Category: Animation

On Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo, The Single Komorebizaka and Galileo Galilei’s Upcoming Tour Too!

Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo arrives with a gentle, offbeat charm, pairing a strange visitor with a quiet household. With Galileo Galilei’s new opening theme “Komorebizaka,” the series blends soft storytelling with a reflective musical touch.

Kujima Utaeba Ie HororoNearly everyone loves penguins, and whether that’s what Kujima actually is in Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo may be up for debate as new episodes continue to air. When she can talk, well…. The animated adaptation premiered in Japan on April 9, 2026, and has been performing solidly in the ratings. The original manga first ran in Shogakukan’s monthly shonen magazine Gessan from September 2021 to April 2024. After earning several industry awards, some readers may feel this adaptation is long overdue.

The opening theme song, “Komorebizaka,” is getting noticed too. It opens with a breezy, almost whimsical lightness before the country pop groove blends in. It’s a beautiful match for the tone of the series, and one that captures its quiet emotional pull. And yes, I’ll be keeping an eye out for an English release.

From the Press Release: 

This gentle, slice-of-life comedy follows first-year middle school student Arata Kouda and his encounter with this mysterious creature that has crossed over to Japan from Russia. Their meeting sparks a quiet but meaningful shift within his household.

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Streaming Ne Zha 2 Isn’t Enough, Where’s the Blu-ray Release?

Despite breaking records as the highest-grossing animated film ever, Ne Zha 2 still has no Blu-ray or 4K release in sight. With streaming available but shelves empty, the question remains: where is this global hit hiding?

Ne Zha 2 Movie PosterEven though Ne Zha 2 is the highest-grossing animated movie in history and can already be streamed, there’s still no indication of when it will arrive on home video. This little hero is proving as elusive as White Snake 3 (aka Afloat). It’s a strange place to be in 2026, especially for a film that’s just over a year old. Merchandise is reportedly flying off the shelves, yet the movie itself has no physical release in sight.

This work hit Chinese theatres on January 29, 2025, and quickly lit up the global box office. The film grossed over $2.2 billion worldwide and now ranks among the highest-grossing films of all time, alongside Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic. It’s more than an animated milestone, it’s a cultural moment. So why is the home video shelf still empty?

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Discotek’s Deep Dives into May, Our Top Five Picks

Discotek’s Deep Dives is bringing a wave of classic anime back in May, with twenty-seven films and series returning to shelves through MediaOCD and Amazon. Among them are standout releases like Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, Robot Carnival, Urusei Yatsura, and Ghost Stories, making this a strong month for collectors and fans of vintage anime.

Discotek’s Deep DivesDiscotek’s Deep Dives continues in May with twenty-seven classic anime films and series getting re-released. They are not only available through MediaOCD but also Amazon too. The links provided go to one or the other depending on availability, and for collectors looking to upgrade their collection, now’s the time! Alternatively, for those wanting to see the silver age in action, what’s offered here are my top five must-haves.

These works will be released during the month of May:

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland

Little Nemo in Wonderland

Welcome to the fantasy where dreams of enchanted lands and new friends take young Nemo into an exciting, fun-filled adventure through Slumberland. On one unforgettable night, Nemo falls asleep in his usual resistant manner. Soon, with the help of his flying pet squirrel Icarus and his friend Professor Genius, they journey together into Slumberland. What most fans don’t know is that the production took nearly a decade to complete, and along the way attracted screenplay drafts from Ray Bradbury and Chris Columbus before the final version landed.

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Beyond the Clickbait: Why the Shocking Dark Theories About the Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Don’t Hold Water

YouTube fan theories love to claim the kids in the Dungeons and Dragons animated series are dead and trapped in purgatory, but the show’s own episodes tell a completely different story. From Terri’s real-world reunion with Bobby to Josef’s impact on actual history, the evidence for a living, breathing adventure has been hiding in plain sight the whole time.

Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon
You can watch the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon on YouTube, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast! Episodes are being released weekly.

The cottage industry of “ruined childhoods” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just look at MediaOCD’s World Classics use of the label for proof that revisiting old favourites with fresh eyes can actually add something. But on YouTube, a certain breed of content creator loves poking holes in beloved franchises, accuracy optional. Whether the target is He-Man or something else entirely, the clickbait title is usually doing most of the heavy lifting. One series that doesn’t deserve the treatment is the Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon. 

On Reddit and elsewhere, the Backstage Tales theory is not alone. Although they are separate ideas, they all share the same DNA: Hank, Sheila, Bobby, Diana, and Eric died. Whether it was because they had no self worth or on that roller coaster ride, the consequences are grim, and are vaguely hinted at in the episode, “Quest of the Skeleton Warrior.”

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Light Chaser Animation’s Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si May Well Be Ghosted By Western Distributors, and ….

….it’s easy to see why changes to this narrative is struggling to be visible outside of China. Strange Tales (Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si) is borrowing from tropes some may say are outdated but not everyone will agree to that accessment.

Liao Zhai Lan Ruo SiLight Chaser Animation

After countless searches and a properly worded query to Claude AI about availability, the elusive Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si (Curious Tales of a Temple, aka Strange Tales: Lan Ruo Temple) is finally within reach. When it will receive an official release remains uncertain. In a future article, I’ll explore the challenges behind getting Ne Zha 2, White Snake: Afloat, and this work to home video. For now, wht’s offered are my early reactions.

What I’ve managed to see in the wilds of the Internet suggests this is a film worth watching. I won’t dive into a full review just yet, but it’s worth sharing some early impressions. As for how long this fleeting upload remains available is anyone’s guess.

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Just One Star Shy: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Strangely Incomplete But Always Joyful

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie delivers colourful cosmic spectacle and plenty of familiar Nintendo charm, but its thin worldbuilding and safe storytelling keep it from reaching the same spark as its predecessor. It’s breezy, playful, and entertaining, even if it leaves its bigger ideas floating unresolved.

The Super Mario Galaxy MovieThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie may be all fun and games for the brothers spending their time in a new world, and as the only plumbers in Princess Peach’s realm, they’re helping keep the peace rather than fixing faucets. But none of them are exactly equipped to deal with their ruler’s current existential woes. When Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) admits she doesn’t know where she came from, the story quietly opens a larger mystery, one it only partially resolves.

That thread leads into the absence of Rosalina (Brie Larson), whose kidnapping by Bowser Jr. sets the events in motion. He leans fully into the shadow of his father, eager to prove himself through familiar cruelty. When this sequel is straightforward and paint-by-numbers, there’s not much to be excited over.

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