Retail Price: $150
Publisher: Pied Piper, Inc.
Is This a Review Copy?: No
What is it?
Skip Beat! is a 2008 dramedy from Hal Film Maker, which is based on Yoshiki Nakamura’s manga of the same name. The series was directed by Kiyoko Sayama (Pretear, Vampire Knight), and features character designs by Tetsuya Kumagai (Log Horizon). Mayori Sekijima (Saber Marionette J, Tenchi in Tokyo) was in charge of series composition.
The show revolves around Kyoko Mogami, a teenage girl who’s madly in love with childhood friend Sho Fuwa. She gave up everything to help Sho realize his dreams: dropped out of school, moved to Tokyo, and even started working three jobs to pay for an apartment. And, in turn, Sho has begun to strike it big.
Kyoko’s life is forever changed, when she walks in on a meeting she wasn’t meant to hear. While delivering lunch to her beloved, she hears Sho admitting, quite loudly, that he sees poor Kyoko as a maid, and nothing more.
Crushed by the moment, Kyoko doesn’t break down in tears. Rather, she starts laughing, as the final unchained demons of her rage escape, fueling her drive for revenge. With her new goal, Kyoko changes her look, moves out of her apartment, and begins a journey to become the biggest, brightest star that Japan has ever seen.
Pied Piper’s release was, by all intents and purposes, a labor of pure fan passion. The project, which was born on IndieGoGo, initially didn’t pan out. But, much like Kyoko, came roaring back in a second campaign on Kickstarter. Over 1,600 people backed the Kickstarter, bringing in over a quarter million dollars in revenue. As production began, we saw more people sign on, and even more wins began to accumulate. Pied Piper broke the funding barrier for a Blu-Ray handily, and sheer serendipity saw the publisher picking up the rights to not only dub, but re-record the theme songs in English.
And, much like Kyoko’s revenge, this project was fueled with the energy of over a thousand fans from the time funding closed, to the moment the set shipped out.
What’s in the Box?
- Skip Beat! Blu-Ray
- Skip Beat! DVD
- Companion Booklet
- “Love Me” Division Sticker
- Poster
Extra Features
- Caitlin Glass Interview
- Robbie Daymond Interview
- Mela Lee Interview
- Cristina Vee Interview
- Taliesin Jaffe Interview
- Christian La Monte Interview
- Textless Openings
- Textless Closings
- Clean Episode Previews
- Behind the Scenes of the English Dub
- “Behind the Beat” – Making of the English song adaptations featurette
- “Behind the Scenes” Photo Slideshow
- “Behind the Beat” Photo Slideshow
- Honorifics Presentation Slideshow
Package Shot
Boxart Blurb
Welcome to Skip Beat!, the story of humble 16-year-old Kyoko Mogami unleashing her true talents as a powerhouse actress.
She’s passionate, wacky, vulnerable, and bold – sometimes all in the same scene. These 25 riveting episodes are as fun and unpredictable as Kyoko Mogami herself. She is alternately inspired and frustrated by the guys in her life, but ultimately she strives to achieve her own dreams of making it in showbiz.
Selected Screenshots
Where to Get It
Retailer links haven’t gone up yet! However, expect this one to go up on Right Stuf, who is handling distribution for the Kickstarter version.
