SHOUT! FACTORY Unveils Its Anime Expo 2019 Lineup
/Posted by Justin D Williams
Shout! Factory’s booth will once again be an essential destination for anime and pop culture enthusiasts during AX 2019. Stop by the booth to get some great deals on your favorite new and classic anime titles. All items are in limited quantities at AX 2019. Many titles come with a gifts-with-purchase while supplies last.
Thursday, July 4th and Friday, July 5th
VISIT OKKO’S INN WITH A PHOTO OP AND GET A FREE DOOR HANGER!
In celebration of Kitaro Kosaka’s stunning anime feature Okko’s Inn being released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on July 2, Shout! Factory, in collaboration with GKIDS, will feature a backdrop of the traditional Japanese inn from the movie at the Shout! Factory booth. Capture your excitement at AX 2019 in front of Okko’s inn with a photo/selfie and get a free exclusive door hanger!
Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th
CELEBRATE PENGUIN HIGHWAY BY PLAYING ‘PICK A PENGUIN’ GAME
Join the fun and celebrate the upcoming home entertainment release of anime feature Penguin Highway with Shout! Factory and Eleven Arts Anime Studio by playing the PICK A PENGUIN game at Shout! Factory’s booth for a chance to win Blu-rays, t-shirts, pins, and more!
SHOUT! FACTORY ANIME HOME ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS AT AX 2019
OKKO’S INN (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
*This Blu-ray set includes gifts-with-purchase while supplies last.
Nominated for the 2019 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, Kitaro Kosaka’sstunning anime feature Okko’s Inn, from the famed studio Madhouse, will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on July 2.
After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional inn near an ancient spring said to have healing waters. Okko soon discovers there are spirits living there that only she can see – welcoming ghosts who keep her company, play games and help her navigate her new environment. Okko strives to be a gracious host, and this is soon put to the test by a string of challenging guests with different stories. But ultimately Okko discovers that dedicating herself to others becomes the key to taking care of herself, in this beautiful tale from Kitaro Kosaka, who was a key animator on numerous classic films at the venerable Studio Ghibli.
Bonus features include interviews with the director and Seiran Kobayashi (Okko).
PENGUIN HIGHWAY (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
Eleven Arts, distributed by Shout! Factory
The wondrous new film from Director Ishida and Studio Colorido is “a heart-warming, hormonal mix of Twin Peaks and Studio Ghibli” (The Telegraph)! Winner of a 42nd Japan Academy Award for Excellent Animation of the Year, this Blu-ray release is presented in Japanese with subtitles, and with an English dub, and comes complete with bonus features including interviews with Director Hiroyasu Ishida and Penguin Highway author Tomihiko Morimi.
Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb, hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he discovers that the arrival of the penguins is somehow related to a mysterious young woman from his dentist’s office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure!
Based on the best-selling Japanese science fiction novel written by Tomihiko Morimi (The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl), Penguin Highway has also had its novel released in the U.S. this year. The film’s bewitching animation and coming-of-age story about adventure are sure to inspire fans of all ages.
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray + CD)
GKIDs, distributed by Shout! Factory
*Buy this collection and Princess Mononoke Collector’s Edition and get Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki Blu-ray as a special gift-with-purchase.
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, this classic tale of magic and adventure is one of the most endearing and internationally renowned films of all time. Perfect for collectors and animation fans who have adored the film since its initial release, the limited-edition set comes housed in an elegant hard slipcase and includes a new 40-page book with stunning art and essays. Featured in a deluxe disc portfolio is a Blu-ray of the film paired with hours of special features, and the film’s soundtrack made available on CD for the first time in North America. The set’s 40-page book features new essays by The New York Times’ film critic A.O. Scott and film writer Lauren Wilford, alongside gorgeous art and statements from director Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, and more.
PRINCESS MONONOKE Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray + CD)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
*Buy this collection and My Neighbor Totoro 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition and get Never-Ending Man: Hayao MiyazakiBlu-ray as a special gift-with-purchase.
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, this epic fantasy film is one of the best-selling and internationally renowned films of all time. The limited-edition set comes housed in an elegant hard slipcase and includes a new 40-page book with stunning art and essays. Featured in a deluxe disc portfolio is a Blu-ray of the film paired with hours of special features, and the film’s soundtrack made available on CD for the first time in North America. The set’s 40-page book features new essays by film critic Glenn Kenny (The New York Times,RogerEbert.com) alongside amazing imagery and statements from director Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki, and Miyazaki’s poems about the characters.
The first animated film to win the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, Princess Mononoke is Miyazaki’s epic masterpiece that has dazzled audiences worldwide with its breathtaking imagination, exhilarating battles, and deep humanity.
NEVER-ENDING MAN: HAYAO MIYAZAKI (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
*This Blu-ray set includes a gift-with-purchase while supplies last.
In 2013, Academy Award®-winning film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he can’t shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarks on a new project to utilize CGI for the first time ever. But the artist, who has been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronts many challenges that threaten to cancel the film. Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film Boro the Caterpillar using CGI.
This Blu-ray contains two different versions: a 70-minute version in Japanese with English subtitles, and an alternate cut, a 48-minute broadcast version with English narration, which includes footage not included in the 70-minute version.
LIZ AND THE BLUE BIRD (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
Eleven Arts, distributed by Shout! Factory
*This Blu-ray set includes a gift-with-purchase while supplies last.
Liz and the Blue Bird comes from the creators of the critically acclaimed A Silent Voice (40thJapan Academy Award, Best Animated Feature Film), including director Naoko Yamada and writer Reiko Yoshida. The film’s director Naoko Yamada here presents her fourth feature film with a subtle yet entrancing brilliance in this complex look at the friendship and growing up. Nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Animated Feature, Liz and the Blue Bird was also recently named best anime movie of 2018 by IGN.
Liz and the Blue Bird has been adapted from the popular YA novel series Sound! Euphonium by Ayano Takenda and is considered a side-sequel to the anime series of the same name.
Mizore Yoroizuka plays the oboe, and Nozomi Kasaki plays the flute in Kita Uji High School’s concert band. Mizore is shy and soft-spoken, while her best friend, Nozomi, is outgoing. The two girls grow closer as they practice for their last duet before graduating, a piece called “Liz And The Blue Bird.” However, the impending separation may be more than their friendship can handle. Interspersed with their story is the fantasy tale of Liz, who like Mizore, seeks a friendship that may be too hard to hold onto in this beautiful coming-of-age story.
A SILENT VOICE – THE MOVIE (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
Eleven Arts, distributed by Shout! Factory
A Silent Voice – The Movie comes from the lauded director Naoko Yamada (Liz and the Blue Bird) and writer Reiko Yoshida. Among the film’s many accolades include winner of the 40th Japan Academy Award for Excellent Animation of the Year, Tokyo Anime Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay and the Japanese Movie Critics Award for Best Animation.
Based on the critically acclaimed manga by Yoshitoki Oima, A Silent Voice is a gorgeous anime film with a powerful message about bullying, depression, and forgiveness. The moving coming-of-age drama depicts the struggles of adolescence through its memorable characters and stunning animation.
When a deaf elementary school girl named Shoko is forced to transfer to a new school after a boy named Shôyaconstant bullies her, Shôya suffers over the consequences of his guilt for years. Upon entering high school, Shôyafinally decides he must find Shoko, to make amends for what he did in elementary school, and to become her friend. Along the way, he meets new and old faces and struggles with many complicated relationships and feelings in “this beautifully rendered anime” (Total Film).
MAQUIA: WHEN THE PROMISED FLOWER BLOOMS (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
Eleven Arts, distributed by Shout! Factory
Maquia is the directorial debut of renowned and prolific screenwriter Mari Okada (Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and The Anthem of the Heart). A heartwarming story of a mother’s love and irreplaceable time, the film dives into the dilemmas of motherhood, adolescence, femininity, and leadership. Okada wraps all these poignant themes into a sweeping epic with well-developed characters, emotional gravitas, stunning visuals, and an exhilarating score by composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell).
Though only 15, Maquia knows she will live for centuries without aging past adolescence. She belongs to the Iorph, a clan of ageless beings just like her. Maquia's elders warn her not to fall in love with anyone outside their realm, lest she wishes to encounter true loneliness in the end. But fate pushes Maquia out into the mortal world one night when an invading territory separates her from the clan. There she discovers an orphaned baby, Arial, and takes him in as her own child. From this point, Maquia will suffer extreme heartbreak in the name of motherhood, as she watches Arial grow and seeks to reconnect with her lost Iorph friends, all torn apart by the cruel world of Mesate.
This Blu-ray release is presented in Japanese with subtitles, and with an English dub. Bonus features include the featurette “Making of Maquia,” trailers and TV spots.
LU OVER THE WALL (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS, distributed by Shout! Factory
* This Blu-ray set includes a gift-with-purchase while supplies last.
From the visionary mind of Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game, The Night is Short, Walk On Girl)comes a joyous twist on the classic fairy tale about a little mermaid who comes ashore to join a middle-school rock band and propel them to fame.
After his family moves from Tokyo to a small fishing village, teenager Kai spends his days sulking and adrift. When his classmates invite him to play keyboard in their band, their jam sessions bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose fins turn to feet when she hears the beats, and whose singing causes humans to dance compulsively. But when an ancient prophecy threatens Lu and the village, Kai and his new friends must save the day in this toe-tapping adventure for the entire family.
Bonus features include audio commentary and an interview with Director Masaaki Yuasa, trailers and TV spots.
PERFECT BLUE (Blu-ray + DVD combo pack)
GKIDS and Shout! Factory
* This Blu-ray set includes gift-with-purchase while supplies last.
The directorial debut of acclaimed director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Millennium Actress), the critically acclaimed Perfect Blue has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time. This new Blu-ray edition features both a newly digitally remastered version of the film and an original definition presentation, as well as the new to home video bonus features Lectures by Satoshi Kon and an Into the Blue featurette with new interviews. The bonus features also include the Angel of Your Heart recording sessions, the full English version of Angel of Your Heart, interviews with the English cast and crew, and theatrical trailers and TV spots.
In Perfect Blue, rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows, in this iconic psychological thriller.
DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri.: THE COMPLETE 6-FILM COLLECTION (Blu-ray)
Encompassing REUNION, DETERMINATION, CONFESSION, LOSS, COEXISTENCE, and FUTURE
*This Blu-ray collection includes a gift-with-purchase while supplies last.
Produced by Toei Animation, DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri. anime feature film series have been delighting audiences and loyal fans across Japan. Toei Animation has revamped these six wildly popular anime movies for North American audiences by bringing onboard a stellar English voice cast. Joshua Seth, who voiced the main character Tai Kamiya in the original series, returns to the role for DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri., alongside an exciting team of voice talent and DIGIMON luminaries.
