The Shinkai Collection

I realize that I’ve devoted an inordinate amount of space on Opus to the work of Makoto Shinkai, even those he’s only got two “real” films under his belt, with only one of them being a full-length. But why stop now, especially with this news.

I’ve been holding off on picking up an actual release of The Place Promised In Our Early Days for whatever reason. But it looks like my hesitation will actually pay off.

ADV will be releasing the Shinkai Collection on December 6. The three disc set contains both of Shinkai’s excellent films — Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised In Our Early Days — as well as a “bonus” disc with the Voices of a Distant Star soundtrack and a 48-page booklet with artwork and interviews.

I’m assuming that the two discs containing Shinkai’s films are the same discs that are out there now, with the same special features that are currently available. For example, the current Voices of a Distant Star release also contains several versions of She and Her Cat, an award-winning short that Shinkai did, as well as animatics and a Shinkai interview.

The suggested retail price for the Shinkai Collection will be $39.98.

Also coming out December 6th will be the second Samurai X: Directors’ Cut Collection, which will collects both Trust & Betrayal and Reflection (the directors’ cuts of the individual films have already been released). It’s been awhile since I’ve watched any of the Samurai X titles, but they’ve still stuck with me, from the bloody, heart-wrenching storylines to the gorgeous animation and music. As far as “mature” anime titles go, you could certainly do much, much worse.

The suggested retail price for the Samurai X: Directors’ Cut Collection will be $44.98.

More info can be found at ADV Films’ website.