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Alien Nine Is Landing Soon Courtesy of MediaOCD!

AnimEigo and MediaOCD are bringing Alien Nine to Blu-ray, giving this oddball schoolgirl sci-fi horror OVA a new HD life with restored visuals and plenty of archival extras.

Alien Nine Cover — **Available to pre-order on Amazon USA and MediaOCD**

Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced that Alien Nine is coming to Blu-ray on June 9, 2026. And while this original video animation focuses on elementary school girls battling aliens, I’m wondering when teens will get in on the act too. Technically, they have with Prefectural Earth Defense Force, but that prior licence belonged to ADV Films rather than this partnership to redistribute older titles. Technically, the original North American release was handled by Central Park media, so who knows?

Although the animated adaptation didn’t continue as the manga continued with Emulators and Next, chances are very slim when considering the height of its popularity was back in 2001.

From the Press Release:

This upcoming release is based on a manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Tomizawa that was originally serialized in Akita Shoten’s manga magazine, Young Champion. Set in the not-too-distant future, alien invasion is a daily occurrence. Someone must save the planet, so Yuri and her 6th grade classmates are elected for this important assignment. Can a trio of cute schoolgirls defeat terrifying creatures from outer space?

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The Best Animated Short Films To Remember From The 2026 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival offered a strong slate of animated short films this year, with stories ranging from quiet science fiction to cultural memory, climate anxiety, and personal identity.

After certain events, sometimes it’s hard to get all my thoughts compressed down fast, especially after watching some short films. The time even spent remotely becomes a blur. And for events that span less than a week, it can feel like a weekend. As a result, it’s hard to believe the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is over. May the Fourth brought its own challenges for obvious reasons, so offering the last day online was a smart call. Not only can those not able to attend catch a selection from home, but also, what’s offered isn’t always geolocked.

This year, I opted to focus almost entirely on animated works, and the shorts since they rarely get their due. And what’s covered here are my thoughts on those pieces that really impressed me:

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Pacific Rim Final Breach Volume One. Is This The End?

Pacific Rim Final Breach Volume One Legendary Comics

Guillermo del Toro’s tale of robots versus aliens looks to be more than a wrap with Pacific Rim Final Breach set to bring an end to the franchise. When the 2013 film was a heartfelt tribute to kaiju cinema, its sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, proved far more divisive. This world deserves a proper finale, and readers don’t have to wrestle too hard with continuity either. Tales From Year Zero (Amazon link) expanded on the early days of the invasion, while books like Aftermath, Adrift, and Amara explored smaller corners of the universe. The newest release aims to close the door on the Kaiju war once and for all.

This three-volume finale could very well become the franchise’s true ending, and one of the strongest elements is finally seeing the heroes from both films brought together. Although two more volumes remain before that meeting fully unfolds, the first entry lays important groundwork. Rather than spoil the major reveals, it’s more interesting to focus on the setup and presentation.

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Who’s the Boss? Can Lee Cronin’s The Mummy or Universal’s Sand the Test of Time?

When Lee Cronin’s The Mummy leaves theatres as fast at arrived, what’s presented is better off set to unwind as a pulp piece to put in the VCR.

Lee Cronin's The Mummy Movie Poster Lee Cronin‘s The Mummy sits in an unusual place. It isn’t wholly inspired by the mythology of Ancient Egypt, and that’s a problem. When the spirit that possesses Katie (Natalie Grace) does not hail from this world, this filmmaker misses what makes the very word meaningful. The word alone carries weight, and most people will connect it to legends of yore, ancient curses, and maybe hope Anubis makes a cameo to fix what’s wrong.

What this writer/director offers feels more in tune with Evil Dead Rise than a true reinvention of the genre. For fans of the Universal and Hammer cycles, these films usually centre on the resurrected’s longing for a reincarnated soul. This storyteller pivots entirely away from that romance because Blumhouse gives him complete creative freedom. Instead, the result is a mashup that blends The Exorcist with Evil Dead, with a dash of Hausu for good measure. When the action takes place in an enclosed space and gets almost comedically gross, that Japanese film came to mind.

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Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection Shows What Happens on a Saturday Night…

A look at Film Masters’ Monster Mayhem Collection, from its restored B-movie horrors to the lingering charm of drive-in-era oddities, missing extras, and what may be coming next.

Film Masters

No B-Movie horror fan should ever rush through collections of forgotten movies of yore like they are peanut butter sandwiches. Although Film Masters Monster Mayhem Collection has been out for a month, to enjoy these restored works requires dedicating a Saturday night at the drive-in. Back then, during the 50s, that was when these movies were released, and whether couples were necking or actually watching what’s projected, I’d need a time machine to find out. The slang used is appropriate for the era as groovy, man, and I think that’s why this set appeals to me.

In this set, the works offered are Monster from Green Hell, The Brain from Planet Arous, Frankenstein’s Daughter, and Giant from the Unknown. This collective has chosen these works as the “first volume” of movies originally released by the Film Detective, and if the distributor labels seem confusing enough, you’re not alone!

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Is Visiting Glitch Victoria Worth It? When Videogames Doesn’t Smell Like Geek Spirit.

Glitch Victoria is set to open on Yates Street, and while the neon looks inviting, the setup tells a familiar story. This mix of two types of operations isn’t necessarily promising a nerd sanctuary. Instead, it’s really a sports bar with arcade controllers.

Glitch Victoria is about to open up shop. Sadly, it will not be what I think it is, an arcade parlour for the video game enthusiast. These days, these operations are few and far between. When you visit places like Akihabara, Japan or Seoul, South Korea, the palaces there span floors, offering the latest games to cater to the video-game enthusiast. That’s because they are major metropolises where such an operation can persist.

In North America, the best city to visit is sweet home Chicago. Industry giants like Midway, Williams, and Bally were headquartered there before they folded. Next on the list is allegedly Portland, Oregon because of the wealth of bars with an arcade there, and that is the model this garden city operation is using. Their marketing already tells you who they’re after. And for those gamer types working in offices, waiting for 5pm to hit, they got the choice of heading here or going home to their PS5 or decked out PC to play online games.

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