Category: Home Video Releases

Love at First Splash: ChaO Comes Home!

ChaO brings its colourful mermaid romance, giant robots and boundless energy home on Blu-ray, with a digital release planned for Canadian viewers.

ChaO Blu-ray slipcase
GKIDS
Movie review can be read here.

Just when it seems summer is over, GKIDS is offering a second chance to anime fans who missed ChaO during its theatrical release, bringing the film home on September 22, 2026. The release is perfectly timed for anyone longing for a breezy return to those fondly remembered summer days under the boardwalk. That isn’t quite the film’s plot, of course, but ChaO does offer plenty of colour, energy and romance. For those who prefer streaming, a digital release is also planned specifically for Canadian residents.

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From Sunset Strip to Cthulhu’s Lair: Minions and Monsters Pulls Off a Wonderful, Essential Send-Up

With Minions and Monsters now out on home video, it’s a terrific film, but where’s the beef? The bonus features need to be buffed up to match the tribute the film makes.

Minions and Monsters_400x400
Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Minions and Monsters finally gives those little yellow, pill-shaped critters from Despicable Me a proper calling, and it is about bloody time. The home-video release looks superb on Blu-ray, although its basic selection of bonus features makes this less of a must-buy package than the film deserves. Ever since Sergio Pablos pitched the idea to Illumination, I have regarded them as natural heirs to cinema’s early comedians, like Buster Keaton. And to pay tribute to that fact, I’m glad what directors Brian Lynch and Pierre Coffin massaged into shape acknowledges all that and more!

And for those people who missed seeing this film on the big screen, the home video release gives viewers a chance to watch this film multiple times to pick out the scenes where this tribute shines the most. It is a marvellous send-up of the Silent Era and Hollywood’s Golden Age, with a specific Minion, James, taking centre stage. And I have to assume the narrative imagines how a new film industry might develop without D.W. Griffith defining its early days.

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I Am What I Am 2, Does Changing The Title To The Kung Fu Kid Hit Harder When ‘A’ Isn’t Used?

Well Go USA’s The Kung Fu Kid is actually I Am What I Am 2 (雄狮少年2), although neither the original title nor its status as a sequel is acknowledged. The film works as a standalone, but is altogether more powerful when Liu Jiajuan’s earlier life in the village is taken into account.

The Kung Fu Kid (I Am What I Am 2)Well Go USA
Now Streaming on Digital
Coming to Home Video on Sept 15

Fans of the Chinese animated film I Am What I Am (雄狮少年) may well be confused by the executive decision to release the second film in North America as The Kung Fu Kid. My theory is that some board of distributors believes a new and familiar-sounding title will draw in viewers who don’t know the franchise. As a standalone movie, it works, and newcomers may never realise they’re watching a sequel. But without knowledge of the first film, some of Liu “Gyun” Jiajuan’s motivations and character development are going to be lost.

That’s particularly noticeable because I Am What I Am 2 directly continues his story. The first film doesn’t magically solve this lad’s problems after the lion-dance competition. He still has to face reality, and that leads him to Shanghai, where earning money to help pay for his father’s medical treatment becomes one of his primary concerns. Strangely, according to China Daily, his name has become Ajuan, which can lead to momentary confusion.

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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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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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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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