News
Last 6 Shangri-La Single DVDs Dropped for Box in Japan
posted on by Egan Loo
The Japanese online retailer Neowing no longer lists the last six of the 12 scheduled single DVDs for the Shangri-La anime series, and has instead added a "Shangri-La DVD Collector's Edition." Similarly, the Sofmap retail chain no longer lists single DVD volumes of Shangri-La after next month's volume 6, and one of its stores reportedly posted a notice that the remaining volumes have been cancelled in lieu of the collector's edition.
According to Neowing and the reported Sofmap notice, Kadokawa Shoten's Shangri-La DVD Collector's Edition will contain episodes 13 through 24 and will ship on March 26, 2010. The box will also include DVD jacket covers illustrated by character designer Range Murata (Blue Submarine No. 6, Last Exile) and "special goods" with still more illustrations from Murata.
Gonzo adapted the Shangri-La anime series from Eiichi Ikegami's science fiction novel of the same name. The story tells what happens to Tokyo when global warming turns the metropolis into a tropical city in the middle of the 21st century. To reduce the temperature at the heart of the city by 5°C (9°F), the city is being reborn as the world's largest forest city. However, despite the flow of refugees to the new city of Atlas, there are not many residents who can actually live in this sanctuary for the elite. Moreover, anti-government guerillas are attempting to stop the re-forestation.
The anime staff included director Makoto Bessho (Ah! My Goddess: The Movie, Armitage: Dual-Matrix) and series script supervisor Hiroshi Ohnogi (Arjuna, Noein - to your other self). The anime aired from April 5 to September 13 in Japan. The Crunchyroll website streamed each Shangri-La episode with English subtitles within an hour of its Japanese airing. The Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that it would delist Gonzo on July 30.
Thank you to dormcat for the news tip.
[Via Kyō mo Yarareyaku]
Images © 2008 Eiichi Ikegami/Kadokawa Shoten/Shangri-La Production Committee
