Section23 Films has announced their February 2014 slate of releases on Blu-ray, and amongst them are the popular J-pop anime AKB0048 Next and the Girls und Panzer OVA Collection. See below for the complete Blu-ray and DVD February listing from Section23.

Coming February 2014

• Title:                 AKB0048 NEXT STAGE
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         325 min.
• Street Date:      2/4/2014
• Format:             DVD & Blu-ray
• Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $59.98 (DVD);  $69.98 (Blu-ray)

SYNOPSIS:  The road trip to war has already been brutal for the 77th generation of understudies to AKB0048, the combination singing group and combat squad seeking to bring peace and entertainment back to the universe.  However, the competition between the individual candidates, as well as the remaining 75th and 76th generation understudies, is about to get even rougher.  With the opportunity to become a successor to one of the original members of the legendary singing squad hanging in the balance, the fights on stage and on the battlefield will become even more cutthroat, and things are only going to get nastier when it turns out that someone has been feeding critical information to the opposing DES forces.  Will the revelation of the source of the Kiraras prove to be a deadly misstep in the intricate choreography that’s allowed the team to keep dancing out of danger?  Will public opinion prove to be more important than actual skill and valor as the squad undergoes a series of grueling trials by fan?  The harmony and harmonization that’s held this band of sisters together will be pushed to the breaking point in AKB0048: NEXT STAGE!

• Title:                 DARK DESIRES
• Published by:    Switchblade Pictures
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         209 min.
• Street Date:      2/4/2014
• Format:             DVD
• Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $29.98

SYNOPSIS: Onimata Kan is famous for two things: a successful career writing S&M erotica, and hosting the erotic gatherings aboard the Slave Ship, where the main attraction is the auctioning of the services of sexual partners willing to fulfill any desire.  But when he learns that one of the frequent auctionees has gone insane, Onimata goes to investigate, and soon discovers that his own writings only hint at the extremes to which some will go in THE SLAVE SHIP! She’s tantalizing and irresistible, but those who’ve had affairs with the beautiful Mari have all expired prematurely.  Uemura tries to fight his attraction for her, but he’s already in the jaws of a trap designed to suck men dry and spit out the husks.  For Mari’s husband is all too aware of who’s been sleeping in his wife’s bed, and what follows will pull Uemura into a world of bondage and depravity in THE CURSE – M! When former sex slave Kumiko joins the editorial desk at a small newspaper, the most deeply kept secrets of the leader of a religious cult suddenly begin finding their way into print.  Even more shocking, however, are the repercussions for the paper’s sales manager and his elegant wife Shizuyo, who finds herself strung in the rope bonds of twisted lust and inhuman bondage in THE DEVIL’S FEAST! From the pen of internationally acclaimed bondage novelist and screenwriter Oniroku Dan (FLOWER AND SNAKE) come three feature films that dare to explore the darkest secrets of human sexuality in DARK DESIRES – The Oniroku Dan Collection!

• Title:                 MM! COMPLETE
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         300 min.
• Street Date:      2/11/2014
• Format:             DVD & Blu-ray
• Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $59.98 (DVD); $69.98 (Blu-ray)

SYNOPSIS: There are twisted tales and twisted tails, but few are as twisted as poor Sado’s, who’s just realized that he LIKES being made miserable.  Of course, knowing that only makes him more miserable, which in turn…  Well, you get the idea.  Desperate to break the perverse cycle, Sado volunteers for a special club where he hopes he can work through his issues.  And though he probably should have expected as much, imagine his consternation when he discovers that the other members have equally… complex… issues to deal with.  For example, the hyper-aggressive club president Isurugi not only has a violent fear of cats, but also believes herself to be a god!  Then there’s Yuno, who’s terrified of men; the nurse who forces other people to perform cosplay; and Hayama, Sado’s best friend and a compulsive cross-dresser, who’s also the girl that Sado is infatuated with.  (We did say it was complex, remember?)  If you think you’ve seen EVERYTHING that can happen in an anime, prepare to have your eyes opened to FULL anime size as you enter a whole new paradigm with MM!  (it’s pronounced “Emu Emu!”)!

• Title:                 SMOKEY & THE BUSHIDO
• Published by:    Switchblade Pictures
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         75 min.
• Street Date:      2/11/2014
• Format:             DVD
• Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $19.98

SYNOPSIS: Nami’s still the hottest trucker in Japan, but now there’s a new contender for the title of Queen of the Road!  Meet Ayano, the toughest highway patrol officer to ever fill out a bulletproof brassiere and Nami’s former high school gang rival!  However, a certain truck driving mama isn’t the only target this smoking-hot smokey has in her sights.  There’s a deadly drug hitting the market and someone’s transporting it across Japan via unwitting truckers.  Does that sound like a good enough reason for two ex-delinquents to set aside their mutual differences and put a little pedal and metal up some gangster butt?  Maybe, but not all road trips have happy endings, and the payoff at the end of this run could prove lethal.  Expect some heavy girl on girl friction ahead as the brakes give out, the undercover action heats up and a crazy string of tips, gas and drugs paves the way for Nami’s wildest ride yet!  What we have here is some serious disrespect for the law as the whole trucking crew from BIG BAD MAMA-SAN returns in SMOKEY & THE BUSHIDO

• Title:                 HIDAMARI SKETCH SEASON 1 BLU-RAY
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         350 min.
• Street Date:      2/18/2014
• Format:             BD
• Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $59.98

SYNOPSIS: Yuno has dreamed of attending Yamabuki Arts High School for years.  But now that she’s been accepted, there’s the scary prospect of moving away from her home and family for the first time!  Fortunately, Yuno quickly learns that, even if her new neighbors at the eclectic Hidamari Apartments aren’t technically family, at least the majority share the bond of being fellow art students.  Between second year students like Hiro and Sae, who try to behave like helpful older sisters, and Mako, her hyperactive new neighbor, classmate and best friend, Yuno will never find herself alone.  And that’s a good thing since she’ll need a solid support network to deal with strange characters like her oddly masculine landlady, her cosplay obsessed home room teacher, her tooth-chattering principal and all of the other odd denizens who inhabit her chosen world of art.  It won’t be easy, and it won’t always be pretty, but with her friends at her back, Yuno’s going to reach for her sketchbook in HIDAMARI SKETCH!

• Title:                 TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         60 min.
• Street Date:      2/18/2014
• Format:             DVD & Blu-ray
• Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $19.98; $29.98 (Blu-ray)

SYNOPSIS: The Japanese public goes crazy when it’s announced that the beloved and long running classic anime Time Bokan will be remade.  There’s just one problem: the original show was broken into multiple separate series featuring multiple teams of heroes pitted against multiple teams of almost identical villains, so how to choose which ones will star in the remake?  Unwisely discarding the idea of a public opinion poll, the producers instead insanely opt for a race between the bad guys in their favorite mecha.  Which might not be a completely bad idea, except for the fact that they’re all cheaters and saboteurs, and none of them have ever created a mecha that didn’t eventually self destruct in an extremely violent fashion!  In a race between these born losers, the only winner is the audience as the villains from Time Bokan, Yatterman, Zenderman, Otasukeman, Yattodetaman, Ippatsuman and Itadakiman compete for the dubious privilege of getting the **** beaten out of them once again!  It’s Grand Theft Mecha Vs. Super Moron Kart as the baddies slam, bash and dirty trick each other to the finish in TIME BOKAN: ROYAL REVIVAL!

• Title:                 DI GI CHARAT WINTER GARDEN
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         60 min.
• Street Date:      2/25/2014
• Format:             DVD
• Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $24.98

SYNOPSIS: Things have changed a bit for Dejiko, the alien princess who came to Earth to become a famous idol singer.  She’s grown up and her teens are practically a memory, though her sidekick Puchiko still has a few years to go before becoming an official “adult.”  They don’t wear their cat ears anymore, and the affectation of sticking nyo or nyu on their sentences got old along the way as well.  And the game store?  That’s in the past as well.  Instead of cooking up mischief, Dejiko works in a local bakery.  And yet, there’s still something strange and mystical about her.  But will that be enough to draw the attention of a handsome young man she first accidentally encounters in the park?  It had better be, because Di Gi Charat is about to discover the most powerful Earth magic of all.  Love hits Dejiko and it’s going to hit her hard, as the original saga concludes in Di Gi Charat: Winter Garden

• Title:                 GIRLS UND PANZER OVA SPECIALS
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         74 min.
• Street Date:      2/25/2014
• Format:             DVD & Blu-ray
• Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $29.98 (DVD); $39.98 (Blu-ray)

SYNOPSIS: The girls from Oorai are back in six special episodes!  And whether they’re shopping for swimsuits, camping out or doing the Ankou Dance, they bring their own special brand of Tankery to the task at hand.  There’s also a tour of the Oorai school ship, a look at what REALLY happened while Yukari and Erwin were out doing reconnaissance and a team talent contest that’s not to be missed!  It’s a very special collection featuring everyone’s favorite Tankery girls: GIRLS UND PANZER Specials!

• Title:                 LOVE, ELECTION & CHOCOLATE COMPLETE
• Published by:    Sentai Filmworks
• Distributed by:  Section23 Films
• Run Time:         300 min.
• Street Date:      2/25/2014
• Format:             DVD & Blu-ray
• Language:         Japanese with English Subtitles
• SRP:                $49.98 (DVD); $59.98 (Blu-ray)

SYNOPSIS: In Japan, participation in extra-curricular activities is as fundamental a part of an education as chalk and gym shorts.  However not all students are overachievers, and for those like Yuki Ojima, groups like the Food Research Club are welcome havens in which to slack-off.  But what’s a slacker to do when the radical new candidate for Student Council president announces her intent to get rid of clubs like the FRC?  Well, getting the help of the current Student Council president is a good start, but HIS suggestion is so counter-intuitive that it’s crazy: Yuki’s going to run for the Student Council himself!  And yet, it’s SO crazy that it just might work.  Especially when Chisato, the chocolate-adverse president of the FRC, not to mention Yuki’s best childhood friend, and members of other targeted school clubs start to join the swelling FRC army.  But can this army of goofs and goof-offs coast all the way to political victory?  Or will someone have to step up to the plate and take one for the term?  They may savor victory, they may taste defeat, but you’re certain to eat up LOVE, ELECTION AND CHOCOLATE!