Sentai Filmworks acquire Knights of Sidonia Season 2, Azumanga Daioh, Strawberry Marshmallow

Given their close relationship and sub-licensing deal with UK distributor Animatsu Entertainment, it's always worth keeping tabs on what Sentai Filmworks are up to in North America, and recent days have seen them reveal three recent acquisitions that they'll be bringing to the US.

Foremost amongst these is Knights of Sidonia: Battle For Planet Nine, the second season of Polygon Pictures' CG anime adaptation of Tsutomu Nihei's sci-fi manga. The series, currently available digitally in the UK via Netflix, will be released in the US on both DVD and Blu-ray at an unspecified date - but will it be brought to the UK? Animatsu Entertainment licensed and released the first season on home video, but recent comments suggest a reticence to deal with properties that have been aired on Netflix's service.

Meanwhile, we have a couple of notable license rescues that were announced yesterday - most importantly, slice of life comedy classic Azumanga Daioh is returning to the west on DVD having previously been released by ADV Films, while Strawberry Marshmallow has also been rescued as a former Geneon license now in Sentai Filmworks' hands. Both series will be released as part of the company's Sentai Selects line, with both English and Japanese audio and English subtitles.