The subtitled version of GANTZ will be screened this month at the VIZ Cinema in San Francisco. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Source: MediaLab press release
Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese and Asian film, presents a pair of special movie events taking place at the venue in February. Trailers, screening times and tickets are available at VIZCinema.com. The venue is located inside NEW PEOPLE at 1746 Post Street in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Slated to screen on February 19th will be the acclaimed Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s romantic prison drama, BREATH, which will be followed by a reception with The Red Lantern: Bay Area Asian Cinephiles, based in San Francisco and the world’s largest Meetup group for Asian films.

Also, by popular demand, VIZ Cinema at NEW PEOPLE will offer a special one-night-only screening on February 19th of the live-action sci-fi thriller GANTZ (in Japanese with English subtitles). GANTZ is based on the smash hit manga and anime series and was world-premiered at 334 theatres nationwide in January.
Continued…

Matsuko Kawajiri (Miki Nakatani) fins joy in the mundane in MEMORIES OF MATSUKO, the multi-award winning tragic fairytale from CONFESSIONS director Tetsuya
Nakashima. Photo courtesy of Third Window Films. © 2006 “memories of MATSUKO” Production Committee

Source: Third Window Films, TBS
Official Movie Site: thirdwindowfilms.com/memories-of-matsuko (UK)
Special Thanks to Adam Torel

Cover art for the UK Blu-ray of MEMORIES OF MATSUKO. Photo
courtesy of Third Window Films. © 2006 “memories of MATSUKO”
Production Committee

When a bored college student learns that a long lost aunt has been found dead in a park, he begins piecing together her life to see if it had any value. What he finds is a revelation.

On February 14th, Third Window Films will release MEMORIES OF MATSUKO (Kiraware Matsuko no Isshoo, 2006) on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom. Talented film director Tetsuya Nakashima (KAMIKAZE GIRLS, CONFESSIONS) wields a host of cinematic tools to make a memorably entertaining and emotionally powerful “fairytale tragedy,” weaving together realistic human drama with offbeat comedy and spectacular, Bob Fosse-like production numbers to tell the heartbreaking story of Matsuko Kawajiri, a starry-eyed woman who spends her entire life searching for a worthy “prince” capable of returning her limitless love. The versatile actress Miki Nakatani renders a virtuosic performance in the lead role of Matsuko.

Third Window Films’ Blu-ray release will include a 30 minute “Making of” documentary, storyboard to film comparison, and interview with music composer Gabriele Roberto, and the Japanese theatrical trailer. The recommended retail price is £19.99.
Continued…

The World Premiere of GANTZ was held January 20th in Hollywood. Photo by Richard Pusateri.

Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama present GANTZ World Premiere in Hollywood
Author: Richard Pusateri
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen and Rieko Fuji

Kenichi Matsuyama fields questions through his interpreter. Photo courtesy of
VIZ Pictures. © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

The fans were restless at the GANTZ World Premiere in Hollywood. Above the world famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater January 20, the fans lining the entrance corridor of Mann’s Chinese 6 theaters were fidgeting and nervously chattering long before the film’s stars Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DETROIT METAL CITY, DEATH NOTE) arrived for what was billed as the “GANTZ WORLD PREMIERE.” One of the first things master of ceremonies Patrick Macias told the crowd was the stars were just in from the World Premiere earlier that day in Tokyo, leaving the description of this event as the “World Premiere” needing some clarification.
Continued…

The Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ will be screened nationwide in the United States on January 20th, with the Japanese theatrical run launching
January 29th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

English Language Press Notes for Highly Anticipated Manga Adaptation
Source: VIZ Pictures, NTV
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

The long-awaited adaptation of the suspense action manga GANTZ is finally here!

Based on the popular Japanese manga and anime series, GANTZ is the ultimate survival game. Summoned by the mysterious black orb known as “GANTZ”, childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato are forced into participating in the extermination of ‘aliens’ in order to survive. While Kurono chooses to fight for survival, Kato refuses to engage in battle and rejects a world controlled by violence. Kurono and Kato, along with the others sharing their fate, are pushed to their limits in the relentless battles against the aliens.

Due to its intense action and strikingly original story, a movie adaptation was once considered impossible. However, after NTV led the adaptations of DEATH NOTE and 20TH CENTURY BOYS to success, a movie adaptation of GANTZ became possible with director Shinsuke Sato. The highly-awaited movie project has two parts; the first installment coming in January 2011, and the second in spring 2011.
Continued…

Teacher Yuko Moriguchi suspects that one (or more) of her students murdered her child… and sets out to prove it by any means necessary in CONFESSIONS.
Japan’s entry for the 2011 Academy Awards will get a limited theatrical run in the United Kingdom from Third Window Films.
Photo courtesy of The Associates. © 2010 Confessions Production Committee

Psychological Thriller from the Director of KAMIKAZE GIRLS and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO Opens February 18th
Source: The Associates press release
Official Movie Site: kokuhaku-shimasu.jp (Japan), thirdwindowfilms.com/confessions (UK)

UK poster art for CONFESSIONS. Photo courtesy of Third
Window Films © 2010 Confessions Production Committee

Following the critical acclaim of his previous features, KAMIKAZE GIRLS (Shimotsuma Monogatari, 2004) and MEMORIES OF MATSUKO (Kiraware Matsuko no Issho, 2006), genre-busting auteur Tetsuya Nakashima returns with CONFESSIONS (Kokuhaku, 2010), a notably darker but equally absorbing and typically idiosyncratic work, this time adapted from the award winning debut novel by Kanae Minato.

Written and directed by Nakashima, CONFESSIONS has been selected as Japan’s official entry in the Best Foreign Film category of the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (the final list of nominees will announced on 25th January 2011) and received great acclaim following its UK premier screening at the Film4 Frightfest All-Nighter in October, 2010 at London’s Empire Cinema.

CONFESSIONS (cert. tbc) is released by Third Window Films and will open at selected UK cinemas on 18th February 2011.
Continued…

Kenichi Matsuyama stars in GANTZ. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Two of Japan’s Top Actors Introduce New Sci-Fi Action Feature Debuting on 333 Screens Across North America
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, welcomes Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY), for the opening of the stars’ latest feature film – GANTZ. The pair will appear in-person for the premiere of the film in Hollywood, CA on Thursday, January 20th at 5:00pm at the Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in Hollywood, CA. Immediately following the GANTZ screening, Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias will conduct a live interview session with Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama that will be telecast to the 333 theatres across the U.S. also screening GANTZ for the January 20th premiere.
Continued…

The Japanese live-action film GANTZ will have its world premiere in the United States on January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Winners to See the New Movie Before It Opens in Japan, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan!
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji and Erik Jansen

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan’s contest for a free ticket to the GANTZ One-Night World Premiere screening. The winning entries are:

Anthony DeGelorm
Jonathan Ragon
Christopher Rowe

Congratulations to the winners! Congratulations to the winners! Each of you has won a ticket to see the live-action feature film GANTZ at your local cinema on Thursday, January 20th; nine days before the movie opens in Japan.
Continued…

The Godzilla “Mega Monster with Sound” prototype figure from Trendmasters’ unreleased GODZILLA: THE SERIES toy collection.
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Shyman. © 1998 Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Jonathan Shyman and Keith Aiken
Special Thanks to Andrew Wong, Bill Bronson and Brian Weinstock

For our first feature article of 2011, SciFi Japan looks back to 1998-99 and the unproduced Trendmasters toy line based on the animated television show GODZILLA: THE SERIES. Despite the cartoon’s ratings success— it was the Number 1 program among boys 6-11 on any broadcast network— retailers were still dealing with shelves of unsold GODZILLA (1998) movie merchandise and were not interested in purchasing more Godzilla products at that time. Advance orders for the first wave of GODZILLA: THE SERIES toys were so low that Trendmasters canceled the line before it went into production.

But some of the promotional materials and prototype action figures that were developed for the G:TS toy range were eventually bought by private collectors. We’re pleased to present a thorough overview of the GODZILLA: THE SERIES toy line with a look at advertising art, catalog listings, concept sketches, and dozens of photos of unreleased plastic and resin prototype figures now in the collection of Jonathan Shyman. Jonathan’s detailed presentation is further supplemented by information provided by former Trendmasters staffers Brian Weinstock and Bill Bronson.
Continued…

Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe) is ready to kick some ass in GANTZ, premiering January 20th. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Kinetic Sci-Fi Live-Action Film Screens at Mann’s Chinese 6 and Will Include In-Person Cast Interviews
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, presents a very special theatrical event to celebrate the premiere of GANTZ across North America on Thursday, January 20th. Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in the heart of Hollywood, CA, will host the film’s theatrical premiere in a gala screening beginning at 5:00pm.

Audiences are invited to join Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias immediately following the screening as he leads an insightful discussion session on GANTZ and conducts in-person interviews with several cast members. More details about this session and the chance for audience members to submit interview questions will be announced next week.
Continued…

See the New Movie Before It Opens in Japan, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan!
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan)
Premiere Event Page: GANTZ
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji and Erik Jansen

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Promo art for the world premiere of GANTZ. Photo
courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha
© 2011 Gantz Film Partners

The live-action feature GANTZ, based upon the popular Japanese manga and anime series, will be screened in American theaters nine days before the film opens in Japan. NEW PEOPLE and NCM Fathom are bringing the world premiere of GANTZ to cinemas nationwide for a one night live event on Thursday, January 20th at 8:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm CT/ 6:00 pm MT/ 8:30 pm PT (tape delayed). It will be English over-dubbed exclusively for this big screen event.

Following the feature, the two stars, Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this premiere.

Tickets for this special event are available at participating theater box offices and online now. For a complete list of theater locations and ticket information, please visit FathomEvents.com/Gantz.

As an added bonus, our friends at VIZ Pictures have offered SciFi Japan readers a chance to win free tickets to see this film on the big screen. We have three passes to give away… and here is your chance to grab one for yourself!
Continued…

The Japanese live action sci-fi adventure GANTZ will be screened nationwide in the United States more than a week before Toho opens the film in Japan.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film Partners

Exclusive Event Featuring Two of Japan’s Biggest Stars to 325 Select Movie Theaters LIVE on January 20
Source: MediaLab press release
Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan)
Premiere Event Page: GANTZ
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

International promo art for GANTZ. Photo courtesy of
NTV. © Hiroya Oku/Shueisha © 2011 Gantz Film
Partners

GANTZ, a live-action Japanese feature event, is making its world premiere in 325 movie theaters in an exclusive one-night Fathom event on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Following the feature, GANTZ’s two leading actors, Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY) will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this event.

Tickets are available at participating theater box offices and online at FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit EventTheatresReport_gantz.

Presented by NCM Fathom and NEW PEOPLE, in association with Dark Horse Comics, GANTZ (English dubbed) tells the story of childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato who are accidentally killed while trying to save another man’s life. Rather than find themselves in the hereafter, however, they awaken in a strange apartment in which they find a mysterious black orb they come to know as “GANTZ.” Along with similar abductees, they are provided with equipment and weaponry and manipulated into playing a kind of game in which they are sent back out to the greater world to do battle with alien beings, all while never quite knowing whether this game is an illusion or their new reality.
Continued…

Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

One lucky SciFi Japan reader has won a free DVD of
DETROIT METAL CITY. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008
Toho /Horipro /Hakusensha /SME /Dentsu /d-rights /Parco
/SDP /Tokyo FM /Yahoo! Japan/ Nippan /Tsutaya Group

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Thank you to everyone who entered VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan’s contest for a free DETROIT METAL CITY DVD. The winning entry is:

Vince Flores

Congratulations, Vince! VIZ Pictures will be shipping the Gift Pack shortly so keep an eye on your mailbox.

More contests are in the works so keep checking back with SciFi Japan for more chances to win some cool stuff!
Continued…

Get the New Toho Heavy Metal Comedy for Free, Courtesy of VIZ Pictures and SciFi Japan
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

Win a free DETROIT METAL CITY DVD from VIZ Pictures!
Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008 Toho /Horipro
/Hakusensha /SME /Dentsu /d-rights /Parco /SDP /Tokyo
FM /Yahoo! Japan/ Nippan /Tsutaya Group

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has released the Toho heavy metal comedy DETROIT METAL CITY on Region 1 DVD with Japanese audio and English subtitles. Directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga comic created by Kiminori Wakasugi, DETROIT METAL CITY takes the zany rock antics inspired by films like SPINAL TAP to hilarious new extremes. It features notable appearances by Gene Simmons from the legendary band, KISS, and Marty Friedman of Megadeth, and stars Kenichi Matsuyama, widely for his role as ‘L’ in the DEATH NOTE films.

The suggested retail price for the DETROIT METAL CITY DVD is $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN, but VIZ Pictures is giving SciFi Japan readers in the United States and Canada a chance to win a free copy.
Continued…

The manager from hell transforms three geeks into the Death Metal band Detroit Metal City. Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures.
© 2008 Toho /Horipro /Hakusensha /SME /Dentsu /d-rights /Parco /SDP /Tokyo FM /Yahoo! Japan /Nippan /Tsutaya Group

Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has provided the following press notes for DETROIT METAL CITY, the live-action heavy metal comedy based on the popular manga of the same name. DETROIT METAL CITY is now available on Region 1 DVD with Japanese audio and English subtitles. MSRP is $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN.
Continued…

Ryo Ikebe (lower right) in an incredible piece of publicity art for Ishiro Honda’s GORATH. © 1962 Toho Co., Ltd.

Toho Leading Man Dies at 92
Author: Ed Godziszewski
Source: Variety, Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan
Special Thanks to Daisuke Ishizuka, Stuart Galbraith IV, Mark Schilling, and Georges Baumgartner

Ryo Ikebe in a publicity shot for THE DECOY. © 1957 Toho Co.,
Ltd.

Ryo Ikebe, well-known to fans of Japanese science fiction and fantasy film, died in Tokyo at 1:55pm on October 8, 2010 from complications of blood poisoning at the age of 92. Born on February 11, 1918 to painter and comic artist Hitoshi Ikebe, he graduated from Rikkyu University and started out his film career in 1940 as a screenwriter at Toho, with his ultimate ambition to be a director. However, his handsome good looks were noticed by director Yasujiro Shimazu who suggested Ikebe try performing in front of the camera, and he made his acting debut in 1941’s FIGHTING FISH (Togyo).

Shortly after his debut, Ikebe was drafted into the military and served nearly 5 years in China as an officer. Upon his return to Japan after the war, Ikebe’s acting career resumed, initially taking on several leading roles for director Kajiro Yamamoto. He quickly established himself as a top star and worked with a virtual hall-of-fame roll call of directors… Yasujiro Ozu, Mikio Naruse, Kon Ichikawa, Tadashi Imai, Masahiro Shinoda, Shiro Toyoda.
Continued…

Source: Solid Objects press release
Special Thanks to Max Winter and Brad Warner

Cover art by Michael Kupperman for Jim Shepard’s new
novella Gojira, King of the Monsters. Photo courtesy
of Solid Objects. Godzilla © 2010 Toho Co., Ltd.

Solid Objects, a newly launched fiction, drama, poetry, and nonfiction publisher based in New York, will release the novella Gojira, King of the Monsters on November 8th. Written by Jim Shepard, the book presents a fictionalized account on the personal and professional struggles of special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya during the production of the original GODZILLA (Gojira, 1954).

Jim Shepard is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including the collections Like You’d Understand, Anyway; Love and Hydrogen; and Batting Against Castro, as well as the novels Project X and Nosferatu. He has won the Story Prize and been nominated for the National Book Award. He lives in Massachusetts and teaches at Williams College.

Gojira, King of the Monsters
By Jim Shepard
Paperback
56 pages
$12
5″ by 7″
Cover design by Michael Kupperman
ISBN 978-0-9844142-1-5

Gojira, King of the Monsters can be ordered directly from Solid Objects (with free shipping and handling) or through Small Press Distribution and Amazon.
Continued…

Color guide used during the production of GODZILLA: THE SERIES. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Family Entertainment.
© 1998 Toho Co., Ltd./Adelaide Productions, Inc.

Complete Animated Series Now Available Online
Official Site: sony.com/tv/kids/godzilla
Special Thanks to Zen Faulkes

Netflix subscribers can now watch all forty episodes of Sony Pictures Television’s animated program GODZILLA: THE SERIES. Spun off from the studio’s big budget GODZILLA (1998), the show aired Saturday mornings on the Fox Network from 1998 to 2000. Netflix has also made available two episodes of GODZILLA: THE SERIES, 126- THE BALLAD OF GENS DU MARAIS and 139- TOURIST TRAP, which were not broadcast on US television.

To view the GODZILLA: THE SERIES episodes, visit netflix.com/Godzilla-The-Complete-Series.

For more on the series check out SciFi Japan’s The Ultimate Guide to GODZILLA: THE SERIES.

Hapless Kaiji Ito (Tatsuya Fujiwara, center) is caught in a deadly game between rivals Yukio Tonegawa (Teruyuki Kagawa) and Rinko Endo (Yuuki Amami).
Photo courtesy of NTV. © Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Kodansha /2009 “Kaiji” Film Partners

DEATH NOTE’s Tatsuya Fujiwara is the Ultimate Gambler in Big Screen Manga Adaptation
Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network)
Additional Images: 4Digital Media
Official Movie Site: kaiji-movie.jp (Japan)
Special Thanks to Asuka Kimura, Tzeling Huang, Steve Beecham and Steve Kirkham

English language international promo art for KAIJI. Photo
courtesy of NTV. © Nobuyuki Fukumoto, Kodansha /2009
“Kaiji” Film Partners

KAIJI (Kaiji Jinsei Gyakuten Geemu) is a 2009 live action film based on the best selling manga series. It was produced by a partnership of companies that include the Nippon Television Network (NTV), Toho, Kaiji manga publisher Kodansha, Horipro, YTV, Vap, DN Dreampartners, and Hint Inc. KAIJI was released theatrically in Japan by Toho on October 10, 2009. The film was a box office success, earning ¥2.1 billion yen (approximately $23 million US) during its theatrical run. A sequel has been announced for release in Japan in 2011.

NTV is handling world sales of KAIJI and has promoted the movie at international trade shows such as the American Film Market. The film has been distributed in a handful of countries, including the United Kingdom where it was released on DVD with English subtitles on July 26, 2010. In some territories it has been released with the English title KAIJI: THE ULTIMATE GAMBLER.

NTV has provided SciFi Japan with photos, promotional art, and production notes for KAIJI. Supplementing the article are additional photos from the film’s UK distributor, 4Digital Media.
Continued…

Death metal star Johannes Krauser II (Kenichi Matsuyama) rocks out in the men’s room with Hidenori Saji (Issei Takahashi) in DETROIT METAL CITY, Toho’s live action
comedy based on the international best-selling manga series. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd. /Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group.

Film Based on Popular Manga Series Features Appearances by Gene Simmons of KISS and Marty Friedman of MEGADETH
Source: VIZ Pictures, MediaLab press releases
Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

The DETROIT METAL CITY DVD goes on sale November 9th.
Photo courtesy of VIZ Pictures. © 2008 Toho Co., Ltd.
/Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Ent. (Japan) Inc.
/ Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo
FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon
Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group.

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release on November 9th of DETROIT METAL CITY. The live-action comedy, directed by Toshio Lee and based on the popular manga created by Kiminori Wakasugi, is presented in Japanese with English subtitles and will carry an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN.

To celebrate the release, VIZ Pictures has scheduled a special one-night-only screening of DETROIT METAL CITY at 7:15pm on Tuesday, November 4th at VIZ Cinema, located inside NEW PEOPLE in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown (1746 Post St., San Francisco CA 94115).

Deluxe tickets to the screening are $25.00 and include a pass to the film, a copy of the new DVD, a poster and stickers, and entry into a raffle for several fun DETROIT METAL CITY premiums. Prizes will be awarded and attendees are invited to also enjoy complementary beverages before the show. Regular admission tickets are $10.00 (for film only).

DETROIT METAL CITY takes the zany rock antics inspired by films like THIS IS SPINAL TAP to hilarious new extremes in this story, based on a comic series that has sold more than 4.5 million copies in Japan (and published in North America by VIZ Media). It features notable appearances by Gene Simmons from the legendary band, KISS, and Marty Friedman of Megadeth, and stars Kenichi Matsuyama, one of the most adored actors in Japan today and known widely for his role as ‘L’ in the DEATH NOTE films (also available from VIZ Pictures).
Continued…

Katsuo Nakamura in a classic scene from Toho’s ghost film KWAIDAN, launching Japan Society’s Zen & Its Opposite monthly film series this Friday.
Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1965 Toho Co., Ltd.

Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House (October 15 2010-February 18 2011)
Source: Japan Society
Special Thanks to Kanako Shirasaki and Shannon Jowett

Tatsuya Nakadai in SWORD OF DOOM. Photo courtesy of Japan Society. © 1966
Toho Co., Ltd.

New York, NY – Japan Society’s Monthly Classics film series, Zen & Its Opposite: Essential (& Turbulent) Japanese Art House peers into the dark side of the classical repertoire of the late 1950s and 1960s, illuminating the paradoxical and little understood unity of Zen Buddhism and violence. Timed with The Sound of One Hand: Painting and Calligraphy by Zen Master Hakuin (October 1, 2010–January 9, 2011), Japan Society’s major exhibition of 18th century Zen paintings, Zen & Its Opposite launches Friday, October 15, with Masaki Kobayashi’s KWIDAN at 7:30 pm, screening another 4 films monthly through February 13, 2011.

In Zen & Its Opposite, 5 master filmmakers offer the bloody and all-too-human spectacle of sin, folly and frailty, in unforgettable tales of crime and punishment, vengeful ghosts and delirious soldiers, mad samurai and deranged marauders, fire and brimstone, and spiritual darkness. The selection promises to satisfy the courteous viewer with an appetite for dark eroticism, macabre poetry and the exquisite monstrosity of the human heart, which will haunt long after viewing.
Continued…

The King of the Monsters Returns to Comics… and This Time, He’s Not Alone
Source: IDW Publishing press release
Special Thanks to Lyle Huckins

Godzilla cover art by Eric Powell. © 2010 IDW
Publishing/ Toho Co., Ltd.

The biggest star in motion pictures prepares to wreak havoc once again! IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce a partnership with Toho Co., Ltd. to create all-new Godzilla comics. Starting in 2011, Godzilla will smash his way back onto the scene with a cast of characters from his films never before seen in comics.

“This new series will be monsters and mayhem, but most importantly, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Yukio Kotaki of Toho. “Godzilla has been gone from comics for too long and we feel that IDW is the perfect company to welcome him back in 2011.”

In addition to the King of the Monsters himself, the new comics from IDW Publishing and Toho Co., Ltd. will feature many of Godzilla’s friends and foes, including Mothra, King Ghidorah, Rodan and more that have never before been featured in an American comic book series alongside Godzilla. With an impressive cast of monsters both old and new, IDW’s series will treat fans to both familiar themes and original takes on the pop culture legends that have stomped, smashed, and fought their way across movie screens for over five decades.

“Not only is Godzilla known worldwide, he’s loved worldwide, too. Having a film career with more than 25 movies and going on a 56-year span pretty much solidifies you as a legend, and IDW is really looking forward to contributing to that legacy,” said Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in Chief for IDW Publishing. “We wanted Godzilla to return to comics, but this time we wanted him to have some company. I think fans will be pleased with the monster guest appearances, which will really offer something for every fan of these films. There are the classic characters, but there are also a few surprises, too.”

Debuting in February 2011, fans can expect to see a number of unique storylines from some of the industry’s top creators.
Continued…

Promotional art for THE LAST MESSAGE – UMIZARU, the Japanese blockbuster now playing both 2D and 3D versions.
Photo courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd. © 2010 Fuji Television Network, ROBOT, Pony Canyon, Toho, Shogakukan, Team Agent FNS27 Inc.

Toho Sails to the Top of the Box Office with a New 3D Chapter in Their Spectacular UMIZARU Series
Author: Kevin Grays
Official Movie Site: umizaru.jp

Following the overwhelming international success of James Cameron’s AVATAR (2009), the Japanese film industry has made a bold move into the waters of 3D with its own challengers. Among the top 10 films in Japan in 2010 as of August, the leading four were grand scale 3D American productions with AVATAR winning the war of these foreign invaders. Domestic box office receipts in the first six months of this year, according to The Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan, improved by over 1.5%. Theaters in Japan saw such a positive turnaround in the increase of audience numbers— despite the greater price in tickets for these films— that the new 3D movie technology made headline news across the nation.

So Toho studios made the decision to experiment with the release of the latest installment in their epic UMIZARU series. Originally filmed in a 2D format, THE LAST MESSAGE – UMIZARU (Za Rasuto Messeji: Umizaru) was upgraded into 3D for select releases in cinemas across Japan. And it did not take long at all for LAST MESSAGE to take the very top box office crown away from the competition. With a September 18, 2010 release, the first nine days saw over 2.1 million admissions that sent profits racing beyond $38.6 million. Shown in both traditional 2D and new technology 3D versions, 68.7% of audiences opted for the more expensive 3D experience.
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The Alien Queen and Rodan are coming to Kaiyodo’s popular Sci-Fi Revoltech Series of fully articulated toys.
© Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. © 1956 Toho Co., Ltd. © 2010 Kaiyodo Co., Ltd.

Kaiyodo Company’s Sci-Fi Revoltech Series of super-articulated figures of popular science fiction, horror, and fantasy characters continues in December with the Alien Queen from James Cameron’s classic ALIENS (1986) and one of Toho’s “Big Five” daikaiju stars; Rodan the flying monster. The Alien Queen while be the largest figure released in the line to date and will retail for slightly more than the other toys.

SciFi Japan presents a sneak peek at these upcoming figures with manufacturer’s photos provide by our sponsor, Anime Jungle. Also included are photos and specs for October and November’s Sci-Fi Revoltech Series releases.
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Films Include Works of Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano plus Women in Contemporary Japanese Cinema and Japanimation
Source: Barbican Centre, Sarah Harvey Publicity press release
Special Thanks to Helene Muron

Kenji Mizoguchi’s THE WATER MAGICIAN © 1933 Irie Production.

For two months, from 19 October to 19 December, Barbican Film presents ASPECTS OF JAPANESE CINEMA, an impressive programme of Japanese film. The programme includes three “Directorspectives” focusing of the work of Japanese film directors from three different eras of cinema, for whom costume and set design formed a critical element of their work – Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa and Takeshi Kitano. The Mizoguchi Directorspective launches on Sunday 24 October with a screening of THE WATER MAGICIAN accompanied, for the first time in the UK, by benshi narration and live traditional Japanese musical accompaniment on the koto. The screening will be introduced by Japanese film expert Tony Rayns. The season also features GirlsWorld, a series of contemporary Japanese films focusing on women, including a Cosplay special event on Saturday 6 November, and a schlockfest double bill for Halloween, as well as two Japanimation screenings.

ASPECTS OF JAPANESE CINEMA complements Barbican Art Gallery’s FUTURE BEAUTY: 30 YEARS OF JAPANESE FASHION, the first exhibition in Europe to comprehensively survey avant-garde Japanese fashion, from the early 1980s to now. FUTURE BEAUTY is showing at Barbican Art Gallery from 15 October to 6 February 2010.
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DEATH NOTE’s Kenichi Matsuyama plays innocent musician Soichi Negishi and his death metal alter-ego Johannes Krauser II in DETROIT METAL CITY.
© 2008 Toho Co., Ltd. /Horipro Inc. / Hakusensha, Inc. /Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. /Dentsu Inc. /d-rings Inc. /Parco Co., Ltd. /SDP, Inc. /Tokyo FM
Broadcasting Co., Ltd. /Yahoo Japan Corporation /Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. /Tsutaya Group.

Toho Heavy Metal Comedy To Screen This Month During J-Pop Summit Festival
Source: VIZ Pictures
Official Site: go-to-dmc (Japan), DMCtheMovie.com (US)
Special Thanks to Rieko Fuji

Toho’s 2008 heavy metal comedy DETROIT METAL CITY will make its San Francisco theatrical debut this month during the J-Pop Summit Festival. The film opens at the VIZ Cinema with a special Premiere Event on Saturday, September 18th, followed by a dozen screenings through the 27th.

Based on the best-selling manga series by Kiminori Wakasugi and directed by Toshio Lee, DETROIT METAL CITY is the story of Soichi Negishi (DEATH NOTE’s Kenichi Matsuyama), a sweet and shy young man who dreams of becoming a trendy singer songwriter. But for some reason, he is forced into joining the devil worshiping death metal band “Detroit Metal City” (DMC). In full stage make-up and costume, he transforms into Johannes Krauser II (Sir Krauser) the vulgar-mouthed lead vocalist of the band. Against Negishi’s will, DMC rises to stardom. Now the legendary king of death metal Jack Il Dark (Gene Simmons) himself is challenging DMC to a duel. What is the fate of the innocent Negishi as he climbs to the top of the death metal world?
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Haruo Nakajima sucker punches Gaira (the monster he played in WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS) during the publishing party for his autobiography Kaiju Jinsei.
Photo courtesy of Daisuke Ishizuka.

Godzilla Suit Actor Celebrates Launch of New Book
Author: Daisuke Ishizuka
Source: Yosensha Co., Ltd.

Cover art for Kaiju Jinsei, courtesy of Yosensha Co.
© 2010 Yosensha Co., Ltd.

A SciFi JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Today a publishing party was held for the autobiography Kaiju Jinsei (Kaiju Life) by Mr. Haruo Nakajima. Mr. Haruo Nakajima is a pioneer of monster suit acting who is well known as the suit actor who played Godzilla and various Toho monsters. He has often been invited to conventions in America; Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, etc. and he is familiar with Tokusatsu fans in the U.S. I attended the G-Fest convention in Hollywood in 2000 and it was my first time to see him. I had chance to hear about his career at that time. In 2010, we now have a chance to know about him more deeply because his autobiography was published in July by Yosensha Co., Ltd.

In Kaiju Jinsei, Mr. Nakajima details his life, from his youth to the present day. Needles to say, he focuses on his career as suit actor. In addition, he talks about Mr. Eiji Tsuburaya as well as the filmmakers and his friend and co-workers at Toho. The book is valuable resource for Tokusatsu fans.
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Source: Madman Entertainment
Special Thanks to Ben Pollock and Philippa Lamb

DVD cover art for 20TH CENTURY BOYS Trilogy. Photo
courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © 1999, 2006 Naoki
Urasawa, Studio Nuts/ Shogakukan. © 2009 “20th Century
Boys” Film Partners

The Australian distributor Madman Entertainment is releasing a mix of anime and Asian live action titles on Region 4 DVD in September, 2010. The selection includes:

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD Collection 2
ONE PIECE (Uncut) Collection
MY BRIDE IS A MERMAID Collection 1
BAKUGAN: NEW VESTROIA Collection 2
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Collection 3
JYU-OH-SEI (PLANET OF THE BEAST KING) Collection
NANA Collection 2
INITIAL D FOURTH STAGE Collection 2
KUROKAMI Collection 1
BLEACH Vol 26
20TH CENTURY BOYS Trilogy
and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00 Second Season Vol 1

Read on for plot descriptions, DVD specs, cover art, and more.
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Akira Takarada, star of GODZILLA and several sequels, takes to the stage in New York this weekend for the Japanese musical FREDDIE THE LEAF.
© Freddie Company

U.S. Premiere Opens August 13, 2010
Source: TKO Entertainment press release
Official Site: freddie.co.jp (Japanese)

Japanese advertisement for FREDDIE THE LEAF. © Freddie Company

FREDDIE THE LEAF
An all ages Japanese musical about the importance of every life, narrated by legendary Godzilla film actor Akira Takarada.
Fri 8/13 at 7pm, Sat 8/14 at 2pm and 7pm, Sun 8/15 at 2pm

New York, NY – Freddie Company in association with TKO Entertainment proudly presents the U.S. Premiere of the Japanese musical FREDDIE THE LEAF, written and directed by Takashi Inuishi, conceived by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, with music and lyrics by Shoichi Tama and starring popular Japanese film actor, Akira Takarada, and a cast of 21 Japanese teens and children.

FREDDIE THE LEAF runs from August 13 – 15, 2010 in a limited engagement at John Jay College’s Gerald W. Lynch Theater, located at 899 Tenth Avenue, between 58 and 59 Streets, in NYC.
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After numerous false starts, the YAMATO saga is successfully revived with the feature film SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION.
© 2009 Space Battleship Yamato Film Partners

Author: Ed Godziszewski
Official Site: yamato2009

English language sales flier for SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO:
RESURRECTION. © 2009 Space Battleship Yamato Film
Partners

SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: RESURRECTION marks the return of the YAMATO saga to the big screen after nearly 30 years. Arguably the biggest animation franchise at the time that Japanese animation made its mark on the world, YAMATO has been conspicuous by its absence for all these years. Never mind that the ship was destroyed in FINAL YAMATO… Yamato has been rebuilt before, and besides, no one and no thing is ever REALLY dead in science fiction. The lack of new YAMATO stories during this time was probably for the best– you just can’t keep threatening earth with calamity, then destroying and reviving the ship every year– not without eventually losing even the most devoted fans. After FINAL YAMATO, the series needed a break, and a long one.

But with all the advancements in technology that have occurred since Yamato last flew a mission, the idea of bringing it back to the big screen had fans of the original intrigued about the possibilities. The original films and TV series were made when technique was limited and the animation almost primitive by today’s standards. And, every bit as important, with the passing of series composer Hiroshi Miyagawa, what would the producers do for a musical score? Miyagawa’s distinctive sounds are almost as completely entwined with YAMATO as Akira Ifukube has been with Godzilla. How would YAMATO make the transition to the 21st century?
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Yuji Koseki’s soundtrack to the original MOTHRA is being re-issued in a new 2 CD collection. © 1961 Toho Co., Ltd.

Classic Toho Soundtrack Re-mastered in a Deluxe Edition
Author: John “Dutch” DeSentis
Source: Toho Music Store
Special Thanks to Mike Temple and Ed Godziszewski

Over the last two years, Toho Music has begun reissuing some of their non-Godzilla related special effects film scores in deluxe packaging with re-mastered sound. Joining the already re-released soundtracks to THE THREE TREAURES (Nippon Tanjo, 1959) and THE MYSTERIANS/BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (Chikyu Boeigun, 1957/Uchu Daisenso, 1959) is Yuji Koseki’s score to MOTHRA (Mosura, 1961), released as a dual disc set at the end of July.
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