Sword of the Stranger” Coming to Blu-ray and DVD This Week; June 16th Street Date
June 15, 2009 (Cypress, CA) – Sword of the Stranger, the samurai action anime from studio BONES (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist) will be released on Blu-ray and standard definition DVD, June 16, in North America.
The acclaimed film centers a young boy whose fate becomes intertwined with a nameless samurai and a fierce assassin. The film features character designs by Tsunenori Saitō (Blood: The Last Vampire) and was directed by Masahiro Andō. The film has already seen wide exposure in North America: it was one of 13 films in contention for the nomination of ‘Best Animated Feature’ for the 2008 Academy Awards and in February it played in 360 theaters nationwide in an event produced by NCM FATHOM.
Here's what notable creators have had to say about Sword of the Stranger:
"THE HUMAN FORM DEPICTED WITH ART AND MOTION WITH AN ELEGANT WORLD VIEW...I HAVE TO SAY I'M QUITE IMPRESSED WITH ANDO-SAN'S WORK. IT'S AMAZING! THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE SHEER JOY AND ENTERTAINMENT THAT ANIMATION CAN HAVE." -- HIDEAKI ANNO, DIRECTOR OF EVANGELION
"I FIND THE FACT THAT THE WAY THIS MOVIE APPROACHES ITS ACTION SCENES WITHOUT BEING CARRIED AWAY BY THE CURRENTS OF THE TIME IS VERY RESPECTABLE. IT'S FANTASTIC!" -- KATSUHIRO OTOMO, DIRECTOR OF AKIRA
"I WAS LEFT WITHOUT WORDS. TO SEE A PERIOD PIECE DONE SO EARNESTLY...AND TO DO SO WITH ANIMATION. I AM AMAZED!" -- MAMORU OSHII, DIRECTOR OF SKY CRAWLERS, JIN-ROH, GHOST IN THE SHELL
"SEE SWORD ACTION THAT CAN ONLY BE DONE WITH ANIMATION WHICH WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS...THIS IS TRULY A TRHILLING PIECE OF ANIMATED SWORD-FIGHTING ACTIONS! BONES SHOWS HOW TRULY AMAZING JAPANESE ANIMATION CAN BE!" -- SEIJI MIZUSHIMA, DIRECTOR OF MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST: CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALA
"BOTH VISUALLY AMAZING AND EMOTIONALLY COMPELLING, STRANGER IS A GREAT ANIME FILM WITH NON-STOP EXCITEMENT!" -- STAN LEE, CREATOR OF SPIDER-MAN AND X-MEN
Specs for release are as follows:
BD (blu-ray) Features & Extras
Japanese and English audio. DVD Features & Extras are also included in the BD release. BD only features included
Dolby TrueHD 5.1ch and Making of Featurette!
SRP: $39.98
DVD Features & Extras
Japanese and English audio. Interactive Menus / Japanese and English Language Dialogue / Optional English
Subtitles / Pilot Film / Commercials / Trailers / Cast Interviews
SRP: $24.98
www.bandai-ent.com
About Bandai Entertainment, INC.
Bandai Entertainment, INC. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc. and the premier
distributor of Japanese animation on DVD and programming for television broadcast in North
America. Titles include Code Geass R2, Gurren Lagann, M.S. Gundam 00, Sword of the
Stranger, Lucky Star, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,
Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and many
more.
