Attack on Titan Part 2, which completes the biggest anime release of the past several years, leads this week’s home entertainment offerings that also include a sparkling new Blu-ray edition of the classic anime cyber-thriller Ghost in the Shell, a new mecha series from Gundam-creator Sunrise, plus the raunchy hit comedy Neighbors, two thoughtful movies about different aspects of the Holocaust, and two very different sci-fi offerings, the post-apocalyptic Mad Max-style Rover, and the low-budget, high-concept film Signal.Anime
This week’s top release (and one of the top anime titles to arrive in the past several years) is Attack on Titan Part 2 (Funimation, “17+,” 300 min., BD/DVD Combo $49.98, LE $99.98), which contains episodes 14-25 of the smash hit anime series from Production I.G. that is based on the manga by Hajime Isayama, which is currently the #1 manga property in the U.S. according to ICv2’s survey of graphic novels sold in North America. The anime series is also very popular in Japan, where it enjoys the kind of popularity that The Walking Dead has here. Set in a dystopian future in which mankind is confined to cities surrounded by high walls to keep out a race of carnivorous humanoid giants, Attack on Titan has deservedly amassed loads of awards for both the manga and the well-produced anime series. AoT is more than just a “hit” anime, this is a major property that has revitalized the manga market here in the states and given a real shot in the arm on the anime side as well.
The second half of the Attack on Titan anime is even better than the first, as things really get going with plenty of action in every episode and some real twists and surprises that propel this series to a level above that of its contemporaries. Science fiction fans who have not really tried anime, show definitely check out this series from the very beginning. The series, with its often exquisite backgrounds, looks especially great on Blu-ray, and Part 2 includes a nice selection of extras including commentary tracks for Episodes 14 and 25. The Limited Edition includes an Ender Art Box with room for the first half of the series as well as a lenticular art card, and “Notes From Beyond the Wall: Part 2,” a 24-page digibook with four panel comics, artwork, interviews, and more.
Mecha anime fans with deep pockets will find Valvrave the Liberator: Season 1 Collection (Aniplex of America, BD $149.98) a lot of fun. Produced by Sunrise, Valvrave has been compared with the Gundam series, but it adds in a layer of supernatural fantasy to its mecha action, which adds to the atmosphere, but doesn’t do much for the coherence of the plot. Insensitive handling of rape scene will turn off some, as will the hyper-violence during the Valvraves’ combat encounters.
Also new to North America on Tuesday is Pokemon: Black & White Adventures in Unova Set 1 (Viz Media, “6+,” 530 min., $26.95), which collects the first 25 episodes of the Adventures in Unova story arc in what remains one of the most popular cartoon franchises ever directed at 6-10 year olds.
Also new on Blu-ray this week is Kampfer: Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., $59.98), the gender-bending comedy that Sentai released on DVD in 2011. Like the 2011 version, this BD is subtitles only—no dubbed track.
Other re-releases include K-On: Season 1 Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, “14+,” 350 min., $49.98), the classic Kyoto Animation comedy that was previously released in two parts by Bandai in 2012, and the fan service-filled Panty & Stocking With Garter Belt Complete Collection (Funimation, $39.98).
Theatrical Films
This week’s biggest hit in theaters is Neighbors (Universal, “R,” 98 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), which earned $150 million in North America. The raunchy “R” rated comedy stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen as two not-quite-grown-ups, who move in next door to a fraternity after their first child is born. Conflict and much humor ensue, though those with delicate sensibilities should avoid this comedy that definitely earns its “R” rating.
Art movie lovers have a choice between two excellent films about the Holocaust and its effects, the Polish film Ida (Music Box, $29.99), the story of a young Polish girl who has been raised in a convent and is about to become a nun when she meets her only living relative who explains to her that her parents were Jewish, and the French documentary The Last of the Unjust (Cohen Media Group, $29.98, BD $39.98), Claude Lanzman’s film about the Jewish Councils that operated in the Concentration Camps that examines the moral gray areas created by horrendous evil of the Holocaust.
For genre film fans there is The Rover (Lionsgate, “R,” 102 min., $19.98, BD $24.98), a post-apocalyptic drama of the Mad Max variety set in Australia with fine performances from the always reliable Guy Pearce and Robert Patinson, playing against type as the slow-witted brother of one of the thieves that Pearce’s character is pursuing across the outback. The Rover was impressive enough to earn a 66% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also of interest is The Signal (Universal, “PG-13,” $29.98, BD $34.98), a science fiction film that will strike some as slow moving and pretentious, while others will find it well-photographed and thoughtful. Brendon Thwaites, Olivia Cook, and Laurence Fishburne star in a film that didn’t do well at the box office, but which might develop a following among a certain segment of sci-fi fandom that prefers high concepts over big special effects.
TV On DVD
September means the start of the new TV season and the DVD releases of many of last season’s shows. This Tuesday the latest season of the critically-acclaimed, Emmy-hogging, single-camera sitcom Modern Family, Modern Family: The Complete 5th Season (Fox, $49.98) is due out along with other contemporary series such as the ABC behind-the-scenes in Washington drama Scandal: The Complete 3rd Season (Disney, $45.99), the USA Network doctor-to-the-rich comedy drama Royal Pains: Season 5 (Universal, 561 min., $39.98), the well-produced musical soap opera Nashville: The Complete Second Season (Disney, $45.99), How I Met Your Mother: The Ninth and Legendary Final Season (Fox, $39.98), the final gasp of the long-in-the-tooth CBS sitcom (along with How I Met Your Mother: The Whole Story (Fox, all 9 seasons $179.98), Mom: Season 1, the first season of the new dysfunctional family drama from Chuck Lorre, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1 (Universal, $44.98), the CW’s post-apocalyptic teen drama The 100: Season 1 (Warner Bros., 572 min., $39.98, BD $49.98), Defiance: Season 2 (Universal, $59.98), the second season of the Rockne O’Bannon-produced science fiction series that airs on SyFy, the outrageous antics of Key & Peele: Season 3 (Comedy Central, $22.98), the unstoppable Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The 15th Year (Universal, 1070 min., $44.98), the sassy sports drama Necessary Roughness: Season 3 (Universal, 427 min., $34.98), and Reign: Season 1 (Warner Bros., 916 min., $59.98), the CW series about Mary, Queen of Scots.
This week’s animation on TV releases are the single-disc Transformers Prime: Ultimate Autobots (Shout Factory, 110 min., $9.99), and the double-disc The Tom & Jerry Show: Season 1, Part 1 (Warner Bros., 286 min., $19.97), though buyers should beware that this is the new series and not the classic MGM Tom & Jerry cartoons.
Other vintage offerings include: the colorful 1960’s frontier drama starring Fess Parker in his most famous post-Davy Crockett role, Daniel Boone: The Complete Series (Fox, 8150 min., $114.98), the excellent Vietnam War drama China Beach: Season 4 (Time-Life, 29.99), the insufferable sitcom Mama’s Family: The Complete 5th Season (Time-Life, $29.95), The Red Skeleton Show: The Early Years (Shout Factory, $69.97), and the early 50s police drama starring Rod Cameron, State Trooper: The Complete Series (Timeless Media, 2822 min., $39.97)
Tom Flinn
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.