AFRO SAMURAI © 2006 Takashi Okazaki, GONZO/Samurai Project; THE BURMESE HARP © 1956 Nikkatsu Corp.; Max Headroom © 1985 Chrysalis Visual Programming/Channel 4/All3Media; Spectreman © 1971 P Productions; CUTIE HONEY © 2004 Dynamic Planning, Inc./Warner Bros. Ent.

As SciFi Japan approaches our first anniversary, James Ballard of Tokyo Monsters’ fame has been hard at work expanding and improving this website. In the past few weeks we’ve added several new features that can be accessed from the links and/or drop-down menus at the top of the site, so please check out…

NEWS BITES: Short articles, news blurbs, movie and product announcements, and time-sensitive reports can be found in NEWS BITES. Several stories are already online, including news on Japanese Special Issue Stamps featuring GALAXY EXPRESS 999, SEVEN SAMURAI, Godzilla, and Gamera; CUTIE HONEY on DVD; a new Spectreman vinyl figure; free screenings of GODZILLA: FINAL WARS and several anime movies in Melbourne; the new Japanese horror film EXTE — HAIR EXTENSIONS starring Chiaki Kuriyama of BATTLE ROYALE and KILL BILL; and upcoming Criterion DVDs of Kon Ichikawa’s THE BURMESE HARP and FIRES ON THE PLAIN. This section will be updated regularly, so check back often for the latest news.

EVENTS: The place for news about movie screenings, conventions and festivals, and personal appearances by artists and filmmakers. Currently posted are updates about AFRO SAMURAI and LINDA LINDA LINDA. Later this week we’ll have details about a rare theatrical screening of Toho’s 1963 classic MATANGO: ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE as part of a benefit tribute for former horror movie host Bob Wilkins.

INTERNATIONAL CINEMA & TELEVISION: Man cannot live by kaiju alone. The staff of SciFi Japan have interests beyond Japanese monster movies, and this new feature will allow us to cover movies, television, comics, animation and other topics from all over the world. Up first is a look at the cult classic British TV movie MAX HEADROOM: 20 MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE by Robert Saint John, and keep an eye out for Dutch’s 15-part essay on PETTICOAT JUNCTION. (okay, we’re joking about that second one…)

MULTIMEDIA: SciFi Japan now comes with video (and sound, too!). Currently available here are the US teaser and theatrical trailer for THE HOST, provided by the fine folks at Magnolia Pictures. We’ve been in talks with several studios and distributors about supplying video content, so in the days and weeks ahead look for more movie and DVD previews, behind the scenes footage, interviews, and more.

DVD REVIEWS: Every SciFi Japan DVD review from the past year can now be accessed directly from the ‘News Section’ drop-down menu. As time allows, we hope to include many older reviews from the Tokyo Monsters archives.

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