The Guide| Hong Kong & China| Japan| Korea| Thailand|Anime Anime
Posted on March 01, 2011 at 15:59 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

Today Magnolia Home Entertainment announced to release Kim Ji-Woon's (A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life, The Good, the Bad, the Weird) thriller I Saw the Devil starring Choi Min-Sik (OldBoy) and Lee Byung-Hun (A Bittersweet Life) on Blu-ray Disc on May 10th.
No further details have been revealed yet, but check out Choi Min-Sik below for the trailer and more...

[via High-Def Digest]

Posted on March 01, 2011 at 15:31 by Ulrik. 4 commentsTweet this

Manga Entertainment UK just tweeted a high resolution product shot for the UK Blu-ray Disc release of Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA.
The BD/DVD combi will hit the shelves in a nice steelbook package (probably because the Brits had to wait so long for their 'own' release) for a limited time on June 27th. I guess the BD itself will be the same as the one in the amazing US and Japanese release that I already praised many times here and over in the AHT...


Pre-order AKIRA Limited Edition Steelbook from Amazon.co.uk

Posted on February 18, 2011 at 09:43 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

YesAsia.com has listed the Hong Kong release of Tetsuya Nakashima's Confessions (Kokuhaku) coming March 3, 2011 from CN Entertainment. This will be the first Blu-ray Disc release of the Oscar-nominated thriller from the director of Kamikaze Girls, Memories of Matsuko, and Paco and the Magical Book with English subtitles.
According to most retailers, the disc will be locked to Region A, so some of you might have to wait for the announced UK release from Third Window Films.
Click Takako Matsu's eyes for the trailer...

[Thanks again to AnimeOnBlu!]

Posted on January 24, 2011 at 18:47 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

Laputa Castle in the Sky - WDHE

Specifications [BD50]
Region: ABC
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080p 23,976fps
Audio: Japanese: DTS HD MA / 1732kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz / 16bit
English: Dolby Digital / 640kbps / 5.1 / 48kHz
German: Dolby Digital / 192kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz
French: Dolby Digital / 192kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz
Mandarin: Dolby Digital / 192kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz
Cantonese: Dolby Digital / 192kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz
Korean: Dolby Digital / 192kbps / 2.0 / 48kHz
Subtitles: English, Japanese, French, Finnish, Korean, Traditional Chinese
BDInfo Report
Screenshots
Laputa Castle in the Sky @ Asian Blu-ray Guide

Posted on January 24, 2011 at 09:28 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

Australian fans of Studio Ghibli rejoice! Madman Entertainment announced to release Hayao Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Isao Takahata's My Neighbors the Yamadas (Houhokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun) on Blu-ray Disc on April 20, 2011.


[via The Ghibli Blog]

Posted on December 31, 2010 at 08:35 by Ulrik. 2 commentsTweet this

Blu-ray Disc @ Amazon.comJust in time for New Year's Eve, Amazon.com gives us another chance to max out our credit cards. The retailer is running a nice Anime on Blu-ray Disc Sale with 26 titles from FUNimation including box sets, single releases and some niche live-action films.
Check the FUNimation studio listing to see, which of these releases are locked to Region A and which will also play on European machines (some are Region A and B). In the comment section you should also see if these are just upscales or proper HD releases.
FUNimation Anime Blu-ray Disc Sale @ Amazon.com
[Thanks to Baitrunner for the heads up!]

Posted on December 24, 2010 at 16:02 by Ulrik. 1 commentTweet this

Have a great time with your family and loved ones during the holidays! Maybe you'll even find a bunch of Asian Blu-ray Discs under the tree this year...
I won't update the Guide in the next few days, so don't worry if your contributions don't show up immediately.

Posted on November 21, 2010 at 16:45 by Ulrik. 4 commentsTweet this

US fans of Studio Ghibli rejoice! Walter Disney HE announced to finally bring Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to North America on Blu-ray Disc on March 8, 2011.
The 1984 masterpiece is already available on Blu-ray Disc in Japan, UK and Australia. While latter ones are locked to Region B (confirmed for the UK disc, but I bet Madman will use the same for their Australian release), the amazing Japanese release is region free but could put many fans off because of its high price. So the upcoming US Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack with the following features and temporary specs should please most region A buyers. Hopefully Disney will add a losless Japanese audio track this time...

Bonus features:
Blu-ray Disc
* The World of Ghibli? Visit Nausicaa's world in this enchanted interactive experience
* Behind the Studio: Discover the film's fantastic origins in this fascinating documentary, including an interview with Hayao Miyazaki
* Enter the Lands: Explore the many worlds of Studio Ghibli
* Studio Ghibli Trivia Challenge: Test your Knowledge
* Original Japanese Storyboards
DVD
* Behind the Microphone: With A-list voice talent
* The Birth Story of Studio Ghibli
* Original TV Trailers
Technical Specs
* 1080p High Definition/1.85:1; DVD: 1.85:1
Blu-ray Disc: English, French and Japanese
DVD: English, French and Japanese

Shopping Preorder Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack from Amazon.com
[Thanks to Priscilla & W0m6at!]

Posted on November 19, 2010 at 09:01 by Ulrik. 1 commentTweet this

YesAsia just listed the Hong Kong Blu-ray Disc (and DVD) release of John Woo's wuxia-adventure Reign of Assassins (also known as Rain of Swords in The Pugilistic World) starring Michelle Yeoh for November 25th. Just as expected from Mega Star, both versions will include English subtitles.
The retailer states that the disc will be locked to Region A, but knowing Mega Star there's a good chance that it might end up region free after all.
Click the banner below for some teaser and trailer footage from the flick.


[Thanks to Supavince for the heads up!]

Posted on October 28, 2010 at 15:06 by Ulrik. 3 commentsTweet this

Arrow Video has released package shots and further details for their upcoming (November 29th) Blu-ray Disc release of Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale. The Blu-ray Disc edition is limited to 10.000pc and is currently available at Amazon.co.uk for GBP16.99. According to a tweet (can't find the link right now) from Arrow, the Blu-ray Disc will be region free!


Brand new restored transfer in high definition 1080p of both theatrical and director's cut
Brand new subtitle translation on both features
Limited edition packaging numbered #/5000 with certificate
Limited edition exclusive special features

Disc 1 - Theatrical Cut
Original theatrical trailer, The making of Battle Royale: The Experience of 42 High School Students, Conducting Battle Royale with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra

Disc 2 - Special Edition (Director's Cut)
Special Edition Trailer, TV Spot: Tarantino Version, Shooting the Special Edition, Takeshi Kitano interview, The correct way to make Battle Royale [Birthday Version], Tokyo International Film Festival Presentation

Disc 3 - Special Features
Opening day at Maru no Ichi Toei Movie Theatre, The Slaughter of 42 High School Students, Premiere Press Conference, The Correct way to fight in Battle Royale, Royale Rehearsals, Masamichi Amano conducts Battle Royale, Special Effects Comparison, Behind the Scenes featurette, Filming on Set, TV Spots, Promos and Commercials, Kinji Fukasaku Trailer Reel
32 Page Comic
36 page booklet including: 'A Battle Without An End' by Tom Mes, author of 'The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film', Printed interview with director Kinji Fukasaku, 'Today's lesson is... you kill each other' by Jay McRoy, author of 'Japanese Horror Cinema' [LE Exclusive], Extract from Koushun Takami's original novel [LE Exclusive], Original promotional material including director's statement, cast and crew biogs [LE Exclusive]

16 page booklet including: Concept artwork and drawings for the limited edition set [LE Exclusive]

[via DVD Times & Amazon.co.uk]

Posted on October 13, 2010 at 20:42 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

The South Korean distributor Peter Pan Entertainment will release Chan-wook Park's cult-hit OldBoy on Blu-ray Disc on October 21st. The disc will come in a slipcase and is supposed to include English subitles and for some reasons the English dub. The second film in the Vengeance trilogy is already available in several countries, so a South Korean release was more than due...

Posted on September 22, 2010 at 20:58 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

Good news for fans of unknown actors in monster suits. Mill Creek Entertainment announced to bring Godzilla's lesser known cousin, the giant, flying turtle Gamera to the US on Blu-ray Disc. The Gamera double feature will include Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and Gamera: Attack of the Legion on a single (hopefully double layer) Blu-ray Disc. Expected release date is October 12, 2010. Both films are already available in Japan, but these releases don't inlclude English subtitles.

Posted on September 17, 2010 at 09:24 by Ulrik. 5 commentsTweet this

Great news for Ghost in the Shell fans who don't want to import those expensive Blu-ray Discs from Japan!
A few days after the announcement, that the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex movies The Laughing Man, Individual Eleven and Solid State Society will be released in Japan on Blu-ray Disc as individual releases, Right Stuf added the US Blu-ray Disc versions for all three films to their catalogue. Distributed by Manga Entertainment and authored by Bandai Entertainment, the discs are supposed to hit US stores with English subtitles and dub on December 7th.
[via Anime on DVD, thanks Tratious!]

Posted on September 10, 2010 at 08:26 by Ulrik. 0 commentsTweet this

Whoops, looks like I missed this announcement while celebrating the upcoming Blu-ray Disc release of Hayao Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky. According to AV Watch, Isao Takahata's My Neighbors the Yamadas (Houhokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun) will also be released on Blu-ray Disc on December 22nd with the following specs:
Audio: Japanese, English, German, Korean, Mandarin
Subtitles: English, Japanese, French, German, Korean, Chinese
My Neighbors the Yamadas (which was supposed to be the first of the Ghibli films to be released on Blu-ray Disc) is one of the few Ghibli animes I haven't seen yet, so I'm happy to see this in the (possible) best quality for the first time.
[via muhootsaver]

Posted on September 09, 2010 at 20:28 by Ulrik. 5 commentsTweet this

Wow, what a day! muhootsaver just tweeted that Walt Disney will release Hayao Miyazaki's master piece Laputa: Castle in the Sky on Blu-ray Disc in Japan just in time for Christmas! Amazon Japan states December 22nd as the release date.
Except for the beautiful cover artwork, no further details have been announced...yet. But I bet Studio Ghibli and Disney Entertainment will once again produce a release that will be very attractive to importers by adding various subtitles and dubs just like their amazing Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind BD release. Stay