The new Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia is a treasure trove of photos and information about the leading ladies of Toho’s fantasy films.
© 2011 Yosensha Co. Ltd./ Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Loren Portillo
Official Site: Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia

Released in Japan barely a month ago, the incredible softcover book Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia (別冊映画秘宝　東宝特撮女優大全集, Toho tokusatsu jouyuu taizenshuu) covers 50 years of Toho special effects film actresses, from 1954 to 2004. Published by Yosensha Co. Ltd., this 158 page marvel includes a stunning amount of rare color and B&W photographs of some of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screens at Toho Studios.
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Source: Subway Cinema press release
Special Thanks to Grady Hendrix

DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME. Photo courtesy
of Sushi Typhoon. © 2010 H Brothers Media

America’s leading large-scale festival of popular Asian cinema celebrates its tenth anniversary with the New York Asian Film Festival 2011. Taking place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater (July 1 – 14) and Japan Society (July 7 – 10), the festival will once again feature dozens of movies, world and US premieres, exclusive Q&A’s with filmmakers, and other special events. This year also marks the fifth annual collaboration between JAPAN CUTS and NYAFF.

The full line-up and Star Asia Awards recipients will be announced May 26.
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DVD and Blu-ray cover art for the first volume of CASSHERN SINS. Photos courtesy of The Associates. © 2008 Tatsunoko Production/ Casshern Sins Project

Source: The Associates press release
Official Site: casshern-sins.jp (Japan), funimation.com/casshernsins (US)

CASSHERN SINS (キャシャーン SINS, Kyashaan Shinsu, 2008) is a millennial update of NEO-HUMAN CASSHERN (新造人間キャシャーン, Shinzo Ningen Kyashaan, aka CASSHAN, 1973) a beloved classic of Japanese animation which saw a lone cyborg hero opposing a robot empire that threatened to overthrow the Earth. This darker reimagining mixes frantic action with heartfelt humanity, as Casshern fights to survive a bleak dystopian future – little realizing that he caused the end of the world!

CASSHERN SINS: PART ONE of two (containing Episodes 1-12) will be released as a three-disc DVD (Region 2, PAL) and two-disc Blu-ray (Region B) by Manga Entertainment on 9th May 2011.
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Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: VIZ.com/apps
Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen

The VIZ MANGA APP is now available for the
iPhone and iPod Touch. Photo courtesy of VIZ
Media. © 2011 VIZ Media, LLC

Media, LLC, one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, continues the digital integration of its vast library of manga properties with the latest announcement of the availability of the VIZ MANGA APP for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch mobile devices. The expansion will be compatible with the VIZ MANGA APP on the iPad, and adds cross-platform features.

To support the launch, the publisher has also kicked off a special digital promotion that offers select Volume 1 titles for only $2.99 – 40% off the regular price! This is for a limited time only and runs until midnight PST May 9th.

Manga titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch are available via the VIZ MANGA APP, which is free through the iTunes Store. Volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada for only $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) each. Twenty-eight series and almost 200 volumes are available now, including popular series such as Bleach, Blue Excorcist, Death Note, Naruto and One Piece and dozens more from VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, and VIZ Signature imprints. Readers should check the app regularly, as new additions (including House of Five Leaves and not simple) and free Chapter 1 previews of forthcoming manga series are also featured.
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Vash the Stampede is back in the new anime film TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE, opening in North American theaters this June.
Photo courtesy of Eleven Arts. © 2010 Yasuhiro Naito/ Trigun the Movie Production Committee

Source: Eleven Arts Entertainment press release
Official Movie Site: funimation.com/trigun (US), trigun-movie.com (Japan)
Special Thanks to Shun Ohara

Poster art for TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE. Photo courtesy
of Eleven Arts. © 2010 Yasuhiro Naito/ Trigun the Movie
Production Committee

Eleven Arts and FUNimation Entertainment are bringing the feature length followup film to the popular TRIGUN anime series, TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE (トライガン The Movie 公式サイト, 2010), to the big screen in theaters across North America in Summer 2011.

Eleven Arts is the company that has brought you such celebrated Japanese films as MEMORIES OF TOMORROW starring Ken Watanabe and Yoji Yamada’s LOVE AND HONOR. FUNimation Entertainment is known for releasing quality anime titles to the American market, and they have handled such popular titles as DRAGON BALL and FULL METAL ALCHEMIST. This past January, Eleven Arts and FUNimation partnered for the North American theatrical release of EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009).

TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE will open in June, 2011 in Canada and July, 2011 in the US. The film will be shown both in Japanese (with English subtitles) and English dubbed versions.
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Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen

Cover art for VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY Volume 2. Photo
courtesy of Warner Home Video. © 2008 Matsuri Hino,
Hakusensha/Vampire Knight Project

VIZ Media, LLC has announced an array of upcoming new anime DVD releases scheduled for May and June 2011.

New DVD releases in May include the latest from VIZ Media’s top selling anime properties, POKÉMON (with three releases from the POKÉMON DP GALACTIC BATTLES series) and VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY. Two brand new series, HERO: 108 and KEKKAISHI, will make their long-awaited debut on DVD in June in addition to the latest box set installment of BLEACH.
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Eleven Gamera movies are among the free content now streaming on GooHead, the new internet channel for classic Asian feature films and television series.
© 1999 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

Source: Golden Media Group press release
Official Site: GooHead Internet Channel
Special Thanks to Roy McAree

GooHead, Inc. has announced that their Internet Channel is now available at GooHead.com. The new channel specializes in internet delivery in the United States and Canada, free of charge, of classic Asian feature films and television series.

Included in the more than one hundred and sixty hours of content immediately available are the famous GAMERA series of eleven full length feature films produced from 1965 to 1999, now streaming in their original aspect ratio, plus three rarely seen complete television series from the 1970s: SUPER ROBOT RED BARON (スーパーロボット レッドバロン, Suupaa Robotto Reddo Baron, 1973-1974), IRON KING (アイアンキング, Aian Kinguu, 1972-1973), and FIGHT! DRAGON (闘え！ドラゴン, Tatakae! Dragon, 1974).
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Acclaimed Supernatural Crime Mystery is the Latest VIZ Media Anime Series to be Streamed by Netflix
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: Deathnote.viz.com
Special Thanks to Jane Lui and Erik Jansen

Key artwork for the anime series DEATH NOTE, now on
Netflix Streaming. Photo courtesy of VIZ Media. © 2003 by
Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata/ Shueisha Inc. © 2006 DNDP, VAP,
Shueisha, Madhouse

VIZ Media has announced the premiere of the entire uncut and subtitled DEATH NOTE (デスノート, Desu Noto, 2006) anime series on Netflix, Inc., the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. The supernatural suspense thriller is now available to watch instantly for subscribers in the U.S.

A unique storyline and complex characters, combined with visually stunning animation by Madhouse, made DEATH NOTE one of the most popular anime series to ever be released in Japan and North America. The complete 37 episode series joins several other VIZ Media anime titles such as BLEACH, NARUTO, and INUYASHA, which can now be instantly streamed from Netflix.

DEATH NOTE (rated TV-14, subtitled) was inspired by a 12-volume manga counterpart (published in North America by VIZ Media) written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The anime series follows the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a strange notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal – or his life?
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