AnimEigo has locked in a June 9 shipping date for its physical Blu-ray Disc release of Alien Nine, the OVA adaptation of Hitoshi Tomizawa’s manga. Pre-orders are already open, so if this weird early-2000s sci-fi title has been sitting on your collector wishlist, this is the one to watch.
The Blu-ray will include both an English dub and the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. That is good news for fans who prefer watching anime in Japanese, but also for anyone who first discovered older niche OVAs through English-language home video releases back in the day.
This release also comes with a featurette titled Steps to Alien Fighters, featuring the Japanese voice cast. For an older four-episode OVA, that kind of extra is a nice bonus, especially when the series itself has not exactly been easy to find in modern HD form.
The biggest point here: this is Alien Nine’s first HD release. AnimEigo says the Blu-ray uses an AstroRes restoration and upscale, meaning the show is being cleaned up and presented for modern screens rather than just dumped onto disc in old standard-definition quality.
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, this matters because a lot of cult anime from the early 2000s still lives in awkward limbo. You either remember it from old DVD imports, fansub-era recommendations, or random forum posts from years ago. Proper Blu-ray releases like this help keep smaller, stranger titles alive beyond the usual shonen giants and seasonal hits.
Alien Nine originally debuted in May 2001. The OVA ran for four episodes, with Jirō Fujimoto directing episode 1 and Yasuhiro Irie directing episodes 2 to 4. Irie is especially notable for later directing Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which gives this release a bit of extra historical interest for anime fans who enjoy tracing staff careers.
The series was previously released in North America by Central Park Media, a name older collectors will definitely recognise. AnimEigo’s version gives the title a fresh physical edition at a time when more fans are realising that streaming libraries can be temporary, region-locked, or just missing older catalogue shows completely.
If you are in Malaysia, the practical bit is simple: this is probably one for import collectors, so check shop availability, shipping cost, and Blu-ray region compatibility before ordering. Still, for fans who like owning physical anime, especially rarer OVAs that do not get much mainstream attention, Alien Nine getting a proper HD disc is a pretty solid win.
AnimEigo also has another anime special lined up for the same day: Hotori: Simply Wishing for Hope, also known as Hotori - Tada Saiwai o Koinegau, will ship on physical Blu-ray Disc on June 9 as well.
Source: Anime News Network