Friday, December 13, 2013

THIS WEEKEND ONLY - SAVE 20% OFF SELECT ANIME FIGURINES & TOYS!

Well, Robert has done it again just in time for the holidays and fellow figurine collectors can rejoice! This weekend only - spend $250 on select in stock Anime figurines @RACS and you can save 20% off!

Want to know which figurines are eligible for the additional savings?
Just click here.

To save an additional 20% off any select figurine order of $250 or more, just setup your order and use the following coupon code at checkout:

FIGURESGALORE

The more figurines you purchase the more you can save, so be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to load up on some of the Anime figurines and toys you've had your eye on! Discount code will apply to selected figurines only, though you may use ANY combination of items to reach the $250 minimum order level.

Valid for new orders over $250 of Anime figurines and toys listed on this page. All figurines are limited to whatever stock we have on hand and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Any figurines that are out of stock at the time of your order will be canceled from your order and your order total will be adjusted accordingly.

Offer expires at midnight EST on Dec 17th, so don't wait!!
 

Finally, a Game that's More Fun Than Facebook

Part of Cards Against Humanity's '12 Days of Holiday Bullshit':


Sorta reminds me of the Anime business. HEH.

Sunday, December 08, 2013

Got Ice?

We do.....

We've been in the warehouse working through holiday orders all weekend again. Yesterday we put in a full day, but today (Sunday) the weather just didn't want to cooperate:


The forecast was calling for 3-6 inches in the highlands, but I can tell you we've got every bit of 6" of dry powdery stuff already. It changed over the sleet around 1pm this afternoon, and that's when I decided that we needed to break and let everyone go home. This evening and tonight it's going to change to nasty freezing rain.

We will, hopefully, pick it back up first thing tomorrow morning. As long as the carriers are running on time, shouldn't be any big thing. Wish us luck!

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Funimation Announces the Kamisama Kiss GODDESS Limited Edition Set!

Funimation has announced a special GODDESS edition Kamisama Kiss BD/DVD boxed set for release in February!

Kamisama Kiss GODDESS EDITION Complete Collection DVD/BD Boxed Set (Limited Edition)

The set will be limited to only 2,500 produced and includes some nice goodies like Nanami's Ornamental Hair Stick, Tomoe Omamori Lucky Amulet, a Folding Fan, a Tote bag and Seven exclusive Postcards.

The set will only be available through select retailers like RACS and not available at any big box stores. Get your pre-orders in today!



Monday, December 02, 2013

Cyber Monday @ RACS - Still Alive and Working Our Asses Off!

I had really wanted to post something over the weekend to let everyone know that we are still alive and well and managed somehow to survive the Black Friday rush, but it didn't happen. None of us got much rest over the long weekend. We're currently filling holiday orders as quickly as possible, and if you placed an order over the weekend and haven't gotten a shipping confirmation yet don't worry, you will soon. Don't forget, super saver orders are currently getting the lowest shipping priority in our warehouse, so they are taking a couple of extra days to get processed and I expect that will be the case for the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, I managed to snap a couple of pictures at the warehouse from over the weekend. Enjoy!

Jenn working on picking yet another Black Friday ticket from the Manga area.
RACS Store orders being staged for shipment preparation. Do you see yours!?
Jenn finishes up packaging for her batch of orders for the day.
Final labeling and checks being performed on another batch of outgoing orders.
Jenn is telling me to stop taking pictures and get back to work!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

K Complete Collection - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Viz has sent over the details of their their release of the 'K' Complete Collection and we now have it up on the store site for pre-order. Orders placed with RACS for either the standard DVD set or the limited edition DVD/BD combo set will include an exclusive 3 sticker set (while supplies last)!

Release date is set for February 25th. Click here to pre-order. More details below:


K Complete Collection DVD/BD Combo Set (Limited Edition) - MSRP: $69.99
  • Complete series on 2 DVD and 2 BD in a BD Elite Amaray case
  • Comes in a chipboard box with iridescent foil covering. It gives the box a nice blue/green shimmer effect under the background art and is really striking.
  • 80 page full color art booklet (perfect bound)
  • Participating specialty retailers will also include, while supplies last, a K vinyl decal set of the HOMURA logo, the SCEPTER4 logo and a Neko face. These are not standard stickers, rather they are made of a nice, sturdy, durable vinyl. Bonus- you'll be able to fit them in the Amaray in the box if you don't want to stick them on things. (Check your favorite retailer to see if they offer this)
  • Special Features: Clean Opengins & Endings, English Cast Interview, VIZ Presents an Interview with KANAME☆, KANAME☆ as Fushimi Photo Gallery, K Events - U.S. Convention Highlights, Next Episode Previews, Trailers and More!
K Complete Collection DVD - MSRP: $44.99
  • Standard DVD only set also available. This is just the 2 DVDs in a standard black Amaray.
  • Special Features: Clean Openings & Endings, K Events - U.S Convention Highlights, K Trailers, More from VIZ!
From the Press Release: VIZ Media announces the release of the psychological anime action thriller – K – as a special Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, as well as a standard DVD edition, on February 25th, 2014.  

The acclaimed 13-episode series is rated TV-MA and will be offered as a special 4-Disc limited edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack with an MSRP of $69.99 US/CAN. The set also includes a full-color 80 page premium art booklet containing individual episode synopses, character profiles, poster art, translated song lyrics, an exclusive KANAME☆ K cosplay photo gallery, and much more! The standard edition 2-disc DVD set will be offered at an MSRP $44.88 US/CAN. 

K introduces viewers to Shiro, an easygoing teenager content with just being a student – until his seemingly perfect life is suddenly halted when a bloodthirsty clan, glowing red with fire, attempts to kill him in the streets. Unbeknownst to Shiro, he is suspected of murdering a member of their clan and will need a miracle to escape their vengeance. Miraculously, a young man named Kuroh Yatogami swings in and aids Shiro in his getaway, only to reveal afterward he's also after Shiro's life. Now a hunted man, Shiro will have to evade the clans of seven powerful kings and desperately try to prove his innocence – before it’s too late! 

An extensive collection of bonus material makes this K release a must-see for anime fans. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack will come packaged in a luxurious collectible specialty print chipboard box holding the art booklet and disc case. Limited Edition combo pack extra features include: VIZ Presents an Interview with KANAME☆, an insightful segment with one of Japan’s most popular professional cosplayers during his first-ever U.S. guest appearance to celebrate the debut of K at Anime Expo in Los Angeles in 2013; a KANAME☆ as Fushimi Photo Gallery; special K Day Events and convention highlights from Anime Expo including the VIZ Media K panel with cast, staff and special guests; exclusive English cast and crew interviews; the series’ original Japanese and English trailers; and clean opening and ending segments (with English translated and subtitled options), next episode previews and more. 

K was developed by GoHands, the noted studio that also created the cyberpunk anime film series, Mardock Scramble, and the enigmatic writers’ collective, GoRA Project. VIZ Media premiered K in North America on its VIZAnime.com streaming service on the same day as the Japanese broadcast debut and the series continues to grow in popularity in rotation on the company’s Neon Alley 24/7 anime channel.

 “Filled with gorgeous imagery, attractive characters and an engaging story from GoRa and GoHands, K became a viewer favorite during its simulcast premiere and subsequent runs on Neon Alley,” says Charlene Ingram, VIZ Media Senior Manager, Animation Marketing. “With such a fantastic fan response, we're pleased to have K be our first Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack title. With such beautiful packaging and loads of extras, we hope fans will become as excited about this upcoming release as we are!"

Monday, November 11, 2013

Youmacon 2013 Cosplay

From the recent Youmacon 13 show in Detroit:


The Hellsings



Thanks to Sean for sending!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Ikki Tousen Great Guardians - Back On For Dec 31st!

After much vacillation, Funimation has (as of this morning) put Ikki Tousen Great Guardians back on the official release schedule - for Dec 31st.

Ikki Tousen Great Guardians Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set

The saga of getting Great Guardians to release has been quite a ride. Media Blasters picked it up four or five years back, but after several release delays they finally found that they we're not in a financial position to hold onto it. Then after a long dead period, Funi picked it up in the Spring of 2012. After announcing that the dub was completed last fall, we've all been patiently waiting for the release to be announced, but month after month has past with no such announcement and we were all sure it was not going to come out this year - again.

But then, a few weeks ago a proposed release date got accidentally leaked to the folks at Diamond Distributors who put both an LE and Regular version of it in their Oct retailer catalog for a Dec 31st release date. Amazon picked up on this and also listed it for that date, and then a couple of the other stores picked up on that and ran with it too. Soon all the Anime news wires were abuzz with details of something that didn't yet exist. Somewhere along the line Funi decided not to publish an LE version and issue it only in standard packaging, which prompted a bunch of pressers from stores canceling pre-orders they had taken for the Limited Edition version that had never actually been announced in the first place. For myself, I was told last week by our inside rep at Funi that the release had not been scheduled at all (for Dec or any other date) and was not planned to come out until AT LEAST the later in the first quarter of 2014.

But today Funi changed their mind, and issued a statement putting the Standard Edition release of Great Guardians on the official schedule - for the first time mind you -and for Dec 31st. Ay ya! A great example of brand manager shenanigans from a studio, or worse, a case of one hand not knowing what the other is doing.

In any case, whether the Dec 31st date holds remains to be seen - you know how these things go - but we're keeping our fingers crossed!

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Funimation's January 2014 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Funimation has sent us their January 2014 release schedule, and we now have it up on the store site for pre-order. Here's what's coming:

One Piece Season 5 Part 5 DVD Boxed Set (Uncut) - Jan 14
Serial Experiments Lain Complete Series DVD/BD Combo Set (Classic) - Jan 28

Yep, that's it, I even double checked with them to make sure. More will be added between now and then I suspect.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Media Blasters Delays Release of Rio: Rainbow Gate into 2014

We finally got an official update from Media Blaster's distributor on the DVD release of Rio: Rainbow Gate. Looks like they are going to have to push it into 2014:

"Rio: Rainbow Gate was delayed due to manufacturing...originally a Sept street.  The title will be moved to '14 street tbd...but probably in 1st qtr."

So just FYI everyone, we're looking at an early 2014 release date now - probably sometime in the 1st quarter - to be announced at a later date. If any of you have a copy on pre-order with us and want to make a change in that order, just drop us a line.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

NIS Announces Wagnari! Season 2 Collection Premium Edition

NIS has sent over the paperwork for their Wagnari! Season 2 Complete Series Premium Edition, and we now have it up on the store site for pre-order:

Wagnaria!! (Working!!) Season 2 Complete Collection BLURAY Boxed Set (Premium)

This premium edition includes a hardcover art book (full color, approx. 32 pages) featuring episode summaries, new character biographies, and original illustrations.

Release date is set for February 14th.

Synopsis: Sota Takanashi, Popura Taneshima, and the rest of Wagnaria’s zany crew are back in WAGNARIA!!2! Whether it’s Sota being reduced to tears over the death of an innocent bug, Kyoko calling in her old gang to cover some shifts, or Soma hilariously meddling in the personal lives of his co-workers, each day brings something new to the table! But if you’re a man, be warned! Inami still packs quite a punch...


Correction: This is a BD only set (unlike Season 1 which was DVD only). We made a typo in the original release describing it as a DVD set.

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

NISA Offers Replacement for Daily Lives of High School Boys BD Vol #1

NISA has informed us of a slight defect that has come to their attention in the first pressing of the Daily Lives of High School Boys Premium Edition set.

It seems that the initial pressing of Episode #8 on BD Disk #1 has a small artifact that appears on the screen, and NISA wants to replace the disk for anyone who has a set with a disk asset ID of DLH1-BRD-US-DSC-1 on the first BD disk of the set.

See picture below for location of the asset ID on the disk.

If you currently have a Daily Lives of High School Boys premium edition and would like for them to send you a replacement disk, just click here and fill out the request form.

They expect the fixed disks to begin shipping out in around two or three weeks.


By the way, this is the correct way for a studio to handle a pressing or production problem (nudge nudge 'Funi' nudge nudge) ...

Monday, September 30, 2013

Funimation to Replace Edited Sankarea Discs on Request

Ahhh, a little SNAFU to report this fine Monday morning...

Apparently all of the Sankarea: Undying Love DVD/BD sets were done from masters that contained the Japanese edited broadcast version instead of the uncensored home video release version. This applies to both the DVD and BD disks in both the Limited and Standard edition boxes.

Funimation will replace the disks for any customers who want the uncensored home video version - which I imagine will be around 100% of us:

In regard to the release of the Sankarea DVD and Blu-ray content, FUNimation had originally released this set with the materials provided to us. We will be receiving additional home video masters. Customers who wish to receive the unedited version may do so by emailing sankareareturns@funimation.com along with a copy of your original receipt, and a physical mailing address (no PO Boxes please). Once the replacement discs are authored we will begin to process your request. Thank You.

Please don't ask me how something like this can happen. I assume the masters they got from Japan were the edited versions and no one at Funi noticed during the mastering process for the English release. Truly a face/palm moment for them I think.Also, at this point it looks as if we are supposed to continue to ship the version we have, and that anyone who wants the other will have to request it. I'm on with them now for clarification on that.

I'm not sure how long it will take for them to start shipping replacements , but if you have bought a set go ahead and shoot them your info so they can get you new disks out once they are ready.

UPDATE: As of Oct 1st, Funimation has officially recalled all remaining retailer copies of the Sankarea: Undying Love DVD/BD sets. We have pulled the title and it will be unavailable for order until further notice. If you have already gotten a set, please use the email above to request replacement disks from Funimation directly.

UPDATE 2: OK, today (Oct 2nd) our rep at Funi sent me an e-mail telling us that Funi is NOT handling the replacements for Sankarea: Undying Love DVD/BD sets directly and that customers will need to go to the retailer they purchased the set from to obtain replacement disks. So, if you already have a set from RACS and want your disks replaced, PLEASE E-MAIL US directly. We do not know at this point when the new disks will be available, only that a fixed version of Sankarea will be rescheduled for release later this year.

And yes, I think them laying off the time, effort, and customer service overhead onto the retailers for doing the replacements is pretty crappy, even if they do reimburse us for the costs. ~sigh~