‘Romeo’s Blue Skies’ Coming To Blu-Ray In July From AnimEigo
by Brendan M. Allen
Anime distributor AnimEigo and parent company MediaOCD have announced the home media Blu-ray release of the anime series Romeo’s Blue Skies on July 29th.
The 33-episode series was produced in 1995 by Nippon Animation and was directed by Kozo Kusuba with screenplay by Michiru Shimada and character designs by Yoshiharu Soto. It is based on the 1941 Swiss novel Die Schwarzen Brüder (The Black Brothers), by Lisa Tetzner.
One of the best loved installments in Nippon Animation’s legendary World Masterpiece Theater line of TV series, Romeo’s Blue Skies makes its North American debut in a remastered widescreen edition. It is the second release for the new AnimEigo imprint Ruined Childhood which seeks to capture the dark, fleeting, and often ironic sides of youth.
Romeo, a poor kid living in a Swiss village, bravely sells himself into servitude as a chimney sweep to save his family. On his way to Milan, he meets a mysterious boy named Alfredo, and they become fast friends. Life as a chimney sweep is hard and dangerous. But together, and with the help of some new friends – the “Black Brothers” – Romeo and Alfredo find themselves striving for a better life.
Romeo’s Blue Skies was never released in English, with American broadcasters deeming it too emotional for domestic audiences. Elsewhere it was widely acclaimed and was broadcast in Italy, Spain, Morocco, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, Indonesia, South Korea, Bahrain, Iran, and U.A.E. Romeo’s Blue Skies Blu-Ray will be available for $59.95, and includes the entire 33-episode series remastered in HD widescreen, the original 4×3 SD presentation, clean opening and ending, and original TV promos. Pre-orders are available now at this link.
