STACK NZ Dec #58

EXTRAS

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TheWind Rise

O ver 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.

Howl’s Moving Castle

DECEMBER 2014 JB HI-FI www.jbhifi.co.nz

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