DVD cover art for DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER and PSYCHO SHARK. Photos courtesy of Cinema Epoch.
DEMEKING © 2009 “Space Monster Demeking” Film Committee. PSYCHO SHARK © 2009 Ace Deuce Inc.

Source: Cinema Epoch
Movie Website: demeking-movie.com (Japan)
Special Thanks to Gregory Hatanaka and Edwin Santos

Next month, the American movie and video distributor Cinema Epoch will release two 2009 independent Japanese monster movies on Region 1 DVD. Both DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER and PSYCHO SHARK will be available October 12th for the suggested retail price of $19.98 each.

Koichi Hachiya (Takeshi Nadagi) plans to battle the space monster Demeking;
but are his fears real or all in his head? © 2009 “Space Monster Demeking” Film
Committee.

DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER is adapted from the 1991 cult hit manga Demeking by Takashi Imashiro. The film was produced by Tornado Film Co., Ltd. (MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT!) and given a limited theatrical release in Japan by Jolly Roger Inc. starting March 7, 2009. Imashiro also co-wrote the film’s screenplay with director Kotaro Terauchi (SLIT MOUTH WOMAN 2, BOYS LOVE THE MOVIE, SHAOLIN GRANDMA). Takeshi Nadagi, a member of the comedy team The Plan 9 who has been highly praised for his acting ability, stars as Koichi Hachiya, a brooding man who has spent most of his life preparing for an attack by a giant monster from outer space.

PSYCHO SHARK was originally known as JAWS IN JAPAN, but has been renamed to avoid any legal issues with Universal Studios over their JAWS franchise. The connection to the Steven Spielberg blockbuster was played up by Japanese production company Ace Deuce Inc. when they released JAWS IN JAPAN on August 21st, 2009… their low budget production was billed as “Classic JAWS versus big tits bikini idols”. But the straight to video film’s focus is not on the shark but rather the physical attributes of 23 year old Nonami Takizawa (WATER BOYS) and 24 year old Airi Nakajima (SAMURAI ZOMBIE), two gravure models and part-time actresses who play the lead roles.

While Ace Deuce touted that viewers would enjoy JAWS IN JAPAN’s pairing of horror and jiggle, reviews in Japan were uniformly negative with comments such as “unbelievable garbage” and “-5 stars”. North American viewers will have a chance to judge the movie for themselves next month.

Photos courtesy of Cinema Epoch. © 2009 “Space Monster Demeking” Film Committee.

DEMEKING, THE SEA MONSTER (デメキング, Demekingu)

In 1969, a young man named Koichi Hachiya finds an anonymous letter in a glass bottle which foretold of the apocalyptic arrival of a cosmic monster known as Demeking. Since then, he has physically prepared himself in a lone struggle for that fateful day when the monster will arrive.

Years later, junior high school student named Hiroshi (Kouhei Kiyasu) meets the adult Hachiya (Nadagi Takeshi) as he rides his bike. Hiroshi avoids kids his own age and will only play with younger children, but a strange friendship shortly begins to blossom between him and Hachiya. But then Hachiya disappears, leaving behind only the puzzling words, “I am going to fight Demeking”.

The Japanese toy company Medicom has produced a figure of Demeking. © 2010
Medicom Toy Corporation. © 2009 “Space Monster Demeking” Film Committee.

Original Story: Takashi Imashiro
Director: Kotaro Terauchi
Screenwriter: Takashi Imashiro
Co-Screenwriter: Kotaro Terauchi, KARORUKO
Producer: Kyosuke Ueno, Norio Konishi
Co-Producer: Masafumi Fukui
Visual Effects Supervisor: Tsuyoshi Kazuno
Cinematographer: Yoshiko Osawa
Production Designer: Yuji Takamura
Editor: Yoshitsugu Sagami

Cast
Koichi Hachiya: Takeshi Nadagi
Hiroshi: Kouhei Kiyasu
Yoshihiko Hachiya: Manami Honjo
Tadashi Hachiya: GUTS-Ishimatsu
Yusuke Nagata: Hiroshi Yamamoto
Takashi Matsuo
Chiyoko Asami
Tatsuma Ito
Amane Nikai
Tsuyoki Sato
PUNCH-Sato
ZENJIRO

DVD Specs
Audio: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Running Time Time: 90 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
UPC: 899975002511
Release Date: October 12, 2010
SRP: $19.98

Photos courtesy of Cinema Epoch. PSYCHO SHARK © 2009 Ace Deuce Inc.

PSYCHO SHARK (ジョーズ・イン・ジャパン, Jaws in Japan)

Beautiful girls are in danger. At Sunny Beach, a huge shark is waiting for his prey.

Early cover design with the film’s original title, JAWS IN
JAPAN. Photo courtesy of Cinema Epoch. © 2009 Ace
Deuce Inc.

College students Miki, Mai, and some friends decide to celebrate their graduation with a trip to a private beach on a tropical island south of Japan. Arriving on the island, the two girls can’t find the hotel where they booked their reservations, and have gotten hopelessly lost. Luckily for them a handsome young man shows up, offering to take them to his friend’s lodge. But something is not right about the place… the owner’s fingernails are tainted with blood.

The girls borrow a video camera and head to the beach for some sunbathing and swimming. Miki feels something sinister lurking nearby. Suddenly, the dorsal fin of a monstrously large shark breaks the surface…

Director: John Hijiri
Screenplay: John Hijiri, Yasutoshi Kawamura

Cast
Nonami Takizawa
Airi Nakajima
Mika Inagaki
Jyun Kanaki
Megumi Haruno
Hiroyuki Nakauchi
Hisashi Izumi

DVD Specs
Audio: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Running Time Time: 70 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
UPC: 899975002504
Release Date: October 12, 2010
SRP: $19.98

More than the monster shark, the key selling points in PSYCHO SHARK are bikini models Nonami Takizawa and Airi Nakajima.

About Cinema Epoch

Cinema Epoch is a Los Angeles-based international sales, production and distribution company formed by distribution veteran Gregory Hatanaka.

With a distribution slate that includes internationally acclaimed arthouse films, contemporary American films and edgy cult & midnight works, Cinema Epoch has been inspired by the great 1970s film distributors World Northal and New World Pictures. The company’s annual slate includes 12 films for theatrical distribution and 50 films for ancillary markets (DVD, television, VOD). Cinema Epoch has an exclusive distribution agreement with E1 Entertainment for its DVD releases.