"Actor: Hiroshi"

• Throne Of Blood | DVD | (22/10/2001) from £22.89   |  Saving you £-2.90 (-14.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A champion of illumination and experimental shading, Kurosawa brings his unerring eye for indelible images to Shakespeare in this 1957 adaptation of Macbeth. By changing the locale from Birnam Wood to 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa makes an oddball argument for the trans-historicity of Shakespeare's narrative; and indeed, stripped to the bare mechanics of the plot, the tale of cut-throat ambition rewarded (and thwarted) feels infinitely adaptable. What's lost in the translation, of course, is the force and beauty of the language--much of the script of Throne of Blood is maddeningly repetitive or superfluous--but striking visual images (including the surreal Cobweb Forest and some extremely artful gore) replace the sublime poetry. Toshiro Mifune is theatrically intense as Washizu, the samurai fated to betray his friend and master in exchange for the prestige of nobility; he portrays the ill-fated warrior with a passion bordering on violence, and a barely concealed conviviality. Somewhat less successful is Isuzu Yamada as Washizu's scheming wife; her poise and creepy impassivity, chilling at first, soon grows tedious. Kurosawa himself is the star of the show, though, and his masterful use of black-and-white contrast--not to mention his steady, dramatic hand with a battle scene--keeps the proceedings thrilling. A must-see for fans of Japanese cinema, as well as all you devotees of samurai weapons and armour. --Miles Bethany

• The Assassins | DVD | (09/09/2013) from £4.89   |  Saving you £8.10 (165.64%)   |  RRP £12.99

  In the year 198 BC Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat) The Prime Minister of Han Dynasty ventured to the east and savagely defeated China's greatest warrior Lv Bu terrifying every warlord across the country before crowning himself the King of Wei. Meanwhile young lovers Mu Shun (Tamaki Hiroshi) and Ling Jv (Crystal Liu Yi Fei) were taken from a prison camp to a hidden tomb where they spent five cruel years being trained as assassins for a secret mission. Over twenty years later in the year 220 BC astronomical signs began to predict dramatic change and as a result Cao's son Cao Pi (Qiu Xin Zhi) and his followers urged Cao to become the new Emperor unaware that opposing forces were plotting against him...

• Trigun Complete Collection | DVD | (15/11/2010) from £28.27   |  Saving you £11.72 (41.46%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Trigun: Complete Collection (8 Discs)

• Angel Beats Complete Series Collection | Blu Ray | (25/06/2012) from £49.93   |  Saving you £-9.94 (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the otherhand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members. SSS members utilize armed weaponry to battle it out against the angels harnessing supernatural powers.

• Premonition | DVD | (12/03/2007) from £4.74   |  Saving you £6.25 (131.86%)   |  RRP £10.99

  Hideki Satomi (Mikami) his wife Ayaka (Sakai) and their young daughter Nana (Inoue) are driving blissfully through the countryside when the workaholic Satomi stops at a roadside phone booth to send an e-mail from his laptop. In the booth he discovers a smudged scrap of newsprint with Nana's picture on it -- and an article describing her death in a traffic accident. Three years later Satomi has not recovered from his failure to prevent the accident while his marriage has also ended. Meanwhile Ayaka has joined forces with a psychological researcher (Ono) to unravel the mysteries of prophecy. They interview a psychic who has the ability to take Polaroids of the future with her mind - but becomes suspicious of the researchers' motives. Then another new ""newspaper"" arrives at Satomi's flat - saying that one of his students (Maki Horikita) a girl with piercing eyes and an uncanny presence will die. Can he save her and himself?

• King Kong Escapes | DVD | (10/04/2006) from £15.17   |  Saving you £-3.92 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In another King Kong installment by Ishiro Honda the giant ape monster's skills are required for a science project by Doctor Who and his helpers. When a mechanically devised robot version of the creature cannot do the job the team of scientists must go and retrieve the real King Kong himself. But no sooner do they get their hands on the enormous beast than they realize they are no match for a creature of his size. Calling on his robotic imposter for help the scientists unk

• Kizumonogatari: Tekketsu Collector's Edition BLU-RAY | Blu Ray | (10/06/2019) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  NOTICE: Polish Release, cover may contain Polish text/markings. The disk has English audio.

• Noragami - Complete Series Collection | DVD | (21/09/2015) from £11.83   |  Saving you £13.16 (111.24%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Minor god Yato is down on his luck. Fed up with his slacker lifestyle his partner abruptly quits. He has no money no worshippers and no shrine to call home. But just when things are starting to seem hopeless a bus accident forces him to cross paths with Hiyori Iki a sweet and perky high school girl. After the accident Hiyori's soul has a bad habit of slipping out of her body and after enlisting Yato's help to get her back to normal she begins to fall into the world of spirits and gods. But Hiyori's not the only one who's keeping tabs on Yato. A god from Yato's past is back and he's not interested in a friendly reunion. Contains episodes 1-12. Special Features: Episode Commentary (6 9) Textless Opening and Closing Trailers Spoken Languages: English Japanese English subtitles.

• Angel Beats Complete Series Collection | DVD | (25/06/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the otherhand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members. SSS members utilize armed weaponry to battle it out against the angels harnessing supernatural powers.

• The Burmese Harp | Blu Ray | (13/02/2012) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A rhapsodic celebration of song, a brutal condemnation of wartime mentality, and a lyrical statement of hope within darkness; even amongst the riches of 1950s' Japanese cinema, The Burmese Harp, directed by Kon Ichikawa (Alone Across the Pacific, Tokyo Olympiad), stands as one of the finest achievements of its era. At the close of World War II, a Japanese army regiment in Burma surrenders to the British. Private Mizushima is sent on a lone mission to persuade a trapped Japanese battalion to surrender also. When the outcome is a failure, he disguises himself in the robes of a Buddhist monk in hope of temporary anonymity as he journeys across the landscape – but he underestimates the power of his assumed role. A visually extraordinary and deeply moving vision of horror, necessity, and redemption in the aftermath of war, Ichikawa's breakthrough film is one of the great humanitarian affirmations of the cinema. Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and honoured at the Venice Film Festival, The Burmese Harp is one of cinema's great anti-war classics, alongside La Grande Illusion (Jean Renoir), Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata/Studio Ghibli), Paths Of Glory (Stanley Kubrick), All Quiet on the Western Front (Lewis Milestone), and The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin). Special Features: New, restored high-definition 1080p transfer officially licenced from Nikkatsu Newly translated optional English subtitles Exclusive video interview with scholar and filmmaker Tony Rayns Original Japanese theatrical trailer PLUS: A 40-page booklet with an essay by Keiko I. McDonald and rare archival stills

• The Twilight Samurai | DVD | (22/11/2004) from £17.98   |  Saving you £2.01 (10.10%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A low-ranking samurai must accept a deadly challenge with a rogue samurai just as he discovers that his childhood love is beyond his reach.

• Crazy Thunder Road | Blu Ray | (21/02/2022) from £15.79   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Hailed both as Japan's Mad Max, Sogo Ishii's high-octane, loud-and-proud breakthrough hit was one of that country's great success stories, a graduation project from a film school punk rocker bought by Toei Studios and released nationwide. The plot involves Ken, a gang leader dreaming of a quiet life with his girlfriend Noriko, and Jin, Ken's maverick successor, who isn't about to let yakuza kingpins or right-wing nutjobs tell him what to do or whom to kill. Jin's violent individualism in a world where even outlaws follow the bosses' orders references the doomed anti-establishment heroes of Kinji Fukasaku, but Crazy Thunder Road points toward a new style of genre filmmaking-fast-paced, quick-witted and brilliantly stylized. New master approved by the director New interview with Gakuryu (Sogo) Ishii Audio commentary by Tom Mes Video Essay: Jasper Sharp on Jishu Eiga

• I Wish | Blu Ray | (27/05/2013) from £16.18   |  Saving you £3.81 (23.55%)   |  RRP £19.99

  12-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, begins to believe that the new bullet train service will create a miracle when the first trains pass each other at top speed.

• Giants And Toys | Blu Ray | (10/05/2021) from £9.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Giants and Toys is a sharp and snappy corporate satire revolving around the ruthless machinations of a group of admen working in the confectionary industry. As a new recruit to the marketing department of World Caramel, fresh-faced graduate Nishi (Hiroshi Kawaguchi) is eager to impress his ambitious and hard-nosed boss Goda (Black Test Car's Hideo Takamatsu), even if it strains his relationships with his college friend Yokoyama (Koichi Fujiyama) and budding love interest Masami (Michiko Ono), who work at the rival companies of Giant and Apollo. With World's lead over its competitors slipping badly, the two spot a chance to get back in the race in the shape of the pretty but unsophisticated 18-year-old, Kyoko (Hitomi Nozoe). Goda and Nishi get to work polishing this rough diamond as their new campaign girl, but as the three rival confectionary companies pitch themselves into an all-out advertising war that spills out onto the streets of Tokyo as it escalates to ludicrous extremes, Kyoko's newfound fame starts going to her head. Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut, this lurid adaptation of the award-winning 1957 novel by Ken Kaiko is considered a landmark in Japanese film history and a key work by Yasuzo Masumura (Blind Beast, Red Angel), one of the country's most highly acclaimed directors of his generation. Its absurdist and acidly cynical take on the excesses of the media and advertising worlds recalls the work of Frank Tashlin (Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?), as it presents a garish vision of a bold new postwar Japan where traditional company values come head-to-head with American-style consumer capitalism. Special Features High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation Original uncompressed Japanese mono audio Optional English subtitles Brand new audio commentary by Japanese cinema scholar Irene González-López Newly filmed introduction by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns In the Realm of the Publicists, a brand new visual essay by Asian cinema scholar Earl Jackson Original Trailer Image Gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Michael Raine

• Cowboy Bebop: The Movie | DVD | (13/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  As the eagerly awaited Cowboy Bebop feature film reunites the original director, screenwriter, composer and vocal cast, it's not surprising that the film plays like an expanded TV episode. What should be the routine capture of a two-bit hacker by Faye escalates into a deadly game of cat and mouse, as Spike and the gang struggle to prevent the evil Vincent Volaju from murdering every human on Mars. Director Shinichiro Watanabe handles the action sequences with his usual panache: inside the sinister Cherious Medical research facility, Spike fights a beautiful agent, using a push broom in a series of manoeuvres Jackie Chan might envy; the climactic duel between Spike and Vincent plays against innocent yet eerie images of a Halloween carnival. This will delight fans of the series and provide an excellent introduction for the uninitiated. --Charles Solomon

• The Assassins | Blu Ray | (09/09/2013) from £10.78   |  Saving you £5.21 (32.60%)   |  RRP £15.99

  In the year 198 BC Cao Cao (Chow Yun Fat) The Prime Minister of Han Dynasty ventured to the east and savagely defeated China's greatest warrior Lv Bu terrifying every warlord across the country before crowning himself the King of Wei. Meanwhile young lovers Mu Shun (Tamaki Hiroshi) and Ling Jv (Crystal Liu Yi Fei) were taken from a prison camp to a hidden tomb where they spent five cruel years being trained as assassins for a secret mission. Over twenty years later in the year 220 BC astronomical signs began to predict dramatic change and as a result Cao's son Cao Pi (Qiu Xin Zhi) and his followers urged Cao to become the new Emperor unaware that opposing forces were plotting against him... Special Features: Deleted Scene Chow Yun Fat Featurrette Director Zhao Lin Shan Featurette Behind-the-scenes with the cast Music video

• Flcl Complete Collection | DVD | (25/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The entire collection of FLCL in one box set. Includes: Fooly Cooly: Naota has enough to deal with at home. His older brother went to the US to play baseball. And his father and grandfather never behave like normal adults. Not to mention his brother's girlfriend is now making advances on him. Plus there's a so called alien girl hitting on him. Literally. With a bass guitar. Oh did we mention the robots that keep springing from his head. Fire Starter: Hanging out by the river and playing with cars no one would suspect that Mamimi is a girl with a dark past. She's been obsessed with the videogame 'Fire Starter'. Coincidentally there's been a string of fires around town. Fires like the one that burned down the school 6 years ago where Naota first met Mamimi. And if that's not enough there's something growing inside Naota's head. Marquis de Carabas & Full Swing: In these episodes Naoto finds himself being tagged to play the lead in the school production of Puss And Boots by class president Ninamori whose reasons for choosing him have little to do with acting ability. Later Naoto finds his patience wearing thin when Haruko takes it upon herself to teach him baseball. Brittle Bullet: Mabase's safe for now but there's a new kind of danger. Naota finds himself in the midst of a survival game with Karuko on his team. With weapons blazing it looks like Kitsurubami has joined the tray. And Amaroo is getting his hair dyed? He's freshening up in anticipation to meet some girl from his past. So what exactly is his relationship to Haruko? Get out those guns because not everyone will be left standing. FLCLimax - The End Is Here: The end is near and both Haruko and Canti are at large. Now Medical Mechanica is preparing to move. Before Amarao can do anything to stop it he needs to find the terminal core. Meanwhile a Takkun less Mamimi has found a new friend with an appetite for the mechanical. Before it's all over Naota and Canti are in for the battle of their lives. And then there's Atomsk. What a climax!

• Uncle's Paradise | DVD | (16/08/2021) from £7.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Noragami - Complete Series Collection Blu-ray | Blu Ray | (21/09/2015) from £11.54   |  Saving you £24.71 (240.37%)   |  RRP £34.99

  Minor god Yato is down on his luck. Fed up with his slacker lifestyle his partner abruptly quits. He has no money no worshippers and no shrine to call home. But just when things are starting to seem hopeless a bus accident forces him to cross paths with Hiyori Iki a sweet and perky high school girl. After the accident Hiyori's soul has a bad habit of slipping out of her body and after enlisting Yato's help to get her back to normal she begins to fall into the world of spirits and gods. But Hiyori's not the only one who's keeping tabs on Yato. A god from Yato's past is back and he's not interested in a friendly reunion. Contains episodes 1-12. Special Features: Episode Commentary (6 9) Textless Opening and Closing Trailers Spoken Languages: English Japanese English subtitles.

• Akira - (Ultimate Collection) (Two Discs) | DVD | (23/06/2003) from £44.99   |  Saving you £-22.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £22.99

  Artist-writer Katsuhiro Omoto began telling the story of Akira as a comic book series in 1982 but took a break from 1986 to 1988 to write, direct, supervise and design this animated film version. Set in 2019, the film richly imagines the new metropolis of Neo-Tokyo, which is designed from huge buildings down to the smallest details of passing vehicles or police uniforms. Two disaffected orphan teenagers--slight, resentful Tetsuo and confident, breezy Kanada--run with a biker gang, but trouble grows when Tetsuo start to resent the way Kanada always has to rescue him. Meanwhile, a group of scientists, military men and politicians wonder what to do with a collection of withered children who possess enormous psychic powers, especially the mysterious, rarely seen Akira, whose awakening might well have caused the end of the old world. Tetsuo is visited by the children, who trigger the growth of psychic and physical powers that might make him a superman or a super-monster.As befits a distillation of 1,318 pages of the story so far, Akira is overstuffed with character, incident and detail. However, it piles up astonishing set pieces: the chases and shoot-outs (amazingly kinetic, amazingly bloody) benefit from minute cartoon detail that extends to the surprised or shocked faces of the tiniest extra; the Tetsuo monster alternately looks like a billion-gallon scrotal sac or a Tex Avery mutation of the monster from The Quatermass Experiment; and the finale--which combines flashbacks to more innocent days with a destruction of Neo City and the creation of a new universe--is one of the most mind bending in all sci-fi cinema. --Kim NewmanOn the DVD: as befits this films status as a Manga classic, Akira has a wide selection of extras spread across two discs, including a "Making of Akira" documentary, a photo gallery, a quiz and a "Make your own trailer" feature, as well as one hidden feature on each disc. The film has been digitally remastered and presented in widescreen format, with Dolby Digital 5.1 for the English-dubbed version, and Dolby Digital 2.0 for the original Japanese language version. The only disappointment of the disc is the animated Scene Selection, where the clips are rendered so small that they can be a bit difficult to decipher. --Rob Burrow