Source: NECA
Special Thanks to Peter de Leon
NECA has announced new variant editions of their recently released Godzilla 1989 and 2003 figures. Both will be available exclusively from Target in early September.
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Source: Bandai America Incorporated
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.
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Source: Benjamin Chaffins press release
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.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Official Site: promare-movie.com (Japan), PromareMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Shannon Meehan
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.
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Source: Toho Co., Ltd., Funko press release
Official Site: godzilla.com
Special Thanks to Sarah Allen
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!
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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.
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Source: Benjamin Chaffins
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.
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Source: Bandai Co., Ltd.
Special Thanks to Tatsuru Kaneda
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.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Official Site: tenkinoko.com (Japan), WeatheringWithYouMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Lauren Blum
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.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Special Thanks to Shannon Meehan
Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory, will release MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and PRINCESS MONONOKE, from the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, on October 20, 2020 in limited edition SteelBook packaging with striking new art. Each SteelBook will house a Blu-ray & DVD combo pack, presenting the film alongside hours of bonus features and a booklet with stunning art and statements from the filmmakers.
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Source: NECA press release
Special Thanks to Peter de Leon
NECA has announced that their Godzilla 1989 and 2003 Action Figures are rolling out from their warehouse this week and will soon be available from retailers.
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First Round of 2020 SDCC Exclusives Feature Dragon Ball and Godzilla Franchises and S.H.Figuarts, S.H.MonsterArts, FiguartsZERO, Dragon Stars and Final Blast Series Lines
Source: BANDAI NAMCO Collectibles (Bluefin) press release
Special Thanks to Scott Barretto
Fans need wait no longer because tonight BANDAI NAMCO Collectibles (Bluefin) officially drops this year’s collection of anime and kaiju San Diego Comic-Con exclusive figures. For 2020, Bluefin, the BANDAI NAMCO Group company and leading distributor of Japanese toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products in North America, is offering nine different figures from the Dragon Ball and Godzilla franchises across five of the most popular figure lines from Tamashii Nations and Bandai America.
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Source: Avery Guerra
Official Site: mahoningdit.com
The Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA is sure to delight monster and sci-fi movies fans with great events this July and August.
First up is SCHLOCK-O-RAMA IV, a 10 film event the kicks off Friday, July 24 and features such greats as KING KONG VS GODZILLA, VALLEY OF GWANGI, FORBIDDEN PLANET, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS and BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS.
Then on Tuesday, August 4, the Toho classic DESTROY ALL MONSTERS will be screened in 35mm.
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Source: The Op
Special Thanks to Jamie Scharbarth and Jake Davis
usaopoly (The Op) is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win their new JENGA: GODZILLA Extreme Edition game. The titan of terror is trying to bring your tower down with a heat ray. Featuring custom game play, players remove and replace blocks according to the directives to keep it standing through every threatening roll of the dice. Beware, Godzilla marches toward the tower raising the threat of destruction with every step!
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Kaiju Con-line press release
Source: Special Thanks to Kyle Yount
Mark your calendars, Monster Kids! Due to the cancellation of conventions and festivals around the globe, several dedicated daikaiju fans have joined forces to create a new event for the monster masses.
Kaiju Con-Line is a free “virtual” event being held on July 11th and 12th, the same weekend that would have hosted the annual gathering of Godzilla fanatics in Chicago; once that cancellation was announced, a clawful of motivated monster fiends converged to form this online convention that kaiju enthusiasts from around the world can enjoy from the comfort of their own home.
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Author: Benjamin Chaffins*
Special thanks to Edward L. Holland
#KAIJUDEFEAT COVID
#Capsulemonster
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the entire world to its core and the spread of the nasty virus has only gotten worse after countless cases have been confirmed across the globe. In order to address this pandemic, directors Shinji Higuchi, Katsuro Onoue, and many others participated in KAIJU DEFEAT COVID!, a project to help inspire kaiju and anime fans worldwide to be safe and get through this pandemic together.
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Author: Benjamin Chaffins
Shizuo Nakajima is a filmmaker who worked as a production assistant for Toho on movies such as GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (ゴジラ対メカゴジラ, Gojira Tai Mekagojira, 1974) and TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (メカゴジラの逆襲, Mekagojira no Gyakushū, 1975). In the early 1980s, he and some of his colleagues thought it would be fun to make their own kaiju fan films, and produced a handful of shorts featuring Godzilla and other monsters. Nakajima and his team created the monster suits, props and miniature sets themselves, using materials they had purchased from Toho.
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Source: The Op
Special Thanks to Jamie Scharbarth and Jake Davis
usaopoly (The Op) is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win their new MONOPOLY: GODZILLA board game. Demolish the competition in a city-terrorizing twist on the classic Hasbro game by collecting iconic kaiju in their familiar settings — such as Rodan on Monster Island (formerly known as Boardwalk) and Mothra on Infant Island (formerly known as Park Place) — in order to reign supreme. Navigate the MONOPOLY game board with custom sculpted tokens of the giants Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Minilla, King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla!
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Source: Bandai Co., Ltd.
Premium Bandai and other retailers are now taking proerders for new Hyper Modeling Series GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS figures from Bandai’s Art Spirits division. Based on the 2019 feature film from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, the six figures will be available separately and in a set.
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Source: Toho Co., Ltd. press release
Official Site: godzilla.com, hufworldwide.com/huf-x-godzilla
Special Thanks to Jennifer Cruz
This summer, HUF goes head to head with the world’s mightiest King of the Monsters in the Godzilla vs. HUF Collection, a new range of apparel and accessories celebrating one of the most recognized symbols of Japanese pop culture worldwide.
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Source: Diamond Select Toys
Special Thanks to Zach Oat
Diamond Select Toys is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win a set of Godzilla Vinimates. This set includes 4 articulated 4″ vinyl figures designed by Barry Bradfield, each packaged in a full-color window box…
● Godzilla 1954 black-and-white figure from the original GODZILLA (ゴジラ, Gojira, 1954)
● Mechagodzilla from GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (ゴジラ対メカゴジラ, Gojira Tai Mekagojira, 1974)
● Godzilla 1999 from GODZILLA 2000 (ゴジラ2000 ミレニアム, Gojira Nisen Mireniamu, 1999)
● Rodan from GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA II (ゴジラVSメカゴジラ, Gojira Tai Mekagojira, 1993)
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Source: Mill Creek Entertainment
Special Thanks to Barrett Evans and Noah Sawyer
Mill Creek Entertainment is offering SciFi Japan readers a chance to win their new Blu-ray Double Feature of the Ishirô Honda/Eiji Tsuburaya Toho sci-fi classics THE H-MAN (美女と液体人間, Bijo to Ekitai-ningen, 1958) and BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (宇宙大戦争, Uchū Daisensō, 1959). The set presents both films in the 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio in high definition, with DTS-HD Master Audio for both English and Japanese tracks plus English subtitles.
THE H-MAN/BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE Double Feature Blu-ray is now available (SRP: $19.99) from retailers.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Official Site: kaijunokodomo.com (Japan), ChildrenOfTheSeaMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Sarah J. De Bruin
From Japan’s cutting-edge STUDIO4°C (TEKKONKINKREET, MFKZ, MIND GAME) and director Ayumu Watanabe comes CHILDREN OF THE SEA (海獣の子供, Kaiju no Kodomo, 2019), a stunningly beautiful adaptation of the prize-winning manga. Featuring a score from legendary composer and long-time Studio Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi (SPIRITED AWAY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO), this critically-acclaimed film will be available digitally, as a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack, and on DVD September 1, 2020 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. CHILDREN OF THE SEA is scheduled for a nationwide theatrical release in select cinemas via Fathom Events on August 11 and 12, in subtitled and English dubbed versions, with more details to be revealed soon.
When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad worked. Now she feels drawn toward the aquarium and the two mysterious boys she meets there, Umi and Sora, who were raised by dugongs and hear the same strange calls from the sea as she does. As the kids get caught up in the mystery behind the sudden worldwide disappearance of the ocean’s fish, they uncover cosmic connections that will change them forever.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Special Thanks to Shannon Meehan
Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory, will issue THE WIND RISES (風立ちぬ, Kaze Tachinu, 2013) on digital download and On Demand on September 1, 2020 and on Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and as a standalone DVD on September 22, 2020. The Blu-ray release includes an exclusive booklet, feature-length storyboards, and a 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki documentary episode, which goes behind the scenes in the production of the film. THE WIND RISES is available for pre-order now at shoutfactory.com.
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Source: Toho Co., Ltd. press release
Official Site: godzilla.com, store.crunchyroll.com/collections/cr-loves-godzilla
Special Thanks to Jennifer Cruz
Crunchyroll, the world’s largest anime brand, and Toho International, Inc., the subsidiary of the Japanese entertainment studio Toho Co., Ltd, are excited to announce that they’ve collaborated on an exclusive streetwear collection that showcases iconic creatures from GODZILLA.
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Product Info and Exclusive GIANT High-Res Photos, Direct from X-Plus!
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: X-Plus Co., Ltd.
Special Thanks to Shingo Fujimoto
The Japanese collectibles company X-Plus Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and daikaiju-sized photos of their giant monster figures scheduled for release in July 2020.
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Source: Toho Co., Ltd., TMS Entertainment
Official Site: conan-movie.jp (Japan)
Toho and TMS Entertainment have rescheduled the Japanese theatrical release of the anime film, DETECTIVE CONAN: THE SCARLET BULLET (名探偵コナン 緋色の弾丸, Meitantei Konan Hiiro no Dangan), for April 2021. The 24th installment in the blockbuster series based on the Detective Conan manga by Gosho Aoyama was intended for a nationwide release this past April 17th, but was pulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Source: Toho Co., Ltd.
Official Site: sumaho-otoshita.jp (Japan)
In November 2018, Toho Co., Ltd. released the thriller STOLEN IDENTITY (スマホを落としただけなのに, Sumaho o Otoshita Dakenanoni). The movie, based on the acclaimed mystery novel He Just Dropped His Smartphone, written by Akira Shiga, was a hit that ended up earning 1.9 billion yen at the box office so the studio made the safe bet with STOLEN IDENTITY 2 (スマホを落としただけなのに 囚われの殺人鬼, Sumaho o Otoshita Dake Nanoni Toraware no Satsujinki), a sequel adapted from the second book in the series, which traces the outcome of a new crime several months after the events of the first story.
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Product Info and Exclusive GIANT High-Res Photos, Direct from X-Plus!
Author: Keith Aiken
Source: X-Plus Co., Ltd.
Special Thanks to Shingo Fujimoto
The Japanese collectibles company X-Plus Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with information and daikaiju-sized photos of their giant monster and anime figures scheduled for release in June 2020.
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Source: Shout! Factory press release
Official Site: tenkinoko.com (Japan), WeatheringWithYouMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Lauren Blum
The extraordinary new animated film WEATHERING WITH YOU (天気の子, Tenki no Ko, 2019) will be available to purchase digitally on August 4, 2020, and on September 15 will arrive on Blu-ray + DVD Combo, DVD, and SteelBook format from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. In addition, a limited edition Collector’s Set will also be released in November.
GKIDS proudly presents the highly-anticipated new film from director Makoto Shinkai and the creative team, including producer Genki Kawamura, behind the critically-acclaimed, global smash hit YOUR NAME. Featuring music from the hit band RADWIMPS, and backed by an all-star voice cast including Lee Pace (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, THE HOBBIT Trilogy), Alison Brie (GLOW, THE LEGO MOVIE franchise), and Riz Ahmed (ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, VENOM), Shinkai has once again brought incredible beauty and a powerful story to the screen.
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