By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Discotek Media announced today their upcoming Japanese anime releases during their panel at Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland. Among some of the titles announced are Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, Lupin III: Island of Assassins, Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth, and Chargeman Ken.
Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer was the 2nd feature outing for characters based off the Urusei Yatsura manga series by Rumiko Takahashi. Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii, Beautiful Dreamer was ranked number 38 on a list of the top 100 anime by Animage Magazine and was number 9 of the Top 50 Anime Released in North America by Wizard’s Anime Magazine. Beautiful Dreamer will be released on DVD and Blu-ray with both English sub and dub available. The The dubs were pulled from the original master tapes. According to Discotek, the subs are to get a new “polish”. Extras are to be announced at a later date.
Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth was different version of the retelling of Leiji Matsumoto’s Space Pirate Captain Harlock television series. Arcadia was also the last role of acclaimed Japanese actor Yujiro Ishihara before his death at 52 years old. Discotek’s Arcadia will be released on DVD and Blu-ray and will be from the Japanese master. The dub however is extremely old and is from the international Vengeance of the Space Pirate version. Vengeance was previously released by Celebrity Home Entertainment under the “Just for Kids” banner. But according to Discotek the edited version of Arcadia has the best master available. Extras are to be announced at a later date but what has been revealed is the Japanese trailers will be included in the release.
Lupin III: Island of Assassins Follows grandson of famed thief Arsène Lupin as he hunts the Tranatulas, a league of assassins who uses a piece of his past to commit a serious crime. Island of Assassins will be released in 2017 as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Aagain, extras are to be announced at a later date.
Chargeman Ken! is a 1974 animated series that consists of 65 5-minute episodes. The series takes place in a futuristic time where science has greatly progressed mankind. A young boy named Ken Izumi must become the hero Chargeman Ken when an alien species named the Jurals invade the Earth for its resources. The series gained cult status after being released on DVD in Japan by Line Communications and streamed through the video sharing site Nico Nico Douga. Discotek will make the series available on DVD and through streaming in 2017.
Source(s): Vintage Anime Fans Facebook group and Kitty Sparkles.
