Animehouse

Largely credited as the first OVA to hit shelves, Dallos is a cornerstone of Mamoru Oshii’s ridiculous history as a figurehead of the anime industry in its golden era. Beating out Osamu Tezuka’s The Green Cat to the title of “first OVA” (due to the incomplete nature of The Green Cat, among other info), Dallos embodies some of the best aspects of science fiction from the era and sports an outstandingly beautiful production through its handful of episodes.

Thoughts: Clearly, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this.

Is it hentai? Technically, yes- but it’s a massively impactful work that hosts what is arguably an all star cast of animators from the era, including the titular director Yasuomi Umetsu. Aggressive, full of action and edge, it’s a standout aesthetic and appeal that’s hard to find elsewhere. It’s also a surprisingly tough license to sell over here, due to the pornographic nature of some of its contents. But, it exists, and there’s much to be thankful for with that.

Thoughts: A great opportunity to re-experience the late master of space’s work.

Though it’s not a strictly “new” license, seeing Captain Harlock: Space Pirate make the jump from DVD to Blu-Ray at Otakon 2024 is very nice. It’s even nicer that it makes use of a 1080p upscale from a Japanese re-release to bring a nice facelift to the new format for this (much easier to get into) Leiji Matsumoto science fiction classic.

Thoughts: Clearly, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this.

Interestingly enough, this is the first title to be making its English language debut. Part of the long and successful Lyrical Nanoha series, it represents one of the endings for the franchise, and brings a sense of closure to the tumultuous and long wait English fans have endured. Arriving 17 years late, it’s a reminder that it’s often times better late than never.

Thoughts: Clearly, there’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this.

While it doesn’t cross the line into hentai like Kite, this title also starting with the letter K is certainly… something. It was an interesting announcement at Otakon 2024 that served as a reminder that Discotek hadn’t published the main TV release for the series. Rather, they had previously distributed only the OVA. Certainly an interesting choice, but now they have a complete collection for…. fans, I suppose.

Thoughts: There’s, uh, definitely people out there that have been waiting for this, I guess.

Another not-so-new license, this new version of GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka has a lot going for it- just not in terms of visual improvements. Sharing the same standard definition release, the majority of the improvements appear from the included Tokyopop dub of the anime, as well as upgraded and higher quality translations. Though it’s not the absolute best case scenario for fans of the classic anime, it’s certainly better than a kick in the mouth, and a DVD on your shelves.

Thoughts: A rather easy no-brainer pick up for fans of the series.

Through all the oddities and curiosities of what Discotek brought with them to Otakon 2024, Humanoid Monster BEM is likely the one to wear the crown for “weirdest”. No, it’s not the content itself that is weird. More so, it’s that it’s an anime from the 1960s that is almost an inversion of Scooby-Doo, featuring monsters doing the mystery-solving rather than teens and their talking dog. Regardless, it’s a really fun pickup that represents some very nice coverage of an era that never really sees much attention outside of its domestic market.

Thoughts: A nice piece of truly classic anime checked off the list.

You might think this a silly or “pointless” announcement, but it’s the last piece that Discotek needed to be caught up with Lupin III. It’s a huge feat considering the series spans over 50 years of anime production. So yes, it’s certainly a drop in the bucket, but it’s the one that finally fills the pale that Discotek keeps Lupin III in… for now.

Thoughts: A massive win for fans of the Lupin III series.

Yet again, we have another piece of Go Nagai anime history landing in the West. This time, in the form of (another) mecha anime- but to mix it up, Nagai also wrote the lyrics for its theme song? Very funny work, and a solid representation of why it’s worth pulling more of their material in the English world of licenses. Similarly, being another series outside of their Toei era, it’s a chance to see the famous creator in different light. Also, it’s a mech anime, and the home video and English publication world has a very strong affinity for that sort of stuff.

Thoughts: All around, a solid and fun license that many will enjoy.

Forget being a fan of the Professor Layton video game, I’m a big fan of P.A. Works, so getting to see their first movie (though working alongside OLM) make it to a home video release is very exciting. In reality though, the main crowd is fans of the video game- and for good reason. Discotek’s release appears as the movie’s first time in Native HD, and includes a dub comprised of the original cast for the game.

Thoughts: An absolute win for fans of the game.

Occupying a similar area in the Japanese consciousness as many other “children’s cartoons” (though to a far less capacity) Chie The Brat! is a comedy series out of left field about “the most unlucky girl in Japan”. Beginning in the 80s, this second “edition” (series? season?) was produced 10 years later, and for the first time in 2024 will be seeing a release in North America! Though it’s certainly not a release for everyone, as it occupies a less intense and specific niche, it’s another example of Discotek’s “no stone unturned” approach with licensing that’s seen them curry so much favor with anime fans.

Thoughts: A fun series for those willing to give it a shot.

What better mecha is there to bring to the West than one by the character designer for Mobile Suit Gundam? Now, while it’s not a first time release, it’s a Blu-Ray release of a new HD remaster of the material, making it look better than ever- something I’d say matters quite a bit with Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s designs, I might add. Additionally, even though it’s still not Gundam, Giant Gorg was created by Sunrise, so it most certainly retains many of the visual qualities of the biggest mecha series ever.

Thoughts: If you like Mobile Suit Gundam, you’ll surely like Giant Gorg.

A surprisingly curious series to come out of Otakon 2024, Discotek’s license of Space Musketeer Bismark reminds would-be buyers of the odd history of the series. Though it was its own TV series in the 80s, it was later re-cut and released as the “totally different” series Saber Rider and The Star Sherrifs– which Discotek also has. The difference being, they have an all new HD remaster of Bismark as well as all new subtitles to deliver alongside it.

Thoughts: An equally curious and exciting license worth checking out.

This is a very rare and interesting title to get to see in English. An odd representation of the line between robots and humans, it’s one of only a handful of projects to come from Studio Rikka in its 14 years as a studio. Excitingly enough though, AnimEigo’s release includes both the ONA and film version (with the films’s dub being present), as well as providing 2 of the studios other short stories that relate to The Time of Eve.

Thoughts: Outstanding news for those curious about this unique work.

Would anyone really say no to getting a really nice release of the sequel to Bubblegum Crisis? I certainly wouldn’t. I also really don’t mind the work that AnimEigo is putting into it. Unfortunately, they’re unable to remaster the film directly for episodes 1 and 3, but it’s still a lot of effort being put into the project to ensure that it looks as great as it should.

Thoughts: Great to see the series being taken to completion in the West.

A veritably huge project for AnimEigo, their ace in the hole license at Otakon 2024 being Full Moon wo Sagashite was a really great surprise. Unfortunately, aside from being in HD, they were unable to provide much more information as they were looking to share the news as early as possible. Regardless, it’s a great license to see as it’s currently unavailable through any means.

Thoughts: A great title to close out the announcements with.