Netflix’s Swapped Shows Who Is More of A Strange Animal

Rather than saying, “You’re a Strange Animal,” maybe the creators of Swapped were humming along to Gowan’s song when world-building a mystical realm where safety must come first rather than mixed breeding through magic.

Swapped Movie PosterNow streaming on Netflix

Netflix’s Swapped feels familiar. While it differs from Pixar’s Hoppers, where a human can masquerade as a beaver through technology and must walk a mile in another’s shoes, what’s presented here concerns a secret valley that is far more mystical than grounded in reality. This tale follows Ollie (Michael B. Jordan), a Pookoo, a groundhog-like creature, who meets Ivy (Juno Temple), a strangely Big Bird-like animal. The pair must work together if they are to thwart a looming threat.

There’s an angry Firewolf (Tracy Morgan) who has grown jealous of the peace bestowed upon the valley by enormous elephantine trees known as the Dzo. From that point on, I could swear I was watching a film that leaned heavily on the imagination of Jim Henson back when he conceived The Dark Crystal. While Swapped is brighter and more naturalistic, favouring cheerful colours and innocent charm, the similarities do not end there.

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Vampire Princess Miyu Returns From the Blackest Shadows to Blu-ray

At long last, the four part original video animated series Vampire Princess Miyu is headed to Blu-ray, giving fans a chance to bathe in this supernatural classic!

Vampire Princess MiyuRelease Date: Sept. 8, 2026

AnimEigo, along with parent company MediaOCD, is finally unearthing a classic for fans of Vampire Princess Miyu. She’s no ordinary teen who has joined the ranks of the undead. Instead, she’s a Guardian, accompanied by a servant of sorts who may be much older than she is. And for this release, the companies are going for a bold design: a pure white label to reflect innocence. The only text to be found will be on the spine.

Although his name sounds strange, Larva, as used in the translation, serves a very specific purpose. He’s meant to keep Miyu from becoming a full vampire, even though he’s the one responsible for her transformation! As part of his shame, he hides his face behind a ceramic mask.

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Taiyo Matsumoto’s Brothers of Japan is Coming to America! (Finally)

Manga Mavericks is bringing Taiyo Matsumoto’s Brothers of Japan to English readers in February 2027. This early anthology gathers 11 short stories, including his first manga, and offers a fascinating look at the themes and visual style that shaped his later work.

Brothers of Japan CoverManga Mavericks has acquired the license to release Brothers of Japan, a manga anthology that looks deeply into what makes Taiyo Matsumoto‘s art style and storytelling special. Whether it dives into fears or passions, some consider it essential reading, while for others it’s a portrait of a man.

This creator of Ping Pong and Tekkonkinkreet is beloved, and his work is finally being translated to English. For readers unfamiliar with those titles, the former follows two childhood friends navigating the competition circuit of the sport, and the latter concerns street gangs protecting their world from an organized syndicate.

The news broke during the publisher’s Monday licensing event. The volume will be available in both print and digital formats in February 2027.

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Top Streaming Films or Series To Watch This Cool June

From fantasy adventures to animated oddities and supernatural intrigue, the top streaming films (and series) to see in June may seem slim, but these are the titles worth checking out.

Top Streaming Films Avatar- The Last AirbenderNearly every anxious Netflix subscriber is counting down to the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender season two, coming June 25, but there’s plenty else to watch while we wait. As for what other top streaming films or series there are, the mileage will vary depending on tastes.

The former service is running a bit light right now. Stranger Things carried it for years, and Tales from ’85 didn’t really fill that gap. The Boroughs is here. Both debuted last month, and tried as I might to watch, they didn’t hold my attention that well. Also, without the Duffer Brothers in the director’s chair, since they’re producing, not directing, it doesn’t have the same pull. It’s also more sci-fi than supernatural, which changes the vibe considerably.

So here are my top five picks for June. The streamers seem to know better than to drop heavy hitters in summer heat, which works out fine for us.

I Am FrankeldaI Am Frankelda

(Netflix) June 12

This dark fantasy stop-motion feature feels like a bizarre love child of del Toro’s nightmarish aesthetic and Tim Burton’s stop-motion sensibility, and that’s absolutely a compliment. Part gothic fairy tale, part horror-lite, the scares hit just right. It’s “just a film,” sure, but anyone who falls for Frankelda is going to want more. Worth your evening.

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Beyond the Curse: About Heather O’Rourke. She Was Here, Then and Now

Rather than lean into the urban legend behind the Poltergeist trilogy, She Was Here-The Heather O’Rourke Story honours the life, promise, and spirit of a child actor gone far too soon.

She Was Here - The Heather O'Rourke Story Poster
Available on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vimeo On Demand, Fandango at Home, and home video.

When Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper saw something in Heather O’Rourke during casting for Poltergeist, although nobody knew it as the time, a star was born. All she had to say was, “They’re here,” in Poltergeist. All those details are well explored in She Was Here – The Heather O’Rourke Story.

She went on to play the adorable Heather Pfister in Happy Days, along with a handful of other roles, before she suddenly passed away. Medical professionals at the time couldn’t pinpoint exactly which condition precipitated the eventual cardiac arrest, and to call it a result of the film’s paranormal origins is urban legend rather than fact.

What’s presented here is less about the curse and more about how a star is born. For anyone unfamiliar with the trilogy, a bit of history: four people connected to the franchise died before, during or after the release of each film.

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Still Loud After All These Years: GENERATIONS’ Sing It Loud Makes a Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

A 2015 GENERATIONS single nobody was talking about just took over Japan’s music charts, landing 40 songs in the real-time Top 100 simultaneously. Here’s what we know about the Sing It Loud’s unexpected musical revival of 2026.

Sing It LoudThere’s a term in music called a “sleeper hit,” but what GENERATIONS is experiencing right now doesn’t quite fit the mould. Sing It Loud isn’t new. It’s 11 years old. And yet, somehow, it’s back. Although KISS’ track I Love It Loud is much older, the question is whether one wants hard rock or J-pop. What makes this 2015 single special is that it comes from the LDH dance-and-vocal collective, who also recorded a One Piece anime theme.

They hit the RecoChoku Video Ranking (Daily) for May 18, 2026, where the song ranked at number five. Nobody planned this. Nobody expected it. Even the members of GENERATIONS seemed caught off guard.

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