HomeAnimeUniversal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Enter the Anime Publishing Scene -...

Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia Enter the Anime Publishing Scene – Have a Number of Interesting Titles in the Works

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vlcsnap 2011 06 14 22h51m36s90 Shakugan No Shana Collection   Review

Whilst we have a couple of anime publishers in the Australian region (Eg. Madman Entertainment, Siren Visual and Hanabee) – there is always room for more in a market where a number of titles never get their chance to shine on store shelves… and it turns out that Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have stepped up to the plate with an interesting set of more complex titles set to appeal to older audiences as well as anime fans in general.

While information originally came from source such as the Australian Classifications website, retailers and the detective work by the users on the Madman Madboards – a few further details have emerged which will see some Universal Sony Pictures anime titles on store shelves from the 24th April 2013

These series are as follows:

Shana

Shakugan no Shana Season 1 / 2

Season 1

Murdered by a demonic being, 15-year-old Yuji has his life force replaced by a flame that dims with each day. When the flame dies, no one will remember he was ever alive. This is how he meets Shana: a warrior with a burning sword, and the will of a god as her guide. The two form a bond as Yuji becomes Shana’s accomplice in her battles to keep the balance between the ordinary world and hers.

Season 2

The heated bond between Shana and Yuji is tested as their paranormal adventures continue. The Flame Haze fends off supernatural foes by night. By day, she contends with a classmate who’s also after Yuji’s heart. Emotions flare as a suspicious transfer student who resembles a recently defeated Denizen clings to Yuji. His training rises in intensity when they catch wind of a revered warrior in search of her lost lover—who will stop at nothing to extract the power keeping Yuji alive!

Originally released by Madman Entertainment on DVD in Australia, Universal Sony are set to bring the first season for the first time to Australia on Blu-ray as part of a DVD+Blu-ray hybrid pack. This is set to be a complete collection release including 3 Blu-ray and 4 DVD discs. As with all other releases this is set to include the original Geneon English dub which differs from the other seasons.

Season 2 is set to be split over two parts (1 / 2) and released at the same time as Season 1. As Funimation dubbed the second season and not the first, the English voice cast completely changes. The third season is set for release beginning August 2013.

Certain

A Certain Magical Index

Science and sorcery make for an explosive mix in A Certain Magical Index, an enthralling experiment in sci-fi adventure from the studio that brought you Toradora and Slayers Revolution!

Kamijo is a student in Academy City, where people use science to develop supernatural abilities. The guy’s got a lot of heart – luckily for a young nun named Index. She’s on the run from a sorcery society that covets the astonishing 103,000 volumes of magical knowledge stored in her memory. When Index stumbles into Kamijo’s life, she find a faithful friend and protector, and while Kamijo’s easily the weakest kid in Academy City, he’s got something else going for him: the Imagine Breaker, an unexplainable power stored in his right hand that negates the powers of others. With scientists and sorcerers attacking from all sides, the Imagine Breaker will definitely come in handy – but it’s Kamijo’s loyalty to Index that will be his greatest weapon in the fight to keep her safe.

A Certain Magical Index is also set for release in April 2013 and following the North American releases will be spread over two installments on DVD only released at the same date. The spin-off title (A Certain Scientific Railgun) is also slated  for release in Australia in June 2013.

Armitage

Armitage III

The year is 2046. Detective Ross Sylibus is transferred to Mars when a country singer on his flight is murdered. Making matters more complicated is that the singer is a “Third” – a robot that looks and feels like a human. Sylibus is partnered with Armitage – a beautiful female cop with a bad attitude. As they investigate the murder of the singer and other women on Mars, they uncover a conspiracy that can have them both killed by the Martian government.

For release on DVD and split over three discs – the first containing the four OVA episodes, the second containing the Polymatrix movie and the third containing the Dualmatrix movie. There is no word as to if there will be a blu-ray release in the future.

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While I do not have any pricing information on hand, retailer EzyDVD lists the Shakugan no Shana releases at $49.97 each and the A Certain Magical Index / Armitage III releases at $39.97 each. It is unknown if these are the official RRP’s to go by yet however if so seem pretty reasonable.

Other titles to expect in the next couple of months include Haibane Renmei and Serial Experiments Lain. I look forward to seeing what this company offers in the coming months!

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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