Widely regarded as a shojo classic, the Vampire Princess Miyu anime is still revered by many. Now, that generation can rewatch this iconic series on Blu-ray, but there’s a major catch.
The upcoming Blu-ray release of the late 1980s Vampire Princess Miyu OVA is scheduled for a few months from now, with MediaOCDbehind it. However, due to legal stipulations, it will be incredibly limited, with even basic advertising unavailable. This does finally bring it to HD, even if there’s a notable discrepancy when it joins fans’ collections.
A 1980s Vampire Anime ‘Unofficially’ Comes to Blu-ray
AnimEigo and MediaOCD have announced the upcoming Blu-ray release of the 1988-1989 OVA adaptation of Vampire Princess Miyu, marking the first timethe series will be available in HD. This high-definition re-release was first announced by AnimEigo in 2025, and even though it’s finally happening, it’s doing so in a much less “official” capacity than some might expect.
MediaOCD has stated that the Blu-ray packaging wasn’t approved in Japan due to legal backlogs, and this situation is exacerbated by AnimEigo’s contract for the anime ending in 2027. Thus, this leaves late 2026 as the only real window to release it, but there’s a catch for those hoping for elegant branding to feature on the Blu-ray case itself. MediaOCD will thus sell the collection only on its own website, sometime around September 8th, and due to a lack of packaging approval, it will have onlya blank cover and slipcase.
This beloved anime OVA will have both the AnimEigo dub and a different UK English dub on the Blu-ray, though it’s unknown if there will also be a Japanese dub with English subtitles. MediaOCD has also stated that it hopes to reach a legal agreement in the future for official packaging and to provide a way for fans who’ve already purchased their Blu-rays to receive them without extra cost.
Pre-orders are now available for $24.99 USD, so fans can guarantee they’ll get their copy, artwork notwithstanding. The story of Vampire Princess Miyu follows the protagonist as she seeks to banish the supernatural “Shinma” from Earth in order to return to the realm of darkness.
Starting out as a manga by Narumi Kakinouchi and Toshiki Hirano, the shojo horror story is known for its eerie, creepy tone along with its use of traditional Japanese aesthetics. The manga had multiple sequels, and the OVA was followed nearly a decade later with a TV anime adaptation. The latter completely reimagined the story, however, taking place in a separate continuity from the previous iterations.