Ghost in the Shell: Arise & Black Butler – Season 1 Available Digitally Through Amazon Instant Video

Earlier in the week Anime Limited made Cowboy Bebop available to purchase through various digital platforms and throughout the past few days we’ve noticed that Black Butler – Season 1, which FUNimation recently announced that they had lost the rights to, and Ghost in the Shell: Arise have been made available for purchase digitally through Amazon Instant Video via Manga Entertainment UK.

FUNimation Now Pricing Structure Confirmed for UK

Following on from the UK Hype Reel Trailer released earlier in the week FUNimation have now announced the pricing structure for it’s online streaming service FUNimation Now.

For just £3.99 per month subscribers will receive unlimited ad-free HD access to the entire FUNimation Now streaming catalogue as well as newly released simulcast episodes. Alternatively for £6.99 per month subscribers will gain access to episodes in English as well as exclusive access to the simuldub episodes a week after they are broadcast in Japan.

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie to be released on Blu-ray & DVD in May

In a surprising, but unsurprising announcement, UK Distributor Manga Entertainment UK have revealed that they will be releasing the new Ghost in the Shell movie, which follows on from the events of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise OVA episodes, on Blu-ray and DVD within the UK later this year.

Currently scheduled for release on the 9th May 2016 the film will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray formats in English and Japanese; with the English dub once again being provided by FUNimation Entertainment. You can see an example of the English Dub in the US Trailer at the bottom of this page; but in the meantime you can check out the films synopsis below:

DVD Review: Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 3 and 4

Major Kusanagi and team once again to combat cyber terror in Japan but is this final ‘OVA’ outing as good as the first? well lets find out in our DVD Review Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 3 and 4.

Synopsis:

Ghost In The Shell returns with it’s brand new incarnation, ARISE. A 4-part OVA series that explores the origins of Major Kusanagi and Section 9. This release includes the final two Borders:

Border 3: Ghost Tears : A terrorist bombing and the mysterious death of a detective trigger a deadly investigation involving prosthetic legs and members of a rebel group leftover from an international conflict. When all signs point to a master of cyber warfare known as Fire-Starter, phantoms from the past come back to haunt Major Motoko Kusanagi as she struggles to keep her personal and professional life separate.

Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone: Motoko Kusanagi is closing in on the dangerous hacker who created the false memory virus. After a mass shooting leads to the capture of a key witness, the team finds themselves in a race against the clock to unravel the secrets she’s keeping. With enemies appearing all around them and the stakes growing higher by the minute, it’s time to find out once and for all: Who is Fire-Starter? And how can they be stopped?

Competition: Win Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 3 & 4 on DVD

To celebrate the upcoming release of Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 3 and 4 we have teamed up with Manga Entertainment to offer one lucky reader to chance of winning a copy on DVD.

Just what exactly is Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 3 and 4 all about? Well here is a rough idea as provided by the synopsis of the show:

Manga UK & Animatsu Q4 2015 Release Schedule Revealed

During the Manchester MCM Comic Con representatives for Manga Entertainment UK and Animatsu Entertainment made a slew of announcements; but surprisingly enough that wasn’t the full list.

For starters Boruto: Naruto The Movie, which will receive a cinema screening in October, was unveiled on social Media and before that Jerome mentioned on twitter that Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 3, Dragon Ball Z – Season 3 and One Piece Collection 12 would also be making their UK debut during the fourth quarter.

Blu-ray Review: Ghost in the Shell Arise – Borders 1 and 2

It’s been quite a while since we last saw Manga Entertainment UK release a Ghost in the Shell title so what can we expect from this new Ghost in the Shell Arise OVA Series and it’s Blu-ray release? Find out in our Blu-ray Review of Ghost in the Shell Arise – Borders 1 and 2.

Synopsis:

Ghost In The Shell returns with it’s brand new incarnation, ARISE. A 4-part series. This release includes the first two Borders:

Border 1: In the year 2027, a year following the end of the non-nuclear World War IV, a bomb has gone off in Newport City, killing a major arms dealer who may have ties with the mysterious 501 Organization. Public Security official Daisuke Aramaki hires full-body cyber prosthesis user and hacker extraordinaire, Motoko Kusanagi, to investigate. On the case with her are “Sleepless Eye” Batou, who believes Kusanagi is a criminal, Niihama Prefecture Detective Togusa who is investigating a series of prostitute murders he believes are related to the incident, and Lieutenant Colonel Kurtz of the 501 Organization who also wishes to keep an eye on Kusanagi.

Border 2: Freed of her responsibilities with the 501 Organization, Motoko Kusanagi must now learn how to take orders from Aramaki. When unknown forces hack the Logicomas, Batou enlists the help of former army intelligence officer Ishikawa and former air artillery expert Borma. Kusanagi also seeks to enlist ace sniper Saito and undercover cop Paz into the new Public Security Section 9. The two groups rival each other in a case involving a man who receives false memories of a refugee transport operation.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 1 & 2 (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack) – REGION LOCKED

Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 1 & 2 (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack)

BD Region: A (Confirmed NOT Playable in the UK)
– Boxart states Region A Only

DVD Region: 1 (Confirmed NOT Playable in the UK)
– Boxart states Region 1 Only

Price: $29.19 / £17.81 (Excluding postage)

Episodes: 2 OVA styled Episodes (2 Blu-ray’s & 2 DVD’s)

Plot: This set contains Ghost in the Shell: Arise Borders 1 and 2 on Blu-ray and DVD!

Border 1: Ghost Pain
When cyborg hacker Motoko Kusanagi is hired to investigate a devastating bombing, she must fight her way through a maze of phantom memories to unlock her mysterious past – and track down the evil mastermind behind the attacks.

Border 2: Ghost Whispers
Witness the formation of the legendary Public Security Section 9. When a clandestine organization hacks every car in the city, Kusanagi recruits a lethal team of cyber operatives that includes a badass brawler with Special Forces training, an explosives expert, a technology specialist, and a chain-smoking jack-of-all-trades with a sordid past. Together this ruthless gang of enforcers sets out to clamp down on the chaos and make the city safe again.

—-NOTE—-

Manga Entertainment UK will be releasing Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Borders 1 & 2 on both Blu-ray and DVD on the 24th November 2014 within the UK.

Manga UK Industry Panel Announcement Round-Up from Manchester MCM Comic Con 2014

The venue for the Manchester MCM Comic Con, formly known as MCM Expo, may be rather small compared to the one in London; but that doesn’t stop Manga Entertainment UK from coming out in force; as not only did they have a ‘respectable’ sized shop with some ‘superb’ deals but they also hosted their own industry panel with a slew of new announcements.

Most of the news shared on the industry panel were ‘re-confirmations’ of things that had been mentioned previously before; such as the release of Ghost in The Shell, Ghost in the Shell: Arise and Attack on Titan; but new announcements were made in the form of Netflix streaming exclusive Harlock and the anime adaptation of Platinum Games Bayonetta franchise; Bayonetta: Bloody Fate. Of course these were not the only announcements; as you shall find out below:

The Video:

You can watch the full Manga UK Industry Panel from the Manchester MCM Comic Con below:

Manga UK Announcement Highlights from the MCM Birmingham Comic Con March 2014

It may not be as big as the MCM London Comic Con but Community Liaison Jeremy Graves from Manga Entertainment UK still managed to provide a few surprises at this years MCM Comic Con in Birmingham with a slew of announcements.

Usually we would have a rough idea of what to expect (Attack on Titan for instance) but today’s selection of announcements come as a bit of a surprise, as some of them have never been released into America yet.

First up was the confirmation that Manga UK have licensed One Piece: Strong World, the tenth One Piece film, for DVD and Blu-ray release in June 2014. Continuing on with the One Piece theme Jeremy confirmed that the first 9 One Piece films will be coming to the UK on DVD, all of which (excluding One Piece: Adventures in Alabasta) will be Subtitle only releases. The reason for this is because these One Piece films have NEVER been dubbed into English, as i said surprises are in-store.