Sentai Filmworks has sent out its title solicitations via Section 23 distribution today for what we can expect come December. And while fans will flock happily to new releases, there are some classics showing up here that makes me exceptionally happy. Many fan will be happy to see clear confirmation that the Rozen Maiden: Ouverture OVA is getting a separate release since it never cam eout before and that it’s getting a bilingual release, though the price may drive some away. For me, the real thrill is seeing that Kino’s Journey has found a new release as it’s a show that just deserves to be kept on shelves, both at retail and at home. Add in Elfen Lied alongside the releases of Modern Magic Magic Simple and the Himawari! season two set and there’s something for everyone. You can find further discussion on these announcements here.

Title: ROZEN MAIDEN COMPLETE COLLECTION

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 650 min.

Street Date: 12/6/2011

Format: DVD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Remember those nightmares you had as a child, where your toys came to life? That’s the reality that Jun Sakurada suddenly finds himself living in when Shinku arrives in a box. She’s the first of several magical Rozen Maidens to invade the secluded life he has made for himself since refusing to attend school anymore and living the life of a hermit. Worse, he finds himself magically bound to Shinku, his life force powering hers, and she’s not too crazy about the way he’s been living his life. Unfortunately, fixing everything that’s wrong with Jun is going to have to take a back seat to making sure that Shinku survives the Alice Game, a competition that pits Rozen Maiden against Rozen Maiden for the prize of becoming a real girl, while the losers’ life essence is drained and they become lifeless toys again. Now, in order to win this deadly game, Jun and Shinku will have to find a way to work together. But to do that they’ll have to start trusting each other first! Get ready for a whole new kind of ‘guys and dolls’ as ‘action figure’ takes on a new meaning in ROZEN MAIDEN – THE COMPLETE COLLECTION!

Title: ROZEN MAIDEN OUVERTURE

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 50 min.

Street Date: 12/6/2011

Format: DVD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $29.98

SYNOPSIS: Shinku may be the foremost of Rozen’s creations, but was she the first? Prepare to hear the OTHER side of the story for the first time in an all new set of Rozen Maiden chronicles! Journey back to 19th century London and the birth of the Rozen Maidens to witness the cruel and tragic origin of Rozen’s first doll, and how, even when left abandoned and unfinished , she still fought her own way to the Rosa Mystica and the Alice Game! But leave what you think you know behind, for this is Souseiseki’s story, and what she has to say may surprise you! Prepare for an all new tale of Rozen Genesis in ROZEN MAIDEN: OUVERTÜRE!

Title: KINO’S JOURNEY COMPLETE COLLECTION

Published by: ADV Films

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 12/13/2011

Format: DVD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $34.98

SYNOPSIS: Destination is a state of mind. Travelers not only find themselves in a variety of locations and geographic phenomena, but they also bear witness to the whims of culture and the skewed effects of subtle circumstance. Kino is such a traveler. Sitting astride Hermes, an internal combustion companion, Kino searches for life’s answers, life’s questions, and the myriad of interpretations connected to them. A wielder of cutlery, firepower and a piercing tongue, Kino is ready to embark on a journey unlike any other. Drift along for the ride.

Title: ELFEN LIED COMPLETE COLLECTION

Published by: ADV Films

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 12/20/2011

Format: DVD

Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $34.98

SYNOPSIS: Critics have described Elfen Lied as “weird,” (Anime Planet), “surprisingly sadistic,” (Gamers Edge), and “addictive”(Animesou). No wonder, when you consider what makes this series hum! Lucy, a beautiful young mutant, is bred by the military to be the ultimate weapon. Now, with government killers on her trail, the disposition of a five year old and a hair trigger for ultra violence, Lucy and her young friends must unravel the dark secret of her legacy before it’s too late.

Title: MORDERN MAGIC MADE SIMPLE COMPLETE COLLECTION

Published by: Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 300 min.

Street Date: 12/20/2011

Format: DVD

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Life hasn’t been fair to Koyomi Morishita. Even though she’s in high school, she’s so short that everyone assumes she’s still in grade school. The boys and girls in her school tease her mercilessly, and she’s not exactly graceful either. On the other hand, she’s still better off than Yumiko, who has a magician trying to kill her. Or at least Koyomi WAS until their paths crossed! Fortunately, salvation arrives in the form of master mage and graduate student Misa Anehara, who agrees to take Koyomi under her wing in learning the new style of magic, which breaks enchantment down into sequences of code. That’ll be quite a task, given that so far Koyomi’s talent seems to consist of making washbasins randomly fall out of the sky. But if it was easy, it wouldn’t be magic, would it? Get ready for a whole new kind of ‘spell’ing lesson as Koyomi takes a desperately needed crash course in charm school in MODERN MAGIC MADE SIMPLE – The Complete Collection!

Title: HIMAWARI, TOO! SEASON 2 COLLECTION

Published by: Maiden Japan

Distributed by: Section23 Films

Run Time: 325 min.

Street Date: 12/27/2011

Format: DVD

Language: Japanese with English Subtitles

SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Get ready for another wild and very untraditional trip down the Way of the Ninja as student kunoichi (female ninja) Himawari and her fellow ninjettes return for another set of insane lessons. (Are they painful and embarrassing? Have you ever seen a ninja ‘lesson’ that wasn’t?) Of course, Himawari’s a little older now, a little more experienced, so she’ll be doing some ‘teaching’ of her own this time around. But she STILL doesn’t know what the connection between her teacher Hayato and the ninja who saved her life is! Are they the same person or are things even more convoluted? Himawari won’t have much time to think on it, unfortunately, in between fighting alien menaces, bubblegum maniacs and some very, very bad broccoli! Did we really say broccoli? With plots as insane as this, will Himawari ever achieve her goal? Unfortunately for her, the jury is still out in the complete collection of HIMAWARI TOO!!

Chris Beveridge http://www.fandompost.com Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since. He likes to write a lot, as you can see. See author's posts

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