"Actor: Eri"

• Battle Royale - Two Disc Special Edition | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £23.99

  With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence, it's only fitting that Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale is being touted as A Clockwork Orange for the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a series of fleeting images of unruly Japanese schoolkids, whose bad behaviour provides a justification for the "punishments" that will ensue. Once the prequel has been dispensed with, the classmates are drugged and awaken on an island where they find they have been fitted with dog collars that monitor their every move. Instructed by their old teacher ("Beat" Takeshi) with the aid of an upbeat MTV-style video, they are told of their fate: after an impartial Lottery they have been chosen to fight each other in a three-day, no-rules contest, the "Battle Royale". Their only chance of survival in the "Battle" is through the death of all their classmates. Some pupils embrace their mission with zeal, while others simply give up or try to become peacemakers and revolutionaries. However, the ultimate drive for survival comes from the desire to protect the one you love. Battle Royale works on many different levels, highlighting the authorities' desperation to enforce law and order and the alienation caused by the generation gap. Whether you view the film as an important social commentary or simply enjoy the adrenalin-fuelled violence, this is set to become cult viewing for the computer-game generation and beyond. On the DVD: Battle Royale comes out fighting in a special edition format only a few months after the initial DVD release became cult viewing. But don't get too excited about the new cut of the film, only a few additional scenes have been added and the alternate ending simply offers a series of Requiem sequences. Disc 2 contains a whole heap of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, unfortunately many of these tend to repeat material. The Q&A with the cast (in full costume) and the director is repeated in the Tokyo Film festival. The special effects comparison feature is a case of "spot the difference" the S-FX hardly being in the Star Wars league and the instructional video on how to direct a film proves that the DVD makers have tried to grasp irony and failed. The disc also includes trailers and text filmographies for "Beat" Takeshi and director Kinji Fukasaku along with a written statement by the master of extreme cinema. Lacking in commentary and substance this DVD is redeemed by a superior sound and visual print to its predecessors. –-Nikki Disney

• Gunslinger Girl - The Complete Box Set | DVD | (21/05/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  ""The Greatest Battles of World War II"" Kursk: The battle of Kursk the greatest tank battle in history when in 1943 almost 6 000 Soviet and German tanks and 2 000 000 men clashed near the Russian town of Kursk. Crete: The battle of Crete the invasion of Crete by almost 20 000 of Germany's elite parachute troops fighting hand to hand against the British was one of Germany's most successful battles of the war. Midway: The battle of Midway a ferocious battle fought between the Japanese and United States Carrier Fleets that proved to be one of the most decisive victories for America in the war in the Pacific.

• Gunslinger Girl - Vol. 2 | DVD | (29/05/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The girl has a mechanical body. However she is still an adolescent child. Henrietta is quickly becoming regarded as one of the most efficient assassins at the Social Welfare Agency. However life for the other girls at the Agency is not so sunny. Enter the prototype and the problem... The prototype: Angelina was a young girl out on an errand one day when a car mysteriously ran her down and left her for dead. Reborn as Angelica her training proves to be a much needed distrac

• Shadow Of The Wraith | DVD | (25/07/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Ryoji and Kazuhiko are two brothers embroiled in a mystery of paranormal implications tormenting them while drawing them towards a horror that will not be denied. At first Ryoji thinks that the obsessive Asaji is just a little over the top in her pursuit of him. Professing her love she begins to stalk Ryoji as well as his girlfriend Mariko; they feel her presence wherever they turn. When people close to Ryoji begin to die mysteriously he has reason to suspect Asaji but he has no

• Haibane Renmei Vol.1-4 | DVD | (01/12/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  In a long-forgotten walled town humans coexist with the Haibane angelic-like beings of unknown origin. Rakka becomes the newest Haibane after she awakens from a strange dream and finds herself hatching from a massive cocoon. With no memories of her previous life Rakka struggles to adjust to her new surroundings however burning questions remain in the back of her mind. What are Haibane and what is their purpose? What lies beyond the huge forbidden town walls? Thus Rakka begins her wistful journey of self-discovery and wonderment. Contains all 4 volumes!