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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.

Nearly 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 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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When Hotori Doesn’t Have To Sing Along to Billy Joel’s “Pressure”

Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope is a short anime about a girl losing herself to an unknown condition and the android built to inherit a dead child’s memories, and their unlikely bond asks the most essential questions about what makes us human.

Hotori Wishing for Hope The quest for memories is the focus in Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope, a short film about a girl who can’t have a tomorrow. She’s struggling with an unknown condition that’s steadily erasing who she is. She’ll become a shell of what she was, and in contrast, she meets an android built to inherit the memories of a deceased child. His parents know Suzu is no replacement, but when a life is cut too short, is it a fair trade to gain what another has lost? That’s the existential crisis at the heart of this heartbreaking (or is that warming?) story about why life is precious, and why we shouldn’t take every day for granted.

Hotori originally aired as a Japanese television special and was directed by Takashi Anno (Maison Ikkoku, Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma). It won third place at the 2004 Animax Grand Prix awards and although this release comes very late, the themes feel timely when you consider what defines an AI, its personality, and what exactly constitutes a soul. Memories aren’t the only piece of the puzzle. There’s “Personality,” which can apparently be extracted and put into code. We’re not meant to unpack how all of that works, and what’s genuinely poignant is the relationship these two tweens share.

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Alien Nine Is Landing Soon Courtesy of MediaOCD!

AnimEigo and MediaOCD are bringing Alien Nine to Blu-ray, giving this oddball schoolgirl sci-fi horror OVA a new HD life with restored visuals and plenty of archival extras.

Alien Nine Cover — **Available to pre-order on Amazon USA and MediaOCD**

Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced that Alien Nine is coming to Blu-ray on June 9, 2026. And while this original video animation focuses on elementary school girls battling aliens, I’m wondering when teens will get in on the act too. Technically, they have with Prefectural Earth Defense Force, but that prior licence belonged to ADV Films rather than this partnership to redistribute older titles. Technically, the original North American release was handled by Central Park media, so who knows?

Although the animated adaptation didn’t continue as the manga continued with Emulators and Next, chances are very slim when considering the height of its popularity was back in 2001.

From the Press Release:

This upcoming release is based on a manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Tomizawa that was originally serialized in Akita Shoten’s manga magazine, Young Champion. Set in the not-too-distant future, alien invasion is a daily occurrence. Someone must save the planet, so Yuri and her 6th grade classmates are elected for this important assignment. Can a trio of cute schoolgirls defeat terrifying creatures from outer space?

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Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection Shows What Happens on a Saturday Night…

A look at Film Masters’ Monster Mayhem Collection, from its restored B-movie horrors to the lingering charm of drive-in-era oddities, missing extras, and what may be coming next.

Film Masters

No B-Movie horror fan should ever rush through collections of forgotten movies of yore like they are peanut butter sandwiches. Although Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection has been out for a month, to enjoy these restored works requires dedicating a Saturday night at the drive-in. Back then, during the 50s, that was when these movies were released, and whether couples were necking or actually watching what’s projected, I’d need a time machine to find out. The slang used is appropriate for the era as groovy, man, and I think that’s why this set appeals to me.

In this set, the works offered are Monster from Green Hell, The Brain from Planet Arous, Frankenstein’s Daughter, and Giant from the Unknown. This collective has chosen these works as the “first volume” of movies originally released by the Film Detective, and if the distributor labels seem confusing enough, you’re not alone!

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Is Visiting Glitch Victoria Worth It? When Videogames Doesn’t Smell Like Geek Spirit.

Glitch Victoria is set to open on Yates Street, and while the neon looks inviting, the setup tells a familiar story. This mix of two types of operations isn’t necessarily promising a nerd sanctuary. Instead, it’s really a sports bar with arcade controllers.

Glitch Victoria is about to open up shop. Sadly, it will not be what I think it is, an arcade parlour for the video game enthusiast. These days, these operations are few and far between. When you visit places like Akihabara, Japan or Seoul, South Korea, the palaces there span floors, offering the latest games to cater to the video-game enthusiast. That’s because they are major metropolises where such an operation can persist.

In North America, the best city to visit is sweet home Chicago. Industry giants like Midway, Williams, and Bally were headquartered there before they folded. Next on the list is allegedly Portland, Oregon because of the wealth of bars with an arcade there, and that is the model this garden city operation is using. Their marketing already tells you who they’re after. And for those gamer types working in offices, waiting for 5pm to hit, they got the choice of heading here or going home to their PS5 or decked out PC to play online games.

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Top 10 Picks From Discotek Deep Dives 2026 Spring Release Schedule

Discotek Deep Dives 2026 is shaping up to be a strong year for anime collectors, with long-lost favourites and cult classics finally getting the Blu-ray treatment. These ten picks stand out as the most essential upgrades worth adding to your shelf.

DEEP DIVES 2026 DiscoTek Media Anime Discotek’s ongoing DEEP DIVES 2026 initiative has a stack of upcoming releases that should make Spring especially exciting for anime fans. Many out-of-print anime titles from the 90s and earlier are getting fresh re-releases, and some are finally arriving on Blu-ray. Fans will want to check back regularly as new titles keep being added. Rather than list everything now available for pre-order through MediaOCD, I’m focusing on my ten must-have picks. Since parts of my own collection are still sitting in the VHS and DVD era, an upgrade feels more than worthwhile.

This partnership also helps ensure that even obscure titles from the 90s receive high-bitrate encodes and carefully prepared subtitles from some of the industry’s most dedicated technical experts. What follows are ten must-have releases, or essential upgrades if you do not already own these editions. The links go to the company site. Some titles are slowly getting listed on Amazon USA and are noted where possible.

Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth – This 1982 film serves as the definitive origin story for Leiji Matsumoto’s legendary space pirate as he resists an alien occupation of Earth. It remains a sweeping space opera that establishes Harlock’s tragic past and his unbreakable code of honour.