Section 23's February 2014 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Section 23 has sent over their February 2014 release schedule and we now have them up on the store site for pre-order:

AKB0048 Next Stage Season 2 Complete Collection DVD (Eps #1-13) - Feb 4
AKB0048 Next Stage Season 2 Complete Collection BLURAY (Eps #1-13) - Feb 4
MM! Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Bilingual) - Feb 11
MM! Complete Collection BLURAY Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Bilingual) - Feb 11
Hidamari Sketch (Season 1) BLURAY Collection (Eps #1-12) - Feb 18
Time Bokan Royal Revival DVD - Feb 18
Time Bokan Royal Revival BLURAY - Feb 18
Di Gi Charat Winter Garden OVA DVD - Feb 25
Girls und Panzer OVA Special Collection DVD - Feb 25
Girls und Panzer OVA Special Collection BLURAY - Feb 25
Love, Election and Chocolate Complete Collection DVD (Eps #1-12) - Feb 25
Love, Election and Chocolate Complete Collection BLURAY (Eps #1-12) - Feb 25

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!

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.

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.

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.

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) ...

Section 23's January 2014 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Section 23 has sent over their January 2014 release schedule and we now have them up on the store site for pre-order:

Uta no Prince Sama 1000% Season 1 Collection DVD (Eps #1-13) - Jan 7
Uta no Prince Sama 1000% Season 1 Collection BD (Eps #1-13) - Jan 7
Patlabor TV Series Collection #4 DVD (Eps #37-48) - Jan 7
Patlabor TV Series Collection #4 BLURAY (Eps #37-48) - Jan 7
Taisho Baseball Girls Complete Collection BLURAY (Eps #1-12) - Jan 14
Casshan Complete Collection DVD - Jan 14
Casshan Complete Collection BLURAY - Jan 14
Medaka Box Abnormal Complete Collection DVD (Eps #1-12) - Jan 21
Medaka Box Abnormal Complete Collection BLURAY (Eps #1-12) - Jan 21
Maria-Holic Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Bilingual) - Jan 28
Maria-Holic Complete Collection BLURAY Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Bilingual) - Jan 28

Maria-Holic is getting a dub but Casshan and Uta No Prince Sama aren't. Taisho Baseball Girls is getting BD treatment, but no dub either. Signs of the times.