Dragon Ball

FUNimation Entertainment Announces November 2020 Releases

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

FUNimation Entertainment has announced the November 2020 releases for both Crunchyroll and for FUNimation.

Crunchyroll

  • Magical Girl Raising Project: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) (Essentials) – 300 minutes – $29.98 – 11/3/20
    [Special Features: Promo Videos, Web Previews, Nemurin Messages, Textless Opening Song “Sakebe”, Textless Closing Song “DREAMCATCHER”]
  • The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) – 600 minutes – $69.98 – 11/17/20
    [Special Features: The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Those Awaiting a Star (1-3), Twitter Q&A: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Cast & Crew, Episode 8 Commentary, Textless Opening Song “Here,” Textless Closing Song “-cycle-,” Episode 21 Commentary, The Ancient Magus’ Bride at Anime Expo 2018: Interview with George Wada and Norihiro Naganuma, trailers]
  • The Testament of Sister New Devil: Seasons 1 & 2 Collection (Blu-ray) (Classics) – 600 minutes – $34.98 – 11/24/20
    [Special Features: Maria’s Secret Video, Textless Opening Song “Blade of Hope” Episode 1, Textless Closing Song “Still Sis” Episode 1, Maria’s Secret Video BURST, Textless Opening Song “Over The Testament” Version 1, Textless Closing Song “Temperature,” Textless Closing Song “Temperature” Episode 10, and trailers]
  • Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) (Essentials) – 300 minutes – $29.98 – 11/24/20
    [Special Features: Episode 2 Commentary, Promo Video, Textless Opening Song and Textless Closing Songs]

FUNimation Entertainment

  • Actors: Songs Connection: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) – 300 minutes – $64.98 – 11/3/20
    [Special Features: Character Promo Videos featuring Saku Otonomiya, Sosuke Kagura, and Uta Outa; Promo Videos; Commercials; Textless Opening Song, and Textless Closing Songs Versions 1, 2, & 3]
  • Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious: Complete Collection (Blu-ray/DVD LE) – 300 minutes – $84.98 – 11/10/20
    [Contains English and Japanese drama CDs with translation included, an 80-page art book featuring an exclusive manga never released in North America, a lenticular art card and three filmstrip bookmarks]
    [Special Features: Promo Videos, Commercials, Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]
  • Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) – 300 minutes – $64.98 – 11/10/20
    ]Special Features: Promo Videos, Commercials, Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]
  • Dragon Ball Z: Season 1 Collection (Blu-ray SteelBook) – 925 minutes – $59.98 – 11/3/20
    [4:3 aspect ratio Episodes 1–39]
    [Special Features: Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]
  • Dragon Ball Z: Season 2 Collection (Blu-ray SteelBook) – 835 minutes – $59.98 – 11/3/20
    [4:3 aspect ratio Episodes 40–74]
    [Special Features: Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Christopher R. Sabat, Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Sean Schemmel, Justin Cook Shares His Headshot Collection, Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]
  • Dragon Ball Z: Season 3 Collection (Blu-ray SteelBook) – 830 minutes – $59.98 – 11/3/20
    [4:3 aspect ratio Episodes 75–107]
    [Special Features: Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with Gen Fukunaga, Inside Dragon Ball Z: Interview with John Burgmeier, Look Back at the Hummer Tour: With Sonny Strait, Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]
  • Miss Caretaker of Sunohara-sou: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) – 300 minutes – $64.98 – 11/10/20
  • My Hero Academia: Season 3 Collection (Blu-ray) – 625 minutes – $69.98 – 11/10/20
    [Episodes 39 –63]
    [Special Features: My Hero Academia at Anime Expo 2018: Interviews with Yuki Hayashi and Daiki Yamashita, Inside the Episode (Kota, Drive It Home, Iron Fist!!!, From Iida to Midoriya, One For All), My Hero Academia: Outtakes Reel, Promo Videos, Commercial Collection, Textless Opening and Closing Songs, My Hero Academia: Conversation with the Cast, My Hero Academia: Outtakes Reel, Inside the Episode (Create Those Ultimate Moves, A Talk About Your Quirk), Trailers]
  • Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) – 325 minutes – $64.98 – 11/3/20
    [Special Features: File.0.5 – One Year Earlier: Kujaku Nijo’s Melancholy, File.Extra – Seiji Nanatsuki’s Running Report, Promo Video, Textless Opening Song, Textless Closing Song]

Source: The Fandom Post

Anime Blu-ray Review: Dragon Ball Super Part 3

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Dragon Ball Super Part 3 includes episodes 27-39 of the Dragon Ball Super anime series. Audio options for this release include the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the English dub.

Dragon Ball Super Part 3
English Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
Format: Blu-ray
Release Date: February 20, 2018

The first episode in this set finishes off the retelling of the Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ anime film. Like with the last set, I wonder why FUNimation bump the first episode of Part 2 onto Part 1 in order to complete that arc in one set. By doing that, this arc could have concluded in Part 2.

But after that first episode, everything else in this set is a completely new story arc that has never been seen in any form before. While we had hints to a couple of characters previously, they are formally introduced in this new story arc. One is Champa, Beers’ fat twin brother, and Whis’ older sister, Vados. They make an unannounced appearance on Beerus’ planet while Goku and Vegeta are training there. We learn that there are a total of 12 universes in this world, and that Goku and the others are in the 7th universe. Champa is the God of Destruction in the 6th universe. After fighting over which universe has better food and discovering that the Earth in Universe Six has been destroyed, Champa proposes a tournament where the winner will be allowed to swap Earths. Oh, and there’s also the introduction of the Super Dragon Balls, which are literally planet-sized Dragon Balls.

And thus begins the Universe 6 saga, where each universe brings forth five fighters for a Tenkaichi Tournament style contest on a vacated, nameless planet located between Universe 6 and Universe 7. Beerus insists on choosing one of the contestants but tells Goku and Vegeta they are free to choose two others. They choose Piccolo and Majin Boo, but Universe 7 loses Majin Boo when he falls asleep during the written portion of the contest and is disqualified.

The contestants from Universe 6 are interesting. One is a Saiyan, and his people’s history and attitude are vastly different from the Saiyans that we know in Universe 7. In a lot of ways, Caba (the Saiyan from Universe 6) almost comes across as what Vegeta might have been like if history had taken a different course in Universe 7. There’s also Frost, who is Universe 6’s version of Freeza. Botamo is a bear-like creature, while Magetta is a robot-like alien. The final contestant from Universe 6 is an assassin named Hit, and his face reminds me of Cell in his “Perfect Form.” There’s also a secret about Monaka, the fighter Beerus picked and claimed to be the strongest in the universe, that’s revealed near the end of this set. With the way the matches go, it would be bad news is Goku is knocked out of the fight he’s in at the end of the set. Unfortunately, we don’t see the resolution of Goku’s fight with Hit at the end of this set, so the viewer is left with a major cliffhanger.

My favorite part of the Universe 6 saga is at the beginning of the tournament, with the performance of “The Anthem of the Universe.” It was hysterical, and I was cracking up when I saw it. If I had to choose a “moment in show” for the episode it appeared in, this would have won hands down.

Another favorite moment was during Vegeta’s fight with Caba, and how he was ultimately giving Caba a lesson on turning into a Super Saiyan, but not making it obvious to those watching what he was up to.

So this new arc gives us another Tenkaichi Tournament, although there are definitely some differences that start popping up as the fights progress. So far, it seems like Dragon Ball Super has been working at trying to recapture the humor and light-heartedness from the first Dragon Ball series, and this Universe 6 arc is doing a good job at achieving this goal. At first, this shift in tone took a little getting used to when I started Dragon Ball Super, but I’ve gotten used to it at this point. I’m enjoying Dragon Ball Super at this point, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the Universe 6 saga will continue in the next set.

The Blu-ray video is 1080p High Definition 16:9 (HD Native), and the audio is Dolby TrueHD: English 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD: Japanese 2.0. I have no complaints with the video or audio quality of this release.

There are a total of four bonus features included on this release. The first is an interview with Sean Schemmel (the English voice of Goku) and Jason Douglas (the English voice of Beerus) that took place during Anime Expo 2017. This feature ran for about 18 minutes, and to me, it was one of the better interview bonus features that I’ve seen. Sean and Jason had a good chemistry during the interview, and I liked what they had to say about their roles and about Dragon Ball Super.

The only other bonus features are textless opening songs, textless closing songs, and trailers for other releases from FUNimation Entertainment.

If you’re a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise and want to own all the episodes and films, then you’ll need to add Dragon Ball Super Part 3 to your anime home video library.

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Nine

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Nine collects the 25th and 26th volumes of the manga that chronicle the Dragon Ball Z portion of the franchise.

Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Nine
Written by: Akira Toriyama
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: November 9, 2010

The entirety of Volume 25 and all but the final two chapters of Volume 26 focus on the final battle with Majin Boo. This sounds like a lot on the surface, but when you realize that quite a few of the chapters focus heavily on the action panels, it ends up not being as long as it seems. With many of the chapters not being dialogue heavy, it makes this omnibus a little faster of a read than it would be otherwise.

Throughout all of the chapters of the final battle with Boo, the stakes keep getting higher and higher. There’s also the surprise of the chubby Majin Boo coming out of the other Boo and helping the protagonists. Near the end of the battle, just when it seems all hope is lost, Mr. Satan (aka Hercule) is able to provide some unexpected help. It’s obvious that the protagonists have to come out on top, but Goku makes an interesting wish right at the end of the battle: he wishes the evil Majin Boo could be reincarnated as a good guy, so they can fight one-on-one.

And as any good shonen property should, there is a timeskip between the end of the battle with Majin Boo and what takes place during the last two chapters of the manga. Technically, this is Dragon Ball Z’s second timeskip. But 10 years have passed since the battle with Majin Boo. Gohan and Videl have gotten married and had a daughter named Pan, making Goku a grandfather. The premise of the final two chapters is a Tenkaichi Tournament being put on by Mr. Satan (aka Hercule). We have several of the usual suspects among the fighters in the tournament, but four-year-old Pan is among them. We get a great scene of Pan beating up a big, burly guy. It just shows that size isn’t everything!

We also see that Goku gets his wish from 10 years earlier, when a 10-year-old boy named Oob is among the fighters. Goku does something surprising right at the end of the story, and at the time it was written, it was thought this would be where the franchise would end. At the time, no one would have dreamed of either Dragon Ball GT or Dragon Ball Super would ever come into existence. From comments that Toriyama makes at the end of the volume, it sounds like he was winding down the Dragon Ball franchise rather suddenly for personal reasons. If the situation had been different at the time, Toriyama might not have ended the manga the way that he did. While the story didn’t truly end, it left open the possibility that more story could be told in the future. As we know now, the story picked back up again in manga form about 10 years after the Dragon Ball Z manga ended.

These omnibus editions for Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z have been a great way to add the manga to my library without having to buy 25+ individual volumes. Unfortunately, the VIZBig editions are getting harder to find. While there was another version of the omnibus releases for  the Dragon Ball Z manga, they’re smaller in size and not as good of quality of paper when compared to the VIZBig editions. If you want omnibus releases for this manga series and can’t find the VIZBig editions, the newer omnibuses is really going to be your only real option. Between the two omnibus pressings, I much prefer the VIZBigs.

Manga Review: Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Eight

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Eight collects the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th volumes of the manga that chronicle the Dragon Ball Z portion of the franchise.

Dragon Ball Z VIZBig Volume Eight
Written by: Akira Toriyama
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: July 20, 2010

The entirety of this omnibus volume focuses on the Boo Saga of Dragon Ball Z. While we still get to see some of the Tenkaichi Tournament, the main focus of this section of the story is on the Z Warriors going up against Bobbidi, Dabra, various magical beasts, and the reincarnated Majin Boo. Although, when it comes to the Tenkaichi Tournament, we get a great fight between Mr. Satan (aka Hercule) and Android 18. It’s especially amusing when Android 18 throws the contest after she makes a deal with Mr. Satan to get paid to let him win.

When the volume gets to the point of Majin Boo being reincarnated, Boo doesn’t look threatening at all. He also acts child-like. But you can’t let his looks and behavior deceive you, because he’s actually strong and makes for quite the foe for Goku and the others to take on.

Vegeta gets to play a major role after he lets Bobbidi take him over. Of course, Vegeta only allows this because he wants to be able to battle Goku, especially after losing out on the chance to do that during the Tenkaichi Tournament. But after getting beaten up by Boo in a fight, Vegeta decides to try to destroy Boo by destroying himself. This is quite the anti-hero moment for Vegeta, and in his final thoughts, the reader gets to see how much Vegeta has evolved as a character since his introduction in the first arc of Dragon Ball Z.

Gohan is beaten up during the fight with Bobbidi, but Kaio-shin and Kibit take him to Kaio-shin’s realm in order to heal him. Here, he is introduced to the Grand Elder Kai, who is able to increase Gohan’s power… but his method takes some time.

Goten and Trunks are taken to the Spirit Realm, where they learn how to do Fusion in order to become a powerful fighter named Gotenks in order to take on Majin Boo.

This volume also introduces a new power up for Goku: Super Saiyan 3. Not only does he power up, but Goku also acquires long and luxurious hair. And Boo also destroys Bobbidi, so there’s now no one alive who can say the spell to seal him away. This is one of the ways that Toriyama ups the stakes in the story throughout this volume.

One thing I was happy to see here is that the section of the story where Boo builds his house and spends time in it wasn’t just filler created for the anime. I was so happy to see that it was a canon scene from the manga, because for me, it’s the most amusing and one of the more memorable scenes from the Boo Saga. This volume also sees Mr. Satan creating a bond and forming a friendship with Majin Boo. But it was sad to see the death of the dog change Boo from a sweet, yet evil foe to a dangerous villain. And it’s also here that we see the fat Majin Boo eject a thinner and more powerful Boo. Unfortunately, thin Boo defeats fat Boo. Fat Boo is turned into chocolate and eaten by the thin Boo, and this gives him even more power. If those fools hadn’t shot the dog and made Boo angry, who knows how much differently the story could have turned out. Mr. Satan had made so much progress with the fat Boo, so this turn of events is disappointing.

By the end of this volume, it’s clear that the Boo Saga is getting ever closer to reaching its climax. The one thing the reader is left wondering at the end of this volume is just how much stronger Majin Boo can get, and trying to figure out how the Z Fighters can take down this evil villain.

For the VIZBig releases, Volume Eight is the penultimate volume in the series. It’ll be interesting to compare the final volume of the Dragon Ball Z VIZBig editions with the corresponding episodes of the anime series to see how they line up.

Over 20 Exclusive Gunpla and Dragon Ball Figures on Sale Now at Premium Bandai USA

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Premium Bandai USA will begin offering highly sought-after and exclusive collectibles from renowned Bandai toy and collectible brands to domestic fans and customers. The catalog has been expanded to feature Bandai Spirits’ Tamashii Nations’ Dragon Ball S.H.Figuarts action figure line and Hobby’s catalog of Gundam model kits (GUNPLA), including many rare and limited-edition releases that were, until now, available only to the Japanese market.

Nearly two dozen products—including Gundam Deathscythe EW (Roussette Unit) MG 1/100, Tallgeese (TV Animation Color Ver.) RG 1/144, and S.H.Figuarts SUPER SAIYAN GOD SUPER SAIYAN VEGITO -SUPER- — became available direct to U.S. consumers for pre-order starting on April 2, 2020, at 6 PM PDT via Premium Bandai USA.

For a complete list of item details, including images and pricing, please visit: https://www.bluefinbrands.com/press

Premium Bandai USA Brings Exclusive Gundam Models and Dragon Ball Figures to North America

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Premium Bandai USA is Bandai’s official online store and focuses on stocking high quality anime, video game, and Tokusatsu merchandise. These limited edition and variant products are not available from any other domestic retailer and include action figures, model kits, jewelry and other collectibles based on many popular anime and video game properties.

Starting on April 2, 2020, Premium Bandai USA will begin offering highly sought-after and exclusive collectibles from Bandai toy and collectible brands to domestic fans and customers. The catalog has been expanded to feature Tamashii Nation’s S.H.Figuarts action figure line and Bandai Spirits Hobby’s catalog of Gundam model kits (GUNPLA), including many rare and limited-edition releases that were, until now, available only to the Japanese market.

Nearly two dozen of Dragon Ball and Mobile Suit Gundam products will be available direct to North American consumers starting on April 2, 2020 via Premium Bandai USA

Dragon Ball: https://p-bandai.com/us/cont/campaign/dragonball-cp01
Gundam: https://p-bandai.com/us/cont/campaign/gundam-cp01

Register with Premium Bandai USA before March 30, 2020, for a chance to win Dragon Ball and Gundam prizes.

Anime Blu-ray Review: Dragon Ball Super Part 2

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Dragon Ball Super Part 2 includes episodes 14-26 of the Dragon Ball Super anime series. Audio options for this release include the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the English dub.

Dragon Ball Super Part 2
English Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
Format: Blu-ray
Release Date: October 3, 2017

The first episode of the set finishes off the retelling of the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods anime film. After seeing that there was only one episode left for that arc, I wondered why FUNimation didn’t make the first set 14 episodes in length in order to have all the story in one set. It just seems ridiculous to start the second disc with the final episode of the first arc.

The second episode on the set was something that was never seen before, which was a nice change of pace since I was already familiar with the basic story of the first arc from Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. It’s an episode that focused on Mr. Satan (Hercule in the English dub) admitting the existence of Beerus and claiming to be the one who defeated him. Surprising visitors from outer space nearly expose his hoax, though! While the episode is a little on the ridiculous side, it fits right in with Mr. Satan’s character.

The next three episodes serve as a bridge between the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ anime films. It shows the audience how Vegeta and Goku ended up going to Beerus’ world to train with Whis, which is one of the first things that it seen in the Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ film. I’m glad that Dragon Ball Super took the opportunity to fill in that gap. One of the memorable things in this section is seeing Vegeta trying to cook in order to impress Whis, because it was amusing. Another amusing thing here is seeing Gohan being the overprotective expectant father. He means well by trying to cook dinner one night, but he obviously hasn’t done it very much because he gets flustered easily by it. Wow, two humorous scenes of men trying to cook… who ever would have expected that from the Dragon Ball franchise?

The remaining eight episodes are a retelling of the Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ anime film. While there has been some minor tweaking with the events and story, it’s nowhere near as major or as blatant as Dragon Ball Super’s retelling of the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods anime film. Unfortunately, this story arc doesn’t conclude in this episode, so you have to watch Dragon Ball Super Part 3 in order to see the ending.

While I nitpicked at the character designs and animation quality of Dragon Ball Super in my review of the first set, I found that it didn’t bother me nearly as much as I watched Dragon Ball Super Set 2. I guess after watching the first set and having some time in between watching this set, I became adjusted to the different style. I also warmed up more to the opening and closing themes. A new ending theme was also introduced right near the end of this set.

The Blu-ray video is 1080p High Definition 16:9 (HD Native), and the audio is Dolby TrueHD: English 5.1 and Dolby True HD: Japanese 2.0. I have no complaints with the video or audio quality.

The first bonus feature included in this set is a roughly 12-minute piece that includes Jason Douglas (English voice actor for Beerus) watching two episodes of Dragon Ball Super with three of his kids, and they are joined by Ian Sinclair (English voice actor for Whis). To be honest, I thought the kids were one of the best parts of this bonus feature. Jason and Ian were entertaining, to be sure, but I liked the kids just a little more. Overall, I found this to be much more enjoyable than the parents explaining Dragon Ball to their kids, which was the major bonus feature of the previous set. There are also textless versions of the openings and closings, as well as trailers for other FUNimation Entertainment releases.

If you’re a fan of the Dragon Ball franchise and want to own all the episodes and films, then you’ll need to add Dragon Ball Super Part 2 to your anime home video library.

Dragon Ball Symphonic Experience Kicks-Off North American Tour with Premiere Performance in Chicago

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

As part of the year-long 30th anniversary celebration of Dragon Ball Z, Toei Animation Inc. and Sony Pictures Television’s FUNimation have announced that the “Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure,” a one-of-a-kind concert experience, is coming to North America. Produced by Overlook Events and presented by AWR Music Productions, the “Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure” combines scenes and sounds of Dragon Ball together with live vocals, a 60-piece orchestra and the music of legendary Japanese composer Shunsuke Kikuchi to create an immersive multimedia event for fans. The North American tour of the “Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure” kicks off on March 27, 2020 with its premiere performance in Chicago, Illinois at the Rosemont Theatre featuring the World Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eric Roth. Additional dates and locations to be announced.

Produced by Toei Animation and distributed in the U.S. and Canada by FUNimation, the Dragon Ball anime franchise consists of four TV series, namely Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super, and now 20 feature films including this year’s blockbuster film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. This year marks the global 30th anniversary of the Dragon Ball Z anime TV series.

Based on its Narrative Symphonic Experience concept, Overlook Events mixes a symphony orchestra with rock instruments, live vocals, sound effects and light synchronized to a compilation of Dragon Ball video excerpts projected on giant screens, following a strict narrative – to create the Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure. The result is a concert experience that achieves a musical and technical mastery still very rare in an industry dominated by cinema-concerts.

Overlook describes their creative process:

“As great enthusiasts of Akira Toriyama’s saga, we spent long months carefully selecting and analyzing each scene to draw out the essence of the Dragon Ball story. While reconstructing each arc, each scene was thoughtfully set to new orchestrations of the classic music, to align with our Narrative Symphonic Experience concept. Nothing was left to chance. Now, we invite you to enjoy every minute of this concert experience, from the opening trumpet notes heralding the first transformation of Son Goku, ready to unleash his uncontrollable fury against the mighty Frieza.””

Tickets for the premiere performance of “Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure” will go on sale at 10am CST on November 15, 2019 via Ticketmaster at http://bit.ly/DBSymphonicAdventure.

Bluefin Details Anime NYC 2019 Events and Show Exclusive Products

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Bluefin, a Bandai Namco group company and the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan and Asia, has detailed a host of show exclusive products and special activities set to take place at Anime NYC 2019. Attendees are invited to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam with specially branded products and appearances by Gundam creator and director, Yoshiyuki Tomino.

Anime NYC 2019 will take place November 15–17, 2019 at the Javits Convention Center in New York, New York. Full details are available at: http://animenyc.com/.

Bluefin will be located in Booth #720.

Exclusive Bluefin Products Available at Anime NYC 2019

Stop by the Bluefin Booth #720 for a wide array of exclusive products from Bandai Spirits Hobby and Tamashii Nations.

Apparel:

  • Gundam 40th Anniversary Hoodie (Sizes M to 2XL) – $60
  • Gundam 40th Anniversary T-Shirt (Sizes M to 3XL) – $30
  • Gundam 40th Anniversary Hat – $30
  • Gundam 40th Anniversary Towel – $15

Bandai Spirits Hobby:

  • Haro Basic Green (Clear Color Variant) – $8
  • Momoharo (Clear Color Variant) – $8
  • SDCS Zaku (Clear Color Variant) – $10
  • SDCS Zeta Gundam (Clear Color Variant) – $13
  • HD 00 Sky (Dive Into Dimension Clear Variant) – $18
  • HG Destiny Gundam (Clear Color Variant) – $25
  • HG Freedom Gundam vs. Force Impulse Gundam Battle of Destiny Set – $48
  • RG Sazabi (Clear Color Variant) – $50
  • MG ZZ Gundam (Clear Color Variant) – $70
  • MG Tallgeese II (Special Coating Variant) – $80
  • MG Zaku II High Mobility Type “Psycho Zaku” (Half Mechanical Clear) – $100

Tamashii Nations:

Catch a variety of exclusives from the Dragon Ball World Adventure available for purchase. The booth also will showcase and offer for purchase a wide variety of other Tamashii Nations’ items from Gundam, Star Wars, Marvel and more.

  • Metal Build – Strike Freedom Gundam Soul Blue Version · MSRP: $270

Dragon Ball World Adventure Exclusives:

  • S.H.Figuarts GOKU BLACK SUPER SAIYAN ROSE Event Exclusive Color Edition – $75
  • S.H.Figuarts GOLDEN FRIEZA Event Exclusive Color Edition – $65
  • S.H.Figuarts ULTIMATE SON GOHAN Event Exclusive Color Edition – $55
  • S.H.Figuarts SON GOKU KID Event Exclusive Color Edition – $55

Anime NYC 2019 Bluefin / Bandai Show Activities

2019 GunPla Builder’s World Cup
Anime NYC 2019 will host the Northeast U.S. Regional Qualifier for Bandai’s 2019 GunPla Builder’s World Cup. The contest is a yearly event held amongst modelers to show off their completed Gundam models. Top modelers from the U.S. as well as Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Italy, France, Vietnam, and Canada battle it out for the title of GunPla World Cup Champion. Contest categories include Best Universal Century Model, Best Alternate Universe, Best Super Deformed (SD), and Best Factory Finish. Models are judged on painting, craftsmanship, and overall concept. The winning U.S. representative will go on to compete against winning modelers from other countries in the Final Round to held in Japan on December 9, 2019.

Gundam Creator Yoshiyuki Tomino
Mobile Suit Gundam creator and director, Yoshiyuki Tomino, will attend Anime NYC as an Official Guest to mark the 40th anniversary of his landmark property. He will participate in several panels and autograph sessions. Please visit http://animenyc.com/autographs2019/ for information on the signing sessions. Yoshiyuki Tomino will only autograph official Gundam products for series he personally worked on, including the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series and the new Gundam Reconquista in G (G-Reco) movie that will premiere at Anime NYC.

U.S. Premiere of Gundam Reconquista in G Anime Film
Attendees are invited to attend the U.S. Premiere of Gundam Reconquista in G. The screening will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 1E13, immediately following the GunPla Builders World Cup official panel.

VIZ Media Presents an Exciting Selection of Anime and Publishing Titles for the Holidays

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

VIZ Media offers fans a diverse collection of titles to add to their wish lists this holiday season. Featured anime titles include Season 2 of the acclaimed Netflix Original Anime Series Castlevania as well as the series finale of Sailor Moon, available for the first time ever on home video in the U.S. Fans can also enjoy a limited edition of Transformers: A Visual HistoryY celebrating the franchise’s 35th anniversary, and a deluxe Dragon Ball art book. Additional offerings come from fan-favorite series including Bleach, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, One Piece, RWBY and much more.

Anime Gift Selections:

CASTLEVANIA SEASON 2
Blu-ray MSRP: $29.98 U.S. / $34.99 CAN
DVD MSRP: $24.98 U.S. / $29.99 CAN

Trevor Belmont, last survivor of his house, is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades, Sypha Belnades and Alucard race to find a way to save humanity from extinction at the hands of the grief-maddened Dracula and his sinister vampire war council.

Season 2’s special features include production animatics, storyboards, art gallery and more.

SAILOR MOON SAILOR STARS PART 2
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack MSRP: $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN
DVD MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $51.99 CAN
Available November 12, 2019 (Part 1 Available Now)

Although the popularity of the Idol group Three Lights is off the charts, Usagi hasn’t realized that Seiya, Yaten and Taiki are the Sailor Star Lights. But with the number of Phage growing in the city, the purpose of star seeds is the biggest mystery that needs to be solved. Could the mysterious Chibi-Chibi hold the answer? The tide is turning, but not in Usagi’s favor. Her allies are being overpowered, and altered timelines are confusing the fate she knows to be true: Mamoru is her true love, Neo Crystal Tokyo is her future kingdom and her fellow Guardians will be her eternal protectors…right? The ultimate battle with the chaotic Sailor Galaxia lies ahead, and the fate of all existence lies in the balance.

Special features include cast interviews, trailers, opening & ending songs, and art gallery.

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE Part 1
Blu-ray MSRP: $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN
DVD MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $51.99 CAN

It’s 1999, and Jotaro Kujo has just arrived in the idyllic Japanese town of Morioh—only this time, he’s not hunting DIO and his henchmen. His search for the illegitimate child of Joseph Joestar has brought him face-to-face with Josuke Higashikata, a Stand-wielding, butt-kicking high schooler who happens to be afraid of turtles. But behind Morioh’s tranquil facade is an invisible evil slowly eating away at the peace and well-being of its residents. Bizarre happenings are becoming commonplace, and the Joestar clan must rise to the occasion if they and the town of Morioh are to survive.

MEGALOBOX Limited Edition Blu-ray
MSRP: $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN

Bored, resigned, and unfulfilled, a young man with neither name nor past survives by fighting in underground matches of a sport called “Megalobox,” a form of boxing that utilizes powered exoskeletons. Calling himself JNK.DOG, he feels trapped in a world of crime, poverty, and ecological collapse. All that changes when he has a chance encounter with Yuri, the reigning king of Megalobox. Now, obsessed with proving himself, JNK.DOG becomes a man driven to do whatever it takes to fight his way to the top of the rankings and take on the champion.

Also available:

BLEACH 1-4 Blu-ray Sets; Set 5 available December 3rd, 2019
MSRP: $54.97 U.S. / $63.99 CAN

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS 1-3 Blu-ray & DVD Sets
Blu-ray MSRP: $44.98 U.S. / $52.99 CAN · DVD MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $51.99 CAN

Deluxe Book Gift Selections:

DRAGON BALL: A VISUAL HISTORY by Akira Toriyama
MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $46.99 CAN
Available November 12, 2019

A comprehensive art book showcasing manga art, additional promotional material, creator commentary and notes/sketches/posters, from throughout the history of the original Dragon Ball series. This hardcover book with dust jacket comes protected in an upscale slipcase.

TRANSFORMERS: A VISUAL HISTORY by Jim Sorenson
Limited Edition MSRP: $99.99 U.S. / $125.00 CAN
Available November 12, 2019

The deluxe limited edition comes packaged in a beautiful collector’s box with an exclusive variant cover design and five gorgeous and frame-ready prints.

One of the world’s most popular franchises, Transformers has been delighting fans since 1984. Now, in this deluxe hardcover celebration, Hasbro reveals behind-the-scenes production sketches, beautifully polished final art, and everything in-between. From the obscure to the iconic, this book features packaging artwork, animation models, video game designs, comic pages, and, for the first time ever, production artwork from all six Paramount live-action films. Lovingly curated by Transformers expert Jim Sorenson, this is the most comprehensive collection of Transformers imagery ever assembled.

THE WORLD OF RWBY by Daniel Wallace
MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $53.99 CAN

The definitive companion to the hit animated series, The World of RWBY is the ultimate celebration of a pop-culture phenomenon. Go behind the scenes with exclusive commentary from Rooster Teeth and explore the show’s creation through in-depth interviews with the writers, animators and voice artists. With comprehensive analysis of key characters and iconic episodes, and showcasing stunning visuals from the series, this is the must-have book for RWBY fans around the world.

Also Available

ONE PIECE COLOR WALK COMPENDIUM: WATER SEVEN TO PARAMOUNT WAR by Eiichiro Oda
MSRP: $39.99 U.S. / $53.99 CAN

EVANGELION ILLUSTRATIONS 2007-2017
MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $46.99 CAN

Manga Box Set Gift Selections:

ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM COMPLETE BOX SET by Yusei Matsui
MSRP: $189.99 U.S. / $249.99 CAN
Rated “T+” for Older Teens

The complete bestselling Assassination Classroom series is now available in a boldly designed, value-priced box set. Includes all 21 volumes of this unique tale of a mysterious, smiley-faced, tentacled, superpowered teacher who guides a group of misfit students to find themselves—while doing their best to assassinate him. Action-packed, hilarious, and heartwarming, this title is famous for moving fans to tears through their laughter. Includes an exclusive, full-color, mini “yearbook” filled with images of favorite characters in different art styles and contexts (previously unreleased in the English editions).

DRAGON BALL COMPLETE BOX SET by Akira Toriyama
MSRP: $139.99 U.S. / $179.99 CAN
Rated “T” For Teens

The Dragon Ball Complete Box Set contains all 16 volumes of the original manga that kicked off the global phenomenon. Also includes an exclusive double-sided poster and collector’s booklet featuring fun Dragon Ball trivia and guides as well as an interview with its legendary creator.

DRAGON BALL Z COMPLETE BOX SET by Akira Toriyama
MSRP: $219.99 U.S. / $279.99 CAN
Rated “A” For All Ages

The Dragon Ball Z Complete Box Set contains all 26 volumes of the manga that propelled the global phenomenon that started with Dragon Ball into one of the world’s most recognizable and best-selling manga. Also includes an exclusive double-sided poster and collector’s booklet featuring fun Dragon Ball Z trivia and guides as well as an interview with Akira Toriyama.