"Actor: Toshiyuki Nishi"

• Monkey! - The Complete Series | DVD | (09/04/2015) from £74.99   |  Saving you £25.00 (33.34%)   |  RRP £99.99

  Born from an egg on a mountain top The punkiest Monkey that ever popped He knew every magic trick under the sun To tease the gods and everyone can have some fun. Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic! A box set collecting together all 52 episodes from the two Monkey! series with the previously undubbed episodes. Series 1: 1. Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven 2. Monkey Turns Nursemaid 3. The Gr

• Monkey! - Episodes 1-3 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £8.35   |  Saving you £11.64 (139.40%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A loose (very loose) Japanese TV adaptation of Wu Ch'eng-en's 16th-century collection of Chinese fables, Monkey! was re-dubbed into English in the early 1980s and became required viewing for a whole generation of school children. The titular monkey (played with great enthusiasm, not to mention athleticism by Japanese comic actor and former rock star Masaaki Sakai) accompanies boy-monk Tripitaka (confusingly, a pretty actress called Masako Natsume) on his/her quest for the Indian Sutras. They pick up Sandy (Shiro Kishibe), Pigsy (Toshiyuki Nishida) and a dragon that becomes a horse along the way. The appeal of Monkey! is easier to experience than explain. It's an occasionally surreal blend of Oriental fable, knock-about martial arts, pop Buddhism and slapstick comedy. The frequent comic fight scenes are accompanied by a 70s disco-fusion soundtrack, and a narrator (English voice: Frank Duncan) uses gaps in the action to deliver inscrutable snippets of wisdom ("Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse", "Does love mean labour even for the carp-hearted?"). Best of all, though, is the dialogue: without regard to any lip-synch niceties the English script (by David Weir) is full of idiomatic delights, jokes and double entendres. All are delivered by British actors in hilarious cod-Japanese accents (distinguished thesp Miriam Margolyes is the voice of Tripitaka). Bad special effects crown the show's cheesy, retro appeal. On the DVD: Monkey! volume 1 on DVD features the same first three episodes as the VHS incarnation--"Monkey Goes Wild About Heaven", "Monkey Turns Nursemaid" and "The Great Journey Begins"--but also a bonus previously unseen episode from the second season, "You Win Some You Lose Some", which is subtitled not dubbed, so if nothing else is an opportunity to hear the actors' real voices. Extra features are a stills gallery, text pieces on the principal cast, characters and episodes, Weblinks, trailers for The Water Margin and Blake's Seven and a pop-video version of the show's irrepressible main title song.----Mark Walker

• Monkey! - Episodes 1 To 13 | DVD | (29/03/2004) from £20.99   |  Saving you £19.00 (90.52%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Monkey! is a loose (very loose) Japanese TV adaptation of Wu Ch'eng-en's 16th-century collection of Chinese fables, which was re-dubbed into English in the early 1980s and became required viewing for a whole generation of schoolchildren. The titular monkey (played with great enthusiasm, not to mention athleticism by Japanese comic actor and former rock star Masaaki Sakai) accompanies boy-monk Tripitaka (confusingly, a pretty actress called Masako Natsume) on his/her quest for the Indian Sutras. They pick up Sandy (Shiro Kishibe), Pigsy (Toshiyuki Nishida) and a dragon that becomes a horse along the way. The appeal of Monkey! is easier to experience than explain. It's an occasionally surreal blend of Oriental fable, knock-about martial arts, pop Buddhism and slapstick comedy. The frequent comic fight scenes are accompanied by a 70s disco-fusion soundtrack, and a narrator (English voice: Frank Duncan) uses gaps in the action to deliver inscrutable snippets of wisdom ("Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse", "Does love mean labour even for the carp-hearted?"). Best of all, though, is the dialogue: without regard to any lip-synch niceties, the English script (by David Weir) is full of idiomatic delights, jokes and double entendres ("I can use it as well", boasts Monkey of his staff that grows from a tiny stick into a big pole. "Ooh, I never doubted it, passionate primate", purrs the Dragon Princess into his ear, "go on, make it bigger"). All are delivered by British actors in hilariously cod-Japanese accents (distinguished thesp Miriam Margolyes is the voice of Tripitaka). Bad special effects crown the show's cheesy, retro appeal. ----Mark Walker

• Monkey! - Episodes 19-21 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £5.89   |  Saving you £14.10 (239.39%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Contains the episodes... Vampire Master The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Buddha's Law invites Tripitaka and his disciples to stay as his honoured guests. He tells them of the difficulty in controlling the black magicians shape-changers and bandits who live in the nearby mountains. Tragedy strikes when Tripitaka becomes critically ill with Tibetan Fever. Meanwhile Pigsy leads the guards in a search for the vampire responsible for a girl's murder. He makes a shocking dis

• Monkey! - Episodes 22-24 | DVD | (20/01/2003) from £4.90   |  Saving you £15.09 (307.96%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Village Of The Undead In a deserted village the evil male demon Wun-Lung and three beautiful witches await the arrival of Tripitaka Monkey Pigsy and Sandy. If they can make the four travellers believe in them they'll be brought to life. They plan to capture Tripitaka and his disciples one by one and convince them of their existence by killing them. Who'll be the first pilgrim to fall into the trap? Two Little Blessings Forty years before the pilgrims' journey to

• Love and Peace | Blu Ray | (11/07/2016) from £15.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (25.02%)   |  RRP £19.99

  For shy and awkward Ryoichi, dreams of musical superstardom have long since faded and he's resigned himself to a lifetime of unrewarding office work for a company that barely acknowledges his existence. But when he randomly buys a pet turtle named Pikadon, a series of events are put into place that not only give Ryoichi the chance to fulfil his rock and roll fantasies, they might just bring about the end of the world. With more imagination in the first ten minutes than most films can boast in their entire running time, Love and Peace is pure Sono: a bonkers and uproarious one-of-a-kind that simply has to be seen to be believed.

• The Ramen Girl | DVD | (10/08/2009) from £6.73   |  Saving you £9.26 (137.59%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The Ramen Girl

• Monkey! - Episodes 1 To 13 | DVD | (15/01/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £27.99

  Born from an egg on a mountain top The punkiest Monkey that ever popped He knew every magic trick under the sun To tease the gods and everyone can have some fun. Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic!

• Monkey! - Episodes 27 To 39 | DVD | (27/09/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  `In the worlds before Monkey Primal Chaos reigned. Heaven sought order. But the Phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown. The four world's formed again and yet again as endless aeons wheeled and passed. Time and the pure essences of heaven the moisture of the Earth the powers of the sun and the moon worked upon a certain rock old as creation. And it became magically fertile. That first egg was named ""Thought"". Tathagata Buddha the Father Buddha said ""With our thoughts w

• Love and Peace | DVD | (11/07/2016) from £9.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (50.05%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Bullied and diminished by his fellow employees, demure and bashful Ryoichi Suzuki finds support in an unusual friendship with a turtle. Together they will share many adventures and finally conquer the world.

• Monkey! - Episodes 7-9 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £4.98   |  Saving you £15.01 (301.41%)   |  RRP £19.99

  ""In the worlds before Monkey Primal Chaos reigned. Heaven sought order. But the Phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown. The four world's formed again and yet again as endless aeons wheeled and passed. Time and the pure essences of heaven the moisture of the Earth the powers of the sun and the moon worked upon a certain rock old as creation. And it became magically fertile. That first egg was named ""Thought"". Tathagata Buddha the Father Buddha said ""With our thoughts w

• Monkey! - Episodes 4-6 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  A loose (very loose) Japanese TV adaptation of Wu Ch'eng-en's 16th-century collection of Chinese fables, Monkey! was re-dubbed into English in the early 1980s and became required viewing for a whole generation of school children. The titular monkey (played with great enthusiasm, not to mention athleticism by Japanese comic actor and former rock star Masaaki Sakai) accompanies boy-monk Tripitaka (confusingly, a pretty actress called Masako Natsume) on his/her quest for the Indian Sutras. They pick up Sandy (Shiro Kishibe), Pigsy (Toshiyuki Nishida) and a dragon that becomes a horse along the way. The appeal of Monkey! is easier to experience than explain. It's an occasionally surreal blend of Oriental fable, knock-about martial arts, pop Buddhism and slapstick comedy. The frequent comic fight scenes are accompanied by a 70s disco-fusion soundtrack, and a narrator (English voice: Frank Duncan) uses gaps in the action to deliver inscrutable snippets of wisdom ("Even a starving camel is still bigger than a horse", "Does love mean labour even for the carp-hearted?"). Best of all, though, is the dialogue: without regard to any lip-synch niceties the English script (by David Weir) is full of idiomatic delights, jokes and double entendres. All are delivered by British actors in hilarious cod-Japanese accents (distinguished thesp Miriam Margolyes is the voice of Tripitaka). Bad special effects crown the show's cheesy, retro appeal. On the DVD: Monkey! volume 2 on DVD features the same three episodes as the VHS incarnation--"Monkey Swallows the Universe", "The Power of Youth" and "Even Monsters Can Be People"--but also a bonus previously unseen episode from the second season, "Pigsy Learns a Lesson", which is subtitled not dubbed, so if nothing else is an opportunity to hear the actors' real voices. Extra features are a stills gallery, text pieces on the principal cast, characters and episodes, Weblinks, trailers for The Water Margin and Blake's Seven and a pop-video version of the show's irrepressible main title song.--Mark Walker

• Monkey! - Episodes 25-27 | DVD | (24/02/2003) from £4.90   |  Saving you £10.09 (205.92%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The Country Of Nightmares: On their way to India the pilgrims must pass through the Land of Nightmares inhabited by all the legions of Hell bad demons and wicked spirits. All humans who go there are eaten and all others must take a magic test upon entry to the land. To allow Tripitaka to travel through safely Monkey disguises him as a beautiful longhaired female demon and teaches him some basic magic. Will the King of Bad Dreams see through Tripitaka's disguise? The

• A tale of Samurai cooking: a true love story | DVD | (27/04/2015) from £8.75   |  Saving you £4.24 (48.46%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Haru has an excellent sense of taste and surpassing skill in the kitchen but she and her first husband got divorced after just one year of marriage because of her impetuous character. One day Dennai Funaki samurai chef from Kaga proposes that Haru should marry his son and heir. The Funaki family serves the Lords of Kaga not with the sword but with the kitchen-knife and have been renowned as “Kitchen Samurai” for generations. But Haru's new husband Yasunobu wields a kitchen-knife with no skill whatsoever. In order to save the Funaki family name and its position as kitchen samurai Haru decides to teach Yasunobu the art of cuisine. The story is inspired by a real-life family in Kaga which has survived countless upheavals with its cuisine.

• Monkey! - Episodes 10-12 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £6.73   |  Saving you £13.26 (66.30%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Pigsy's In The Well: Tripitaka is visited in a dream by the restless spirit of the deceased king of the land of Cockcrow. He tells Tripitaka he was murdered by a Taoist magician and thrown into a well; for the past three years this magician has been impersonating him. With the help of the king's son Tripitaka and his disciples set out to prove that the current king is a fake. ""Nothing ends but it becomes something else."" The Difference Between Night And Day: An inv

• Monkey! - Episodes 13-15 | DVD | (23/09/2002) from £6.09   |  Saving you £13.90 (69.50%)   |  RRP £19.99

  'Monkey' a television programme that defies description but we'll give it a go: a bizarre combination of spectacular acrobatics and martial arts; tacky special effects; magic tricks; 70's disco music; hilarious dubbing; crazy storylines; the odd bit of Buddhist philosophy thrown in for good measure and an unforgettable theme song. The Minx And The Slug: A village headman and his wife grieve for their beautiful daughter Hai-Min who disappeared a year ago. Lecherous Pigsy off

• Monkey! - Episodes 14 To 26 | DVD | (31/05/2004) from £23.99   |  Saving you £16.00 (40.00%)   |  RRP £39.99

  `In the worlds before Monkey Primal Chaos reigned. Heaven sought order. But the Phoenix can fly only when its feathers are grown. The four world's formed again and yet again as endless aeons wheeled and passed. Time and the pure essences of heaven the moisture of the Earth the powers of the sun and the moon worked upon a certain rock old as creation. And it became magically fertile. That first egg was named ""Thought"". Tathagata Buddha the Father Buddha said ""With our thoughts w

• Appleseed | DVD | (22/07/2002) from £11.01   |  Saving you £8.98 (81.56%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Violence, nudity, terrorism and swearing are not the usual cartoon fare, but with Appleseed we find ourselves firmly in the cyberpunk territory of Manga cinema. Based on the comic series by Masamune Shirow, the film's story takes place in a post-World War III future, in particular within the mega city of Olympus. With the city administered by the Biodroids (a race of perfect half-human, half-robot hybrids), there begins a human resistance to a society that offers little in the way of real freedoms. As with most of the Manga genre, the deceptively simple animation (reminiscent of Pokemon) conceal more than a few complex issues. Appleseed proves to be a thought provoking, if a little confusing, examination of the "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" argument, particularly as it somewhat blurs the moral borders by instilling both sides in the conflict with a degree of sympathy. Definitely one for Manga fans, but also recommended for SF buffs and those curious to try something a little different. On the DVD: Appleseed on disc has various language options, with the possibility of watching the film in either the original Japanese or dubbed English. The picture is bright and clear, as is the soundtrack. Highly recommended is the audio commentary from voice actress Larissa Murray and Manga expert Jonathon Clements, which not only fills in many of the gaps left by Shirow's original film but also provides an invaluable and often humorous insight into the genre as a whole. --Phil Udell

• Monkey | DVD | (06/02/2006) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Born from an egg on a mountain top The punkiest Monkey that ever popped He knew every magic trick under the sun To tease the gods and everyone can have some fun.Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic Monkey magic! Monkey a television programme that defies description but we'll give it a go: a bizarre combination of spectacular acrobatics and martial arts; tacky special effects; magic tricks; 70's disco music; hilarious dubbing; crazy storylines; the odd bit of Buddhist philosophy thrown in for good measure and an unforgettable theme song. Episodes comprise: Even Monsters Can Be People: When Monkey kills a girl and her elderly parents Tripitaka is left with no choice but to punish him and send him back home to his mountain of fruit and flowers. No one believed Monkey's story that the people he killed were red blue and yellow demons disguised as humans. When the pilgrims later discover that Monkey was telling the truth Tripitaka finds himself in grave danger and wishes he'd never denied the demon's existence. The Country Of Nightmares: On their way to India the pilgrims must pass through the Land of Nightmares inhabited by all the legions of Hell bad demons and wicked spirits. All humans who go there are eaten and all others must take a magic test upon entry to the land. To allow Tripitaka to travel through safely Monkey disguises him as a beautiful longhaired female demon and teaches him some basic magic. Will the King of Bad Dreams see through Tripitaka's disguise? The End Of The Way: Tripitaka and his disciples are just a few days away from reaching India - they can clearly see the Gold Temple of the Thunderclap ahead. The King of All Geological Ages appears and says he'll stop them reaching India. Pigsy finds the king's beautiful wife strangely familiar he knows her from somewhere. The king captures Tripitaka and puts the indestructible Iron Collar of Death on him to choke him to death. This looks like the end for Tripitaka.

• Hayabusa | DVD | (14/05/2012) from £9.43   |  Saving you £3.56 (37.75%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Based on an incredible true story, Hayabusa tells the story of the eponymous unmanned spacecraft that embarked on an impossible seven-year mission to land on a distant asteroid and collect samples that could possibly unlock the secrets behind the origins of the universe. But disaster strikes when the spacecraft experiences multiple system failures on its way back to Earth and the scientists at JAXA, the Japanese space agency, must scramble to save the multi-billion dollar mission and its precious cargo.