Netflix Originals 'Blame!' and 'Kakeguri' To Get UK Home Releases

Netflix offers a very convenient way to watch movies and T.V. shows, but what if you don't want to (or are unable to) subscribe? Or what if you want to keep your favourites forever? There are those who may question the decision to release Netflix shows on disc, but there are many reasons people might like to have the option.

Until Netflix began making anime of its own (the first being Devilman Crybaby) the truth is that their so-called "Netflix Original" anime, were nothing of the sort. They were actually just acquisitions, of films or series that already screened elsewhere in Japan. This explains why, after the exclusive window has passed, distributors are able to pick up the rights to release them on disc.

Two UK-based distributors have recently announced that they will release anime titles that were previously exclusive to Netflix.

First up is BLAME!, Polygon Pictures feature-length adaptation of the manga by Tsutomu Nihei. Released as a Netflix exclusive in 2017, the movie will now be coming to Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download courtesy of Manga Entertainment on May 28. Manga are also teaming up with European distributor Dybex, who will be releasing the film in French-speaking territories later in the year.

In the distant technological future, civilization has reached its ultimate Net-based form. An "infection" in the past caused the automated systems to spiral out of control, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city's controls and is hunted down to be purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. With a remaining enclave known as the Electro-Fishers facing extinction and all escape routes blocked, the sudden arrival of Killy the Wanderer, on his quest to find a human who possesses the Net Terminal Gene, is the village's only hope.

Kakegurui, on the other hand, has only just hit Netflix within the last month, and Anime Limited have already announced that they will be bringing it to home video in 2019.  Anime Limited plan to give the series the Collector's Edition treatment during the first quarter of 2019. More details will be revealed nearer the time.

There is one absolute rule in gambling -- at the end of the day, there is a winner and a loser. The winner gains riches and prestige, while the loser is branded a failure and left with nothing. In the silence leading up to the moment that separates winners and losers, instincts are sharpened and desires reach the point of ecstasy. This is a harsh microcosm of life in a capitalist society. Why are people captivated by a world filled with risk? What lies beyond the madness? As the class system of modern society crumbles, an unprecedented adrenaline-pumping anime sweeps the world.