Home Video Archives | Otaku No Culture

US Tariff Strikes Again: Now Even Your Fandom Purchases From Afar Comes With Baggage

The US tariff isn’t just hurting American fans—it’s setting a trend. Countries like Canada, Japan, and the U.K. may soon follow, making global fandom a lot more expensive.

Intro:
How US Tariff Changes Are Hurting Fandoms

Collectors of imported goods are being forced to swallow a bitter pill. While scrolling social media late one night, I saw a post: “Had someone cancel a $1,000 order on eBay today due to a ‘tariff tax.’ Is that a thing now?” (image posted below). Curious, I checked the responses and did further research. From Cbc.ca, an executive order from the White House now requires all shipments under $800 to be taxed, effectively killing the de minimis exemption that once allowed low-value imports duty-free. What seems like a simple policy shift could become one of the biggest shakeups fandom collectors have faced in years.

As bad as this is for U.S. buyers, the ripple effects could be worse. If Canada adopts a matching policy, then incoming shipments from the U.S. could be hit too. Thankfully, in-store purchases remain unaffected—but for online shoppers, it feels like being stomped by Godzilla.

Continue reading “US Tariff Strikes Again: Now Even Your Fandom Purchases From Afar Comes With Baggage”

Revisiting the Poignant Classic: Grave of the Fireflies on Home Video and Theatrical Presentation Coming Soon!

Fans of Studio Ghibli can look forward to a new limited edition Steelbook release of Grave of the Fireflies with special features, alongside a theatrical re-release opportunity.

Grave of the Fireflies Steelbook Edition — **Available to order at Amazon USA**

Release Date:
July 8, 2025

As Studio Ghibli’s catalogue of works continues to get new re-releases under the GKIDS label (distributed by Shout! Studios), some fans may well want to get the limited edition Steelbook edition that’s being released this week. But to truly appreciate this film directed by Isao Takahata, we recommend checking your local theatre listings for when Studio Ghibli Fest 2025 begins!

This annual event puts these films onto the silver screen where they should belong, and every year, the rotation of works are slightly different. While it’s very likely the digital version will be used over a 35mm film print, there’s no denying the power of this movie will leave many in tears. There’s no need to go into an extensive review, since what’s coming is a haunting look at a troublesome time about those Japanese people trying to survive during World War II.

Below, is a list about what’s notable in this release. Some folks opt to collect this studio’s works one at a time instead of buying it all in one go:

Continue reading “Revisiting the Poignant Classic: Grave of the Fireflies on Home Video and Theatrical Presentation Coming Soon!”

The Deets Are In for Time of Eve’s Home Video Release

Whether or not the themes explored in the anime Time of Eve is considered ahead of its time, fans can find out when this collection comes out!

Time of Eve Cover — **Also available to preorder on Amazon USA**

Release Date:
Dec 10, 2024

The challenge with artificial intelligence is that will the creators allow it to evolve and grow, and back when the anime Time of Eve first came out (2009), not everyone felt too concerned. Not everyone may have been aware about this web series; these days, the concern with what machines can do is cause for concern. There’s consequences, which many documentaries have explored, and the can of worms that various works of entertainment have opened up suggests many possible ways machines can go renegade!

Now, anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD are bringing this series for all to discuss and examine with the upcoming blu-ray release. That’s because there’s an all new featurette which may delve into the discourse too!

From the Press Release:

An auteur independent work from director Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Patema Inverted, Sing a Bit of Harmony), Time of Eve is a critical darling that won the 2010 Tokyo Anime Award for Original Video Animation. This new edition from AnimEigo contains the feature film version in English and Japanese, along with the original 6-episode web series from which it was assembled.

Time of Eve is set during a time when humanoid robots are everywhere, and every home has one as a servant. Some people treat them with contempt, while others become obsessed. One day, two high school boys stumble across a mysterious café that offers a third option: talk to them, free of prejudice, or even full knowledge of who’s a robot and who’s human. Shocked and rattled by the experience, the boys find themselves learning more about the world and themselves than they ever could have imagined.

Continue reading “The Deets Are In for Time of Eve’s Home Video Release”

Taking a Peek into Ghostbusters Frozen Empire’s Digital and Home Distribution Plans

Summer is almost here to justify the release of Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, which debuted back in March, and we got deets on what else is included.

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire Steelbook — Steelbook Edition is to preorder on Amazon USA

For the movie review, please visit this link.

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire is now out on VOD, and fans don’t have to wait for any home video release for the bonus material. Although I can jump onto the digital bandwagon anytime, I’ll still hold out for the physical product because what’s teased (according to unofficial sources) sounds good.

The sizzle reel that’s been released makes me believe the look behind the scenes in making the ghosts come alive look good. It’s not like the early days of ILM where they had in Raiders of the Lost Ark, dolls with loose fabric attached to it and its put into a fishtank filled with water to make those strands appear to swim in the air. I seem to recall the same concept was used in the making of Poltergeist too, and the designs seem to share a common DNA.

Ghostbusters Behind the Scenes

The following videos are available to stream alongside the film and be included in the home video release:

Deleted & Extended Scenes
Easter Eggs Unleashed
Return to the Firehouse: Making Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Busted: Capturing the Ghosts of Frozen Empire
Manifesting Garraka
New York, New Gear
Welcome to the Paranormal Discovery Center
Knowing the Score
Commentary with Director, Co-Writer Gil Kenan

For the home video release, which is expected on the following month, these bits of information was revealed on the Ghostbusters social media accounts.

Ghostbusters Skateboard

Zavvi

4K, Blu-ray Steelbook (Art Cover) RRP: £34.99 (Approximately $44.09)

Walmart

Ghostbusters Ice Cube Edition

Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Steelbook (Art Cover) MSRP: $29.96
Exclusive 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital with Wall Art Skateboard MSRP: $149.96
2-Movie Collection (Regular)
Afterlife/Frozen Empire (Blu-ray and Digital or DVD) MSRP $49.99 and $45.99
Afterlife/Frozen Empire with Limited Edition Ice Cube Mold (4K, Blu-ray and Digital MSRP TBA

When Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two is on Steelbook to Watch At Home, It’s Time for an Analysis!

Although Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two ventures into familiar sci-fi trope territory, fans can get to learn in the featurettes why it must be so. Picard would be proud.

As with the previous series, I waited for the home video release of Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two to binge-watch all of last year’s broadcast all in one go. That review can be read here. The Steelbook Blu-ray or 4K (which comes with magnets) for this next release is worth getting, and to find it at a reasonable price really means hitting checking various online retail shops rather than visiting Amazon. The design of the packaging is beautiful, and I love the fact the colours are consistent with the first volume so that they can be displayed. The poster (available in both releases) is a nice touch, and I think I’ll invest into getting it block mounted to get rid of the fold lines.

Ultimately, I wanted to look at the behind the scenes before diving in. The best bonus features concern updating how “The Gorn,” looks like, and explaining why “Singing in Space” is important to further develop the characters that we love. The episode, “Subspace Rhapsody,” was not cringe worthy because the explanation that accompanied this happenstance is plausible. While it’s easy to give praise to an episode prior to its airing, is it worth rewatching? I would say this episode has its place in the world of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer inspired television musicals.

Continue reading “When Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two is on Steelbook to Watch At Home, It’s Time for an Analysis!”

When Hundreds of Beavers Leave Their Nest, The Road Show Can Only Go So Far, but the Chase Will Be Country-Wide!

Not only do we have dates for when Hundreds of Beavers will hit Digital and Home Video, but it’ll continue to screen at theatres!

Ryland B. Cole Tews and Mike Cheslik‘s Hundreds of Beavers is continuing to invade North America! After a successful film festival run back in 2023 at Fantasia (movie review link), this slapstick maverick film is spreading nation-wide and across two countries. This tour started its run at Minneapolis, MN back on January 26 with a Great Lakes Roadshow, and although newcomers won’t see that outside of the region, my hope is that it was recorded!