Ask John: Where is the BD Release of Gothicmade?

Question:
Why has Hana no Utame Gothicmade not been released on BD at all, even in Japan? All I think of as a reason is that Gothicmade designs and characters have been retconned in Mamoru Nagano’s life work, the Five Star Stories. I know Nagano to be quite the perfectionist and doesn’t like it when others have a say in his works, still this is baffling to me to have a movie been worked on for six or so years and then not have it released on BD/DVD.

Answer:
Regrettably, especially for fans of Mamoru Nagano’s work, there’s no telling when or even if the Gothicmade short film will ever see home video release. Nagano near single-handedly produced the film’s footage, so presumably he would have the most influence over the film’s distribution. Bandai of Japan did heavily promote the movie and give it a very limited theatrical release, so support for a home video release should be available if Nagano approved the film for home video release. However, sometimes a creator’s wishes can withhold a home video release. According to popular rumor, the 2007 Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood motion picture has never been released on Japanese home video due to series creator Hirohiko Araki’s dissatisfaction with the movie. Similarly, Mamoru Nagano may have decided that his film is still not at a state that he considers ideal for permanent public archiving. Alternately, Nagano may have decided that a small, limited release only to his most ardent fans may have been the most exposure he ever wanted this pet-project to receive.

Despite the film having hit Japanese theaters a year-and-a-half-ago, hope for an eventual home video release shouldn’t be entirely discarded. Madhouse’s anime feature film Hells Angels received a single screening at the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair before receding into obscurity then resurfacing four years later on English subtitled Japanese retail Blu-ray.