Discotek Licenses School Days, Magical Heart Kokoro-chan

North American anime distributor Discotek Media announced on Thursday that it licensed the School Days television anime series and the School Days: Magical Heart Kokoro-chan original video anime spinoff. Discotek will release the 12-episode television series and the original video anime with English subtitles on June 24.

Overflow's adult game School Days inspired a 2005 original net anime, the 12-episode 2007 television anime series, and then two original video anime spinoffs in 2008. The story follows the love triangle that develops when a boy enlists his close female friend to help him attract the attention of a girl in their same school. The anime gained unexpected media attention when its final episode was preempted by a real-life axe murder in Japan. Instead of the final episode, the television stations aired a series of unrelated scenery images and the following text: "The programming has changed due to certain circumstances." The substituted boat scenery images led to the "nice boat" catchphrase that has spread throughout the overseas anime fandom and even into Japan.

Crunchyroll began streaming the television anime in North America in 2009. JAST USA announced in 2011 that it would release the School Days HQ game in English that year, but pushed the release date for the game back to 2012. Stack is releasing Island Days, the newest title in the School Days visual novel series, on Nintendo 3DS in Japan this year.

Discotek also reported that its previously announced DNA² release will ship with all 15 English-dubbed and English-subtitled episodes on June 24. Ringing Bell will also ship on June 24 with an English dub, English subtitles, and "commentary with Mike Toole from ANN." The company previewed the first 12 minutes from the April 29 English-subtitled DVD release of the Mazinger Z television series.