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New Kaiju-Themed Licensing Collaborations with Mediatonic, Shag and Mondo All Set to Stomp Ahead
Source: Toho Co., Ltd. press release
Official Site: godzilla.com
Special Thanks to Jennifer Cruz
Leading up to the iconic kaiju’s 66th birthday on November 3, Toho International, Inc. reveals a slew of Godzilla brand and licensing announcements to help fans celebrate Godzilla Day in ways like never before. The company announces a batch of all-new episodes to drop weekly for its popular GODZILLA TALES series, which has garnered more than 325K views to-date. Toho also unveils new Godzilla-themed licensing collaborations in gaming, apparel, collectibles and more categories. Continued…
The Kaiju Crossover Arrives in Time for Godzilla Day and Japan’s Godzilla Festival Online 2020
Source: Toho Co., Ltd. press release
Official Site: godzilla.com
Special Thanks to Sarah Allen
Ahead of Godzilla Day and the widely attended Godzilla Festival in Japan, Mediatonic and Toho Co., Ltd. are helping fans celebrate the King of the Monsters by bringing the fan-favorite kaiju to gamers everywhere in FALL GUYS: ULTIMATE KNOCKOUT. Beginning November 3, through a limited time only, fans will have the opportunity to use the all-new Godzilla skin available to players for 10 Crowns total. Featuring Godzilla’s trademark features such as its three rows of dorsal fins, the character has been designed to fit right into the FALL GUYS world, including different colors depending on what the game calls for. FALL GUYS: ULTIMATE KNOCKOUT is available now on PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. Continued…
Toho Animation has released the first preview video for their upcoming Netflix original anime series GODZILLA SINGULAR POINT (ゴジラ S.P ＜シンギュラポイント＞, Gojira S.P < Shingyura Pointo >). Continued…
Source: Toho Co., Ltd.
Official Site: tsuminokoe.jp (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Shun Oguri x Gen Hoshino… an unsolved case that shook Japan.
Toho and Tokyo Broadcasting System have provided press notes and photos for their new crime thriller THE VOICE OF SIN (罪の声, Tsumi no Koe). The movie brings together two of Japan’s top actors — Shun Oguri (BOYS OVER FLOWERS series, SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, MUSEUM, GINTAMA series) and Gen Hoshino (WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?, MIRAI, SAMURAI SHIFTERS) — for the first time, and is based on the 2016 best-selling novel of the same name by Takeshi Shiota. Continued…
Source: Toho Co., Ltd.
Official Site: doraemon-3d.com (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Toho Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and high-res images from STAND BY ME DORAEMON 2 (STAND BY ME ドラえもん 2), the upcoming sequel to the smash hit 2014 film STAND BY ME DORAEMON. Celebrating Doraemon 50th anniversary, this 3DCG anime movie recreates story from the 2000 short film DORAEMON: A GRANDMOTHER’S RECOLLECTIONS. Continued…
Toho has provided SciFi Japan with press notes and a gallery of high-res images from the next feature-length Pokémon anime, POKÉMON THE MOVIE: COCO (劇場版ポケットモンスター ココ, Gekijō-ban Poketto Monsutā Koko), opening in theaters across Japan on Christmas day. Continued…
Get Funimation’s Exclusive 25th Anniversary Silver Chrome All Might Funko POP! with Purchase in the Funimation Shop
Source: Funimation press release
Official Movie Site: heroaca-movie.com (Japan), funimationfilms.com/myheroacademia (US)
Special Thanks to Jamie Falkowitz-Tancredi
Funimation is releasing the MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES RISING (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ヒーローズ：ライジング, Boku no Hīrō Akademia THE MOVI Hīrōzu: Raijingu, 2019) movie bundle that includes the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital download including SUB and DUB, available October 27 in the Funimation Shop and select retailers. Released in theaters earlier this year, MY HERO ACADEMIA: HEROES RISING delighted audiences and earned over $13 million at the box office making it the #8 highest-grossing anime films of all time in the U.S. Now fans can own the hit film! Continued…
UK distributor Third Window Films is pleased to announce Europe’s first Blu-ray and the UK’s first release of Shinya Tsukamoto’s GEMINI (双生児, Sōseiji, 1999). Adapting the Edogawa Rampo short story The Twins, Shinya Tsukamoto’s (TETSUO, TOKYO FIST) modernist Meiji horror represents the director’s first foray into period films and fleshes out Rampo’s original tale of savage sibling rivalry considerably.
Yukio (Masahiro Motoki) is living a charmed life: he is a respected young doctor with a successful practice and a beautiful wife. His only problem is that his wife is suffering from amnesia, and her past is unknown. Things begin to fall apart, however, when both his parents die suddenly, killed by a mysterious stranger with Yukio’s face. Only when Yukio confronts this stranger will the mystery of his identity, and his wife’s past, be revealed. Continued…
The Ocala Drive-In in Ocala, Florida is hosting a 9 hour horror/monster movie marathon this Halloween. The event kicks off with GODZILLA VS MEGALON at 7:00pm and concludes with a 2:00am screening of BEAST OF BLOOD.
Ocala Drive-In
4850 S. Pine Ave.
Ocala, Florida 34480
ALL NIGHT HORROR MOVIES
Advance Ticket (Per Car Load) $15.00
At Gate Ticket (Per Car Load) $25.00
Saturday, October 31
GODZILLA VS MEGALON @ 7:00
TERROR IS A MAN @ 8:45
DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN @ 10:30
MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND @ 12:15
BEAST OF BLOOD @ 2 AM
One of the most influential characters in anime returns with a new adventure. The exciting new film LUPIN III: THE FIRST (ルパン三世 THE FIRST, Rupan Sansei THE FIRST) makes its way to home entertainment this winter following a North American theatrical run. Introducing the beloved characters in CG animation for the first time, the film will be released on digital download-to-own on December 15, 2020 and on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack, as a standalone DVD, and as a SteelBook edition of the Blu-ray combo on January 12, 2021 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.
This release will be presented in both the original Japanese version and a new English dubbed version, featuring the return of the beloved English cast that has voiced previous Lupin films and series. Bonus features exclusive to the Blu-ray include interviews with director Takashi Yamazaki and the Japanese voice cast, and much more. The SteelBook edition also includes a beautiful, 16-page booklet featuring character concept art. Fans who order their Blu-ray + DVD combo pack or SteelBook copies from shoutfactory.com will receive an exclusive 18×24” lithograph, while supplies last. Continued…
Netflix announces an all new original anime series GODZILLA SINGULAR POINT (ゴジラ S.P ＜シンギュラポイント＞, Gojira S.P < Shingyura Pointo >) featuring a brand new cast and original story set to premiere globally on Netflix in 2021. Continued…
PINTRILL has released its second series of collectible pins with Toho’s Godzilla. Series 2 is a chibi (short, cute) adaptation of some of the most famous monsters in the Godzilla universe. Continued…
GKIDS, the acclaimed distributor of multiple Academy Award-nominated animated features, brings LUPIN III: THE FIRST (ルパン三世 THE FIRST, Rupan Sansei THE FIRST) to U.S. cinemas in October. The movie is based on the manga by Monkey Punch ans is directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the ALWAYS- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET trilogy, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (SPACE BATTLESHIP ヤマト, Uchu Senkan Yamato, 2010) and THE ETERNAL ZERO (永遠の0, Eien no Zero, 2013).
The iconic “gentleman thief” Lupin III returns in an action-packed, continent-spanning adventure, as Lupin III and his colorful underworld companions race to uncover the secrets of the mysterious Bresson Diary, before it falls into the hands of a dark cabal that will stop at nothing to resurrect the Third Reich. The gang undertakes trap-filled tombs, aerial escapades and daring prison escapes with the trademark wit and visual finesse that have made LUPIN THE 3RD one of the most storied animation franchises in the world, in a thrilling new caper that is sure to delight fans old and new. Continued…
Source: KAIJU MASTERCLASS press release
Special Thanks to Steve Ryfle
Announcing KAIJU MASTERCLASS, a three-day online convention with guest lineup featuring composer Bear McCreary (THE WALKING DEAD, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS), director Shinji Higuchi (SHIN GODZILLA, ATTACK ON TITAN), composer David Arnold (the JAMES BOND franchise, GODZILLA 1998), director Shusuke Kaneko (GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH, DEATH NOTE), composer Michiru Oshima (GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS), and long list of genre creators and scholars. Continued…
Toho Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and high-res images from the anime feature film LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT (アニメーション映画『思い、思われ、ふり、ふられ』, Animēshon Eiga Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare). Continued…
Highly Collectible Mehve Glider Set Previously Released Only in Japan from Premium Bandai Now Available for First Time to Studio Ghibli Fans in North America
Source: BANDAI NAMCO Collectibles (Bluefin) press release
Special Thanks to Scott Barretto
While the popularity of its films has never waned over its 35-year history, Studio Ghibli is now enjoying a major resurgence as mainstream audiences everywhere experience its films for the first time — digitally. To address fan and collector demand, BANDAI NAMCO Collectibles (Bluefin), a BANDAI NAMCO Group company and the master distributor of officially licensed Studio Ghibli merchandise in North America, announced plans to offer exclusive limited-time and limited-run product for the first time ever in North America via its direct-to-consumer website BluefinBrands.com. Continued…
This September, the Riverside Drive In Theatre in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania will host the “Drive-In Super Monster-Rama” featuring cult classics like KING KONG VS GODZILLA, KING KONG ESCAPES, MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND and THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK. Continued…
Source: Toho Co., Ltd., Nippon TV
Official Site: kaiji-final-game.jp (Japan)
A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE
Toho Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with press notes and high-res photos for KAIJI: FINAL GAME (カイジ ファイナルゲーム, Kaiji Fainaru Gēmu), the third live action film based on the hit manga about a clever gambler who tries his luck against incredible odds. The movie was released in Japanese early this year and is now being offered for international licensing by Nippon TV. Continued…
Bandai America has provided SciFi Japan with information and photos of their new Mechagodzilla (1975) Space Beam Version figure. Part of X-PLus’ 30cm Series, the figure is based on the Mechagodzilla 2 design from the 1975 film TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (メカゴジラの逆襲, Mekagojira no Gyakushū). A special feature of the figure is Mechagodzilla’s eyes, which light up 7 colors to recreate the cyborg monster’s Space Beam attack from the movie. Continued…
Toho Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and high-res photo from the new movie LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT (思い、思われ、ふり、ふられ, Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare). This feature film sequel to STROBE EDGE (ストロボ・エッジ, Sutorobo Ejji) and BLUE SPRING RIDE (アオハライド, Aoharaido, 2014) completes the live-action adaptations of Io Sakisaka’s same-named girls’ comic trilogy. The movie is directed by romance film maestro Takahiro Miki (YELL FOR THE BLUE SKY, MY TOMORROW, YOUR YESTERDAY, FORTUNA’S EYE). Continued…
SciFi Japan contributor Benjamin Chaffins’ first book, Discovering Tokusatsu: Interviews With The Makers of Godzilla, Gamera, Ultraman, And Other Kaiju Eiga is now available for preorder at amazon.com.
The book contains interviews with Yoko Higuchi on SHIN GODZILLA; Xavier Frazier, Alan Maxson, TJ Storm, Jason Liles and Richard Dorton on GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019); Norman England on GAMERA 3: THE REVENGE OF IRIS and the Millennium Godzilla series; Shinpei Hayashiya on the fan film GAMERA 4: TRUTH; Peter Hayes Brothers on his books; Daisuke Sato on HOWL FROM BEYOND THE FOG, Hiroto Yokokawa on NEZURA 1964; Akira Ohashi on GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION and GAMERA 3; John LeMay on his books; Yuichi Kikuchi on ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT and ULTRAMAN NEXUS (an exclusive to the book); Shizuo Nakajima on THE LEGENDARY WOLFMAN VS. GODZILLA; Minoru Kawasaki on THREE GIANT MONSTERS GOURMET: MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS; and Yoshikazu Ishii on ATTACK OF THE GIANT TEACHER, ULTRAMAN MAX, ULTRAMAN SAGA, ULTRAMAN MEBIUS, ULTRAMAN GINGA/GINGA S, ULTRA ZERO FIGHT and more. 128 pages total, Ben’s book covers details about each film and television show and explains how these interviews came to be. Continued…
Following a phenomenally successful North American theatrical run, PROMARE (プロメア, Puromea), the top-grossing original anime feature of 2019, comes to home entertainment with a new Collector’s Edition from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. The hyperkinetic, candy-colored visual masterpiece will be available next Tuesday, August 4 with new special packaging, an interview with director Hiroyuki Imaishi, a round table with Studio TRIGGER, and SIDE: GALO and SIDE: LIO short films with new English dubs featuring the original dub cast, as well as added bonus features exclusive to the Collector’s Edition. The PROMARE Collector’s Edition is being produced in partnership with Anime Limited, the film’s UK distributor, and will be available at a suggested retail price of $64.99.
The first feature-length film from the acclaimed studio TRIGGER, creators of KILL la KILL, LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA and the upcoming B.N.A., and director Hiroyuki Imaishi (GURREN LAGANN), PROMARE is a blistering action-adventure that will set your soul on fire. Continued…
Funko Games has partnered with Toho International for the Godzilla: Tokyo Clash Strategy Game. The game is on sale now at Target, and will be available from other retailers in August 2020.
In Godzilla: Tokyo Clash Strategy Game, you are Earth’s most fearsome Kaiju — Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Megalon — battling for dominance as the most terrifying monster in Japan! Stomp across the vintage Tokyo cityscape, unleash devastating attacks, and throw trains, tanks, and battleships at your enemies.
Master each Kaiju’s unique battle style to gain dominance before the humans drive the monsters from the city! The game features an impressive 3-D table-presence with large-scale figures, buildings, and a modular gameboard so every game is unique! Continued…
Source: NECA press release
Special Thanks to Peter de Leon
NECA has provided high res photos of the packaging for their Godzilla 1989 and 2003 Action Figures. Both figures are now available from retailers for the SRP of $24.99 each. Continued…
SciFi Japan contributor Benjamin Chaffins is preparing to release his first book, Discovering Tokusatsu: Interviews With The Makers of Godzilla, Gamera, Ultraman, And Other Kaiju Eiga. The PDF will be submitted to Amazon self-publishing (KDP) on July 27th for an August 2020 release. Continued…
Bandai Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and photos of their new Jet Jaguar Punch Punch Punch figure set. The next release in Bnadai’s “Kaiju Out of the Law” series includes two Jet Jaguar figures (one in his giant pose, the second in a flying pose), two sets of replacement arms, and the flash flash effect parts for the robot’s transformation from human sized to giant. Continued…
Makoto Shinkai’s magnificent new animated film WEATHERING WITH YOU (天気の子, Tenki no Ko, 2019) will be getting the ultimate Collector’s Edition treatment this fall, after receiving glowing reviews from critics and theatrical audiences alike. WEATHERING WITH YOU (Collector’s Edition) will be available November 17 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.
Exclusive to the limited edition 4-disc set is the highest possible quality version of the film, in stunning 4K UHD, as well as the full-length feature and standard bonus features on Blu-ray, an additional Blu-ray disc dedicated to the feature-length documentary “The Making Of WEATHERING WITH YOU,” as well as the film’s soundtrack on CD, a 104-page perfect bound book, a mini poster, and decal sticker, all in a beautiful hard case designed for collectors. Additional bonus features on the feature film’s Blu-ray disc include an interview with Director Makoto Shinkai, the “Weather Front” featurette, a talk show interview with Makoto Shinkai and journalist Yumiko Udo, director filmography featurette, and trailers & TV spots. Continued…
Toho Co., Ltd. has provided information and high-res images from DORAEMON THE MOVIE: NOBITA’S NEW DINOSAUR (映画ドラえもん のび太の新恐竜, Eiga Doraemon Nobita no Shin Kyōryū), the 50th anniversary anime feature film based on the manga created by Fujiko Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko). The fortieth entry in the series reunites the creative team of screenwriter Genki Kawamura and director Kazuaki Imai from DORAEMON THE MOVIE: NOBITA’S TREASURE ISLAND (映画ドラえもん のび太の宝島, Eiga Doraemon Nobita no Takarajima, 2018), which earned the highest Japanese box office receipts in the series to date. Continued…
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