From Fantasia Film Festival to Otakon 2026, we have this intermission. AnimEigo announced a fantastic array of titles that also includes a literary classic for those who missed it the first time ’round.
With Otakon 2026 taking place this weekend, there’s reason to celebrate! Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD announced five newly licensed Blu-ray home media titles during a panel at Otakon 2026. They are a mix of old and new, and for those in the know, it’s about time one fond favourite anime from the 90s is getting an update!
The following are to be released in 2027
Continue reading “AnimEigo and Otakon 2026 Home Video Announcements Galore: So What’s New?”
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.
At 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.
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!
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.
Continue reading “Vampire Princess Miyu, Back From The Dead … But For How Long?”
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!
Release 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.
Continue reading “Vampire Princess Miyu Returns From the Blackest Shadows to Blu-ray”
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.
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 heartwarming, 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.
Continue reading “When Hotori Doesn’t Have To Sing Along to Billy Joel’s “Pressure””
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.
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.
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?
Continue reading “Alien Nine Is Landing Soon Courtesy of MediaOCD!”
Antique Bakery is a slice-of-life anime series about four men who work in a French bakery in Tokyo. It’s based on an acclaimed manga series created by Fumi Yoshinaga (Ooku: The Inner Chambers, What Did You Eat Yesterday?) that won a Kodansha Manga Award for best shojo manga. The 2008 TV anime ran for 12 episodes on Fuji TV’s late-night Noitamina block, following an earlier live-action drama adaptation from 2001. AnimEigo will release the series on Blu-ray in 2027.