Review: VK Blanka's Knightclub Vinyl

VK Blanka is celebrating his North America tour with the launch of a vinyl version of his newest album, "Knightclub." As an anime fan, you may know VK Blanka from "Black Catcher" or "Black Rover" songs, which were both featured in the Black Clover anime.

VK Blanka first gained attention with the single "Masshiro" from the album wizard (2018). The song was featured in a TV series and marked #2 on the iTunes Japan Top Album Chart. "Masshiro" was hit #1 in the USEN Request: J-POP HOT30, YouTube MV Trending videos, and LINE MUSIC real-time ranking. In the following year, "Ca Va?" was featured in a TV advert for Spotify Japan, and the third album Devil (2020) hit #1 on the iTunes J-POP charts. With over 500 million plays across streaming platforms, VK Blankaʼs music has truly captured the hearts of fans worldwide.

Knightclub Vinyl

The vinyl version of VK Blanka's latest album, Knightclub, which came out in 2024, includes all of the songs included with the original release, and in addition, it has a piano version of one of the artist's most beloved songs, "Black Catcher." The album, with the addition of "Black Catcher," has around 36 minutes of playtime, so the vinyl release consists of a single LP.

The jacket illustration is the same as the regular album's; it's very colorful and vibrant, so it looks very pretty on the shelf among my other vinyls. The vinyl comes with a regular cardboard cover, but it also has an envelope with an antistatic sleeve, which is a great addition and, in my opinion, speaks of the high quality of the release. It gives it that premium feel which, sadly, some vinyls lack. And obviously, it lets you save one of your personal sleeves if you have some lying around. Inside, you will also find a lyrics sheet.

There's one more important thing that I always look at when I'm deciding on the vinyls I want to order, and that's the press itself. Are the vinyls standard black versions, or is the press standard but with a different color? The Knightclub vinyl is pressed gorgeously to enhance the standard black press; it's paired with blue glitter, which is just sweet to look at (the photo might not do it justice, but in reality it looks very good).

And last but not least, the packaging. I've ordered vinyls from various stores, but I feel like Black Screen Records has the best packaging of them all. The way the vinyl is secured in the box and the amount of bubble wrap make it almost impossible for the vinyl to arrive damaged. I own a few releases from Black Screen Records, and the VK Blanka's Knightclub vinyl from them is yet another amazing release. I'm really happy that I can add it to my collection.

The VK Blanka's Knightclub vinyl will be available for preorder on the Black Screen Records website at a later date.
Anime Atelier received a free copy of the release for this review.