Tag: Science Fiction

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 AnimeDiscotek’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 HarlockCaptain 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.

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Which Alpha Will Reign The Kingdom of Earth? Only A Dark Horse Knows….

A monster-filled future takes shape in Kingdom of Earth, a new four-issue horror comic from David Dastmalchian, Leah Kilpatrick, and Soo Lee. Set in a brutal world where humans face service or slaughter, the series promises a grim apocalypse packed with creatures fighting for control.

Kingdom of Earth Comic CoverDark Horse Comics

With this latest announcement from the Oregon-based comic book publisher, it seems Earth is no longer just a planet of the apes. Other creatures are ready to seize control. With Kingdom of Earth by David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley, Through) and Leah Kilpatrick (Headless Horseman, DC Horror Presents), along with Bram Stoker Award-winning artist Soo Lee (Carmilla, Minor Threats), this four-issue series looks mighty promising. What the team has teased so far already has me eager to see what arrives when the first issue hits shelves.

From the Press Release:

“It’s tempting to abandon hope when the world is dominated by monsters… right?! But thanks to the incredible passion of my creative partners on this book,” said Dastmalchian, “we created a terrifying world where a small flicker of hope burns amidst an apocalyptic landscape. I love mash-ups and this series is the ultimate mash-up. Every monster you’ve ever seen, read or studied battles for supremacy while a small movement of humans plot survival and rebellion.”

“I love being able to draw monsters and creatures that go bump in the night,” said Lee. “It’s so much more different than what I’ve been working on lately and thanks to my collaborators, I’m able to test myself by making this dark and terrible world beautiful in my own way. I hope everyone is captivated by the world we have developed in Kingdom of Earth.”

In Kingdom of Earth:

2036. Two years ago, hordes of monsters rose from the earth and sea, devouring everything in sight. Much of mankind was massacred before the monsters realized they needed humans. In this new world, humans have two options: service or slaughter. When a young child named Frankie narrowly escapes their fate as livestock, they soon realize that their fight for survival has only just begun.

Kingdom of Earth #1 (of 4) will arrive in comic shops on July 15, 2026.

Bruce Campbell on Break in 2026 and His Underrated Classics

Bruce Campbell on break in 2026 doesn’t mean he’s gone quiet. With Ernie and Emma coming, here are five underrated films that prove his range goes far beyond Evil Dead. #BruceCampbell #ErnieAndEmma #Comedy #Moviesv

Ernie and Emma Bruce Campbell on Break and Underrated ClassicsThere’s an upcoming film from the creative mind of one of the zaniest actors alive, and it may well be a real curveball for anyone expecting something laid back. The title Ernie and Emma suggests something philosophical. It was shot in the back country of Oregon and features local talent and frequent collaborator Ted Raimi. And with Bruce Campbell on break from much of his usual touring in 2026, this project feels like an especially welcome reminder that his creative energy is still very much intact. That said, no project of his is ever entirely without humour, and the trailer suggests there will be plenty of that too, including callbacks to some of his earlier work.

This talent not only wrote it, but is also directing and starring in the film. Last week, he announced he will be touring less so he can conserve his strength for the film’s release this autumn and provide interviews for it. I wish him well as he undergoes treatment for cancer. Whether he beats it remains to be seen, but if he’s anything like Ash, he’ll find a way to send those errant cells packing.

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Cosmic Princess Kaguya: Far Too Genki For My Tastes

But if you like J-pop anyways, Cosmic Princess Kaguya features all the teen angst needed to reimagine the classic tale for a cyber-generation.

Cosmic Princess KaguyaNetflix

In a not too distant future, there’s a musical avatar known as Cosmic Princess Kaguya who wants freedom from where she came from. This digital figure isn’t just data. Instead, this individual is sentient, and bears no semblance to the figure and version of the story I loved more. Studio Ghibli holds all the cards here, and tried as I did to watch this lengthy film written by Saeri Natsuo and directed by Shingo Yamashita, the vibe leans more on being hyperactive.

Here, shades of Cyberpunk: Edgerunner exists when Iroha (Anna Nagase) finds a program she wasn’t meant to discover. Enter Kaguya (Yuko Natsuyoshi), a program developed to monitor the Lunar base’s oxygen and power grids. After The Lunar Corporate Council realizes this code is missing, they’re out to get her back, and in the meantime, Kags hopes to find a body she can inhabit so she can be free.

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Never Say Yes to Being Encased In An Iron Lung. You’ll Regret It.

A one-man descent into a planet-wide ocean of human blood turns Iron Lung into a tight, suffocating psychodrama that lets its best mysteries stay sealed. It’s slow in places, but the dread builds, and the third act lands like a vise.

Iron Lung Movie PosterIron Lung doesn’t require viewers to know the video game it has been adapted from. Everything you need to understand is either clearly explained or made horrifyingly tangible from the outset. The premise is simple: Simon (Mark Fischbach, who also wrote and directed) awakens to find himself sealed inside what is essentially a prison, one disguised as a space-age submarine.

This vessel is deployed into an oceanic world composed entirely of human blood. Sensors can barely penetrate the density of this viscous plasma. When tests confirm it is human in origin, the descent into terror truly begins. The only voices this lone pilot hears are the taunts echoing from this alien world and the transmissions from his prison handler. Ava (Caroline Rose Kaplan) serves as his sole human contact, promising a pardon for his crimes. He was implicated in the destruction of a space station, the lone captured conspirator. The absence of his fellow accomplices lingers as a narrative gap the film never fully addresses.

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Titan Manga and Five Star Stories. The Anxious Wait Won’t Be Long.

Let’s hope Titan Manga and Five Star Stories remain committed to deliver this lucious saga to the English-speaking masses instead of stalling.

Five Star Stories - Titan Manga EditionTitan Manga
Volume One releasing July 7, 2026
and Two on Oct 6, 2026

Thankfully, the Five Star Stories manga is still going strong in Japan. Even though it has effectively reinvented itself after Volume 12 of the tankōbon release, most people have rolled with the changes. While purists may take issue with the work being referred to as Gothicmade, the shift at least establishes a foundation for where future stories are headed. The scope feels less like a simple continuation and more like a reframing, one where the saga leans into legacy rather than immediate battlefield drama.

Instead of diving into a massive editorial on the changes, I’ll simply say this, as long as sales remain strong, I’m hopeful Titan Books’ new label stays committed to republishing the full Toypress run up to that volume, where it never saw a translation for the English-speaking market, and continues onward into the expanded era of the story. With a possible release of three volumes per year similar to the previous run, it won’t take long to catch up! To note, the English edition was further separated into smaller chapter releases. There are 26 books which cover Japanese Volumes 1 through 10. Volume 11 and onward have yet to be translated.

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