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“Hit Me With Music Vol. 2” Film Series Runs this January
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen
San Francisco’s VIZ Cinema, the nation’s first and only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, opens 2010 with an exciting new program for January that continues to explore music as a cinematic theme.
From rock ‘n roll to classical, music provides the soundtrack for young people’s lives. “Hit Me With Music, Volume 2” will showcase several films that each move to a different beat and will premiere SHINDO (2007), MIDNIGHT SUN (Taiyo no Uta, 2006), and OH! MY BUDDHA (Shikisoku zenereishon, 2009).
VIZ Cinema’s ever popular “Weeknight Anime People” will screen the samurai action of SWORD OF THE STRANGER while the venue’s “New People Artist Series” plans a special presentation of the intriguing documentary, DAIDO MORIYAMA: STRAY DOG OF TOKYO (Near Equal Moriyama Daidou, 2001). Continued…
A Conversation with the Production Crew of the Upcoming Korean SFX Hero TV Show
Author / Translator: Kim Song-ho
Official website: T3 Entertainment (RAYFORCE website coming soon)
RAYFORCE demo footage on YouTube
Special Thanks to Ko Jeong-jin, Jun Jae-hoon, Hong Gi-hun and the members of Big Monster Club
On October 22, 2009, the Korean game company T3 Entertainment announced the production of a new SFX Hero TV Show called RAYFORCE, WAR RECORD OF TIME AND SPACE (Shigongjeongi Reifosu). Shortly before the official announcement, T3 released a 4-minute video demo of the show on YouTube. The quality of the demo was enough to attract attention from genre fans, and RAYFORCE has become one of the most anticipated SFX shows in Korea.
According to initial news reports, RAYFORCE will be a 2-season show, consisting of 26 episodes for each season. T3 will begin principal photography in next March and the first season of the show will air in September. Continued…
Tsuburaya Productions is touting their latest special effects extravanganza, MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Battoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie, 2009), as a rebirth for both the company and it’s long-running Ultraman franchise. The producers of the movie wanted a dramatic, Hollywood-style score to complement the updated visuals so they turned to an American composer, Mike Verta.
Mike Verta knew he wanted to make movie music after seeing the original STAR WARS at age five. He moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to become a film composer, but soon expanded into visual effects work as well. He established his own post-production company and has provided music, FX, sound design, and editorial work on a wide range of productions.
MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY is Mike’s first soundtrack for a Japanese theatrical feature film. He recently spoke with SciFi Japan’s Steve Ryfle about his work on the film, his approach to movie music, and his crash course introduction to 40+ years of Ultraman history. Continued…
If you give an older anime fan a chance to wax poetic, you’ll hear wistful stories of what it was like before the internet came along. Don’t get me wrong, the internet is a perfect tool to follow the hobby and it delivers exponentially more than we could get in the “old days.” But at the same time, the internet makes it too easy. It requires less of you. When your only search engine was your own brain and email had to be hand-delivered on paper, the demands of being an anime fan were intensely challenging.
All my fondest memories of that time resulted from rising to that challenge, and when I learned that SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: REBIRTH CHAPTER would open in Japanese movie theatres on December 12, 2009, the challenge had been issued anew. YAMATO was what got me into anime in the first place. Seeking it out in all its forms has been a steady preoccupation for me since 1980. I could’ve continued to do that online and waited a few months for a DVD, but that just seemed wrong. Here, at last, was a chance to see it the way it was meant to be seen, on a big screen with big sound and surrounded by a big merchandising campaign. Going to Japan to see that in person was a new opportunity not just to relive the challenges of yesteryear but also to experience them in real time as Japanese fans did. I knew I’d regret it if I let the opportunity pass. And now I regret nothing. Continued…
When we last left our heroes, YAMATO was in need of rescuing (again). The ship’s captain (Exec Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki) had critically misjudged how far he could take his vessel and ran it aground in the year 2520. This left the ship stranded in the year 1997 when the office of West Cape Corporation closed its doors forever. Twenty years earlier, Yamato had made a monumental cinematic comeback from the brink and now a similar victory was crucial. It was time for a new captain, and his name was Leiji Matsumoto.
Of all the superstars to emerge from the YAMATO stable, none were more successful than Matsumoto. He was already recognized as a king of SF adventure manga even before Yamato, and once he broke through into animation there was no stopping him. He conquered TV, the cinema, and the fledgling OAV format, combining cutting-edge visual techniques with stories deeply rooted in the spiritual psyche.
He had a special affinity for the number 9, which became a thematic motif across many stories. He explained it as the last point before a paradigm shift. The last step before a crossover. This is why so many of his heroes are boys on the edge of becoming men. Their adventure is one last chance to tap their limitless potential. This made the approaching year 1999 especially poignant for Matsumoto, and a perfect time for him to bring YAMATO back from the brink. Continued…
A superhero television series is only as good as the villain they have to confront. For KAMEN RIDER DRAGON KNIGHT, the producers turned to a veteran television and movie actor who they felt could carry the series as a villain that would appear from the very first to very last episode.
William O’Leary spoke with SciFi Japan as we looked into just what makes a good villain bad and what it is like to go through the hectic and manic schedule of an independently produced television series. Continued…
Get the 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END DVD and More for Free, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji
The popular 20TH CENTURY BOYS (20-Seki Shonen) live-action movie trilogy is coming to Region 1 DVD from VIZ Pictures and VIZ Media, starting this month with 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END. The films are based on the critically acclaimed 20th Century Boys manga series created by Naoki Urasawa, which is a national phenomenon in Japan, selling over 20 million copies to date. The first 20TH CENTURY BOYS movie was released in Japan by Toho on August 30, 2008 and quickly shot to the top of the box office. The film premiered at the VIZ Cinema in San Francisco on August 15, 2009.
To celebrate this release, VIZ Pictures is giving SciFi Japan readers in the United States and Canada a chance to win one of three “20TH CENTURY BOYS DVD Otoshi-dama Gift Packs” ['Otoshi-dama' refers to a Japanese gift of good fortune for a new year]. Each Gift Pack includes the 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END DVD, the US theatrical poster, and a 20TH CENTURY BOYS button.
The 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END DVD will be available for purchase on December 15. Continued…
43 years from it’s creation, Ultraman has consistently remained a beloved character for three generations. This staple series is now reborn with the aim at an all new stage. After Tsuburaya Productions joined TYO Group, Japan’s leading film relations enterprise, their first new theatrical film MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY combines the top staff of the film world from Hollywood and Japan. Abolishing the miniature SFX used until now, all the SFX cuts are presented with digital composites of CG and live action characters, with the images of the Ultraman home world the “Land of Light” and other worlds at the end of the universe being fully realized. And with the images of this world and the speedy activity of the Ultra heroes who move around freely within it having been totally reformed, it’s not wrong for the generations who have witnessed the former ULTRA series to be amazed at this evolution. Continued…
Exclusive Photos From The Premiere Of The New Ultraman Movie
Author: Jim M. Ballard
Official Movie Site: Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy
The official premiere of the latest Ultraman movie MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Battoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu The Movie) was held today in Kawasaki.
Prior to the screening, a special Ultra hero stage show was held in an event space at the centre of the Lazona Plaza shopping mall, where up to 500 Ultraman masks were freely distributed to members of the audience.
The show started at 2.00pm with an introduction by Ultraman Dyna, star of the 1997 TV series of the same name, who also features prominently in the new movie. Continued…
Animated Crime Drama from the Creator of 20TH CENTURY BOYS
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: Monster.viz.com
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen
VIZ Media, LLC brings Naoki Urasawa’s MONSTER to DVD in a Box Set scheduled for release on December 8th. Based on the acclaimed manga creator’s tense psychological masterpiece, MONSTER Box Set 1 features 3 DVDs/15 episodes (episodes 1-15), is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences, and carries a suggested MSRP of $59.90 U.S. / $85.99 CAN. The DVD box set will also include an exclusive digital booklet, which is a digitized version of the original Japanese booklet.
“Naoki Urasawa’s MONSTER is a real must-see for any true fan of anime, suspense or crime dramas,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Director of Sales, Home Entertainment “The animated series follows in a fine tradition of psychological crime noir ranging from Hitchcock and Mickey Spillane to SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and CSI. All the tension and drama that made Urasawa’s manga such a masterpiece comes to life, and audiences will be glued to the screen when Dr. Tenma matches wits with a monstrous serial killer!” Continued…
On the evening of Thursday, November 19th, the Japan Film Society and Sony Pictures Entertainment hosted a special premiere screening of the fully restored Toho sci-fi classic MOTHRA (Mosura, 1961). The invitation-only event was held in the Jimmy Stuart Building on the Sony Studios lot in Culver City for members of the press and Japanese Entertainment Industry in Southern California.
Sony’s connection to MOTHRA dates back to 1961 when Columbia Pictures— now a subsidiary of Sony— helped finance the movie’s production and later distributed it theatrically, to television, and on home video in the United States. Last month’s screening was spearheaded by Kai Saari, Coordinator for Digital Media for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) as well as Marketing Director for the newly formed Japan Film Society. Continued…
