ANIME RELEASE UPDATES

It's always nice to have an extra day off, but man do we pay for it during the following four day work week!

All of Discotek's Feb 27th releases are currently inbound and should arrive in our warehouse early next week. This includes the Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure BLURAY, Extreme Dinosaurs Complete Series BLURAY, Hand Maid May Complete Collection BLURAY, Puss 'N Boots Around the World BLURAY, and the Rainbow Complete TV Series BLURAY. We will get all pre-orders turned around the same day they arrive. To my satisfaction, the Dual! BLURAY has been especially heavily pre-ordered out of this batch. This is a great show that we actually carried on VHS back in the day (circa 2000). I still have the old 4 Disc DVD box from Pioneer (released in 2001) in my collection! ;-)

Pre-Order demand for Discotek's re-release of the original Berserk The Complete 1997 TV Series BLURAY has also been extremely heavy and there is a good chance that it will become the most pre-ordered Anime release (at least here at RACS) this year. This one is due to street on March 26th.

Sony's limited edition release of the Paprika Steelbook Edition (Limited Edition) 4K HDR/2K BLURAY is also inbound and should be in stock by Monday. This Limited SteelBook edition includes an all new interview with filmmakers Nobutaka Ike (Art Director), Michiya Katou (Cinematographer & CG Director), Satoshi Hashimoto (Color Designer), Shinichi Kita (Re-recording Mixer), and Dai Kaneda (HDR Colorist). Presented in Dolby Vision with Japanese Dolby Atmos audio. Sony did not reveal how many of this edition are being made, only that it is getting this single pressing.

Crunchymation's March 12th releases of the The Legendary Hero Is Dead! BLURAY and both versions of the Suzume BLURAY/DVD should be arriving in our warehouse next week. These will be the last releases from Crunchymation distributed under the old NBCU/Warner regiem and I think when they pick Anime releases back up in May under the new Sony SPHV arrangement they will start coming in much closer to the street dates.

Viz has informed us that our allocation of the standard and limited editions of the upcoming BLEACH Thousand-Year Blood War Part 1 BLURAY should begin shipping to us around the 4th or 5th of March, so I expect we will have them in the warehouse at least 2 weeks prior to the street date.

AniPlex's release of the Kaguya-sama Love Is War The First Kiss That Never Ends BLURAY is finally back in stock in the RACS warehouse and we have begun to ship backorders, so if you have been waiting for a copy it will be in your hands shortly.

And Sentai will be pressing a re-release of the elusive Food Wars! The Second Plate BLURAY in May. Whatever the strange logistics of this series was, the second season BD has been the one that hasn't been available since last year and as such, put a damper for late comers on collecting all five seasons of the show. It is very considerate of Sentai to respond directly to fan requests and make this disk available again. Hardly anyone in the Anime biz actually listens to customers anymore, so good on Sentai. ;-)

NEWSLETTER DOMAIN CHANGE

Just a quick reminder, due to Google and Yahoo!'s new message authentication guidelines for email senders we have made a few tweeks to our newsletter as to avoid our messages going to spam as much as possible.

The domain our newsletter will be sent from is now:

newsletter@animecorner.ccsend.com

If you are having any problems with the RACS newsletter going into your spam or bulk mail folder, be sure to white list the above sent from address, which should take care of it. :-)

STORE STUFF - WHAT'S NEW @ RACS THIS WEEK!!

We have less than five but more than three new Anime arrivals in this week. We got in the I've Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm-Related Skills BLURAY, Insomniacs After School BLURAY, and the re-release of the Redo of Healer BLURAY from Sentai, and the very popular Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army BLURAY from Crunchymation. Pre-orders for these have all shipped.

On the adult side we have a new arrival from ASM - the Tales of Temptation DVD (Adult).

We posted Sentai's May release schedule. plus a few other odds and ends, to the store this week. Checkout that list here.

We also got Crunchymation's May release schedule (which is really April and May combined) up on the store for pre-order. You can find the whole list here. I'm super happy to see them releasing KONOSUBA : An Explosion on This Wonderful World and super disappointed to see season 2 of Uzaki-Chan released just as they let the first season set fall out of print. Like that makes any sense at all...

We have a more managable manga update this week (only 35 new volumes), which is good becasue we just got last weeks batch put away. Notable new arrivals include Blue Lock , Vol #11, Elden Ring The Road to the Erdtree , Vol #2, Lazy Dungeon Master , Vol #7, Witches of Adamas , Vol #7, No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular , Vol #22, Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping! , Vol #2 and many more!

On the adult side this week, we got in a new naughty manga from Fakku.

Date changes and new pre-order manga posted this week can be found here.

And finally, the crew wanted me to mention that the Cowboy Bebop 25th Anniversary Limited Edition BLURAY is now all the way out of print and copies are starting to dry up at retail. We have about 22 left in the warehouse currently, so if anyone wants one we've still got a few. Get em before they're gone!

NEW LICENSES

Kodansha Comics has licensed the classic manga Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe), which has sold 20 million copies and had a major impact on Japanese culture but has never been officially translated in English until now. Kodansha will publish the manga under the title Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow. The series, by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba, was originally published as 20 volumes in Japan. Kodansha will release it as eight oversized hardcover volumes, beginning in December 2024, with an MSRP of $59.95.

"Kodansha believes that the manga market is maturing, as well as looking for past manga classics that have never been translated into English," said Kodansha Publisher Toshihiro Tsuchiya in a statement accompanying the announcement. “This work is a true masterpiece that Japan is proud of. This year marks the 50th anniversary since its completion in 1973. Because of this, we think that now is the best time to bring Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow to English-reading manga fans worldwide. We consider it an honor and a labor of love to introduce such an important manga masterpiece to a new generation of fans. And we hope that this new edition will be as much of an inspiration as it was when it originally debuted in Japan.”

North American publisher Star Fruit Books announced that it has acquired the worldwide English rights to Taro Kanafuro's Suburban Hell manga. The company will release the one-volume manga this summer. The manga is a collection of seven short stories "focused on human decay and corruption in everyday suburban settings." The company also announced on February 9 that it has licensed writer Stephan Lapin and illustrator Naoto Tsushima's one-shot manga "Handyman Quincy." The company will release the one-shot this summer.

Last Gasp Publishing has licensed Keiichi Koike's Ultra Heaven manga. The company will publish the manga in three volumes. It is currently translating the manga but has not yet announced its final format, pricing, or release date. Ultra Heaven is a "science fiction saga," and "is strongly influenced by Koike's experiences with hallucinogenic drugs." Koike launched the manga in 2001 after publishing a four-chapter story with the same title in 1998.

IN THE NEWS

The official Twitter account for the Texas-based anime convention A-Kon announced that it is postponing its A-Kon 33 event. The staff noted that the ripple effects from the pandemic caused unexpected challenges, which compounded with A-Kon's own "unique challenges." The statement explained that during the pandemic, the con set up a Board of Investors to keep the event "financially afloat." However, the Board of Investors has run into funding delays, and the state of Texas had promised subsidies to cover certain expenses, but those are also delayed. The staff stated they are "unable to honor [their] agreements with [their] venues, reboot [their] website, sign talent, or move forward with planning the con" until the funding arrives. The staff asked those who pre-registered for the event to look out for an upcoming e-mail about the refund process.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded the BAFTA Award for Animated Film to Hayao Miyazaki's latest feature film The Boy and the Heron (Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka). The film was competing against Chicken Run: The Dawn of the Nugget, Elemental, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The Boy and the Heron is the first anime film to win the award, or to be nominated for it, since it was first introduced in 2006. The film ranked at #1 in its opening weekend in the U.S. box office, with an earning of US$12,836,313 in its first three days. Variety reported that the film is the "first original anime production" to top the U.S. box office.

You know how anime and manga give real-life fast food chains a different name, both as a parody and to avoid brand copyright issues? WcDonald's (obviously referring to McDonald's) is the favorite fast food chain of the anime and manga world. (Pop quiz: List all the anime and manga series you can remember with a WcDonald's in the forum section!) Now, in a very rare occasion, reality and fiction will merge, as McDonald's transforms WcDonald's into reality. McDonald's is bringing WcDonald's into more than 30 markets around the world. McDonald's has collaborated with Japanese illustrator Acky Bright and animation house Studio Pierrot to create a WcDonald's universe. WcDonald's has its own website, where it will drop its first official four episodic anime shorts produced by Studio Pierrot, starting on February 26. Each anime short comes with manga chapters also drawn by Acky Bright. The anime shorts and manga are also accessible by scanning a code found on a WcDonald's bag.

Anime Limited and Shout! Studios announced that they will release the A Place Further Than the Universe (Sora Yorimo Tōi Basho) television anime on home video in North America in a Collector's Edition set on Blu-ray Disc on April 22. The companies will also release the anime on home video in the U.K. The release will include a slipcase, a two-CD soundtrack, four art cards, a poster, and a 92-page booklet. Anime Limited had announced in November 2022 that Studio Nano was producing an English dub for the anime. The dub had its world premiere at Anime NYC in 2022. The company said at the time it planned to release a collector's edition Blu-ray Disc for the series.

Disney will soon be outsourcing the distribution of its home entertainment media to Sony Pictures Entertainment. The new deal will see Sony manufacture, distribute, and market DVDs, Blu-rays, and other physical media of Disney-owned releases. Sony will only be selling all of Disney's new releases and catalog titles on physical media through various retailers in the United States and Canada, while Disney will continue to manage the digital versions of its media. There is speculation in the report that the switch could lead to layoffs at Disney, but it's noted that the House of Mouse is "expected to conduct an internal assessment across all business functions that support physical entertainment amid the transition to Sony." Reportedly, Disney has suggested that the Sony deal was done as a way to allow the company to continue selling physical copies of their movies and TV shows in response to consumer demand more efficiently. This follows previous reports that Disney would be shifting away from selling physical media, which led to a lot of criticism on social media.

DATE CHANGES

WAS - Jan 9, 2024

Tearmoon Empire , Vol #3, Graphic Novel - TBA

WAS - Feb 13, 2024

Even So, I Will Love You Tenderly , Graphic Novel (2nd Edition) - Jun 11

Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes , Vol #5, Graphic Novel - Mar 26

Tezucomi , Vol #1, Graphic Novel (Hardcover) - Apr 2

Tezucomi , Vol #1, Graphic Novel - Apr 2

WAS - Feb 20, 2024

All You Want, Whenever You Want , Graphic Novel (Adult) - Mar 27

WAS - Feb 27, 2024

Happy Crappy Life , Vol #3, Graphic Novel - Apr 2

Wakfu , Vol #3, Graphic Novel - Jun 11

WAS - Mar 5, 2024

His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper , Vol #6, Graphic Novel - Jul 23

WAS - Mar 12, 2024

Don't Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro , Vol #16, Graphic Novel - Apr 30

Tezucomi , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Hardcover) - Apr 30

Tezucomi , Vol #2, Graphic Novel - Apr 30

WAS - Mar 26, 2024

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter , Vol #9 - Jan 28, 2025

UPCOMING ANIME

Paprika Steelbook Edition (Limited Edition) 4K HDR/2K BLURAY - Feb 27

One Piece Season 13 Part 7 DVD/BD Combo Set (Uncut) - May 7

One Piece Collection #34 DVD/BD Combo Set (Uncut) - May 7

Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World BLURAY - May 7

KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World BLURAY - May 7

Mob Psycho 100 III (Season 3) DVD/BD Set (Limited Edition) - May 7

Mob Psycho 100 III (Season 3) BLURAY (Standard Edition) - May 7

Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague BLURAY - May 14

KONOSUBA : An Explosion on This Wonderful World! BLURAY - May 14

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch! Season 2 BLURAY - May 14

Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out! (Season 2) DVD/BD (Limited Ed) - May 14

Uzaki-Chan Wants to Hang Out! (Season 2) BLURAY (Standard) - May 14

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement BLURAY - May 21

Dead Mount Death Play Part 1 BLURAY - May 21

Dr. STONE Season 3 Part 1 DVD/BD Combo Set - May 21

A Galaxy Next Door BLURAY - May 21

BLUELOCK Part 2 BLURAY/DVD - May 28

My Home Hero BLURAY - May 28

Tokyo Mew Mew New (Season 2) BLURAY - May 7

Food Wars! The Second Plate BLURAY - May 21

Qwaser of Stigmata Complete Series Collection BLURAY - May 28

GREAT PRETENDER The Complete Series BLURAY (Deluxe Ed) - Mar 12

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts Collectors Edition BLURAY - Mar 31

A Place Further Than the Universe Complete BLURAY (Collectors) - Apr 23

UPCOMING MANGA

A Sign of Affection , Vol #8, Graphic Novel - Apr 23 

A Sign of Affection , Vol #9, Graphic Novel - Jul 23

A Sign of Affection , Vol #10, Graphic Novel - Oct 22

A Sign of Affection Omnibus 1 (Vol #1-3) Graphic Novel - Apr 30 

A Sign of Affection Omnibus 2 (Vol #4-6) Graphic Novel - Jun 25 

Bless , Vol #1, Graphic Novel - Apr 2 

Bless , Vol #2, Graphic Novel - Jul 2

Bless , Vol #3, Graphic Novel - Oct 1

Captain Corinth The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer , Vol #6, Graphic Novel - Apr 16 

Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish: Canji Baojun de Zhangxin Yu Chong , Vol #1, [Novel] - Apr 9

Fable Omnibus 1 (Vol #1-2) Graphic Novel - Apr 9 

Fable Omnibus 2 (Vol #3-4) Graphic Novel - Jun 11 

Fable Omnibus 3 (Vol #5-6) Graphic Novel - Aug 13

Fable Omnibus 4 (Vol #7-8) Graphic Novel - Oct 8

Gravitation: Collector's Edition , Vol #1, Graphic Novel - Jun 25 

Gravitation: Collector's Edition , Vol #2, Graphic Novel - Aug 27

Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World , Vol #10, Graphic Novel - Aug 13

Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World , Vol #11, Graphic Novel - Oct 22

Magika Swordsman and Summoner , Vol #17, Graphic Novel - Apr 9 

Ogami-san Can't Keep It In , Vol #7, Graphic Novel - Oct 22

Parasyte Full Color Collection 8 , Graphic Novel (Hardcover) - Oct 22

Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! , Vol #6, Graphic Novel - Oct 15

Phantom of the Idol , Vol #7, Graphic Novel - Apr 23 

Quality Assurance in Another World , Vol #10, Graphic Novel - Oct 8

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement , Vol #6, [Novel] - Oct 15

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement , Vol #9 - Oct 15

Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie , Vol #18, Graphic Novel - Oct 8

Sketchy , Vol #1, Graphic Novel - Apr 9 

Sketchy , Vol #2, Graphic Novel - Jun 11 

Sketchy , Vol #3, Graphic Novel - Aug 13 

Sketchy , Vol #4, Graphic Novel - Oct 8

Tales of the Tendo Family , Vol #1, Graphic Novel - Apr 9 

Tales of the Tendo Family , Vol #2, Graphic Novel - Jun 25 

Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister , Vol #6, Graphic Novel - Aug 6

Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister , Vol #7, Graphic Novel - Oct 8

Unwanted Undead Adventurer , Vol #10, Graphic Novel - Jan 28, 2025

Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition #2 (Vol #4-6) Graphic Novel (HC) - Apr 23 

Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition #3 (Vol #7-9) Graphic Novel (HC) - Jun 18 

Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition #4 (Vol #10-12) Graphic Novel (HC) - Sep 3 

Vinland Saga Deluxe Edition #5 (Vol #13-15) Graphic Novel (HC) - Nov 5

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? , Vol #16, Graphic Novel - Jul 16

When Will Ayumu Make His Move? , Vol #17, Graphic Novel - Oct 15

Wind Breaker , Vol #8, Graphic Novel - Oct 1

Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen , Vol #5, Graphic Novel - Oct 22

If you haven't noticed yet, we've added a previously owned section to the store site. That section keeps getting bigger and bigger, and I just wanted to give you folks the inside scoop. Everything we add there is a (1) unit only proposition, so be sure to check back often to make sure you don't miss out on anything cool we might just drop in there!

KONOSUBA : An Explosion on This

Wonderful World! BLURAY

Ever since she was saved by an explosion, Megumin has had one goal: become a master of explosion magic! Enrolling in a magic academy, she befriends Yunyun, her self-proclaimed rival.

Together, they’ll tackle school, monsters, and life as adventurers.

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RACS Collectors Cards - Now Shipping!

We are very glad to hear so much positive feedback regarding our new batch of RACS collectors cards. There are 10 cards in all, each featuring a unique piece of Anime art created exclusively around our group of RACS spokes characters. You can't order the cards, we are including one card at random in all outgoing RACS store orders. We have printed a limited run of 5,000 of each card, and we hope this gives everyone a chance to collect them all. Good luck!

NEW BOOKS & MANGA IN STOCK THIS WEEK:

A Kingdom of Quartz , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World , Vol #4, [Novel]

Bite Maker : The King's Omega , Vol #10, Graphic Novel

Black Summoner , Vol #1, [Novel]

Blue Lock , Vol #11, Graphic Novel

Blue Wolves of Mibu , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

D-Frag! , Vol #17, Graphic Novel

Dangerous Convenience Store , Vol #2, Graphic Novel

Dungeon Dive : Aim for the Deepest Level , Vol #5, Graphic Novel

Elden Ring The Road to the Erdtree , Vol #2, Graphic Novel

Goblin Slayer Side Story II Dai Katana , Vol #6, Graphic Novel

Haunted Bookstore Gateway to a Parallel Universe , Vol #4, Graphic Novel

HoloX Meeting , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

I Cannot Reach You , Vol #7, Graphic Novel

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

Is This the Kind of Love I Want? , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife , Vol #3, Graphic Novel

Last Game , Vol #4, Graphic Novel

Lazy Dungeon Master , Vol #7, Graphic Novel

Modern Villainess It's Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash , Vol #4, [Novel]

Monster Guild The Dark Lord's (No-Good) Comeback , Vol #6

My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong as I Expected , Vol #20

No Matter How I Look At It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular , Vol #22

Nude Model and Other Stories , Graphic Novel

Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter , Vol #1, [Novel]

Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping! , Vol #2, Graphic Novel

Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling , Vol #5, Graphic Novel

Romeo , Vol #1, Graphic Novel

Shangri-La Frontier , Vol #10, Graphic Novel

Something's Wrong With Us , Vol #19, Graphic Novel

Teasing Master Takagi-san , Vol #18, Graphic Novel

Under Ninja , Vol #3, Graphic Novel

Witches of Adamas , Vol #7, Graphic Novel

World's Fastest Level Up , Vol #2, Graphic Novel

FEATURED NEW ARRIVAL:

La+ Darknesss. Takane Lui. Hakui Koyori. Kazama Iroha.

And Sakamata Chloe.

Collectively known as Secret Society holoX, their goal is nothing less than world domination! ...But how exactly did they end up as Virtual YouTubers?

Discover the origins of the self-proclaimed "rightful rulers of Eden's planet" in this story based on the mega-popular stars of hololive. "YES MY DARK!"

Trading in your excellent condition previously owned stuff for credit is now very easy, and we've even expanded the program for some non-Anime items too! Just click on this link to see the trade in values of your used stuff, then pack-up your items and send them to us - there is no need to contact us first or obtain an authorization number. Once they arrive and are inspected, we'll e-mail you with a credit code you can spend on our store.

It's that easy! So why just let your stuff collect dust? Trade it in and get something you really want!

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