Category: Japanese

Top 5 DiscoTek Deep Cut Picks for August! And We Promise A Devilish Good Time!

DiscoTek Deep Cuts is loading up August with Lupin the Third releases, the complete Symphogear collection, and a stacked run of Go Nagai adaptations, from Go Nagai World to the two-volume Mazinger Z set.

Go Nagai World Blu-ray DiscoTek Deep CutWith more Lupin the Third original video animations and television series releases than I can count, DiscoTek Deep Cuts is happily grinding out the hits for this IP in August, along with other series! While a lot more love is being offered for the complete magical girl series release of Symphogear (including G and GX; and available to stream on Crunchyroll), which is considered a musical wonder set in a futuristic world, I have to focus on my top picks from what’s been adapted from Go Nagai’s works. Yes, I’m a fan of his worlds than anything else, and that’s why the first item on this list is tops.

Go Nagai World Blu-ray

This one’s a fun oddity from Go Nagai’s massive catalogue: a three-episode OVA from 1991 that takes his famous creations and turns them super deformed. Akira Fudo wakes up with his body all wrong, and along with Miki and Ryo he’s got to figure out how to fix it while running into a bunch of familiar faces from other Nagai works.

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AnimEigo Brings Home Five New Licenses (and Why I’m Excited for The AD Police Files) From Anime Expo 2026

AnimEigo is dusting off another shelf of anime history, bringing long-awaited classics, namely the The AD Police Files, and the underdogs into the spotlight for a new generation.

AnimEigo logoAt Anime Expo 2026, AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD announced a handful of titles set for release next year. And one of them has been desired for a long time. And for fans of the Bubblegum Crisis saga, it’s about time The AD Police Files is getting a Blu-ray release.

No, we are not talking about the television series. Instead, it’s the three original video animations that predate Bubblegum Crisis. So the story goes, it seems some of the original material was lost, and it was impossible to remaster back then. But now, with someone discovering what’s needed to finally get it done, it now is! And who knows, maybe afterward, there may be a Mega Tokyo Mega Set that packages them all. While that’s hard to say if that will happen, this fan wants to be hopeful.

But there’s more than just one announcement. The two companies also said they will be releasing the following series to North America.

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Vampire Princess Miyu, Back From The Dead … But For How Long?

40 long years (or two decades resting) won’t matter much for Vampire Princess Miyu! MediaOCD/AnimEigo’s next release brings back the original video animation that introduced this young girl to anime fans in the 90s. An Interview with a Vampire’s Claudia better look out!

Vampire Princess MiyuAnimEigo and MediaOCD

The resolution bump required to bring Vampire Princess Miyu back to home video is certainly needed to showcase why the original still matters. This latest rerelease features the classic U.S. and UK dubs alongside the original Japanese stereo track. However, it arrives without extensive extra features, largely due to the strict licensing time constraints parent company MediaOCD faced to get prints out to the masses.

That time crunch extended to the packaging, which utilizes a pure white case reminiscent of GKIDS’ release of Evangelion: 3.0+1.11 Thrice Upon a Time. This minimalist design works beautifully. It represents a canvas of purity before corruption can taint anyone’s soul, a visual metaphor that feels entirely apt when considering the tragic background of the titular character.

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Can You Sweetly Smell What’s Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Ahead of it’s Debut?

Amusingly, just who Sasaki meets at till number two is a cue that life may well change for him. If Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You borrows from Mötley Crüe, he may have just met the girl all the bad boys want.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
©Jinushi/SQUARE ENIX,Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You Production Committee

Crunchyroll
Streaming link here.

From manga to anime, fans can now sample what’s cooking in Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり). The series will make its official debut on July 4, and the first 12 mini-episodes offer an early taste of why this story from Jinushi has built such a loyal following. What is presented is more than another adult romance, and its appeal comes from how gently it observes loneliness, routine, and the small moments that make life feel less grey.

Sasaki (Takuya Satō) is an overworked office worker whose life has settled into a dull, joyless rhythm. One of the few bright spots in his day is a local supermarket, where the cheerful smile of cashier Yamada gives him a small reason to keep going. When another woman, Tayama (Seena Hoshiki), invites him to smoke behind the store, what follows plays with identity, attraction, and the difference between how people present themselves at work and who they become after hours.

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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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When Steampunk Rules Applies No More, Can Sparks of Tomorrow Be The Next Coming Thing?

Netflix promises to bring some of that Full Metal Alchemy with the release of Sparks of Tomorrow. It may well be one of 2026’s most fascinating anime projects.

Sparks of Tomorrow AnimeSparks of Tomorrow (aka 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku, 二十世紀電氣目録) looks like a promising animated series where steampunk rules the skies, and thankfully, the setting isn’t another Victorian London retread. Instead, this alternate-history version of Kyoto brims with strange machinery, airships, and the lure of adventure.

Based on the light novel 20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku by Hiro Yūki and illustrated by Kazumi Ikeda, the adaptation already carries a sense of wonder. July isn’t far off for viewers eager to see where Kihachi Sakamoto’s search for his missing brother will lead. With Netflix handling international distribution, audiences both local and abroad will be able to follow the mystery beginning July 5, 2026.

At the centre of the story is a young inventor determined to obtain the mysterious “20th Century Electrical Catalog,” a book said to contain knowledge to deliver a future beyond this world’s steam-powered age. The title alone hints at upheaval.

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