants to make amends for the things that she did in the past. But in order to do that, she's going to need a little demon-hunting help from the LAIDBACKERS!


Title: KAIJI
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 1250 min.
Street Date: 4/20/2021
Format: BD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $99.98

SYNOPSIS: Unemployed degenerate Kaiji Ito spent his time drinking, gambling, and racking up bills, and was sure that his life had hit rock bottom. Then that bottom fell out when Endo the Loan Shark arrived to inform him of a friend's default on a loan that Kaiji foolishly co-signed, making Kaiji responsible for a soul crushing 3,000,000 yen! But there is one possible way out; if Kaiji goes to a secret gambling ship and plays successfully for one night, his debt could be absolved. It's a trick, of course, but what choice does Kaiji have? Trapped into playing a series of increasingly ruthless contests that are hopelessly rigged against the players, Kaiji finds himself a pawn in a competition where the game pieces aren't expected to survive… and the real players are all actively betting against KAIJI!


Title: ASSASSINS PRIDE STEELBOOK
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 4/27/2021
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $99.98

SYNOPSIS: Against the savage monsters that lurk outside the glass walls of Flandore, the last remnants of humanity have only one defense: the mana magic wielded only by members of the Noble class. When Melida, heiress to House of Angel, fails to manifest her magic upon reaching majority, the half-vampire Kufa is sent with orders from her own Grandfather to resolve the issue… and if Melida cannot manifest mana, Kufa is to execute her for the crime of impure blood. But when Melida fails the test, Kufa can't bring himself to kill the spirited young woman whose only fault was to have an adulterous mother. And so, instead, he commits the crime of giving Melida some of his own mana. Now, bound by magic and a deadly secret, the two must work together in order to stay alive in ASSASSINS PRIDE!


Title: HERO MASK
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 600 min.
Street Date: 4/27/2021
Format: BD
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $89.98

SYNOPSIS: Are a series of bombings and the murder of a high-ranking government official linked to the actions of the huge international pharmaceutical company LIVE? Ordered to investigate, Detective James Blood of the Special Service of Crime quickly discovers far more than just a conspiracy. There's a new technology on the street: masks as thin as paper that completely alter the appearance of the wearer's face while also granting amazing strength and agility… at the cost of years off their users' lives! Together with assistant attorney/murder witness Sarah Sinclair, Blood must unearth the secrets behind the masks and their connection to LIVE's mysterious founder. But the clock is ticking down and James and Sarah may already be living on borrowed time. Because when the ultimate disguise powers the ultimate human killing machines, death can be lurking anywhere in HERO=MASK!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

IRON GIRL: ULTIMATE WEAPON debuts on DVD on December 1st

Section23 Films
and
Switchblade Pictures
present
Iron Girl: Ultimate Weapon
Directed by Ken'ichi Fujiwara
Screenplay by Yasutoshi Murakawa
Japan, 2015, 84 minutes
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $19.98

It's the same post-apocalyptic world in this sequel to the original Iron Girl film, and Chris, the mysterious bounty hunter better known as Iron Girl, is still the deadliest fighter on the planet. Unfortunately, she also still has no memory of who she is or where she came from, and, in a land where knowledge is power that means her days could be numbered. Everything may be about to change, however, if she can acquire a priceless memory-retrieving device called The Storage.

But to get it, Iron Girl will have to save a colony and take on both an army of assassins and a renegade group of bandit militia called Sparti United. It's a sequel that's far more than an equal, with more daring stunts, more explosions and more Iron Girl action than ever before as fist, feet, and other body parts go flying in Iron Girl: Ultimate Weapon.

Special features include the Japanese trailer and a 20 minute "Making of Iron Girl" featurette.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

GIRLS, GANGSTERS & ZOMBIES is available today on DVD

Switchblade Pictures
Presents
Girls, Gangsters & Zombies
Directed by Masahiro Asao
Japan, 2011, 77 minutes

Girls Gangsters & Guns, the latest sexploitation release from Switchblade Pictures, is available today in a single disc DVD edition. It's about a trio ripping off a shady drug deal, and is not to be confused with Girls, Guns and Gangsters (1959), a B-movie that's also about a heist, nor with Gangsters, Guns & Zombies from 2012.


The title is actually a bit of a misnomer, as there's only one "girl" in the film, aside perhaps from some incidental female zombies. Her name is Maki, and she's portrayed by -- as the DVD cover informs us --  AV (Adult Video) superstar Laura Aoyama. She's slim, very small-breasted, and has a long, rather snub nose. And she does, I must say, rock her fishnet stockings.


Maki's boyfriend Akio works is an underling to Mr. Awazu, a yakuza who has decided to "borrow" 70 million yen from "the family" to finance an independent meth deal with some Koreans. Awazu knows that the old man of the family wouldn't approve of the deal, which is why he's carrying it out on the Q.T. He truly intends to return the money before it's missed but only after he's made 100% profit on the "loan."


Things don't work out that way because Akio has come up with a plan to rip off the 70 mil. Maki and Kenji, the third accomplice, steal the suitcase with the money as Awazu, Akio and two others are on their way to buy the meth. The trio go to bury the money at Mt. Ryujin, a sinister place which the yakuza use as a dumping ground and where suicides are committed. It's also the site where the 731st Japanese Army Corps allegedly worked on a bacterial weapon during World War II.

In no time at all, betrayal breaks out amongst the trio, the gangsters come after the them to get the stolen yen back, and the undead are swarmin' all over Mt. Ryujin.


It's unfortunate that with such a promising title, the film doesn't really deliver. By my count there are five scenes that feature nudity, but they tend to be rather brief and not particularly hot in any way, shape or form. Director Asao either doesn't know how to film soft-core sex scenes very well or his "heart" just wasn't into it. Since he also wrote the screenplay, he must also bear the blame for a plot that falls way short of its promise. The acting is par for a Japanese direct-to-video (a.k.a. V-Cinema) film, not horrendous, but not particularly good either.


The disc's special features, such as they are, consist of the Japanese trailer for the film, trailers for some other offerings from Switchblade Pictures, and DVD credits.

Girls, Gangsters, & Zombies is not a terrible entry in the sexploitation genre, just a very mediocre one.

ACF Rating: 2 out of 4 stars; fair-to-middling.

For a much better Japanese girls and zombie film, though one admittedly without  gangsters, check out Big Tits Zombie ( a.k.a. Zombie Stripper Apocalypse and Big Tits Dragon) which stars Sor Aoi, another AV superstar.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

SMOKEY & THE BUSHIDO - DEKOTORA 2 now available on DVD

Switchblade Pictures
presents
Smokey & the Bushido - Dekotora 2 / Dekotora Gal Nami 2
Directed by Hideo Jôjô
Japan, 2008, 76 minutes

Nami is back again! Yep, that hard-drivin' trucker from Big Bad Mama San is haulin' ass in another adventure. The single disc DVD of Smokey & the Bushido - Dekotora 2 is available today from Switchblade Pictures.

Ayano (left) and Nami prepare to do battle

This time around Nami, again played by Akiho Yoshizawa, has a run in with a figure from her past. Ayano (played by single-moniker actress Asami) was the head of a girl gang at North High at the same time Nami headed a rival gang from West High. The film begins with a black and white flashback (or perhaps it's a dream) of them going at one another on an isolated beach. In a marvelous transition, the film switches to color and the film's present where Nami is sleeping in her track in a parking lot near where the face-off took place. (I can't praise this transition enough, it's so smartly done, a real piece of imaginative and intelligent film-making.)

Nami (left) is confronted by Ayano while other truckers look on

In the here-and-now of the film, Ayano is now a cop and she busts Nami for vehicular violations. Nami's license is temporarily suspended and she has to do roadside cleanup as community service. Fortunately Kikuo (identified as "Loverboy" in the credits and again played by Mustuo Yoshioka) is once again available to help her out.

Ayano (right) insists that the madam of Misako's Room cooperate with her investigation

But Ayano is involved with more than just harassing Nami and other truckers. She's independently investigating serious criminal activities that took the life of someone who greatly mattered to her. These activities include not just drug smuggling, but also prostitution and organ trafficking. And Ayano uses a trick to get Nami to indirectly help her by performing -- of all things -- baby-sitting duties! Of course, no self-respecting kick-ass trucker like Nami is going to remain on the sidelines, so she and Kikuo wind up directly involved in the big take-down.

Nami's dekotora or decoration truck

Like Big Bad Mama San, Smokey & the Bushido is helmed by Hideo Jôjô, and for my money, he's done an even better job with this sequel than in the fine original film. (The English title obviously is a reference to Hal Needham's 1977 Smokey and the Bandit, which starred Burt Reynolds, and its two sequels.) I've already mentioned the terrific transition at the beginning of the film. The obligatory sex scenes are a cut above those in the first one. And the script, which Jôjô co-wrote with Ryo Chris Kaihara, is also a bit more sophisticated this time around.


The disc offers both an original Japanese language soundtrack (with English subtitles) and and English dubbed version. The subtitles are usually in easy to read yellow, but sometimes they are white to make it clear that another character is speaking. Nice touch. Special Features are limited to the original Japanese trailer, some trailers of other offerings from Switchblade Pictures, and DVD credit information.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended as a superior film for its type. It has action, humor, and nudity in a surprisingly well-crafted package. Here's hoping that Switchblade will also be putting out the next entry in the series, Banzai Express! Personally I can't wait to watch more of Nami and her highly decorated truck.

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

DARK DESIRES - THE ONIROKU DAN COLLECTION is out today!

Dark Desires: The Oniroku Dan Collection
Published by: Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Total Run Time: 209 min.
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $29.98
Oniroku Dan (April 16, 1931 - May 6, 2011) was a famous, popular and prolific Japanese writer of S&M novels, many of which were made into films. Switchblade Pictures previously released three of them as individual DVDs. Today, all three are available in Dark Desires: The Oniroku Dan Collection.

The films, each with a link to my review here at AsianCineFest, are:

Directed by Satoshi Kaneda
Japan, 2010, 71 minutes

Directed by Takeshi Nizato
Japan, 2009, 71 minutes

Directed by Kanji Hanyuu
Japan, 2007, 67 minutes

All three films received ACF Ratings of 3 out of 4 stars, solidly recommended.

Considering how good the films are and that the individual DVDs carried an SRP of $19.98 each, this collection is truly a great bargain. It's sure to satisfy your Dark Desires.

Monday, January 27, 2014

HELLHOLE: INMATE 611

Switchblade Pictures
Presents
Hellhole: Inmate 611 / Joshû 611: onna-tachi no yakata
Directed by Riichi Katsu
Japan, 2007, 75 minutes

The world of women-in-prison is a time-honored guilty pleasure genre. Hellhole: Inmate 611 (a.k.a. Female Prisoner 611: Hell Hole), which was released by Switchblade Pictures on DVD in November, 2013, unfortunately is not a very good addition. 

Saya Mizushima (Akira Kiuchi) is a celebrity who has been sentenced to prison for assault. She had been seeing Ando Yuya (Kentaro Nakakura), the handsome, wealthy young CEO of CyberSector, an IT company. After discovering that he was also getting it on with Takako Sawaguchi (Minami Aoyama) of CyberSector's accounting department, Sayaka lost it and attacked both of them.

Assigned  prison number 611, she refuses to knuckle under to the dictates of Keiko Mikawa (Jaguar Yokota), the female warden and a real bitch. This leads to a lengthy period in solitary after which she is assigned to a cell with four other female prisoners. One of them is Reiko Wada (Harumi Nemoto). She and Saya had at one time been members of "The Ladies," a girl gang. Reiko also had some dirt on one of the male wardens, which she had used to blackmail him into insurinng the parole of another prisoner.

There are a few scenes showing tits and ass. One is the ludicrous "can-can" performed by a new inmate in which she is naked and jumps from one leg to another, the intent being to get anything hidden in her vagina to fall out, he butt already having been subject to a visual search using a flashlight. Another sex scene features simulated intercourse between one of the female prisoners and a male guard.

Sadly, there are no lesbian encounters. Saya, it should be noted, is not one of the prisoners who gets naked. Neither does Kei Mizutani, the Queen of the Japanese B-movies in the '90s, who here plays a rather benign prison guard. It's been awhile since I'd seen her in a movie and I was looking forward to it. However, I was rather disappointed: she didn't have much to do and would probably have been better utilized as the dastardly prison warden played by Yokota.

In fact disappointing is the word that best describes my overall reaction to this film. I don't expect a helluva lot in terms of story, dialogue or acting in sexploitation fare such as this, but even so Hellhole: Inmate 661 was quite a letdown. Even the nudity was rather ho-hum.

The only menu selections on the DVD are for playing the movie or selecting the special features, which are limited to the Japanese Trailer, trailers of other titles available from Switchblade Pictures and the disc credits for Hellhole: Inmate 611. Thus there is no "Setup" option, although the English subtitles can be toggled on and off using the appropriate button on your remote or computer DVD player.

There seems to have been a manufacturing problem in mastering the video. The aspect ratio indicated  on the DVD box is "LB 4:3" but when inserted in various players, the default 4:3 image was squished on the sides, making it necessary to select an aspect ratio such as "Full" or "Wide Zoom," depending on the player and TV input. (I tried it on four players, including a PS3, an older Panasonic DVD player, and my relatively new iMac and found this to be the case on all of them.) On my Sony portable DVD, for example, I had to select the "Full" vs. the "Normal" LCD aspect feature. I can't recall ever encountering this type of annoying problem before; fortunately, experimenting with the various aspect ratio settings was a fairly quick and easy work-around.

ACF Rating: 1 out of 4 stars; poor, not recommended. Switchblade Pictures has put out some decent to very good offerings, but sadly this is not one of them.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

IRON GIRL is now available on DVD from Switchblade Pictures

Switchblade Pictures
Presents
Iron Girl / Aian Gâru
Directed by Masatoshi Nagamine
Starring Kirara Asuka
Japan, 2012, 92 minutes

On a lovely day in an unspecified era, Anne (Rina Akiyama) gathers some flowers. Unfortunately for her, they only place flowers grow is in District Alpha 109. It's an area controlled by a gang known as the Crazy Dogs, and three male members of the gang attack her. Fortunately, there happens to be one hard-as-nails female avenger who witnesses the attack, intervenes, and puts the hurt on the trio of assailants, thereby saving Anne. This is Iron Girl (Kiara Asuka). She sports an outfit that is every bit as hot as her fighting skills are awesome.

Her outfit may not be as well-equipped as Tony Stark's, but Iron Girl sure does fill it out nicely.

She accompanies Anne back to her "village," which is little more than an abandoned factory. There Wataru, who has a thing for Anne, refuses to believe that Iron Girl bested three of the Crazy Dogs. Other villagers are fearful that the gang, which periodically terrorizes them anyway, will come down hard on the villagers, seeking revenge for their humiliating defeat. On the other hand, the village Elder -- the only adult in evidence -- believes that Iron Girl is the "iron savior" foretold in ancient documents. For her part, Iron Girl has no memories of her past and believes that her only reason is to fight.

Crazy Joe, in black jacket and fur

When the Crazy Dogs return in force, she has plenty of opportunity to do so, especially when Crazy Joe (Mitsuki Koga), their leader, appears. He's evil personified: greedy, brutal and powerful. He also wears women's make-up, which leads Iron Girl to call him a "powerful faggot." (Viewer are advised to hold in check any political correctness they may possess before hitting the "Play" button on their DVD player.)

Love those crotch-shot kicks!

Kiara Asuka is quite good as Iron Girl. She convincingly pulls off the action scenes, for which action director Takanori Shibahara deserves a lot of credit. He has her doing a variety of kicks including low sweeps, straight-at-yous, & roundhouses, and some nice wire-work, some of which utilized an 80 foot crane. Asuka, who had never done an action film before, was initially nervous about doing wire-work, but came to like it. Personally I liked that she fought using the principles of Tai Chi Chuan and Akido by which one evades an attack rather than confronting it head on. This style makes sense for a female fighter who can't match male opponents in terms of size and strength.

Kiara Asuka displays two of her and Iron Girl's finest assets.

Having never heard of her, I did some research on Asuka and was rather surprised to learn that she's a Japanese AV (Adult Video) Idol, what we here in the States would colloquially call a porn star. Japan is one of the few countries I know of where female porn actresses can also have careers in non-porn films, although a bit of nudity often accompanies the transition. (Sora, a.k.a., Sola, Aoi is another such actress.) Asuka, it should be mentioned, is the only actress who shows skin in the film, but hers is quite enough.

A scene in the "making of" featurette shows the filming of the preceding image.

In addition to the feature, the DVD includes:
- The Japanese trailer
- "The Making of Iron Girl" - a remarkably good featurette
- Trailers for other offerings from Switchblade Pictures
- Disc Credits

While there is no "Settings" option, the English subtitles can be removed by using the "Subtitles" option on your player or computer. That's how I took the various screen captures seen in this review.

There is a place or two where the dialogue bogs the film down a bit, but overall Iron Girl is a very satisfying, sexploitation action flick.  I was impressed by it. The ending definitely allows for a sequel and I for one am hoping that there'll be one.

ACF Rating for Iron Girl: 3 out of 4 stars, solidly recommended.

Monday, November 25, 2013

ACF 2032: Sectin23 Films announces its February 2014 slate of releases


Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its February slate of releases, including the second exciting season of the epic series AKB0048! Get ready for a battle of the bands with AKB0048 Next Stage which will be available on both DVD & BLU-RAY.

Product details follow, in order of release.

Title:                 AKB0048 NEXT STAGE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      2/4/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS:  The road trip to war has already been brutal for the 77th generation of understudies to AKB0048, the combination singing group and combat squad seeking to bring peace and entertainment back to the universe.  However, the competition between the individual candidates, as well as the remaining 75th and 76th generation understudies, is about to get even rougher.  With the opportunity to become a successor to one of the original members of the legendary singing squad hanging in the balance, the fights on stage and on the battlefield will become even more cutthroat, and things are only going to get nastier when it turns out that someone has been feeding critical information to the opposing DES forces.  Will the revelation of the source of the Kiraras prove to be a deadly misstep in the intricate choreography that's allowed the team to keep dancing out of danger?  Will public opinion prove to be more important than actual skill and valor as the squad undergoes a series of grueling trials by fan?  The harmony and harmonization that's held this band of sisters together will be pushed to the breaking point in AKB0048: NEXT STAGE!


Title:                 AKB0048 NEXT STAGE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      2/4/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $69.98

SYNOPSIS:  The road trip to war has already been brutal for the 77th generation of understudies to AKB0048, the combination singing group and combat squad seeking to bring peace and entertainment back to the universe.  However, the competition between the individual candidates, as well as the remaining 75th and 76th generation understudies, is about to get even rougher.  With the opportunity to become a successor to one of the original members of the legendary singing squad hanging in the balance, the fights on stage and on the battlefield will become even more cutthroat, and things are only going to get nastier when it turns out that someone has been feeding critical information to the opposing DES forces.  Will the revelation of the source of the Kiraras prove to be a deadly misstep in the intricate choreography that's allowed the team to keep dancing out of danger?  Will public opinion prove to be more important than actual skill and valor as the squad undergoes a series of grueling trials by fan?  The harmony and harmonization that's held this band of sisters together will be pushed to the breaking point in AKB0048: NEXT STAGE!


Title:                 DARK DESIRES
Published by:    Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         209 min.
Street Date:      2/4/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $29.98

SYNOPSIS: Onimata Kan is famous for two things: a successful career writing S&M erotica, and hosting the erotic gatherings aboard the Slave Ship, where the main attraction is the auctioning of the services of sexual partners willing to fulfill any desire.  But when he learns that one of the frequent auctionees has gone insane, Onimata goes to investigate, and soon discovers that his own writings only hint at the extremes to which some will go in THE SLAVE SHIP! She's tantalizing and irresistible, but those who've had affairs with the beautiful Mari have all expired prematurely.  Uemura tries to fight his attraction for her, but he's already in the jaws of a trap designed to suck men dry and spit out the husks.  For Mari's husband is all too aware of who's been sleeping in his wife's bed, and what follows will pull Uemura into a world of bondage and depravity in THE CURSE - M! When former sex slave Kumiko joins the editorial desk at a small newspaper, the most deeply kept secrets of the leader of a religious cult suddenly begin finding their way into print.  Even more shocking, however, are the repercussions for the paper's sales manager and his elegant wife Shizuyo, who finds herself strung in the rope bonds of twisted lust and inhuman bondage in THE DEVIL'S FEAST! From the pen of internationally acclaimed bondage novelist and screenwriter Oniroku Dan (FLOWER AND SNAKE) come three feature films that dare to explore the darkest secrets of human sexuality in DARK DESIRES - The Oniroku Dan Collection!


Title:                 MM! COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      2/11/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: There are twisted tales and twisted tails, but few are as twisted as poor Sado's, who's just realized that he LIKES being made miserable.  Of course, knowing that only makes him more miserable, which in turn…  Well, you get the idea.  Desperate to break the perverse cycle, Sado volunteers for a special club where he hopes he can work through his issues.  And though he probably should have expected as much, imagine his consternation when he discovers that the other members have equally… complex… issues to deal with.  For example, the hyper-aggressive club president Isurugi not only has a violent fear of cats, but also believes herself to be a god!  Then there's Yuno, who's terrified of men; the nurse who forces other people to perform cosplay; and Hayama, Sado's best friend and a compulsive cross-dresser, who's also the girl that Sado is infatuated with.  (We did say it was complex, remember?)  If you think you've seen EVERYTHING that can happen in an anime, prepare to have your eyes opened to FULL anime size as you enter a whole new paradigm with MM!  (it's pronounced "Emu Emu!")!


Title:                 MM! COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      2/11/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $69.98

SYNOPSIS: There are twisted tales and twisted tails, but few are as twisted as poor Sado's, who's just realized that he LIKES being made miserable.  Of course, knowing that only makes him more miserable, which in turn…  Well, you get the idea.  Desperate to break the perverse cycle, Sado volunteers for a special club where he hopes he can work through his issues.  And though he probably should have expected as much, imagine his consternation when he discovers that the other members have equally… complex… issues to deal with.  For example, the hyper-aggressive club president Isurugi not only has a violent fear of cats, but also believes herself to be a god!  Then there's Yuno, who's terrified of men; the nurse who forces other people to perform cosplay; and Hayama, Sado's best friend and a compulsive cross-dresser, who's also the girl that Sado is infatuated with.  (We did say it was complex, remember?)  If you think you've seen EVERYTHING that can happen in an anime, prepare to have your eyes opened to FULL anime size as you enter a whole new paradigm with MM!  (it's pronounced "Emu Emu!")!


Title:                 SMOKEY & THE BUSHIDO
Published by:    Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         75 min.
Street Date:      2/11/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $19.98

SYNOPSIS: Nami's still the hottest trucker in Japan, but now there's a new contender for the title of Queen of the Road!  Meet Ayano, the toughest highway patrol officer to ever fill out a bulletproof brassiere and Nami's former high school gang rival!  However, a certain truck driving mama isn't the only target this smoking-hot smokey has in her sights.  There's a deadly drug hitting the market and someone's transporting it across Japan via unwitting truckers.  Does that sound like a good enough reason for two ex-delinquents to set aside their mutual differences and put a little pedal and metal up some gangster butt?  Maybe, but not all road trips have happy endings, and the payoff at the end of this run could prove lethal.  Expect some heavy girl on girl friction ahead as the brakes give out, the undercover action heats up and a crazy string of tips, gas and drugs paves the way for Nami's wildest ride yet!  What we have here is some serious disrespect for the law as the whole trucking crew from BIG BAD MAMA-SAN returns in SMOKEY & THE BUSHIDO


Title:                 HIDAMARI SKETCH SEASON 1 BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         350 min.
Street Date:      2/18/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Yuno has dreamed of attending Yamabuki Arts High School for years.  But now that she's been accepted, there's the scary prospect of moving away from her home and family for the first time!  Fortunately, Yuno quickly learns that, even if her new neighbors at the eclectic Hidamari Apartments aren't technically family, at least the majority share the bond of being fellow art students.  Between second year students like Hiro and Sae, who try to behave like helpful older sisters, and Mako, her hyperactive new neighbor, classmate and best friend, Yuno will never find herself alone.  And that's a good thing since she'll need a solid support network to deal with strange characters like her oddly masculine landlady, her cosplay obsessed home room teacher, her tooth-chattering principal and all of the other odd denizens who inhabit her chosen world of art.  It won't be easy, and it won't always be pretty, but with her friends at her back, Yuno's going to reach for her sketchbook in HIDAMARI SKETCH!


Title:                 TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         60 min.
Street Date:      2/18/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $19.98

SYNOPSIS: The Japanese public goes crazy when it's announced that the beloved and long running classic anime Time Bokan will be remade.  There's just one problem: the original show was broken into multiple separate series featuring multiple teams of heroes pitted against multiple teams of almost identical villains, so how to choose which ones will star in the remake?  Unwisely discarding the idea of a public opinion poll, the producers instead insanely opt for a race between the bad guys in their favorite mecha.  Which might not be a completely bad idea, except for the fact that they're all cheaters and saboteurs, and none of them have ever created a mecha that didn't eventually self destruct in an extremely violent fashion!  In a race between these born losers, the only winner is the audience as the villains from Time Bokan, Yatterman, Zenderman, Otasukeman, Yattodetaman, Ippatsuman and Itadakiman compete for the dubious privilege of getting the **** beaten out of them once again!  It's Grand Theft Mecha Vs. Super Moron Kart as the baddies slam, bash and dirty trick each other to the finish in TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL!


Title:                 TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         60 min.
Street Date:      2/18/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $29.98

SYNOPSIS: The Japanese public goes crazy when it's announced that the beloved and long running classic anime Time Bokan will be remade.  There's just one problem: the original show was broken into multiple separate series featuring multiple teams of heroes pitted against multiple teams of almost identical villains, so how to choose which ones will star in the remake?  Unwisely discarding the idea of a public opinion poll, the producers instead insanely opt for a race between the bad guys in their favorite mecha.  Which might not be a completely bad idea, except for the fact that they're all cheaters and saboteurs, and none of them have ever created a mecha that didn't eventually self destruct in an extremely violent fashion!  In a race between these born losers, the only winner is the audience as the villains from Time Bokan, Yatterman, Zenderman, Otasukeman, Yattodetaman, Ippatsuman and Itadakiman compete for the dubious privilege of getting the **** beaten out of them once again!  It's Grand Theft Mecha Vs. Super Moron Kart as the baddies slam, bash and dirty trick each other to the finish in TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL!

Title:                 DI GI CHARAT WINTER GARDEN
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         60 min.
Street Date:      2/25/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $24.98

SYNOPSIS: Things have changed a bit for Dejiko, the alien princess who came to Earth to become a famous idol singer.  She's grown up and her teens are practically a memory, though her sidekick Puchiko still has a few years to go before becoming an official "adult."  They don't wear their cat ears anymore, and the affectation of sticking nyo or nyu on their sentences got old along the way as well.  And the game store?  That's in the past as well.  Instead of cooking up mischief, Dejiko works in a local bakery.  And yet, there's still something strange and mystical about her.  But will that be enough to draw the attention of a handsome young man she first accidentally encounters in the park?  It had better be, because Di Gi Charat is about to discover the most powerful Earth magic of all.  Love hits Dejiko and it's going to hit her hard, as the original saga concludes in Di Gi Charat: Winter Garden


Title:                 GIRLS UND PANZER OVA SPECIALS
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         74 min.
Street Date:      2/25/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $29.98

SYNOPSIS: The girls from Oorai are back in six special episodes!  And whether they're shopping for swimsuits, camping out or doing the Ankou Dance, they bring their own special brand of Tankery to the task at hand.  There's also a tour of the Oorai school ship, a look at what REALLY happened while Yukari and Erwin were out doing reconnaissance and a team talent contest that's not to be missed!  It's a very special collection featuring everyone's favorite Tankery girls: GIRLS UND PANZER Specials!


Title:                 GIRLS UND PANZER OVA SPECIALS BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         74 min.
Street Date:      2/25/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $39.98

SYNOPSIS: The girls from Oorai are back in six special episodes!  And whether they're shopping for swimsuits, camping out or doing the Ankou Dance, they bring their own special brand of Tankery to the task at hand.  There's also a tour of the Oorai school ship, a look at what REALLY happened while Yukari and Erwin were out doing reconnaissance and a team talent contest that's not to be missed!  It's a very special collection featuring everyone's favorite Tankery girls: GIRLS UND PANZER Specials!


Title:                 LOVE, ELECTION & CHOCOLATE COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      2/25/2014
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $49.98

SYNOPSIS: In Japan, participation in extra-curricular activities is as fundamental a part of an education as chalk and gym shorts.  However not all students are overachievers, and for those like Yuki Ojima, groups like the Food Research Club are welcome havens in which to slack-off.  But what's a slacker to do when the radical new candidate for Student Council president announces her intent to get rid of clubs like the FRC?  Well, getting the help of the current Student Council president is a good start, but HIS suggestion is so counter-intuitive that it's crazy: Yuki's going to run for the Student Council himself!  And yet, it's SO crazy that it just might work.  Especially when Chisato, the chocolate-adverse president of the FRC, not to mention Yuki's best childhood friend, and members of other targeted school clubs start to join the swelling FRC army.  But can this army of goofs and goof-offs coast all the way to political victory?  Or will someone have to step up to the plate and take one for the term?  They may savor victory, they may taste defeat, but you're certain to eat up LOVE, ELECTION AND CHOCOLATE!


Title:                 LOVE, ELECTION & CHOCOLATE COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      2/25/2014
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: In Japan, participation in extra-curricular activities is as fundamental a part of an education as chalk and gym shorts.  However not all students are overachievers, and for those like Yuki Ojima, groups like the Food Research Club are welcome havens in which to slack-off.  But what's a slacker to do when the radical new candidate for Student Council president announces her intent to get rid of clubs like the FRC?  Well, getting the help of the current Student Council president is a good start, but HIS suggestion is so counter-intuitive that it's crazy: Yuki's going to run for the Student Council himself!  And yet, it's SO crazy that it just might work.  Especially when Chisato, the chocolate-adverse president of the FRC, not to mention Yuki's best childhood friend, and members of other targeted school clubs start to join the swelling FRC army.  But can this army of goofs and goof-offs coast all the way to political victory?  Or will someone have to step up to the plate and take one for the term?  They may savor victory, they may taste defeat, but you're certain to eat up LOVE, ELECTION AND CHOCOLATE!

Wednesday, October 02, 2013

ACF 2057: Section23 Films announces December 2013 slate of releases


Home video distributor Section23 Films has announced its December slate of releases, including the highly anticipated release of Girls und Panzer TV Complete Collection, which will be available on both DVD & BLU-RAY.

Product details in order of release:
Title:                 GIRLS UND PANZER TV COLLECTION
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/3/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:        English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS:  You may have heard of kung fu, but the girls at Oarai Academy practice gun-fu - really, really BIG gun-fu, in fact.  It's called Tankery, and it's the martial art of operating armored tanks!  And even though the Tankery program at Oarai has been defunct for years, the student council has taken a sudden interest in the art and no one they set their sights on is safe.  Which is how Miho Nishizumi, who transferred to Oarai specifically to stay out of tanks, gets drafted to join the newly revived Tankery divison.  But it's not all bad, because joining her in Team Anglerfish are her new found friends Saori, the highly receptive radio operator; Hana, a flower arranger turned gunner; Mako, their brilliant, but chronically sleepy driver; and combustible tank fangirl and loader Yukari.  They may not be on the half-track to fame and fortune, and maybe some of them would rather shop for tank tops than become tops in tanks, but once their focus is locked and loaded, they're absolutely driven.  It's mad, it's metal and mayhem is guaranteed!  It's GIRLS UND PANZER!


Title:                 GIRLS UND PANZER TV COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/3/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $69.98

SYNOPSIS:  You may have heard of kung fu, but the girls at Oarai Academy practice gun-fu - really, really BIG gun-fu, in fact.  It's called Tankery, and it's the martial art of operating armored tanks!  And even though the Tankery program at Oarai has been defunct for years, the student council has taken a sudden interest in the art and no one they set their sights on is safe.  Which is how Miho Nishizumi, who transferred to Oarai specifically to stay out of tanks, gets drafted to join the newly revived Tankery divison.  But it's not all bad, because joining her in Team Anglerfish are her new found friends Saori, the highly receptive radio operator; Hana, a flower arranger turned gunner; Mako, their brilliant, but chronically sleepy driver; and combustible tank fangirl and loader Yukari.  They may not be on the half-track to fame and fortune, and maybe some of them would rather shop for tank tops than become tops in tanks, but once their focus is locked and loaded, they're absolutely driven.  It's mad, it's metal and mayhem is guaranteed!  It's GIRLS UND PANZER!


Title:                 MAGICAL PLAY COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         150 min.
Street Date:      12/3/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $29.98

SYNOPSIS: Becoming a Magical Girl isn't easy, but Padudu thinks she has most of the bases covered.  She even has a magical pet and a magical cloak!  Granted, her pet's a talking fish that she wears as the cloak (and occasionally snacks on,) but now all she SHOULD have to do is wander the countryside, fight in official Magical Battles and collect enough Hanamaru stamps to become an official Magical Girl.  But life isn't always that simple, and when Padudu accidentally breaks a law, she ends up on the run and traveling with some really odd companions:  There's MyuMyu, who wears a pair of cats as a bikini, Pipin, who dresses like a rabbit and wears HER magical pet bunny as a back pack, and the nefarious criminal Nonononn, who also wanted to be a Magical Girl, and has both a Hammerhead Shark and mysterious ties to the Queen (who's nowhere near as nice as her PR would have you believe.)  So what happens when the strangest set of strangers ever set forth in an even stranger land?  The one thing you can count on is that it's going to get REALLY weird in MAGICAL PLAY!


Title:                 BIG, BAD MAMA-SAN
Published by:    Switchblade Pictures
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         75 min.
Street Date:      12/10/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $19.98

SYNOPSIS: She's been ridden long and she's been ridden hard, but when that old truck is the only thing your father left you besides a pile of bills, how else is a girl going to make a living?  That's how Nami became the hottest thing on wheels, taking any load offered up the back roads of Japan and delivering whatever's been ordered, no questions asked, C.O.D., A.S.A.P.  Unfortunately, Nami's drive to become debt free is full of speed bumps like obsessive cops and cheating rival truckers, major detours like old acquaintances who want to be more than "just friends," and one big pot hole in the form of Momoko, an eager beaver truck stop hooker with a heart of gold, a brain of tofu and a desperate yen to become Nami's partner.  And all that's just a warm up for what happens when a package belonging to a gang of dim but ruthless gangsters somehow ends up in Nami's back end!  Get ready for hijackings, high balling and the most crazed hijinks to ever hit the highways and byways of Japan as everyone tries to worm their way into Nami's flatbed in BIG, BAD MAMA-SAN - DEKOTORA 1!


Title:                 BTOOOM! COMPLETE  
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/10/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: In the blink of the mind's eye, Ryuta Sakamoto suddenly finds himself transported from playing the hit BTOOOM! video game to being stranded on a mysterious island.  He's equipped with a day's worth of provisions, a bag of bombs, a strange crystal embedded in his left hand and a huge gaping hole in his memory.  But it doesn't take long to figure out what's going on, especially after the first person Ryuta meets tries to kill him.  Someone is attempting to recreate the ultra-violent BTOOOM! game in real life, and the island has been filled with an army of other unwilling players, each armed with one of the multiple variants of explosive weapons called BIM.  Fortunately, Ryuta's an ace BTOOOM! player, but this insane version of the game has no reset switch or second lives, and there's only one way off the island: kill seven other people before they can kill you!  Can Ryuta repurpose his game-based skills fast enough to survive this ultimate battle royale?  The action is ultra-violent, ultra-graphic and ultra-lethal as the ultimate blood sport is unleashed in BTOOOM!


Title:                 BTOOOM! COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/10/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $69.98

SYNOPSIS: In the blink of the mind's eye, Ryuta Sakamoto suddenly finds himself transported from playing the hit BTOOOM! video game to being stranded on a mysterious island.  He's equipped with a day's worth of provisions, a bag of bombs, a strange crystal embedded in his left hand and a huge gaping hole in his memory.  But it doesn't take long to figure out what's going on, especially after the first person Ryuta meets tries to kill him.  Someone is attempting to recreate the ultra-violent BTOOOM! game in real life, and the island has been filled with an army of other unwilling players, each armed with one of the multiple variants of explosive weapons called BIM.  Fortunately, Ryuta's an ace BTOOOM! player, but this insane version of the game has no reset switch or second lives, and there's only one way off the island: kill seven other people before they can kill you!  Can Ryuta repurpose his game-based skills fast enough to survive this ultimate battle royale?  The action is ultra-violent, ultra-graphic and ultra-lethal as the ultimate blood sport is unleashed in BTOOOM!


Title:                 KOKORO CONNECT OVA COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         100 min.
Street Date:      12/10/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $29.98

SYNOPSIS: They’ve already had their bodies swapped like musical chairs, had their ages changed at random and experienced their deepest desires taking control of them without warning, but if you thought Heartseed was finished with Taichi, Iori, Himeko, Yoshifumi and Yui, you’ve got another think coming!  Now there’s a new affliction going around, and the name of this peculiar bug is emotion sickness.  As in, suddenly your emotions jump out of your body and sic someone else!  Needless to say, that’s more than simply awkward if you’ve got a deep rooted phobia like a fear of men or repressed emotions that you’ve been trying to keep hidden, but in some situations it can literally be deadly!  What is Heartseed up to this time, and why is he making our heroes involuntarily share their innermost dirty laundry?  Get ready for another trip through the emotional wringer in Kokoro Connect ~ The OVAs!


Title:                 KOKORO CONNECT OVA COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         100 min.
Street Date:      12/10/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $39.98

SYNOPSIS: They’ve already had their bodies swapped like musical chairs, had their ages changed at random and experienced their deepest desires taking control of them without warning, but if you thought Heartseed was finished with Taichi, Iori, Himeko, Yoshifumi and Yui, you’ve got another think coming!  Now there’s a new affliction going around, and the name of this peculiar bug is emotion sickness.  As in, suddenly your emotions jump out of your body and sic someone else!  Needless to say, that’s more than simply awkward if you’ve got a deep rooted phobia like a fear of men or repressed emotions that you’ve been trying to keep hidden, but in some situations it can literally be deadly!  What is Heartseed up to this time, and why is he making our heroes involuntarily share their innermost dirty laundry?  Get ready for another trip through the emotional wringer in Kokoro Connect ~ The OVAs!


Title:                 DI GI CHARAT OVA SERIES
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         194 min.
Street Date:      12/17/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $24.98

SYNOPSIS: You never know when the chance for a new adventure is suddenly going to pop up, and even if you were born here, our world can be a pretty strange and unusual place.  However, when you’re an alien princess like Dejiko, who came to Earth to break into the music industry, it’s almost impossible to go out walking without it becoming the start of something wild and wonderful.  Whether Deji’s just hanging out, going on a Christmas Cruise or being kidnapped by her new arch rival Pyocola Analogue III (just call her Piyoko,) you never know what might happen next.  The one thing you can bet on, however, is that Dejiko’s stalwart companions Genma and Puchiko will be right alongside her… and usually in trouble up to the tips of Puchiko’s cat ears!  The deliriously wacky escapades of the globetrotting princess of Planet Di Gi Charat continue in another interplanetary collection of out of this world silliness in Di Gi Charat Specials!

Title:                 THE PET GIRL OF SAKURASOU 1
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/17/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Banished from normal housing for the crime of adopting stray cats, Sorata Kanda's life has gone to the dogs and now he's been impounded in Room 101 of Sakura Hall, a notorious den of troublemakers, geniuses and weirdos.  Meanwhile, Mashiro Shiina in Room 202 is the cat's meow of the art world.  However, she's so unfocused and dysfunctional that she needs a full-time keeper to survive day-to-day life while she puts her career as a famous artist on hold and studies to be a manga creator.  That's too big a task for Chihiro, Mashiro's cousin who lives in the same dorm and also happens to be Sorata's teacher.  But given Sorata's weakness for taking in small, cute but sometimes not completely loveable creatures, could he be the one destined to take over Mashiro's grooming, feeding and general, er… domestication?  Well, if he's not, too bad, 'cause no one else is stepping up and he's stuck with it and her!  Heavy petting gets redefined, the dorm's the only thing likely to get housebroken and hopefully no one will get neutered as who's on whose leash becomes anybodies' guess in The Pet Girl of Sakurasou Collection 1!


Title:                 THE PET GIRL OF SAKURASOU 1 BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/17/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Banished from normal housing for the crime of adopting stray cats, Sorata Kanda's life has gone to the dogs and now he's been impounded in Room 101 of Sakura Hall, a notorious den of troublemakers, geniuses and weirdos.  Meanwhile, Mashiro Shiina in Room 202 is the cat's meow of the art world.  However, she's so unfocused and dysfunctional that she needs a full-time keeper to survive day-to-day life while she puts her career as a famous artist on hold and studies to be a manga creator.  That's too big a task for Chihiro, Mashiro's cousin who lives in the same dorm and also happens to be Sorata's teacher.  But given Sorata's weakness for taking in small, cute but sometimes not completely loveable creatures, could he be the one destined to take over Mashiro's grooming, feeding and general, er… domestication?  Well, if he's not, too bad, 'cause no one else is stepping up and he's stuck with it and her!  Heavy petting gets redefined, the dorm's the only thing likely to get housebroken and hopefully no one will get neutered as who's on whose leash becomes anybodies' guess in The Pet Girl of Sakurasou Collection 1!


Title:                 HUMANITY HAS DECLINED COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/24/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $49.98

SYNOPSIS: For years, declining birth rates have forced what's left of the human race to cede more and more territory to other beings who have appeared to take advantage of the emptying ecological niche.  Now, only a handful of humans remain among the remnants of civilization and Earth is dominated by faeries - tiny, ten-inch tall creatures of surprising intelligence.  But humanity's importance isn't over quite yet, as young Watashi learns as she makes the decision to return to her hometown and assume her grandfather's position as an arbitrator between the races.  Unfortunately, the job isn't going to be anywhere near as simple as she expected, and it's going to take wisdom far beyond her years to achieve her most important mission.  Because it's not about how often you fall and fail, it's about how often you get back up and try again, and the human race still has a lot left to accomplish in HUMANITY HAS DECLINED.


Title:                 HUMANITY HAS DECLINED COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/24/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: For years, declining birth rates have forced what's left of the human race to cede more and more territory to other beings who have appeared to take advantage of the emptying ecological niche.  Now, only a handful of humans remain among the remnants of civilization and Earth is dominated by faeries - tiny, ten-inch tall creatures of surprising intelligence.  But humanity's importance isn't over quite yet, as young Watashi learns as she makes the decision to return to her hometown and assume her grandfather's position as an arbitrator between the races.  Unfortunately, the job isn't going to be anywhere near as simple as she expected, and it's going to take wisdom far beyond her years to achieve her most important mission.  Because it's not about how often you fall and fail, it's about how often you get back up and try again, and the human race still has a lot left to accomplish in HUMANITY HAS DECLINED.


Title:                 SAY, "I LOVE YOU" COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      12/24/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Friends suck, and trusting someone is just setting yourself up.  That's the lesson Mei Tachibana learned after her heart was ripped out and only a shell was left where a girl used to be.  But unlike so many, she found an easy solution: she'll never make another friend.  Ever.  Okay, maybe that's not as easy as it sounds, but it's worked for Mei.  Or at least it did.  Until handsome, charming and annoyingly popular Yamato Kurosawa came along.  Because for some freakish reason, he seems to like Mei.  He even gave her his phone number!  As if she would ever call him. Except she did.  But only because she needed help.  Still, he came.  He actually came.  And now things are getting way too complicated.  Mei's no princess in a tower.  She's not waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  So why did he have to kiss her and confuse everything?  And why are those three little words so hard to say?  Between heartbeats, behind trembling lips, and unspoken with every breath, the specter of betrayals past, future and present now haunt them both in SAY "I LOVE YOU."


Title:                 SAY, "I LOVE YOU" COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         325 min.
Street Date:      12/24/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                $69.98

SYNOPSIS: Friends suck, and trusting someone is just setting yourself up.  That's the lesson Mei Tachibana learned after her heart was ripped out and only a shell was left where a girl used to be.  But unlike so many, she found an easy solution: she'll never make another friend.  Ever.  Okay, maybe that's not as easy as it sounds, but it's worked for Mei.  Or at least it did.  Until handsome, charming and annoyingly popular Yamato Kurosawa came along.  Because for some freakish reason, he seems to like Mei.  He even gave her his phone number!  As if she would ever call him. Except she did.  But only because she needed help.  Still, he came.  He actually came.  And now things are getting way too complicated.  Mei's no princess in a tower.  She's not waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  So why did he have to kiss her and confuse everything?  And why are those three little words so hard to say?  Between heartbeats, behind trembling lips, and unspoken with every breath, the specter of betrayals past, future and present now haunt them both in SAY "I LOVE YOU."


Title:                 NYAN KOI! COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/31/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Saying that Junpei Kosaka's allergic to cats is something of an understatement, just thinking about cats can make him sneeze.  A fact that seems to be lost on his mother and sister, who both ADORE cats.  And if that wasn't bad enough, when Junpei inadvertently damages a statue of a cat deity, he becomes cursed with the ability to understand felines.  Now Junpei must perform one hundred great favors for cat-kind or face the fate of being turned into a cat himself!  Life quickly becomes a purrfect hell as every cat in the neighborhood starts sending Junpei their list of "requests."  But it's not just the cats: the local Yakuza's daughter is playing cat and mouse; the monk's daughters are acting catty; Junpei's childhood best friend is ready to use him as a scratching post; and the girl he has a secret crush on is as cat crazy as the rest!  Get ready for the ultimate catfight on the road to purrdition in this cataclysmic complete collection of Nyan Koi!


Title:                 NYAN KOI! COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/31/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $69.98

SYNOPSIS: Saying that Junpei Kosaka's allergic to cats is something of an understatement, just thinking about cats can make him sneeze.  A fact that seems to be lost on his mother and sister, who both ADORE cats.  And if that wasn't bad enough, when Junpei inadvertently damages a statue of a cat deity, he becomes cursed with the ability to understand felines.  Now Junpei must perform one hundred great favors for cat-kind or face the fate of being turned into a cat himself!  Life quickly becomes a purrfect hell as every cat in the neighborhood starts sending Junpei their list of "requests."  But it's not just the cats: the local Yakuza's daughter is playing cat and mouse; the monk's daughters are acting catty; Junpei's childhood best friend is ready to use him as a scratching post; and the girl he has a secret crush on is as cat crazy as the rest!  Get ready for the ultimate catfight on the road to purrdition in this cataclysmic complete collection of Nyan Koi!


Title:                 SO, I CAN'T PLAY H COMPLETE
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/31/2013
Format:             DVD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Never make a deal with a wet goddess you've only just met.  That's a lesson Ryosuke Kaga learns the hard way when he foolishly agrees to let Lisara Restole use some of his "essence" to stay in this world.  Because despite her smoking hot appearance, Lisara's actually a Shinigami, a Goddess of Death.  However, she doesn't steal years off his life like any decent Shinigami would do.  Oh no, instead she sucks off his lecherous spirit, draining his ability to enjoy… well, the things that teenage boys normally spend most of their time thinking about!  And now the poor degenerate's only hope of getting his licentiousness renewed is to join the Lisara on her quest, since when she leaves our mortal plane he regains his normal immorality!   But Shinigami can be really harsh mistresses and it's going to be anything but easy to go back to being sleazy in So I Can't Play H!


Title:                 SO, I CAN'T PLAY H COMPLETE BLU-RAY
Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by:  Section23 Films
Run Time:         300 min.
Street Date:      12/31/2013
Format:             BD
Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP:                 $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Never make a deal with a wet goddess you've only just met.  That's a lesson Ryosuke Kaga learns the hard way when he foolishly agrees to let Lisara Restole use some of his "essence" to stay in this world.  Because despite her smoking hot appearance, Lisara's actually a Shinigami, a Goddess of Death.  However, she doesn't steal years off his life like any decent Shinigami would do.  Oh no, instead she sucks off his lecherous spirit, draining his ability to enjoy… well, the things that teenage boys normally spend most of their time thinking about!  And now the poor degenerate's only hope of getting his licentiousness renewed is to join the Lisara on her quest, since when she leaves our mortal plane he regains his normal immorality!   But Shinigami can be really harsh mistresses and it's going to be anything but easy to go back to being sleazy in So I Can't Play H!