The news hit last month that there would be a Japanese release of Yawara on Blu-ray and now we’ve got a look at the first box set cover art, which is set to land in Japan on August 20th, 2014. There will be three Yawara box sets coming out starting this late summer and into 2015 as well as DVD re-release box sets that are using the new materials for it. The series is one that has seen a partial release in the US by AnimEigo, but never managed to get past the first round release.
The Japanese release is scheduled for an August 20th, December 2014 and March 2015 release date where the Blu-ray sets are priced at 45,360, 42,000 and 48,000 respectively while the DVD sets are at 37,800, 35,000 and 40,000 yen respectively. The sets are being broken down thus:
- Set 1: Episodes 1-43
- Set 2: Episodes 44 – 81
- Set 3: Episodes 82 – 124
The first set is listed as a seven disc Blu-ray release in the box set with a PCM sound design to it. No extras are listed for it at this time.
Plot Concept: Yawara! is a sports anime laced with comedic and romance elements. It starts off with Yawara Inokuma, a high school girl who is most interested in doing the things that your average Japanese high school girl does. However, she has been trained in Judo for years by her grandfather, Jigorou (A former Japan Judo Champion), who has much grander plans in store for her as a Judo superstar. He manipulates matters so that Yawara ends up having to perform in matches and tournaments. His final plan is for Yawara to “Win the Gold Medal in the Olympics and be awarded the Nation Medal of Honor”.
