STACK NZ Magazine December Issue 58

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EXTRAS
DECEMBER 2014 JB HI-FI
Over the last few years, Madman have
treated us to all of Studio Ghibli’s
feature films, and more recently, we’ve
seen a slew of beautiful Blu-ray releases.This
month sees Madman kick it up a notch with
not only a handful of glorious HD titles, but also
some extremely collectable Limited Edition
packs which are sure to hold pride of place in
the collection of any Ghibli devotee.
The line-up is headed up by TheWind
Rises, a spell-binding epic from Studio Ghibli
co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, which is likely to
be his last ever film. It is available on both DVD
and Blu-ray, and as a special limited edition set,
which takes a look behind the scenes at Ghibli
in The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.
Also getting the limited edition treatment
this month are two Ghibli classics: both the
10th anniversary edition of Howl’s Moving
Castle and the 25th anniversary edition of
Kiki’s Delivery Service include the DVD and
Blu-ray versions, a hardcover art book, art
cards, commemorative coin and a figurine.
Fans should also look out for Grave of the
Fireflies, directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder
IsaoTakahata, which is being released on
Blu-ray for the first time in December. And
although it actually predates Studio Ghibli,
Miyazaki devotees will also be pleased to know
that his 1979 caper Castle Of Cagliostro is
getting the High Def treatment this month, too.
Meanwhile, it’s 25 years since the release
of Shirow Masamune’s seminal manga series,
Ghost in the Shell .To mark the occasion,
Madman has put together a special anniversary
edition, which contains a collectors’ booklet.
Arguably one of the greatest and most
influential anime movies of its time, Ghost in
the Shell is another classic series which holds
up incredibly well considering its vintage.
Also making its High Def debut this month
is Ninja Scroll (Remastered), one of the
craziest, bloodiest and most action-packed
films in anime history. If you’re a fan of Akira
and Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll should be
right there on the shelf next to them.
So what else is new in December?
Following on from the now legendaryTV
series, Season 7 of which is released on Blu-
ray this month, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
turns things up to 11 with the introduction of
an all-new threat: Beerus. Sure, he sounds like
God of Ale but he’s actually the biggest threat
to the universe and can only be stopped by the
one and only Goku.
Based upon the massively successful
Platinum Games series, Bayonetta: Bloody
Fate tells the story of the witch Bayonetta,
who finds herself at the bottom of a lake after
sleeping for half a millennium. She embarks
on a gorgeous Gonzo animated journey to find
out who she is. If you’ve liked the Bayonetta
games, or even if you haven’t, this film is a
fantastic, visual treat.
Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates
are back in One Piece Film Z.The Z in this
case relates to former Marine Admiral ‘Z’, a
madman who has stolen the Marines’ Dyna
Stones, devices of ultimate destruction which
threaten the very existence of the NewWorld.
All the fun of theTV series, wrapped in glorious
feature film production values.
Finally the end is nigh. Hellsing Ultimate
Volume 3 brings about the ultimate conclusion
to the ultimate retelling of the ultimate vampire
series. Is that ultimate enough for you? Alucard
and Seras Victoria are back to their Nazi killing
best in this R-rated splatterfest.
TheWind Rise
Howl’s Moving Castle