This week: Trigun: Badlands Rumble clips, some fun news about Dragon Quest in Japan, and Spice and Wolf comes to DVD/Blu-ray.
First up: Trigun: Badlands Rumble is coming to the U.S. on Blu-ray Tuesday, September 27th (after a very limited theater release during the summer), and Funimation is gearing up by sharing some clips from their youtube page.
The most wanted man in the galaxy returns in glorious HD for the first and only Trigun full length feature film. Gasback plays dirty, but he puts his faith in one high holy roller.
Clip # 1:
Yep. Just in case you weren’t aware – Vash loves donuts. He also tries to avoid violence at all costs. Both are important to keep in mind when watching Trigun.
Clip # 2:
Alright… “Your leg’s got a bad habit of kicking.”…really? Oh English dubbing… Good thing there are some awesome English voice actors to make up for lines of poorly translated / regionalized dialogue like that! Usually I just opt for watching with the original Japanese audio, but this film’s English track features the amazing Johnny Yong Bosch, Luci Christian, Colleen Clinkenbeard, and a few other voice actors that I really like. I think my biggest problem is with lines like the one just mentioned which aren’t translated all that effectively. (Admittedly, it’s often no fault of the translator – there are just some Japanese jokes that don’t turn out all that well in English).
Clip 3:
Clip 4:
Overall the film seems like a fun ride for any fans of the Trigun series. I didn’t catch this one in theaters in Japan but I heard good things from friends that saw it on the big screen. It had an extremely limited screening of only a day or two in select cities around the U.S. so chances are you’ll have to pick up the Blu-ray on the 27th to give it a watch.
For more about the film, visit Funimation’s website.
Next up: Anime News Network shared a neat announcement that Family Mart (a convenience store chain) in Japan will be selling pork buns (nikuman) that look like the Slimes from the Dragon Quest series. As the post mentions, Slimes are iconic enemies in the games and have been featured in every version since the first one premiered in 1986.
Something about food with eyes isn’t all that appetizing to me…but I bet these things will sell like crazy!
Photo from Anime News Network.
Finally this week: Spice and Wolf just came out on DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. You can pick it up for list price USD $64.98 or $59.99 on Amazon.
The journey through the wild countryside continues for the merchant Lawrence and the untamed harvest goddess, Holo. The companions reap the bounty of an ever-strengthening bond, depending on street smarts and animal instincts to carry them along the last miles of their trip to Holo’s northern home. While the villages along their route offer many opportunities for profit, the road is marked by heretics and shady dealers looking to separate the travelers from their savings — and from each other. With the end of the journey in sight, Lawrence and Holo revel in the riches of the relationship they’ve built — but what truly awaits the simple peddler and the forgotten deity at the end of their winding path?
You can watch the trailer here: