Get the 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE 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

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

VIZ Pictures is offering SciFi Japan readers the chance to
win a 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE Gift Pack
containing the DVD, poster, and button. Photo courtesy
of VIZ Pictures. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts
/Shogakukan © 2009 “20th Century Boys” Film Partners

The popular 20TH CENTURY BOYS (20-Seki Shonen) live-action movie trilogy is now being released on Region 1 DVD by VIZ Pictures and VIZ Media. 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 20TH CENTURY BOYS movies were released in Japan by Toho and quickly shot to the top of the domestic box office. The three films made their US premieres at the VIZ Cinema in San Francisco in August of 2009.

VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan now follow up December’s 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END Gift Pack Giveaway with a new contest for the second film in the series, 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE. SciFi Japan readers in the United States and Canada have a chance to win one of three Gift Packs, each with the 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE DVD, the US theatrical poster, and a 20TH CENTURY BOYS button.

The 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE DVD will be available for purchase on February 16th. The suggested retail price is $24.92.
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Covers for the DVD, DVD Memorial Box and Blu-ray editions of ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE ©2010 Bandai Visual

New Ultraman Movie On DVD & Blu-ray In Japan With English Subtitles
Author: James M. Ballard
Official Movie Site: Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy
Source: Bandai Visual

The latest Ultraman movie MEGA MONSTER BATTLE: ULTRA GALAXY (Daikaiju Batoru Urutora Ginga Densetsu THE MOVIE) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on April 23 and will feature English subtitles. The DVD editions will be Region 2 encoded (only compatiable with DVD players in Japan, Europe and other Region 2 countries), while the Blu-ray disc will be fully compatiable with Blu-ray players in North America.
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Special Theatrical Screening Planned for February 9th; DVD Arrives on February 16th
Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases
Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese)
Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen

DVD cover art for the North American release of 20TH
CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE. Photo courtesy of VIZ
Pictures. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts
/Shogakukan © 2009 “20th Century Boys” Film Partners

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, will release the science fiction feature 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE (20-Seiki Shonen: Dai 2 Sho- Saigo no Kibo, 2009) on DVD on February 16th in North America through its distributor, VIZ Media. 20TH CENTURY BOYS will carry a MSRP of $24.92 US / $35.99 CAN.

The 20TH CENTURY BOYS saga is based on Naoki Urasawa’s manga series, 20th Century Boys (published in the US by VIZ Media), which has become a national phenomenon in Japan, selling over 20 million copies of the 24 volumes. Urasawa is the creator of many famous works such as the hit manga series, Monster and Pluto also published in the US by VIZ Media.

In 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE it is 2015, and “Friend” rules a disturbing new world. Kenji has been missing since the Bloody New Year’s Eve of 2000, and his niece Kanna is now in high school. Her history textbook contains a fabricated story about Kenji and his friends being the terrorists behind the horrific events of 2000. Kanna, knowing the truth, openly resents this, and as a result she is marked as a problem child by her teacher and sent to the Friend Land program because of her anti-Friend behavior.
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For nearly 30 years, Bandai has been producing and amazing variety of vinyl figures based on characters from the Godzilla, Toho, and Gamera films.
Photos courtesy of Mike Russo, Bob Johnson, and John DeSentis. © Toho Co., Ltd. © Bandai Co., Ltd.

An Overview and Price Guide for the Bandai Godzilla Toy Market
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Special Thanks Mike Russo, Jean Carbajal, Brandon Shields, Bob Johnson, Greg Cordaro, Andy Shields, and James Bond

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Tag for Bandai’s Godzilla 1984, one of the earliest
figures released in “The Godzilla Collection”.
© 1984 Toho Co., Ltd. © 1984 Bandai Co., Ltd.

Welcome to the market overview and price guide to Bandai Godzilla collectibles. The Bandai Company for decades now has been the standard for producing toys based on popular Japanese characters; they are essentially the Mattel of Japan. As it pertains to this article, they began producing toys based on characters in the Godzilla Series in 1983. Over the years since, both the output and quality of the company has steadily increased. The figures themselves are made of vinyl and have been primarily produced in two sizes, 6 inch and 8 inch scale, with the 8 inch scale being the most popular with collectors. There are also larger figures which vary between the 14 and 24 inch scale.

The decision to focus on the Bandai market is due to the company’s immense popularity among Godzilla fans and a general need to know where the toys currently stand as far as pricing and rarity. We have done research and kept our eyes on general trends from sales on the internet and at shows throughout the year such as G-Fest (the annual celebration of Godzilla and Toho Sci-Fi), the San Diego and New York Comic-Cons, Chiller Theater (the legendary toy and horror film expo in New Jersey), and other collector shows and marketplaces such as Frank & Son (in California) and the like. We also keep our eye on shops in the major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Finally, we also go to the people closest to the toys— dealers and collectors— to get their opinions and observations.

Also included in this market report is pricing on GODZILLA-related Bandai figures such as the REBIRTH OF MOTHRA trilogy, the GAMERA series, and even Toho’s YAMATO TAKERU (OROCHI THE EIGHT HEADED DRAGON). We are not, however, pricing DX (deluxe), battery operated, or candy toys. This article strictly covers the standard figures in their various scales.
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A Look at the International Model and Toy Show Held in Tokyo on January 10, 2010
Author: Ed Godziszewski
Official Site: Super Festival

Prototypes for the new Marmit Destoroyah and Burning Godzilla figures. Photo
by Ed Godziszewski.

In years past, it used to be a big deal to attend toy shows such as Super Festival— each show yielded not only its share of exclusive items, but they were a expeditious way to accomplish a good deal of shopping all in one place. Rather than spending time and train fare scurrying about Tokyo, Super Festival offered one-stop shopping where you could find not only most every current item, but also a nice selection of vintage (and sometimes otherwise unheard of) items.

Due to a change in my business trip schedule, it had been almost 6 years since the last time I attended Super Festival, so attending this most recent incarnation this past January 10 impressed upon me just how much times have changed.
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Three SciFi Japan readers have each won a 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1:
BEGINNING OF THE END Gift Pack containing the DVD, poster, and button.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts
/Shogakukan. © 2008 “20th Century Boys” Film Partners

Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan’s contest for a free “20TH CENTURY BOYS DVD Otoshi-dama Gift Packs”. The following randomly drawn entrants correctly answered all contest questions:

Stephanie Chaplin
Robert Sroka
Abel Castro Montero

Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a Gift Pack containing the 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END DVD, button, and theatrical poster. VIZ Pictures will be shipping the Gift Packs shortly so keep an eye on your mailbox.
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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

VIZ Pictures is offering SciFi Japan readers the chance to win
a 20TH CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END Gift Pack
containing the DVD, poster, and button. Photo courtesy of
VIZ Pictures. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa, Studio Nuts
/Shogakukan © 2008 “20th Century Boys” Film Partners

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

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.
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The premiere screening of the newly restored, HD transfer of MOTHRA was recently held at Sony Pictures Studios. © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Keith Aiken
Special Thanks to Kai Saari

Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, CA. Photo courtesy of the Japan Film Society.

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.
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Zone Fighter join forces with the monster of justice, Godzilla! ©MCC, Toho Co., Ltd

Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Gigan feature in classic Toho TV series
Author: James M. Ballard
Special Thanks to Keith Aiken, John Paul Cassidy and Oki Miyano

RYUUSEI NINGEN ZOON (Zone The Meteor Man) was a superhero TV series produced by Toho Eizo that aired weekly on the Nippon Television Network (NTV) between April 2nd and September 24th 1973. Toho has registered the series with the United States copyright office under the English title ZONE FIGHTER.

The series is centered around a family of aliens known as the Zone Family, whose home planet Peaceland was destroyed by the villainous Garoga Baron aliens. Seeking refuge on Earth, they take on their new identity as the Sakimori family, but are soon followed by the Garoga who are on a new mission of a conquest!

The series is best remembered for featuring appearances by Toho’s big screen monsters Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Gigan. The events of ZONE FIGHTER were reportedly part of the Showa Godzilla series, taking place between the movies GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (Gojira tai Megaro, 1973) and GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (Gojira tai Mekagojira, 1974). The series features the final onscreen appearances of the original incarnations of King Ghidorah and Gigan.

Join SciFi Japan as we look back at this unique episode of Godzilla’s history!
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Source: Warner Home Video
Official Movie Site: 20thboysfilms.com (US), 20th Boys (Japanese)

DVD cover art for the North American release of 20TH
CENTURY BOYS 1: BEGINNING OF THE END. Photo courtesy
of Warner Home Video. © 1999, 2006 Naoki Urasawa,
Studio Nuts /Shogakukan © 2008 “20th Century Boys”
Film Partners

The popular 20TH CENTURY BOYS (20-Seki Shonen) live-action movies trilogy will be coming to Region 1 DVD from VIZ Pictures and VIZ Media starting this December. 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 three pictures were filmed together by a partnership of the Nippon Television Network, Shogakukan, Toho Co., VAP, Yomiuri Television, Dentsu, Yomiuri Shimbun, Cine Bazaar, Office Crescendo, and d-rights. Produced at a combined budget of 6 billion yen (approximately $60 million US), 20th CENTURY BOYS is the most expensive film project in Japanese history. The first 20th CENTURY BOYS was released in Japan by Toho on August 30, 2008 and quickly shot to the top of the box office. NTV handles world sales for the trilogy and have sold distribution rights in more than two dozen countries.

VIZ Media DVD titles are distributed (in English) in the U.S and Mexico by Warner Home Video and in Canada by Allegro.
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Madman Entertainment in Australia will release three Region 4/PAL DVD collections of Toho’s Godzilla movies on October 21.
Photos courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 2009 Toho Co., Ltd.

Region 4 Collections Coming this Week
Source: Madman Entertainment

On October 21st, Eastern Eye— the Asian theatrical and home video division of Australian distributor Madman Entertainment— will release three DVD collections of classic Godzilla films.

The sets collect seventeen Godzilla movies that had been released individually on DVD by Madman from 2004-2007. With the exception of the new packaging, the new DVDs are identical in terms of content to the previous releases, including special features such as original Japanese theatrical trailers, photo galleries, trivia, concept art, and poster galleries.

Each box set will be Region 4 and PAL format, and retail for $49.95 AUD.
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Auntie (Yoko Minamida, right) needs the blood of virgins to give her eternal life in HOUSE, a very weird haunted house story by filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi.
Photo courtesy of NYAFF. © 1977 Toho Co., Ltd.

Source: Janus Films
Official Movie Site: janusfilms.com/house

On July 30, 1977, Toho Co. Ltd released HOUSE (Hausu), a bizarre horror film written and directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Mixing scares, comedy, and psychedelic imagery— and based on an idea by the director’s 11 year-old daughter— HOUSE told the tale of seven high school girls who are trapped inside a haunted house with a bloodthirsty aunt, a demonic black cat, and killer pianos, mattresses, and chandeliers.
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Advertisement for VIZ Cinema’s theatrical run of K-20: THE FIEND WITH 20 FACES. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008 “K-20″ Film Partners

Now Playing at VIZ Cinema in Japantown
Author: Dan Ross
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: k20themovie (US), K-20 (Japanese)

Edogawa Rampo’s Fiend with 20 Faces will be haunting San
Francisco for the next two weeks. Photo courtesy of VIZ
Pictures. © 2008 “K-20″ Film Partners

In the 1920s eminent horror and detective fiction author Edogawa Rampo began writing a series of short stories that would go on to become a household name in Japan. Though inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, the case files of Kogoro Akechi followed the Tokyo detective down paths of a more fantastic and even occult nature.

And like Holmes, Akechi had his own “Moriarty”, an arch nemesis known only as Kaijin Niju Menso “The Fiend with 20 Faces”. But in truth the character of Kaijin Niju Menso was more in the style of Maurice LeBlanc’s Arsene Lupin, a master of disguise and gentleman thief who only stole from those who may deserve it and never from the struggling, working class everyman. The ongoing battle of wits between detective and thief cultivated a grudging admiration between the two.

In 1989 writer Soh Kitamura wrote a controversial book called The Story of Nijumenso (aka The Fiend With 20 Faces) which takes a rather different view of the world of Rampo’s Akechi mythos. Rampo scholars and fans were not happy with Kitamura’s take on these legendary characters and it caused quite a stir. Though the novel takes place in our reality, it is from this book that the alternate universe, steampunk movie K-20: THE FIEND WITH 20 FACES is based.
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Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle have provided DVD audio commentaries and other supplemental features for several Toho science fiction films.
Top row: Credits for the 2006 DVDs of GODZILLA from the British Film Institute and MOTHRA VS GODZILLA from Classic Media.
Bottom row: BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE from Sony’s new DVD set ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION (2009), and the writing/producing
credit for Classic Media’s documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE (2008). © 1954, 1959, 1964, 2008 Toho Co., Ltd.

Interview by: Richard Pusateri

Sharp-eyed fans of Japanese monster and science fiction films may have noticed the decidedly non-Japanese names Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle repeatedly popping up in the credits of Toho DVDs, materials for theatrical screenings and releases, and various Godzilla-themed events over the past few years.

Following the release of Sony’s ICONS OF SCI-FI: TOHO COLLECTION, Steve and Ed spoke with their old friend Richard Pusateri about their work on the new DVD set and other Godzilla/Toho projects.
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1998 American Remake Coming to Blu-ray High Def in US and UK
Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Hollywood in Hi-Def
Special Thanks to Scott Hettrick

Cover art for the new GODZILLA Blu-ray. Photo courtesy of Sony
Pictures Home Ent. © 1998 Toho Co., Ltd./TriStar Pictures, Inc.

On November 10, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings their 1998 remake of GODZILLA from TriStar Pictures to Blu-ray Disc for the SRP of $24.95. A UK release is currently scheduled for November 3 with a retail price of £19.99.

Blu-ray special features included movieIQ, a multiplayer trivia game and cinechat. Godzilla fans have the opportunity to test their skills against other experts via the BD-Live enabled multiplayer trivia game. Godzilla first-timers can get up to speed quickly by accessing movieIQ which will provide them with information on the production and players involved with the film. And all can share their knowledge, new or time-tested, with viewers around the globe with cinechat.

Additional features include an audio commentary, a music video, cartoon episodes, and featurettes from Sony’s earlier DVD releases of GODZILLA. There is also a sneak peak at GODZILLA director Roland Emmerich’s highly anticipated disaster film 2012.
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