Keith Aiken’s SciFi Dragon design now available for you to wear!

SciFi Japan, teaming with Novemberfire, bring you the first ever series of SciFi Japan shirts!

Not only can you get basic t-shirts, but there’s a little something for everyone! T-shirts, tank tops, long sleeve, hip hop oversized and hoodies. And for the women, girl cut t-shirts and tank tops with spaghetti straps!

Outfit the entire family for Christmas and show off your devotion to the wonderful world of Japanese Sci Fi films and TV!

Great fashions at a great price! Click here to order now!

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Cover art for the Standard Edition DVD of APPLESEED:
EX MACHINA. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. © 2007
Shirow Masumune/Seishinsha- Ex Machina Film Partners.
© 2007 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., Jules Verne Adventure Films Festival
Official US Site: Appleseed Ex Machina DVD
Official Japanese Site: APPLESEED SAGA: EX MACHINA

In 2004, director Shinji Aramaki and the production company Digital Frontiers Inc. created APPLESEED, a CG animated feature film based on the popular manga of the same name by reknowned creator Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell). APPLESEED was a box office success in Japan, and a top-selling DVD in the US the following year. Now Shinji Aramaki and Digital Frontiers have reunited with Micott & Basara, Lion Rock Production and Axis Entertainment for the sequel APPLESEED: EX MACHINA. The new film is produced by the legendary Hong Kong film director John Woo (HARD BOILED, THE KILLER), who also supervised the story and action sequences.

APPLESEED: EX MACHINA is being distributed in Japan by Toei Co., Ltd and opened in theaters on October 20. Warner Bros. has acquired rights to the film outside Japan. Beginning next month the movie will have a handful of screenings in the United States, with the Region 1 DVD release scheduled for March 11, 2008.
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The devious Alien-Kun at the center of scenes from THE iDol, the independent sci-fi film made by director Norman England and some of the top fx filmmakers in Japan.
Photo courtesy of Norman England. © 2007 iMages from the iD

Source: iMages from the iD
Official Site: The iDol

Mild-mannered Ken has a sweet tooth for figure collecting. On a visit to a local toy collectors shop he acquires a seemingly rare alien action figure that unknown to the young office worker is a creature of extraterrestrial origin! In no time Ken’s life is turned inside out as the somewhat silly looking alien alters his life by benevolently giving him everything he has ever dreamed of before callously taking it all back!
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Source: Portland Radio Authority, Kyle Yount

Godzilla rocks out today with two hours of Japanese monster music
on the HORROR HOLOCAUST show. © 2006 Toho Co., Ltd.

Today Friday, November 23 at 2:00pm the Portland Radio Authority’s show HORROR HOLOCAUST will have an episode devoted to “Japanese Monster Mayhem”. For two hours, hosts DJ Fulci and Damien Karras will play music, audio clips, and rarities from Godzilla, Gamera, Rodan, Ghidorah, Mothra, Mechagodzilla and other Japanese monster movies, mixed with conversation with special guest Kyle Yount of the Shrine of Gamera.

HORROR HOLOCAUST can be heard on the Portland Radio Authority website. Just click on one of the “128 mp3 stream” links to open the show in a web-enabled mp3 player and spend the day after Thanksgiving enjoying two hours of kaiju music!

The modern wave of Ultramen are the focus of the new
Japanese DVD ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER.
© 2007 Tsuburaya Productions / Bandai Visual

New Japanese DVD Featuring Heisei Ultraman Retrospective
Author: James Ballard

ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER (Urutoraman Hisutorii Gin-no Shou) is a new made-for-DVD compilation of action footage from the Ultraman television series and theatrical films produced in the 10-year period from 1996 to 2006.

Along with the CLIMAX STORIES which will be released from December 2007 to February 2008, ULTRAMAN HISTORY: THE SILVER CHAPTER helps introduce new and/or very young fans to the Ultraman characters of the post-1990s, in preperation for 2008’s feature film DECISIVE BATTLE! THE SUPER 8 ULTRA BROTHERS (Daikessen! Chou Hachi Urutora Kyoudai) which will bring together the classic heroes of the 1960/70s and the modern heroes of the 1990s for the first time.
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Packaging art for Classic Media’s GODZILLA COLLECTION box and the ALL MONSTERS ATTACK and TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA DVDS. The two films are packaged in the same slim cases as the earlier Classic Media Godzilla DVDs. Photos courtesy of Classic Media. © 2007 Classic Media, Inc./© 1969, 1975 Toho Co., Ltd.

Images from the THE GODZILLA COLLECTION and the next two Godzilla DVDs
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Classic Media, Inc.
Official site: Godzilla on DVD

Advertisement for the GODZILLA COLLECTION box set. Photo courtesy
of Classic Media.© 2007 Classic Media, Inc./Toho Co., Ltd.

Next Tuesday, November 20th, Classic Media will release THE GODZILLA COLLECTION— a DVD box set with 8 classic Godzilla movies. The collection features over 20 hours of content remastered direct from the Toho vaults, including the original Japanese version of GOJIRA (1954).

The box set features all of the Godzilla DVDs in Classic Media’s “Toho Master Collection”, individually shrinkwrapped in their original cases:
• GOJIRA (winner of “Best DVD Classic Film Release”, 2007 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films “Saturn Awards”)
• GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS (the edited US version of GOJIRA starring Raymond Burr)
• GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (Japanese and US versions)
• MOTHRA VS GODZILLA (Japanese version plus US version known as GODZILLA VS THE THING)
• GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (Japanese and US versions)
• INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (Japanese version plus US version known as MONSTER ZERO)
• ALL MONSTERS ATTACK (Japanese version plus US version known as GODZILLA’S REVENGE)
• TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (Japanese version plus US version with prologue)

THE GODZILLA COLLECTION premieres Classic Media’s final two Godzilla movie titles; ALL MONSTERS ATTACK and TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. Both DVDs will be sold separately in early 2008. Next year will also see the release of “Toho Master Collections” for RODAN and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS.
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Direct-to-DVD digests of the Heisei Ultraman series
Author: James Ballard

Covers for Mebius, Tiga, Dyna and Gaia Climax Stories
©2007 Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd. / Bandai Visual

Beginning next month in Japan, Tsuburaya Productions and Bandai Visual will be releasing re-edited, direct-to-DVD episodes of the Heisei Ultraman TV series; ULTRAMAN TIGA (Urutoraman Tiga, 1996), ULTRAMAN DYNA (Urutoraman Daina, 1997), ULTRAMAN GAIA (Urutoraman Gaia, 1998), ULTRAMAN COSMOS (Urutoraman Kosumosu, 2001), ULTRAMAN NEXUS (Urutoraman Nekusasu, 2004), ULTRAMAN MAX (Urutoraman Makkusu, 2005) and ULTRAMAN MEBIUS (Urutoraman Mebiusu, 2006).

Being released under the banner of “Climax Stories”, these one-hour specials re-tell the highlights of each series, each carefully guided by veteran Ultraman directors. While the Climax Stories will contain no new footage, the intent is to introduce new fans to each series, showing the first and last appearance of the Ultra heroes, and all their adventures along the way. As the initial description for the ULTRAMAN MEBIUS release reads, “even for beginners, if you see this you will understand all of Ultraman Mebius.”

All the discs are Region 2 (Japan/Europe) and are Japanese language only (they contain no English subtitles or audio tracks.) The standard retail price is 2,940 Yen each (approx US$25), although they can be found cheaper from online retailers.
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The new film ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET- 2
features a cameo appearance by Godzilla.
© 2007 Always2 Film Partners

Cast and Crew Reunite for Sequel to the Acclaimed Film… and Godzilla Tags Along for the Ride
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network)
Additional Material: Keith Aiken
Official Site: Always 2
Special Thanks to Poo-Monologue, Norman England, and Shinichi Wakasa

In 2005, the 1950s drama ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET (Always San-Chome no Yuhi) was a critical and commercial success, scoring big at the box office and winning Japan Academy Prizes for Picture of the Year, Director of the Year, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. The film became so popular that it triggered a national fad of nostalgia for the “Showa Era” of Japan.

And now, in response to popular demand, ALWAYS returns to theaters with the sequel ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET- 2 (Always-Zoku San-Chome no Yuhi). Director, writer and director of special effects Takashi Yamazaki has reunited with the cast and crew of the original film. They are joined by a stellar new cast to depict a heartwarming story set in 1959 Tokyo. Among the new cast members is Godzilla, who returns to the big screen with an “imaginary sequence” early in the film.

NTV— one of the companies behind ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET- 2— has provided information and photos from the film.
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KIKAIDA 01 DVD Box Set Review
Author: Bob Johnson
Official Website: www.generationkikaida.com
Special Thanks to JN Productions and Generation Kikaida

KIKAIDA 01 ready to burst into your home and onto your TV! © 1971 Ishimori
Production Inc. and Toei Co., Ltd.

Following the release of the original KIKAIDA series on nine individual DVDs, JN Productions now packages the follow-up series KIKAIDA 01 in a single, 6-disc set.

Kikaida 01 was the older brother of the original Kikaida and for the first half of the series battled the Hakaida Force, lead by the original Hakaida. Three other Hakaidas, each with a different weapon and each housing the brain of Professor Gill’s most brilliant scientists, made up this deadly team.

Kikaida 01 is joined in episode three by the original Kikaida and the two of them combine forces in various episodes throughout the series. Kikaida 01 is also joined by a female cyborg, Bijinda. Check out all the action in this review of the KIKAIDA 01 DVD set.
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Media Blasters has acquired rights to three films from Kadokawa Pictures. GAMERA THE BRAVE © 2006 Chiisaki Yusha-tachi Gamera/Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.
ONE MISSED CALL: FINAL © 2006 Chakushin-Ari Film Partners. THE BLACK HOUSE © 2007 CJ Entertainment Inc.

Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Media Blasters, Inc.
Special Thanks to Richard York

Media Blasters has announced that they have acquired North American rights to a trio of films from Kadokawa Pictures; ONE MISSED CALL: FINAL, THE BLACK HOUSE, and GAMERA THE BRAVE. Few details are available at this time, but the three movies are expected to be released on Region 1 DVD in 2008.
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New SPFX series from the makers of GRANSAZER
Author: James Ballard
Official Website: www.toho-a-park.com/character/jenny/

The Sweets Angels face Giant-Robo Itazuran. ©2007 Kawaii! JeNny
Production Committee

KAWAII! JENNY (simply meaning “Cute! Jenny”) is a new and somewhat bizarre late-night special effects series produced by Toho Co,. Ltd and Dream Planet Japan Inc. The series is headed by director Koichi Kawakita, who once lead as the director of special effects for some of Toho’s biggest FX productions, including all the Godzilla films produced between GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (Gojira tai Biorante, 1989) and GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (Gojira tai Desutoroia, 1995).

Aftering retiring from Toho, Kawakita established his own visual effects company, Dream Planet Japan, in January 2003. Since that time, Dream Planet Japan have collaborated with Toho on the TV series SUPER STAR GOD GRANSAZER (Chouseishin Guranseizaa, 2003), THE JUSTIRISERS (Genseishin Jasutiraizaa, 2004) and SUPER STAR FLEET SAZER-X (Chousei Kantai Seizaa Ekkusu, 2005), the movie SUPER STAR FLEET SAZER-X: FIGHT! WARRIORS OF THE STARS (Chousei Kantai Seizaa Ekkusu: Tatakae! Hoshi-no Senshi-tachi, 2005), as well as producing featurettes for the DVD releases of GUNHED (Ganheddo, 1989) and SAMURAI OF THE SKY (Oozora-no Samurai, 1953).
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Source: ADV Films
Official Site: Newtype USA

© 2007 Newtype USA, Inc.

Newtype USA celebrates its 5th anniversary with a special collectors’ edition packed with extras. The November issue has the latest scoops on the newest anime both here and in Japan, including a cover story on GUNDAM 00, the bold new take on the classic franchise. Also inside: features on DEATH NOTE, SUPER ROBOT WARS and HONEY AND CLOVER; the official art of THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA; and a sneak-peek at over a dozen new shows out only in Japan! The party continues with a very special look back at 60 months of Newtype USA, with commentary from the staff behind each issue. Plus reports on WELCOME TO THE N-H-K and TSUBASA – RESERVOIR CHRONICLE;
45 reviews of all the latest anime, manga, video games and music; a pullout poster featuring the cast of THE WALLFLOWER; and the latest installment of CLAMP’s manga Kobato.

The issue also includes a free DVD with FIVE full anime episodes, including VENUS VERSUS VIRUS, ROZEN MAIDEN TRAUMEND, HELL GIRL, FLAG and TOKYO MAJIN. The issue also includes a bonus 2008 calendar featuring artwork from next year’s hottest shows: CODE GEASS, DEVIL MAY CRY, SERGEANT FROG, STRAIT JACKET and more.

Five years in the making, November’s Newtype USA is now on sale.