It’s officially the gift-giving season and for many people around the world, that means scrambling to find the best anime goodies before they are all sold out! Luckily for you, I’m here to rescue you from endless searching as I’ve narrowed down the big-ticket anime gift items this holiday season. These are all being released in time for your personal winter celebration of choice!
Shirobako: The Movie
Release Date: December 7th
Shirobako was an original series from P.A. Works which showed fans the real story of how an anime series starts as an idea in someone’s head and becomes an anime thanks to the hard-working staff behind the scenes. Set a few years after the events of the original television series, the movie features a slightly older and more experienced Aoi who is still working for Musashino Animation, even though things have become rocky for the studio. Suddenly though, Aoi is offered the chance to manage a movie project, but does the studio still have the capacity to complete it?
Shirobako: The Movie will make a wonderful companion piece for the full television series in any fan’s personal collection. Showing how the sausage gets made isn’t always an easy task because no matter what industry is having the light shined on them, there are going to be some unpleasant things uncovered and anime is no exception. Shirobako does it with ease, however, and even throws in some heartwarming moments just for good measure.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Collector’s Edition
Release Date: December 7th
By now, any anime fan reading this knows the story and history behind one of the most influential anime of all time, Neon Genesis Evangelion, so I’m not going to waste your time and mine by trying to recap it. All I can say about this collection is that if you have a hardcore fan in your life who doesn’t already own this series, you could certainly do much worse than getting them this set.
Filled to the brim with goodies including the classic dub, a 40-page book, and over seven hours of bonus features, this set is the one that fans have been waiting years for!
Interspecies Reviewers Steelbook Blu-ray
Release Date: December 7th
The series so raunchy that it was removed from streaming services and Japanese networks within weeks of its debut is getting a Blu-ray release from Right Stuf’s Critical Mass publishing wing.
In this series, two buddies travel the red-light districts of the fantasy world they live in and review the beastly babes that they encounter. Sound horny and perverted? That would be because it is. Be warned though; this series earned its 18+ rating so don’t stick this in the stockings of any kiddies on your list!
Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie Mugen Train Limited Edition Blu-ray
Release Date: December 21st
The movie that took the world by storm is finally getting an official release overseas! It is absolutely impossible to understate how massive this movie was for many, many weeks. At one point, it was the number one movie in the world! Not just in Japan but in the whole freakin’ world!
A continuation of the television series (which was equally popular) from famed studio ufotable, this artistic work is going to be a hot ticket item this holiday season so I suggest you pre-order your copy now because, as with many Aniplex of America releases, the odds are good that once this limited edition is gone, it won’t be back for a while.
Princess Tutu Steelbook Blu-ray
Release Date: December 21st
Finally, the magical girl series which turns 20 next year is getting the Blu-ray release that fans have been dreaming of! In this magical girl series, a young duck is turned into a girl and given the mission of restoring the feelings of a certain prince. But there will be many obstacles to overcome, including those who don’t want the prince to regain his emotions.
With masterful work done by the voice cast and beautiful animation directed by Junichi Sato, this is a piece of work that any anime fan can appreciate, no matter how much experience with the medium they have!
And with that, we have the top five anime gift ideas hitting store shelves in time for the holidays! Good luck to all you shoppers out there!
