Ask John: Where Can I Get the Nuku-Nuku TV Series?

Question:
Is the Bannou Bunka Nekomusume (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku) TV series available on DVD in Japan, if so, where can I find it?

Answer:
I’m sorry to say that there actually isn’t any Nuku-Nuku anime currently available on DVD in Japan. The original 6 episode Bannou Bunka Neko Musume OAV series was released on 2 DVDs in Japan on May 1, 1999. The 14 episode TV series was released on 3 DVDs on August 1, 1999, and the 12 episode Bannou Bunka Neko Musume Dash! OAV series was released on 3 DVDs, all released simultaneously on November 1, 1999. All 8 of these DVDs are now out of print in Japan.

AD Vision released the original (and best) OAV series on a single domestic DVD recently and will be bringing the second OAV series to America eventually. At the present time, though, the Nuku-Nuku TV series is not licensed for American release, which may be for the best considering how awful the series was. If you’re desperate to acquire the Nuku-Nuku TV series on imported Japanese DVD, you’ll probably need to rely on a Japanese retailer like Mandarake or an English language Japanese auction proxy bidding service like Rinkya that specializes in out of print, used and vintage Japanese anime merchandise.