Monsters, aliens, and weird phenomena abound in Tsuburaya Productions’ ULTRA Q: DARK FANTASY. ©2004 Tsuburaya Productions Co., Ltd./avex/SPEJ/I-ENT

The Ultimate Guide to the 2004 Revival of the Classic Sci-Fi Series
Author: James Ballard
Official Website: Ultra Q Dark Fantasy
Special Thanks to Brad Warner, Tsuburaya Productions

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

“I have a plan to air a brand-new ULTRA Q series, late night. This will be a pure horror show. Most Japanese horror films after THE RING prefer to describe the inner psychology of horror. ULTRA Q is ‘outdoor horror’…I’m thinking of making this into a thoroughly scary series.”-Tsuburaya Productions Vice President Akira Tsuburaya, July 2003

First broadcast on 2nd January 1966, ULTRA Q (Urutora Kyuu) was a landmark in Japanese television.

The series was the first work from Tsuburaya Productions, the production company founded by Eiji Tsuburaya, the master of special effects on Toho’s Godzilla film series. In a similar vein to the hit U.S. series THE OUTER LIMITS (1963), ULTRA Q would bring the audience a new mystery every week, frequently featuring aliens, monsters and other strange creatures. For the first time, the giant monsters that ruled the theatres could be convincingly brought to the small screen and into the homes of families around the country. Retroactively recognized as the first in the “Ultra Series”, ULTRA Q would directly lead on to the famous Ultraman series, which itself would pave the way for the super hero boom of the 1970s.

In 2004, ULTRA Q was revived as a new late-night television series entitled ULTRA Q: DARK FANTASY (Urutora Kyuu Daaku Fantajii). To bring the new vision to the screen Tsuburaya assembled an A-list production team including director Shusuke Kaneko, who revitalized the Gamera series in the 1990s; Shozo Uehara who wrote teleplays for the original ULTRA Q and many of the classic Ultraman series; Hiroshi Takahashi who wrote the popular RING (Ringu) film series; RING 0 (Ringu 0 Baasudei, 2000) director Norio Tsuruta, among many others.

Just in time for Halloween, SciFi Japan is pleased to present the first official English language episode guide for ULTRA Q: DARK FANTASY, written by James Ballard and approved by Tsuburaya Productions.
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SLAM DUNK is one of several Toei Animation series now available on Crunchyroll. Photo courtesy of Crunchyroll. © Takehiko Inoue/I.T. Planning/Toei Animation

Online Media Distribution Giant and Leading Animation Production Studio Begin Online Streaming, Subscription and Download-To-Own of Many Titles
Source: BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions press release
Special Thanks to Chase Wang

One of the most prolific animation production studios, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., is partnering with online media distribution giant, Crunchyroll, to provide streaming, subscription and download-to-own options for some of the several popular anime titles to begin October 27, 2008. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is responsible for some of the most famous anime series including DRAGONBALL Z, ONE PIECE, and SAILOR MOON.“A partnership with Toei Animation is fantastic for Crunchyroll and the anime industry in the U.S. and international markets,” states Mr. Kun Gao Crunchyroll CEO, “it is great validation to have one of the oldest, largest Japanese animation studios using our platform to bring anime to a much larger audience and monetize through new digital channels.”

Toei anime titles that will be available on Crunchyroll as of October 27, 2008 include: DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02, FIST OF THE NORTH STAR, PRETTY CURE and SLAM DUNK. All episodes will be subtitled in English.
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Source: VIZ Media press release
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq

Cover of the December issue of SHONEN JUMP. Photo
courtesy of VIZ Media. © VIZ Media, LLC

VIZ Media, LLC has announced special December issues of its magazines, SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, highlighting a variety of the latest video game titles and trends. Each magazine will also feature a holiday sweepstakes for a Nintendo Wii video game system. In addition, SHOJO BEAT includes a special supplement, the official guide to the hit shojo (girls) manga series Vampire Knight (rated T+ for older teens). The December issues of SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT go on sale nationwide on November 4th and 18th respectively.

There is a strong inter-relationship between manga, anime and video gaming, as one genre often influences the others; millions of manga and anime fans across North America are also avid gamers. The Wii sweepstakes invites readers to submit an entry by mail or email explaining which Wii game they are most excited to play and why. Entries will be put into a random drawing, and one winner will be selected from each set of magazine submissions. Details on the sweepstakes are outlined in each of the December 2008 issues and readers can enter by mail or via the magazine websites shonenjump.com and shojobeat.com.
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Director Norman England at work on the new Japanese special effects documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE.
Photos courtesy of Ed Godziszewski. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd./Classic Media, Inc.

Director Norman England Talks About the New Japanese FX Documentary
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Special Thanks to Keith Aiken and Ed Godziszewski

Last month, Classic Media released the documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE: The Art of Japanese Special Effects as part of their RODAN and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS Toho Master Collection DVD set. Part two of SciFi Japan’s conversations with the brains behind the new film brings us to director Norman England. Fans will undoubtedly know Norman’s name as he has over a decade of Godzilla and Japanese cinema journalism under his belt for publications such as Fangoria, Hobby Japan, Japanzine, Starlog, Flix, Japanese Giants, and The Japan Times. He has also played bit parts in the J-horror film STACY (2001), Masaaki Tezuka’s GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS (2003), the WWII sci-fi tale LORELEI: THE WITCH OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN (2005), the hit DEATH NOTE (2006), and the TV series ULTRASEVEN X (2007).

He has visited over 35 film sets in Japan, including THE GRUDGE, GAMERA 3, and the entire Godzilla Millennium series (with an extended stay for GMK). Norman has been on-set with legendary NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD director George Romero and become well acquainted with some of Japan’s most successful filmmakers: a partial list includes Shusuke Kaneko (GMK, DEATH NOTE), Hideo Nakata (RING), Kiyoshi Kurosawa (KAIRO, CURE), Takashi Miike (AUDITION, THE GREAT YOKAI WAR, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO), Takashi Yamazaki (RETURNER, ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET), Takashi Shimizu (the JU-ON/THE GRUDGE series), Shinji Higuchi (GAMERA 3, SINKING OF JAPAN), Tomoo Haraguchi (the recent Gamera films, SAKUYA), Norio Tsuruta (RING 0: BIRTHDAY, MASTERS OF HORROR: DREAM CRUISE), and Masayuki Ochiai (PARASITE EVE, SHUTTER). “I didn’t study filmmaking at school, although I made a ton of Super-8 films as a boy,” Norman said. “Rather, I feel I learned it by being on the sets of directors, watching how they work, and asking questions.”
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Author and professor of East Asian Languages and
Literatures Keiko Iwai McDonald. Photo courtesy of
the Asian Studies Center of the University of
Pittsburgh and Doreen Hernandez, photographer.

Renowned Author and Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures Has Passed Away
Author: Mike Walters
Special Thanks to Doreen Hernandez and the Asian Studies Center of the University of Pittsburgh

Keiko Iwai McDonald, professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh and an esteemed scholar of Japanese cinema, passed away following a fishing accident on September 14, 2008. She was 68 years old. Dr. McDonald authored eight books (including Cinema East: A Critical Study of Major Japanese Films, Mizoguchi, and Reading a Japanese Film: Cinema in Context) as well as more than forty articles and book chapters. She was also the recipient of a number of awards, such as the Asian Studies Teaching Excellence Award (1998), the Tina and David Bellet College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (2002), and was three times named a Fulbright fellow. What follows is a personal remembrance from a former student.
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Three different editions of GREAT DECISIVE BATTLE! THE SUPER 8 ULTRA BROTHERS ©2008 Bandai Visual

Two DVD editions and Blu-ray release for the latest Ultraman movie
Author: James Ballard
Source: Bandai Visual Press Release

On January 23rd 2009, the latest Ultraman feature GREAT DECISIVE BATTLE! THE SUPER 8 ULTRA BROTHERS (Daikessen! Chou Urutora Hachi Kyoudai, 2008) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray disc in Japan.

The single disc DVD and Blu-ray editions will carry the same content and features. As the first Ultraman movie to be shot entirely in HD, it will take full advantage of the Blu-ray format. It will be the first Blu-ray release for both the Ultraman series and the Japanese kaiju genre.

There will also be a 2-disc “Memorial Box” DVD set similar the previous movie, which aside from the extra disc of bonus features will once again include replica screenplay and storyboards, as well as 3D glasses for a short 3D Ultra featurette. The box set design also features Tsuburaya Productions’ unwieldly English title for the film; SUPERIOR ULTRAMAN 8 BROTHERS.
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Anime Clips Available with Free vSNAX Videos App
Source: Rhythm NewMedia, ADV Films
Special Thanks to Lisa Friedrichs

Anime Network video can now been seen on iPhone and
iPod Touch. Photo courtesy of Rhythm NewMedia.
© 2008 Rhythm NewMedia

The best shows from Anime Network, America’s #1 Anime Channel, are now available on the Anime channel of vSNAX Videos, a free app for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. vSNAX is the destination for video on the iPhone, aggregating and refreshing short video clips from over 25 premium media partners every day. Anime Network titles, including AZUMANGA DAIOH, SAIYUKI and MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI, are now accessible on the iPhone with updates throughout the day so that Anime fans will always have their favorite shows with them. The shows are available as short three to five minute clips, which are perfect for the mobile environment as a snack sized bite of entertainment on the go.

Anime fans can download the FREE vSNAX Videos app at phobos.apple.com.

“We chose Anime Network as one of our newest content partners because they have an excellent catalog and anime is what vSNAX users requested” said Ian Foley, senior director of business development for Rhythm NewMedia.

Our decision to collaborate with vSNAX Videos was an easy one, because vSNAX provides a great user experience,” said Stacy Dodson, Vice President at Anime Network. “Anime fans tend to be tech-savvy early adopters. vSNAX is tailor-made for them.”
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Creatures and Zombies Invade Santa Cruz in an Exclusive South Bay Premier!
Source: Bay Area Film Events

Event poster from Bay Area Film Events.

Santa Cruz, CA - October 23, 2008 – Bay Area Film Events proudly presents the exclusive South Bay premier of a new feature-length documentary on one of the most popular local shows in Bay Area television history, CREATURE FEATURES! Taking its title from the show’s famous catch-phrase, WATCH HORROR FILMS, KEEP AMERICA STRONG! A JOURNEY INTO CREATURE FEATURES looks back at the showcase of classic horror, science fiction, and monster movies.

Included in the evening’s events will also be the 40th anniversary screening of cult classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, a Zombie Fashion Show, special guests, displays, and more.
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Source: Ernest Farino, Archive Editions LLC
Special Thanks to Loren Portillo

Cover art for Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Volume
2: The American Films. Photo courtesy of Ernest Farino.
© 2008 Archive Editions LLC.

Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Volume 2: The American Films
by Mike Hankin
Foreword by Jim Danforth (WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH, JACK THE GIANT KILLER, THE 7 FACES OF DR. LAO)

Written and produced over the past 10 years with Ray Harryhausen’s cooperation and support, the complete 3-volume definitive 295,000-word career/biography features interviews with Ray and his colleagues and is profusely illustrated with several hundred rare photographs, artwork, and illustrations (many of which have never been previously published).

Volume 2, focusing on Harryhausen’s break into feature films, has been released first and went on sale September 14. In-depth chapters cover MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, THE ANIMAL WORLD, EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD.

The hardcover book runs 370 pages and features a 104,000 word text and over 1,000 images— rare photos, artwork, posters, and technical diagrams— in Spectacular Color and “Glorious Black-and-White”.
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Joe Odagiri stars in MUSHISHI, director Katsuhiro Otomo’s adaptation of the manga and anime series. © 2006 Tohokushinsha Film

Live Action Film Directed by AKIRA’s Katsuhiro Otomo
Source: Barbican Centre
Special Thanks to Laura Bushell, Sarah Harvey Publicity

The third season of Japanimation returns with the latest live action movie by Katsuhiro Otomo of AKIRA fame. MUSHISHI is based on the manga that inspired Revelation Films’ current hit anime series of the same name. On Tuesday 28 October, Barbican Film presents two episodes from the series before the feature in this Mushi-fest introduced by anime expert and author Helen McCarthy (The Anime! Movie Guide, Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, and founder of the magazine AnimeFX).
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Misa Amane (Erika Toda) is guarded by the shinigami Rem in DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

Hit Japanese Film to Play in 400 US Theaters
Source: VIZ Media
Official Movie Site (Japan): Death-Note-Movie
Official Movie Site (US): Death Note Films

US poster art for DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME. Photo
courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 [Death Note] Film Partners

VIZ Pictures and NCM FATHOM present a special two-night, multi-city event — DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME at nearly 400 theatres across the United States on October 15 and 16 at 7:30pm local time. The theatre event will also feature an exclusive behind-the-scenes look about the creation of this breakthrough live-action event, an in-depth interview with director Shusuke Kaneko, who also directed DEATH NOTE, and a unique profile of the cast. For complete details on the DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME U.S. Theatrical Event, please see the earlier report on SciFi Japan.

DEATH NOTE and DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME are based on the best-selling supernatural action mystery manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. With 26 million copies sold in worldwide, the hit manga has finally been adapted into the live-action feature films DEATH NOTE part 1 & 2!

Both live-action films were directed by Shusuke Kaneko, known from the popular “Gamera” monster film series, and were released in 2006, becoming smash hits in Japan. DEATH NOTE knocked off THE DA VINCI CODE as the #1 hit movie in Japan, grossing over $28 million with 2.3 million tickets sold. DEATH NOTE had a huge success at US nationwide two-night theatrical screenings at 302 theatres in May 2008.
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The animated feature film BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF
NOBODY will be screened across Canada for one night only.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2006 Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV
Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot, BMP

Special One-Night-Only Event of Mega-Hit Anime Series
Source: VIZ Media press release
Official Site (Japan): j-bleach.com
Official Site (North America): bleach.viz.com
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq

Publishing, animation and licensing company VIZ Media, LLC has announced that BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY will make its Canadian debut in a special one-night only event at theatres across Canada. The film will screen at select Cineplex Entertainment and Empire Theatres locations on Monday, October 20, 2008. For more information, advance tickets and a complete list of participating theatres, go to cineplex.com or empiretheatres.com/bleach.

“We are extremely excited to bring the first BLEACH theatrical movie to enthusiastic fans across Canada,” says Liza Coppola, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Relations & Partnerships, VIZ Media. “Anticipation has been steadily building for BLEACH THE MOVIE: MEMORIES OF NOBODY and this theatrical showing with its non-stop action and exciting plot twists is sure to delight and surprise audiences. This will be a unique opportunity to see one of the hottest animated titles on the big screen and we look forward to new and old fans coming out in force to enjoy this special one night only event.”
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Packaging art for the STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS 2 Disc Special Edition DVD, the Single Disc DVD, and the Blu-ray Edition.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Video. © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Animated Feature Film to be Released in Both Single and 2-Disc Editions
Source: Warner Bros. Home Video

THE CLONE WARS takes place between STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES and STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH. Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi continue their journey across the galaxy amongst the Clone Wars, meeting up with familiar villains, such as Count Dooku, General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. The Grand Army of the Republic, led by Yoda, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other Jedi Knights, must fight the New Droid Army of the Separatists.
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Author: Keith Aiken
Source: Paramount Home Entertainment and Click Communications
Official Website: Indiana Jones
Special Thanks to Scott Neumyer

Front cover for the Blu-ray edition. Photo courtesy of Paramount
Home Entertainment. © 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Nineteen years after riding off into the sunset, Indiana Jones returned to theaters with INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. The film earned $770 million at the box office as audiences worldwide rushed to see the newest adventure of the famous archaeologist.

The movie itself was somewhat of a mixed bag. The passage of time— with an older, world weary Dr. Jones dealing with Soviet villains, an alien mystery, and Communist paranoia at home— created a new and welcome feel from the previous films. But much of the action sequences seem repetitive and by the book, only differing from the past in their over-reliance of CGI. Some of the changes that were made apparently did not please critics or fans of the series. The return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood was welcome, but her character in KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is oddly “spaced out” rather than the smart and tough-as-nails portrayal the won over fans in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. And while the other Indiana Jones movies used real animals, KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL instead features CG monkeys, gophers, and ants that look and act like CG monkeys, gophers, and ants.

Despite its flaws, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is the proverbial “fun ride” and its good to see the film get the quality treatment from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Entertainment.
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RSVP for Free Tickets to East Coast Premiere
Source: New York-Tokyo press release

Japanese poster art for the remake of SANJURO. © 2007
Kadokawa Haruki Corporation/ Toho Co., Ltd./ Avex
Entertainment Inc./ TV Asahi /Asahi Broadcasting
Corporation/ Nagoya Broadcasting Network Co., Ltd./
I.N.P. Inc./ Fields Corporation/ Tokyo FM/ Quaras Inc.

On October 15th, the media company New York-Tokyo is hosting a free screening of the 2007 remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic SANJURO (Tsubaki Sanjuro). The film will be shown at the ImaginAsian Theater in New York City.

For complete details, please see the following press release from New York-Tokyo…

SANJURO

EAST COAST PREMIERE * FREE SCREENING
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Doors Open 6:15pm, Screening starts 7:00pm
The ImaginAsian: 239 East 59th Street, NYC
RSVP to newyork-tokyo.com/wp/sanjuro

Japan | 2007 | 119 min. | Japanese with English subtitles

This is a remake of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune’s SANJURO (1962). Originally, SANJURO was the first title ever in the motion picture history of Japan. This remake was planned and realized from the masterworks of director Kurosawa.
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